What We Resist Persists; Acceptance And Willingness – Get Out Of Your Mind & Into Your Life (Chapter4) By Stephen Hayes

This article focuses us on the pragmatic idea that we must be willing to accept our pain to begin to heal as we move from a life of being a pain killer to become a pain healer. Experience avoidance and denial do not work. What we resist persists. The truth can set us free butContinue reading “What We Resist Persists; Acceptance And Willingness – Get Out Of Your Mind & Into Your Life (Chapter4) By Stephen Hayes”

Emotional Sobriety, Humility, and Radical Response Ability – Video By Dr. Allen Berger

As many of you know, Dr. Berger is a leader in Emotional Sobriety. His book 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety is featured prominently in the Emotional Sobriety section of the gugogs.org website. He is a Gestalt therapist with over 50 years of sobriety. I found this video very helpful in setting a firm foundationContinue reading “Emotional Sobriety, Humility, and Radical Response Ability – Video By Dr. Allen Berger”

Acceptance Of What Is – Replacing Judgement & Fear With Curiousity, Reverance & Trust – Doing The Work of Bryon Katie

Byron Katie Byron Katie faced severe struggles with depression, anger, and addiction for much of her life. By her thirties, she became isolated and suicidal, spending years dealing with agoraphobia, confined to her bedroom. Her turning point came in 1986 when, during a stay at a halfway house, she experienced a profound awakening. Upon wakingContinue reading “Acceptance Of What Is – Replacing Judgement & Fear With Curiousity, Reverance & Trust – Doing The Work of Bryon Katie”

The Power Of Pause … Finding An Unsuspected Inner Resource ….Your Second Voice – Mashup Big Book, Twelve & Twelve, Dr. Allen Berger, & IFS

One of the most powerful tools AA suggests for emotional sobriety is the power of pause or restraint when we find ourselves disturbed. This pause or restraint can give us an opportunity to find a conscious contact with a Power greater than ourselves. This article attempts to share some common ways to deepen the freedomContinue reading “The Power Of Pause … Finding An Unsuspected Inner Resource ….Your Second Voice – Mashup Big Book, Twelve & Twelve, Dr. Allen Berger, & IFS”

Growing Up Emotionally – 12 Smart Things To Do When The Booze And Drugs Are Gone By Dr. Allen Berger

Emotional sobriety doesn’t spontaneously appear. We have to work hard at growing up. Bill did. In addition to the time he spent working the Steps, getting spiritual direction from the Reverend Sam Shoemaker, spending time alone in contemplation, and working with others, he also sought out psychotherapy. His therapist was the famous Dr. Harry Tiebout,Continue reading “Growing Up Emotionally – 12 Smart Things To Do When The Booze And Drugs Are Gone By Dr. Allen Berger”

Self Acceptance And The Twelve Steps

THE PROBLEM The lack of self-acceptance is a problem for many in recovery . This subtle defect is difficult to identify and often goes unrecognized. Many of us believed that our using was our only problem, denying the fact that our lives had become unmanageable. Even after we stop using, this denial can continue toContinue reading “Self Acceptance And The Twelve Steps”

Accepting The Hardship Of Anxiety As The Pathway To Peace By Stephen Hayes

I believe this article does a great job of exploring the phrase we hear in the rooms ‘what we resist persists’ specifically in the context of anxiety. The long version of the Serenity Prayer includes the verse “accepting hardship as the pathway to peace’. You can use this article to explore how to apply theContinue reading “Accepting The Hardship Of Anxiety As The Pathway To Peace By Stephen Hayes”

In All Our Affairs – As Bill Sees It #94

The chief purpose of A.A. is sobriety. We all realize that without sobriety we have nothing. However, it is possible to expand this simple aim into a great deal of nonsense, so far as the individual member is concerned. Sometimes we hear him say, in effect, ‘Sobriety is my sole responsibility. After all, I’m aContinue reading “In All Our Affairs – As Bill Sees It #94”

Developing A New Way To Relate & Respond To Pain – Stephen Hayes

Do you feel stuck ? Are you constantly battling with your thoughts and the conflicting noises in your head? Think of this article and the related video as teaching us how to move from that rigidity of the quicksand of being stuck to find a flexible ‘way out’ that can move us in an entirelyContinue reading “Developing A New Way To Relate & Respond To Pain – Stephen Hayes”

Step Nine: Scene Of The Crime – Grapevine Article September 1993 By Kit K.

The rocks looked the same. The light in the sky at sunset was as I remembered it; the stillness and silence of the pinyon-juniper forest had not changed. This was the day I returned to the windswept landscape of northern Arizona from which I had fled five years before. When I left, I was runningContinue reading “Step Nine: Scene Of The Crime – Grapevine Article September 1993 By Kit K.”