Soulbriety

Abstract

This qualitative study conducts a phenomenological exploration of soul in addiction recovery. Addiction is the most pervasive epidemic in the U.S and is considered a national health crisis. By reframing addiction as a crisis of meaning with existential and spiritual implications, the study explores how depth psychology’s concept of “soul” informs the addiction recovery process. For the purposes of this study, soul is interpreted using James Hillman’s conceptualization of soul in Re-Visioning Psychology (1975). Six participants with various lengths of sobriety were interviewed; sobriety was measured as continuous and consecutive days of abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Interviews were intended to reveal whether the psychopathologies of addiction can serve as an entrée into soul making, therefore expanding approaches to addiction to include soul and changing how addicts participate in their recovery. Three themes arose from the data: the importance of connection, freedom of choice, and gateways into the unconscious. Results suggest that envisioning addiction through the lens of soul may amplify addiction treatment and prevention. Finally, subsequent research may discover that caring for the soul can lead an addict to a fulfilled life in recovery with meaning and purpose.