By Dr. Kerri Heath
“Being in Flow is a mystical or transcendent state where you go beyond your sense of self and you experience exceptional feats of strength and endurance of creativity.” –Glen Gerreyn
One of the best ways to overcome addiction is to find your flow. Your flow is the connection you have when your inner life is completely aligned with your external experiences. When you are suffering internally, your external world becomes chaos, but when you can rebalance your inner life, the external world will reflect your inner contentment. Researchers have been studying the experts who lead happy lives as a result of being in the flow. The secrets they share can help you find the best version of yourself as well.
Malcolm Gladwell described how to become a true expert at something in his book Outliers (2008) by stating that one practicing anything for 10,000 hours guarantees success. He was trying to show that natural ability takes an investment of time in order to be made manifest. This is discouraging for people, like myself, who grow easily distracted and bored. I prefer to try many different things in life and spending 10,000 doing one thing sounds painful. However, it takes time to put in the practice at becoming good at something. If you are reading about addiction, it’s possible that you have spent 10,000 hours drinking or using substances which are lower levels of energy that don’t feel good. What if you start replacing that time with something that does feel good?
Noting that money cannot make us happy, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi set out to find people who experience lasting satisfaction in activities that bring a state of flow. When someone is in a state of flow, they are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter, they experience ecstasy. Every flow activity provides a sense of discovery and a creative feeling that transports the person into a new reality. Flow pushes people into higher levels of performance and leads to new states of consciousness. Flow helps you “get in the zone” or experience being “on point” or “on a roll.” Michael Jackson achieved a state of flow by pushing the boundaries of his brilliance to new heights.
By the time addictions have taken control of your life, you are not able to experience flow that leads to happiness and tranquility. The flow has been blocked by the substances that prevent you from true alignment with your optimal state of being. The state of flow is achieved when you can identify negative emotions and replace them with trying new things, challenging yourself and experiencing new growth. However, you may have become accustomed to using a substance every time a negative emotion arises. Do not try to eliminate addictions on your own in order to obtain a state of flow but find a team of professionals that can surround you to help you identify the obstacles that are standing in your way. People come to Passages to find freedom from addiction and they end up finding their flow. You will begin to feel your negative emotions, and instead of numbing them with substances, look for ways to grow and challenge yourself towards higher states of existence. Once you experience the “high” from being in the flow, you will never want to return to substances again. Now, that is something you won’t learn from the 12-step programs… that is what makes Passages distinct from the rest. You find your flow at Passages in Malibu.
How to Contact Passages Addiction Treatment Centers:
Call Passages Addiction Treatment Centers today if you or a loved one is battling an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Our admissions department is available 24/7 and can be reached directly by calling our toll-free number at (888) 397-0112. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
Passages, Where Addiction Ends and Life Begins™
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