Customer Reviews

Chronic Illness and the Twelve Steps: A Practical Approach to Spiritual Resilience

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I am a chronic pain support group facilitator for the ACPA and I have spent months writing my own curriculum to use with my group. This summer I bought Chronic Illness and the Twelve Steps and was amazed at how well the author had grasped the most important aspect of living with chronic pain--Acceptance. Martha Cleveland in her own struggle to live life to the fullest has been able to tell others her secret in this easy to read, motivating book. I thought I knew everything there was to know about living in pain but after reading her book I realized that she has given me so much insight as to how to live even better. Who ever your higher power may be this book is a must for anyone who suffers with pain or cares for someone who is ill or in pain. I am so happy that I happen to stumble upon Martha Cleveland's book as it has given me a hope that I never knew I could have.

I loved this book. I have had a chronic illness for most of
my life. I have not found a book yet which described with
honesty, compassion, and love, the truths that people with
chronic illness have to deal with daily. I felt validated
and reassured that my pain was real. I would recommend it to
anyone who feels there is no hope to be heard.

I've found that reading this book has helped me so much over the years to deal with my chronic illnesses. Using the 12 Steps as a guide I am better able to face my fears and learn to use faith to see me through.

Chronic illness affects a significant minority. Figures for the United States on chronic pain, for example, show that at least one American in ten suffers from chronic pain with its considerable impacts on employment, social participation, finance and intimate relationships.

Books like Dr Martha Cleveland's Chronic Illness and the Twelve Steps, which offer practical help, have a large potential market. Millions of people have chronic illnesses, and those millions have people who care about them and stand alongside their loved ones seeking solutions.

This book outlines the Twelve Step journey and the way it develops emotional resilience to manage chronic illness. It describes, for example, the Steps asking the person to make a complete inventory and deal with the hurts of the past. Dr Cleveland is detailed in her analysis of emotional pain; how to identify it, how to remedy it, how to maintain a healthy emotional life.

The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the AA program were founded by Episcopal priest Sam Shoemaker. Fr Shoemaker is credited with the idea of twelve steps as a way of making spiritual resources available to people addicted to alcohol. This book is one of several that AA World Services Inc. have approved that adapt the Twelve Steps for diseases and addictions other than alcoholism. The sub-title of this book promises a practical approach to spiritual resilience in the AA tradition. I, however, would disagree that this book is about spiritual resilience, as its emphasis on emotional pain and healthy emotions is more to do with emotional resilience.

The near reduction of the concept of a Higher Power to faith in one's own projections illustrates the change of emphasis. Much more can be made of a Higher Power that transcends our own life without infringing the boundaries of the AA teachings of a Higher Power.

I have been collecting and reading dozens of books on chronic pain and chronic illness over the past year. Cleveland's book is one of the most practical of these books on managing and `healing' chronic illnesses. she outlines the steps clearly without sacrificing depth of engagement. Drawing on her own experience of chronic illness and her practice as a therapist, she shows when encouragement is needed, and when sheer grit is the only way through.

As one who writes on chronic pain and spirituality out of my personal knowledge of chronic pain, I consider this book will be highly useful for people with chronic illnesses and those who care for them.

Maybe I was expecting too much. The 12 steps used in recovery programs have helped millions of people in a variety of situations. This book doesn't quite make the transition from the 12 steps to chronic illness. Although the basic premise, that we can look at and heal emotional pain, and find spiritual serentity, is good; the path isn't laid out clearly. It's too sketchy, nebulous, and intangible.

Cleveland writes, "Ask your fear what it needs from you." If this works for you, great. I just found it frustrating. She has some good ideas. It was just hard for me to fish them out.