Bill Wilson appears to have been trapped in outer darkness from December 14, 1934, when he had his vision of God, to the very end of his life.

Now, I don't think "thrown into outer darkness" is too strong of a description of Bill's predicament. Bill Wilson appears to have been trapped in outer darkness from December 14, 1934, when he had his vision of God, to the very end of his life. Everything he wrote was insane, and he grew darker and more depressed, and more depressing to others, as he aged. Five years after he wrote the Twelve Steps, he went into a deep clinical depression that lasted for 11 years. He was so sick that all he could do was sit in his office and hold his head in his hands all day long. Lots of days, he just didn't even bother to get out of bed — he just laid in bed and stared at the ceiling all day. His ravings in his book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, which he wrote in the middle of that period of depression, 13 years after the Big Book

Bill Wilson appears to have been trapped in outer darkness from December 14, 1934, when he had his vision of God, to the very end of his life.

Now, I don't think "thrown into outer darkness" is too strong of a description of Bill's predicament. Bill Wilson appears ...

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Cigarette smoking. Bill smoked himself to death, and died of emphysema and pneumonia

After the initial rush of health that comes from quitting drinking, many people become more aware of the harm that smoking is doing to their bodies. They start to feel very depressed when they realize that they are still sick and addicted, and might die from it. But Bill wouldn't talk about that, because he was a totally addicted cigarette smoker who never quit. (Remember, we started this web page with the "spiritual" story of how Bill or one of his buddies wouldn't quit smoking.) Bill smoked himself to death, and died of emphysema and pneumonia, while telling people that smoking was okay. Bill didn't tell people to quit smoking if they felt depressed and discouraged, and wanted to feel better. He just told them to practice the Twelve Steps more. Bill was insane. <br /><br /><br />Continuing with that quote, Bill said that something bad will eventually happen in your life. I agree. It's Murphy's Law. Something bad will always happen, eventually, sooner or later. Bill said that you won't be able to handle it unless you do Bill's Twelve Steps. I disagree. There is absolutely no evidence that the Twelve Steps make you better able to handle those nasty blows and hard knocks that life can deliver, and Bill offered us no evidence of that, either. <br /><br />Then, in another verbal shell game, more slick double-talk, Bill arbitrarily declared that we surely have a chance if we switch to doing all twelve of his steps, and if we also receive the grace of God. Yes, and I surely have a chance of winning the lottery, if I buy a ticket. But how much of a chance? There is not necessarily any connection between doing Bill's Twelve Steps, and receiving grace from God, but Bill deceptively linked them together in one sentence, as if he had a special exclusive wholesale distribution arrangement with God — as if God would give you His grace only if you were willing to do all twelve of Bill Wilson's Steps. What incredible arrogance. That's Bill's insane delusions of grandeur, again. That's "The patient thinks he has a special relationship with a deity", again. <br /><br />And if you read those lines carefully, you will see that Bill was actually saying that the strength comes from receiving the grace of God — "that grace of God which can sustain and strengthen us in any catastrophe" — not from doing Bill's Twelve Steps, but Bill still wanted us to do all twelve of his Steps anyway.

Cigarette smoking. Bill smoked himself to death, and died of emphysema and pneumonia

After the initial rush of health that comes from quitting drinking, many people become more aware of the harm that smoking is doing to their...

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Bill would not let even Lois, who was dying to do so, write the chapter titled "To Wives."

Bill would not let even Lois, who was dying to do so, write the chapter titled "To Wives." After all, she was the wife who had endured Bill's drunken years and the houseful of alcoholics he was trying to wrestle into sobriety. "I have never known why he didn't want me to write about the wives, and it hurt me at first," she said.<br />Getting Better Inside Alcoholics Anonymous, Nan Robertson, pages 70-71.

Bill would not let even Lois, who was dying to do so, write the chapter titled "To Wives."

Bill would not let even Lois, who was dying to do so, write the chapter titled "To Wives." After all, she was the wife who had end...

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Alexander Lowen describes the development of a narcissistic personality disorder in a way that is reminiscent of Bill Wilson's childhood:

Alexander Lowen describes the development of a narcissistic personality disorder in a way that is reminiscent of Bill Wilson's childhood: <br /><br />All of us are vulnerable to being hurt, rejected, or humiliated. Yet not all of us deny our feelings, try to project an image of invulnerability and superiority or to strive for power. The difference lies in our childhood experiences. As children, narcissists suffer what analysts describe as a severe narcissistic injury, a blow to self-esteem that scars and shapes their personalities. This injury entials humiliation, specifically the experience of being powerlessness while another person enjoys the exercise of power and control over one. I don't believe that a single experience shapes character, but when a child is constantly exposed to humiliation in one form or another, the fear of humiliation becomes structured in the body and the mind. Such a person could easily vow: "When I grow up, I'll get power, and neither you nor anyone else will be able to do this to me again." Unfortunately, as we will see, such narcissistic injuries happen to many children in our society because parents often use power to control their children for their own personal ends.<br />Narcissism, Denial of the True Self, Alexander Lowen, M.D., pages 76-77. <br />And Bill's completely unrealistic picture of the alcoholic's family life is explained by denial: <br /><br /><br />The narcissist faces the risk of being overwhelmed by feelings and going wild, crazy, or mad, should his defense of denial break down. This is especially true of anger. Every narcissist is afraid of going crazy, because the potential for insanity is in his personality. This fear reinforces the denial of feeling, creating a vicious circle.<br />Narcissism, Denial of the True Self, Alexander Lowen, M.D., page 155. <br />That also explains Bill's strange attitude about anger. Bill insisted that you couldn't be angry at all — no matter what the reason — that it was very "unspiritual" to be angry about anything: <br /><br /><br />It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also. But are there no exceptions to this rule? What about "justifiable" anger? If somebody cheats us, aren't we entitled to be mad? Can't we be properly angry with self-righteous folk? For us in A.A. these are dangerous exceptions. We have found that justified anger ought to be left to those better qualified to handle it.<br />Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, William Wilson, page 90. <br />And Dr. Lowen explained the suppressed anger this way: <br /><br /><br />The need to project and maintain an image forces the person to prevent any feeling from reaching consciousness that would conflict with the image.<br />Narcissism, Denial of the True Self, Alexander Lowen, M.D., page 48. <br />That also gives us one cause for Bill Wilson's chronic, crippling, and long-lasting fits of depression: <br /><br /><br />Suppressed anger is a leading cause of depression.<br />Anger, Controlling the Fireworks, www.baptisteast.com/ANG001.htm <br />And another cause for the depression is that narcissists tend become depressed whenever someone contradicts their grandiose delusions. Bill certainly had enough to be depressed over. He could see with his own eyes that his so-called "spiritual program for recovery" had almost a 100% failure rate. <br /><br /><br />Narcissistic need is tremendous. Just as sharks must continually swim to keep from drowning, Narcissists must constantly demonstrate that they are special, or they will sink like stones to the depths of depression.<br />Emotional Vampires: Dealing with People Who Drain You Dry, Albert J. Bernstein, Ph.D., page 130. <br /><br />Unless the subject of the conversation is how great they are, Narcissistic vampires will become visibly bored. One of the main reasons Narcissists wear expensive watches is so they can look at them when someone else is talking.<br /> Besides boredom, Narcissistic vampires have only two other emotional states. They're either on top of the world or on the bottom of the garbage heap. The slightest frustration can burst their balloon and send them crashing to the depths.<br />Emotional Vampires: Dealing with People Who Drain You Dry, Albert J. Bernstein, Ph.D., page 136.

Alexander Lowen describes the development of a narcissistic personality disorder in a way that is reminiscent of Bill Wilson's childhood:

Alexander Lowen describes the development of a narcissistic personality disorder in a way that is reminiscent of Bill Wilson's childhood...

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Bill having a nasty problem with delusions of grandeur. Bill Wilson's life in the period of 1930 to 1934 was like this:

His hangovers and hallucinations were becoming more frequent. He panhandled and stole from his wife's purse. He would ride the subways for hours after buying a bottle of bootleg gin, talking gibberish to frightened strangers. He threw a sewing machine at Lois and stormed around their house in Brooklyn kicking out door panels. She called him a "drunken sot." He would be sober for days and weeks and then settle into bottomless bingeing. He barely ate. He was forty pounds underweight. His dark, withdrawn periods alternated with delusions of grandeur. Once he told Lois that "men of genius" conceived their best projects when drunk.<br />Getting Better Inside Alcoholics Anonymous, Nan Robertson, pages 42-43. <br />Nan Robertson implied that Bill Wilson's delusions of grandeur disappeared after he quit drinking, but Bill's writings do not show that. Neither does the rest of the literature about Alcoholics Anonymous.

Bill having a nasty problem with delusions of grandeur. Bill Wilson's life in the period of 1930 to 1934 was like this:

His hangovers and hallucinations were becoming more frequent. He panhandled and stole from his wife's purse. He would ride the subways f...

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The Big Book clearly shows that Bill Wilson was insane

The Big Book clearly shows that Bill Wilson was insane. Not just a little bit crazy, not funny crazy, but really crazy, genuinely insane, clinically diagnosable. Mr. Wilson was suffering from paranoid delusions of grandeur and a messianic complex, or a narcissistic personality disorder — or perhaps some crazy combination of all of them. <br /><br />Wilson was insane while he was drinking: he was suicidally drinking immense, almost superhuman, quantities of cheap rotgut whiskey or gin, one or two or even more fifths of it per day — "Drinking to Die" is what A.A. calls it. In the Big Book, (chapter 1, page 5, 3rd edition) either Bill Wilson or Joe Worth wrote in Bill's Story:<br /> "'Bathtub' gin, two bottles a day, and often three, got to be routine."<br /><br /><br />The Prohibition-era "Bathtub gin" was infamous for being poisonous. It was occasionally contaminated with methyl alcohol ("wood alcohol"), which is terribly poisonous, and causes immense neural damage, if not blindness and death. <br /><br />Even ordinary uncontaminated ethyl alcohol kills brain cells. Every big drunk where you wake up with a hang-over kills roughly 100,000 brain cells. Then malnutrition and thiamine deficiency can lead to a horrifying condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome where you suffer such massive brain damage that you lose your short-term memory and ability to learn or remember anything new. <br /><br />The A.A. saying is, "John Barleycorn promises us insanity or death." And it's true. <br /><br />Even Bill Wilson himself reported that problem. Bill recorded a set of autobiographical tapes before his death, which the Hazelden Foundation then used as source material to write an "autobiography" of Bill Wilson. Bill quoted Dr. William D. Silkworth as saying, in midsummer 1934, that he had originally had some hope for Bill, but... <br /><br /><br />"But his habit of drinking has now turned into an obsession, one much too deep to be overcome, and the physical effect of it on him has also been very severe, for he's showing some signs of brain damage. This is true even though he hasn't been hospitalized very much. Actually I'm fearful for his sanity if he goes on drinking."<br />Bill W., My First 40 Years, Bill W., page 116.

The Big Book clearly shows that Bill Wilson was insane

The Big Book clearly shows that Bill Wilson was insane. Not just a little bit crazy, not funny crazy, but really crazy, genuinely insane, cl...

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Bill Wilson felt entitled to quite a number of mistresses over the years, and even gave ten percent of Lois Wilson's inheritance to his favorite one,

(Well, unless that part about us good old boys being able to indulge in anything we want includes the right to bed the entire Swedish bikini ski team... Maybe it is divine wisdom.) <br />{And that joke isn't so far off: Bill Wilson felt entitled to quite a number of mistresses over the years, and even gave ten percent of Lois Wilson's inheritance to his favorite one, Helen Wynn, after Lois spent so many years working to support Bill while all that he did was steal more money out of her purse to go buy more booze.}

Bill Wilson felt entitled to quite a number of mistresses over the years, and even gave ten percent of Lois Wilson's inheritance to his favorite one,

(Well, unless that part about us good old boys being able to indulge in anything we want includes the right to bed the entire Swedish bikini...

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Bill Wilson died January 24, 1971, of emphysema and pneumonia.

And Bill W. did eventually die from that "okay" vice — from emphysema and pneumonia — desperately, futilely gasping for another breath from an oxygen mask. He didn't quit smoking until it was far too late for him, and tobacco had destroyed his lungs. <br />Score another victory for the Addiction Monster. <br /><br />Francis Hartigan, Lois Wilson's private secretary, wrote: <br /><br /><br />By the time Ebby Thacher died in 1966, a victim of emphysema, Bill had been trying to quit smoking for more than twenty years. He'd also known since the early sixties that he had emphysema himself. Smoking had begun to impair his health in the 1940s, in the form of frequent colds and chronic bronchitis, and his breathing was noticeably labored from the mid-1960s onward. Yet even when his breathing became so problematic that he needed frequent doses of oxygen to get through the day, he smoked.<br /> A number of visitors to Stepping Stones during Bill's last years report witnessing scenes in which Bill would be trying to decide whether to have more oxygen or another cigarette. Inevitably, the cigarette won out. Bill was thought to have finally quit smoking early in 1969, by which time his bouts with bronchitis had become struggles with pneumonia, but several people confirm that he was still smoking even after most everyone thought he had quit. He hid cigarettes in his car, and for as long as he was still well enough to drive, he smoked.<br /> It seems beyond comprehension, but the evidence is inescapable. ... [Bill Wilson] literally smoked himself to death.<br />Bill W., A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous Co-Founder Bill Wilson, Francis Hartigan, page 208. <br />Bill Wilson didn't bother to print a retraction, to warn his fellow A.A. members about tobacco, when he found out that he was dying. Bill was far too egotistical to admit that he had been wrong. <br /><br />Bill Wilson died January 24, 1971, of emphysema and pneumonia. <br /><br />In addition, there is now a lot of evidence that smoking makes all cancers worse, even if tobacco didn't cause the cancer in the first place. Tobacco smoke contains something like 50 different carcinogenic chemicals, and just the restriction of blood flow in the capillaries that tobacco causes makes it harder for the body to get blood with white blood cells and antibodies to the cancer, to attack and kill the cancer. Tobacco also cripples the immune system, which would also like to kill the cancer. <br /><br />Doctor Bob died of prostate cancer, while puffing on those cigarettes to the bitter end. <br /><br />Score another victory for the Addiction Monster.

Bill Wilson died January 24, 1971, of emphysema and pneumonia.

And Bill W. did eventually die from that "okay" vice — from emphysema and pneumonia — desperately, futilely gasping for another br...

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"anonymous" author Bill Wilson labels her "intolerant" because she "really feels there is something rather sinful about these commodities."

The man is addicted to tobacco, and is smoking himself to death. His concerned wife is trying to save him from emphysema and lung cancer, but the "anonymous" author Bill Wilson labels her "intolerant" because she "really feels there is something rather sinful about these commodities." <br /><br />Notice how the author Bill Wilson grouped coffee and tobacco in the same category, as mere "commodities", so that the wife would appear more intolerant. Bill also refused to look at the numerous health aspects of smoking, or the stink, or the second-hand smoke, or the expense; he only said that she feels that "these commodities" are "rather sinful." Bill implied that the housewife was just an intolerant uptight killjoy Puritanical nag. <br /><br />Notice the powerful hidden assumption in this sentence: "He admitted he was overdoing these things, but frankly said that he was not ready to stop."<br /><br /><br />Oh? Somebody can continue doing whatever he is doing just because he frankly says that he isn't ready to stop? <br /><br />When was the last time that you heard an A.A. recruiter accept that as a valid excuse for someone to continue drinking alcohol?

"anonymous" author Bill Wilson labels her "intolerant" because she "really feels there is something rather sinful about these commodities."

The man is addicted to tobacco, and is smoking himself to death. His concerned wife is trying to save him from emphysema and lung cancer, bu...

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Francis Hartigan, the former secretary and confidant to Wilson's wife, Lois, has exhaustively researched his subject,

When Bill Wilson, with his friend Dr. Bob Smith, founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, his hope was that AA would become a safe haven for those who suffered from this disease. Thirty years after his death, AA continues to help millions of alcoholics recover from what had been commonly regarded as a hopeless addiction. Still, while Wilson was a visionary for millions, he was no saint. After cofounding Alcoholics Anonymous, he stayed sober for over thirty-five years, helping countless thousands rebuild their lives. But at the same time, Wilson suffered form debilitating bouts of clinical depression, was a womanizer, and experimented with LSD.<br /><br />Francis Hartigan, the former secretary and confidant to Wilson's wife, Lois, has exhaustively researched his subject, writing with a complete insider's knowledge. Drawing on extensive interviews with Lois Wilson and scores of early members of AA, he fully explores Wilson's organizational genius, his devotion to the cause, and almost martyr-like selflessness. That Wilson, like all of us, had to struggle with his own personal demons makes this biography all the more moving and inspirational. Hartigan reveals the story of Wilson's life to be as humorous, horrific, and powerful as any of the AA vignettes told daily around the world.

Francis Hartigan, the former secretary and confidant to Wilson's wife, Lois, has exhaustively researched his subject,

When Bill Wilson, with his friend Dr. Bob Smith, founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, his hope was that AA would become a safe haven for th...

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wives were called in Japan? The Chrysanthemums. Wives were invited to open meetings - well, not invited, but tolerated, and they definitely did parti

wives were called in Japan? The Chrysanthemums. Wives were invited to open meetings - well, not invited, but tolerated, and they definitely did participate!

wives were called in Japan? The Chrysanthemums. Wives were invited to open meetings - well, not invited, but tolerated, and they definitely did parti

wives were called in Japan? The Chrysanthemums. Wives were invited to open meetings - well, not invited, but tolerated, and they definitely ...

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Dr. Bob, as a doctor, believed in being cautious and advising people how to evaluate ideas and solutions

Dr. Bob, as a doctor, believed in being cautious and advising people how to evaluate ideas and solutions, to weigh them carefully - have everyone in agreement before taking action. Bill believed in putting the goal forward and aiming for it. No matter who liked it or who didn't like it: aim for that goal. Bill always thought way ahead. Dr. Bob was the monitor, evaluator, the ground level, the supporter of Bill's ideas, even perhaps not always agreeing with the timing of an idea. Another miracle! A perfect match! A wonderful partnership, indeed. Yes, Dr. Bob was the right person to balance Bill. His view was, Keep it simple. Bill had vision; that was one of his gifts - he could see the road ahead.

Dr. Bob, as a doctor, believed in being cautious and advising people how to evaluate ideas and solutions

Dr. Bob, as a doctor, believed in being cautious and advising people how to evaluate ideas and solutions, to weigh them carefully - have eve...

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James's "The Varieties of Religious Experience" was very meaningful to him, as it was to many AAs both in those early years and since.

I always think how Bill was so much like the philosopher and writer William James. Both Bill and James were spiritual, though not necessarily deeply religious; they were also both pragmatic New Englanders. Bill had a way of talking about a deep faith inside himself the way James did. Bill liked to read about different interpretations of what God was like. He was very philosophical, and James's "The Varieties of Religious Experience" was very meaningful to him, as it was to many AAs both in those early years and since.

James's "The Varieties of Religious Experience" was very meaningful to him, as it was to many AAs both in those early years and since.

I always think how Bill was so much like the philosopher and writer William James. Both Bill and James were spiritual, though not necessaril...

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amazed at the energy that comes out of you

"Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you." <br /><br /><br />- William James 1842-1910, American Philosopher  helped Bill W in the writing of the Big Book

amazed at the energy that comes out of you

"Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you." - William James 1842-1910, Ame...

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“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” -- Ralph ...

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Sophie had been welcomed into meeting

We were meeting in the long sitting-room, and the floor-space was as usual filled by the children. The room was pretty full. Then Sophie's father came and put her in her carry-cot on the floor. She was very young, and we hadn't expected to be greeting her so soon. I looked around the adults, wondering which of us would minister.<br /><br />At the other end of the room Cathy, aged three, slipped down from her mother's knee. Slowly, carefully, and mostly upright she clambered in and out, past all the other children. She reached the carry-cot and peeped in at the baby. Then she turned and gave everyone a smile of pure delight. Still smiling, without a word, she returned to her mother.<br />Nobody else spoke either. Sophie had been welcomed into meeting.<br />William Fraser, 1989

Sophie had been welcomed into meeting

We were meeting in the long sitting-room, and the floor-space was as usual filled by the children. The room was pretty full. Then Sophie...

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Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.

Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Isaac Penington, 1667

Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.

Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against...

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.' And when I heard it my heart did leap for joy."

And when all my hopes in men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could I tell what to do, then, oh! Then I heard a voice which said, 'There is One, even Christ Jesus that can speak to thy condition.' And when I heard it my heart did leap for joy."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />from The Journal of George Fox 1647<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySio1D3RbGJfZLXEWgcwl5qRTjIfV0MxQjrj4ZMuYkySYWRWsfdvxrHyj2-2aaBGcJcQIioGQcAQgCmgFK3kvKZJmZJ25PJo_Da8ch6M1voM4OdFtgZXM9lFkk0Ak_QDkxTi2kqAXFYf1/s1600-h/pickering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySio1D3RbGJfZLXEWgcwl5qRTjIfV0MxQjrj4ZMuYkySYWRWsfdvxrHyj2-2aaBGcJcQIioGQcAQgCmgFK3kvKZJmZJ25PJo_Da8ch6M1voM4OdFtgZXM9lFkk0Ak_QDkxTi2kqAXFYf1/s640/pickering.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br /></div>

.' And when I heard it my heart did leap for joy."

And when all my hopes in men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could I tell what to do, then, oh! Then I heard a vo...

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All the modern religions that have examined the 12 steps have come to the conclusion that the steps do not conflict with their beliefs.

Those who work with alcoholics and addicts have a distinct advantage over colleagues in other professions. The 12 steps offer a template that can be recommended to patients and used personally. There is evidence that working a 12-step program is not participating in a religion:<br /><br />All the modern religions that have examined the 12 steps have come to the conclusion that the steps do not conflict with their beliefs. AA. has spread around the world and is working well in many non-Christian countries. Joining AA does not require learning any theology, creed, or catechism. Atheists are welcome and do well in the program. Atheists and agnostics are advised to use the group as their higher power because most in the A.A. group are sober. In over 60 years, not one documented or reported fight or act of violence based on arguments over spirituality has occurred between AA members (Chappel, 2003). This is going to be easy for many of you, but difficult for others. You don’t have to believe in God yourself to encourage the patient to seek God. You can still encourage patients to work a program of recovery that has kept millions of alcoholics sober. If you will look at the 12 steps of AA, the word “alcohol” is used one time, the word “God” or “higher power” is used seven times. Recovery is seen as a spiritual journey and without God recovery is more difficult. Some patients will want to use the AA group as their higher power. This is fine and there are many agnostics in the program that do not believe in God at all. Chapter 4 of Alcoholics Anonymous (2001) is the chapter to the agnostics. Here are a few quotes from that chapter:<br /><blockquote>We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1976, p. 46). We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. Do I now believe, or am I willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself? As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1976, p. 47).</blockquote>As the professional, you must be willing to accept how other people experience religion and spirituality. Be as open-minded and willing as the patient is to search for a higher power. Alcoholics Anonymous calls it the God of the person’s own understanding. This is a personal matter between God and the patient. You will see a wide variety of individual spiritual and religious beliefs. In an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance, patients can freely explore their own belief system. They must see that a higher power is not going to be shoved down their throats. Conscious contact with God is a principle of recovery. It is a mistake to allow formal religious doctrine to enter into your treatment unless the patient has the same religious beliefs as you do. Alcoholics Anonymous has no religious affiliation. People can talk about their religious preferences but, for the most part, they should discuss spirituality rather than religion. They need to talk about their own spiritual journey.Start by taking a spiritual history, where you discuss patients’ relationships with God. When were they introduced to spiritual and religious concepts? What is his or her belief system now? How does the patient currently understand God? How does God communicate with them? Was there ever a time when they felt particularly close to God? The patient needs to process how God communicates with them. The relationship with God needs to be presented as a relationship between two people. Patients can be taught to contact God in a variety of ways. God can speak in nature, scripture, prayer, meditation, church, and through other people. Each of these ways needs to be discussed, and you should have patients give examples of times when they felt close to or far away from God.<br /><br /><blockquote>To improve conscious contact with God, Alcoholics Anonymous suggests Step Eleven. “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2001, p. 59 ). Prayer and meditation are defined and discussed with the patient. Prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening for God to talk back. Patients are encouraged to pray and meditate. The best way to show patients God is to have them walk into the presence of God. It is best to do this in a group but you can do it individually as well. Have patients close their eyes and mentally ask God a question, “God, what is the next step in my relationship with you?” Then tell the patients to wait for one word or phrase to come into their mind. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred a word or phrase will enter the patients’ thoughts. It will be something like, “Believe, trust me, love, honesty, stay sober, get help, keep going, faith, or hope.” It will be some simple word or phrase like that. Then ask the patients if the word or phrase was accompanied with a feeling. They will say yes. Then you say, “That’s a complicated set of feelings so, let me describe them for you and you tell me if this was a part of what you experienced.” <br /></blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>“Was it a feeling of peace?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling of love?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that there is a God?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that God loves you?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that you are worthy?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that God will help you?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that God has a plan for you?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that God will tell you the plan?” <br /><br /><br /><br />Most or all of these questions will be answered yes by the patient. Then you say, “These feelings are what AA calls serenity and this is why you were drinking. Drinking made you feel more at peace, but now you know another way to feel a better peace.” Alcoholics need to replace the normal feeling they got from alcohol with something else that works better or they will be back to drinking. <br /><br /><br /></blockquote>

All the modern religions that have examined the 12 steps have come to the conclusion that the steps do not conflict with their beliefs.

Those who work with alcoholics and addicts have a distinct advantage over colleagues in other professions. The 12 steps offer a template tha...

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Spirituality is the innermost relationship we have with ourselves and all else.

Spirituality is the innermost relationship we have with ourselves and all else. Everyone has some form of spirituality. Religion is an organized system of faith and worship. Many patients see a higher power as punitive. They see a higher power through the window of their father or mother. These transferences, attitudes, and beliefs are all part of treatment. The goal of Alcoholics Anonymous’ first step is to have patients accept that they are powerless over alcohol. The second step is to come to believe that a power greater than themselves can restore them to sanity. All addiction treatment is faith-based treatment. In step three, we turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand him. The word “God” is first used in the third step and some patients don’t like it. Your job is to encourage them to seek the God of their own understanding. Many people who do not believe in God recover. Alcoholics Anonymous encourages members to seek a higher power of their own understanding.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>Alcoholics Anonymous says that alcoholism is a spiritual problem with a spiritual solution. Alcohol has always said to the patient, “Good choice!” It has done this with such power and force that the patient has become addicted to this feeling. Now you need to help the patient find something that feels better than alcohol. You need some experience that more powerfully says, “Good choice.” There is nothing that can do this more powerfully than God. I guarantee you that if the patient walks into the presence of God; they will feel so much better they will follow that feeling anywhere. God’s presence is better than any experience you can imagine. Addicts need something better than alcohol to deal with stress. They need to find greater peace, greater love, and greater power or they will go back to alcohol. There are those of you who know this already and there are those of you who are suspicious of spiritual beliefs. I would encourage you to take a look around you. There is a national trend to seek God. Most national magazines and television shows talk about God. After the tragedy of 9-11, people were praying on every television channel. All across America there is a new growth in spirituality (Gallup & Jones, 2000). Even science is becoming interested in religion and spirituality because studies consistently show that patients who use religion and spirituality get better quicker and live longer. In the 1990s, the research on religion and spiritually began to mature. Research studies were launched within the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Special issues and sections focusing on research on spirituality and health have appeared in scientific journals, including the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Underwood-Gordon, Peters, Bijur, & Fuhrer, 1997), the Annals of Behavioral Medicine (Mills, 2002), the Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice (Lucken, 2000), the Journal of Health Psychology (Thoresen & Harris, 1999), the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (“Spirituality and Family Therapy,” 2000), Psycho-Oncology (Russak, Lederberg, & Fitchett, 1999), Twin Research (Kirk & Martin, 1999), and American Psychologist (Miller & Thoresen, 2003).<br /></blockquote>

Spirituality is the innermost relationship we have with ourselves and all else.

Spirituality is the innermost relationship we have with ourselves and all else. Everyone has some form of spirituality. Religion is an organ...

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SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

In his room alone, feeling totally powerless, he looked up toward heaven, and he cried out, "If there is a God, show me, give me some sign." At that moment Bill's room filled with a great white light. He felt incredibly filled with new hope and joy. "It was like standing on a mountain top with a strong clear wind blowing through me--but it was not a wind of the air," he said, "it was a wind of the Spirit." Bill felt like he had stepped into another world full of goodness and grace. There was a wonderful feeling of Presence that he had been seeking all of his life. He never felt so complete, so satisfied, so loved. Bill Wilson had finally surrendered, and when he surrendered, God came into his life. Notice that God came into his life with such power and force that Bill never denied God again.<br /><blockquote>Bill never took another drink, but his spiritual awakening didn't fully resolve his problem. He still had a craving for alcohol. One day he passed a bar and he felt himself being pulled into it. He thought that if he could just talk to another drunk, he might be able to pull himself back together. He got on the phone, and after making a few calls, finally found one, Dr. Bob Smith. Dr. Bob was a hopeless alcoholic. He had destroyed his medical practice and he was waiting to die. He reluctantly agreed to see Bill, but he had no hope that Bill could help him. Dr. Bob would have no nonsense, he had talked about his alcohol problem with the best, and now here was some other guy, a drunk, who was coming over to try and help him. He was in no mood for help.<br /></blockquote>

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

In his room alone, feeling totally powerless, he looked up toward heaven, and he cried out, "If there is a God, show me, give me some s...

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La Dama del Arco Iris saluda al Guerrero de los Sueños, le agradece sus palabras de bienvenida y se alegra de tener su compañía en esta travesía sembrada de milagros.

La Dama del Arco Iris saluda al Guerrero de los Sueños, le agradece sus palabras de bienvenida y se alegra de tener su compañía en esta trav...

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Concierto de Aranjuez Parte 2

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Concierto de Aranjuez Parte 2

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Quiero hacer contigo lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos.<br /><em>Pablo Neruda</em><br /><em>(</em><span style="font-size:85%;">I want to do with you what Spring does with cherry trees</span>.)

Quiero hacer contigo lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos. Pablo Neruda ( I want to do with you what Spring does with cherry trees .)

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Some Symptoms of Codependency:

<span style="color: blue;"><blockquote><span style="color: blue;">Perfectionism</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Controlling Behavior</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Obsessive Caretaking</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Depression</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Illnesses due to Stress</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Not Wanting to Deal with Feelings</span><br /></blockquote></span><em>Imagine, if you will, a condition that affects every part of your being, particularly affecting you mentally and emotionally. Imagine, you are being controlled by someone you love very much, who may be addicted to drugs or alcohol or may be suffering through another type of illness. Imagine you are depressed because you feel trapped, yet you feel obligated to be there and endure more than you should because you feel that person needs you in order to survive. Imagine you are one half of a codependent relationship that feels like an endless cycle, and the more you run, you're not going anywhere, you're just growing tired of it all.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>This is codependency. Codependency as defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary is a psychological condition or a relationship in which a person is controlled or manipulated by another who is affected with a pathological condition such as an addiction. The truth of the matter is that codependency is an addiction itself. One person is addicted to controlling others because he or she feels they have no control over their own lives. Meanwhile, the other person in the relationship is addicted to being controlled and fulfilling the needs of the controller. Both parties tend to excessively 'take care' of each other and others outside of the relationship as well. </em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em>

Some Symptoms of Codependency:

Perfectionism Controlling Behavior Obsessive Caretaking Depression Illnesses due to Stress Not Wanting to Deal with Feelings Imagine, if you...

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"Unthinkably good things can happen, even late in the game. It's such a surprise."<br />Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes<br />It is indeed, but first you have to let down your defences:<br />ACIM, Lesson 135:<br />Your present trust in Him is the defense that promises a future undisturbed, without a trace of sorrow, and with joy that constantly increases, as this life becomes a holy instant, set in time, but heeding only immortality. Let no defenses but your present trust direct the future, and this life becomes a meaningful encounter with the truth that only your defenses would conceal.<br />Without defenses, you become a light which Heaven gratefully acknowledges to be its own. And it will lead you on in ways appointed for your happiness according to the ancient plan, begun when time was born. Your followers will join their light with yours, and it will be increased until the world is lighted up with joy. And gladly will our brothers lay aside their cumbersome defenses, which availed them nothing and could only terrify.

"Unthinkably good things can happen, even late in the game. It's such a surprise." Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes It i...

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Ix Chel : Mayan Goddess of the moon<br />As an ancient fertility goddess, Ix-Chel was responsible for sending rain to nourish the crops. When fulfilling that function she was called “Lady of the Rainbow”. She helped insure fertility by overturning her sacred womb jar so that the waters would flow.Though sometimes depicted as a goddess of catastrophe (the woman who stands by as the world floods), many of her myths show her in a more benevolent light—as a goddess who refused to become a victim of oppression. This was a woman who, when faced with adversity, took charge of her life and turned it around. Ix-Chel encourages us to acknowledge the negative forces affecting our lives. And she prompts us to assert ourselves fully in the face of physical or emotional violence that would diminish our sense of self.

Ix Chel : Mayan Goddess of the moon As an ancient fertility goddess, Ix-Chel was responsible for sending rain to nourish the crops. When ful...

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Dream Warrior greets Lady of the Rainbow

Dream Warriors greets Lady of the Rainbow, to all our readers and contributors an introduction to the female side of the site Lady of the Rainbow.Who is our Spanish guide to a course in miracles.

Dream Warrior greets Lady of the Rainbow

Dream Warriors greets Lady of the Rainbow, to all our readers and contributors an introduction to the female side of the site Lady of the Ra...

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Being a psychologist, she feared for her own sanity. She began talking with Bill about everything that was happening to her.

In 1965, Helen Schucman, a 56-year-old woman, was working as a Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. Helen had been hired seven years before, in 1958, by William Thetford, who was known as Bill. In 1965, Bill, Helen's boss and colleague, was 42. (Bill and Helen are pictured at left.)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Their department was filled with competition and hostility between coworkers, and the same situation existed in relation to a similar department at Cornell, where Helen and Bill were consultants. The staff meetings were usually scenes of strife and competition among the workers—despite the fact that all of them were psychologists. In particular, there was a good deal of tension between Helen and Bill.<br /><br /><br /><br />One day they met at Bill's apartment on their way to a meeting at Cornell. Both of them were dreading the meeting. In a way not typical of him, Bill made an impassioned, preplanned speech to Helen, in which he declared, "There must be another way"—meaning, another way of dealing with their meetings, their relationships, and their lives. He declared that he was determined not to get angry in the meeting and not to attack people. Rather than focusing on mistakes and pointing out errors, he was going to look for the constructive side in what people said, and cooperate rather than compete.<br /><br /><br /><br />Incidentally, according to the most authoritative version of the story, Bill said, "There must be another way," and not "There must be a better way." The phrase "a better way," however, does appear in the Text, and this phrase was chosen as the name of the newsletter for the Circle of Atonement.<br /><br /><br /><br />Much to Bill's surprise, Helen piped up to say that he was absolutely right, and she would join him in trying this new approach and in finding another way to deal with people. That event was the birthplace of the Course. It contained the seeds of the entire approach of A Course in Miracles. It was a moment, in a relationship, when two people joined in a common purpose, which is a key to what the Course calls a "holy relationship." It was a "miracle," a "holy instant," a moment of laying aside our usual way of thinking and opening to "a better way." Whether they realized it or not, it was a turning point from fear and attack to love, and thus allowed the Holy Spirit into their minds.<br /><br /><br /><br />Although that was the birth of the Course, the Course itself did not begin to appear right then. For three months, Helen experienced a series of dreams and psychic experiences which were leading up to the writing of the Course. Twice she had visions of a large book and was told, or was aware, that this was somehow "her" book. She began having mental conversations with a voice she identified as Jesus. She would ask questions of Jesus about her life, and Bill's, and write down the answers, even though the whole process was disturbing to her. The dreams and visions terrified her; being a psychologist, she feared for her own sanity. She began talking with Bill about everything that was happening to her.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Writing of the Course - 1965-1972<br /><br />Finally, one day (October 21, 1965), Helen's "voice" said, "This is a course in miracles. Please take notes." She wrote down about a page of notes before she realized that this was not going to be something short; the voice was asking for a long-term commitment.<br /><br /><br /><br />In a panic, she called Bill to ask his advice. Bill encouraged Helen to do what the voice asked, and take the notes. He told Helen he would meet with her the next morning before work, read over the notes, and discuss them with her. When they did that, what he read so impressed him that he encouraged Helen to keep taking the notes. They recognized that the notes, which became the Course, was their answer, the "another way" they had agreed to find together. And that is how it all began. For the next seven years, with some breaks, they met together nearly every morning. Helen would read the notes from her shorthand notebooks, Bill typed them up, and they would discuss them.<br /><br /><br /><br />These were both respected psychologists. Neither one of them dared to talk with anyone else about what they were doing; they were afraid they would be thought unstable and might lose their jobs. Eventually they shared the material with a few close friends—first a Catholic priest who worked with them, then with Kenneth Wapnick, and then with Jon Mundy. The latter two are both well-known teachers of the Course today. Helen and Bill studied the notes themselves and then put them into black notebooks on the shelf. Even though it became clear from the material itself that it was meant to be shared, Helen and Bill thought it likely that it would not be published until after their deaths.<br /><br /><br /><br />As time went by, the relationships in Helen's and Bill's department improved dramatically as they applied what they were learning. Unfortunately, after the Course was completed, the relationship between Helen and Bill actually got worse. Eventually Bill moved to the West Coast, and their relationship appears never to have been completely healed. To me this does not invalidate the Course. It only shows that Helen and Bill were students of the Course, like we are, not the authors.<br /><br /><br /><br />Helen definitely did not consider herself the author. In fact, quite frequently she was very disturbed by what she wrote, or even disagreed with it. To her it was evident that the real author was Jesus, although part of her mind was so disturbed by Jesus that she rarely talked about him by name, and for a long time referred to him simply as "the Voice" with a capital V. When she asked the Voice, "Why me? I'm not even religious," the answer she got was, "You are an excellent choice, and for a very simple reason. You will do it."<br /><br /><br /><br />The way the Course was taken down was similar to, but not identical with, what is called "channeling" in New Age circles. Kenneth Wapnick, who has written a biography of Helen titled Absence From Felicity, describes the process of taking down the Course as "scribing," not writing. He says:<br /><br /><br /><br />The scribing was referred to by Helen as "internal dictation"; that is, she did not go into an altered state, a trance,or engage in automatic writing. She was always aware of what she was doing, even if she chose not to pay attention to it. Regardless of her attitude, the writing would continue. (Absence from Felicity, p. 201) <br /><br />Helen said it was more like taking dictation than automatic writing; it required her conscious cooperation. Sometimes she tried to resist, once staying away from writing for over a month, but the pressure to take notes was always there. Resisting just made her feel depressed. Sometimes she would go to bed without writing and find herself unable to sleep until she got up and did it.<br /><br /><br /><br />Editing and Publishing - 1972-1976<br /><br />The dictation ended in September 1972. The books were put on the shelf. Helen and Bill felt their work was done; someone else would publish the Course. Shortly after, on November 25, 1972, Kenneth Wapnick entered their lives. He was a deeply spiritual man who had been raised as a Jew and then converted to Catholicism because he was attracted by the life of Trappist monks. Although he had no particular attraction to Catholic doctrine, the church, or Jesus, he felt strongly guided to become a monk, so he converted. He was planning a visit to Israel before entering the monastery when he met Helen and Bill. He felt an immediate affinity with them, and was intrigued when they told him about their book. But Ken did not read it at the time, and had no room in his luggage to take a copy, which would have been several loose-leaf notebooks.<br /><br /><br /><br />Ken thought about the book several times, feeling drawn to it. He even had two symbolic dreams about a very holy book he was going to find. When he returned from Israel after five months, in May of 1973, he intended to stay only a short time visiting his family before entering the monastery, but he also wanted to visit Helen and Bill, and look at their book. He says he could not wait to see it. As soon as he read it, or very soon after, he realized the Course was the book he had dreamed about, and was to become his life's work. He went back to Israel to tie up loose ends in July; Bill and Helen had become such close friends in two and a half months that in August, they visited Ken in Israel.<br /><br /><br /><br />After Ken returned to the States, Helen, Bill, and Ken spent the next two years editing the Course in preparation for publication. (For a detailed discussion of the editing process, see Robert Perry's article on this website, entitled The Earlier Versions and the Editing of A Course in Miracles.) The editing was finished early in 1975. There it sat for a few more months, awaiting publication. Helen, Ken, and Bill did not have any idea how it could be published.<br /><br /><br /><br />In May of 1975, Bill heard Judith Skutch give a lecture on parapsychology. He felt an inner connection with her and a need to meet her. That same night, Judy went home feeling herself to be at the lowest point of her life. She found herself crying out, "Won't someone up there please help me!" A few days later, her answer came. First, a psychic told her she was about to publish "one of the most important spiritual documents known to humanity." Then, a friend of Judy's invited her to meet Bill and Helen for lunch. They all felt an immediate rapport. Helen and Bill told her the story of the Course and handed her a manuscript copy. As she read it, she wept for joy; she know this was the answer to her prayer, and this was the map for her journey home.<br /><br /><br /><br />Judy had numerous contacts in the world of parapsychology, and began circulating Xeroxed copies of the manuscript among them. The cat was out of the bag, so to speak. Later on, several hundred photo-reduced copies were printed, but these were snatched up almost as soon as they were printed. The appeal of the Course was far wider and greater than either Helen or Bill had believed possible.<br /><br /><br /><br />Clearly, the Course needed to be published in book form. Several publishers actually expressed interest during this time, but no one was willing to publish the Course without changes; they wanted to edit it and abbreviate it. After seeking guidance about the situation, Helen, Bill, Ken, and Judy concluded that 1) the Course was to be published unabridged, 2) by people who were devoted to this alone, 3) by a nonprofit organization, and 4) with all four of them involved. They realized that the guidance pointed to them publishing the Course, so they committed to doing just that. Judy changed the name of her organization, the Foundation for Parasensory Investigation, to the Foundation for Inner Peace. The money for publication was provided miraculously, through an unsolicited gift, and five thousand sets (Text, Workbook, and Manual for Teachers) were printed. In June 1976, the Course was finally published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.<br /><br /><br /><br />Helen Shucman died in 1981 at age 71. Bill Thetford followed her in 1988. Once the Course was in Judy's hands for publication, both Helen and Bill felt their part was done. Messages from Jesus received by Helen seemed to indicate that both had an important future function beyond the scribing of the Course. But neither really stepped into that function, and both remained relatively uninvolved with the dissemination of the Course. Bill attended study groups in California and gave talks telling his story, but refused to take on any teaching role. Helen actually began to depreciate the importance of what she had done. As Ken Wapnick observes in Absence from Felicity:<br /><br /><br /><br />Helen and Bill's joining together was essential for this future function, as it was for the scribing of A Course in Miracles, yet these two remarkably faithful and dedicated people chose otherwise. They thus remained estranged from each other until the end, and so what might have been, remained only within the realm of possibility and not actuality. (Absence from Felicity, p. 381) <br /><br />Even so, what they did manage to do together was remarkable. From the simple decision of two people to join in finding a better way to relate to their fellow human beings, A Course in Miracles was born. Through their work, millions of lives have been touched. All of us who have found that better way through walking the path of the Course can only thank Helen and Bill for their priceless gift to the world.

Being a psychologist, she feared for her own sanity. She began talking with Bill about everything that was happening to her.

In 1965, Helen Schucman, a 56-year-old woman, was working as a Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in Ne...

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"Cure" is a word that cannot be applied to any remedy the world accepts as beneficial.

"Cure" is a word that cannot be applied to any remedy the world accepts as beneficial. What the world perceives as therapeutic is but what will make the body "better." When it tries to heal the mind, it sees no separation from the body, where it thinks the mind exists. Its forms of healing thus must substitute illusion for illusion. One belief in sickness takes another form, and so the patient now perceives himself as well. <br /><br />He is not healed. He merely had a dream that he was sick, and in the dream he found a magic formula to make him well. Yet he has not awakened from the dream, and so his mind remains exactly as it was before. He has not seen the light that would awaken him and end the dream. What difference does the content of a dream make in reality? One either sleeps or wakens. There is nothing in between. <br />Let us not try today to seek to cure what cannot suffer sickness. Healing must be sought but where it is, and then applied to what is sick, so that it can be cured. There is no remedy the world provides that can effect a change in anything. The mind that brings illusions to the truth is really changed. There is no change but this. For how can one illusion differ from another but in attributes that have no substance, no reality, no core, and nothing that is truly different? <br />Today we seek to change our minds about the source of sickness, for we seek a cure for all illusions, not another shift among them. We will try today to find the source of healing, which is in our minds because our Father placed it there for us. It is not farther from us than ourselves. It is as near to us as our own thoughts; so close it is impossible to lose. We need but seek it and it must be found. <br />So do we lay aside our amulets, our charms and medicines, our chants and bits of magic in whatever form they take. We will be still and listen for the Voice of healing, which will cure all ills as one, restoring saneness to the Son of God. No voice but this can cure. Today we hear a single Voice which speaks to us of truth, where all illusions end, and peace returns to the eternal, quiet home of God. <br />With nothing in our hands to which we cling, with lifted hearts and listening minds we pray:

"Cure" is a word that cannot be applied to any remedy the world accepts as beneficial.

"Cure" is a word that cannot be applied to any remedy the world accepts as beneficial. What the world perceives as therapeutic is ...

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