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Induction
 The Induction Process is a period
of time where a woman is introduced to the program. At this time,
the women learn to acclimate to the daily discipline
that will be required of them. In addition, because
of the mental state a woman is in when she enters the
program, she will need this induction time to clear
her mind from the negative psychological impact that
drugs brought to her life and learn to find new life
in Christ.
During this time, a woman
learns how to journal and hear from the Lord. Journaling
is the most important tool learned at The Refuge Ranch,
Inc.; whereas, this is where a woman learns to have
direct communication with God.
When arriving at The Ranch,
women are given an “older sister” (a woman
in the Discipleship Phase of the program) to spend
the first six days teaching them how to journal and
hear from the Lord. This is also a time where
she will participate in a classroom environment to
learn specific lessons such as Salvation, Journaling,
Hearing God, DMI (Daily Moral Inventory), TSI (Time
Stewardship Inventory), Rules, Fantasy/Reality and
the Sociogram. The “big sister” serves
as a mentor to not only teach the rules and Ranch specifics,
but to also give her the specific one-on-one attention
necessary to make it through one of the most trying
and critical times of the program. To sum up,
the Induction Phase is a woman’s new start to
building a healthy foundation to a whole new lifestyle.
The Sociogram is a very important
and necessary tool used at The Ranch. The Sociogram
is a weekly event where the women get together and speak
the truth in love to hold each other accountable and
confront the behaviors that they see in one another. Again,
with denial and projection being a trademark of the addictive
personality, it takes serious confrontation to help the
women see the truth in their lives. We have found
that the women are able to see and help each other in
ways that we, as a staff, would not be able to. Many
of the different dynamics of the Sociogram are indescribable,
but nevertheless very important.
Orientation
During the Orientation Process
of the program, the teachings are directed towards
two main areas: trust and ownership. The first priority is to begin
to develop the trust in God, other women and themselves
that is needed to begin to break down the walls that
keep them bound in the addiction, which destroyed their
life. Second, and of utmost importance, a woman
begins to take ownership of her life and the choices
she has made. Through the Regeneration Contract,
a woman learns how to look at her addiction and the
devastation it has had on her life and on the lives
of others. As a result, she begins to take responsibility
for her actions and develops an attitude of integrity.
Specifically, the program
has the women look at the effects of areas in their
life where God, themselves and others are concerned. They
are asked to look at the effects their addictions have
had legally, financially and relationally through making
an amends list for the wrongs done to others. This
results in their realization of the key relationships
and opportunities lost in their lives. Without
help, most addicts remain in a state of fantasy, which
allows them to continue in the cycle of addiction. Orientation
implements the beginning steps to help a woman break
free of that cycle.
One last key event that takes
place in the Orientation Process is where a woman puts
up her “Houses”. This is where a woman
presents, to classmates and staff, her life’s timeline
of key events that have shaped her into her present persona. Here
is where she will hopefully see the events in her life
that have brought woundedness, and the consequences of
her actions. At the end, class leaders will help
her receive input and provide insight to her regarding
issues of denial and taking responsibility for her past. Additionally,
they will walk her through areas of unforgiveness and
guide her in prayer for herself and others. This
period is just one more step in the process of allowing
God to get to the heart of a woman and reshape her into
the image of God.
Regeneration
In this phase women will learn
both the physical and psychological aspects of chemical
dependency and learn to take a deeper responsibility
for their recovery. This
level of the program explores stages of growing dependency
on chemicals and what commitments are necessary on
the road to recovery. It includes scientific
information on chemical dependency as well as insights
into the damage done to our thinking processes. It
is important to see how the mind has been contaminated
in order to understand the controlling effects of addiction. The
lessons are also designed to expose the denial and
defense mechanisms that are so prevalent in the addict’s
life.
The women also begin to be given
positions of responsibility on the Ranch, in the home,
and with the care of their “younger sisters” as
they enter the program. Small groups also begin
to become a part of their recovery. Frequently
women get to participate in these groups where they are
encouraged to develop trust with other women, and learn
to process their past through forgiveness letters.
Inner
Healing
Inner Healing takes place throughout
the program. The
women in the program are helped to directly focus on
the healing needed for their own personal woundedness. Specifically,
Inner Healing begins with a woman looking at her defense
mechanisms at a deeper level. This is necessary
to help bring down some of her walls and unify the
group through openness and vulnerability; thus, bringing
true healing and acceptance.
 Some of the issues dealt with
in Inner Healing are rejection, the grieving process,
judgments, sexual addiction, abortion, sexual and physical
abuse and probably most important, forgiveness. As
a result, women are brought to a place of decision and
realization. Most addicts come from a life of dysfunction
where many times they were victimized as children. The
problem is that very same hurt that caused anger and
unforgiveness has turned them from being a victim into
a victimizer. The women learn to recognize this
and are guided into a healing process with the Lord. Taking
ownership and responsibility is a main focal point of
this area of the recovery process. This is one
of the reasons we are a regeneration program instead
of a rehabilitation program. We have learned that
to simply bring a woman back to her former state is ineffective;
instead, God needs to bring about a mental regeneration. This
is achieved, in part, through deep emotional and spiritual
healing.
Discipleship
Discipleship is the last phase in the 12 month regeneration
program. Here the women are held to the highest
standard. They are the leaders in the program
and they are expected to live as such. The disciples
are given myriad leadership opportunities that should
encourage a sense of worth. Some of those positions
assigned are jobsite leaders, house monitors, and probably
most importantly, when a new sister comes into the
program they are responsible for teaching them how
to journal and hear from the Lord.
The lessons that are taught in the classroom are meant
to challenge faulty belief systems about God and their
own personal relationship with Him. At this phase the level of accountability is even deeper. The
women also return to small groups where they help lead and teach the younger
sisters how to write and process the forgiveness letters. Again, we are
teaching important principles such as giving back and helping others. After
Discipleship, the women have completed the program and they go on to graduate.
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