I've been blocked from recovery in the past.
These three hats I have worn have often been the problem.
The cynic
The cynic suspects bad motives everywhere; does not give
benefit of the doubt; espies in offers of help the desire to control; views
confidence as arrogance; casts optimism as denial; embraces the darkness as an
expression of truth, not the self-perpetuating reservoir of ever-shifting
illusion it is; sees in others his own egoic strivings; and ultimately
dismisses, as a defence against listening.
The rebel
The rebel does not like to conform; would prefer his own
problem to another's solution; resents longer-standing experience; values
individuality for its own sake regardless of actual results.
The critic
The critic will seek only to elevate himself at the cost of what
he criticises: faults and flaws he discerns become the soap-box he stands on. The
critic will snatch failure from the jaws of success and defeat from the jaws of
victory; he will see the tiniest of clouds in an otherwise blue sky; and if
there are no clouds, he will manufacture them.
To recover and stay recovered I need to disavow these
stances, and instead trust others, adopt a positive view (whilst retaining my
critical faculties), and join, where my ego would have me stay apart.
A footnote: when I encounter the cynic, the rebel, or the
critic in others, it is useless to fight. As a friend demonstrated yesterday,
showing kindness in such situations will do far more good.