Mark Houston Recovery

The Law of Substitution: 12 Spiritual Laws for Addiction Recovery

Over the next several weeks we’ll be posting about the 12 Spiritual Laws that our residents learn to understand and practice throughout their 90 day stay at the Mark Houston Recovery Center.

#6 The Spiritual Law of Substitution

Turning away from negative self-talk

The Law of Substitution is one that will require daily practice to perform. It is said that of the 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts our minds have each day, most of the thoughts are repetitive and that many of them are very negative.

We must become keenly aware of when we are engaging in the self-destructive negative self talk. We must vigilantly master the art of turn off this negative internal dialogue and actively choose a different voice.

Mark’s Own Experience with Spiritual Law #6

I have had to practice the Law of Substitution for years. Whenever we stop actively substituting this negative inner dialog with positive self-talk, it will quickly and silently creep back into our daily existence.

If I “fall asleep,” meaning lose my way, I take the opportunity to listen to the negative internal self-talk. I can feel that the thoughts in my mind affect my body with a negative emotional charge that does not bring me to my highest good. When our internal self-talk is not of love, we must first become aware and then actively turn these negative thoughts into thoughts of love.

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