Spirit Recovery Medicine Bag: A Transformational Guide for Living Happy, Joyous, and Free

by Lee McCormick, Mary Faulkner

Feeling limited by circumstances, substances, or behaviors often leads to the simple, yet profound question, "Is this all there is?" This question is an opportunity to rediscover one's truth and live life more fully and authentically. Spirit Recovery Medicine Bag offers readers a path to finding their personal answer to this question in an engaging two-part format.

In Part One, readers will join Lee McCormick as he reflects on his personal journey of recovery and transformation—a journey that initiated him into a life of helping others recover their own sense of self and purpose. Part Two is a medicine bag of healing practices designed to guide readers in developing self-awareness and awakening their sense of power-specifically the power of choice rooted in personal values and commitment to living those values. Covering a variety of topics addressing spirituality, awareness, and consciousness, the authors pose questions for reflection and self-investigation along the way.

Spirit Recovery Medicine Bag is not a negation of Twelve-Step recovery, but a tool for expanding awareness and increasing involvement regardless of the path one is walking. In Twelve-Step language, it builds on Step 12's direction to practice these principles in all one's affairs. The authors believe that the inner journey to one's truth and the creative expression of that truth make for a good definition of spirituality, and they offer readers a very real message of the possibility of living "happy, joyous, and free" through spirit recovery.

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2014

About the author

An apprentice of the Nagual don Miguel Ruiz, Lee McCormick is founder of The Ranch, a holistic recovery treatment center located on two thousand acres in Middle Tennessee, and Spirit Recovery Inc. He is currently the program consultant at Renaissance Malibu, a world class healing and treatment facility, where he implements the spirit recovery model at their facility in Malibu California. He shares his time between the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu and at his ranches in Tennessee.

Reviews

[Corinne Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book is associated with the process of recovery from addiction, containing Lee McCormick’s personal journey of recovery and transformation, it is also addressed to a larger audience. This could be any of us struggling with the loss of a job, a love one, a broken relationship, etc.

What I liked about the book is the fact that it doesn’t have a ‘one solution fits all’ approach. Instead readers are encouraged to examine themselves and find their own path of healing from the numerous tools and suggestions offered. Readers are constantly encouraged to go back to Nature to find their healing, and this is something I found particularly appealing.

The authors have used an image from the Native American culture in which the medicine man (shaman) carried a medicine bag full of various tools for healing. The book is a collection of various ideas and tools that helps us to connect with the Source of all healing at times when we have lost our spirit.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not what I thought it would be at all. This is what I get from not reading book jackets. I thought it would be a book on making these recovery bags, why you need them, and who you should give them to. What I got instead was the authors story of how they changed their life around. This isn't bad, just not what I expected. It was decently written, and except for it not being my type of book, I have no complaints.