This book is on my reading list for my psychotherapy program, but it is a read that I think most people would really enjoy, as it addresses a common human problem. Christina Grof discusses that familiar “thirst” we have as human beings, which sometimes leads us follow an addictive path.

Grof links the ideas of attachment, addiction and the spiritual path together in this book, admitting that a common mistake we make is to look outside ourselves for a feeling of wholeness. When we addict or get attached to people, substances or just “stuff”, it does not mean we are weak or bad people…as far as I’m concerned, it means we are normal!

When we addict or become attached to something or someone, what we are looking for is that high we get from it, even if it is just momentary. When we don’t understand we can look within for that feeling of elation, we continue to depend on outside substances…and it continues and grows as our thirst increases.

That thirst or longing we all experience is the desire to taste ourselves – to connect with our True Self, that Higher Spirit we all have within us. It is that place where we find all of our wisdom and knowing, and where we ultimately know we are not alone or abandoned by God, the Universe or life in general.

If you struggle with addiction yourself, read this book. It can make some sense of your attachments and let you know that your desires are normal. As Grof quotes in her book,

           Accept that we are human and that to be human is to be attached.