Let me begin by saying that the development of spirituality is not dependent upon one's religious affiliation or background. You do not have to go to church or attend temple or keep the Sabbath, or maintain any other religious rituals to acquire spirituality. Doing these things are fine, and good, if they assist you, or make you feel good about yourself. Nevertheless, they are not a mandatory part of the development and maintenance of spirituality.
To begin with, spirituality is not so much what you do, as it is how you think and what you are. It is also important to understand that spirituality is a personal path that one chooses. It is not a set of rituals that have been laid out by any religious organization or spiritual leader.
The first step in attaining spirituality is to decide that you want it. The next step is to be willing to believe in a Power greater than yourself. Finally, you must define that Power and then turn your life and your will over to it.
It may be difficult at first to see that you need to develop spirituality. "What do I need spirituality for?" You may ask yourself. "I have survived till now without it, so what good is it? All my life people have been preaching to me about God, and all I got out of it was just more abuse, so why would I want to believe in God anyway? What has He done for me?"
I don't know that these questions fit you or not, but they were my questions and all I can do here is share my own experience, strength and hope with you. In the beginning, before I really began to recover, I had no use for God. To be quite honest I hated God and anything that had to do with God. Nevertheless, I was in intense pain, suffering flashbacks of past abuses on a daily basis, and considering suicide. I had no hope, and saw no end to my inner turmoil. The only power I truly possessed was the power to take my own life, on my own terms and when I decided the time was right. As a result of this position, my life was an endless night of drugs and alcohol, and a desperate search for the "one" who could help me.
