Two Recovery Tools That Finally Brought Him Peace – Mark H.

About This Speaker Tape

Big Book Study - 2006

A two-man opening session featuring Mark H. and Dave F. that functions less as a workshop and more as a spiritual retreat. Mark H. opens with a heavy heart dedicating the weekend to three lost friends including his late wife Carla H. who died by suicide. He describes himself as a 'hollow bone' for a Higher Power and admits to a lifelong battle with PTSD and a 'mad' internal thought life that requires the strict spiritual disciplines of Steps 10 11 and 12 to manage. Dave F. complements this by focusing on the 'two-foot drop' from the head to the heart arguing that intellectual knowledge of the Big Book is a trap. Together they push the room toward rigorous honesty through a 49-question diagnostic warning that the only way out of the 'alcoholic death' is a total concession of powerlessness and a commitment to spiritual maintenance.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Mark H. dedicates the session to three friends, including his late wife, Carla H.
• 5:12 Mark H. discusses his struggle with PTSD and the need for a sabbatical from speaking.
• 11:20 Mark H. describes his 'mad' thought life and the necessity of Steps 10, 11, and 12.
• 16:40 Dave F. introduces himself and discusses the danger of being put on a pedestal.
• 22:15 Dave F. explains the difference between a workshop and a working retreat.
• 31:10 Mark H. discusses the 'path of consideration' and the danger of the 'Alabama tick' ego.
• 42:15 Mark H. breaks down the 'three-fold illness': physical allergy, mental obsession, and spiritual malady.
• 52:30 Dave F. discusses the 'two-foot drop' from the head to the heart regarding Step 1.
• 58:10 Laughter: Dave F. tells a joke about a man hanging from a cliff branch and refusing to let go.