Steps on the Road to Recovery

Steps On the Road to Recovery for 12 to 18 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.

12 October 1998

Last week I was continuing writing about some of the symptoms of Post-Traumatic

Stress Disorder [PTSD] and some hints on what to do at first. What one does later

is a matter of how much they are getting in contact with their intuition and guidance

from their lord most high within. The first symptom this week is "irritability or outbursts

of anger". That sure is a familiar symptom that we all see and experience in some

form or another and one level or another.

Anger is just energy to get what we want. In this case this energy could be used

to get well. The miracle happens when we learn how to forgive, accept & assert,

consciousness expanding, and teamworking. [FACT]. That is what the generic

spiritual skills are made of, facts.

13 October 1998

The next symptom is "difficulty concentrating". Actually this would be better

described as concentrating on what we or others do not want us to concentrate on.

Another form of anger is a difference between what we are doing and what we or

they want us to do.

The good news is that our energy is going someplace. We can choose to go

with our flow to find our energy. Then as we maintain our objective observation

of our flow our flow will transform from our objective observation. The bad news

is that when we observe with judgments the judgments will be transformed by the

judgments and our energy flow will judge us.

Since we all have some degree of "difficulty concentrating" we can all choose

the good news or the bad news. Which do you plan to choose today?

14 October 1998

Today's PTSD symptom is "hypervigilance". From time to time we all can be

hypervigilant. When we are in danger we become hypervigilant and sometimes

afterwards when we have any reminder of danger. We can use this same symptom

to assist in our recovery. We can let ourselves become aware of our awareness.

We can learn to accept our awareness. We can change the thoughts we are thinking

as we become aware of them. We can learn to forgive any judgments we have

against ourselves, and others and God. Something that is usually needed for anyone

that has been in the dangers of war.

We can even look for more awareness by taking amusement rides for thrills.

Part of the thrill is from the increased awareness that the danger of the ride

gives us. We go to movies to be scared to give us the same fix. We can use our

thrills for our spiritual advancement and that is the real thrill.

15 October 1998

The next PTSD symptom is "exaggerated startle response". When we do not

have a startle response, we have a problem. So, there is a point where we are

too sensitive to retain balance. Here we have a continuation of the vigilance

challenge of yesterday.

The last symptom of PTSD is a variety of symptoms when we are reminded

of our trauma. We all have some amount of this where we do not know where

our symptom is coming from, but there the symptom is. Just something more to

let clear, when we go with the flow.

Basically we have to let go of the energy of any trauma when we are ready

to be healed of the trauma. For me, it helps to let any of my energy associated

with any of my traumas into the lord most high for transformation into what ever

the lord most high wants. Letting go is a forgiving process. In forgiving we fore

give, we fore give grace, we give grace to the past that is the cause of our upsets.

Interestingly, in the bible the word Jesus uses most for forgiveness is Strong's

number 863, aphiemi {af-ee'-ay-mee} which is translated as leave 52, forgive 47,

suffer 14, let 8, forsake 6, let alone 6, misc 13. The essence of the definitions in

Strong's is to "let go and leave". So, forgiving is really a letting go and leaving

behind process, when we look at the deeper meanings in the bible. The dictionary

definition of forgive is essentially pardon. I often find when I go into Strong's

definitions I get some deeper meanings from those words than the words the

translators picked.

16 October 1998

Today, we have arrived at "300.02 Generalized Anxiety Disorder" [GAD]

in the DSM's. It is described as basically excessive worry about things that are

not really likely. There are other worries that were given specific labels like panic

about having panic, social phobias, obsessive compulsive, and anorexia nervosa.

But to me, a worry is a worry. Is it not interesting that most of what we worry

about is what does not happen? Maybe we think that our worrying stops these

things from happening. We can get to be right by picking the most unlikely things

to worry about.

Actually when we focus on these negative things we add to the negative energy

on our planet. Paul, in the bible, had a good point about focusing on the beautiful,

good and wonderful things. Then we all get more of that.

Over time we are choosing to focus on what we are focusing on. So, when we

have created anxiety from our worries we are just getting what we asked for. We

can, over time, change our focus. It goes easier with the real thing and I do not

mean Coke. I mean it becomes easier when we learn to focus on the focus of

our lord most high within.

17 October 1998

To be diagnosed with having GAD you need to have 6 of the following 18

symptoms we will be considering. The first symptom is "trembling, twitching,

or feeling shaky". I have had these at times. I know others have had these at

times and tended to panic about having panic. I know most of us have these at

some times. Here we are having more of our energy than we can comfortably

feel comfortable with. To me that is good news. Feeling energy that is available

for more health, wealth and happiness. The trick is to integrate my extra energy

in ways that promotes more health, wealth and happiness. Actually I do nothing,

I just let my lord most high within resolve what to do with that energy. All I have

to do is to wait upon my lord most high within with patience.

How long does it take? It takes what it takes.

What I get is a stronger spirit and a better life.

18 October 1998

The next symptom is "muscle tension, aches, or soreness". In other words,

ordinary pain. My pains are just telling me that I have a difference between

what I have and what I want. In fact I can think of my pains as emotional screaming.

In a way I am telling my lord most high within that this is where I need healing. Like

with the excess energy above I can just let my lord most high within resolve what to

do to heal my pains. All I have to do is to wait upon my lord most high within with

patience.

How long does it take? It takes what it takes.

The most important thing that I am learning from my pains is that I have not found

what I really want. I have an opportunity to get more clear on what I really want as

I wait in patience for my pains to clear.

Of course it is a lot different when my pains are from exercise. In this case I am really

wanting more muscles and when I relax on the day after my exercise my body can make

stronger muscles.

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