Hi MesaMan, thanks for your post. I've been thinking about what you said.
I've actually read through some different threads on here and can relate to how others have felt using AVRT in their early sobriety. I'm not going through anything different.
I too can relate to your sporting, muscle memory ideas I swim, not competitively, but could have and may still do. Yes my habitual behavoiur has been to default to drink or drug, because there was no seperation between myself and the beast. The beast beat me everytime! IT got what IT wanted and I and others really suffered as a result. I am now becoming aware of the difference between my true self and IT, 'we' want completley different lives. Although it is going to take time for this ingrained response,to everything, to change, I am confident that this will happen by applying AVRT and having my BP. If I have to 'wrestle' a little with IT for awhile so be it, it will make me stronger. My swimming technique has become stronger and much more efficient/ effortless over the years due to the time and effort I have put into it. I know addiction is not akin to swimming, as addiction threatens my very existence, but these ideas are helpful for me to get my head around all this.
The new nueral pathways that are being created in my brain I can again liken to the physicality of learning good swimming technique. It takes time but is certainly doable. Once the fundamentals are firmly established through constant practise the act becomes very natural and comfortable. This is what I aspire too using AVRT on my addiction, for it to become my natural response to AV/ beast activity. Or as you put it so well MesaMan, sobriety enforcing auto pilot, not engaging the 'brain' just a newly formed natural response. Sorry if I've gone on a bit there! Don't know if that makes much sense to anybody else, but it does to me, lol.