Chronic Illness and the Twelve Steps

Book excerpt: A self-help guide for those who are chronically ill. When we live with a chronic illness or disability, our spirit is tested. And though we may have no say in our sickness, how we meet its spiritual challenge is entirely up to us. This is the message of Martha Cleveland's heartening book, which maps the spiral of emotional pain that steals the energy of the chronically ill--and shows how to turn this spiral into a path toward spiritual growth. Cleveland herself turned to the Twelve Steps for support during almost two decades of a recurring illness that defied diagnosis. In this book, she shares what the Twelve Step program teaches her about living with chronic illness--coping with feelings of pain, anger, hopelessness, and isolation--and about offsetting such negative emotions with spiritual wellness. An invitation to choose joy over despair, her book reveals how chronic illness can open the spirit to acceptance, serenity, and fulfillment.