Once we have become aware of our past life patterns, ask God to help us change, and make amends to ourselves and others, we feel absolutely free - for awhile. It doesn't take us long to find out that though we have made progress, we have not achieved perfection. We need the Tenth Step to maintain our freedom from inner conflict. We can only maintain spiritual and emotional growth by continuing to look at ourselves honestly. Often we do not clearly see the games we play and the self-destructive patterns that hinder us.
Several methods are usual for increasing our self-awareness.
Sponsorship is invaluable for teaching us to be honest and vulnerable with one person. We gain the insight of that person's perspective. Counseling, either from Insight counselors or from another professional, increases our understanding and helps us resolve difficult conflicts and situations. Reading positive self-help literature increases our scope of awareness and understanding. We also do brief daily inventories, either written or mental, to develop the habit of facing uncomfortable feelings and difficult situations.