I have been noodling on this for a while, and here is the cool and relevant bits I see to Gilbert's talk:
The concept of an emotional immune system rocks... Emotionally robust people are able to synthesize happiness not through strength of character, but through their perception of choice.
Impact bias: If it happened more than three months ago, odds are it has very little to do with your present state of mind. Hmmm, I wonder if this has anything to with the relapse barrier that many of us face at three months? Once the depressive effect of alcohol has worn off we realize we are not any happier, and we become vulnerable to oder thought patterns. Is this merely coincident with PAWS peeking between 3 and 6 months?
Choice and the perception of freewill: Wow, this has a lot of ramifications for people like us, both for secular programs and those programs which cannot be discussed. Is that why it is easier to stop once you admit you have a problem? Is that the perceived strength of reaching your bottom?
There is a huge correlation to detachment, continuous change, and embracing the unknown, but I had better shut my pie hole for now and listen...