The EA Connection: June 2018Your monthly newsletter from ISC
To help support this publication donate at EA Connection

EA Tools for Recovery
Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Tradition 6: An EA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the EA name to any related facility or outside
enterprise lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Concept 6: We never discuss religion, politics, national or international issues, or other belief systems or policies. EA
has no opinion on outside issues.
Promise 6: We have less concern about self and gain interest in others.
Slogan 6: Look for the good.
Just for Today 6:

From the Director, ISC
In our ongoing effort to have more members participate
in a variety of ways, we asked a member from Sweden
for his views on the shift of the use of both “God” and“Higher Power” to just the latter in our literature. Hereare Peter M.’s thoughts:
My relationship with my Higher Power has been a troubled one. Sweden is a pretty secular country; my childhood perhaps more so than others. No religion interfered with my parents belief in the Gospel of the Brain,
the Human Brain reigned supreme. I became a rational
atheist.
So, when at age 27, my life fell apart, I was lost in more
sense than one. I had left my parents and the “tools” I
had didn’t work any longer.
At that time a friend introduced me to the 12-Step program and I felt hope! Being an atheist, of course the “G”word was troublesome. But I also saw that it said: “Godas we understood Him.” That left me breathing space.
I looked at my new friends who did have a Faith, and I
envied them. Believing in “God as we understood Him”
they seemed to have an ease about them that I missed.
Long story short: I encountered God in a quiet yet powerful way. It wasn’t easy; my long history as a devout
believer in the Brain made it, and still does sometimes,
somewhat of a struggle. But I did make up my mind
based on my own personal experiences.
Now, EA is about to change a word. Higher Power will beused instead of God in the literature. My first reaction tothe news was a knee-jerk dismissal: ‘What are they doing?’ Is this a desperate move to appease the Doubters?
Or a sensible move aiming to remove a stumbling blockfor those who have yet to discover the program? Certainly, God cares not what we call Him/Her. Having spentsome time thinking about this, I believe it’s a wisechange. The center of the program is a spiritual awakening to what it is to be a human being and how we relate
to one another. That center is much bigger than a single
word; we are talking about a word and not the Reality
behind the word. Isn’t there a risk that Higher Power ismore diluted, or weak than God? Maybe. Isn’t God amighty crutch to lean on? Yes, it may be. But it is also anauthority (the arch-typical authority) for people who all
too often have been mistreated by authorities.
In Swedish we have two words that are being discussed.
The first is kraft that is usually translated to force. The
other is makt, usually translated as power. Makt (power)
is kraft (force) with direction, with intent. Far too many
have been abused by makt and many 12-steppers reactnegatively to that word. Kraft, on the other hand,doesn’t have that association. It’s just is, like a strong
muscle or a skilled hand, and is usually not associatedwith misuse. The word God has, I fear, too many associations with bad use of power (religious wars, persecutions, etc.) The words Higher Power do not have that (atleast not yet!) Therefore, I think it’s a good move. The
future will tell if that is so.
Peter M, Sweden

Specials Gifts and Memorials
In memory of Nichole A, dearly missed by EA friends and family
Wednesday and Saturday Virginia Beach Groups, VA

Recovery using the Tools of EA
Step 6: Were entirely readyto have God remove allthese defects ofcharacter.
Thinking about Step 6, the firstthing that came to my mind was"it's a gift". I've never been able towill myself to be "entirely ready" tobe changed by HP. I have seen a lotof character defects being removed
from me and all of those removals
happened as gifts and were out ofmy control, whether they happened
over time or in a more dramatic,momentary fashion.
That said, looking back it seems I did
have to become "ready" every time
before that gift could be handed tome. In various ways. For example,
my breakdown last summer after
which I finally started trusting HP
happened only after I had worked
through a bunch of intellectual
problems I had with the idea offaith. I had to become ready in thatregard before my defects of mistrust
and will to control could be taken
away.
The point is: I had to get ready inorder for my defects to be removed,
and that process required effort on
my part but at the same time it wasutterly out of my control. All I could
do was stumble along until I
somehow emerged ready...Tobias
Step 6 helps me remain Godconscience. For me it is a spiritual
awakening step. I recall hearing at astep study meeting that the seed has
been planted, and I can choose tofollow the steps and traditions, butalso have the freedom to choose notto. The seed has been planted alsomeans once I've sat in my firstmeeting I will never forget I have aplace to go back to. Many seeds
have been planted and may growinto such attributes as healthy
thoughts, freedom of choice, andpositive attitudes. I came to a placein my program where I risked
handing over my life long painful
memories to God, I had nothing tolose.
I made a choice to give God all mycharacter defects. I knew I needed
to be willing, honest and ready tolearn and practice to grow in theprogram. I was so underdeveloped
emotionally. There were somecharacter defects I didn't want to let
go of because I had nothing toreplace them with. Little did I know I
needed to use faith and hope inGod, people, places and things. I
needed to get out of selfcenteredness. My world needed toexpand. I gave my biggest defectover to God by practicing trust in thefellowship. There were times I didn'tknow what to do and I'd ask God for
guidance. Once I did that I waited fora sign or anything to let me know I
was doing the right thing. I did nothear a sign nor any indications fromGod, I was impatient and told God
I'm going to try learning through trialand error. The co-founders did it.
Why can't I? I took the bull by thehorns and it was the answer to myquestion. I began learning to trust
myself. With so many years
watching and sharing with thefellowship, I am able to have friends
who share their experience, strengthand hope. I am no longer alone.
Humility has taught me how to live
freely and that I am responsible formy serenity and happiness...Pat M

Slogan 6: Look for thegood
They say that "gratitude changes
your attitude" and I do believe thatto be true. There are so many thingsin my life to be grateful for and themore I stay aware of these things,
the better my attitude is daily.
Today I will notice all the good there
truly is in my life. When I do that, I
know for sure that my Higher Poweris not picking on me and in fact isputting wonderful things in front ofme if I take the time to notice thosethings.
I actually can be very quick to notice
the not so nice things, so if I justswitch that to "looking for the good"instead, my attitude for the day will
be much better. I want to work more
on being really quick to notice thegood things. I will ask my Higher
Power daily for help with that.
Like if I am at a meeting and don't
like something about the meeting, I
can focus instead on the things that I"do like" about the meeting instead.
Or with a person, if I am having alittle conflict, I can focus instead on
the good about that person, insteadof the little conflict.
This does not come natural to me. It
takes work, takes letting go of petty
things and takes a Higher Power todirect me to all the good in people,
places and things. So I am grateful tohave a Higher Power to help medaily, but I just need to make sure I
ask for daily help by turning over mywill and life to that Power thatmakes my days go better. ..Connie

Discovering the tools of EA
My Addiction
I am powerless over my emotions but not my reactions to them. I am addicted to drama and chaos! Being in theEA program for many years has given me a solid foundation on which to build a life of peace and success. It has
taught me about acceptance, forgiveness and awareness. It's provided me with slogans which help fine tune eachand every day when problems occur and I need to make choices it has helped me create the energy to make thesechoices in a healthier way.
The above is a very good setting on which to build a life. But I have a history and I have a past. I lived in depression
for many, many years, I found comfort in the darkness of my depression. I created a lot of misery and pain for
those around me. I was filled with ego, a self-will run riot and addictions which include sex, cigarettes and food. I
endured myself in these addictions and hurt a lot of people in the process. I still want to have drama and chaos in
my life and so it is here. These things drive me, I get a lot of negative crap when I am in these moods but the EA
program has helped me to look for the good, and when I finally get to the other side of the negativity, I am able tofind the good.
Today, I know that I am my problem. My mind and my feelings have shaped who I am today. I know that I am
good man, willing to help and grow with others, but I am also a man who has not overcome his ego nor have I
reined in my self-will which makes being in a healthy relationship very difficult. I have to live with who I am, stillseeking the ability to lay down some of the negative things which drive my depression and to find the courage tolay these things down with the help of the EA program.
Before the program I was like most of us when I had a problem. I was always taking the inventory of someone
else. Today I realize that since I am my problem, I have the ability to change the areas where my problems lie. Before EA I could not choose this healthier way—which provides me with a great deal of gratitude...Paul HA Broken Record
I am grateful to this program and the twelve steps because to me they are much like a "broken record" that I have inmy life that brings me comfort, peace and stability because it continues to say the same things over and over so that I
can continue to heal and grow. I need this beautiful broken record in my life, this constant reminder, this guide, thisconsistency, this reliability, for this is what was missing before. These 12 steps remind me that I am never alone as I
have a HP and He walks with me as do the others in my program...Kelly

Addicted to Negativity
I was addicted to negativity. My thoughts tended to go in that direction rather than thinking of the positive.
I thought about what could go wrong in any situation, rather than what might go right. Fear would consume me. I was
afraid of failure. Hence, I did nothing for fear of making a mistake. I missed out on a lot of things in life. Due to working
the 12 steps in my life today, negativity has been checked. It is still my natural tendency to go down that road, but today I have tools to use to keep from going down that road. I rely on my Higher Power to help guide me to a positive
attitude about myself and my life. Reading EA literature reminds me I'm not alone in my thinking and I too can change
if I choose to do so.
My husband always used to say that at AA meetings they would tell newcomers to "Go to meetings. Find God. And
don't drink." I think in EA we can tell newcomers (and old-timers too) to "Go to meetings. Find God. And don't think."
Thinking (always negative) was my biggest problem and I can't tell you how many times I was told, "You
think too much." The program has taught me how to turn off my brain and stop analyzing, scrutinizing, homogenizing, pasteurizing things to death and to keep it simple by going to meetings, finding God, and notthinking so much...Renee

2017 - 2018 EA Board of Trustees
Please feel free to contact members of the Board with questions or concerns
Gus S, AZ 602-319-3890 schloesser us@gmail.com President
Scott J, MN 507-276-0323 sdjakel@gmail.com Vice President/Treasurer
John W, MN 612-760-0313 johnwerner52@gmail.com Secretary

The 12 Principles—Step 6: Willingness
Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
In the early 1950’s Twelve Step groups began informally sharing what has become known as the Principles of the 12Steps. Each step has a corresponding principle that one can keep in mind when working the steps. Below members
share how Willingness factors into Step 6 for them.
For me, the principle of Willingness always travels with her two friends: Honesty and Openness. H.O.W. (Honesty,Openness, and Willingness) form the three-part foundation of “how” we move forward in our recovery work in E.A. I
have an extremely strong will. Therefore, I must daily distinguish Willingness (with a component and “vibe” of humility) from Willfulness (“My way or the highway”). Ironically, the only “high” way that I can choose to move humbly forward in my search for serenity involves asking my Higher Power to help me trust in my H.P.’s guidance. The question
for each moment: will I be willful or willing? Scott J, Vice-president, EA Board of Trustees

Step Six is about willingness. My old habits were so entrenched. I'm not sure that I would have been willing, if I hadn't reached a bottom. That bottom was a four day coma. Pretty intense. I sure hope others do not need such a lowbottom! I advocate for the EA program because of my own experience and for my sister who never found the EA program...Carol, EA member
So, we’ve entered into, minimally, a 50/50 relationship with our Higher Power, which is certainly better than when
we first began the work of Step 6. The more we work Step 6, the more we begin to realize that it’s not always easy tochange our habitual attitudes, our thoughts and our behaviors that cause unnecessary conflict with others, ourselves
and perhaps even with our Higher Power. Yet, this 6th principle asks simply that we be willing to be open to learning
new and even better ways of doing things, even letting ourselves learn from others. So, how do we know that we’rewilling? The simple and straight answer is by doing it!… Gus S, President, EA board of Trustees

EA Seeks Step Stories for New Workbook

Emotions Anonymous™

A team of EA members are creating a new EA workbook that will be proposedto the EA Book and Literature committee later this year for publication. Theguide is called “Welcoming the Spiritual Awakening Within Me.” It will include
essays, stories, and questions to help guide members through the Steps and towelcome their own spiritual awakening.

www.EmotionsAnonymous.org

The team is looking for EA members to submit Step stories for inclusion in theworkbook. If you are interested in sending a story for consideration pleasecontact Sharon for guidelines. Please note that not every story will be able to
be included in the final version. Sharon’s email is SharonHighb2@icloud.com,
her phone is 785-633-7764. Submission deadline is June 30th.
Thanks Everyone!

Hours Mon—Thurs: 10 to 3:30
Phone 651-647-9712
Fax 651-647-1593
PO Box 4245
St Paul, MN 55104
director@emotionsanonymous.org
editor@emotionsanonymous.org
groupdata@emotionsanonymous.org
info@emotionsanonymous.org
orders@emotionsanonymous.org
shipping@emotionsanonymous.org