Step One, Week Six: October 18th, 2023

Reading assignment:

Yellow workbook pages 26 – 27; Red Book pages 22 – 23 and 27 – 34

Recommended weekly reading:

“The Laundry List” or “The Problem,” “The Solution,” and “The Promises” on pages 587-591 of the Red Book or in the first several pages of the yellow workbook;

“The Twelve Steps” on pages 91-92 of the Red Book (also on pages 1-2 of the workbook); and

“The Twelve Traditions” on page 592 of the Red Book

Suggested supplemental reading: 

The first 100 pages of the ACA Red Book (to be read over several weeks)

BRB (Red Book) Chapter 7

Tradition Ten (the tradition for the month of October) in depth starting on page 538 of the BRB

The Step One chapter of “A Codependent’s Guide To The Twelve Steps” by Melody Beattie (available used on Amazon.com for around $4.00 USD.)* See ACAWSO’s Literature Policy: “It has always been accepted that ACA should remain eclectic in choosing literature. That is, ACA meetings may draw from various sources without censorship.”

“Days of Healing, Days of Joy: Daily Meditations for Adult Children” by Earnie Larson and Carol Larson Hegarty (available used on Amazon.com for around $4.00 USD.)* See ACAWSO’s Literature Policy: “It has always been accepted that ACA should remain eclectic in choosing literature. That is, ACA meetings may draw from various sources without censorship.”

This week’s step study questions are found on pages 31 – 32 of the yellow workbook under the heading “Denial”:

1. Was I forced to depend upon an abusive or neglectful parent for food and shelter?
2. Did I ignore my feelings of shame, fear and neglect to survive my childhood?
3. Did I monitor my parents’ feelings or moods to determine how I should feel? Was I only happy when my parents were happy and sad when they were sad? (List an example.)
4. Am I honest about how my parents treated me when I was growing up? Did I fear one parent or both parents?
5. ALSO SEE: Pages 34-43 of the yellow workbook, to be completed over our several weeks of Step One work.

Deep Dive questions:

A. What is the first age you remember emotional abuse taking place? What was the pattern, and who was doing it?

B. How did you cope with the emotional abuse? Do you remember what you told yourself about it?

C. How did the abuser’s actions and words make you feel about yourself?

D. In thinking about emotional abuse, how does ignoring it, denying it, or accepting it lead to perpetuating it in your own life?

© Gregory L. Jantz Ph.D’s Healing The Scars Of Emotional Abuse