PART ONE | Humility Humility is the spiritual foundation of recovery. In order to feel worthy, we do not need to be unique. People who do best in recovery are those who surrender and follow suggestions. A common first response to the requirements of recovery is to negotiate, to pick and choose what we thinkContinue reading “Feeling Special and Unique – 12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery By Dr. Allen Berger”
Category Archives: Ego
Breach The Wall Of Ego – As Bill Sees It #74
People who are driven by pride of self unconsciously blind themselves to their liabilities. Newcomers of this sort scarcely need comforting. The problem is to help them discover a chink in the walls their ego has built, through which the light of reason can shine. ‹‹ ‹‹ ‹‹ ›› ›› ›› The attainment of greaterContinue reading “Breach The Wall Of Ego – As Bill Sees It #74”
Getting To Know Our Differentiated Self – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety By Dr. Allen Berger
I think there is a strong connection between this article and what I like to call the ‘mini-steps’ suggested as responses to a spot inventory of what disturbs us. These mini-steps are suggested in the Twelve £ Twelve in Step 10. Specifically, I see this article as very prescriptive when I find myself taking thingsContinue reading “Getting To Know Our Differentiated Self – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety By Dr. Allen Berger”
Great Temptation Of Self Rejection – Discernment By Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen is thought of as one of the greatest spiritual teachers and authors of the 20th century. I found this short extract from his book entitled ‘Discernment’ to have a great deal of relevance to the Toxic Shame section of our website. One of my favorite books of his so relevant to what happensContinue reading “Great Temptation Of Self Rejection – Discernment By Henri Nouwen”
The Grateful Flow & Part X – Lessons For Living By Phil Stutz
I love Phil Stutz. His insights about getting us out of our comfort zone, facing our PUH … our pain, uncertainty and hard work … about the necessity of crossing PUH to find endless new possibilities and potential … the process he describes as a ‘reversal of desire’ moving from comfort and moving toward theContinue reading “The Grateful Flow & Part X – Lessons For Living By Phil Stutz”
Finding Humility As We Lose Self-Hate – Touchstones Reflection November 10th
Humility is just as much the opposite of self-abasement as it is of self-exaltation. –Dag Hammarskjold In our struggles with self-hate and guilt, we may have thought we were humble – or perhaps even too humble. But self-abasement, which often alternates with feelings of superiority, is not the spiritual quality of humility that we striveContinue reading “Finding Humility As We Lose Self-Hate – Touchstones Reflection November 10th”
Win Or Lose – Grapevine Article August 2001 By Jim M.
As a hard-charging marketer, I used to focus only on winning. I worshiped people like football coach Vince Lombardi, revering him as the patron saint of conquest. So any time one of my victories was less than complete–or, God forbid, I actually lost–my sense of failure was absolute. And this always made me a sittingContinue reading “Win Or Lose – Grapevine Article August 2001 By Jim M.”
Anxiety, Worry, Avoidance, Excitement, Dread, Fear, Vulnerability – Places We Go When Things Are Uncertain – Chapter 1 Extract From ‘The Atlas Of The Heart’ By Brené Brown
I love the quote below that begins the section on anxiety. It reminds me of how much of my alcoholism relates to my delusion of control. This short article from the book ‘Not God’ by Ernst Kurtz does a good job of exploring this along with the corresponding denial of the spiritual. Kurtz writes “RealityContinue reading “Anxiety, Worry, Avoidance, Excitement, Dread, Fear, Vulnerability – Places We Go When Things Are Uncertain – Chapter 1 Extract From ‘The Atlas Of The Heart’ By Brené Brown”
Resentment – Atlas Of The Heart By Brené Brown
Understanding resentment—how it works in my life, where it comes from, and how I stay out of it—has been one of my lifelong struggles. This is not something that’s easy for me to share with you, because, on top of struggling with resentment, I’m judgmental toward my own resentment. Let me explain. We know fromContinue reading “Resentment – Atlas Of The Heart By Brené Brown”
Conscience And Step Ten – Spiritual Principle A Day October 24th
“We need to stay in tune with the voice of our conscience and listen to what it’s telling us. When we get a nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right, we should pay attention to it.” It Works, Step Ten Our days of justifying our own bad behavior are mostly behind us. Sure, we stillContinue reading “Conscience And Step Ten – Spiritual Principle A Day October 24th”