Steps on our Road to Recovery

Steps On Our Road to Recovery for 12 to 18 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.

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 here.

12 April 1999

I received a book called "God's Comfort Food for New Beginnings"

in the mail to review for my bookstore. The verses from various

versions of the Holy Bible, were selected by Kimberley Converse.

She also selected quotes from a wide variety of sources that essentially

said the same things. The selections are indeed comforting words. The

comforting source of the comforting words, is what is in common. This

book is published in an attractive form, and will indeed give comfort to

many.

The first diagnosis in Appendix A of DSM-III that needed further

study was "Late Luteal Phase Dysphoric Disorder". They sure

used some fancy words to not say PMS, because the symptoms said

PMS. One can understand this politically correct challenge since a

higher proportion of women are in the therapist field that wrote this. :))

However, I would be more concerned with the values in the

symptoms, than being politically correct. Also giving it a name

called PMS, does not really help people take responsibility. It does

not help men to be called MACHO to avoid responsibility for their

hormones any more than women. I am not saying that hormones are

not a challenge, they are. The word hormones conjures up "whore"

"moans", does it not? Let us look at the symptoms and see what

the symptoms tell us.

The first symptom is suddenly feeling sad, irritable, angry, or

crying. Now this makes sense. Menstruation time is a clearing out

of the system. This will be wonderful when most women also consider

menstruation a blessing, a time to clear out their emotions also. It will

be more wonderful when they can do so in private and or with supporting

and understanding people. There would be no difference when men

are feeling aggressive and or sexy and need private or support time

to get their emotions clear.

13 April 1999

The second symptom is "persistent and marked anger or irritability".

Wow, what a great thing to clear. Here is our energy coming present

for us to redecide what we really want to use our energy for. Again,

it may be easier to redecide ,when we are alone or with really understanding

people. A bitch session is not with really understanding people. Really

understanding people let us bitch alone, until we are drained of our bitterness,

and then talk about what we really want to do now, and how we can do that.

The third symptom is anxiety, tension, keyed up, on edge, etc. These are

just lower levels of anger. Same solutions. Forgiveness, Acceptance,

Consciousness, Teamworking.

The fourth symptom is depression, hopelessness, negative self talk. That

is usually us turning our anger on us. Same anger solutions.

The fifth symptom is decreased interest in usual activities. Just another

way to express depression. The Sixth symptom is "easy fatigability or marked

lack of energy". Just another way to express depression.

Tomorrow, symptoms seven to ten. You may have noticed a pattern here.

14 April 1999

For those that might be interested in a test on PMS you can click on:

http://www.queendom.com/pms1.html. Notice the same symptoms in the

test. Now on to the rest of the symptoms.

Symptom seven is having difficulty concentrating. Another form of

anxiety. Symptom nine is hypersomnia or insomnia. Either sleeping too

much or not sleeping enough which are forms of depression. Again we

have different forms of manifestations of anger.

The last set of symptoms are physical forms of upset of our balance.

There are headaches, joint and muscle pains. Pains are emotions of high

intensity. Emotions are when we have a difference between what we have

and what we want. Just another form of anger, to try and get us peace and

healing. We can have breast tenderness or swelling. Our nurturing is more

sensitive or getting us to be more sensitive to our nurturing. That is some

thing wise to meditate on. And last we have bloating or weight gain.

That is storing our energy in the form of weight. That energy is anger.

That is the pattern, many forms of our energy of anger. That is the

opportunity, to transform all the forms of our energy of anger into

the energy of healing and a better life.

15 April 1999

The second proposed new disorder is the "Sadistic Personality

Disorder". It seems to have the flavor of the antisocial descriptions.

To qualify we have to have a pattern of cruel, demeaning, and aggressive

behavior that starts by our teens. In addition we need to get four of the

following eight symptoms.

To qualify for the first symptom we need to act physically cruel or

violent to dominate in a relationship. Here we go again, anger, a difference

between what is and what we want.

From a spiritual point of view we are equal and when someone is

angry they are trying to change what is. Domination is a way to feel

safe and superior. The joke is that the domination will come back on

us some time.

The second symptom is when we humiliate someone in the presence

of others. Domination in another form. Anger in another form. Some

times people try to humiliate someone and that someone just humiliates

back.

These symptoms are difficult to deal with. It gets easier as we clear

ourselves. The blessing in disguise might be that these people give us

an incentive to clear ourselves. The blessing in disguise for the abusers

could be that they have an opportunity to notice what they are doing is not

bringing them what they really want in their core.

16 April 1999

The third symptom, is using too harsh discipline. One can ask, how

harsh? There are levels of harshness. The first level is where we train

by instruction and practice; esp. to teach self-control. This is a healthy

level. A unhealthy level is to punish, in order to gain control or enforce

obedience. So, there is the level that works, that teaches self control. This

is the ideal level. Then, any level above this healthy level is spiritually and

practically unwise. This is unwise because we will be on the other end of

unhealthy discipline, until we learn the wise level of discipline or self control.

The way JC put it was that anger without success was too much.

17 April 1999

The next symptom is when we are amused by the psychological or

physical suffering of people or pets. Most of us laugh at comedy, where

people and pets are hurt physically or psychological. When we get to

some level of sensitivity, we are not as amused. Then a movie like

"There's Something About Mary" can be painful to watch. Clowns and

comedies ,that use this kind of humor, are helping us to heal. Laughter

and tears heal.

When we begin to put ourselves in the place of others, we want to end

suffering. Putting ourselves in the place of others, is a skill, that we all

can learn to do better, including me.

18 April 1999

The next symptom is when we have lied to harm another. This is rare,

when we intentionally lie to hurt another person. When we do, we only

end up hurting ourselves. The universe is fair and wounds all heels and

heals all wounds.

It is more common to unintentionally lie and hurt others and ourselves.

A simple form would be spreading gossip. We only know the truth about

ourselves and actually rarely know that. So anything we tell about others

is a lie. We do not know how they felt, what unconscious stuff drove them

to do what they did, what their positive intentions were, what they believed,

what their real history is, and on and on. So, I am going to tell a story about

someone, without gossiping about them.

Once upon a time there was a person on a trip to the sea. They stopped on the way in a beautiful park. The beauty of the park may have reminded them of the ugly things in their life. They became furious at God. They picked up a rock and threw their rock as hard as they could at God. They then experienced days of bliss as they finished their trip to the sea. They talked about even glowing in the dark at night. You see, the coins in our purse may be rage, anger, and anxiety; but the coins in God's purse are only joy and light. Our ancestors and us created all negativity on this planet. God heals our errors, when we are ready to let go and let God. That means turning everything over to Him, daily.

It can be a fun game to start only telling stories about ourselves and others like this. Another fun way to talk about others, is to act as if they are there as you talk about them. The stories in your life will never be the same.

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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