The Last Monday before winter

Just a brief list to help myself what was going on today:

1. I got my second MMR shot after 24 years (the first was given before I was 1 year old). What a memorable souvenir for the two rounds (两轮) I've been through!! I was notify last Thursday that my first shot is kinda expired and thereby I have to get the second immunization. They even threaten me I'll be not able to register next spring, which is the second time I've been threatened in my first two months in Harvard... (Maybe Nan is sort of right at this point: I have the most probability to be kicked out from Harvard!) The worst is: I was charged $56 bucks for this 'painful' souvenir!!

2. The first mid-term grade came out: it was bad, but not as bad as I thought.

3. It's kinda shameful I realized that I somehow mixed 'Maple Leaves' with 'Blue Jays' when I was happily commenting on ML's performance in this and previous seasons... It was basically due to the abrupt switch from baseball to Hockey... Thanks to Martin!

4. Where would I see my career in the next 5 years? How much hope should I keep in switching my gear in 2 or 3 years? I'm so desperate bringing changes into life, but too much hurry ends up with overlooking the beauty of life.

"Tomorrow is another day." Miss you, Han; miss you all, 403-ers.

2:58am....

It looks not quite like a express review... all those crazy ideas...

Express review of Pan's Labyrinth

The problem is, it's 1:48 am on Oct. 27; and my bed, is only 3 meters from me... Well, I promised I will write a review for every single movie I watch... Here it comes: Pan's Labyrinth. To be concise, I highly recommend it to all kids under 8 years old. Love fairy tale? Go for it! If you're smart enough, it's not hard to discover something hidden behind -- in eyes of genius, this is a world full of beautiful, illusion-inducing cruelty-- the more brilliant and sensitive you are, the more pain you feel as growing up. Or, to be fair, should I say, if you are in some sense somehow abuse your intelligence in an early age when you watch this movie, you get hurt deep inside and your view of life get twist -- that's your problem: why don't you just believe the underground world, the fairies, your royal family are real??

Why bother to change the original ideas of Green fairy tales? Why do we ever wanna purify everything before we cultivate young children given they have to face all what we've been facing anyway? What belief or faith do we bear in mind all the time and always convinced beneficial to kids, for god's sake, that could ever justify it's a good manner to first build up an ideal world in children's minds, then ruthlessly let them collapse at a later stage in their lives?

There are only three types of people who will thrive in this world -- forgive me if the following comments upset some of us adults, and forgive me taking Pan's Labyrinth as my example if some one have completely different perspective -- the first, maybe also the smallest population, is those with peak IQ & EQ. These people will learn the hidden meaning of what a 'true' fairy tale tells at first glance when they are little; they digest, understand, and then take for granted that the world is not perfect, and, to some extent, unsympathetic. They adjust themselves quickly with feeling less shocks in beliefs, and they are hard to beaten. The second may not have as high IQ score as the first type, but they undoubtedly outstanding in EQ, because they can do pretty well in handling all kinds of impact and shocks. They don't get those secrets in fairy tales in their childhood; they experience painful corruptions of fantasy and mirage, but pull through quickly using their distinguished ability dealing with spiritual pressure and irritation, and take the next step before others have time to blink. The third group, which may also be a low probability population, but fortunately has people such as Forrest Gump as its representative, include those lucky forever-happy 'fools'. You must know what I mean. I always believe "大智若愚" and am so jealous of FG being such a brilliant 'fool'. It's not difficult to live in fairy tales when life involves pretty much only fairy tales, but it's incredibly hard to be a 'princess' for life. Luckily for some human beings, they were born with this gift; and luckily for them, they never confuse about fairy and reality.

New England White 之 Kellen Zant

It's kinda late to start writing about Kellen at this time, but anyway, he is the trigger of the whole story.

The following chapters/sections contain information about Kellen Zant: pp 20-22; pp 28; pp 48.

Kellen was born in the South of no certain origin, and spent years battering his way into his current career position: he was a professor in economics who held one of the most prestigious [ ˌpres'ti:dʒəs ] endowed chairs - Tyson professorship in economics. He has a notoriety[ ˌnətə'raiəti ] about his personal life in contrast, and he prefer to earn income by consulting for large corporations and meanwhile committed very little scholarship in recent years. He's undoubtedly very talented according to Lemaster's comments: "In my chat with Kellen, I suggested that an economist of his eminence could do much to change the world if he would spend less of his energy on his private clients, and more on scholarship." The Zant-Feldman equation was one of the greatest advances in finance theory in the past half century.

On the other hand, Kellen was a person full of affairs. He liked life to change around him and hates to do the same thing twice. He's excited about future and all possibilities. He loved to fight, partly to impress some girls he was interested in, and he is, of course, attractive to lots of women. In Kellen's life, Julia is the greatest love of him, and the person he trusted most (or, should I say, the only person he ever completely trusted.). But to Julia, Kellen was one of the two men she truly loved in her life, but destroyed her in the end (Lemaster was the one who had put her back together).

There are still lots of mysteries about Kellen and people who had had relation with him. Who is Mary Mallard, the woman who had tried to learn about the "surplus" from Julia? Who did the break-in into Kellen's room and what kind of Kellen's work did they take away? What was Kellen trying to tell Julia about the trouble he had, and what was the "inventory risk" supposed to mean?...

New England White 之 Vanessa

Vanessa, a high school senior, is the second child of Julia and Lemaster Carlyle. She is described as a strange, conflicted child, whose troubles could fill a book. She used to be a good student and everything had been all right, until almost a year ago, she decided to change her history term paper from the response in Landing to the Supreme Court's school desegregation decisions in the fifties to the death of her white friend Gina Joule. The two girls have lots of things in common: they're both loners - very shy, though creative; they're of the same age, height, and moderate smile. Their fathers both taught at the university. Merrill Joule, Gina's father used to be the dean of divinity school, and a leading candidate for president of the university before his death a quarter-century ago. The end of the first part of chapter 5 writes "the largest problem was that Merrill Joule had been in the ground a good quarter-century, and his daughter, Gina, had drowned at the town beach back when...." What mystery is hidden behind is not yet clear. Gina had been disappeared and her body was found days later and proved to have been sexually assaulted, while the only race riot in the country's history, which was caused by a slain black teenager by police, was taking place.

Back to Vanessa. Vanessa always had such illusion that Gina was with her. This could be the cause of her peculiar mania according to one theory, or just a manifestation of a deeper trauma. (We still don't know where this trauma originally came from.) Once she started working on the paper about Gina, she was no longer caring about her grades and her friends; she even torched her father's car as a fighting back to her father's measure on her. She explained: I did it for Gina.

Carl Jung & analytical psychology

Note: the following three articles are cited from Wiki.

Carl Gustav Jung (IPA: [ˈkarl ˈgʊstaf ˈjʊŋ]) (July 26, 1875, Kesswil – June 6, 1961, Küsnacht) was a Swiss psychiatrist, influential thinker, and founder of analytical psychology.

Jung's unique and broadly influential approach to psychology has emphasized understanding the psyche through exploring the worlds of dreams, art, mythology, world religion and philosophy. Although he was a theoretical psychologist and practicing clinician for most of his life, much of his life's work was spent exploring other realms, including Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, sociology, as well as literature and the arts. His most notable contributions include his concept of the psychological archetype, the collective unconscious, and his theory of synchronicity.

Jung emphasized the importance of balance and harmony. He cautioned that modern humans rely too heavily on science and logic and would benefit from integrating spirituality and appreciation of the unconscious realm.

Overview

Jung developed his own distinctive approach to the study of the human mind. In his early years when working in a Swiss hospital with schizophrenic patients and working with Sigmund Freud and the burgeoning psychoanalytic community, he took a closer look at the mysterious depths of the human unconscious. Fascinated by what he saw (and spurred on with even more passion by the experiences and questions of his personal life) he devoted his life to the exploration of the subconscious. Unlike many modern psychologists, Jung did not feel that experimenting using natural science was the best means to understand the soul. For him, an empirical investigation of the world of dream, myth, and soul represented the most promising road to deeper understanding.

The overarching goal of Jungian psychology is the reconciliation of the life of the individual with the world of the supra-personal archetypes. Central to this process is the individual's encounter with the subconscious. The human experiences the subconscious through symbols encountered in all aspects of life: in dreams, art, religion, and the symbolic dramas we enact in our relationships and life pursuits. Essential to the encounter with the subconscious, and the reconciliation of the individual's consciousness with this broader world, is learning this symbolic language. Only through attention and openness to this world is the individual able to harmonize their life with these suprapersonal archetypal forces.

"Neurosis" results from a disharmony between the individual's consciousness and the greater archetypal world. The aim of psychotherapy is to assist the individual in reestablishing a healthy relationship to the subconscious (neither being swamped by it — a state characteristic of psychosis — nor completely shut off from it — a state that results in malaise, empty consumerism, narcissism, and a life cut off from deeper meaning). The encounter between consciousness and the symbols arising from the subconscious enriches life and promotes psychological development. Jung considered this process of psychological growth and maturation (which he called the process of individuation) to be of critical importance to the human being, and ultimately to modern society.

In order to undergo the individuation process, the individual must be open to the parts of oneself beyond one's own ego. In order to do this, the modern individual must pay attention to dreams, explore the world of religion and spirituality, and question the assumptions of the operant societal worldview (rather than just blindly living life in accordance with dominant norms and assumptions).

[edit] The fundamentals

[edit] The unconscious

Main articles: Unconscious, Collective unconscious, and Archetypes

The basic assumption is that the personal unconscious is a potent part — probably the more active part — of the normal human psyche. Reliable communication between the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche is necessary for wholeness.

Also crucial is the belief that dreams show ideas, beliefs, and feelings of which individuals are not readily aware, but need to be, and that such material is expressed in a personalized vocabulary of visual metaphors. Things "known but unknown" are contained in the unconscious, and dreams are one of the main vehicles for the unconscious to express them.

Analytical psychology distinguishes between a personal and a collective unconscious. (see below)

The collective unconscious contains archetypes common to all human beings. That is, individuation may bring to surface symbols that do not relate to the life experiences of a single person. This content is more easily viewed as answers to the more fundamental questions of humanity: life, death, meaning, happiness, fear. Among these more spiritual concepts may arise and be integrated into the personality.

[edit] The collective unconscious

Jung's concept of the collective unconscious has often been misunderstood. In order to understand this concept, it is essential to understand Jungian archetypes.

The archetypes of the collective unconscious could be thought of as the DNA of the human psyche^{[citation needed]}. Just as all humans share a common physical heritage and predisposition towards specific gross physical forms (like having two legs, a heart, etc.) so do all humans have innate psychological predispositions in the form of archetypes, which compose the collective unconscious.

In contrast to the objective material world, the subjective realm of archetypes cannot be fully plumbed through quantitative modes of research. Instead it can be revealed more fully through an examination of the symbolic communications of the human psyche — in art, dreams, religion, myth, and the themes of human relational/behavioral patterns. Devoting his life to the task of exploring and understanding the collective unconscious, Jung theorized that certain symbolic themes exist across all cultures, all epochs, and in every individual.

[edit] The archetypes

Main article: Jungian archetypes

The use of psychological archetypes was advanced by Jung in 1919 and generally adopted in the social sciences. In Jung's psychological framework, archetypes are innate, universal prototypes for ideas and may be used to interpret observations. A group of memories and interpretations associated with an archetype is a complex, e.g. a mother complex associated with the mother archetype. Jung treated the archetypes as psychological organs, analogous to physical ones in that both are morphological givens that arose through evolution.

[edit] Self-realization and neuroticism

Main articles: Self-realization and Neuroticism

An innate need for self-realization leads people to explore and integrate these rejected materials. This natural process is called individuation, or the process of becoming an individual.

According to Jung, Self-realization can be divided into two distinct tiers. In the first half of our lives we separate from humanity. We attempt to create our own identities (I, myself). This is why there is such a need for young men to be destructive, and can be expressed as animosity from teens directed at their parents. Jung also said we have a sort of “second puberty” that occurs between 35-40- outlook shifts from emphasis on materialism, sexuality, and having children to concerns about community and spirituality.

In the second half of our lives, we reunite with the human race. We become part of the collective once again. This is when adults start to contribute to humanity (volunteer time, build, garden, create art, etc.) rather than destroy. They are also more likely to pay attention to their unconscious and conscious feelings. How often do you hear a young man state, "I feel angry." or "I feel sad.”? This is because they have not rejoined the collective in their older, wiser years, according to Jung. A common theme is for young rebels to "search" for their true selves and realize that a contribution to humanity is essentially a necessity for a whole self.

Jung proposes that the ultimate goal of the collective unconscious and self-realization is to pull us to the highest experience. This, of course, is spiritual.

If a person does not proceed toward self-knowledge, neurotic symptoms may arise. Symptoms are widely defined, including, for instance, phobias, fetishism, depression.

[edit] The shadow

The shadow is an unconscious complex that is defined as the repressed and suppressed aspects of the conscious self.

There are constructive and destructive types of shadow.

On the destructive side, it often represents everything that the conscious person does not wish to acknowledge within themselves. For instance, someone who identifies as being kind has a shadow that is harsh or unkind. Conversely, an individual who is brutal has a kind shadow. The shadow of persons who are convinced that they are ugly appears to be beautiful.

On the constructive side, the shadow may represent hidden positive influences. This has been referred to as "the gold in the shadow." Jung points to the story of Moses and Al-Khidr in the 18th Sura (Chapter) of the Koran as an example.

Jung emphasized the importance of being aware of shadow material and incorporating it into conscious awareness, lest one project these attributes on others.

The shadow in dreams is often represented by dark figures of the same gender as the dreamer.

According to Jung the human being deals with the reality of the Shadow in four ways: denial, projection, integration and/or transmutation.

[edit] Anima and animus

Jung identified the anima as being the unconscious feminine component of men and the animus as the unconscious masculine component in women. However, this is rarely taken as a literal definition: many modern day Jungian practitioners believe that every person has both an anima and an animus. Jung stated that the anima and animus act as guides to the unconscious unified Self, and that forming an awareness and a connection with the anima or animus is one of the most difficult and rewarding steps in psychological growth. Jung reported that he identified his anima as she spoke to him, as an inner voice, unexpectedly one day.

Often, when people ignore the anima or animus complexes, the anima or animus vies for attention by projecting itself on others. This explains, according to Jung, why we are sometimes immediately attracted to certain strangers: we see our anima or animus in them. Love at first sight is an example of anima and animus projection. Moreover, people who strongly identify with their gender role (e.g. a man who acts aggressively and never cries) have not actively recognized or engaged their anima or animus.

Jung attributes human rational thought to be the male nature, while the irrational aspect is considered to be natural female. Consequently, irrationality is the male anima shadow and rationality is the female animus shadow.

[edit] Psychoanalysis

Main articles: Psychoanalysis and Dream analysis

Analysis is a way to experience and integrate the unknown material. It is a search for the meaning of behaviors, symptoms, events. Many are the channels to reach this greater self-knowledge. The analysis of dreams is the most common. Others may include expressing feelings in art pieces, poetry or other expressions of creativity.

Giving a complete description of the process of dream interpretation and individuation is complex. The nature of the complexity lies on the fact that the process is highly specific to the person who does it.

While Freudian psychoanalysis assumes that the repressed material hidden in the unconscious is given by repressed sexual instincts, Analytical psychology has a more general approach. There is no preconceived assumption about the unconscious material. The unconscious, for Jungian analysts, may contain repressed sexual drives, but also aspirations, fears, etc.

[edit] Psychological types

Analytical psychology distinguishes several psychological types or temperaments.

• Extravert (Jung's spelling is extravert, which most dictionaries use; the variant "extrovert" is not preferred)
• Introvert

The attitude type could be thought of as the flow of libido (psychic energy). The Introvert's flow is directed inward toward concepts and ideas and the Extravert's is directed outward towards people and objects. There are several contrasting characteristics between Extraverts and Introverts: Extraverts desire breadth and are action-oriented, while introverts seek depth and are self-oriented.

Research has shown that there may be a positive correlation between the Introversion/Extraversion types and health deterioration. Introverts may be more inclined to catatonic type schizophrenia and extraverts towards manic depression.

The often misunderstood terms extravert and introvert derive from this work. In Jung's original usage, the extraversion "is an outward-turning of libido",^[1], whereas introversion is an inward-turning of libido. Everyone has both the intraversion and the extraversion mechanisms, and the collectively dominant type determines whether an individual is introvert or extravert.^[1]

According to Jung, the conscious psyche is an apparatus for adaptation and orientation, and consists of a number of different psychic functions. Among these he distinguishes four basic functions:^[1]

• sensing - perception by means of the sense organs;
• intuition - perceiving in unconscious way or perception of unconscious contents.
• thinking - function of intellectual cognition; the forming of logical conclusions;
• feeling - function of subjective estimation;

Thinking and feeling functions are rational, while sensing and intuition are nonrational. According to Jung, rationality consists of figurative thoughts, feelings or actions with reason—a point of view based on objective value, which is set by practical experience. Nonrationality is not based in reason. Jung notes that elementary facts are also nonrational, not because they are illogical but because, as thoughts, they are not judgments.

In any person, the degree of introversion/extraversion of one function can be quite different from that of another function.

Generally, we tend to favor our most developed, superior function, while we can broaden our personality by developing the others. Related to this, Jung noted that the unconscious often tends to reveal itself most easily through a person's least developed, inferior function. The encounter with the unconscious and development of the underdeveloped function(s) thus tend to progress together.

See also: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

[edit] The complex

Main article: Complex (psychology)

Early in Jung's career he coined the term and described the concept of the "complex". Jung claims to have discovered the concept during his free association and galvanic skin response experiments. Freud obviously took up this concept in his Oedipus complex amongst others. Jung seemed to see complexes as quite autonomous parts of psychological life. It is almost as if Jung were describing separate personalities within what is considered a single individual, but to equate Jung's use of complexes with something along the lines of multiple personality disorder would be a step out of bounds.

Jung saw an archetype as always being the central organizing structure of a complex. For instance, in a "negative mother complex," the archetype of the "negative mother" would be seen to be central to the identity of that complex. This is to say, our psychological lives are patterned on common human experiences. Interestingly, Jung saw the Ego (which Freud wrote about in German literally as the "I", one's conscious experience of oneself) as a complex. If the "I" is a complex, what might be the archetype that structures it? Jung, and many Jungians, might say "the hero," one who separates from the community to ultimately carry the community further.

[edit] Clinical theories

Main article: Psychoanalysis

Jung's writings have been of much interest to people of many backgrounds and interests, including theologians, people from the humanities, and mythologists. Jung often seemed to seek to make contributions to various fields, but he was mostly a practicing psychiatrist, involved during his whole career in treating patients. A description of Jung's clinical relevance is to address the core of his work.

Jung started his career working with hospitalized patients with major mental illnesses, most notably schizophrenia. He was interested in the possibilities of an unknown "brain toxin" that could be the cause of schizophrenia. But the majority and the heart of Jung's clinical career was taken up with what we might call today individual psychodynamic psychotherapy, in gross structure very much in the strain of psychoanalytic practice first formed by Freud.

It is important to state that Jung seemed to often see his work as not a complete psychology in itself but as his unique contribution to the field of psychology. Jung claimed late in his career that only for about a third of his patients did he use "Jungian analysis." For another third, Freudian psychology seemed to best suit the patient's needs and for the final third Adlerian analysis was most appropriate. In fact, it seems that most contemporary Jungian clinicians merge a developmentally grounded theory, such as Self psychology or Donald Winnicott's work, with the Jungian theories in order to have a "whole" theoretical repertoire to do actual clinical work.

The "I" or Ego is tremendously important to Jung's clinical work. Jung's theory of etiology of psychopathology could almost be simplified to be stated as a too rigid conscious attitude towards the whole of the psyche. That is, a psychotic episode can be seen from a Jungian perspective as the "rest" of the psyche overwhelming the conscious psyche because the conscious psyche effectively was locking out and repressing the psyche as a whole.

John Weir Perry's book The Far Side of Madness explores and fleshes out this idea of Jung's very well. Note: this is a psychological description of a psychotic episode.

Jung hypothesized a medical basis for schizophrenia that was beyond the understanding of the medical science of his day (and seems to still be beyond present medical science in a satisfactory sense). Twin studies and plenty of clinical material seem to point clearly to a medical basis for schizophrenia. It perhaps can best be said that schizophrenia is both medical and psychological. A medical understanding (again, as yet still lacking) would not change the fact that schizophrenia is lived by those who have it psychologically; that is to say, as theorists and scientists, we may be able to say that schizophrenia happens in genes, brains, and the electrochemical, but for one who has schizophrenia it also happens in their mind and experience. This is to say a purely medical treatment of major mental illness is inadequate, as is a purely psychological treatment of major mental illness.

[edit] Post-Jung

Samuels (1985) has distinguished three schools of "post-Jungian" therapy - the classical, the developmental and the archetypal.

[edit] Classical school

The classical school is that which tries to remain faithful to what Jung himself proposed and taught in person and in his 20-plus volumes of work.

[edit] Developmental school

The developmental school, associated with Michael Fordham, Brian Feldman etc., can be considered a bridge between Jungian psychoanalysis and Melanie Klein's object relations theory. Laings and Goodheart are also often mentioned.

[edit] Archetypal school

Main articles: Archetypal psychology and Mythopoetic

The archetypal school (sometimes called "the imaginal school"), with different views associated with the Mythopoeticists, such as James Hillman in his intellectual theoretical view of Archetypal psychology, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, in her view that ethnic and aboriginal people are the originators of archetypal psychology and have long carried the maps to the journey of the soul in their songs, tales, dream-telling, art and rituals; Marion Woodman who proposes a feminist viewpoint regarding archetypal psychology, and other Jungians like Thomas Moore, as well. Most mythopoeticists/archetypal psychology innovators either imagine the Self not to be the main archetype of the collective unconscious as Jung thought, but rather assign each archetype equal value...Others, who are modern progenitors of archetypal psychology (such as Estés), think of the Self as that which contains and yet is suffused by all the other archetypes, each giving life to the other.

Robert L. Moore, one of Jung's most dedicated followers, has explored the archetypal level of the human psyche in a series of five books co-authored with Douglas Gillette, which have played an important role in the men's movement in the United States. R. Moore likes to use computerese, so he likens the archetypal level of the human psyche to the hard wiring of a computer. Our personal experiences of course influence our accessing the archetypal level of the human psyche, but personalized ego consciousness can be likened to the software in a computer (e.g., Microsoft Word).

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Jung, C.G., Psychological Types (The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Vol.6), 1976 (1921), ISBN 0-691-01813-8

• Robert Aziz, C.G. Jung’s Psychology of Religion and Synchronicity (1990), currently in its 10th printing, a refereed publication of The State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-0166-9.
• Robert Aziz, Synchronicity and the Transformation of the Ethical in Jungian Psychology in Carl B. Becker, ed. Asian and Jungian Views of Ethics. Westport, CT: Greenwood, (1999), ISBN 0-313-30452-1.
• Robert Aziz, The Syndetic Paradigm: The Untrodden Path Beyond Freud and Jung (2007), a refereed publication of The State University of New York Press. ISBN 13:978-0-7914-6982-8.
• A. Samuels, (1985). Jung and the Post-Jungians. London: Routledge.

[edit] See also

• Active Imagination
• Archetypal psychology
• Dream analysis
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• Mythopoetic
• Extraversion and Introversion

[edit] External links

• International Association of Analytical Psychologists
• International Association for Jungian Studies
• Pacifica Graduate Institute - Graduate school offering programs in Jungian and post-Jungian studies
• The Journal of Jungian Theory and Practice
• An Outline of Analytical Psychology by Edward F. Edinger, M.D.
• Jung Arena - Analytical Psychology books, journals and resources
• Website of leading Freudian-Jungian scholar-author, Dr. Robert Aziz

The Twelve Steps

These are the original Twelve Steps as suggested by Alcoholics Anonymous.^[8]

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His Will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Other twelve-step groups have adapted these steps of AA as guiding principles for problems other than alcoholism. In some cases the steps have been altered to emphasize particular principles important to those fellowships.^[9][10][11]

Overeaters Anonymous

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Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a Twelve Step program for people identifying themselves as "powerless over food" including, but not limited to, compulsive overeaters, those with binge eating disorder, bulimics and anorexics. OA was founded by Rozanne S. and two other women in January, 1960. OA's headquarters (World Service Office) are located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.^[1][2] OA estimates its membership at 70,000 and is active in over 70 countries. OA has developed its own literature but also uses the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) books Alcoholics Anonymous^[3] and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.^[4]

Definitions

OA defines compulsion as any "impulse or feeling of being irresistibly driven toward the performance of some irrational action."^[2] OA further defines compulsive eating as a progressive, addictive illness. Much like AA's position on alcoholism, OA believes compulsive overeating is chronic and is done in an effort to alleviate psychological stress.^[2]

OA, like all other Twelve Step programs, symbolically understands human structure in three dimensions: physical, mental, and spiritual. The disorders and diseases the groups deal with are understood to manifest themselves in each dimension. Emotionally it is not "eating down" feelings, it is considered to be the "inner hunger."^[5]

Clinically, eating disorders are evaluated using instruments like the Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns (QEWP), which has specialized versions for adolescents and parents (QEWP-A, and QEWP-P). In addition to evaluating eating patterns, the tests also measure depression.^[6]

Demographics

Recent studies of OA members have found 84% identified as binge eaters, 15% as bulimic (bulimia: a disorder of eating seen among young women who go on eating binges and then feel guilt and depression and self-condemnation), and 1% as anorexic. An earlier study found 44.5% identified as binge eaters, 40.7% as bulimic, and 14.8% as anorexic. Researchers have found the percentage of males in OA has increased from 9% in 1981 to 16% in 2001. This is generally inline with estimates made by the APA that the male to female ratio of those with eating disorders ranges from 1:6 to 1:10. Most OA members are white and highly educated. Some researchers have speculated the racial disparity is related to cultural perceptions of obesity.^[2]

The typical OA member surveyed works in a full-time capacity. Homemakers only comprise 6% of the population, in contrast to 30% of those surveyed in 1981. This vividly reflects the trend in our society for increasing numbers of females to be employed outside of the home. Further, 80% of today’s participants have attained a college degree, far surpassing the 59% of those attaining the degree in 1981. Another noteworthy change is reflected in the percentage of those divorced or separated. This number has risen from 10% in 1981 to 21% in 2001. It is apparent that greater gender equality over the last twenty years has significantly contributed to myriad demographic changes, yielding both positive and negative consequences.^[2]

Recovery tools and strategies

OA program literature describes eight "Tools of Recovery." These include attendance at OA meetings, reading/writing from the Twelve Step literature, adhering to a food plan, having a sponsor, giving service, taking time for prayer and meditation, sponsorship, and making phone calls to other members. They are considered critical to obtaining and maintaining abstinence.^[7]

Meetings offer a consensual validation and serve to diminish feelings of guilt and shame. A sponsor provides guidance through the OA program and support where necessary, but gradually encourages autonomy in the sponsee. A sponsor strives to make her job obsolete.^[8]

Food plans

In Overeaters Anonymous, abstinence is "the action of refraining from compulsive eating." OA has a long and complex history with "food plans" and does not endorse or recommend any specific plan of eating, nor does it exclude the personal use of one.^[7][9] At present, OA recommends that each member consult a qualified health care professional, such as a physician or dietician.^[7] OA publishes a pamphlet Dignity of Choice which assists in the design of an individual food plan and also provides six sample plans of eating (reviewed and approved by a licensed dietitian) with which some OA members have had success.^[10]

Individual OA meetings and sponsors may make more detailed suggestions. Some of these caution against foods containing excessive sugar, alcohol, and wheat. Research has found that OA members with excessively rigid plans are not likely to remain abstinent. It is suggested that new members start with a some-what rigid plan that becomes increasingly more flexible approaching the end of a year in the program.^[8]

Correlations with maintaining abstinence

Research has identified a number of OA practices significantly correlating with maintaining abstinence in OA: adherence to a food plan (including weighing and measuring food), communication with other members (specifically sponsors), spending time in prayer and meditation, performing service work, completing the fourth step, completing the ninth step, writing down thoughts and feelings, attending meetings, reading OA/AA liteature, and the educational status of the participant. Researchers have therefore concluded that application of OA practices might directly help promote abstinence and reduce the frequency of relapse in those with binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa.^[2]

Honesty

Though not found in research to be significant, a number of OA members responded that honesty was a very important OA practice. Researchers have noted the high level of honesty at OA meetings and pointed out that working the Twelve Steps reinforces this quality.^[2]

Spirituality

Some researchers have found that in spite of its perceived high importance to the program that spirituality does not correlate with measures of weight loss, while others have found somewhat contradictory conclusions. In particular and increased sense of spirituality was correlated with positive gains in eating attitudes, less body shape concerns, and positive psychological and social functioning. However, measures of religiosity and particular religious affiliations have never been found to correlate with treatment outcomes.^[2][8][11]

Demographic abstinence differences

Some research has found the average length of abstinence for bulimics in OA was significantly higher than the average length for binge eaters. Paradoxically, bulimics were also found to attend fewer meetings, and had less of a commitment to write their thoughts and feelings down daily. However, The frequency of relapse for bulimics and binge eaters was not significant. The differences may be explained by the predictable nature of the bulimic cycle. Other research has found binge eaters in OA had better success than bulimics. Most OA members who have reported negative experiences in the program are anorexic. This could be caused by OA's focus on problems of eating too much rather than too little. Some OA practices, such as refraining from eating certain kinds of foods, are antithetical in the case of anorexics. Though, most anorexics have a previous history of bulimia.^[2][12]

Results

The average weight loss of participants in OA has been found to be 21.8 pounds. Survey results show that 90% of OA has responded that their lives have improved either "somewhat, much, or very much" in their emotional, spiritual, career, and social lives. OA's emphasis on group commitment and psychological and spiritual development provided a framework for developing positive, adaptive, and self-nurturing treatment opportunities.^[2][8]

Changes in worldview

Changes in worldview are believe to be critical for individuals in the recovery process, as they are generally accompanied by significant behavioral changes. According, several research have identified world view transformation in members of various self-help groups engaged in addiction issues. Such research describes "worldview" has having four domains: (1) experience of self; (2) Universal Order/God; (3) relationships with others; (4) perception of the problem. In OA members changed their beliefs that (1) "it is bad to eat" to "one must eat to stay alive and should not feel guilty about it"; (2) "one is simply overweight and needs to lose pounds" to "one has underlying psychological and interpersonal problems"; (3) "one must deprecate oneself, deprive oneself, please other people" to "it is okay to express positive feelings about oneself and take care of one's needs"; (4) "food is the answer to all problems, the source of solace" to "psychological and emotional needs should be fulfilled in relationships with people"; "I am a person who eats uncontrollably" to "I am someone who has limitations and does not eat what is harmful for me."^[13]

Understanding of control

The act of binging and purging provides the bulimic with the illusion that she can regain a sense of control. Binge eating has been described as a "futile attempt to restock depleted emotional stores, when attempts at doing everything perfectly have failed." The self-destructive behavior of injecting intoxicating drugs parallels overeating in that it permits the user not only to experience comfort, but to feel deservedly punished when through.^[2]

In relationships, many OA members attested to trying to obtain absolute control of their own lives and those of others. Paradoxically, OA member's experience of themselves was also characterized by strong feelings of personal failure, dependence, despair, stress, nervousness, low self-esteem, powerlessness, lack of control, self-pity, frustration and loneliness. As part of these feelings, the self was perceived as being both a victim of circumstances and a victim of the attitude of others. Many members viewed this lack of self-esteem as deriving from their external appearance. Harsh self-criticism is a typical characteristic, accompanied by feelings of "I don't deserve it," and "I'm worth less than others." Such feelings were found to have a dominant influence on the structure of relationships with others.^[13]

The members describe their sense of relaxation and liberation and the concomitant growing value of restraint and modesty in their lives. Their testimonies show that, paradoxically, it is by becoming aware of their powerlessness and accepting the self's basic limitations that they start to feel the recovering self's growing power. At the same time, personal responsibility replaces self-pity and the expectation that others will act for the good of the individual. In this attitude, egocentricity and exaggerated, false self-confidence perpetuate the problem that led them to join OA. While eating disorder was active many OA members claimed that their experience of self was composed of an obsessive aspiration for perfection that concealed their sense of worthlessness.^[13]

Comparisons

The main difference between Twelve Step work and cognitive-behavioral therapy is the acceptance of a Higher Power and providing peer support. A large study, known as Project Match, compared the two approaches as well as motivational enhancement therapy in treating alcoholics. The Twelve Step programs were found to be more effective in promoting abstinence. However, some researchers have found that cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment for bulimics. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive.^[2]

OA is most appropriate for patients who need intensive emotional support in losing weight. Each OA group has its own character and prospective members should be encouraged to sample several groups.^[14]

Criticism

OA is different from group therapy in that it does not allow its participants to express their feelings about and directly to each other during meetings. OA meetings are intended to provide a forum for the expression of experience, strength and hope in an environment of of safety and simplicity.^[2]

Feminist

OA has been the target of feminist criticism for encouraging bulimic and binge eating women to accept powerlessness over food. Feminists criticize that the perception of powerlessness adversely affects women's ongoing struggle for empowerment. Similarly, teaching people they are powerless is liable to encourage passivity and prevent binge eaters and bulimics from developing coping skills. These effects would be most devastating for women who have suffered oppression, distress, and self-hatred. In these criticisms Twelve Step programs are described as inherently male organizations that force female members to accept self-abasement, powerlessness, external focus, and rejection of responsibility inherent — qualities attributed to male religion and politics. Surrender is described as invoking images of women passively submitting their lives to male doctors, teachers, and ministers. Alternatively, they suggest that women would do better to focus on pride rather than on humility.^[2][13]

Fanaticism

Opponents of Twelve Step programs argue that members become cult-like in their adherence to the program, which can have a destructive influence, isolating those in the programs. Moreover this kind of fanaticism may lead to perception that other treatment modalities are unnecessary. Surveys of OA members has found that they exercise regularly, attend religious services, engage in individual psychotherapy and are being prescribed antidepressants. This is evidence that participants do not avoid other useful therapeutic interventions outside of Twelve Step programs.^[2]

Vagueness of abstinence in OA

The concept of abstinence in OA has been criticized for its inherent ambiguity. While in AA abstinence means not drinking alcohol, there is no direct analogy for compulsive eaters.^[2]

Literature

OA also publishes the book Overeaters Anonymous (referred to as the "Brown Book"), The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, For Today (a book of daily meditations), the OA Journal for Recovery, a monthly periodical known as Lifeline, and several other books.^[2] The following list is comprehensive.

• Overeaters Anonymous (January 2001). Overeaters Anonymous. Torrance, California: Overeaters Anonymous, Incorporated. ISBN 1889681024. OCLC 47722165.
• Overeaters Anonymous (October 1993). The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous. Torrance, California: Overeaters Anonymous. ISBN 0960989862. OCLC 30004811.
• Overeaters Anonymous (1995). Journal to Recovery (Overeaters Anonymous). ISBN 0960989889.
• Overeaters Anonymous (October 1994). Abstinence: Members of Overeaters Anonymous Share Their Experience, Strength, and Hope. Rio Rancho, New Mexico: Overeaters Anonymous. ISBN 0960989870. OCLC 32666911.
• Overeaters Anonymous (April 1993). The Twelve-Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous. Torrance, California: Overeaters Anonymous. ISBN 0960989854. OCLC 30170467.
• Overeaters Anonymous (October 1990). Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous. Torrance, California: Overeaters Anonymous. ISBN 0960989838. OCLC 22811051.
• Overeaters Anonymous (1998). A New Beginning: Stories of Recovery from Relapse. Rio Rancho, New Mexico: Overeaters Anonymous. ISBN 1889681016. OCLC 40664593.

See also

• Jenny Craig
• List of Twelve-Step groups
• TOPS
• Weight Watchers

External links

• Overeaters Anonymous
• Listen to Overeaters Anonymous speakers

References

1. ^ Thomas, Paul R. (1995). Weighing the Options: Criteria for Evaluating Weight-management Programs. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. ISBN 0309051312. OCLC 31740377.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q} Kriz, Kerri-Lynn Murphy (May 2002). The Efficacy of Overeaters Anonymous in Fostering Abstinence in Binge-Easting Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
3. ^ Alcoholics Anonymous (1976-06-01). Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. ISBN 0916856593. OCLC 32014950.
4. ^ Alcoholics Anonymous (2002-02-10). Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. Hazelden. ISBN 0916856011. OCLC 13572433.
5. ^ Lerner, Helen; R., Helene (1989). Take It Off and Keep It Off. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0809244934. OCLC 19887525.
6. ^ Johnson, William G.; Grieve, Frederick G.; Adams, Christina D.; Sandy, Jamie (January 1998). "Measuring Binge Eating in Adolescents: Adolescent and Parent Versions of the Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns". International Journal of Eating Disorders. ISSN 0276-3478.
7. ^ ^{a b c} (1994) Tools of Recovery. Rio Rancho, New Mexico: Overeaters Anonymous World Service, 8.
8. ^ ^{a b c d} Wasson, Diane H.; Jackson, Mary (2004). "An Analysis of the Role of Overeaters Anonymous in Women's Recovery from Bulimia Nervosa". Eating Disorders. DOI:10.1080/10640260490521442. ISSN 1532-530X.
9. ^ OA San Diego County Intergroup (2000-08-17). Food Plans in Overeaters Anonymous: A Chronological History. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
10. ^ Dignity of Choice. Dignity of Choice. Overeaters Anonymous World Service (2000). Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
11. ^ Smith, Faune Taylor; Hardman, Randy K.; Richards, P. Scott; Fischer, Lane (2003). "Intrinsic Religiousness and Spiritual Well-Being as Predictors of Treatment Outcome Among Women with Eating Disorders". Eating Disorders 11 (1): 15-26. DOI:10.1080/10640260390167456. ISSN 1532-530X.
12. ^ Joranby, Lantie; Pineda, Kimberly Front; Gold, Mark S. (2005). "Addiction to Food and Brain Reward Systems". Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity 12 (2): 201-217. DOI:10.1080/10720160500203765. ISSN 1532-5318.
13. ^ ^{a b c d} Ronel, Natti; Libman, Galit (Summer 2003). "Eating Disorders and Recovery: Lessons from Overeaters Anonymous". Clinical Social Work Journal 31 (2).
14. ^ Tsal, Adam Gllden; Wadden, Thomas A. (January 2005). "Systematic Review: An Evaluation of Major Commercial Weight Loss Programs in the United States". Annals of Internal Medicine 142 (1): 56-66. ISSN 0003-4819.