CHAPTER 27
The Substance Use Disorders as a Disease of the Human Spirit
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, students should be able to:
•
27.2: Identify the elements that are related to spirituality
•
27.4: Describe the benefits that may come from spirituality
CHAPTER OUTLINE
The Individual: The Starting Point
Before Spirituality Is the Individual
Spirituality
Modern Spirituality
Diseases of the Spirit
False Pride
Failure to Maintain a Commitment to Your Spiritual Beliefs
Punishment
Pseudo-Spirituality
Denial of Responsibility
Open Dishonesty
Honesty
History of Abuse
The Benefits of Spirituality
The Addictions as a Disease of the Spirit
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
The subject of spirituality is frequently ignored within society and is an ongoing point of
confusion. For example, upon admission to a hospital for elective surgery, the patient is often
asked which church or religion he or she belongs to, as if this piece of information were
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Break-Out Discussion # 1:
Can electronic beings become addicts? In his science fiction classic, The Moon is a Harsh
Mistress, Robert Heinlein presents as a central character a computer that has become self-
would be to the human self-consciousness? One could argue that since computers were
Questions
1. How similar do you believe a computer’s consciousness could be to a human’s? Why?
2. If computers, even self-aware ones, are but extensions of the human minds that conceived
and constructed them, would they also be vulnerable to an addiction? Perhaps a device that
3. If one accepts the existence of God, would mankind then become a “creator” in the same
sense that God is said to have created all that is known or to be learned? Why or why not?
Break-Out Discussion # 2:
Are the mind and the body separate entities? Rene Descartes proclaimed that the mind and the
body were separate entities, though the accuracy of this model has been debated for centuries.
Is it time to join the battle or just let the philosophers argue until they settle the question? It
would be so dull to just sit back and wait, so we will join the fray.
However, these cases are an extreme example of a more general problem. A person with
insulin-dependent diabetes whose blood sugar control is grossly disturbed will often
demonstrate uncharacteristic personality traits or behaviors. In the time since Rene Descartes
postulated that the mind and the body were separate entities, scientists have come to
understand that they are intertwined, if not different expressions of the same process. For
example, it was once thought that the laws of chemistry in living organisms were different from
the laws of ordinary chemistry (thus the term “organic chemistry”). Now it is known that the
Further, if one accepts the existence of the soul, then one must also ask what happens to the
soul in cases where the body continues to function in spite of massive brain damage. Medical
science has documented cases in which the individual’s personality has been permanently
Questions
1. How would you describe the connection between the body and the mind?
2. If there is a “soul,” what is its purpose (if any)? What is its relation to the mind and body? Is it
possible to have a “spirit” or “soul” without a body? As you struggle to answer these questions,
3. Our understanding of the function of the brain, the purpose and effects of various
neurotransmitters on brain function, and the manner in which metabolic disorders alter brain
function, all emerged after Descartes made his historic proclamation. Should his proclamation
be revised, or discarded entirely?
4. Belief can alter the physical responses of the body. The “placebo” response is an excellent
example of this process. Belief and individual expectations help to shape the body’s response to
5. Meditation has been found to be capable of inducing permanent changes in brain structure
and function (Benson, 2009; Kluger, Park, & Walsh, 2009). Persons with a positive outlook on
life, and who maintain a sense of gratitude for their blessings, suffer from lower levels of
depression than do those with a more dire outlook on life (Kluger, Park, & Walsh, 2009). How do
these observations affect your conclusions in the above questions?
REFERENCES
Benson, H. (2009). Mind/body medicine: components, research, techniques and application with
KEY CONCEPTS AND TERMS
Religion: An organized set of beliefs, which are often described in the texts(s) considered sacred
by followers of the particular religion
Faith: The development and expression of confidence in the tools and goals of one’s spiritual
journey in the face of doubt
Individuation: A term developed by Carl Jung for the process of becoming aware of one’s inner
“self,” including expectations about how others behave and how the world functions. This
process is influenced by social and cultural forces, but especially by the family environment in
which the child is raised.
Individuals who suffer from failure to individuate from caregivers fail to develop their own
feelings, thoughts, or independence, basing their reactions to new situations on their
expectation of how the significant other(s) will react. During infancy and very early childhood
Ritual: A uniform time and procedure in each day’s schedule
Dissimulation: A situation where the client provides false information in response to a question
or test item
Machiavellian: Of or related to Machiavelli, Niccolo (May 3, 1469–June 21, 1527). An Italian
historian and philosopher whose book The Prince has been accepted as an illustration of the
philosophy that the ends justify the means for those in power to obtain their desires
LO/STANDARDS CORRELATION CHART
A-head
LO
Standard—CACREP
The Individual: The
Starting Point
Spirituality
27.1:
Understand
the difference
between
spirituality
and religion
2g: the impact of spiritual beliefs on
clients’ and counselors’ worldviews
Spirituality
27.2: Identify
the elements
that are
related to
spirituality
2g: the impact of spiritual beliefs on
clients’ and counselors’ worldviews
Diseases of the Spirit
The Addictions as a
Disease of the Spirit
27.3:
Understand
how diseases
of the spirit
2g: the impact of spiritual beliefs on
clients’ and counselors’ worldviews
can block
spiritual
growth
The Benefits of Spirituality
27.4:
Describe the
benefits that
may come
from
spirituality
2g: the impact of spiritual beliefs on
clients’ and counselors’ worldviews