35 pages

In the last 7 days of class, I have taken 35 pages of typewritten notes.  Those notes are only significant because of the time, effort, and mental sweat they represent.  The thing is, if I hadn't written them, then a large portion of my work over the last 7 days would be lost.  In a real way, if we don't write it down, it never happened.

What did you have for lunch two days ago?  I'm betting you can't remember very easily, and I'm also betting you didn't write it down.  What was the last thing you said to your mother?  Keep in mind, these examples are recent history, once you take the human mind back through years and decades, this exercise quickly becomes impossible.

We are not designed to remember most things unless they are either written down or seared into our brain through the power of emotion.  In addiction psychology, there is a concept called an ECE: an emotionally charged event.  Every single person who reads this can tell me exactly where they were on the morning of September 11th.  I don't even need to say the year.  They can tell me what the weather was, who they were with, what they felt, and why it matters.  This is because the emotions of that experience seared those memories into their brains.

It is possible for one emotion to override another. In the years since September 11th, some have chosen to seize on the emotions of September 12th, when our brothers and sisters rallied around the cause of freedom.  The powerful emotions of unity and purpose of the 12th served to partially override the pain of the 11th.

Since we can't easily control our emotions, particularly if we are in the middle of battling an addiction, I suggest that we look to an activity much more within our control: writing.  If you write it, it happened.  If you have a victory, write it.  If you have a problem, write until you find the solution, then write the solution.  If you miss a friend, write and tell them so.  Write a handwritten letter and mail it to your grandmother, it just might be the highlight of her year.

If you're struggling with negative emotional patterns, and powerful old addictions and habits that stem from ECE's, you can help to re-write your brain in a more healthy manner by writing out a new world for yourself.

I will always remember the last two weeks, and I can sincerely say that it will largely be due to those 35 pages of notes.