Spiritual Practices for Addiction Recovery: Beyond 12 Steps

Spiritual Practices for Addiction Recovery: Beyond 12 Steps

Updated: February 2026

By Thalira Wisdom | Last Updated: February 2026

Quick Answer: Spiritual practices for addiction recovery include meditation, breathwork, energy healing, yoga, journaling rituals, and nature immersion. These approaches address the emotional and energetic roots of addiction that traditional 12-step programs may not fully reach, supporting lasting sobriety through inner transformation and self-reconnection.

Addiction strips away the connection between a person and their own inner life. The substances or behaviors that once served as coping mechanisms eventually become walls, separating the individual from their emotions, their body, their relationships, and their sense of purpose. Traditional recovery programs have helped millions of people find sobriety, but for many, the spiritual dimension of healing remains unaddressed or only partially explored through frameworks that may not resonate with everyone.

Spiritual practices for addiction recovery offer a different path. Not as a replacement for clinical treatment or peer support, but as a deepening of the recovery process that reaches into the places where addiction first took root. These practices work with the body, the breath, the energy field, and the inner terrain of consciousness to rebuild what addiction dismantled.

This guide explores the most effective spiritual practices for addiction recovery, explains the science and tradition behind each approach, and provides a practical framework for building a personalized spiritual recovery practice that supports lasting sobriety and genuine inner transformation.

Why Spiritual Practices Matter in Addiction Recovery

Addiction is not simply a chemical dependency or a failure of willpower. At its core, addiction is a response to pain. Whether that pain is rooted in childhood trauma, unprocessed grief, chronic stress, social isolation, or a deep sense of purposelessness, the addictive behavior serves as an attempt to manage an internal experience that feels unbearable.

The Disconnection Pattern: Addiction creates a cycle of disconnection. The substance or behavior numbs the pain temporarily, but each use deepens the separation between the person and their authentic self. Over time, the individual loses access to their own emotional signals, their body's wisdom, and their sense of meaning. Recovery, at its deepest level, is the process of restoring these connections.

Clinical approaches are essential: medical detox saves lives, therapy provides coping tools, and peer groups create accountability. But these primarily address the behavioral and psychological layers. The spiritual dimension, which includes the relationship to meaning, purpose, and the felt experience of being alive, often requires different practices.

A 2020 study in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment found that individuals who incorporated spiritual practices had significantly lower relapse rates at 12 months compared to conventional treatment alone. Spiritual engagement strengthened what researchers called "recovery capital," the internal and external resources that sustain long-term sobriety.

These practices work because they directly address the disconnection underlying addictive patterns. Meditation rebuilds non-reactive awareness. Breathwork restores self-regulation. Energy healing clears stagnant patterns. Ritual and journaling provide containers for processing emotions that would otherwise drive relapse.

Understanding the Limitations of 12-Step Programs

The 12-step model has helped millions achieve sobriety since 1935. Its emphasis on honesty, surrender, and community contains genuine spiritual wisdom. However, it does not work for everyone, and recognizing its limitations is about expanding pathways to healing, not dismissing its value.

Common Reasons People Seek Alternatives to 12-Step Programs:
  • The concept of a "Higher Power" feels inaccessible to atheists, agnostics, or those with religious trauma
  • The emphasis on identifying as an "addict" or "alcoholic" conflicts with some people's healing process
  • Group dynamics can feel triggering for individuals with social anxiety or trauma related to group settings
  • The framework may not adequately address co-occurring mental health conditions
  • Some people need more body-based and somatic approaches to process stored trauma
  • Cultural and spiritual traditions outside the Judeo-Christian framework may feel more aligned for some individuals

Many people successfully combine 12-step participation with the practices in this guide. What matters is not which practices you choose but whether they help you rebuild a conscious, honest, and embodied relationship with your own life.

Meditation as a Foundation for Recovery

Meditation is the most well-researched spiritual practice for addiction recovery, with benefits documented across dozens of clinical studies.

Meditation trains "metacognition," the ability to observe your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without being controlled by them. For someone in recovery, this skill changes everything. Cravings arise as intense waves. Without meditation training, those waves feel like commands. With training, they become experiences that can be witnessed and allowed to pass.

Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP): Developed by researchers at the University of Washington, MBRP is a structured eight-week program that combines mindfulness meditation with cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention strategies. Clinical trials have demonstrated that MBRP reduces substance use, decreases craving intensity, and increases awareness of emotional and situational triggers. Participants learn to recognize the early stages of craving and respond with awareness rather than automatic reactivity.

Types of Meditation for Recovery

Mindfulness Meditation: The practice of sitting still and observing whatever arises in your awareness, including thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and sounds, without judgment or reaction. Start with five minutes daily and gradually increase to twenty minutes. This practice builds the foundational skill of non-reactive awareness that supports all other recovery work.

Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta): Directing phrases of compassion toward yourself and others. For people in recovery, self-compassion is often severely damaged. Begin by repeating "May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I be at peace." Then extend these wishes outward. Metta practice helps replace the harsh self-judgment that frequently triggers relapse.

Body Scan Meditation: Slowly moving attention through each part of the body, noticing sensations without trying to change them. This practice is particularly valuable because addiction creates a deep disconnection from the body. Body scanning reestablishes the link between awareness and physical sensation, which is essential for recognizing early craving signals.

Mantra Meditation: Repeating a word, phrase, or sound (such as "Om" or "I choose to feel this fully") to anchor attention and create a calming rhythm. Mantra meditation is especially helpful during acute craving episodes because the repetition gives the mind something to hold onto other than the craving itself.

Practice Guidance: If you are new to meditation and in early recovery, start with guided body scan meditations rather than open awareness meditation. Sitting in silence with an untrained mind in early recovery can sometimes amplify anxiety or difficult emotions. Guided practices provide structure and support while you build your capacity for stillness. Apps like Insight Timer offer free guided meditations specifically designed for recovery.

Breathwork Practices for Sobriety and Nervous System Healing

If meditation works primarily with the mind, breathwork works primarily with the body and nervous system. For people in recovery, this distinction matters. Many individuals struggling with addiction have nervous systems that are chronically dysregulated, stuck in patterns of hyperarousal (anxiety, restlessness, hypervigilance) or hypoarousal (numbness, dissociation, emotional flatness). Substances often serve as crude tools for regulating these states.

Breathwork provides the body with a direct, substance-free method of shifting its own nervous system state. By changing the pattern, rhythm, and depth of breathing, you can activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the body's calming response), release stored tension, and create genuine shifts in how you feel without any external substance.

Breathwork Techniques for Recovery

Box Breathing (4-4-4-4): Inhale through the nose for four counts. Hold for four counts. Exhale through the mouth for four counts. Hold for four counts. Repeat for three to five minutes. This technique is used by military personnel, first responders, and therapists because of its reliable ability to calm the nervous system within minutes. For recovery, it serves as an immediate craving intervention tool. When a craving arises, performing two minutes of box breathing can reduce the intensity enough to make a conscious choice rather than an automatic reaction.

Coherent Breathing: Breathing at approximately five breaths per minute (inhale for six counts, exhale for six counts) with no pauses. This rate optimizes heart rate variability, a key measure of nervous system resilience. For people in recovery, this translates to greater emotional regulation and reduced vulnerability to craving triggers.

Holotropic Breathwork: A more intensive practice developed by psychiatrist Stanislav Grof using accelerated breathing to access non-ordinary states of consciousness. This should only be done with a trained facilitator and is not recommended for early recovery. For individuals with established sobriety working through deeper trauma, holotropic breathwork can support profound emotional release.

Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana): Closing one nostril at a time while breathing slowly to balance the brain hemispheres and create calm. It is gentle enough for early recovery and can be practiced for five to ten minutes daily.

Breathwork Technique Best For Duration Recovery Stage
Box Breathing Acute craving response 2-5 minutes All stages
Coherent Breathing Daily nervous system regulation 10-20 minutes All stages
Holotropic Breathwork Deep trauma processing 60-90 minutes Established sobriety (6+ months)
Alternate Nostril Breathing Brain hemisphere balancing, calm 5-10 minutes All stages

Energy Healing Approaches for Addiction

Energy healing works with the premise that the body's energy system can become blocked or distorted through trauma and addictive patterns. While not yet fully understood by Western science, growing clinical evidence supports these modalities as complementary approaches to recovery.

Reiki for Recovery: Reiki is a gentle hands-on healing practice from Japan. Reiki sessions help calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and create deep relaxation. Several addiction treatment centers now include Reiki in their programming, and a 2014 pilot study found that participants receiving Reiki reported significant reductions in anxiety, pain, and craving intensity.

Chakra-Based Recovery Work: In yogic and Hindu traditions, the human energy system contains seven primary chakras (energy centers) that correspond to different aspects of physical, emotional, and spiritual functioning. Addiction often correlates with specific chakra imbalances:
  • Root Chakra (Muladhara): Imbalance here manifests as a lack of safety, groundedness, and basic security. Many people turn to substances to create a false sense of stability.
  • Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana): This center governs pleasure, emotion, and desire. Addiction can represent a distorted relationship with pleasure-seeking when this chakra is imbalanced.
  • Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura): Governs personal power and self-worth. Addiction often accompanies a collapsed sense of personal agency and confidence.
  • Heart Chakra (Anahata): The center of love, connection, and compassion. Addiction frequently arises from heartbreak, isolation, and an inability to receive love.
Working with a qualified energy healer or through guided chakra meditations can help identify and address these specific imbalances as part of a well-rounded recovery approach.

Acupuncture and the NADA Protocol: The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol is a five-point ear acupuncture treatment used in over 2,000 addiction treatment programs worldwide. Research shows it reduces withdrawal symptoms, anxiety, and cravings by stimulating points corresponding to the nervous system, liver, kidneys, and lungs.

Sound Healing: Using singing bowls, gongs, and drums to create vibrational frequencies that promote relaxation and energetic clearing. Sound healing provides a non-verbal, body-based experience of shifting internal states. Many people in recovery describe these sessions as "coming home" to their body.

Yoga and Body-Based Recovery Practices

The body holds everything. Every traumatic experience, every moment of emotional overwhelm, every instance of substance-induced numbing leaves an imprint in the body's tissues, muscles, and nervous system. This is why addiction recovery cannot be achieved through the mind alone. Body-based practices are essential for releasing the physical patterns that keep addictive cycles in place.

Trauma-Sensitive Yoga: Developed by the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute (founded by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk), trauma-sensitive yoga emphasizes choice, invitational language, and interoception (the ability to sense what is happening inside your body). This approach rebuilds the body-awareness that addiction systematically destroys.

Recommended Yoga Frequency for Recovery:
  • Early Recovery (0-3 months): Two to three gentle or restorative yoga sessions per week, 20-30 minutes each
  • Developing Recovery (3-6 months): Three to four sessions per week, building to 45-minute sessions
  • Established Recovery (6+ months): Four to five sessions per week as desired, including more vigorous styles if the body is ready

Somatic Experiencing: Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, this body-based therapy helps discharge the frozen survival energy that often underlies both trauma and addiction. When this energy is released, the body's natural capacity for self-regulation is restored, reducing the need for substances to manage internal states.

Tai Chi and Qigong: These ancient Chinese practices combine slow movement with breath coordination. A 2018 review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found they significantly reduced stress, anxiety, and substance cravings in people undergoing addiction treatment.

Dance and Ecstatic Movement: For people who find stillness too confronting early on, practices like 5Rhythms and free-form ecstatic dance provide emotional expression and physical release without verbal processing. Moving the body to music in a safe, sober setting produces natural states of joy and connection.

Journaling and Ritual-Based Recovery

Ritual is one of the oldest forms of spiritual practice. Every human culture has developed rituals to mark transitions, process grief, celebrate milestones, and maintain connection to the sacred. Addiction itself often contains a distorted form of ritual: the preparation of the substance, the specific setting, the repeated pattern of use. Recovery can reclaim this ritualistic energy and redirect it toward healing.

Morning Intention Ritual: Begin each day with a brief ritual that sets the tone for the next 24 hours. This could include lighting a candle, reading a passage from a meaningful text, writing a single sentence about your intention for the day, and sitting in silence for two minutes. The simplicity is the point. Recovery does not require elaborate ceremonies. It requires consistent, intentional contact with your own awareness.

The Burning Letter Ritual: Write a letter to your addiction. Be completely honest. Express your anger, grief, gratitude (if authentic), and your commitment to living differently. When the letter is complete, take it outside and burn it safely in a fireproof container. Watch the smoke carry your words upward. This ritual is not about pretending the past did not happen. It is about acknowledging the full truth of your experience and consciously choosing to release its hold on your present. Many recovery practitioners recommend performing this ritual at significant milestones: one month, three months, six months, and one year of sobriety.

Recovery Journaling Practices: Journaling in recovery serves a different purpose than general diary-keeping. Recovery journaling is a practice of honest self-witness. Effective recovery journal prompts include:

  • "What did I feel today that I would have previously numbed?"
  • "Where in my body am I holding tension right now, and what does it need?"
  • "What triggered a craving today, and what did I do instead?"
  • "What am I grateful for in my recovery today, even if it is small?"
  • "What truth am I avoiding, and what would happen if I faced it?"

Full Moon and New Moon Rituals: The new moon (new beginnings) can be used to set monthly recovery goals. The full moon (illumination and release) can be used to let go of patterns that no longer serve your sobriety. These rituals connect recovery to the larger rhythms of nature.

Gratitude Ritual: Each evening, write three specific things you are grateful for in your recovery. Be precise: not "I am grateful for my health" but "I am grateful that when the craving hit at 3pm, I called my friend instead of isolating." This precision trains the brain to encode positive recovery experiences.

Nature Immersion and Earth-Based Healing

The natural world offers one of the most accessible and universally effective spiritual healing environments available. You do not need to believe in any particular system, learn any technique, or follow any teacher. You simply need to go outside and pay attention.

Research on the therapeutic effects of nature exposure is substantial. A 2019 study published in Scientific Reports found that spending at least 120 minutes per week in nature significantly improved both mental health and physical wellbeing. For people in addiction recovery, nature immersion provides several specific benefits.

How Nature Supports Recovery:
  • Nervous System Regulation: Natural environments, particularly those with moving water, birdsong, and green canopy, activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This calming effect is measurable through reduced cortisol levels and improved heart rate variability.
  • Perspective and Humility: Standing in a forest or beside an ocean naturally shifts a person's perspective from the intensity of their internal struggle to the vastness of the living world. This shift in scale is not escapism. It is a genuine recalibration that helps recovering individuals remember they are part of something much larger than their addiction.
  • Sensory Reawakening: Addiction dulls the senses. Nature reawakens them. The smell of rain on earth, the texture of bark under your fingers, the sound of wind through leaves. These simple sensory experiences begin to rebuild the capacity for pleasure without substances.
  • Grounding: The practice of earthing (placing bare feet or hands directly on the earth) has been shown to reduce inflammation, improve sleep, and calm the nervous system. For people in early recovery, grounding provides an immediate physical anchor when emotions feel overwhelming.

Wilderness Therapy: Several treatment programs now incorporate wilderness experiences into recovery programming. Even a regular practice of walking in a local park or tending a garden provides meaningful contact with nature's healing capacity.

Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku): This Japanese practice involves slow, intentional walking through a forested area while engaging all five senses. The goal is presence, not exercise. Many participants report that combining movement, nature, and sensory engagement feels more accessible than seated meditation.

Crystals and Vibrational Support for Recovery

Crystals serve as supportive anchors for specific intentions and emotional states in recovery. While scientific research on crystal healing remains limited, the practice of using crystals as focal points for intention and meditation has a long cross-cultural history.

Crystal Recovery Application How to Use
Amethyst Sobriety support, calming anxiety, spiritual connection Carry as a pocket stone, place on recovery altar, hold during meditation
Black Tourmaline Grounding, energetic protection, absorbing negativity Keep near the front door, hold during craving episodes, wear as jewelry
Lepidolite Emotional stabilization, anxiety reduction, transition support Place under pillow for sleep, carry in pocket, hold during therapy sessions
Citrine Rebuilding self-worth, cultivating joy, personal power Place on solar plexus during meditation, keep in workspace, hold during affirmations
Rose Quartz Self-compassion, healing shame, opening the heart Place on heart during body scan meditation, keep on bedside table, bathe with it
Smoky Quartz Releasing old patterns, grounding spiritual energy, detoxification support Hold during grounding exercises, place at the base of recovery altar, carry during challenging days

The crystal itself is not doing the healing. It serves as a physical anchor for your intention and a tangible reminder of your commitment to recovery. When you hold an amethyst during meditation and set an intention for sobriety, you are directing your own consciousness toward healing. The crystal supports that direction.

How to Build Your Spiritual Recovery Practice

The most common mistake people make when beginning a spiritual practice for recovery is trying to do too much too soon. Starting with a two-hour morning routine that includes meditation, breathwork, yoga, journaling, and crystal work might feel inspiring on day one, but it will feel exhausting by day three and abandoned by day seven.

The following framework is designed for sustainability. It starts simply and builds gradually, allowing each new practice to become genuinely integrated before adding the next layer.

Week 1-2: Foundation
  • Choose ONE practice: either 5 minutes of morning meditation or 3 minutes of box breathing
  • Perform this practice at the same time every day, ideally before engaging with phone or screens
  • Write one sentence in your journal after each session about what you noticed
  • Keep an amethyst or grounding stone nearby during practice as an intentional anchor
Week 3-4: Expansion
  • Increase your chosen practice to 10 minutes daily
  • Add a brief evening gratitude ritual (three specific things written in your journal)
  • Take one 30-minute nature walk during the week, practiced in silence
Month 2: Deepening
  • Add a second daily practice (if you started with meditation, add breathwork, or vice versa)
  • Begin one weekly deeper practice: a yoga class, a longer meditation, or a journaling ritual
  • Explore community options: meditation groups, yoga recovery classes, or online spiritual recovery communities
Month 3 and Beyond: Integration
  • Your practice should now include daily grounding (10-15 minutes), weekly deep practice (30-60 minutes), and regular community connection
  • Begin monthly review rituals to assess what is working and what needs adjustment
  • Consider adding energy healing sessions (Reiki, acupuncture) as resources allow

Consistency matters more than intensity. Five minutes of daily meditation produces more lasting change than a single two-hour session followed by weeks of nothing. Every time you practice, you are rewiring the neural pathways that addiction hijacked. Be patient. It works at the speed of genuine transformation, not at the speed of a quick fix.

Comparing Spiritual Recovery Practices

Practice Primary Benefit Time Commitment Cost Evidence Level
Mindfulness Meditation Craving awareness, emotional regulation 5-20 min daily Free Strong (multiple RCTs)
Breathwork Nervous system regulation, craving response 3-20 min daily Free Moderate to strong
Yoga Body reconnection, trauma release 20-60 min, 2-5x/week Free to moderate Strong (multiple studies)
Journaling Emotional processing, self-awareness 5-15 min daily Free Moderate
Nature Immersion Nervous system calming, perspective 30-120 min weekly Free Strong
Energy Healing (Reiki) Deep relaxation, energetic clearing 60 min, 1-2x/month Moderate ($60-150/session) Limited but growing
Acupuncture (NADA) Withdrawal support, craving reduction 30-45 min, 1-3x/week Moderate ($40-100/session) Moderate (clinical use)
Crystal Work Intention anchoring, focal point for practice Integrated into other practices Low ($5-30 per stone) Anecdotal/traditional

Frequently Asked Questions

What are spiritual practices for addiction recovery?
Spiritual practices for addiction recovery are intentional activities that address the emotional, energetic, and existential roots of addictive behavior. They include meditation, breathwork, energy healing, journaling rituals, nature immersion, prayer, mantra work, and body-based somatic practices. These approaches work alongside or beyond traditional 12-step frameworks to restore purpose, self-connection, and inner stability.

Can spiritual practices replace traditional addiction treatment?
Spiritual practices are most effective as a complement to professional treatment, not a replacement. Medical detox, therapy, and clinical support remain important for physical safety. Spiritual practices strengthen the emotional, psychological, and energetic dimensions of healing that clinical approaches alone may not fully reach.

Do you have to be religious to use spiritual practices in recovery?
No. Many people work with meditation, breathwork, and nature-based practices without any religious affiliation. The focus is on cultivating inner awareness, emotional regulation, and connection to something larger than the addictive pattern, whether that is nature, community, your higher self, or universal consciousness.

How does meditation help with addiction recovery?
Meditation trains the mind to observe cravings and triggers without automatically reacting. Research from the University of Washington shows that mindfulness-based relapse prevention reduces substance use and craving intensity. Regular practice rebuilds prefrontal cortex functioning, improving impulse control and emotional regulation over time.

What is breathwork for addiction recovery?
Breathwork involves structured breathing techniques that release stored trauma, regulate the nervous system, and create natural shifts in consciousness. Practices like box breathing and coherent breathing activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reduce anxiety, and provide altered-state experiences without substances.

How long does it take for spiritual practices to help with recovery?
Many people feel benefits within two to four weeks of consistent practice, including reduced anxiety and better sleep. Deeper shifts in craving patterns and identity typically develop over three to twelve months. Consistency matters more than intensity, and even ten minutes of daily practice produces measurable changes.

What crystals support addiction recovery?
Amethyst is the most widely used crystal for sobriety support. Black tourmaline provides grounding and energetic protection. Lepidolite supports emotional stabilization. Citrine rebuilds confidence and self-worth. Rose quartz helps heal shame and cultivate self-compassion. These crystals serve as intentional anchors for meditation and daily practice.

Is yoga effective for addiction recovery?
Yes. Clinical studies published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine confirm that yoga reduces substance use, cravings, and psychological distress. Yoga reconnects people with their bodies, releases stored trauma, regulates the nervous system, and builds tolerance for discomfort.

How do spiritual practices address the root causes of addiction?
Addiction often stems from unresolved trauma, disconnection, lack of purpose, and inability to tolerate emotional pain. Spiritual practices rebuild self-awareness, create safe internal experiences of presence, restore belonging through community, and cultivate meaning beyond the craving cycle.

Can spiritual recovery practices help with behavioral addictions?
Yes. Spiritual practices address the same underlying patterns of emotional avoidance and nervous system dysregulation that drive all compulsive behavior. Meditation, breathwork, journaling, and somatic practices build internal resources for tolerating discomfort and choosing differently, regardless of whether the addiction involves a substance or a behavior.

Sources and Further Reading

  1. Bowen, S., Witkiewitz, K., Clifasefi, S.L., et al. "Relative Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention, Standard Relapse Prevention, and Treatment as Usual for Substance Use Disorders." JAMA Psychiatry, 2014.
  2. Van der Kolk, B. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking, 2014.
  3. Khanna, S., Greeson, J.M. "A Narrative Review of Yoga and Mindfulness as Complementary Therapies for Addiction." Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2013.
  4. White, M.P., Alcock, I., Grellier, J., et al. "Spending at Least 120 Minutes a Week in Nature is Associated with Good Health and Wellbeing." Scientific Reports, 2019.
  5. Carter, K.O., Olshan-Perlmutter, M., Norton, H.J., Smith, M.O. "NADA Acupuncture Prospective Trial in an Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment Program and Comparison with Pharmaceutical Treatment." Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 2011.
  6. Grof, S. The Way of the Psychonaut: Encyclopedia for Inner Journeys. MAPS, 2019.
  7. Levine, P. Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books, 1997.
  8. Porges, S. The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W.W. Norton, 2011.

Your recovery is sacred ground. Every breath you take with awareness, every morning you sit in stillness instead of reaching for numbness, every time you place your hands on the earth and choose to feel what is real, you are building something that no substance ever gave you: a genuine relationship with your own life. The practices in this guide are not about perfection. They are about presence. Start where you are. Use what calls to you. Trust the process. The same life force that moves through the trees and the tides is moving through you right now, and it knows the way home.

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