Letting Go Of Self

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For over 30 years I have run a self-help process with a strong self-help focus for people with alcoholism and other addictions, and emotional disorders related to abuse in childhood.

It was evident to me from early on in my work that the program of Alcoholics Anonymous activates a powerful process of change for many people. However, there are a great number of people who have contact with AA but do not grasp what is available and so do not achieve recovery. So over the years I have worked hard to identify the change processes activated by the 12 step program and to relate them to various aspects of psychology, psychotherapy and philosophy.

The result is a self-help oriented self-help process which gets people started on their self help process which they continue to develop through a 12 step program. It is also a stand alone way of developing a personal self help process, and for gaining extra insights for those who already have their own self help process.

I have spent over 18,000 hours in groups with people needing help for addictions and abuse related emotional disorders and have had therapeutic contact with several thousand people. So the understandings and approaches in the self-help process are presented in language that people from all walks of life, and a wide range of educational backgrounds can understand.

Kind Regards

Jim Maclaine

Perhaps you are in recovery or seeking recovery because you have suffered from a condition or illness or problem that is built into you at a deep level.

• You may be in recovery from an addiction to alcohol or other drugs.
• You may have suffered because of emotional disturbance through neglect or abuse in your formative years, or later in life.
• You may be suffering anxiety or depression from the effect of a loved one being addicted, or from being trapped in an unworkable relationship.
• Perhaps you have a gambling problem.
• You may have a major problem with over-eating, or not eating. 
• You may have some combination of these.

Here you will find understandings, principles and practices that demonstrate how a self help process that can help you with the above problems works,  how to initiate your own, and if you are already in recovery give you ideas on how to add more to your self help process.

Many of the understandings and strategies found in these pages can be quite helpful on their own without setting out to develop a full self help process,  and they can apply to anyone who needs or wants significant change in their life and self, and a way of caring for their inner well being.

"A self help process doesn't mean you fix yourself up all by yourself. Quite the opposite; having your self help process lets you recognize when you need help and support from others, or professional help if necessary. If you were to have professional help you would find it enormously beneficial to have your own self-help process which would let you remain the central active agent in your own process of change."

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Contents

Section 1: Welcome

Section 2: The Myth of Self as Real

Section 3: Person: What you actually are

Section 4: Accepting and Letting go of self

Section 5: A Vicious Cycle

Section 6: The Key to Change

Section 7: The Power of Self is Illusory

Section 8: Loss of Self and a New Direction

Section 9: What is Self?

Section 10: A Person Trapped by Self

Section 11: Bringing About Change (part 1)

Section 12: Bringing About Change (part 2)