Help me out here...
I have a comment back to the original Creekryder post, though reading the ensuing exchanges was quite interesting.
A part of the AVRT book that I found interesting was when it pointed out the similarity between the AV and the voice in my head that tells me to rear end the jerk that just cut me off. I know that I don't want to do that, but there is certainly a part of me that makes me feel the satisfaction of doing it.
AVRT has given that part (or a similar one) a name and given me the power to recognize that I make the decisions for me.
I know now what he means when he says that if you truly subscribe to AVRT you will find it IMPOSSIBLE to drink alcohol. At first that sounded nutty.
While I'm truly thankful for for Terminally Unique's reading recommendations, it almost makes me sad because I may not need the support of this group much longer....thanks to AVRT I feel totally secure in my lifelong abstinence!
A part of the AVRT book that I found interesting was when it pointed out the similarity between the AV and the voice in my head that tells me to rear end the jerk that just cut me off. I know that I don't want to do that, but there is certainly a part of me that makes me feel the satisfaction of doing it.
AVRT has given that part (or a similar one) a name and given me the power to recognize that I make the decisions for me.
I know now what he means when he says that if you truly subscribe to AVRT you will find it IMPOSSIBLE to drink alcohol. At first that sounded nutty.
While I'm truly thankful for for Terminally Unique's reading recommendations, it almost makes me sad because I may not need the support of this group much longer....thanks to AVRT I feel totally secure in my lifelong abstinence!
The mixed feelings about a sense of need for support is nicely expressed by unentschieden, that mixture being part AV. Instead of support I consider these AVRT threads to be information exchange because the AV loves the idea that one might "need the support of this group". And, as I see it in my short time on SR, TU has been admirably accurate in providing information about what is AV and what isn't.
By the way, I translated unentshieden. It means "undecided". No longer, I bet.
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I think Wonderland was misunderstood here, I did not read those posts as you did.
and might not drink at all then.
and might not drink at all then.
This is true, but this thread wasn't originally about brain chemistry and neurotransmitters. From what I read, Creekryder was having concerns about viewing the Beast of AVRT as a distinct, rational entity.
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I know now what he means when he says that if you truly subscribe to AVRT you will find it IMPOSSIBLE to drink alcohol. At first that sounded nutty.
While I'm truly thankful for for Terminally Unique's reading recommendations, it almost makes me sad because I may not need the support of this group much longer....thanks to AVRT I feel totally secure in my lifelong abstinence!
While I'm truly thankful for for Terminally Unique's reading recommendations, it almost makes me sad because I may not need the support of this group much longer....thanks to AVRT I feel totally secure in my lifelong abstinence!
First of all, let me make the point clear that I am not denouncing AVRT. It is basically what I have felt for years. But I would like to address a question I have been mulling over in my mind.
Is is a good thing to separate ourselves from ourselves? When we talk of the "beast", it is like it is a foreign invader that has taken over our actions. But isn't it, in reality, not an alien but a part of us? And within my belief system, integration of oneself is imperative to be complete and healthy? I can't put my finger quite squarely on it at present, but something is not ringing true with me. I have used the analogy of the beast numerous times but am beginning to feel this disassociation with a part of myself disturbing. By all means this addictive part must be controlled as it is dangerous. But this fragmentation is concern to me.
I appreciate your thoughts.
Is is a good thing to separate ourselves from ourselves? When we talk of the "beast", it is like it is a foreign invader that has taken over our actions. But isn't it, in reality, not an alien but a part of us? And within my belief system, integration of oneself is imperative to be complete and healthy? I can't put my finger quite squarely on it at present, but something is not ringing true with me. I have used the analogy of the beast numerous times but am beginning to feel this disassociation with a part of myself disturbing. By all means this addictive part must be controlled as it is dangerous. But this fragmentation is concern to me.
I appreciate your thoughts.
I am learning to appreciate the idea that we recognize distractions (such as an urge to drink, or the urge to rear-end that jerk on the freeway) as they enter our consciousness, but that we don't act on them, we don't even judge them. Instead, we separate ourselves from these distractions because they do not come from our Buddha nature / our Christian soul / our sober self etc. They are not 'us'.
Another way to look at this is to consider that by shrinking the attachment suffering / the pain body / moral failings, we are creating space inside ourselves for enlightenment / serenity / state of grace and allowing that to become the dominant force in our lives.
These are some of the parallels and comparisons that I have been thinking about, how to get rid of the junk like addiction so that I can make room for concern for others and serenity for myself.
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The Big Plan is either on, or not yet connected. It can't be turned off. It's not a switch. It's a permanently wired circuit. It doesn't need a lot of power/effort. It's just there.
Originally Posted by Jack Trimpey
AVRT distinguishes between the proximal cause of addiction, the Addictive Voice, and the distal causes, which are always incorporated into the Addictive Voice. The epidemiology and etiology of addiction are moot points, because we are only concerned with the proximal cause of drinking, the Addictive Voice, i.e., the Beast... In AVRT, these distal "causes" of addiction are recognized as "explanations" or "reasons" for why, why, why people drink or use drugs, and, I hope, assigned to the scrap heap we call "the Addictive Voice."
An analogy could be drawn from someone shooting a gun. There may be many "reasons" or "explanations" on why the person shot the gun (distal causes), but the proximal cause for the bullet flying over the hill is that the firing pin struck the powder, resulting in an explosion that sent the bullet flying. AVRT is akin to removing the firing pin from the gun so that no matter what distal causes exist... the drinking/drugging response will not occur. It's just not there.
Excerpt from the "Trimpey-Ellis Debate"
Journal of RR, Vol 7, #2, Iss. 38, Nov-Dec 1994
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Originally Posted by The Art of AVRT by Jack Trimpey
Your duty is to stand duty at the portal of your mind and simply recognize the Addictive Voice as it streams by. Think of a conveyor belt fed ping-pong balls through a tube, and your job is to sort the bad ones from the good. However, all the bad ones are bright red and have "Danger" written all over them. For you, the most conspicuous matter in the universe is the stuff of your addiction or ideas about it. You also that the sole cause of addiction is the Addictive Voice, the red balls. This is very easy because it takes no effort to recognize something if you know what you're looking for.
From "The Art of AVRT" (Pg 110)
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