The Role of Centering Prayer in the 12 Steps to Recovery
The 12 Steps
“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
Centering Prayer as an 11th Step Practice
For those who live by the 12 Steps found in Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon Family Groups, Overeaters Anonymous, and many other programs, a Centering Prayer practice can be a key support system in the process of recovery and transformation. Centering Prayer can help deepen our application of the 12 Steps generally, and the 11th Step specifically, through daily immersion in prayer and meditation. We believe that, when applied as a daily supplement to the 12 Steps, Centering Prayer opens us to the deepest dimension of spirituality.
Locally, in-person and online workshops are available to teach the practice of Centering Prayer as an 11th Step practice. If you or your 12-Step group would like to host a workshop, please contact Tricia Heine, Madison Coordinator, at centeringprayermadison@gmail.com. Online workshops are also available through the national organization at www.cp12stepoutreach.org.
Meetings
In the Madison area, the following groups offer prayer/meditation meetings for those persons in any 12 Step recovery program.
- Hybrid Meeting, every Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. East Side Alano, Hickory Hall Room, 1017 Northport Drive, Madison, WI, Zoom ID: 813 0791 6113, Passcode: 822 123
- Hybrid Meeting, every Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., Meditation and Recovery for Persons in 12 Step Groups, Neighborhood House Community Center, 29 South Mills St., Madison, WI, Community Room, Contact trudy.karlson@gmail.com for zoom information.
On-line zoom meetings are also available throughout the country and internationally. See www.cp12stepoutreach.org/events/ for a list of these groups.
12 Steps Resources
In addition to the books listed in the Resources section of this site, a book specific to those in 12 Step recovery may be of interest. Divine Therapy and Addiction, a book based on interviews with Thomas Keating and a recovering alcoholic, offer insight into the Twelve Steps and Centering Prayer.
- Thomas Keating, Divine Therapy and Addiction, Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps, Lantern Books, Brooklyn, NY, 2009