Daily Steps On Our Road to Recovery for Week of 24 February 2003

Published Last Week. Page Down for the next days that are added a day at a time

Monday 24 February 2003

The Good Life is when the family system is at peace.

Today we are going to take a break from the DSM list of mental illnesses and consider the family system. The DSM does not take the larger systems into account. All of these symptoms of the "identified patient" really also the symptoms of the family system all the way up to the world system. When you are interested in how family systems work and how we can help the whole family system heal, I can recommend a good book to help. This book describes how the family healing process works when there are those that are willing to get into the family's struggle.

First some background that many may not be aware of where they discovered some family system patterns in families with schizophrenic patients. First they noted that the "patient" became worse when the mother visited. Then they noted that the mothers often had a similar personality pattern. Then they noted that the fathers often had a similar personality pattern. Then they noted that when the identified patient began to get better someone else in the family system began to get worse. So, it is easier to help an identified patient when the whole family comes to learn how to get better. That is why I have a page on getting well "in spite of" others.

The book is "The Family Crucible, The Intense Experience of Family Therapy" by Augustus Y. Napier, Ph.D., with Carl Whitaker, M.D. Carl is one of the pioneers of the family therapy process.

Tuesday 25 February 2003

The Good Life is learning how some of us are temporarily trapped.

Now, back to the labeling book, that gives codes for symptoms like [313.89] "Reactive Attachment Disorder of Infancy or Early Childhood" is about a family system disorder where the parent and child are not clicking. There is a persistant lack of social interaction or too much interaction with strangers. There is a lack of caring for the basic needs of the child. One can only wonder at why the child's soul needs this and the parents' souls need this.

We all have some lack of social interaction and too much interaction with strangers and lack of basic care at some time. This is just talking about what it is like in the extreem. This is where starting some social interaction with the whole spirit by either the parents or the child or both would start their improvement process. Of course that starts the improvements for any family system. As their reactivity to the whole wpirit goes away their reactivity to their world goes away. As their disassociation to the whole spirit goes away their attachments become more healthy.

Wednesday 26 February 2003

The Good Life is speaking out for what we believe so far.

First go to my soapbox, on war or inspections.

The Good Life is learning how some of us are temporarily trapped.

Now, back to the labeling book, that gives codes for symptoms like [307.30] "Stereotypy/Habit Disorder" is described as "Intentional, repetitive, nonfundtional behaviors, such as hand-shaking or -waving, body-rocking, head-banging, mouthing of objects, nail-biting, picking at nose or skin."

I have quoted this because the DSM called it both a "habit" and "intentional". A habit is only intentional, when we start the habit. After it is a habit, the habit is in automatic, that is why we call it a habit. Some of these habits are used by autistics to find more comfort. Some of these habits are used by low level autistics to find more comfort. Although these habits may hurt the person, they are there to relieve a larger hurt. Why do we have some habits? For the same reasons.

So the real issue is how to resolve the larger hurt. The techniques are the same, total acceptance, total assertion, total forgiveness, total consiousness and total teamwork. That would be Forgiveness, Assertiveness and Acceptance, Consciousness, and Teamworking, or FACT.

Thursday 27 February 2003

First, go to my soapbox, on energy independence.

The Good Life is learning how some of us are temporarily trapped.

Now, back to the labeling book, that gives codes for symptoms like [314.00] "Undifferentiated Attention-deficit Disorder" is one disorder that DSM-III said needed more research to verify that this is a category of symptoms.

I would say that more research is needed in general to simplify and verify what is going on. I encourage any research and looking at what has already been found.

The next section in the DSM in on "Organic" disorders. This brings us the spirit - mind - body question. Although the spirit can sometimes be discerned as separate from the body by using the body's sensors, spirit can discern spirit by itself, like in out of body and "near death" experiences.

When I was going through my reassociation with my spirit, it was a lot easier to discern, due to the magnitude of the changes. Change is much easier at the spiritual level. Actually it is not change, it it returning to peace, that appears to be change.

Mind is what we have tied up our spirit with. So, changing our mind is HOW we can let our spirit, return to peace. All we need to learn is HOW, to be in alignment, with our spirit of peace. This is easier than changing our body, that is changing anyway. Our body is changing as a result of our conscious and unconscious thoughts. Like in the case of genuine multiple personalities, where the disorders follow which personality is in charge of their body. Please do not use this information, to blame anyone. We can not blame anyone, since they are not conscious of what they are doing, to themselves. The are powerless over what they are doing ,to themselves. So am I, and so are you.

That is why I turn it all over, to my spirit of peace each day, to change me towards more peace. Then I can return, to as much peace as I can stand, to return to, considering that change, can be painful at the body level.

Friday 21 February 2003

The Good Life is learning how we are temporarily trapped.

Painful at the body level can tell us what is healing in spirit, when we have an attitude, that allows this healing. Painful at the mental level can tell us we have something to surrender to spirit. Painful at the emotional level is a combination at the body and mental levels. Soft emotions tell us what we are consciously thinking. Soft emotions give us clues to what we are unconsciously thinking. Hard emotions tell us we have some more to surrender to spirit and some more to let heal in our body.

Perhaps DSM IV or later will clear up some of the confusion between the organic and the mental or perhaps they will in the future. This is a key issue where it really is not an either or but it is a "both". The organic effects the mental. The mental effects the organic. It really is that simple.

KISS, keep It Simple Sunshine. Have a sunshine filled day.

Respectfully presented,

Michael

When you would like ask questions, or contribute some of your wisdom, or want to make some comments or tell your success stories, click Michael Foster, M. A.

I appreciate any feedback, questions and suggestions that you have.

Directory of Directories & Lists

I am continuing a Directory of Directories. Please tell me your favorites.

Leadership

I am starting a page on leadership. My first link is to some articles by

Steven Covey. His book is in my recommended books library.

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A daily hint has published each day since June 1996. This is past my fifth year anniversary, since starting my web pages. 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 us 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 and my parents to have passed on more of what they learned.

What is happening now?

I now have completed my second copy of my two CDROM's, full of free programs, for my college class. I am sending my current version, to anyone that sends me $7.

phone and http://www.recoverybydiscovery.com