When I write inventory, I stick to the FACTS:
- Factual
- Accurate
- Concise
- Truthful
- Specific
I avoid:
- Figurative
- Abstract
- Poetic
- Vague
... language, wherever possible.
In inventory settings, I avoid technical terms from psychology, such as 'trauma', which require professional training to understand and deploy accurately and beneficially.
What I'm after in inventory is a very clear history of:
- What happened?
- How did I react?
- What beliefs, thinking, and behaviour did I have before the event, as revealed by my reaction?
- What beliefs, thinking, and behaviour did I develop in response to the event?
What for?
Because beliefs, thinking, and behaviour can be changed.
But I have to know what they are to change them, and changing reaction patterns takes patience, diligence, and time.
When I came to AA, several times a week, and sometimes several times a day, I would experience very violent reactions to ordinary situations, including flight reactions (e.g. seeing someone from my past and running literally several miles), vomiting, and florid panic attacks, automated spirals (like being teleported into an entirely different mental and emotional realm and having no way back), and impulsive and compulsive acting out, including self-harm and even more unsavoury habits with alarming consequences. These are just a sample. There are too many to mention.
None of these are the case today, and have not been the case for quite some time.
How did the change take place?
Starting with the facts, and getting past the figurative, abstract, poetic, vague, and jargon-laden language to the invariably simple underlying truth.
Then, whenever I experienced a reaction, unpacking it, rewiring my perceptions and interpretations, and setting myself up for how I would handle the next similar occasion. Once this has been repeated enough, the healthy response kicks in in anticipation of the event, and is ready for it when it happens. That's when you know you've been healed.
Fail to tackle the language, and the ego will keep itself nicely insulated indefinitely. The language is all part of the defence of its system. And remember, the ego is not your amigo.