Crossroads: Letting Go Of Old Behaviors & Finding New Ones Click For Flyer Sponsored By the ACA Oregon Intergroup
Join Panel Speakers: Christine W. (Vancouver ACA); Allison (Monday ACA); Carolyn (Vancouver ACA); Lisa V. (Gresham ACA); Mary C. (Washington ACA)
Saturday, March 16 3:30-530 p.m. NW 22nd and Marshall Legacy Good Samaritan Auditorium (1015 NW 22nd Ave, Building 2, Portland, Oregon)
What Is Integration? We use Steps Six and Seven to remove the defects of character. However we take a different approach for the Laundry List behaviors. We attempt to integrate them through gentleness and patience. Our traits have great value to us if we can embrace them and transform them.
Until integration occurs, the traits can cause great despair to the Adult Child. We seem unable to change them until we get help. The Laundry List traits represent the false self, which is convinced it is real. The false self disbelieves recovery and the loving nature of a higher power. The false self once protected us, but now it must be retired. We must be patient with ourselves as we integrate the Laundry List in Steps Six and Seven. The traits are deeply anchored because they are the defense mechanisms we adopted as children under difficult circumstances.
We must acknowledge a certain amount of respect for the traits and for ourselves for figuring out how to survive our dysfunctional homes. As children, they were the difference between living and dying in some cases. We survived, but in ACA we want to move beyond mere survival.*
*From the ACA Text (The Big Red Book) Page 111-112
