Review of The Wide Open Door by Tav Sparks

Reviewed by Joy Manné, PhD, in The Healthing Breath Journal

Sparks, Tav, The Wide Open Door: The Twelve Steps, Spiritual Tradition The New Psychology: a Practical Guide to the Mysteries, Joys, and Rewards of Continuing the Recovery Journey. Minnesota: Hazelden, 1993 (now available through Hanford Mead Publishers, Inc.)

This is a book "that bridges traditional recovery and the transpersonal perspective." (p. 6) It gives non-sectarian guidance about rediscovering the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous "at a new and deeper level," (p. 9) and especially on how to accomplish the eleventh step, "(We) 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 it out." The author explains in the Introduction that he has been an alcoholic and an addict, and the book is intended for others in recovery. However, as he says, "Recovery, as well as modern planetary evolution, requires that we continually surrender our ideas about the way things are and be open to whatever our Higher Power may bring us." (p. 1) This is true for everyone. One does not need to be or have been an alcoholic or an addict to appreciate the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous and the message of this excellent book. The author has truly succeeded in his goal to "present the Twelve Steps as a true, world discipline." (p. 175)

The first chapter considers the very real problem of what is to replace the alcohol or substance, and the difficulty of turning problems over the Higher Power, and remarks rightly, that this intention connects alcoholics in recovery to "the fellowship of persons who have chosen for whatever reason to pursue some form of spiritual practice." (p. 15). On the difficulty of turning something over, Sparks so rightly observes, "We cannot let go of something we have not truly held." (p. 13)

Chapter Two is an exploration of the "Higher Power."

Chapter Three is about really letting go and changing ideas and habits, and includes a discussion on what spirituality actually is.

Chapter Four gives the history of AA and shows how very seriously its founders were committed to spirituality.

Chapter Five gives a clear and concise explanation of Psyche and Consciousness, and the contribution of Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Roberto Assagioli and Stan Grof, among others, to our understanding of how these work.

Chapter Six considers the various gifts these and other methods, including Shamanism, Native American spirituality, Bodywork, Prayer, Meditation, Yoga and Breathwork have given with regard to exploring the Eleventh Step. Sparks' approach is wonderfully non-sectarian. He puts a menu 'a la carte' in front of his readers, from which they can choose "both and" rather than "either or."

Chapter Seven considers the process of death and rebirth that is inherent in every spiritual practice, and indeed of daily life, as we go through innumerable and various deaths of old understandings and births of new ones each day as we grow older and wiser. Here, Addiction is death, and the issue of the death of the Ego is well explained. The Twelve Steps "as continued death and rebirth" (p. 111) are set within the context of Mystery Schools. Sparks is a master on the mystery of surrender in a section (p. 121-126) and indeed throughout this book.

Chapter Eight considers in depth, phrase by phrase, the Promises in the Big Book, as he refers to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA world Services, New York) and is about The Experience of Wholeness.

In Chapter Nine he interprets "the Twelve Steps as a Western Yoga." Chapter Ten sets out the Twelve Steps as a process of development. There are case histories. Chapter Eleven widens the scope from the individual to the planetary. Here Sparks discusses Addiction and Recovery as archetypes, and shows the relationship between the Buddhists Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Steps.

Sparks paradigm for recovery is "wholeness" and he succeeds in showing that the Twelve Steps are a contribution to perennial philosophy.

There's no preaching in this book. Sparks is intelligent and knowledgeable, and his tone is sensitive and respectful. This is truly a book for everyone.

This review was published in January 2004 in the The Healing Breath Journal.