I have found some of these very helpful, either as an exercise for journalling or talking with a fellow member or my sponsor about....

Copied from the "Step by Step" guide for EA, page 4, 5 onward.....

"Before beginning it is important to understand that working this step is not a confession of character defects or faults. It is simply an honest look at how our emotional problems have harmed our lives and the lives of others.

1. Describe your home life during childhood. How would you describe your relationship with the important people in your life? Be thorough, describing each specific relationship.

2. Share 2 of the most pleasant and two of the most painful experiences in your life. Be specific. Describe the incidents.

3. When did your emotional problems first cause you a feeling of discomfort? What happened? What did you feel?

4. When did you first see your emotional problems as serious? What happened? How did you feel?

5. What form did your problems take (fear, depression, anger, lust, psychosomatic ailments, excessive sleep, etc.)?

At some point.......you developed emotional problems. It usually happens slowly.....(answer the following)..so you can discover how your emotions affected you.........

6. Somewhere along the way your emotional problems began interfering with things in your life. How did they interfere with social or recreational activities (hobbies, sports, dating, vacations, picnics, etc.)?

7. Did your emotional problems increase during times of stress or discomfort resulting from job, family, or personal problems? Give examples of each."

End of quotes......

More to come.........