When I was about 6 years old, I distinctly remember placing my sandwich order with my mom and specifically asking for the jelly to be on the bottom and peanut butter on the top. While I closely supervised her preparation, I was horrified to see she hadn’t followed my directions, not even a little, andContinue reading “Perception – Any Way You Slice It – Grapevine Article January 2024 By Claire S.”
Category Archives: Deception
What Is Toxic Shame – Healing The Shame That Binds You By John Bradshaw
John Bradshaw was one of the most influential writers on emotional health in the twentieth century as selected by his fellow mental health professionals. He was also an alcoholic in recovery. His areas of expertise include addiction, co-dependency , trauma, emotional instability , and abuse. This extract is the preface to the original edition ofContinue reading “What Is Toxic Shame – Healing The Shame That Binds You By John Bradshaw”
Shame, Fear And The Problem With Faking It – Broken Open (Extract From Chapter 11)- By William Moyers
William Moyers wrote a bestselling book called Broken in 2006 which chronicled his journey in sobriety from alcohol and crack cocaine addiction. In 2014 after years of sober living, he found himself addicted to painkillers prescribed after dental surgery. He had made (and continues to make) his living as the Public Relations Director for theContinue reading “Shame, Fear And The Problem With Faking It – Broken Open (Extract From Chapter 11)- By William Moyers”
The “Felt Sense” Prayer – Author Unknown
This prayer/poem describes the many ways in which we attempt to avoid all sorts of physical and emotional pain. It also highlights how recognizing our pain and accepting it can increase self-knowledge and improve self-care. It further suggests how our response ability and relationship with pain has impacted our addiction, our recovery, and our livesContinue reading “The “Felt Sense” Prayer – Author Unknown”
Desire For Control & Denial Of Spiritual – Not God (P.208-210) By Ernst Kurtz
Experience taught Alcoholics Anonymous that the root of the addiction to alcohol lay essentially in his misunderstanding and denial of the spiritual. The active alcoholic was attempting to attain the spiritual, the unlimited, by means of the material. He was trying to achieve a quality of living by the mere adding up of quantities ofContinue reading “Desire For Control & Denial Of Spiritual – Not God (P.208-210) By Ernst Kurtz”
Gratitude – The Spirituality Of Imperfection By Ernest Kurtz (Excerpted from Chapter 12)
Gratitude can best be defined and understood as the only possible response to a gift, to something recognized as utterly, freely given. Gratitude is the vision—the way of seeing—that recognizes “gift.” Our culture seems on the verge of losing the meaning of the experience of gratitude, in part because we have lost all sense ofContinue reading “Gratitude – The Spirituality Of Imperfection By Ernest Kurtz (Excerpted from Chapter 12)”
Staying In Your Own Business – Loving What Is By Bryon Katie
I can find only three kinds of business in the universe: mine, yours, and God’s. For me, the word God means “reality.” Reality is God, because it rules. Anything that’s out of my control, your control, and everyone else’s control — I call that God’s business. Much of our stress comes from mentally living out of our own business.Continue reading “Staying In Your Own Business – Loving What Is By Bryon Katie”
A Matter Of Character – Grapevine Article February 2009 By Hal W.
Assigning labels to his behaviors helps an AA to change I took a Fourth and Fifth Step several times. Everytime, I rationalized my behavior, saying to myself: Yes, I did some bad things–but I am basically a really nice guy, so no further action is necessary. In 2001, I was doing the Steps again withContinue reading “A Matter Of Character – Grapevine Article February 2009 By Hal W.”
The Case Of The Inflated Ego – Grapevine Article August 2001 By Jacklyn S.
Only Step Seven–humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings–mentions humility specifically, yet all of the Steps seem to have an element of it. Some Steps require a big helping of humility to get going on the Step in the first place (for example, admitting we are powerless or that we are insane). Or, as aContinue reading “The Case Of The Inflated Ego – Grapevine Article August 2001 By Jacklyn S.”
Earthly Spirituality, Realism & Paradox – The Spirituality of Imperfection By Ernst Kurtz
This post is extracted from Chapter 1 ‘The Fragrance Of A Rose’ of the book ‘The Spirituality Of Imperfection’ “Those who know do not say; those who say do not know.” When the Master entered, they asked him what the words meant. Said the Master, “Which of you knows the fragrance of a rose?” AllContinue reading “Earthly Spirituality, Realism & Paradox – The Spirituality of Imperfection By Ernst Kurtz”