Women seeking recovery today are caught in a wild time. Rates of addiction have increased for women in recent years. Women’s liberation has granted us more human rights. This societal progress must continue. Despite progress, barriers exist for women seeking recovery. We run the world. In spite of this, it can be easy to default to outdated ways of thinking. We must change the world as well as ourselves. Let’s look at the internal work. The internal work is finding ways to fight shame and stigma.
The Wise Woman
Who is The Wise Woman? She is you, me and every woman. Your Wise Woman is a part of you already. You possess inner wisdom. All women do. As a result, you need to cultivate that inner wisdom. This is a significant part of recovery.
This concept of The Wise Woman comes from Marion Hutton-Schoen. She sang with The Glenn Miller Orchestra. She was also a woman who suffered from addiction. Marion got sober and found recovery. Marion didn’t stop there. She did more. She co-founded two treatment centers specifically for women. One is still in operation today, New Directions for Women in Costa Mesa, California. https://newdirectionsforwomen The other was Residence XII, which was in Kirkland, Washington. I worked there for over 16 years.
Marion Hutton studied Jungian psychology and she adapted some of Jung’s concepts.
(See related blog post Demystify The Shadow )
The Addict and The Wise Woman sides fight for control. The Addict is ruled by impulses. Immediate gratification is the focus. It works hard to avoid or numb or self-medicate pain. Seeking pleasure is a human drive. It becomes a problem when potential consequences are not considered. The Addict is driven by need, craving and compulsion. This is the definition of the cycle of addiction. This dynamic doesn’t only apply to alcohol and drugs. Similarly, behavioral addictions can be the focus. Women may be gambling, gaming, over-eating, shopping and engaging in codependency.
Do you remember the whole, “What Would Jesus Do?” Ask yourself, What would the Wise Woman Do? What is the wisest thing I can do now? If you’re reading this you are already in Wise Woman mode, so go with it and pick a time for a free phone consultation.