Selected Papers of William L. White
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Selected Papers of William L. White www.williamwhitepapers.com Collected papers, interviews, video presentations, photos, and archival documents on the history of addiction treatment and recovery in America. Citation: White, W. (2004). Transformational change: A historical review. IN SESSION: Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60(5), 461-470. Posted at www.williamwhitepapers.com Transformational Change: A Historical Review William L. White Emeritus Senior Research Consultant Chestnut Health Systems [email protected] Abstract Introduction Recovery from alcoholism can occur through a process of psychological death and rebirth. Some experiences measured in Generating a new person within a body once moments can forever rend a life into the occupied by another, transformational temporal categories of before and after, and change (TC) stands as a life-defining leave in their psychological wake an experience demarcating before (old self) and essentially new person. The evidence of after (new self). The TC experiences of 7 such transformation exists in radical and individuals (Handsome Lake, John Gough, sustained alterations of character, identity, Francis Murphy, Jerry McAuley, Bill Wilson, and interpersonal relationships. Marty Mann, Malcolm X) are presented Transformational change (TC) experiences whose recoveries from addiction catalyzed constitute the most dramatic but least larger abstinence-based mutual aid, understood mechanism of human change, advocacy, or religious/cultural revitalization making it difficult for psychotherapists to movements. Psychotherapists are recognize, understand, and respond to such encouraged to respect the healing power of experiences. TC experiences have added the TC experience, avoid aborting the TC historical import due to their propensity to experience via superficial amelioration of its catalyze larger religious, social, and more disquieting manifestations, interpret therapeutic movements. the TC experience in ways that solidify and The link between transformational sustain the change process, and help bridge change of the individual and the rise of larger the TC experience and the construction of a social movements has a long history, new identity and lifestyle. particularly within the religious arena. The lives of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, St. Key words: transformational change, Augustine, Mohammed, Buddha, Luther, alcoholism recovery, mutual aid movements and Wesley illustrate how agonizing williamwhitepapers.com 1 personal conflict can be resolved through practiced among some Native tribes today sudden, life-transforming, and history- (Parker, 1913). shaping experiences. Of all such historical John Gough (1817-1886) lived a accounts, it is on the road from Jerusalem to debauched life until a stranger, seeing Damascus where Saul of Tarsus, the Gough’s drunken and forlorn state, stopped orthodox Jew and Christian persecutor, is and befriended him on the street. The transformed into St. Paul, the Christian stranger’s expressions of kindness and hope missionary, that one finds the core elements marked an emotional turning point in of the TC experience: a germinating Gough’s life. He signed the pledge and went personal crisis; a breakdown and on to become a leader of the Washingtonian breakthrough experience; and a radically movement of the early 1840s, bringing and positively altered identity and life course. thousands into recovery through his charismatic speeches (more than 8,000 in Seven TC Examples America and Europe), personal consultations, and prolific correspondence Clinical interest in transformational (Gough, 1870). change stems from its potential healing Francis Murphy (1836-1907) was in effects. The therapeutic power of the TC jail for drunkenness in 1871 when a experience and the ability of such missionary’s words touched his heart and experiences to spawn therapeutic led to his conversion and recovery. Murphy movements are vividly illustrated in the founded the Blue Ribbon Reform Club history of addiction recovery. In this article, I Movement that brought thousands of will analyze the TC experiences of seven alcoholics into recovery throughout New individuals whose recoveries from addiction England and the Midwest (Daniels, 1877). spawned larger mutual aid, advocacy or Jerry McAuley (1839-1884), a cultural revitalization movements. notorious alcoholic within the criminal Individuals chosen met three criteria: 1) they underworld of New York City, underwent a suffered from severe and persistent alcohol series of powerful conversion experiences or other drug-related problems; 2) they during and following his incarceration in Sing resolved these problems through a brief Sing Prison. McAuley achieved sobriety, and experience that was unplanned, and intense in 1872 founded an institution (the Water and whose effects were positive and Street Mission) that pioneered evangelical enduring; and 3) they went on to lead an outreach to the drunkard and inspired the abstinence-based mutual aid, advocacy or growth of urban rescue missions and rural religious/cultural revitalization movement. inebriate colonies throughout the United Our seven subjects are as follows. States (Offord, 1885). Handsome Lake (Ganioda'yo) (1735- Bill Wilson (1895-1971) reached a 1815) was a Seneca Indian who suffered point of desperation in 1934 while from years of drunkenness. He was thought hospitalized for fourth time for alcohol to have died in 1799, but awoke during detoxification. After he cried, “If there is a preparation for his burial announcing that the God, let Him show Himself!” the room Great Spirit had visited him in his death and became ablaze with light and Wilson was sent him back to life with a message for overwhelmed by a Presence and a vision of Indian people. For the next 16 years, he being at the summit of a mountain where a remained sober and promulgated what came spirit wind blew through him, leaving the to be known as the Code of Handsome Lake thought, “You are a free man.” Wilson never (Longhouse Religion). This religious and took another drink and went on to co-found cultural revitalization movement, through its Alcoholics Anonymous, a mutual aid society moral code and regular meetings (“circles”), whose worldwide membership now exceeds created an effective cultural framework for two million. (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1984). alcoholism recovery that continues to be Marty Mann (1904-1980) was undergoing treatment for alcoholism when williamwhitepapers.com 2 an incident occurred that enraged her. While Might the TC experience simply be a leap in this state, her eyes fell upon an opened into health by individuals with low problem pre-publication copy of the book, Alcoholics severity, high recovery resources, and a pre- Anonymous, where she saw the words “We existing affinity for spiritual or religious cannot live with anger.” The next thing Mann experience? This latter question has not recalls is being on her knees crying and been definitively answered within the praying. She arose knowing she was a research on transformational change, but no different person, that she was “totally and such pattern exists in our sample. Prior to completely free.” She became the first their TC experience, accounts of these women to successfully recover within seven lives are filled with reports of acute Alcoholics Anonymous, and, in 1944, withdrawal, delirium tremens, fear of founded the National Committee for insanity, occupational instability, Education on Alcoholism. Mann became a institutionalization, family alienation, and central figure in the modern alcoholism social ostracism. Pledges of abstinence by movement and one of America’s most our subjects were repeatedly broken, and all successful public health reformers (Brown & prior professional interventions had failed. Brown, 2001). Wilson and Mann had more than 10 alcohol- Malcolm X (1925-1965) was an related treatments between them. Three of addicted street hustler who, following his the seven cases had criminal histories religious conversion, became the driving ranging from murder (Murphy) and highway force behind the dramatic growth of the robbery (McAuley) to drug dealing, Nation of Islam during the 1950s and early pandering, and burglary (Malcolm X). As a 1960s. His transforming moment occurred in group, they were mostly self-proclaimed a prison cell via a vision of W. D. Fard, the atheists, with one (Malcolm X) so hostile deceased messiah of the Nation of Islam. towards religion that he was referred to as Through the example and influence of “Satan” by his fellow prison inmates. None of Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam became a the seven individuals profiled would have cultural pathway of addiction recovery for been judged a likely candidate to achieve many African-American men (Malcolm X & prolonged sobriety or to become the leader Haley, 1964; Myers, 1993). of a history-shaping social movement. A considerable body of literature helps analyze the experiences of these The Context of Transformational Change seven individuals and explore their clinical significance. This literature includes The TC experience is so intensely published accounts of their lives as well as personal that the larger contexts in which the early psychological studies of religious these experiences unfold can be easily conversion by Edwin Starbuck and William overlooked. The personal unrest of our James; the studies by Harold Begbie and subjects was mirrored by great social unrest Harriet Monroe of “twice-born men” (the within their cultural environments. conversion of alcoholics