The relapse prevention plan is like a roadmap after treatment to help you stay sober. Your clinical team will work with you on a relapse prevention plan. You completed treatment and are preparing to return home. This stage is comprised of the hero recommitting to complete the journey and accept the road back to the ordinary world. The freedom from being entrapped by maladaptive behaviors is priceless. Luke received the Death Star plans, Harry Potter received the Sorcerer's Stone, and Frodo received a sword. Mulan’s life was spared after it was discovered that she was a girl. The hero overcame the greatest fear and challenge to earn the reward.The work is challenging, but so worth the reward. Your therapist in treatment will ask you to delve deep into your psyche to address your most significant challenge. Perhaps you were physically or sexually abused as a child or had a miscarriage that was so painful. This is the greatest fear and most difficult challenge. To continue your journey, you must face the reasons why you chose to drink and use. Women drink and use mainly to cover painful, negative emotions. In treatment, the innermost cave refers to working through feelings of shame and guilt. Preparations are needed and might include maps, and reconnaissance to enter the cave. Tests might be barriers to treatment like childcare, time off work, finances, or looming court appearances. A sidekick emerges, like Hedwig, Hermione, and Ron, Sam, Mushu, and R2D2 and C3PO. The hero needs to learn who can be trusted. This is where our hero – You – say yes to treatment and head out to begin the adventure of reclaiming your life. Harry Potter gets on the train at platform 9¾. Frodo packed food to take and set out past the Shire. This signifies that the hero has committed to the journey. This person can give advice, guidance, and insight to help you gain confidence. You might encounter a friend or family member that has had experiences with drugs and alcohol abuse. The mentor helps the hero gain confidence, gives insight, or advice to overcome the fears. Whatever the reason, the call to adventure is rejected initially. You might be afraid of what to expect in therapy. Perhaps family or friends have suggested that you go to treatment, and you aren't quite ready. The hero initially rejects this call because of fear, hesitation, insecurity, or another reason. Or, your boss smelled alcohol on you as you walked by at work. Maybe drug and alcohol use has placed relationships on rocky ground. Likely there is an event, conflict, or problem that prompts the adventure. You are known to your circle and likely view yourself as ordinary. He seems out of place, and Mulan is studying to impress the matchmaker. Recall Luke Skywalker helping his uncle, Frodo, preparing for a party talking with Gandalf, Harry Potter is at his aunt and uncle's home. This is where we meet the hero and identify with him or her. Campbell’s heroic journey ended in 1987, after a brief struggle with cancer The 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey You guessed it! Campbell’s stages of the hero’s journey are also 12.

Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous guide a person through 12-Steps of recovery. Campbell was a comparative mythology professor who found a universal pattern common to a heroic tale in every culture. His seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, looks at myth and the hero's mission, including the departure, transformation, and return. That began his personal journey towards studying myth. He became fascinated with Native American culture as a young boy having seen Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. A person, who in the opinion of others, has extraordinary achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal.A person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.So, what constitutes a hero? The two primary definitions that fit the context of this blog are:

You might not think of yourself as a hero, especially since addiction is stigmatized. In a mythological sense, Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins, Luke Skywalker, and Mulan are all ordinary people destined for greatness. Images of brave, noble men and women come to mind when thinking about the word “hero.' Perhaps you think of a military war hero, a first responder, or a police officer.

Approaching the inmost cave