Steps on the Road to Recovery

Steps On the Road to Recovery for 5 to 11 Oct '98.

Published Last Week. A daily hint published each day since June 1996. This is past my second year anniversary since starting this site. 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 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 do 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 October 1998

Last week I was writing about some of the symptoms of post trauma and some

hints on what to do. The first symptom this week is a marked loss of interest in

important activities. In young children this could be a loss of skills that were

recently learned. As always we all can have some level of these symptoms.

When there is a loss of interest where is our energy going? Sometimes our

energy is going inside to do something. Sometimes our energy is holding

back some of our upset. We may not be ready to face part of our upset.

So one blessing in disguise is that we are being helped to just face

what we are ready to face. This could be an opportunity to just be

aware of what we are facing. This could be an opportunity to just

be in gratitude that we are taking a rest and facing what we can face

over a longer period of time. This could be a time to become more

aware of what our blessings are. This could be a time to allow ourselves

to just be a younger child for a while. This could be a time of wonder to wonder.

6 October 1998

Today I am introducing you to the Enneagram Rating Scales. There are

9 types of personalities in the Enneagram. Don Riso has shown 9 levels

of each of these types. That gives us 81 total descriptions. Of these 81

9 are at the level of liberation. The other 72 are all about the "disorders"

that the DSM's describe.

Although we tend to have a primary type with what the enneagram calls

wings types, we actually have all the 9 types to some extent. The extent that

we think we do not have them is how unconscious we are of the rest of us.

When you click on the Enneagram Rating Scales you will find aspects

of yourself that you may recognize. You will find levels of yourself you

may recognize. Discovery of where you are is a necessary step towards

liberation.

7 October 1998

I have made several improvements to Don's enneagram matrix.

First I put all the level statements in the form of affirmations. I

also edited the statements somewhat. Then I put the lower levels

in past term affirmations. Then I used more common forms of the

archetypes, like father instead of warrior or leader. The father

archetype contains both. It makes it easier to recognize our positive

and negative projections of our inner types.

Since these levels of the nine types are in the form of affirmations,

we can use the top level affirmations of all nine types as our affirmations

to help us move up to these levels. We can also ask our lord most high

within how to move up our levels. We can then do that.

8 October 1998

Now we are at the "disorder" symptom of "feeling of detachment or

estrangement from others". Again, we all can have some of this at some

times. It is always a question of degree. Who are we really feeling

detached from and estranged from? Ourselves!!! God!!! Who do we

really need to get connected to? Ourselves, God. Others will follow.

Most all of the spiritual skills I have been writing about here are

about reconnecting ourselves to ourselves and God. A desire for

connectedness is one of our basic drives. That is why support groups

are so effective, especially the higher level groups. In fact it would

be wise to upgrade the groups you associate with over time. It is a

lot easier to reconnect ourselves in a group that is doing that. It is a

lot easier to connect ourselves to God in a group that is doing that.

When we reconnect ourselves and connect ourselves to God in

spite of the groups we are in, we can then be a wayshower.

9 October 1998

Today I am adding a link to the free Online Bible for Windows. The price

of admission is free, but the value is way beyond that. This version comes

with the original greek and hebrew words with Strong's' translation of each

word, plus more notes than you will read in any reasonable time. I have

found that inviting the Holy Spirit to assist me in understanding has been of

way beyond value.

Now back to the symptoms of the DSM's "disorders". The next symptom

for PTSD is "restricted range of affect, e.g., unable to have loving feelings".

This reminds me of one of the schizophrenia's symptoms. We all do not have

our full feelings. The road to recovery includes the recovery of our sensitivity

to all our feelings. How else can we feel the wind of spirit rustling the leaves

of our tree of life. The recovery of our feelings can come many ways. One is

to do gentle exercise in a group setting. This way we can learn to recall all the

feelings we are capable of. There is an excellent program called "Body Recall"

that my wife and I are now attending. Anything equivalent can be of use to

anyone.

10 October 1998

A new symptom today of "sense of a foreshortened future, e.g., does not

expect to have a career, marriage, or children, or a long life". We all have

fears, this is just a high level fear. How many of us are afraid of a fatal illness,

a fatal accident and of what fears bring on us? Maybe some worry because

what we worry about rarely happens.

Facing our fears and letting them go is a great process when we are ready

to go through this process. This is what meditation in the presence of our lord

most high within is all about. That is how we can find that after the terrors,

fears, concerns, worries, and unease we can find comfort and support. The

challenge is that our peace is on the other side of our fears. The challenge is

for us to get to the other side taking what peace we have.

11 October 1998

The next symptom of PTSD is "difficulty falling or staying asleep". We

all have experienced some degree of this symptom. We had consciously or

unconsciously had some difference between what we had and what we wanted.

We created the extra energy to get us what we wanted. In the case of PTSD

we want to get well. We have some extra energy to help. We could use our

time awake to clear every thing we can clear by accepting what is coming.

I have been there and done that. I was awake for weeks. I do not know

how many since you tend to lose track of time. But, I had the lord most high

within and without with me, so we managed. No telling what you might find

on this kind of trip. When you just keep at it you do get to the other side.

I Foster Discovery and Recovery and the Life of Your Dreams,

Michael Foster, M. A.

Mental Health Coach

"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.

I am including Sunday as it is my formal day of learning the lord most high's secrets. If you would like ask questions, or contribute some of your wisdom, or want to make some comments or want to vote for which day to put on my tip of the month page or tell your success stories, click Michael Foster, M. A.

14 August 98