Grace Lost and Found

Book excerpt: Many recovery books are for the beginner, and that makes sense. But then what? This grace-filled book is for people at later stages in their recovery who are looking to uncover the underlying causes for their addiction and heal the psychological and spiritual pain, often lingering from childhood that many addicts bear. Grace Lost and Found is an inspirational and deep exploration of problems and pain; providing a compassionate approach to healing addictions, compulsions and other unhealthy habits. The 40 essays, each with their own set of practices and affirmations, engage readers on a journey through body, mind and spirit, symbolic symptoms, pain messages, levels of consciousness, and an expanded view of identity and life. The essays reach right to the bottom of the addict’s bag of tricks--lack of accountability, the tendency to externalize blame, willfulness, defending and pretending, immaturity, denial--and offer wise, compassionate, and get-real spiritual counsel. As Cook reminds us, we tend to grow most from pain and crisis: “I help people find the ultimate treasure in their problems, the messages in their pain and the metaphors in their symptoms. We are all being guided to a higher, healthier path, when we pay attention.”