The list!

The list I mentioned in an earlier post is the only thing I have consciously referred to over the years.

There are several versions of this book that was initially published in 1984. So the page numbers that I use may be different from a copy you have. The red heart on the front of the page is the copy I read from this time.
About The List…” I’ve learned that there are really just two mental patterns that contribute to dis-ease; fear and anger… Anger can show up as impatience, irritation, frustration, criticism, resentment, jealousy, or bitterness. Fear could be tension, anxiety, nervousness, worry, doubt, insecurity, feeling not good enough, or unworthiness.” Pg. 144

I invite you to be curious and open to if there are feelings or emotions not being expressed.

Chapter Fifteen is THE LIST of Problem, Probable Cause, and New Thought Patterns.
The few that I picked to share are based on what might be expected in relation to alcohol.

Problem: Addictions
Probable Cause: Running from the self. Fear. Not knowing how to love the self.
New Thought Pattern: I now discover how wonderful I am. I choose to love and enjoy myself.

Problem: Alcoholism
Probable Cause: What’s the use? Feeling of futility, guilt, inadequacy. Self-rejection.
New Thought Pattern: I live in the now. Each moment is new. I choose to see my self-worth. I love and approve of myself.

Problem: Anxiety
Probable Cause: Not trusting the flow and the process of life.
New Thought Pattern: I love and approve of myself, and I trust the process of life. I am safe.

Problem: Depression
Probable Cause: Anger you feel you do not have a right to have. Hopelessness.
New Thought Pattern: I now go beyond other people’s fears and limitations. I create my life.

Does any of these resonate? Please don’t dismiss immediately. Just sit with the information.

For the record, even though I drank to get drunk nightly, lost nearly every material possession, and had no sense of connection to myself, others, and God, I don’t consider myself an alcoholic. I reject the incurable disease theory entirely for myself. I believe this is why I never struggled and was able to get on with my life.

As I’ve said before, I don’t know how much of this book landed in my subconscious. Was it reading these words that gave me the courage and conviction to hop on my pink cloud and leave traditional thinking and beliefs? Did this book plant the seeds of curiosity and questions over the years that made it impossible to ignore speaking up?
Does it matter? Sometimes, instead of looking for why in the past, we are better off understanding what our why is to move forward.

I know my why is to share what I have learned through my experience and focused learning. My why is to provide every woman who is faced with the question is alcohol the problem or is it me that she has other possibilities to explore. It is my why to help her experience sober freedom from the limiting labels, language, and beliefs that can feel restrictive and force an unwelcomed identity on her.

I’m open to having a conversation about all of this or anything else in You Can Heal Your Life.
I don’t believe in absolutes. That’s why the diagnosis of alcoholic will never sit well with me and the prognosis of an incurable disease. And there is the science that debunks the disease theory. If you would like more information on that, just let me know.

That’s it for now.

Our next book is Mindset by Carol Dweck. Next week we will read chapters one and two, and I’ll post my experience of those chapters in the forum. I would love to hear from you too! Please don’t be shy.

Much love, Teresa