subject: Mind and Body at War [print this page] Mind and Body at War Mind and Body at War
Mind and Body at War
When mind and body are at war with each other, theycan't work together. Sanity is when the mind, the body,and the spirit are all in harmony, a condition that is notpossible as long as a person is in the throes of foodaddiction.
For years you may have been acknowledging a powergreater than your ownyour relationship with food. Inthis program you are asked to consider the possibility ofthe existence of another power greater than yourself that,unlike the demonic force of your addiction, does not existto enslave you but to set you free. Step Two is aboutfinding God in other people. It means acknowledging thepower of the group is more powerful than we are, and thatwe can't do the job of restoring ourselves to sanity alone.
Personality change begins with Step Two, after taking the action of making a lifestyle changethat is, recognizing we need rituals for contact. In the process of thatchange, our values, attitudes, and beliefs will be held upto scrutiny and they will also change. The first to change will be what we value in life. The answer will now beobviousother people. Those who had valued their isolation because it allowed them to indulge unchecked in theiraddictive behavior will no longer value it because minusthe addiction, isolation is a painful state. There is no joy init. Suddenly the value of other people, of a supportivegroup, will increase immeasurably. The attitude of "I cando it myself" will change to "1 need other people."
Resisting help from others is resisting help from a higher power, for God works through other people. Faith in a higher power parallels how you trust people in yourlife. Control means you still don't have trust. As you begin to relinquish that control, you leave room for the power ofthe group to begin working in you.
Boundaries will also change. Energy will flow in bothdirections, between you and the fellowship. The power oflove is one food addict helping another, and that powerwill help restore balance in other relationshipsbetween family and friends, and in the workplace. Once the isolation is broken, the new intimacy you will have with theReal You will cause energy to flow in every direction, inevery area of your life.
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The restoration to sanity is a process. In it, first wecome. Our feet bring us, and our unbelieving minds goalong for the ride. Then we come to. We wake up. We startfeeling. We came, we came to, and we came to believe,hardly an instantaneous event. It takes years for some,much less for others, depending on where they are whentheir feet first bring them to the process.
Coming to believe in a Power greater than ourselvesis not necessarily a comforting thought. Any number of horror movies feature powers greater than ourselves. The miracle of the process is that this is a power greater than ourselves thatwill restore us to sanity. What a marvelousthought! The relief of being restored to sanity is greater than any gift a food addict could ask for.
The energy of intimacy, sharing of the Real Me, is theessence of the Second Step. In the sharing of the Real Mewith others, a knowledge of God's energy within yourown will protect you. You'll feel empowered, God protected, nurtured by intimacy.You won't feel alone.
The insanity addictive people feel has a lot to do withthe abnormal stress patterns they experience. Normalstress looks like a wavy linea steady flow of ups anddowns. Addictive stress, on the other hand, looks like an erratic heart rate on a cardiologist's screenconstant ups
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