This blog entry is about an important but neglected issue in recovery that I call “recycling.” In my experience, many people seem to believe that once you deal with an issue (a ‘character defect’ or psychological issue), then you are done with it. It’s totally over with, and you can just move on from there. …
This is kind of an odd title, right? But I wanted to reflect on something that doesn’t seem to get much air time in recovery. I kind of stumbled onto this way of describing an important difference in two ‘sides’ of life: that is, what I’m calling “Big Life” and “little life.” Let me …
What is meant by ‘realizing your potential’? Let me answer by way of a story – a true one. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, when I was young I had very little idea of who I was. Because of that, I made some lousy choices that really painted me into a corner, career-wise. In college I …
Are you excited at the prospect of creating a life that genuinely works – for YOU? I think most of find that idea exciting, yet perhaps a bit scary, too. Some of us even have the reaction of wondering if creating a life that works for YOU is self-seeking, or self-centered, and because of that, …
My previous blog entry focused on the issue of feeling stuck, stagnant, or in a rut in recovery. This blog entry takes this idea a bit farther: Not only is it possible to have periods of feeling stuck, stagnant, or in a rut in recovery, it is also not unusual to hit a “new bottom” …
Renewal: Hitting a New Bottom in Recovery, and Starting Over Read More »
It might be very obvious to you and to others that you are stuck, stagnant, or in a rut in your recovery. But sometimes that might still be true, but far less obvious. It is possible to coast along in recovery for years. When people ask how you are doing, your answer might be something …
How to Tell If You Are Stuck, Stagnant or In A Rut Read More »
I was brought up in a way that ensured that I hated myself and had no idea who I really was. To survive in my childhood family, I had to be what my parents needed me to be. My father especially needed me to be a carbon copy of him. Expressing a different opinion from …
I was asked to write a blog entry explaining the process whereby many of us grow up into adulthood carrying within us, buried deeply within the unconscious, a core of childhood shame. When we are born, we are born ‘whole.’ We are an undifferentiated bundle of human potential, carrying within us the seeds of an …
Our last blog entry contrasted first stage recovery, which is focused on adjusting oneself to external conditions, or on “fitting in”, with next stage recovery, which is focused on becoming, and fulfilling, your real, authentic self. This blog entry focuses on a subject that is critical to building a successful next stage, or long-term, recovery: …
In recovery circles, you often hear the admonition that “feelings aren’t facts.” But nobody explains just exactly what that means; it is usually stated as though its meaning is self-evident. But it’s not self-evident. In fact, unexplained, that statement can easily lead the listener into making a huge mistake: i.e. discounting ALL of their feelings, …
Feelings May Not Be Facts, But They Sure Are Information Read More »
