A three-word phrase that he didn’t understand—until he spent some quality time in the program There are very few original thoughts in the rooms of AA, but this may be one. It was a cold November morning years ago now that I walked through the door of Dawn Patrol in Albuquerque. I wanted to beContinue reading “Feel, Deal, Heal – Grapevine Article By Briggs C.”
Category Archives: Experience Avoidance
Responding To Pain ‘With God’ In Humility – Extract From 7th Step Chapter – Drop The Rock By Bill P, Todd W, And Sara S
I love Victor Frankl’s book ‘Man In Search Of Meaning’. Consider these three quotes below from this book as you read this article. Also consider how you relate and respond to pain in all its forms … physical, emotional, mental, spiritual … and perhaps how dominant resentment, negativity, avoidance and victimhood were as responses thatContinue reading “Responding To Pain ‘With God’ In Humility – Extract From 7th Step Chapter – Drop The Rock By Bill P, Todd W, And Sara S”
Emotional Sobriety – 7:30am Saturdays In February – Resources & Background Information
As many of you know, this AA group (Get Up, Get Out, Get Sober) has an interest in emotional sobriety. Bill W describes emotional sobriety in the Twelve & Twelve as a key objective stating “we practice all Twelve Steps of the program in our daily lives so that we and those about us mayContinue reading “Emotional Sobriety – 7:30am Saturdays In February – Resources & Background Information”
Applying The St Francis Prayer To Our Inside Job Of Reconciliation & Healing By Allen Berger
As many of you know, Allen 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. Very recently Dr. Berger gave a very powerful talk about how to apply the St.Continue reading “Applying The St Francis Prayer To Our Inside Job Of Reconciliation & Healing By Allen Berger”
Surrender, Vulnerability and Connection By Steve K.
The experience of surrender is the gateway to recovery from addiction. To paraphrase the first Step of the AA 12-Step program, at this moment we experience an acceptance that we lack control and that our life is unmanageable. Our ego surrenders its will through the pain and suffering of addiction. Our denial is broken, and we experienceContinue reading “Surrender, Vulnerability and Connection By Steve K.”
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”
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”
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”
Eliminating Shame Through The Principles and Practices of Alcoholics Anonymous by Steve K.
The word shame is derived from the Indo-European ‘skein’, which means to hide. Shame makes us want to hide from ourselves, and our peers – making shame an existentially isolating state of mind. Feeling shame makes a person dejection-based, passive, or helpless, causing the ashamed person to focus more on devaluing or condemning his entireContinue reading “Eliminating Shame Through The Principles and Practices of Alcoholics Anonymous by Steve K.”
Self Acceptance – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety by Dr. Allen Berger
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. Before we do a deep dive into self acceptance with Dr. Berger’s article, it might be useful to identify signsContinue reading “Self Acceptance – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety by Dr. Allen Berger”