When most of us addicts wash up on the shores of recovery to say we’ve lost our way seems a gross understatement. The bottom has usually fallen out from under our lives. We feel utterly lost and painfully alone. The world we knew is gone and no new world has arrived to take its place. We need a map to orient us and a guide to help us find our way home.

This is the world Jungian analyst Dr. James Hollis describes in his book “Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times.” It’s likely an all too familiar world to most of us addicts. Hollis says not only are we lost, but the religious structures and cultural belief systems that supported yesterday’s lost souls seem out of reach for many of today’s men and women.

The series describes this lost-world and how to access the “Inner Resilience” needed to find our way out. Episode two is focused on some of the unsuccessful coping mechanisms we have tried. Then it points us toward the solution.

Show notes:

Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times by James Hollis, PhD.

Hollis Quote:

“Jung concluded that there was within each of us a deep resilience guided by some locus of knowing, independent of ego consciousness; a center that produces our dreams to correct us, symptoms to challenge us, visions to inspire us.” 

The Power of Two Way Prayer

When most of us wash up on the shores of recovery to say we’ve lost our way seems a gross understatement. The bottom has usually fallen out from under our lives. We feel utterly lost and painfully alone. The world we knew is gone and no new world has arrived to take its place. We need a map to orient us and a guide to help us find our way home.

This is the world Jungian analyst Dr. James Hollis describes in his book “Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times.” It’s likely an all too familiar world to most of us addicts. Hollis says not only are we lost, but the religious structures and cultural belief systems that supported yesterday’s lost souls seem out of reach for many men and women today.

This series describes this lost-world and how to access the Inner Resilience needed to find our way out. Episode One describes the problem and sets the scene.

Show notes:

Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times by James Hollis, PhD.

Women face any number of unique challenges at the start of their recovery, but still other problems (as well as blessings) lay ahead.

Father Bill’s guest is Diane Cameron, author of Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery. Diane addresses issues that include sex, family, work-life balance, the empty nest, caregiving, aging … and many more.

In addition to authoring several books, Diane is a journalist, columnist, blogger, and a woman in long-term recovery. Gifted with a sense of humor and a passion for helping women, Diane draws on her long experience in 12-Step recovery to help women traveling on the road of recovery. In this final episode Diane shares her wisdom regarding self-image and self-care, learning to live a life of service, and avoiding - or returning - from relapse.

Show notes: 

Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery

Women Who Love Too Much by Robin Norwood:

Diane’s website: https://www.dianecameron.info/

Women face a number of unique challenges at the start of their recovery, but still other problems (as well as blessings) lay ahead.

Father Bill’s guest is Diane Cameron, author of Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery. Diane addresses issues that include sex, family, work-life balance, the empty nest, caregiving, aging … and many more.

In addition to authoring several books, Diane is a journalist, columnist, blogger, and a woman in long-term recovery. Gifted with a sense of humor and a passion for helping women, Diane draws on her long experience in 12-Step recovery to help women traveling on the road of recovery. In this fourth episode, Diane shares her wisdom regarding a woman finding her role in the workplace, as well as coping with issues surrounding aging, dying, and death. Don’t let these topics scare you off – and know they apply to men as well.

Show notes:

·      Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery

https://www.amazon.com/Out-Woods-Womans-Long-Term-Recovery/dp/1937612473

·      Denial of Death by Ernest Becker

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=book+the+denial+of+death&adgrpid=1333709159636611&hvadid=83357150017648&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=73736&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-83357786957109%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=22163_13576383&mcid=aa0ca0da18013018939632513b028c2c&msclkid=b20574d50eeb177815521ca04ce4eac9&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_7wyhf7fh0j_p

·      Diane’s website: https://www.dianecameron.info/

· Get the Two Way Prayer Book https://www.amazon.com/Power-Two-Way-Prayer-Addiction/dp/1640657991Watch us on Youtube!https://www.youtube.com/@twowayprayer1335Join our Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/twowayprayer/Two Way Prayer Website https://www.twowayprayer.org/Donations:https://www.twowayprayer.org/donate-1Keep coming back everyone! #twowayprayer #spirituality #recovery #addictionrecovery #addictionsupport #addictionrecoverypath #alcoholfree #addictionfree #sobriety #podcast #12stepprogram #therapy #mentalhealth #serenity #serenityprayer #theoxfordgroup #billwilson #podcast #addiction #recoveryjourney #womeninrecovery

Women face some very unique challenges at the start of their recovery, but still other problems (as well as blessings) lay ahead. Father Bill’s guest is Diane Cameron, author of Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery. Diane addresses issues that include sex, family, work-life balance, the empty nest, caregiving, aging … and many more.

In addition to authoring several books, Diane is a journalist, columnist, blogger, and a woman in long-term recovery. Gifted with a sense of humor and a passion for helping women, Diane draws on her long experience in 12-Step recovery to help women traveling on the road of recovery. In this third episode Diane shares one woman’s wisdom regarding attendance at 12-Step meetings and how to maneuver the many pitfalls relationships present in recovery.

Show notes:

Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery

Anne Lamott Operating Instructions

Diane’s website: https://www.dianecameron.info/ 

The Power of Two Way Prayer

Women face unique challenges at the start of their recovery, but still other problems (as well as blessings) lay ahead. Father Bill’s guest is Diane Cameron, author of Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery. Diane addresses issues that include sex, family, work-life balance, the empty nest, caregiving, aging … and many more. In addition to authoring several books, Diane is a journalist, columnist, blogger, and a woman in long-term recovery. Gifted with a sense of humor and a passion for helping women, Diane draws on her long experience in 12-Step recovery to help women traveling on the road of recovery. In this second episode Fr. Bill and Diane discuss some of the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges women face in recovery.

Show Notes:

Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery

·      Diane’s website: https://www.dianecameron.info/

·  The Power of Two Way Prayer

·  Dr. Bob’s Method for Finding God’s Will

Dr. Bob’s God’s Will Exercise

Dr. Bob Smith, one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, gave us this discernment process. It was his response to the question, “How do we know God’s will?”

1.    Write out the question:

“What should I do about….?”

“Should I move to xxx or…?” 

2.    Get quiet and meditate on that question for a few minutes each day in your prayer time. (Note: You have a prayer time.)

3.    Then, each time, write down everything that comes to mind for your question. (Don’t judge or edit the thoughts, just write them down.): 

Talk to Susan about…

Take a weekend trip to Detroit

Get catalogs for grad school

Get a dog instead

Buy a kayak and go…

Borrow the money from my brother… 

4.    Then slowly examine each idea and ask of each:

-Is it pure?

-Is it honest?

-Is it loving?

-Is it unselfish. 

5.        If the answers are not clear, ask these questions again with your sponsor or close friend.

Women face unique challenges at the start of their recovery, but still other problems as well as blessings lay ahead. Father Bill’s guest is Diane Cameron, author of Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery. Diane addressesissues that include sex, family, work-life balance, the empty nest, caregiving, aging … and many more. In addition to authoring several books, Diane is a journalist, columnist, blogger, and a woman in long-term recovery herself. Gifted with a sense of humor and a passion for helping women, Diane draws on her long experience in 12-Step recovery to help women traveling on the road of recovery. In this first episode Diane shares some of her story and lays out the special challenges her book addresses.

Show notes:

Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery

What Can We Do to Help Our Addicted Communities?

Diane’s website: https://www.dianecameron.info/

Tom Powers, Jr. grew up in the shadow of Bill Wilson but that didn’t keep him from descending into the pit of his ownalcoholism. To climb out of his illness he needed to find a ladder and climb it as if his life depended on it because it did. In this series, Father Bill interviews Matt D. archivist for All Addicts Anonymous, the 12-Step Fellowship Tom and his father founded to reflect the original and more spirituallygrounded pioneer program. They discuss a 1973 paper Tom wrote titled “The Twelve-Step Ladder to God Consciousness.”  In this episode they discuss the danger of climbing only partially up the ladder.

Show notes:

“The Twelve-Step Ladder to God Consciousness.” 

All Addicts Anonymous website: https://alladdictsanonymous.org/

Tom Powers, Jr. grew up in the shadow of Bill Wilson but that didn’t keep him from descending into the pit of his ownalcoholism. To climb out of his illness he needed to find a ladder and climb it as if his life depended on it because it did. In this series, Father Bill interviews Matt D. archivist for All Addicts Anonymous, the 12-Step Fellowship Tom and his father founded to reflect the original and more spirituallygrounded pioneer program. They discuss a 1973 paper Tom wrote titled “The Twelve-Step Ladder to God Consciousness.”  In this episode the danger of being too smart to climb a stupid looking ladder.

Show notes:     “The Twelve-Step Ladder to God Consciousness.”  

All Addicts Anonymous website: https://alladdictsanonymous.org/

Tom Powers, Jr. grew up in the shadow of Bill Wilson but that didn’t keep him from descending into the pit of his own alcoholism. To climb out of his illness he needed to find a ladder and climb it as if his life depended on it because it did. In this series, Father Bill interviews Matt D. archivist for All Addicts Anonymous, the 12-Step Fellowship Tom and his father founded to reflect the original and more spiritually grounded pioneer program. They discuss a 1973 paper Tom wrote titled “The Twelve-Step Ladder to God Consciousness.”  In this episode some cautions for spiritual ladder climbing are discussed. The paper is available in the show notes below.

Show notes:

·      “The Twelve-Step Ladder to God Consciousness.”  S

·      All Addicts Anonymous website: https://alladdictsanonymous.org/

·      The Fourth Way by Ouspensky – (Be sure to see the used book selections)

·      Maurice Nichols: Best book recommended for an introduction to Ouspensky.