Did you go to page 2 ??? He asked you some questions. I hope I'm not adding to the confusion. Just keep checking.

Sorry, I thought I could help but I'm also a bit lost with the posts.

I placed a reply, to someone else, and I think I...once again...came on too strong...so, I deleted it.

I didn't realize you had read it. Can we start over? Insecure, do you think it was too strong??

I placed it in my journal and locked it up, after copying it. I've had a busy day online with new (and old) friends...catching up...Sunday conversation stuff.

I read the post and had a question if you would I need to understand the statement reality commitment first step towards "Recovery" Thank you!

Yes.

So many times, our minds have a way of creating their own reality for us. Pain will cause us to repress painful memories...or distort them, if they cannot be fitted to what we want in the way of reality. This is caused by painful trauma...of abandonment or physical abuse, in early childhood.

Those repressions are very powerful...as we learn how to store away the collages of shame that touch our lives. We have cultural norms that do this...and family norms, while growing up.

In many ways, depression unmasks un-reality. We see through the compensating mechanisms of people, toward their own pain, yet...we perhaps cannot through our own. We see and feel symptoms, yet we don't know their origin or their cause. We are told of chemical imbalances...and they indeed may become part of our mental and emotional landscape...as the mind is much more powerful than our bodies.

The painful memories, the emotional starvation, and our ability to conjur opiates within our own brains can create a wide range of un-reality.

Where we begin to "get sober" is through empathically questioning our sense of reality...and committing to the true reality of life...whether it's painful or not. From our painful walk, we must enlist the love and compassion of others into the true realities of life.

Much of our un-reality is built before the age of 4 years old. One of those un-realities is the invincibility and inerrancy of parents. I'm not saying to lay down a blanket of blame upon our parents...but, the origins are there...in fact...predecessor to our dysfunctions are the handed down dysfunctions given to them.

i hope this helps you.

Thank you!