Humans Anonymous 12 Step Recovery Programme

STEP 4: "We conduct a loving and fearless inventory of ourselves, our behaviour, and the thoughts and feelings that go with it. You will find many ways of doing this in various Twelve Step fellowships and recovery programmes. The Humans Anonymous Step 4 is just one of them, designed to change the patterns of thought and feeling that most damage us, and to gently heal the emotional wounds we have developed over the years."

STEP 4: "In our experience one of the things we all have in common, as people with addictive or compulsive traits, are certain underlying feelings or thoughts about ourselves and the world around us. These views are often negative, and these negative patterns of thoughts and feeling imprison us, lock us into a way of thinking which feeds our addictive or compulsive nature. By identifying and gradually releasing these negative thoughts and feelings we can reach a more positive state of being where we are more emotionally stable, happy and at peace with ourselves. This, in turn, helps us keep at bay our addictions and compulsions as well as providing a better quality of life."

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EXTRACT FROM STEP 8
"We can move on to the second stage, that of taking responsibility for our words and actions. We need to be careful not to turn this process into a D.I.Y. courtroom in which we, the accused, either try to wriggle out of facing the facts or indulge in an o**y of guilt and self-hatred. We need to recognise in some cases the harm done was unintentional, or done in the grip of our compulsive and addictive patterns of thought and behaviour. We may not have intended to knock down a pedestrian but as a drunk driver we need to accept responsibility for it. We may love our partner but if we hit them in a jealous rage the harm is no less real. At the same
time we need to be careful not to assume that our misdeeds, however terrible they may seem to us, mean that we are unforgivably wicked people. What we did and what we are, are not the same."

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STEP FIVE

“We share our inventory with the Loving Spirit and another human being without the need for self-recrimination".

The first and most important task in this Step is that we simply tell the truth. In Step 4 we made a start in self-honesty; in Step 5 we develop our honesty further. We do this by sharing our Step 4 inventory with the Loving Spirit and another human being. We just tell someone what happened, what we felt about it, what our underlying agenda was and the ways we now see we can move forward. Whatever our problems were, we can always work towards a solution. The release may be quick or it may take much longer; the important point is that it can be done. With the light of truth, our Loving Spirit can work through us to cleanse our being of the old negative messages. Our inner light will shine through, if we prepared to work for it and if we let it happen.

STEP 8: "We are trying to empathise with the feelings of those we have harmed. Of course, no two people's reaction to hurt and damage are identical, but we can gain a rough idea of how we might have felt. We do this exercise not to punish ourselves, but to help us break out of our emotional isolation and self-centredness and prepare for the process of forgiveness. We may find that we have done to others what we most dislike being done to us. We have the opportunity here to develop our sense of compassion for others as well as ourselves."

STEP 8:
I forgive myself
For everything I have ever done.
From the smallest white lie
To the greatest crimes against humanity
forgive them all.

I forgive, too, my enemies
All those who have hurt and humiliated me
All the injustices and slights
All the misunderstandings and lack of recognition
All the brusqueness and insensitivities
All the terrible, the worst damage
All of it.

I stretch out my hand in compassion
And understanding
I have been there too
I have been there too.

We are all one
We are all one
We can forgive each other
We can even forgive ourselves
And today
I do.

EXTRACT FROM STEP 12:
The further we are along the road of recovery the more we have to give. Many people can benefit from our personal experiences – the mistakes as well as the successes - providing we bear in mind three key points:

1. That we do not try to impose our views on others or
unsolicited advice. Our strength is our message, but it is
only for those who are ready to hear.
2. That we can talk about only what we have actually experienced or know, and that we bear in mind that which is valid and appropriate for us may not be so for everyone.
3. We do not need to be plaster-cast saints; we can simply
speak our own truth - the understanding we have gained, the skills we have mastered, the mistakes we have made, our doubts and fears as well as our triumphs.

HUMANS ANONYMOUS STEP 4: "Notice in all this that we are not taking the inventory of those whom we feel have caused us problems. That does not mean we condone their behaviour, nor does it mean we think it is all our fault. In fact, it is very important to put aside any question of blame at this stage. What we are doing - and this is the second major function of Step 4 - is leaming to take responsibility for our thoughts and feelings. The stuff of recovery is changing ourselves, not others."

"We are in the business of examining our lives to change and get well, not to produce a catalogue of sins for which we feel we must punish ourselves. There may be many things we have done which we would never seriously consider doing in the cold light of day when we reflect upon them. Whatever we did demonstrates the power of addiction and the depths to which it can drag us, not what evil people we are."
From STEP 5 of Humans Anonymous "Compulsions and Addictions
Steps to Recovery."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! BONNE ANNÉE!!!
Wishing you all the best for 2024.

STEP 8: FORGIVENSS

I forgive myself
For everything I have ever done.
From the smallest white lie
To the greatest crimes against humanity
forgive them all.

I forgive, too, my enemies
All those who have hurt and humiliated me
All the injustices and slights
All the misunderstandings and lack of recognition
All the brusqueness and insensitivities
All the terrible, the worst damage
All of it.

I stretch out my hand in compassion
And understanding
I have been there too
I have been there too.

We are all one
We are all one
We can forgive each other
We can even forgive ourselves
And today
I do.

STEP 5: "The second issue involved in Step 5 is trust. We need to find someone (most usually our sponsor) with whom we feel we can share our innermost secrets. We need to feel confident that they will not shame or judge us, for many of us already feel guilty or embarrassed enough about our past. Yet there is no need for self- recrimination. We are in the business of examining our lives to change and get well, not to produce a catalogue of sins for which we feel we must punish ourselves. There may be many things we have done which we would never seriously consider doing in the cold light of day when we reflect upon them. Whatever we did demonstrates the power of addiction and the depths to which it can drag us, not what evil people we are."

STEP5: “We share our inventory with the Loving Spirit and another human being without the need for self-recrimination".

"The first and most important task in this Step is that we simply tell the truth. In Step 4 we made a start in self-honesty; in Step 5 we develop our honesty further. We do this by sharing our Step 4 inventory with the Loving Spirit and another human being. We just tell someone what happened, what we felt about it, what our underlying agenda was and the ways we now see we can move forward. Whatever our problems were, we can always work towards a solution. The release may be quick or it may take much longer; the important point is that it can be done. With the light of truth, our Loving Spirit can work through us to cleanse our being of the old negative messages. Our inner light will shine through, if we prepared to work for it and if we let it happen."

"Addicts and people controlled by compulsive behaviour have no real choice. We are driven by our cravings and obsessions into self-destructive and anti-social behaviour. We are not free. Of course, one hears a lot from people in the grip of compulsion and active addiction about "getting my way" and "doing exactly what I want". Of course, we break social conventions, rules, laws etc so that "our will” triumphs - but this is an illusion. It is not "our will" in the true sense of the word that triumphs, but the will of compulsion and addiction. In truth, we are prisoners, and prisoners we shall remain unless we can find a force greater than our addiction or compulsion."
FROM STEP 3 HUMAN ANONYMOUS: Compulsions and Addictions
Steps to Recovery

A thought from 'Mindful Direction'...

We are pleased to announce the Humans Anonymous 12 Step Recovery text is now available as an eBook. If you would like a copy, please email us at [email protected].

EXTRACT FROM STEP 5: "In Step 5 we give voice to our innermost thoughts and emotions in a way we may not have done before. In so doing we begin to get in touch with our feelings that we have so carefully suppressed with drugs, alcohol, food or whatever. This can be both a joyful and a painful experience. Joyful because we can sense the wholeness of our being and experience the full range of emotions which it is normal for a human to feel. Painful because many of our memories are sad and lonely; our isolation can seem to be too much to bear for only we can truly feel what we feel. Yet at the same time we are not alone. In the fellowships we can share with others who may well echo our emotions. And in the fullness of time, a hurt, properly grieved for, can be let go."

PRAYER OF FORGIVENESS: STEP 8

I forgive myself
For everything I have ever done.
From the smallest white lie
To the greatest crimes against humanity
forgive them all.

I forgive, too, my enemies
All those who have hurt and humiliated me
All the injustices and slights
All the misunderstandings and lack of recognition
All the brusqueness and insensitivities
All the terrible, the worst damage
All of it.

I stretch out my hand in compassion
And understanding
I have been there too
I have been there too.

We are all one
We are all one
We can forgive each other
We can even forgive ourselves
And today
I do.

"The conclusions we draw from the events in our early lives can have profound effects on our behaviour, even if we are not conscious of them at the time. We may decide life is hard and cruel, or that we are worthless, or unlovable: whatever the negative thoughts are, they are often repeated, over and over again so that like a self-fulfilling prophecy we seem drawn to people or situations that confirm our view of the world or ourselves." Adapted from STEP 4 of HUMAN ANONYMOUS

FROM STEP 11: During the course of our recovery, we may experience a shift in our relationship with the Loving Spirit. When we first started our journey our sense of a Higher Power may have been rather vague. We may have retained a religious faith but somehow in practical terms the right link was not there. In either case our perception of the Loving Spirit was probably very much outside of ourselves. We sought its help and protection but at this stage it might have seemed something quite separate from us.

In time however, a subtle change seems to occur. It's as if we move closer to the Loving Spirit and it begins to fill our being, integrating with our personality. So as the compulsion and craving begins to lift, we become aware of an inner light, a source of guidance and wisdom from within. Our intuitive self, long lost in the fog of confusion and discord, begins to awaken. We begin to become whole again.