How Shall We Escape?

[Phineas 808]

Thank you, too, Blondie! Yes, it seems to be the nature of our minds to wander, to fixate in either the future or the past.

What I have found to be true is that I can affect the speed or business of my mind by breathing deeper and slower intentionally, mindfully. Heck, I've pinched myself to snap out of what I can call a dissociativeness, or mindlessness. There's also what's called EPT tapping, too.

Be blessed, brother!

 

[Phineas 808]

The Myth of Day 0

In Greek mythology, a man named Sisyphus, who founded what became Corinth, claimed in his hubris that his cleverness surpassed that of Zeus himself. As a punishment, Hades (or Thanatos) had him push a huge boulder up a steep hill in Tatarus for eternity. Each time Sisyphus got the boulder almost to the top, it would roll back down to the bottom of the hill. He then had to start all over again, rolling the massive boulder up to the top, only for it to roll back down before he could complete the task.

In like manner we often view our Reboot and recovery efforts, especially if we're counting days or have a specific goal in mind. Obviously we're after rebooting, which takes about 90 days or 3 months to heal or start healing. And so counting this or another amount makes sense, although individual mileage may vary. But the myth is that if you lapse or slip, the boulder of rebooting or recovery rolls all the way back down the hill to 'day 0' and then you have to start all over again, having lost all progress.

That of course is a myth! Yet it's a myth we keep telling ourselves when we fail. But has all progress indeed been lost? No! Now, this depends on the degree of exposure, where either little to nothing has been lost, or if one has binged for days on end, then, yes, there may have been siginificant loss. I think it was Scandanavian Bob who said in a Youtube video that after a lapse, one loses maybe 2 weeks or 20 days of healing, but that one sets themselves back even more if they binge.

So, are lengthy streaks necessary? Absolutely! Your aim is to quit, right? Creating enough distance between you and your unwanted behaviors of P, PMO, (or for some) MO, abstinence is your friend. You're giving yourself the best opportunity to heal. But viewing yourself as Sisyphus, rolling all the way back down the hill after a lapse is only demoralizing and counterproductive to your overall efforts. A giant boulder or a speed bump? Which one feels better? It may seem like a massive boulder at times, especially in the beginning, but seeing things in their proper perspective will save you literally years of struggling.

Should we count days? If it serves you, by all means! Particularly, if you're going for an actual Reboot, you should definitely have 90 days as target, and I've seen 120 or more days as well. Afterwards, do what you think is best. I myself no longer count days, particularly because of my own tendencies toward 'black-and-white' thinking or an 'all-or-nothing' approach.

Bottom line: a laspe or slip does not mean that you are truly at day 0. Sure, if you must restart your counter, I get that, you want to be honest and accountable to yourself, to your reboot. But while there may have been a setback, not all progress has been lost.

 

[Blondie]

Preach it brother @Phineas 808!

 

[Blondie]

Hey @Phineas, I'm busy today with school, but I'll write more about this when I have the time.

Busy days are better than busy palms!

 

[JerryTX]

@Phineas 808 Haven't been on regularly but congrats on becoming a moderator/staff at RN. Your insights/approach/encouragement and guidance has been and will be extremely helpful to others...I know it has been for me!! GOD Bless you brother!

 

[Phineas 808]

Hey @Phineas, I'm busy today with school, but I'll write more about this when I have the time.

Busy days are better than busy palms!

Sure, Blondie. I'll look forward to it.

P.S., Glad your palms are not busy... !

 

[Phineas 808]

Thank you so much, @JerryTX!

I'm always glad to see you when you do come around, and always wanting to celebrate your victories with you.

Be well, brother!

 

[Phineas 808]

Enjoying a cloudy, breezy and rainy morning here where I'm at.

Core Question #5. Are you projecting your future self?

I am, though depending on the issue or what I'm aiming for, there's a different degree of, what should I call it, resistance? Maybe there's an element of unbelief? Do I believe that I deserve a better life? Do I believe that I deserve all toward what I'm aiming, hoping and working for? Is there a degree of self-sabotage taking place?

This may be a weird example, but something as simple as throwing a pair of balled up socks into the hamper I've noticed over the years that a part of me sabotages such an easy shot, almost like I don't let myself make it... When I however take a deep breath, clear my mind, perhaps see myself making the shot, I make it. This is a microcosm of perhaps my overall life, lol... throwing dirty socks into a hamper, lol... Seriously, though, what is it that would take out my own kneecap before I succeed or make it in life?

My practice is to use visualization before bed to either see myself succeeding toward my ultimate goals of being a minister, or my proximate goals of succeeding in my more immediate business ventures. Trouble is, I soon fall asleep... (so if you're looking for ways to fall asleep fast... ). This kind of practice works best if you can put intention behind it. This kind of practice preceded obtaining what was to be a 22 year carreer, so... Recently, I'm seeing results along the business lines...

Again, projecting myself into or as the person who does not use porn or masturbates, I'm doing well. This I truly feel is the 'ticket' for me now. To no longer see myself as struggling, as trying, as quitting- or attempting to quit, to no longer see myself as hoplessly uncured, 'still battling this after all these years', etc..., but to see myself as free, as quit, as recovered, not just in terms of visualization, but in equipoise, or attitude of heart, as belief. And I truly feel it, truly believe it. This must be, even if- God forbid- there were a lapse... Nonetheless, to believe it as true of me now, and if the brain needs to catch up, so be it.

Special Question #24. How are childhood and teenage traumas being healed through mindfulness?

This was quite uncanny to randomly get this question this morning. Now these are questions I've created, so that's why they may point back to specific things...

Just last night I suggested a show to my wife we could watch together. Based on previews, it looked like good acting, good drama, a good story line, and good cinematography. Mind you, there was nothing pornographic, no nudity was portrayed, nothing along those lines- visually. But there were elements in the show, and where the story was going (unlike anything in the previews of course) which had strong reminders for me of a teenage trauma that I endured as a runaway.

Earlier that day I was joking with my family about someone being 'triggered' or a 'trigger-word'- not that I don't take those seriously of course, and I understand their role in addiction- but last night I can say that I was triggered, something that was beyond being cued, which is more toward getting us to act on our habit. I had a physiological response, not sexual, but shortness of breath and a heigthened sense of anxiety- which I don't normally feel. Of course we quit watching the show...

To answer my question, I'm wondering if perhapse I should've watched it? I would have to do it alone, get a glass of water, watch it (again, no scenes of nudity), and just breathe through it as a kind of exposure therapy? The moment has passed, so probably won't watch it. But that episode brings to surface this need to heal that past trauma, which became a major driver of my own addiction back in the day. To think, that something which occurred over 40 years ago can still affect me now is incredible.

I am a man who's still healing, still broken, but no longer a child, no longer a teenager, no longer a victim.
I am whole, healed, complete, loved, strong, undergirded by an everlasting mercy, given infinite grace, chosen and redeemed.

I am enjoying the fresh air of freedom, breathing the wide and limitless expanse, no longer confined by a set of behaviors or mentalities.

I'm free! I celebrate my freedom. I count each moment as precious, not taking for granted that this thing is no longer always on my mind.

I will fight to preserve this, I will do whatever is necessary to put my health and wellness first and foremost. If a thing hinders my wholeness and new found freedom, I drop it, I stand on a warfooting toward that thing, whatever it may be.

I am compassionate toward myself. I am recovered, and my brain just has to catch up.

 

[Blondie]

Hey @Phineas 808, great piece.

That's interesting about watching that show and having that kind of "flashback" experience. Maybe it would help you to face that perhaps? I know for me, a big part of me facing my childhood trauma is going back to school and facing those demons on a daily basis. At one moment it can be mind-blowing and at the next, cathartic! So much of my "problems" arise from that trauma from years ago, and yes, it's amazing how something can instantly bring it back - the tightness of my chest, my cognitive abilities shutting down, and yes, sometimes even the ability to speak - all symptoms of trauma.

I always say it's like that scene in Batman Begins, where Bruce Wayne goes back to the Batcave to face his worst childhood fear, bats! To move beyond our childhood fear we must become one with it, to shake hands with it if you will. To realize we were once innocent children whom our environment did wrong, not because we were inherently flawed, but because the world is flawed, and now we can see the truth for what it is. Our childhood flaw was that we thought our whole world revolved around us (ego-centered), and thus, if there was anything wrong with it, there must be something wrong with us.

But now we know, now we know...

Let us all face our bats in our own Batcave!

 

[Phineas 808]

Thank you, @Blondie.

The cave, a hole in the ground... You don't know how close this metaphor is to the events of that unforunate evening. Of course I won't go into details, or say 'what' it was... but, I will say that I was living on the streets as a runaway teenager, and was literally sleeping in a hole dug in my schoolmate's backyard....

Back in 2006 there was some comparisons made which radically gave me an understanding of those times while I read certain passages in scripture. But, my experience began that night with a kind of false-birth, emerging from that hole in the ground- a 'false-mother', a false-father... Forgive my vagueness (of necessity), but seeing how those events shaped a false-identity helped to deconstruct or heal from that into a new identity, albeit, taking years...

This was emtional to write, and I had no intention of taking my post in that direction, but isn't that what journaling is for?

 

[Blondie]

but isn't that what journaling is for?

Indeed it is.

Best to you sir.

 

[TakeActionNow]

@Phineas 808 , I can feel some sadness in your words.
I can only say to you is please don't let your past hold you back!
Ironically, bringing up our past over and over is the only way to keep those experiences alive.
There is only so much mental space in our daily life we can carry with us. Let it be the joyful new, not the dreadful old, that we collect and carry with us.
Only when we let go of the old can we pick up and carry the new.

Imagine yourself walking on a straight footpath surrounded by green trees on a sunny day.
This is the path I run frequently on.
This path I often tell myself as my future: bright, straight, green and attractive.
Do we look back when we run? Never.
Nor should you.
Do find the path you would be happy to travel on.

There is happiness in letting go.
There is happiness in leaving the past behind.
There is happiness in looking forward to the future.
There is happiness in accepting yourself just the way you are.

Take good care of yourself!

 

[Phineas 808]

Thank you, TakeAction.

Of course I wouldn't want to live there in the past, nor do I.

I'm a forward looking person, and firmly believe that the past no longer exists. However, certain traumas need to be worked through over multiple years, typically to the degree one grows in self-knowledge.

In fact, as a follow up to what I posted above concerning being 'triggered' toward my past trauma:

I concluded that no further action need be taken, as it was something that arose in the moment- the cue- the item in the movie or show- the resultant physiological response- and kind of having to sit with that feeling for a while without reacting to it- that was the mindful healing as regards that past trauma, as per my question.

So, it is what it is. There is no sadness, no regret, only now and what is. That is enough.

 

[Phineas 808]

Home alone this morning, as the wife and daughter attended a birthday party clear across the state. They were to return last night, but instead stayed over. This gave me some nice alone time. It was good.

Core Question #4. How are deeper needs being fulfilled?

The answers to this question are important, but before that I wish to answer according to the new paradigm (no-will power approach): it's okay that, at least in the moment, if deeper needs are not being fulfilled. It's okay to sit with loneliness, should that arise, or feelings of rejection, feelings of abandonment, or the needs for affection, or to feel safe or alright.

These feelings will arise, especially until that they can be naturally addressed in further healing and progress. But it's okay. The so called H.A.L.T. acronym, well, it's okay to be hungry (neglected), angry (disappointed), lonely (lack of connection/intimacy), or tired (exhausted from the stress of trying to 'fix' things). Actually learning to sit with these feelings when they arise, without having to fix them, reject them, fight against or resist them, to just be with them- even accepting of them- is how we build resilience and rise above our own brokenness.

But to answer... Of course spirituality comes in to play here, as it has for a while now. However this may be, it still needs to be established that when certain needs arise, or if I'm particularly thirsty for female beauty in a needy way, or am gravitating toward certain behaviors based on a deeper emotional need, to turn to the Lord and drink (prayer, worship, tongues).

Of course, too, human connection (I sound like an alien typing that out, lol...), is a part of that. Connecting on a deeper emotional plane with my wife- challenging, as communication is not our strong suit. So, to work on that will enable things to become more intimate between us, as due to the inability to communicate I've shut her out to more surface level interactions. But this has only retarded the growth we need to have as a couple. But I am challenging myself. I'm speaking out more when she's wrong as to an assumption about me, as a vague example. This will also include connecting with my daughter more, too. We've been through a lot, and things are not where they once were, and it's a good thing.

Special Question #22. During your last sexual encounter, did you rely on fantasy or p-memory to stay engaged?

When my wife and I do make love, which at this point is 1 or 2x a month, usually Ol' Willy is engaged. But sometimes I deal with performance anxiety (not PIED), and he gets all Limp Bizkit. I will say that the last time, yes, I did conjur up images in my mind out of fear of going limp.

I've discussed this topic previously, and obviously it's a concern of mine as it's one of my special questions. But I do see it (for me) as a lesser of two evils, if the need is perceived: that I'd rather 'complete the mission', which is to please her first, before I 'get mine', and have that physiological, emotional and spiritual connection than to fail in the moment. This, I admit, is a fear or anxiety that I need to let go of in the moment, come success or failure. This is only a semi-often concern, and if we make love more often, I'll have more opportunities to just be in the moment. I am, however, addressing this, too, by practicing just the touch, the sight (if it's not too dark), smells, sounds, etc, the reality of it, and fantasized images or memories be damned. This I feel is becoming better on my part, but progress is still needed here.

As indicated above, the wife and daughter were out for the night. I sat in my backyard and enjoyed the night air, had a couple of drinks and a cigar, and quite enjoyed myself. Overnighters have historically been a time of great anxiety, obsessing, acting out, and lack of sleep, going back and forth with whatever... But, in this newer paradigm, thoughts did come up, there were things that I would've judged myself for, and the whole obsessive (not unlike OCD) compulsive behaviors would've emerged, the ritual would've begun. In radical acceptance, however, I didn't place too much emotion, focus, or try to fix nor fight these things, but just let them be- with the understanding as to why they were there (though this may not always be known, and that's okay).

And so, last night passed without episode- but if it did occur- that would've been okay, too. Of course I didn't want to lapse, and I didn't, but in this newer paradigm, it's not a show stopper for me. I will and am healing, a better and better man, one who's in control of himself, and no longer affixed to a decades old 'problem'.

I'll end with this imagery: the Romans used to chain a corpse to a living prisoner as a way of slowly and torturously killing him. The idea is that, no matter where you go, what you do, your mortality, your fate, is unavoidable, inescapable (not to mention the physical struggle of carrying around 'dead weight'). Eventually the prisoner gives up hope, and dies. The old paradigm (will power) is to fight, to pull at the chains, to plan, to fix, and to struggle. The new paradigm (no will power) is to say (this will sound all Matrix), "You know what? There is no chain!" And in living that, being that, behold, the illusory thing falls away, and you are free from death, free from imprisonment. You are free!