M Workshop , Into Action Konvent Stockholm 2010 – Part 1 of 4 – 2010 – Peter M.

About This Speaker Tape

Peter M. workshop , Into Action Konvent Stockholm 2010 - 2010

A coffee pot and a resentment sparked the founding of the Vision for You group in New Jersey. Peter M. describes the friction of entering a 'contemporary' AA scene where the Big Book was viewed as trouble and how he pivoted from complaining to serving. He details a rigorous approach to sponsorship where he meets sponsees at 6:00 AM to grind through the steps arguing that a sponsor's failure to hold a prospect accountable is a reflection of the sponsor's own ego. The narrative shifts into a guided meditation on abundance and the discipline of stillness before returning to the mechanics of the 12th Step. He emphasizes 'intensive work' over casual support recounting a specific encounter with a pompous old-money Texan in a hospital bed whose granite exterior melted only when Peter M. stopped acting like a guru and started talking like a drunk.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Peter M. introduces himself as a recovered alcoholic and sets the stage for discussing working with others.
• 3:15 Laughter: Story about the resistance he faced in New Jersey meetings for bringing the Big Book.
• 6:40 Description of the 'Vision for You' home group and the culture of working with others before the meeting starts.
• 10:15 Guided meditation: Peter M. leads the room through a breathing exercise and a visualization of abundance in five years.
• 16:30 Discussion on the discipline of meditation posture and the 'spiritual ego' of the 45-minute meditator.
• 21:10 The 'Thunderbolt' concept: How sudden life crises trigger fear and self-reliance.
• 26:45 Step 12: Discussion on the 'language of the heart' and the 'X problem drinker' from page 18 of the Big Book.
• 31:20 Story: Breaking through the arrogance of a wealthy Texan in a hospital bed by identifying as a fellow drunk.
• 36:10 Analysis of the 'desire to stop' versus the 'power to choose' (Big Book page 34).
• 41:00 Defining 'intensive work' in sponsorship as a requirement for immunity from drinking.