Now the complicated Stuff

Now the complicated Stuff:

“However,” the Voice continues, “most often the kinds of pains you encounter in therapeutic attention are not indications of physical problems. They are the painful, physical manifestations of our emotional, psychological, and spiritual holdings and contractions. Call these pains “Our Muscular Armor”; they are areas of your body that you have tightened over and over in painful situations as a way to protect yourself from life's inevitable difficulties.  As you sit still and notice, your shoulders, your back, your jaw, or your neck may hurt. 

Accumulated knots in the fabric of our body, previously undetected, begin to reveal themselves as you begin to open to the process.  This is also true in meditation as well.  As you become conscious of the pain you have held, you may also notice feelings, memories, or images connected spe­cifically to each area of tension.”

“As you gradually include in your awareness all that you have previously shut out and neglected, the oddity of the situation is your mind, body and soul heals.  Learning to work with this opening is part of the Art Of Recovery.”

Spiritual Principles for Recovery

Initially, you have to focus on honesty, open-mindedness, willingness, humility, and acceptance. 

The practice of the Principle Of Honesty starts with admitting the truth about your life and circumstances and that continues with the practice of honesty on a daily, moment to moment, basis. 

q When we say, "I'm in recovery" it may be the first truly honest thing we've said in a long, long time. 

q We begin to be able to be honest with ourselves, and consequently with other people eventually. 

q Change and recovery doesn’t happen overnight.

q If I've been thinking about acting out on my stuff, I need to ask myself, “Have I shared it with my sponsor, my therapist or my group, have I told anyone else or Am I Still Keeping Secrets?”