EA CONNECTION - JULY 2017Your monthly newsletter from ISC
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EA RECOVERY TOOLSFROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
As part of our ongoing efforts to identify ways EA as an organization can better serve its members, the Board is encouraging regional gatherings in lieu of an Annual Convention this year. I’m
pleased to say that multiple regions are now planning events!
Keep up on where and when these are happening by going tothe website – both on the event calendar and on the homepage
banner, through the app, and in your email. We’ll be sending
event information out to both group contacts and anyone whohas asked to be on our email list as we receive it. If you want tobe added to the email list, just send Bobbie Jo a request or go to
Mail List. You’ll get the Connection each month as well as region-specific and organizational information periodically.

Attached to this issue is a guide for planning a regional gathering
we thought might be helpful. We have more detailed information if you need it. The ISC and your Board of Trustees arehere to serve EA members – we do this in many ways – writing
and approving new materials, actively sharing EA’s message,
answering questions about the program, providing the means topurchase material, listening to members’ ideas and implementing new ways – all to make sure that the EA program ofrecovery is as strong and as far-reaching as it can be.
Thank you for whatever you may be doing at your local level on
behalf of the EA program. Please let us at the ISC know what you
are doing so that we can share that information with others.
Want to get more involved? Go to Service on our website…

Event Calendar
Be sure to check the Event Calendar on the EA
website for activities in your area .
Notify the ISC if you are holding a special
event you would like to see on the calendar.
Send your notices to: Elaine, EA Director

Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove ourshortcomings.
Tradition 7: Every EA group ought to be fully
self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Helpful Concept 7: Emotions Anonymous is a
spiritual program, not a religious program.
We do not advocate any particular belief system.
Promise 7: Self-seeking slips away.

Just for today 7: Just for today I will have aprogram. I may not follow it exactly, but I will
have it. I will save myself from two pests—
hurry and indecision.

EAnon
Many of the shares used in the EA Connection arefrom our online discussion group, EAnon. Clickhere to learn more about EAnon

Of Importance to Groups

1. We’re hearing that some groups are being asked for insurance
at the location of their meeting. Please know that the ISC does
NOT provide any sort of insurance coverage.
2. Has your group contact or meeting information changed? EmailBobbie Jo with updates. Correct information on the website listingis important so newcomers can find a meeting or someone to contact questions.

Memorials and Special Gifts
In memory of Phyllis G, a 20+ year member—Irene K OH
In memory of Joseph S, who loved EA—Pat G FL
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RECOVERY USING THE TOOLS OF EA

I've woken this morning feelingrefreshed and clear headed. I've
been taking very good care of myself
the last few days. I've ditched thedeep books, surrendered thestudying, opened up about myfeelings with others. I've had earlynights, warm baths, good prayer
times and generally taken care ofmyself, and I think it's working.
I read the share about grief thismorning. It resonated with me
because grief and healing were on
my mind yesterday. I sense that overthe last couple of years I've been
grieving the loss/ending of mycareer. I've been in a permanentbargaining stage, that I equate toanxiety, asking my HP if I could justdo this, or maybe that, or whatever,rather than to simply retire fromwork and build a new life. Yetinterspersed with this I've had
periods of being adjusted toretirement. A funny sense of being
both tied to the past and reachingout to the future at the same time,
has caused me a lot of anxiety, what
did my HP want me to do?

Step 7, humbly asked Him to remove
our shortcomings. I had missed an
important part that I read in myrecovery workbook some time ago
but didn't register. "Until it goes
away, you can begin to change
what you are able to about thedefect, but you must be willing tolearn to live with the defect in yourlife, knowing you have surrenderedit, and love yourself anyway, until it
is removed"

I'm suddenly aware that I have notbeen willing to live with my defects.
I have assumed that I should be able
to rid myself of all my defects rightnow, and that by working hard to besomething other than what I am mydefects would go away. This isdenial, and has put me under hugepressure.
I need instead to be realistic,
accepting that at the moment I am
an intense person and that my life
choices need to reflect this until
such time as God takes this defectfrom me. I need to surrender theneed to be perfect...Ian
One of the defects I’ve been
preparing to ask God to remove in
Step 7 is my terrible habit ofavoiding my feelings. So on my walkeach morning, I’ve been practicing
trying to access my feelings.
This is going to sound really crazy,
but over the past few days I’ve beentalking to my feelings and trying tocoax them out. Sort of like: “It’s ok
to come out sadness.” Or, “It’s safe
to be here fear.” And then I
peacefully wait. It actually sort ofworks. After a little bit of that, I do
feel my feelings and emotions
deeper and richer and I do start toprocess them better. I’ve evenbegun to think of my emotions as
my new friends. I’m very hesitant toshare this because it sounds sostrange, but if I’m honest withmyself, I need to admit that it really
does help me. ...Chris2

The Just For Today’s have been very
helpful for me, I used them daily
when I first came into EA and they
were life altering.
At times, that has meant taking thetiniest of baby steps. If I don't wantto cook, don't feel that I can possibly
cook, but must prepare a meal for
my family, I can go into the kitchen
and set a pan on the stove, thenleave. As a next step, I can gathersome ingredients and put them next
to the stove then back to the couch.
Baby, baby steps, all the way
through the clean-up. If myimmediate goal is to get plates outof the cupboard, I can do just that.
That's accepting myself and living to
the best of my ability. A baby step
could be simply opening a book to apage that needs to be read. That's astep. That's having a program andthat's not trying to solve the wholething at once...Kim

I need to get back to my gratitude
practice to keep depression at bay. I
have been feeling a bit of it recently.
Today l am grateful that l am still
standing by the grace of God, my H.
P., and that l am still here and still in
the fight. I am grateful for the sunnyskies that we had today after
yesterday's cloudy weather, but
grateful for the rain we had at night.
I'm grateful for my serenity at theend of the day and for the tools ofthe program that help me keep
it...JoeDISCOVERING THE TOOLS OF EA:My Journey as a Newcomer
Today marks the seventh day of my journey in Emotions Anonymous. Last Monday night my wife gave me an ultimatum: get my emotions under control or she would be forced to take the kids and move on. That was the eye opener
that I needed. I have known that I did not have control over my emotions and I now know that I will never be able tocontrol my emotions as they are natural and God-given, but I am in control over how I react to those emotions.
Through this Loop, research, prayer, mediation, journaling, online EA meetings, in-person AA meetings, and opening up
to others has been exactly what I needed! In general, I have been more at peace with myself, my wife, my kids, and life.
I laughed and played with my kids more in the last week than I can sadly say has happened in a long time. I justneed to remind myself that I am new to this whole way of thinking and that it takes time to change thinking...MarkWhen I Found EA
A little cosmic "magic" happened when I made a call about an EA meeting. Someone actually came and picked me up togo to my first meeting. All I did was cry for a long time in meetings, but I was getting something each time I went. I started to read the literature. I started to attempt to hand over my life to a power greater than myself. Over and over I
worked Steps 1,2 and 3. I was so surprised by the innovative and unexpected ways HP gave solutions I would have nevercome up with. It took time for me to also surrender to the fact my "dis-ease" was treatable with medication, something
I resisted for about two years. But the most profound was the sanity I felt returning. I am so grateful for the return ofmy sense of humor. Also my sense of trust along with my belief in love and life again. I'm very grateful for this program.
Being human I don't ever get it "perfect" and I stumble to this day, sometimes straight into an emotional trap, by forgetting to trust my HP. Talk to my HP. Work with my HP. Connect here and sometimes meetings with other EA members. But it truly does work when I work it!!! And I can get out of emotional trenches a heck of a lot quicker thanks tothis program...MLNew to EAnon and EA
I’m still trying to get the hang of things but I wanted to thank all of you for your openness. I read all of the e-mails andI'm learning from them. I'm learning that although I may be powerless over others I do have power over what I do andwhat I think and how I act. I know I need to give myself a different perspective on how I look at things which will in turnhelp me adjust my attitude when I start to overthink things which causes my anxiety and depression to kick into highgear. I am realizing more and more that I need to channel my emotions differently in order to deal with my anxiety anddepression in a healthier manner. With that said, today was a good day. I am grateful that my car did not overheat today, I'm grateful I had a job interview today, I'm grateful I had food to eat and air to breathe. I'm grateful I'm alive today
to be able to enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful blue skies. I'm grateful for this group that I can learn to grow...Cisca

Help from the EA Book
Through reading my EA book I am learning to be a better me. Though I know it will take time I have hope. I am
determined for this to work for me for not just my future but for the present. Slowly I am becoming less angry. I find my anger more of my own insecurity. I allow myself to over think my reactions and find myself angry for it. No
longer will I allow anyone to make me feel less of myself through their judgements or criticism. Though it is a struggle tocontrol my reactions when it comes to my anger I find myself more controlled . Through this program I hope to accomplish being at peace in my life.
No more regrets, no more anger, no more excuses. I surrender to my higher power and let god show me the way to hiswill for me. I hope this program helps everyone in the way it is slowly helping me. I encourage others with emotional
battles to join the program; hopefully I can inspire them through my own experience. Thank you EA for giving people asafe haven to be comfortable in getting help...Jasmine
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2016—2017 EA BOARD OF TRUSTEESGus S, AZ

Scott J, MN

Harold F, NH

602-319-3890
schloessergus@gmail.com

507-276-0323
sdjakel@gmail.com
Vice President/Treasurer(from Region 1/GST)

603-425-2141
hthnhhugs@yahoo.com(from Region 5/GST)

President (from Region 2)
Valerie C, NY

John W, MN

585-371-4347
valcea@gmx.com
Secretary (from Region 5/GST)

612-760-0313
johnwerner52@gmail.com(from Region 1)“ The Concepts provide us with the basic structure of EA”
Thoughts from your Trustees: Helpful Concept 7:
Emotions Anonymous is a spiritual program, not a religious
program. We do not advocate any particular belief system.
EA is a spiritual program not a religious program. We do not advocate any particular belief system. I work as a pastor. Nonetheless, or perhaps because of thisfact , I strongly uphold this position. Praying Christian prayers during an E.A.
meeting is , as the British would say "bad form". We advocate a space at ourmeetings and in our program for the atheist and for the religious person by following this concept carefully. It's time for E.A. to be more sensitive to those whostruggle with god-language. We can do this by following EA guidelines...Scott
Our program is spiritual in nature. EA does not recommend any specific churchor religious sect. We believe in a Higher Power. A members Higher Power is basedon their beliefs which often comes from working the program of Emotions Anonymous. The word God can represent a members understanding of their Higher
Power. We ask our Higher Power for help when we need help. The only formal
prayer we use is the Serenity prayer. We do not use any religious doctrine; it is not
welcome at our meeting, nor is talk about religious beliefs...Harold

REGIONS OF EMOTIONS ANONYMOUS
Region 1: Northwest
CAN: AB, BC, MB, ON, SK
USA: AK, ID, MN, MT, ND, OR, SD, WA, WI, WY
Region 2: Southwest
USA: AZ, CA, CO, HI, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT
Region 3: Central
USA: IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NE
Region 4: Southeast
USA:Puerto RicoRegion 5: Northeast
CAN: NB, NF, NS, NT, PE,YT
USA: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT

While both Religion and Spirituality can be helpful for many people in recovery,
our HP clearly reminds us that we are a spiritual program and not a religious one.
What’s the difference? Religion is an organized social system of beliefs and practices, while Spirituality is part of all of us as all have been created by god (HP) withnumerous capabilities, such as sight, hearing, etc. which are not religious. Spiritual,
yes. Religious, no...Gus
REFLECTION FOR TODAY—January 21
I once overheard that the way you can tell a spiritual thing from somethingmaterial is in sharing. When you share something material, the more you
share it, the smaller portion each person gets. On the other hand, when you
share something spiritual, its value is simply multiplied by the number of persons with whom you share. They may in turn share it, thus increasing it athousand fold...
4Region 6: French-speaking Canada

Emotions Anonymous™
Hours Monday—Thursday: 10 to
3:30
Phone 651-647-9712
Fax 651-647-1593
PO Box 4245
St Paul, MN 55104
www.EmotionsAnonymous.org
director@emotionsanonymous.org
editor@emotionsanonymous.org
groupdata@emotionsanonymous.orginfo@emotionsanonymous.org

A Guide to Planning an EA Gathering
Whether your group wants to plan a workshop, retreat, conference or other sort of programbased gathering, please know that the ISC is here to help however we can. The following ismeant to help you start thinking about making something happen in your area.
There are no requirements for holding an event, other than that all activities are guided by thetraditions and concepts of the EA program. Items to consider include:•Identifying a committee both large and able enough to get things done.
It’s a good idea to have at least a chairperson for the overall committee.
If you break the work into sub-committees you want someone responsible in eachcommittee as a chairperson.
•Clear tasks for committee members, which could include:
Speaker identification/solicitation
Decorations/creating a welcoming atmosphere
Program materials/flyers – creation and printing
A/V management•Location for the event
Consider a local hotel, but also think about your local community center, library, university campus etc.
Make sure parking is available!
•Length of your event
If it will be more than one day you might want to consider identifying a hotel close by –and ask for a discounted room rate for participants!
•Topic
It is good to have a main theme for the event. People will want to know the topic before signing up, as well as at least an idea of the rest of the program.

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A Guide to Planning an EA Gathering -Continued•FormatAre you going to have separate speakers? A keynote address? An EA meeting at thestart or end? Do you want to plan for workshops (where you actually work on something) or speakers (where you listen to someone without any action). Retreats tend tohave more of a spiritual component than conferences/workshops.
•Food
Will your event be happening over mealtimes? Will you bring food in? From where?
Will that be a separate charge from the registration fee? Could you ask participants to
do a pot-luck?
•Fees
You need to cover your costs – some of which could be:
Location rental
Microphone rental
Food expenses
Publicity costs – flyer creation/printing/mailings (ISC can help get the word outat no cost)
Speaker fees (if necessary)
DecorationsRecording costs

It would be very helpful to EA as a whole if part of your fee was directed to the ISC as acontribution or if you would schedule a time to ask for donations during the event. Typically, some of the income the ISC relies on comes from the Annual Convention.
•How the ISC can help
Building awareness
Posted on the app
Posted on the news feed on the homepage
Listed on the website event calendar
Emails sent to all group contacts (300) and individuals on our email list (1,500)
Notice in the Connection
Informational flyers sent with orders
Notice on the Loop/EAnon
Planning assistance
Logistics (help thinking through issues of location, duration etc)
Assistance in choosing topics, vetting speakers etc.
Registration - The ISC can manage your registrations through our website
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