Steps on our Road to Recovery

Steps On Our Road to Recovery for 5 to 11 April 1999.

Published Last Week. A daily hint published each day since June 1996. This is past my second year anniversary since starting my web pages. Page Down for the next days that are added a day at a time. I have moved to http://www.recoverybydiscovery.com and this daily page is now here at https://www.recoverybydiscovery.com/daily.htm . I would appreciate any feedback, questions and suggestions that you have.

What I am mainly going through now is the DSM-III-R Desk Reference a "disorder" at a time and commenting on the spiritual and recovery aspects. The DSM is what the American Psychiatric Association uses to label symptoms to facilitate communication in their community. Unfortunately, the labeling from the DSM can shut down communication with those seeking temporary assistance and spread the stigmas of mental illness. The DSM can also bring some comfort by telling some that others have had the same experience. I am adding additional comfort by pointing to some ways to start getting out of the "disorders". I am not writing about cures. I am writing about how the cure process works over time. Instantaneous cures can be as traumatic as the original event that generated the disorder or illness. Instantaneous cures may not do us any good, when we get the same disorder back, since we have not changed the thought system that caused the disorder in the first place.

5 April 1999

Today's V code from the DSM is "V15.81 Noncompliance with Medical

Treatment". Examples uses were denial of illness, religious beliefs, and

personal value judgments. There may be some personal value judgments

going on with a doctor giving this V code. This can be another form of

a power struggle. There are many forms.

What is needed is an attitude of respect in both directions. When this is

not present, it would be wise to find another doctor where an attitude of

respect and a balance of power is more present. This is because an attitude

of respect and a balance of power are more healing than a power struggle.

It is difficult to have an attitude of respect, when those we are dealing with

do not have an attitude of respect. It is easier for them to treat us with an

attitude of respect, when we have an attitude of respect. When our attitude

of respect is not working it could be time to move on to where we find respect.

When we find respect no where we need to consider why that may be. In

recovery circles it is said that when we have a variety of responses that is

just life, but when it is always the same response we are being told that the

problem is us.

In fact we may want to look for a balance of power and respect in all

of our relationships. That may have to start with our relationships with all

aspect of ourselves.

6 April 1999

Today I am writing on "The Challenge of Violence". The Christ Jesus

is at one end of our spectrum of humanity. An Anti Christ like Hitler, was

at the other end of our spectrum of humanity. It reminds me of the spectrum

from Heaven to Hell. At the part of our spectrum where the Christ can more

easily be awakened within us, it works to have a Gandhi or Dr. King remind

us of our own inner Christ. It worked in India where the British were enough

in touch with our inner Christ aspect of our humanity to let go of India. It

worked in the United States because the American people were enough in

touch with our inner Christ part of humanity to start our process of letting go

of the hate of racism. We are still in that process.

It would not have worked to have had a Gandhi or Dr. King in Germany,

Austria, Poland, etc. Then, an angry Germany was on the move to gain

territory and get back at those that punished them economically after World

War I. It would have worked better at the first aggression to have done the

equivalent of sending in the world's Marines then. You see, it depends on

the consciousness of those that we are dealing with. The German people

were too angry to be in touch with their inner Christ and were more in touch

with their inner Anti Christ. From what I know so far, it would have been

wiser to send in the Marines than the Missionaries, to contain them like

Russia, until they came to their senses.

Now, what would be a wise mission today for Marines. In Iraq it would

have been wiser to have captured their leader and had a fair trial. Capturing

Japan and Germany and then assisting in their recovery was one of the wisest

thing we have done. Perhaps the wisest mission now would be to capture the

king and his lords and give them a fair trial. A secondary mission could be to

cut off Kosovo from the source of the invading army and let that army be captured,

perhaps by arming the Albanians, like we armed the Afghans to drive out the

Russian army. In the cases of Korea and Tibet there was a difference. The

dragon of China was too large to take on directly, just like Russia was. They

needed to be contained, until they came to their senses, their sense of the

positive part of their humanity. Unfortunately the Dali Lama did not have

any Marines or us or a strategy for dealing with those that had temporarily

forgotten their inner Christ. They could have abandoned their land in mass

and all become refugees. China would have been branded as the worst

aggressor, and the world may have sent in their Marines. This is like an

aikido move of backing away and neutralizing them using their own momentum

against themselves. Sort of like abandoning the field of battle and going to a

shelter to let the authorities sort things out.

So, what does this have to do with domestic violence? Just that it depends

on who you are dealing with. Anger is our fundamental problem and Forgiveness,

Acceptance, Consciousness, and Teamworking [FACT] are are our fundamental

remedies. The best we can do is enter into a relationship and negotiate a plan,

just like in Reality Therapy. When they are able to contain their aggression,

there is time to learn about FACT's. When they are not able to contain their

aggression, we might have to send in the Marines, and teach FACT's later. In

the mean time, any part of the system, willing to learn FACT's, will grow

stronger, until they do not need Marines.

PS, when the word Christ is a problem for you, just substitute Counselor.

7 April 1999

Now back to DSM V codes, today's is "V62.20 Occupational Problem".

The examples were job dissatisfaction and career choice uncertainty. So, we

all have had some level of this "problem", even when our job was homemaker.

When we are totally satisfied, with our job, and everything else, we are totally

enlightened. Since we are not totally there, we just as well admit that we would

like to improve our job. I guess they did not want to give this a mental illness

code, because then they would have to admit we all have some mental illness.

Even including the writers of the DSM. See, there is a form of madness going

on. Madness is just anger. Anger is just energy from a difference between

what we have and what we want. We want a better job. The energy of authentic

anger, positive anger, can get us a better job because then we take actions to

get that better job. The energy of corrosive anger, negative anger, keeps us in

our present job or worse and depresses us and angers us more and gives us

our illnesses and ...

So, what to do? Well, I always worked on learning how to enjoy where I

was. I also took actions to get a better job when thing got so that my universe

was telling me to get a better job. Learning to love our work can be fun. Learning

how to get a better job can be fun. I recommend having more fun and a more

abundant life.

8 April 1999

The next V Code is "V61.20 Parent-Child Problem". Note that these

are "problems" and not "disorders". My dictionary say a problems is [1.

any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty.] and

disorder is [ 1. lack of order or regular arrangement; confusion.] . To me

they are similar. Actually I like the word "challenge" for both of them.

That is more of an attitude of overcoming the challenge.

In any case a child can be a challenge and a parent can be a challenge.

In all these cases there is a difference between what is and what is wanted.

That is my definition of anger. The solutions to anger are what these pages

have been about. The solutions would be the same for the next V Code,

"V62.81 Other Interpersonal Problem" and the catch all "V61.80 Other

Specified Family Circumstances". I'll bet that you all can get it that the

next V Code is also about anger and the resolution of anger. "V62.89 Phase

of Life Problem or Other Life Circumstance Problem". See, you guessed

that, you are starting to catch on now.

9 April 1999

The last V Code is "V62.82 Uncomplicated Bereavement". This is

the "normal" grief process. As they point out, the culture we live in effects

our grieving process.

The grieving process, grieving our losses, is a healthy process. When

we have grieved all our losses and accept everything, we are healthier. I

have been suggesting going beyond accepting, to get to gratitude and joy.

We can have gratitude for the lessons our losses have taught us. We can

enjoy life more from having learned our lessons.

http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/story/story_3276.html may be only

good for free stuff and bargains. Perhaps I will put some of them of my

free page later.

10 April 1999

When they do not know what code to give you, they have a code to give

you. That code is "300.90 Unspecified Mental Disorder (Nonpsychotic)".

That is sort of amusing. They can label you as crazy, but not know what

the disorder is. The truth is, that they and us, are all mad to some degree.

That is, we have some anger, to some degree. We all have some differences

between ,what we want, and what we have. And when we do not have any

conscious differences, between what we want and what we have, we have

unconscious differences. So, we can code ourselves and everyone as 300.90.

Some doctors might make themselves mad about their patients coding them. :))

Now, when our level of upset gets into the psychotic, that is when they

are getting upset, about our upset, they can code us as 298.90. A 298.90 is

"Psychotic Disorder Not Otherwise Specified".

The theme here ,is that the code is just a convenience for the game the

doctors and insurance companies play. What is important, is our symptoms.

Our symptoms carry clues to our cures. When we focus on labeling, we

are missing our cures. Labeling is a blame game. Focusing on healing is

a needed life skill for those in the helping professions and us.

They are TRYING to heal us, when they give us a label and execute their

treatment plan for that label. What they usually do not understand, is that

if their treatment plan begins to work, we really have a new label and they

need to update their label and their treatment plan. What they usually do

not understand, is that their clients need to be part of working out their

own treatment plans. In fact, their clients need to lead their healers in

what works for them. Doctors usually do not know that, because they are

well trained to believe that they know more than their clients. They are

usually not trained that their clients are their spiritual equal. They are

usually not trained that their clients have access to their lord most high

within themselves, with all the resources that they need. All that their

clients really need,is to learn more life skills that they have not learned

so far. So do the doctors.

I saw an example of a physical medical doctor on "Dateline" last

night. The cancer doctor, had symptoms of cancer. They tried to heal

him, using his own skills. They did not work. The doctor then began

a search, for complementary treatments. He found some herbs on the

internet. He had lab experiments run on rats with cancer from his own

cancer and the cancers shrank. He took his herbs and his cancer started

shrinking. He learned how to meditate and get in yoga positions and

his energy improved. He is now on a remission to tell other doctors

to learn more skills. Perhaps the same blessing in disguise, will

happen to enough mental health doctors to change our mental health

systems that needs more mental health. Perhaps the same blessing in

disguise will happen to enough people in our criminal justice system

to make our system less criminal. Perhaps...

11 April 1999

Today, I am just going to give you a picture of what is left in the

DSM-III for us to discuss. There is an Appendix A with three

disorders that they thought needed more study before they coded

them. Then there is Appendix B with decision trees to help give

us our codes. Appendix C has an alphabetic listing of the

"disorders". Appendix D has a numerical listing of the codes

they use. And lastly they have an appendix with out a letter.

That is a list of symptoms with all the name that they can call us.

I found it significant that they did not just call this Appendix E.

It seemed like they are avoiding the simplicity of just using

symptoms. I am not going to avoid that.

Very Respectfully,

Michael Foster, MA

DiscoveryCoachemail

https://www.recoverybydiscovery.com or

http://i.am/rbd;

Total-DC or 868-2532 or

868-6749

Very Respectfully,

Michael Foster, MA

Discovery Coach

https://www.recoverybydiscovery.com

DiscoveryCoachemail

"Learn HOW to recovery by discovering the blocks you need to remove and the actions you need to take and what you need to let go of as your blocks to your blessings."

From my book in process, The Spiritual Cookbook (Generic Recipes for a Better Life)

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I started my daily page, because it is useful for me to look for some recovery tip or secret each day for my spiritual growth. we and I only need one secret to work on and let it work on me each day. They are secrets because they are usually the opposite of what the majority of society teaches. They must be secret because they are not commonly used. A friend of mine once said "Common Sense is not much in Common.". Now that I have grandchildren I am also writing for them. I would have really liked for my grandparents to have passed on what they learned.

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