Steps on the Road to Recovery

Steps On the Road to Recovery for 7 to 13 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.

7 December 1998

Last week we were considering dissociative "disorders". The last of the

DSM chapter has some examples and there is some value in considering some

of the symptoms. One is Ganser's syndrome where we just give approximate

answers. We could ask why this system needs approximate answers. Then

they have lower levels of multiple personalities. As I have been writing all

along, these are not convenient "disorders" that we either have or not. These

are all symptoms that we all have to some degree, the only question is the

degree. The degree may run from almost imperceptible to obvious.

Next they mention trance states, altered states of consciousness. Especially

when there is a poor connection to our reality, like following trauma. Need I

mention that we are all in trances to some extent?

Then there is disassociation from "brainwashing" from captors or cults. Sorry,

we all are captives and parts of cults to some degree. The only question is the

degree.

Last there is the case where we suddenly go on travel for a purpose and

forget our past but not forget our identity. Sometime that is the only way to

get free to some extent.

8 December 1998

Now I am skipping the sexual section since I already went through these

"disorders". We are now on to sleep disorders. First the DSM requires a

level of lack of restoration or a level of not sleeping. I do not require any

level of insomnia to suggest and comment. "307.42 Insomnia Related to

Another Mental Disorder" and "780.50 Insomnia Related to a Known

Organic Factor" are just insomnia symptoms with other symptoms. When

they can not find any other symptoms they just classify insomnia as "307.42

Primary Insomnia".

I have experienced a lot of insomnia at some times. They were part of

my spiritual waking up experiences. When there is no sleep to escape to,

there is nothing to do but face what is and who we are. There is just time

to learn how to cooperate with what is. Actually I am suggesting taking

advantage of insomnia. Instead of fighting what is, this could be a life

changing time to see what is. This is a good time to forgive what ever

comes up to be forgiven. When insomnia comes again it is a good time

to learn more. I look at insomnia as just more energy and that energy has

a lot to teach us.

9 December 1998

The impact of insomnia is that we feel unrested by definition. With

Hypersomnia we are more than unrested, we need sleep in the daytime,

we find the transition from sleep hard, and our life may suffer. That is

when we get coded as "307.44 Hypersomnia Related to Another

Mental Disorder" or "780.50 Hypersomnia Related to a Known

Organic Factor" or "780.54 Primary Hypersomnia".

You know what this reminds me of? Babies and young children.

This read like an opportunity to become a young child and baby for a

while. Cooperating with a symptom can complete the symptoms and

get on to the next symptom, clue. Our symptoms are clues to help us

get better.

10 December 1998

There are only two things we can do. We can gain strength and

discipline by resisting what is happening. There is great value in

gaining strength and discipline. The great value of strength and

discipline is to use these to Flow with the Force. Then we gain

even more strength and discipline by being able to Flow with the

Force. Then we are in our Road to Recovery. Before we were in

training camp for our Road to Recovery.

So, no matter what we are doing we are blessing ourselves and

others. We are blessing ourselves and others in disguise when we

are gaining strength through resisting reality. We are directly blessing

ourselves and others when we are Flowing with the Force in a state

of blessing, sometimes called joy, gratitude, bliss, enjoyment...

11 December 1998

How would you like to discover the pearls of great price within

yourself? That is what our road to recovery is really about. Some

may think that love and forgiveness are platitudes. They are right in

some ways. Forgiveness can be a platitude, when done in ways that

do not work. Love can be a platitude when it is not unconditional

and is done in ways that do not work. I certainly found enough ways

that did not work or only worked partially in my past.

For me the truth is that which works. Therefore, I have not experienced

unconditional love and forgiveness as impossible as some have. I have

experienced unconditional love and forgiveness as more and more possible,

the more I learn how they work.

Someone asked about what if I was psychologically manipulated into

believing a lie. If I had been psychologically manipulated into believing

a lie, and found that it was a lie, I would want to let go of the lie and

continue to find whatever the ultimate truths are... We have all have been

psychologically manipulated to some extent... It is up to me to recover

from my psychological manipulation, as it is for everyone else to recover

from theirs...

Someone asked what about a family that hurt each other badly? If my

child had not spoken to me in over 5 years over what they thought "the

truth" was, I would still love and forgive them... If my parents had not

spoken to me for over 5 year over what they thought "the truth" was, I

would still love and forgive them... I want to live in a world with more

forgiveness and love and I am willing for some more love and forgiveness

to begin with me... I want to be able to facilitate peace in any families

over time... Mistakes are made, there is no reason to continue to make

more mistakes because of past mistakes...

12 December 1998

Back to the "disorders" of the DSM where we have "307.45 Sleep-

Wake Schedule Disorder". This is where we have insomnia or

hypersomnia that does not match a normal schedule to where we can

not match a changing schedule. We all have some of this when we

change time zones or work schedules or when we go to bed. Again

the question is a matter of degree of difficulty. When we can not

classify the sleep "disorder" we get to call that "307.40 Dyssomnia

Not Otherwise Specified". Is is not nice to have catch all names to

call ourselves. Names are great, that is when we know what name to

forgive ourselves for. I wonder if we could just use the number system

to forgive ourselves for the number. I would expect that to work

because spirit knows what we mean and spirit has a sense of humor!

So I could say: "I am forgiving myself for judging myself as a 307.40."

:)) What is your number? :))

13 December 1998

First we have awakening from a frightening dream with recall of the

dream and then we have terror from a frightening dream with no recall

of what we terrorized ourselves with. DSM numbered and titled them

"307.47 Dream Anxiety Disorder" and "307.46 Sleep Terror Disorder".

The symptom is terror. Whether we remember the cause seems of

little significance to me. What is significant is that we are experiencing

terror. Been there and done that. Found that the symptom of terror is

like fear. FDR said something like the only thing we have to fear is fear

itself. Then the only thing we have to be in terror of is terror itself. Not

so, feeling terror and feeling fear is feeling terror and feeling fear. When

I was open to just watching the process I found the my terror was unraveling

my terror. My fears were just leaving their experience as they left. I was

grateful for all that left and the process of their leaving. What I was left with

was more loving and caring.

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.

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