Are they the same thing? Can you have one without the other? To be honest with you, I am not sure. In his book Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl states that "between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom." So if we extend the space between the stimulus and our response to it (think of counting to ten) are we truely becoming more emotionally mature? If we "turn it over to God" as we are told in AA instead of becoming overwhelmed by life, is this a form of spiritual growth?
The bottom line for spiritual growth or emotional maturity is having contextual awareness of the present, and truely seeing how it fits into the broader world around us. Because even situations that can seem meaningless on the surface can have unforeseen consequences when not treated appropriately. As addicts, we have spent the bulk of our lives acting irrationally and ignoring the consequences of our actions. When we grow spiritually, however, we begin to understand that our actions affect others around us. We stop being the self-centered, self-seeking people that everyone knows.
While we may not recognize our own spiritual growth, many people around us will see changes in our behavior. This growth is achieved by working the steps, meditation and prayer, and developing a relationship with a higher power. When we do these things our character will change and allow traits like patience and faith to grow within us. When this occurs, the space between a stimulus and our response to it will grow, and we will become more emotionally mature and be on a higher spiritual path.
To learn more about Substance Abuse Counseling in Sacramento or
Drug and Alcohol Treatment check out www.pathwaysrecovery.com.
Related Links:
http://www.spiritual-path.com/spiritualpath.htm
http://www.spiritual.com.au/articles/aymen/spiritual_path.html
http://library.adoption.com/articles/7-steps-to-emotional-maturity.html
http://www.michaelppowers.com/path/mature.html
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