Recovery Through the Skyscraper of Consciousness

Climbing Out of Addiction: A Guide to Recovery Through the Skyscraper of Consciousness

This framework, the “Skyscraper of Consciousness,” offers a modern, scientific and powerful metaphor for understanding the journey of addiction recovery. Think of it as a building with 100 floors, each representing a level of awareness and emotional growth. We’ll focus on the first 100 floors, which chart the path from survival to a more fulfilling life. The work was developed by our founder, Mark L Lockwood BA(psy)(hons) who is an addiction psychology expert who has helped thousands of people recover from alternative rehabilitation programs based in psychological, scientific and spiritual principles that change the game completely for folks in recovery.

Recognizing the need for a more effective approach to addiction recovery in South Africa, we’ve developed a comprehensive program designed to empower individuals to rebuild their lives. The Paradigm Process offers a structured, 10-step path to healing, grounded in scientific research and years of real-world experience. We understand that addiction often stems from deeply ingrained patterns of behavior and thought, developed as coping mechanisms in earlier life.

Our ultra-modern, alternative addiction recovery approach helps individuals recognize these patterns, release them, and cultivate a healthier, more fulfilling identity. By addressing the root causes of addiction, we facilitate a profound shift, enabling individuals to break free from the cycle of struggle and embrace a life of purpose, connection, and well-being.

Let’s begin by looking at one of the key concepts from the 10 step Paradigm Process Program. Like all things addictive in nature, it all starts in the basement!

The Basement: Getting Out of Survival Mode (Floors 1-20)

For many struggling with addiction, life feels like a constant battle for survival. You’re trapped in a cycle of fear, reacting to perceived threats with ingrained responses like fight, flight, or freeze. Emotions are raw and overwhelming.

• Floors 1-5: The Primal Core: You’re driven by basic survival instincts, overwhelmed by fear, rage, and despair. You feel like a victim, lost and alone.
• Floors 6-10: The Shadow Realm: Shame, guilt, and deep-seated insecurities surface. You might be grappling with past traumas, and defensive mechanisms are on high alert. You see yourself through a lens of self-doubt and self-loathing.
• Floors 11-15: The Blame Game: You externalise your problems, blaming others for your misfortunes. Resentment which is the number one issue in addiction recovery according to statistics, resentments and bitterness take root. You struggle to take responsibility for your actions.

• Floors 16-20: The Anxious Labyrinth: Constant anxiety and restlessness plague you. You may experience obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, and the future feels uncertain and threatening.

Key Recovery Focus: Recognizing these survival patterns is the first step. Therapy, support groups, and mindfulness techniques can help you start to identify and manage these intense emotions.

The Lower Levels: Moving Beyond Reaction (Floors 21-40)

Here, you begin to move beyond pure survival, but you’re still largely reactive. You might seek external validation, strive for perfection, or engage in power struggles. However, a glimmer of hope emerges as you start to question your limiting beliefs.

• Floors 21-25: The Emotional Rollercoaster: Your moods in addiction fluctuate wildly, and relationships are driven by codependency. Your self-worth is tied to others’ opinions.

• Floors 26-30: The Perfectionist Prison: From working with the very best luxury rehab centres in the world through to our work developing new addiction programs with experts from around the world, the perfectionist trap is a MAJOR issue for people and it goes unnoticed so very often. So never forget to keep an eye out for your perfectionist insurgents. If you’re driven by perfectionism and the need for control, masking your true feelings with a false persona, you will recognise yourself on these floors.
• Floors 31-35: The Power Struggle: You engage in power struggles, oscillating between feeling powerful and powerless. Manipulation and control tactics are common.
• Floors 36-40: The Awakening Glimmer: You start to question your limiting beliefs and become aware of your emotional patterns. This can be uncomfortable as you confront your “shadow side.”

Key Recovery Focus: This phase involves building emotional regulation skills, learning to set healthy boundaries, and challenging negative self-talk.

The Mid-Levels: Building a Foundation for Change (Floors 41-60)

This marks a significant shift towards self-awareness and personal responsibility. You gain clarity about your values and purpose, embrace vulnerability, and begin to forgive yourself and others.

• Floors 41-45: The Clarity Corridor: You develop increased self-awareness and understanding of your personal values and beliefs.
• Floors 46-50: The Courageous Ascent: You take responsibility for your actions and choices, embrace vulnerability, and set healthy boundaries.
• Floors 51-55: The Forgiveness Forum: You begin to forgive yourself and others, releasing past resentments and cultivating compassion.
• Floors 56-60: The Creative Canvas: You explore your creativity and self-expression, finding joy in the present moment.

Key Recovery Focus: This is where you build a strong foundation for long-term recovery. Focus on self-compassion, developing healthy coping mechanisms, and finding healthy outlets for self-expression.

The Upper Levels and Penthouse: Embracing a New Life (Floors 61-100)

These higher levels represent deeper connection, inner peace, and self-realization. While this summary focuses on the first 100, know that there is more growth possible.

• These levels have been dubbed the most successful treatment for addiction by many professionals and represent a continued growth in areas of connection to others, intuition, peace, and self love.

Key Addiction Recovery Focus: These higher levels are achieved through sustained commitment to recovery practices, continued self-reflection, and a willingness to embrace personal growth.

Remember: Recovery is a journey, not a destination. This “Skyscraper of Consciousness” provides a framework for understanding your progress and navigating the challenges along the way. Be patient with yourself, celebrate your successes, and seek support when needed.

The Paradigm Process Addiction Treatment program

We tried to develop the best alternative to drug rehab in South Africa to fill a major void in getting people the results they needed to restore and heal their lives so they could pursue their careers, university, personal relationship and dreams without being weighed down year after year. Now, the proof is in the pudding!

The Paradigm Process offers you a 10 step recovery program to heal your life. Backed by scientific evidence we have accumulated from real case studies since 2012, we have developed a way to overcome whatever holds you back. How we found it was profoundly interesting and was the breakthrough we needed for seekers – people looking to actualize their full potential. We delved into psychology, dipped into philosophy, and studied all the religions around the world. We began to understand how the brain controls the body and how emotions, memory, imagination, and potential are all linked.

Paradigm Process of Healing your Addictive Personality teaches you how to become aware of the masks of persona who have adopted since childhood and how to replace them with healthy aspects of your highest, most sacred self.

We discovered that people became stuck in the first half of life. They experienced one type of fight, flight and freeze or another that was entrenched from years of thinking, feeling and behaving in certain ways. This is the most common formulation of personality which is all focused on survival. Ways that once worked for them in childhood, but no longer worked for them as adults. We discovered that people really did need a paradigm shift to move across the bridge into the second half of life where peace, joy and abundance resided. People become stuck in the prison of the personality without even knowing that is has happened. Depression, stress and tension soon follow because being stuck in any kind of prison is hell. Just ask someone who has dealt with depression for a bunch of years.