In this instructional video, Hannah Rose, LCPC, walks viewers through Step 12 of a 12‑step recovery framework, which focuses on living the recovery principles and sharing the message responsibly. She begins by defining a spiritual awakening within the 12‑step context as a profound shift in how one reacts to life, distinguishing it from Eastern notions of nirvana while noting its personal, awe‑filled qualities. Rose emphasizes the call to carry the message to others, but clarifies that this does not mean trying to "save" anyone; rather, it is about offering the experience without responsibility for another’s change. She outlines the core principles—honesty, open‑mindedness, willingness, accountability, justice—and stresses the importance of applying them consistently across work, family, friendships, and spiritual practices (e.g., Insight Timer). Rose discusses the tension between self‑compassion and accountability, advocating for a balanced approach that avoids self‑shaming while still striving toward personal ideals. She shares insights from sponsorship, codependent patterns, and past experiences in AA, CODA, Al‑Anon, and meditation retreats, warning that what helped her may not help others. The video concludes with a reminder that the student’s readiness determines when a teacher appears, and congratulates viewers for completing the 12‑step series.
Chapters
Welcome to day 13, step 12. Step 12 is we continue to practice these principles. Hold on, I'm— you know what it is? I've been making a course for like 5 hours today. I gotta eat something. I've just been really in the flow of this. Here we go. The 12th step. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other people and to practice these principles in all of our affairs. There's a couple things here. One, having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps. In Alcoholics Anonymous, In the second appendix, which is about varieties of spiritual experiences, they write about how a spiritual experience, a spiritual awakening, can be defined as a significant alteration in your reaction to life. Make of that what you will. For me, my spiritual experiences are deeply rooted in reacting to life differently, be it seeing the beauty and feeling awe much more often, noticing my part and putting things down and turning them over. A spiritual awakening in a 12-step lens may not be kind of the classic nirvana, like in Eastern philosophy and Buddhism, of complete Oneness with all things and non-duality. And that is a world that I'm so deeply invested in continuing to explore. And it is different. It's the same, but it's different. It's all the same, but it's all different. At this point, I'm not actually saying anything, but I hope you know what I mean. And so Spiritual awakening. Have you noticed any changes in your day-to-day experience, especially as you relate to others around you and your own serenity? Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other— in this book it says codependents, in AA it says alcoholics. I'll just say other people. Something that happens with spiritual experiences is we often feel called to share our experience with others, not to help in that we can control it. Like, I don't know if anyone is ever going to benefit from this course or listen and watch this course, but I feel called to make it. I want to carry this message, and whether or not anyone else hears it, Is not my responsibility. I try to carry the message in all of my affairs to the best of my ability. It's like when you get to the top of a mountain and you just want to take a picture, or you want to run down that mountain and bring someone up with you to see the view. We want to share what we have. I've also been taught in 12-step programs that we keep what we have by giving it away. And so that's where the idea of sponsorship comes from and continuing to help others. So yeah. And to practice these principles in all our affairs. Now, the principles are— we've touched on them in each step, right? Honesty, open-mindedness, willingness, accountability, justice. There's so many, there's so many principles. But what it means is These principles that I'm learning to apply to my own life, I want to apply them in all of my affairs. So at work, in my family life, with my friends, my Insight Timer presence, right? Like, I don't want to preach these things and then not practice them. I don't want to be really good at, you know, setting boundaries in this area and completely neglect them in this area. I want to show up authentically everywhere. I want to continue practicing a living amends to myself everywhere. And I will fall short and I will make mistakes and I will sometimes fall into old behaviors like codependent behaviors. And can I notice it? And can I practice self-compassion? For me, my journey on this planet so far is very much about walking that line between practicing self-compassion for being human and striving towards my ideals. I want to practice self-compassion and self-forgiveness constantly because I'm only human, and I'd want to hold myself accountable and strive towards my ideals and be The best version of myself, whatever that is. And so it's both, and I can practice both at the same time. I can get wrapped up in my own dramas and then practice self-compassion and grow. I'm a firm believer that we can't shame ourselves into growth. I used to have a sponsor that would say, put the bat down, right? Like, stop beating myself over the head with a bat. It's not gonna help me grow. And so the 12 steps summarized in a course. I think I'll do one more session to wrap it up. But that is the 12th step, is continued service and practicing the principles in all our affairs. Now, especially if you're here for more codependent type personality traits, when it says be of service or carry this message to other people, That does not mean go try to save them. That does not mean, oh my God, I found the answer. You need this too. You need this too. I have gone through that phase in so many different areas of my life, like when I got sober, when I found CODA, when I found Al-Anon, when I've read a really impactful book, when I found Insight Timer, when I started going on meditation retreats. I mean, it's like I just want to Share it with everyone. Like, oh my God, you don't have to suffer this way. There's a way up and a way out, and it's so much better over here. And what I've had to learn is that not everything works for everyone, and just because something impacted me doesn't mean it'll impact someone else. And when the student is ready, their teacher will appear, and it might not be me. So yeah, I'll wrap, I'll wrap up the 12 steps in the next video, in the last video. And congrats, you made it through all 12 steps.
