'There's always more to be revealed' at the Renewal Center

What do people gain from their visit to the Dan Anderson Renewal Center, and why do they keep coming back?

Elene Loecher, renewal program and spiritual care coordinator of the Twelve Step retreat center in Center City, Minn., can answer the second question easy enough, but she'll defer to client testimonials to answer the first.

"They keep coming back to deepen their experience and understanding of the recovery program," she says. "With each visit there's work to be done on some aspect of our life and recovery. There's always more to be revealed...."

She compares recovery to peeling an onion. "Life continues to happen, there are many layers," Loecher says. "A basic truth in life is that everything changes--relationships, jobs, health, energy levels, to name a few. We experience aging parents, death, and our own aging process. Because everything changes, we experience loss. No one is immune. Each decade presents different challenges and experiences, and the program of recovery and fellowship is supportive through it all. No matter where people are in their life journey, we at the Renewal Center nurture and support the Spirit within."

Seeking 'emotional sobriety'
Loecher calls it a quest for "emotional sobriety," a term Bill W. described in a 1958 AA Grapevine article called "The Next Frontier: Emotional Sobriety." "I think that many oldsters who have put our AA 'booze cure' to severe but successful tests still find they often lack emotional sobriety," he wrote. "Perhaps they will be the spearhead for the next major development in AA--the development of much more real maturity and balance (which is to say, humility) in our relations with ourselves, with our fellows, and with God."

Bill W.'s piece goes on to describe "those adolescent urges that so many of us have for top approval, perfect security, and perfect romance" that prove to be impossible when we are at age 47 or 57. "Since AA began, I've taken immense wallops in all these areas because of my failure to grow up, emotionally and spiritually," he writes. "My God, how painful it is to keep demanding the impossible, and how very painful to discover finally, that all along we have had the cart before the horse. Then comes the final agony of seeing how awfully wrong we have been, but still finding ourselves unable to get off the emotional merry-go-round."

He concludes: "If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help, continually surrender these hobbling demands. Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to Twelfth Step ourselves and others into emotional sobriety."

What we try to provide at the Renewal Center is recovery enrichment--from Big Book study to Twelve Step spirituality to retreats on specific recovery topics, said Loecher. "We often hear people say, 'Treatment saved my life.' Here at the Renewal Center they say, 'It has changed my life.'"

What did I gain from the Renewal Center?
The following are several testimonials from recent participants of programs at the Renewal Center:

"The Lodge Program and Renewal programs have provided me with an understanding of how to put into best use the tools given to us in primary treatment. I now know not only how 'to do the Steps,' I understand how 'working the program' gives me an unshakable foundation not only for recovery, but for life. Primary treatment began my chemical recovery. The programs at the Renewal Center continue to provide me with the means, support and motivation necessary to pursue emotional sobriety, spiritual maturity and serenity. Primary treatment gave me a chance at life. The Renewal Center has given me life in abundance."
--A grateful Primary, Lodge Program, and Renewal Program alumnus

"With the guidance and support of the thoughtful, professional and insightful staff members, I was able to journey into areas of my life that I did not dare enter before coming here. From early childhood traumas to my present day struggles, the workshops offered, deciphered, illustrated, and illuminated my path, feeding my mind and soul. I had hope again. I experienced tears from hurt, tears of joy, smiles, and frowns as I sifted and sorted through all of my pieces to pull together the footing I could move forward with. Between The Lodge Program and Renewal programs, I found everything I needed in what seemed and felt like Higher Powered synchronicity. I am back on a solid foundation again, and I give thanks."
--Extended Care for the Soul participant

"I cannot thank you enough for this incredible journey! This program has enabled me to experience the most profound event of my life. With your help and the teachings of the Big Book, along with the guidance and protection of my Higher Power, I am able to see that recovery and attainment of the promises are possible. If I remain teachable, open to the spirit, and practice the principles of AA, my foundation will remain as unshakable as it is today."
--Renewal program guest

"My name is Robert and I am an alcoholic. I'm an alcoholic grateful for so many things this program of AA has brought me. I am especially grateful for the time I've spent at the Renewal Center. In the time I've been here my mind, eyes, and heart have been awakened to many truths and my spirit has again been filled with hope. Hope for an ever better future than what I expect or imagine. Thank you for the opportunity to spend time in such a spiritually healthy environment on which to take a break from my reality."
--"Unshakable Foundation for Life" participant

"I have enjoyed my retreat here so very much. There are so many people I would like to thank: the helpful staff, the chefs who prepared the delicious meals, the housekeepers who kept my room spotless and sparkling, and my wonderful counselor, Allen Tighe. The retreat I attended, 'Preventing Chemical and Emotional Relapse,' was just what I needed to hear. I realize now that I was putting other things ahead of my sobriety and the result was a loss of spirituality and focus. Allen's lectures have given me the tools I need to recognize certain warning signs and to then take the necessary action to get back on track.

"The people I have met here I will never forget. When things are tough and I become downhearted, I will think of them and all that they said. I loved the morning and evening meditation and the 'set-aside' prayer, which was new to me. I recognize now that I need to do my morning and evening meditation if I want to have a good day and be receptive to my Higher Power's wisdom. My 23rd anniversary in AA will be celebrated next week in my home group. I will tell my home group about my experiences here."
--Renewal program guest

Over the years, the Dan Anderson Renewal Center has broadened its range of options for people to enhance recovery. Whether one has two months or 35 years of sobriety, individuals will find inspiration, support, and guidance for lifelong recovery at the Renewal Center. Two popular ongoing programs and a host of continuing recovery retreats provide opportunities for anyone in recovery--not just Hazelden alumni--to enhance their spiritual fitness.

The two ongoing recovery programs include The Lodge Program and Extended Care for the Soul. Both are designed to provide an extended opportunity (a week or more) to strengthen one's recovery.

The Lodge Program has become a popular mainstay as an intensive, instructive, back-to-basics Big Book experience. The Lodge Program is a Twelve Step immersion program designed to help individuals integrate the simple directions of the Big Book into their daily life. Named for the lakeside lodge that served as the original treatment site during Hazelden's early years, The Lodge Program offers the opportunity to learn or re-learn the healing lessons of the Big Book. It is for individuals who have established a stable recovery and seek further enrichment, those who have grown complacent in recovery, and those who have fallen away from their daily recovery work.

Extended Care for the Soul, led by Elene Loecher, is a customized two- to eight-week Twelve Step-inspired program for those who have the desire to take their spirituality to a deeper level. The program stems from the experiences of several Renewal Center guests who chose to extend their stay to deepen their spiritual practice and relationship with a Higher Power. It is for those who seek a stronger foundation for living spiritually in all their affairs, those prepared to make themselves available for an immersion into the spirit, and those on sabbatical.

Continuing recovery retreats round out the range of Renewal Center offerings. They provide a variety of topic-specific retreats designed to address areas of concern commonly experienced by individuals, such as spiritual growth, forgiveness, anger and resentment, and healthy relationships. "Building an Unshakable Foundation for Life" is one regular retreat that has proven especially helpful for people in a variety of fellowships, including AA, Al-Anon, ACA, GA and SA. It focuses on the Big Book principles of honesty, openness and willingness and helps you put your spirituality to work in daily living. "Removing Roadblocks from Your Recovery," designed by Earnie Larsen, is another popular continuing recovery retreat. It addresses family of origin issues and helps people determine root causes of dissatisfaction in recovery, understand why these beliefs and behaviors keep them blocked, and creates a personal plan for change. Another Renewal Center feature is the "Personalized Twelve Step Retreat." It is designed to meet your specific recovery needs and nurture your spirituality.

For information on the full complement of Renewal Center retreats and programs, please call 800-262-4882 or visit hazelden.org/renewalcenter.

--by Marty Duda

Published in The Voice, Summer 2007