Steps on the Road to Recovery

Steps On the Road to Recovery for 30 November to 6 December 1998.

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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.

30 November 1998

Last week we completed a long list of physical symptoms that may come from

mental disorders. In other words stinking thinking. However, we may not be aware

of our stinking thinking, because that thinking may be going on in our unconscious or

subconscious. We may not have access to what is causing our problem. All of the

techniques here are about gaining access so we can change our minds. The lord

most high within all of us has access. That is why I have been suggesting teaming

up with our lord most high within us.

The next "disorder" in the DSM is "307.80 Somatoform Pain Disorder" where

we have a pain challenge for over six months and they can not find a physical cause

or the physical cause is not enough of an explanation. When the physical cause is

not enough, for them, I guess that they did not consider that some of us are more

sensitive. When they can not find a physical cause, our pain may be telling us some

thing other than our body needs physical healing. Perhaps we need mental healing.

Perhaps we need to change our minds about what pain means.

First, pain means that we have a large difference between what we have and what

we want. A very high level emotion, pain is. Second, pain is showing where that

difference is. Third, pain is showing spirit where we need healing. One could think

of pain as a form of screaming for help and change. We could begin by asking our

lord most high within, what do I need to change in my mind? What do I need to

accept? What do I need to forgive? Who do I need to help? Asking ourselves

good questions is one of our most valuable skills.

1 December 1998

"300.70 Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder" is when we have one or more

physical symptoms for over six months and no known physical cause. This makes it

easy to qualify ,when there is a continuing unknown physical cause. We get into less

certainty when the symptom is something like a headache. I have watched migraine

headaches up close and know that there are hormone cycle connections, food triggers

which could effect hormones. I am sure that there could be other factors. In this case

I am familiar with, there are also reliable ways to create the migraine symptoms. All it

takes is emotional worry followed by a time of release. At that time of release the

energy created by the emotional worry hits and creates the symptoms. So the question

to ask ourselves is: Can we change our mind and create less emotional worry? I know

I have over time created more peace. I know others have created more peace over time.

I do not know how long it would take in any specific case. It takes what it takes. I do

know that it is worthwhile to create more peace in our lives.

2 December 1998

When we have more peace in our lives we become more sensitive. We become

more physically sensitive and this facilitates faster recovery. We become more mentally

sensitive and this also facilitates faster recovery. The process of recovery and discovery

may never end.

When we do not meet the six months criteria of 300.70 we get to use "300.70

Somatoform Disorder Not Otherwise Specified". This just lets us have levels of

our symptoms. The more I go through this DSM, the more just listing the less numerous

symptoms and some initial techniques to try, makes more sense.

Today is a good day to move on to "300.14 Multiple Personality Disorder".

That is appropriate since today I have written about different subjects.

Some of us are different personalities when we are driving. Some of us were

different personalities when we were dating and being dated. Some of us were

different personalities when ... Life can be a real challenge when we lose contact

with the core of who we are. Life can be a real challenge when we are not using

multiple personalities and have lost contact with the core of who we are.

Recovery for multiple personality disorder can be a process of integrating the

sub personalities into the core of who they are. Recovery for all of us is the same.

3 December 1998

Today we have "300.13 Psychogenic Fugue" which is dropping of one's past

memories and location and assuming a new identity to some extent. This could be

a major step to cope. This could be a spiritual start over. It is just a matter of how

we look at things. I would treat anyone as just starting over. That would be good

for all of us, to just start over each day. Perhaps not so dramatic a shift since most

systems resist change. It could be wonderful to just drop our memories and start over

just like we are starting over. Then we would be free to love those that are around

us without limits from the past. Then we would be free to ask for what we really

want from them. Then we would be free to tell them what behavior is inappropriate

for us and what we will do to defend our boundaries. Once more into the breech for

freedom and love.

4 December 1998

"300.12 Psychogenic Amnesia" is forgetting a large amount of personal information.

Perhaps another form of starting over. Of course there can be organic causes. That does

not mean that we are not starting over. However we start over, it is well to start over.

Our personal information is not who we really are. For my perspective it is a lot more

important to discovery who we are from a spiritual point of view than to just remember

who we will not always be. A lifetime of discovering who we will always be is a lot

more interesting to me than information about a temporary condition. Not that personalities

can not be interesting, just that beyond that includes much more.

Most mental "disorders" have to do with personalities. Recovery consists ultimately

with learning how to get beyond our personalities. One technique is the continue to ask:

"Who am I really?"

5 December 1998

"300.60 Depersonalization Disorder" is when we feel detached from our mind or

body to a stressful degree. Of course there can be any degree of this symptom, like any

other symptom. In fact we can create this symptom, to gain objectivity from time to

time. The symptom is not the problem, what we think of the symptom is a challenge.

We could use this symptom to gain great objectivity and even be reborn spiritually

or become enlightened. Our intentions are what drives our experiences. We can

use our symptoms to gain learning or we can recoil from our symptoms. We can be

grateful for our symptoms or we can recoil from our symptoms.

Since we created our symptoms consciously or unconsciously, being grateful and

using our symptoms makes the best sense to me. Creating a better life makes the best

sense to me once we understand that we created what we have.

6 December 1998

"300.15 Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified" is the catch all code for

dissociation. We are all dissociated to some degree. The only question is how much

are we associated with all that is. Love is what really keeps us together. The more we

allow unconditional optimistic neutral love to overcome us the more we reassociate with

all that is.

How do we reassociate with all that is? By all means that we can find and all means

that we can allow. Why by all means? Because this is the pearl of great price.

The catch is that we also are associated with all that is, the glorious and the not so

glorious. We have an opportunity to be part of making all more glorious. Have a

glorious week.

I foster Discovery and Recovery of 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.