I really like that we have the opportunity to sweep away the debris which has accumulated in life. Its so important that people see that they can make this choice and do not have to carry around the “toxic stuff” forever more. To carry around this debris is a form of unconscious penance which can have consequences on how we perceive ourselves, others and the world.
It reminds me of the ghost Marley in the film Scrooge. He comes to visit Scrooge to let him know the painful chains of life that he will carry around with him for all eternity unless he changes. I guess in some ways Scrooge took a Step 9 by changing and becoming giving and making amends to those he was hurtful to. The vision of seeing Marley and the heavy chains that were formed in his life because of greed and nastiness were overwhelming. Marley’s penance because of his poor conduct and selfishness in life was an eternity of hell.
When human beings do “Bad Stuff” they usually feel “Bad”. This is whether they own it or put it to one side because they cannot look at what has been created and what they were part of. With this we can theorise that human beings are impacted by the pain that they have created. It forms a frame of reference that has contaminations, distortions and a lot of denial. These exist because of the experiences collected and how people deal with all this debris which has consequences. The negative impacts of life will contaminate how we define ourselves, others and reality. The negative debris of life will mean that we distort how things really are because they may be to painful to look at “FACE ON”. It is no wonder that in addiction individuals have a frame of reference that has a underpinning of heavy denial.
The carrying around of debris impacts how we perceive thus contributes to a frame of reference that is integrated with pain and the association of many difficult and even traumatic life experiences. In Transactional Analysis and Script the Frame of Reference is looked at as the structure that is formed by associated responses. Therefore our formation of self is by our very experiences and the specific stimulations that we have collected. Analyst Schiff saw the process as a “filter on reality”. “a skin that surrounds” our minds, bodies and souls “the skin binds them together”. In addiction we can see this skin as becoming infected, inflamed and needing treatment.
The frame of reference gives us the patterns in which we integrate our experiences, perceptions and pain. The debris related to an addicts life means that often different worlds are created that are often not in reality. This is why addiction is seen as the illness of insanity and why making sense of the sickness it causes everyone cannot be associated to a logical frame of reference.
To further this it is how we create definitions of the world, self and others. This is where we can see that script forms part of the frame of reference . That all in all the frame of reference is in total made up of a large number of definitions. These when connected to script mean I can ignore features of the here and now situation. By being in denial or ignoring I can replay this outdated definition of myself, others and the world.
This is why it is so important to take the Step 9 of changing this because in doing so you have the opportunity to let go. To let go of the negative Debris of a Frame of Reference that has been defined by addiction, pain and trauma. The experiences created by addiction has formed part of ones script process. If one is ill with addiction there are negative definitions of self that are inevitably constructed. This in itself has distorted the perception of reality so that it fits an Addictive Frame of Reference. With the Step 9 there is a process of re-defining which is potent and powerful for the victory of change.