Strengthening One’s Relationship with a Greater Power: The Eleventh Step

Step Eleven in the twelve-step process of recovery is the second of the three “maintenance steps” – steps 10, 11, and 12. In these steps, the recovering individual begins a conscious effort to utilize the tools of twelve-step recovery in his daily life. Daily exercise of recovery skills supports his sobriety and emotional health.

In a traditional 12-step recovery program, the individuals working the 11th step say, “We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.”

Step Eleven recalls the intentions of earlier steps, in particular Steps Two and Three. In Step Two, the recovering addict recognizes that a Power great than himself can restore him to sanity. In Step Three, he makes the decision to turn his will and life over to the care of God, as he understands him.

For some individuals, the greater “Power” is a traditional image of God; for some, it takes a less traditional form. Recognizing the “Power” is not as much about religion as it is about connecting with life and energy outside of oneself – finding one’s place in the world and realizing the many valuable ways in which one is connected to the world. In surrendering one’s life to a higher power, or to the goodness and order in the world, one begins to learn positive coping skills. It requires one to look beyond oneself, beyond self-blame, anger, and frustration, to see a bigger picture.

Step Eleven reinforces the lessons of Steps Two and Three by reminding the recovering individual to quietly and thoroughly reflect on his or her connection to life, the world, and others, and to do so daily.

Step Eleven also recalls the practice of developing and maintaining a willingness to change, which was introduced in Step Six. Individuals working Step Six strive to be willing to recover by being ready to ask God to remove their defects of character. How is genuine readiness and willingness achieved? Through the quiet and thorough introspection that is echoed in Step Eleven. The ancient practices of meditation and visualization are powerful tools for promoting recovery through self-healing and self-change. In recent years, these practices have been introduced to addiction treatment methods. Like the individual working Step Six, the recovering individual who is working Step Eleven benefits from harnessing the power of meditation and visualization.

In the book Addiction Recovery Tools, Robert H. Coombs defines visualization as “the consciously chosen, intentional instruction to the self, a communication to the unconscious. It involves will, a will to wellness, to change.” By learning to make these instructions to the unconscious self on a daily basis, a recovering individual who is working the 11th step will speed her progress toward being sober, healthy, and happy.