The following is a true story, as I remember it, from my childhood. I was about 7 years old and was peeking out from behind my mother's apron. Hope you enjoy the story. Leeanna
Slightly 5 foot 1 inch tall and sporting flaming red hair, which was actually auburn enhanced by Miss Clairol, my mother stepped onto the elevated front porch. With one hand on her boney hip, and the other shaking a pointing finger, she fearlessly addressed the motorcycle gang, that had just taken unprecedented liberties with her freshly manicured front lawn and her beloved monkey grass and petunia-lined sidewalk. Well-heard, over the sound of 13 revving Harley's, Dorris barked out her orders with the authority of a Hitler to his underlings. "GET THOSE BLANKETY-BLANK BIKES OFF OF MY BLANKETY-BLANK GRASS, RIGHT NOW!!!".
I was captivated by the way my mother was able to sound out her orders so loudly, while at the same time balance a freshly lit Winston filterless cigarette out of the corner of her Merle Norman painted lips. Horrified, her teenage rebellious son, who had just returned from California with these goliath beings on the lawn, abandoned his own bike in a flash and leapt onto the porch in order to save our french-twisted mother's uninformed, spunky life. I heard my brother in a loud panicky whisper say, "MOM! HUSH! You don't know who you are yelling at! Those are THE HELL'S ANGELS!". My mother's reply? "WELL, HELL'S BELLS! I DON'T CARE WHO THEY ARE"! She yelled even louder, "THEY CAN GET THEIR BLANKETY BLANK ARSES OFF MY BLANKETY BLANK GRASS OR ELSE!!".
No one was more surprised than me, when I saw twelve, 200-pound Hell's Angels, carefully back their Harley's off my mother's grass and thunderously slink away.
The Genesis Process FASTER scale is a form of a behavior scale for relapse awareness. Before relapse happens, many biological, psychological, and social changes affect your neurochemistry. You speed up to avoid fear and pain increasing anxiety and anger. Emotions can be used to mask pain. This depletes neurochemicals, causing hopelessness and exhaustion. In this state of exhaustion, addicts isolate themselves and feel they cannot cope without chemicals. Relapse is inevitable. Every letter in the word “FASTER” stands for one of the steps in the relapse scale on the following pages. This scale reflects a progression of strong emotions that mask pain. It explains neurochemically what you go through in your descent to relapse. Remember anger and anxiety release adrenaline and norepinephrine, which speed up the body. After speeding up, you get ticked off, and then exhausted. Have you relapsed because you felt the hopelessness of exhaustion? Remember your last words and feelings before you relapsed.
http://storage.cloversites.com/newlifefoursquarechurch/documents/Faster%20Relapse%20%20Double%20Bind%20Wrksht.pdf
http://storage.cloversites.com/newlifefoursquarechurch/documents/Faster%20Relapse%20%20Double%20Bind%20Wrksht.pdf
http://www.genesisprocess.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23:anger-and-anxiety&catid=5:magazine&Itemid=9
http://emotionalandaddictionrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Faster-Scale-Life-Skill-
Life Skill #
Process 8 - Deja Vu
You will condense your relapse triggers into a simple format that will be the base for your Relapse Prevention Recovery Plan. This process combines the information into a typical relapse pattern called the Deja Vu Faster Relapse Scale. You will learn about "double binds" that keep you from making the right choices for recovery. You will then identify the old behaviors replace them with healthy ways of responding with Scripture verses to help you choose the truth.
Process 9 - Accountability
You will implement a long term relapse prevention plan which will enable you to continue to grow. You will create a personal support and accountability team for your balanced recovery plan. The seven areas (morals, integrity, romantic relationships, reactions, optimistic outlook, recovery and spiritual growth) are integrated into your weekly plan with mentors to help mirror healthy behaviors for each area.
Process 10 - Exodus
Through prayer and forgiveness, you will resolve past hurts and mistakes, empowering you to begin to walk into a new life of full recovery. This Process deals with acceptance of a new life-style and release of the guilt and shame associated with the old addictive/ compulsive behaviors. You, your counselor and your support team will join together to pray for repentance, forgiveness, inner healing and freedom from the destruction of generational patterns and dysfunctional family issues.
TOOL: “FASTER” AWARENESS SCALE
Anything that speeds up the body dulls the awareness of physical and emotional pain.
“R” – Recovery The highest state on the model is the first stage – Recovery. This depicts “surrender”. It is an attitude of acceptance of life on God’s terms, taking both the good and bad with an attitude of gratefulness for God’s love and help from others, moving forward openly and honestly, and facing and resolving problems. It is becoming part of the solution rather than the problem. Keeping secrets causes relapse. Recovery means staying accountable.
“F” – Forgetting Priorities A sudden change in plans and priorities is one of the first signs of a dry relapse. For example, a person plans to go back to school in order to obtain a degree. One week later, the plan changes. The plan now is to go out and get a job, a new car, an apartment and to think later about going back to school. Either consciously or subconsciously, the person facing the new challenge wants to find a way to avoid it. New priorities produce excitement – releasing chemicals in the limbic system, which speed up the body and diminish fear or boredom. You begin to avoid simple life tasks or recovery commitments.
Step 1
Dry Relapse
“A” – Anxiety The next level of neurochemical release is brought about by drama – overreaction or under reaction to circumstances and to others. In the stage, old tapes are run over and over again. In recovery circles, this is called “blaming people, places, and things for the way you feel”. When you become critical of other people’s behavior, your focus is directed toward them, and away from yourself and your own problems. Faith and worry cannot exist in the same mind at the same time. When you choose to worry about things, especially things you can’t control, you feel an emotional charge, an anxious adrenaline rush fueled by the “regrets” of the past and the “what if’s” of the future. Unfortunately, your ability to see and resolve today’s problems is greatly diminished.
Step 2
“S” – Speeding Up In this level of neurochemical anesthetic, feelings of fear or depression are subconsciously avoided by speeding up. Hallmarks of this stage are the inability to slow down or relax, working too much without eating regular meals during the day, and bingeing at night. Consuming more caffeine and sugar is another way to speed up. Speeding up through working long hours, going out every night, staying up late, over/under-eating, and compulsive spending are some ways that you outrun depression and deny that you have physical or emotional needs.
Step 3
Dry Relapse
“T” – Ticked Off Full-blown anger increases neurochemicals, like adrenaline, endorphins, and norepinephrine. Here you feel big, right, strong, confident, assertive, and unaware of pain. Remember, neurochemically, pain killer, but an effective physical pain killer. Your emotions, anger, and over reactions are much greater than the circumstances would normally warrant. You may shame and blame others, pushing them away with an attitude of “I don’t need anyone”. Walls of rejection isolate you as you fume and rage about your unmet needs. The result is that you are pushing people away when you need them the most.
Step 4
“E” – Exhausted In this stage before using, the body’s neurochemicals are nearly depleted, making pain, anger, panic, and anxiety unavoidable. Remaining in this stage for any length of time will cause you to feel tired, hopeless, and depressed. Moreover, if a crisis occurs at this stage, you are unable to cope. The survival part of your brain creates a craving for your addiction.
Step 5
“R” – Relapse Returning to the place you swore you would never go again. Giving up, giving in, out of control, lost in your addiction. Lying to yourself and others. Feeling you just can’t cope without it; at least for now.
WET RELAPSE
All of the steps have one thing in common: procrastination. As you fail to deal with problems, you move down the FASTER Scale. Crisis comes at a time when you are least able to deal with it emotionally. The short version of the FASTER scale is speeding up > ticked off> exhausted>relapse. Procrastination makes problems worse, and isolation eliminates the wise counsel of your sponsor, friends, and family, who will help you see the big picture and resolve problems. Addicts must accomplish isolation in order to relapse. Regular accountability (using the FASTER scale) is the antidote for isolation.
Instructions: Check your thinking by referring to this scale. You may be experiencing an incident rather than a pattern. Having Dry Relapse symptoms doesn’t mean you’re in a Relapse Pattern. Circle behaviors with which you can identify with either now or in the past. Reoccurring symptoms indicate a Dry Relapse Pattern.
FASTER RELAPSE AWARENESS SCALE
The F–A–S–T–E–R
Dry Relapse Pattern
Recovery (What people in recovery look like)
No current secrets; resolving problems; identifying fears and feelings; keeping commitments to meetings, prayer, family, church, people, goals, and self; being open; being honest; making eye contact; reaching out to others; increasing in relationships with God and other; accountability.
“F” = Forget Priorities (Denial; flight; a change in what’s important; how you spend your time and thoughts.) Secrets; bored; less time/energy for God, meetings, and church; avoiding support and accountability towards people; superficial conversations; sarcasm; isolating yourself; changes in goals, flirting; obsessed with relationships; breaking promises/commitments; neglecting family; preoccupation with materials things, television, or entertainment; procrastination; lying, overconfidence, hiding money.
“A” = Anxiety (Getting energy from emotions.)
Worry; using profanity; being fearful; being resentful; replaying old, negative thoughts; perfectionism; judging others’ motives; making goals and lists you can’t complete; poor planning; mind reading; fantasy; masturbation; pornography; co-dependent rescuing; sleep problems; trouble concentrating; seeking/creating drama; gossip; using over-the-counter medication for pain, sleep, and weight control.
“S” = Speeding Up (Out-running depression.)
Super busy; workaholic; can’t relax; driving too fast; avoiding slowing down; feeling driven; in a hurry; can’t turn off thoughts; skipping meals; binge eating (usually at night); overspending; can’t identify own feelings/needs; repetitive, negative thoughts; irritable; making excuses for “having to do it all”; dramatic mood swings; lust; too much caffeine; over exercising; nervousness; difficulty being alone or with people; difficulty listening to others; avoiding support.
“T” = Ticked-Off (Getting high on anger; aggression.)
Procrastination causing crises in money, work, or relationships; sarcasm; black and white, all or nothing thinking; feeling alone; feeling that no one understands; overreacting; road rage; constant resentments; pushing others away; increased isolation, blaming; self pity; arguing; irrationality, can’t handle criticism; defensive; people are avoiding you; having to be right; digestive problems; headaches; obsessive (stuck) thoughts; can’t forgive; feeling grandiose (superior); intimidation; feeling aggressive.
“E” = Exhausted (Out of gas; depression)
Depressed; panicked; confused; hopeless; sleeping too much or too little; can’t cope; overwhelmed; crying for “no reason”; can’t think; forgetful; pessimistic; helpless; tired; numb; wanting to run; constant cravings for old coping behaviors; thinking of using drugs and alcohol; seeking our old unhealthy people and places; really isolated; people are angry with you; self- abuse; suicidal thoughts; no goals; survival mode; not returning phone calls; missing work; irritability; loss of appetite.
“R” = Relapse
Returning to the place you swore you would never go again. Giving up; giving in; out of control; lost in your addiction; lying to yourself and others; feeling you just can’t manage without your coping behavior, at least for now. The result is usually shame, condemnation, guilt and aloneness.
Dry Relapse
Wet Relapse
Faster Relapse/Moral Failure Awareness Scale
For Week of:_______________________
1. In each section of the Faster Scale, underline each behavior that you identified with through this week.
2. In each section, circle the one most powerful behavior and answer the following questions in one sentence: A. How does it affect me? How do I act and feel?
B. How does it affect the important people in my life?
C. Why do I do this? What is the benefit for me?
Restoration – (Accepting life on God’s terms, with trust, grace, mercy, vulnerability and gratitude.) No current secrets; working to resolving problems, identifying fears and feelings; keeping commitments to meetings, prayer, family, church, people, goals, and self; being open and honest, making eye contact; increasing in relationships with God and others; true accountability.
A.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
B.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
C.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forgetting Priorities – (Start believing the present circumstances and moving away from trusting God. Denial, flight, A change in what’s important, How you spend your time, energy, and thoughts.) Secrets; less time/energy for God, meetings, church; avoiding support and accountability people; superficial conversations; sarcasm; isolating; changes in goals; obsessed with relationships; breaking promises & commitments; neglecting family; preoccupation with material things, T.V., computers, entertainment; procrastination; lying; over-confidence; bored; hiding money.
A.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ B.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ C.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Forgetting Priorities will lead to:
Anxiety – (A growing background noise of undefined fear; getting energy from emotions.) Worry, using profanity, being fearful; being resentful; replaying old, negative thoughts; perfectionism; judging other’s motives; making goals and lists that you can’t complete; mind reading; fantasy, co-dependent rescuing; sleep problems, trouble concentrating, seeking/creating drama; gossip; using over the counter medication for pain, sleep or weight control; flirting.
A.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ B.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ C.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Anxiety then leads to:
Speeding Up – (Trying to outrun the anxiety which is usually the first sign of depression.) Super busy and always in a hurry (finding good reason to justify the work), workaholic, can’t relax; avoiding slowing down; feeling driven; can’t turn off thoughts; skipping meals; binge eating (usually at night); overspending; can’t identify own feelings/needs; repetitive negative thoughts; irritable; dramatic mood swings; too much caffeine; over exercising; nervousness; difficulty being alone and/or with people; difficulty listening to others; making excuses for having to “do it all”.
A.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ B.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ C.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Speeding Up then leads to:
Ticked Off – (Getting adrenaline high on anger and aggression.) Procrastination causing crisis in money, work, and relationships; increased sarcasm; black and white (all or nothing) thinking; feeling alone; nobody understands; overreacting, road rage; constant resentments; pushing others away; increasing isolation; blaming; arguing; irrational thinking; can’t take criticism; defensive; people avoiding you; needing to be right; digestive problems; headaches; obsessive (stuck) thoughts; can’t forgive; feeling superior; using intimidation.
A.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ B.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ C.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ticked Off then leads to:
Exhausted – (Loss of physical and emotional energy; coming off the adrenaline high and the onset of depression.) Depressed; panicked; confused; hopelessness; sleeping too much or too little; can’t cope; overwhelmed; crying for “no reason”; can’t think; forgetful; pessimistic; helpless; tired; numb; wanting to run; constant cravings for old coping behaviors, thinking of using sex, drugs, or alcohol; seeking old unhealthy people & places; really isolating; people angry with you; self abuse; suicidal thoughts; spontaneous crying; no goals; survival mode; not returning phone calls; missing work, irritability; no appetite.
A.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ B.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ C.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Exhausted then leads to:
Relapse/Moral Failure – (Returning to the place you swore you would never go again. Coping with life on your terms. You sitting in the driver’s seat instead of God.) Giving up and giving in; out of control; lost in your addiction; lying to yourself and others; feeling you just can’t manage without your coping behaviors, at least for now. The result is the reinforcement of shame, guilt and condemnation, and feelings of abandonment and being alone.
A.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ B.__________________________________________________________________________________________________ C.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Adapted from the Genesis Process by Michael Dye — www.genesisprocess.org
CHANGE GROUP GUIDELINES
GOAL:
To promote change and prevent relapse.
1. Determine what your client is currently struggling with or being challenge by. You're looking for symptoms of subconscious fear or other reoccurring destructive patterns.
Ask probing questions.
A. What Process are you working on and what are you struggling with or stuck on?
B. Did you over or under react to anything this week?
C. Have you been procrastinating or avoiding anything this week?
D. Where are you on the Faster Scale and why.
PROCESS
Name the fear and move towards resolving it.
Step 1. Feel the feeling. I.e. how does the problem from above make you feel?
Step 2. Name the feeling, (fear, anger, sad, guilt, numb,ect.) . Remember to separate thoughts from feelings. Try to name the causes rather the symptoms.
Step 3. What is the thought / belief system (projected / survival lie) that supports the fear/feeling that results in the behavior. I.e. What would I have to believe to do or feel this?
A. Use Double Bind Worksheet, Reach Scale, Name That Button,
B. Road to the Wound, False Beliefs (page 40) ect to help find the core belief.
Step 4. Reattach the fear / coping behavior to the control of God / Jesus. See page 60, Dialoguing With God. Repent of not trusting Him in this area. Look for a protective personality.
Step 5. Break the secrecy / isolation of the problem / fear, by having the client take steps towards resolving it by using the group for specific support and accountability. See Double Bind Worksheet. Use Process 10 principals. Forgive those who caused the fear/wound, ask forgiveness from those they have hurt in the same way (homework).
Step 6. Use the Genesis Group Worksheets to track progress.
Step 7. Refer the issue to the clients Genesis Counselor for deeper work if necessary.
Note: Some symptoms of subconscious fear are: anxiety, anger/rage, isolation, procrastination, changes in priorities, compulsive behavior, judgments, mind reading, blaming, narcissism, speeding up, workaholism. criticalness, addictions, controlling, numbness, perfectionism, religiousness, problems with sleep, food, and especially reoccurring relationship problems. Check the FASTER SCALE.
REMEMBER, THIS IS ONLY A GUIDELINE, BE FLEXABLE AND CREATIVE.
By Michael Dye
STEPS MAGAZINE PRESENTS
Relapse and the Brain
by
Michael Dye
In very simplistic terms, we have two parts to our brains. The first part is the neocortex. It is located in the front of the head and receives and stores information for decision making and remembering. The other part is called the limbic system, which controls all the automatic systems of the body and the emotions. Most importantly, the limbic system controls the survival responses, i.e., fight or flight and freeze. When you feel threatened, these protective responses tell you either to defend yourself or to run away or go numb. The limbic system doesn¹t have a memory like the neocortex. It doesn't know the difference between yesterday and 30 years ago, which explains why some of our childhood traumas still trigger us so powerfully today. It is the limbic system that is most affected by our beliefs, behaviors and addictions. The limbic system can be negatively programmed through traumatic experiences such as growing up in a stressful or" dysfunctional family". Basically the limbic systems encourages us to repeat things that give us pleasure and take away pain and avoid things that hurt or have to do with fear. Drugs, alcohol and other compulsive behaviors have programmed the limbic system to avoid the awareness of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings instead of making healthy responses to resolve fear.
The Addictive Brain
Events come through our senses and are fed into various parts of the brain. The limbic system colors or tags these events with degrees of response as either safe or dangerous. If tagged dangerous because of past trauma, either real or imagined, it reacts by creating anxiety or depression. If the event is tagged having to do with survival, the limbic system can create a focused craving for behavior that has been associated with survival in the past. The craving focuses our attention on that behavior until we feel safe or normal again. Thus an addiction is created. Addiction is not about getting high but [it provides] a way to feel normal (free of stress). The conscious mind learns to cooperate with the survival behavior (addiction) and protects it from being challenged by a filtering process called denial. The result is the addictive brain.
The limbic system may have learned that having needs in a dysfunctional family resulted in vulnerability, hurt, abandonment, and isolation. In order to survive day after day in a dysfunctional/threatening atmosphere, a person has to find a system of thought that will allow for survival by removing stress. One way they may have done this is by thinking "I don¹t need anybody". If I don¹t need anybody, I'm not vulnerable. If I'm not vulnerable, I don¹t get hurt.
(this is what Genesis calls a survival lie.)
Every time a feeling of vulnerability is experienced, fear creeps in and warns, Danger! Feelings of fear and panic signal you to fight, flee, or freeze to avoid possible hurt.
This limbic process responds automatically and subconsciously. Even after the painful or traumatic situation is over, the subconscious still believes that If I have needs and trust other people, I'm going to get hurt and I won't survive. When trust issues come up today, the limbic system can react with strong emotions as it was programmed .
This fear can be expressed in anger/rage, self-gratification and mistrust which creates a survival personality. Your protective personality makes you feel in control (free of fear and stress) by pushing people away. This false sense of control is often achieved through self-gratification or compulsive/addictive behaviors which temporarily removes the awareness of the unwanted thoughts and feelings... The Limbic System controls basically three areas, food, sex and safety. Which is why all our compulsives / addictive behaviors are in these three areas.
To change, you must reprogram your brain by first discovering these false beliefs and then replacing them with the truth. You will realize, for example, why you have been sabotaging relationships by believing that you don¹t need anybody. The truth is you need to trust God and others. The Limbic System will make it very difficult for you to make changes that involve risk (like recovery) unless it feels it is safe. And it's not safe to take risk alone. Personal change always involves risk.
Limbic Lag
Even though you've discovered false beliefs, uncovered the lies and know a new truth, there is a time lag between what your limbic system believes and what your neocortex has learned. This is called limbic lag, a process that can be anywhere from a couple of months to years, but it will get shorter as you continue to uncover and challenge the false beliefs (lies produced from traumatic experiences) and risk trusting again. You may have fear and panic attacks, but once you go through them without doing the old behavior, your limbic system will say, "Oh, we went through that and actually survived." The next time you experience the fear it will be less, and you will be able to make a good choice rather than overreacting with a fight , flight or freeze response.
Old automatic habits aren't changed quickly or easily, and are stronger when we're tired. Many recovering addicts and trauma survivors have programmed the survival part of their brains with thousands and thousands of instances of avoiding unwanted thoughts or emotions choosing not to resolve with their issues, but to take "flight" into their addiction. Over time, this flight pattern becomes an automatic reaction. With a new identity based on new beliefs, you can change that flight pattern and reprogram their limbic system.
Changes happens one decision at a time. No matter what your emotions tell you would feel good to do (drugs, alcohol, sex, food), listen to what your mind knows, and do what is best or right. If you continue to apply this key thought, you will begin to break the limbic patterns, and decrease the time of the limbic lag process.
Anger and Anxiety
Drugs and alcohol are anesthetics. They do one thing: they kill pain. It is reasonable to assume that when you give up the anesthetic, you will feel the pain, discomfort and uneasiness. Knowing what to do when this occurs is a critical skill in relapse prevention. Relapse prevention is finding new appropriate ways to respond to painful situations. In order to learn appropriate responses to pain, people with addictions have to allow themselves to feel. The two most common responses to pain are anger and anxiety.
Anger is one of the most common responses to pain. This kind of response becomes normal in dysfunctional families where no one can admit problems or fears. Anger helps us cope with pain by physically making us tense, which causes excitement, releasing adrenaline and endorphins, diverting our attention from the pain. An angry response produces a neurochemical response similar to taking cocaine. Neurochemically speaking the main role of anger is to anesthetize fear.
Most people say that anger makes them feel bad afterwards, but in the moment anger itself makes us feel big, right, strong, aggressive and powerful. Anger is a powerful physical and emotional anesthetic. Heroin is a powerful pain killer. When I ask heroin-addicted clients, How much heroin would you have to do for you not to feel it if I hit you in the face as hard as I could? their answer is always the same, right on the verge of overdosing and dying. Similarly, when a person is really angry, he can be hit in the face and not feel it.
Consciously or subconsciously, we have learned to use emotions such as anger to kill pain and to avoid subconscious, unwanted thoughts, feelings, and memories. Many addicts have an addiction to anger as well as drugs, especially if their role models were rageaholics. Healthy people move towards their pain and face it courageously. Although risk is uncomfortable, we all enjoy the feeling that comes through conflict resolution and a clear conscience. Controling anger and avoiding things that need to be dealt with takes a tremendous amount of energy. Repressing the awareness of unresolved conflicts leads to exhaustion and resentment.
Anxiety is equally used as an anesthetic to cope with feelings. Though uncomfortable, this emotion releases neurochemicals that cause the body to speed up and avoid depression. Dr. Stiles in his book Thorns in the Heart states that:
Besides making us alert in crisis situations, anxiety has an additional function. It serves as an antidote to emotional and physical pain. Since anxiety is commonly thought of in connection with pain and distress, its pain-masking function may come as a surprise. If anxiety causes emotional pain, how does it also stop it? In modest amounts, anxiety is an effective smoke screen Here¹s where the trouble begins. When we find anxiety has served us well in a particular situation, such as masking pain, we may deliberately use it again. At this point our lower brain begins to record our response. Soon, an imprint, or habit, develops and we have learned anxiety. In time, anything triggering these learned patterns, or imprints, will produce the anxiety responses.
If a person holds on to two, small unresolved resentments which produce anxiety each day, in a year they would add up to 730! How many resentments do you think a person can hold inside as unresolved problems before that person relapses? What we know is this: resentment relapses alcoholics and addicts. As it says in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous: Resentment is the Number one offender. It destroys more alcoholics then anything else; from it stem all forms of spiritual disease.
Relapse is a predictable process. It has identifiable stages, each of which has a distinctive neurochemical basis. The FASTER SCALE in the Genesis Process is a neurochemical model of relapse that identifies specific high risk behaviors for each stage of the relapse process. Before relapse happens, many biological, psychological and social changes affect our neurochemistry. Addicts speed up their avoidance behaviors, increasing anxiety and anger to mask pain. This depletes endorphins, causing hopelessness and exhaustion. In this state of exhaustion, addicts isolate and feel they cannot cope without chemicals.
Every letter in the word FASTER stands for one of the steps in the relapse scale. This scale reflects a progression of strong emotions that mask pain. It explains neurochemically what almost every addict goes through in his descent to relapse. Remember, anger and anxiety release adrenaline and norepinephrine, which speed up the body. After speeding up we get ticked off and then exhausted.
All the steps in the relapse process have one thing in common: procrastination. A problem that was never dealt with begins each state. As you fail to deal with problems, you move down the FASTER scale. Crisis comes at a time when you are least able to deal with it emotionally. The short version of the Faster Scale is speed up> anger > tired > use.
The Faster Scale is a tool that can effectively see a relapse coming a minimum of two weeks before it happens.
Stiles, S. Thorns in the Heart: A Christians Guide to Dealing with Pain. Washington: Gospel Publishing House, 1994.
Anonymous, The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, AA.
Genesis program
Process 1 - Assessment
You and your counselor will assess your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational stability by determining how much support you have.
Process 2 - False Beliefs
You will begin to discover and challenge the false beliefs that have supported your destructive behavior.
Process 3 - Identity
You will begin to identify and detach from unhealthy things you've put your faith in and used to cope with life. In your discovery, you will learn how these things have undermined your attempts at success. You will discover areas of false identity that are based on false gods or idols, such as: alcohol and drugs, food, sex, money, beauty and work.
Process 4 - Life-Management Skills
This process will allow you to have more insight into the addictive brain and gain life- management skills for coping with the emotions that contribute to relapse. Many addicts have poor cognitive-behavioral or problem solving skills. This process teaches you coping skills using five life management skills.
Process 5 - Life History
You will gain a deeper understanding of traumatic events and habitual behaviors that have affected your life. You will gain insight into how your patterns of behavior originated. You will look for patterns that have consciously and subconsciously sabotaged your goals, recovery efforts, relationships, family wellness, and success in school work. Many compulsive / addictive behaviors are a way of receiving self gratification and promote isolation due to broken trust cycles and attachment issues related to childhood traumas.
Process 6 - Support Teams
You and your counselor will use all that you've learned about yourself and your recovery thus far, determining if you are currently at risk for relapse. Your challenge will be to develop a healthy support team.
The most common denominator of all relapse is isolation. Addictions thrive in secrecy and shame. Healthy people are able to get in touch with what they need, and ask for it. .
Process 7 - Dead Ends
You will learn to understand how your subconscious thoughts, feelings and behaviors have contributed to your relapses. New knowledge leads to new choices and behaviors. After making a relapse calendar, you will recount four stories about failed attempts at recovery, relationships, work or school to uncover subconscious behaviors that led to relapse and life threatening consequences.
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http://www.pb.org/pbdocs/works.html
Believing faith is an assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another and if mixed with any act of our own, nullifies faith alone. It is an assent of the mind, a change of thought.
As the article states, can a DEAD MAN do ANYTHING or ANY ACT to receive life? No.
As the article states, can a DEAD MAN do ANYTHING or ANY ACT to receive life? No.
Even the free gift of eternal life is not something a dead person can tangibly open. It is just to be received by mental assent. When you are dead, you can't move. You can't act.
It is trusting totally in another to do the opening for you. To pour the gift of eternal life into the new heart that God provides to the person. It is all from God. Our mind, thoughts, turn to truth, trust, belief, faith as a mental assent. God does ALL the action. When we move to do ANYTHING in an ACTION, we have removed the all of grace clause from the Scripture Ephesians 2:8-9 For you have been saved by grace, through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. A dead person (dead in their sins) cannot move at all. He is dead. Period. Does this mean that after salvation a man will not "work" or "act" on his mental assent? No. In fact, once alive, he can't help but move and act and work. It will be in his new nature to do so. But, that body does not move or act or work from flesh, because the flesh is still dead. IT is the SPIRIT that lives and acts and works and moves in the new creature. Any act, work, activity done in the flesh is not a work of the spirit. The flesh meaning the mind that is not renewed (Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect). When I received the work of Christ on the cross, it was a mental assent. I did no work at all. I mentally agreed with Ephesians 2:8-9. I was DEAD. My mind was alive. We are eternal creatures. When I had a near-death experience in a hospital in Anchorage in 1991, I had absolutely no feeling in my flesh or body. But my mind was still thinking and praying. Although my mind was alive, my body was dead. This is the same with salvation. We consider our flesh as dead but our mind can still think. We mentally agree, assent, believe, trust, have faith, that what Christ did, His work, was totally sufficient. When I was near-death, my body could do NOTHING to move itself to life. Only Christ could bring me to life again. As I mentally prayed, and believed, He quickened me back to life in my mortal body. It was all His action and none of my own. I just mentally agreed with Him that I can do nothing and He would need to do all. That was it. After salvation, now I must live in the same way. (Romans 7:4-6 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.) Mentally assenting that I, in my flesh, in my own strength, can do nothing. He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). As He increases, I live, I move, I act, but it is not me. It is Him in me moving, acting, living. Ezekiel 36:25-27 I pray your mind clicks like mine has in this way. It is such freedom. Jesus said, Greater works will you do than these (that I have done in your presence), because I go to the Father and will send back the Holy Spirit to live within each of you. It is not by might, nor by power nor by any act of my own flesh, but by the SPIRIT of the living God that lives within us that does life through us. God bless you.
LEEANNA'S OATMEAL APPLE-BANANA POP COOKIES
1 Cup Pamela's Wheat-free, Gluten-free flour (Made from rice flour;
The baking powder and baking soda are already in the mix)
1 1/2 C. Rolled Oats
1/2 C. Powdered Sweet Smart Xylitol
1/3 C. Egg Whites (2 Large Egg Whites)
1/2 C. Mashed, Ripe Banana
1/2 C. Baked Apple (1/2 Large Apple baked with 1/2 teaspoon xylitol & cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Cocoa Chili Blend Seasoning
Mix well with wooden spoon. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet sprayed lightly with Smart Balance Omega Cooking Spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes 24 cookies.
Each Cookie contains: 54 Calories, less than 1 gr. fat, 56 mg sodium
Each Serving (4 cookies) 1/4 cup Oatmeal per serving:
216 Calories, less than 2.25 gr. fat, 224 mg sodium
If we trust only in this life, what a hopeless existence...BUT, there is hope!
These are not my words, but God's words.
Matthew 7:21" Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, " I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM."
John 10:30 (Jesus Said) I and the Father are one."
John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM (He, God), you will die in your sins." (Jesus speaking)
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 17:3"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Jesus is God, who became a Man, so that He could be the substitute for our punishment. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and the penalty of sin is death. Jesus paid our sin debt. He became our nearest blood relative in order to die in our place. God's spirit did not die on the cross because the spirit never dies. Jesus died bodily on the cross. Only those who put their trust and belief in His work on the cross can be saved from the penalty of sin.
John 1
The Word Became Flesh (If you look carefully at this passage and make a list of everything you learn about the Word, you will discover that The Word was God (vs.1) and the Word was Jesus (vss.14 and 18).
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
NOW:
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, " I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
Acts 16:30-31 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
John 9:38 And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped Him.
Definition of Believe: Be`lieve´
v. t. 1. To exercise belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence in; to think; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a doctrine.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
- Acts viii. 37.
v. i. 1. To have a firm persuasion, esp. of the truths of religion; to have a persuasion approaching to certainty; to exercise belief or faith.
Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
- Mark ix. 24.
With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.
Praise to God for a Living Hope
1 Peter 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Well, as some of your know, I love Cadbury Creme Eggs. I only buy them at Easter time, because, well, that is the only time the stores carry them. Lately, they are carrying them earlier and earlier in the season. Some of you know my recent, humbling experience with the eggs. About 2 months ago I bought 6 of the little sweet things and put them in my freezer. First of all, why are they carrying Easter eggs in January???? Anyway, by the 3rd day, all of them were gone except for one or two. I can't remember the number--that doesn't really matter, does it? I had asked a dear SP friend of mine if I should throw the last one away or keep it to practice self-control. She asked me, "Does an alcoholic keep wine in the house to practice self-control or "just in case"?" I thought to myself, hummm, in MY case, I would keep it around "just in case". YUCK!!!! What a revelation. I got so disgusted with myself for eating so many in such a short period of time, AND knowing that I really wanted to keep that last one around "just in case", that I threw the remainder in the garbage with a fury. I said, "THERE! You go to the trash". I thought I had seen the last of that CCE. BUT, by the end of the night, (remember I am humbling myself here), I couldn't stand it and dug out the grocery bag which the last CCE was tied up in, from the trash and ATE IT. Yes, I did that. I really did that. I can't believe I am telling you my dirty laundry. I pulled the thing out of the trash and ate it. Confession is good for the soul. I learned a LOT about myself that night. I learned that I am definitely not perfect. I learned that all or nothing is not always a good thing. I learned that anything that controls ME is not in my best interest. Soon after this, in February, I had a word from God to me. It was simple but He said, "LOVE IS THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU". I am not sure why this was so profound to me but it was. Since January, I have passed by the Cadbury Creme Eggs many, many times at the grocery store and said "NO, thank you". It has been relatively easy to do so. I know this is the grace of God. Today, March 21, 2011, I was in HEB food store shopping. I passed down the aisle with the Easter candy, BOLDLY on display. There in flashing NEON lights was the CADBURY CREME EGGS! I glanced in their direction and acknowledged their presence. Then, something rose up within me that very resolutely said, "If God wants me to have a Cadbury Creme Egg, HE will bring me a Cadbury Creme Egg", and I walked past those babies without a second thought. Tonight, just before my group of ladies arrived at my house for Discipleship class, a friend of mine rang the doorbell. It was her and her daughter Samantha with a gift. Her daughter said they had just been shopping at the drugstore and spotted some miniature Cadbury Creme Eggs in a carton. Samantha told her mom, "Hey mom! Ms. Leeanna loves Cadbury Creme Eggs, let's get her some". So they did. And then, Samantha said, "Hey mom, Ms. Leeanna lives just a couple of blocks away, let's go give them to her now!" So, they did. Samantha did not know the story I have just shared with you. She had no idea that I had just two hours before said "If God wants me to have a CCE He will bring me a CCE." I have walked 30 years with God, as of this year. I am still in awe of His many ways of showing me His loveingkindnesses. I am shocked and awed at the way He provided me with the desire of my heart tonight. I am going to bed with a thankful heart and a new appreciation for the "Hand that feeds me". It was worth waiting for, my friends!
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