Exchange Theory of Recovery

One of the most challenging things a person can do in life is let go of a negative past. Regardless of how difficult or destructive a person’s past was, walking away from it is not easy.

Most of us drag our past along with us as a child drags their previous blanket around with them. The child might have been given a new blanket, but there is something very familiar and comforting about the old blanket.

Previous experiences and people often bring with them an emotional or psychological attachment. On one hand, this may seem harmless, but on the other hand, it can keep us divided when we need to be untied.

It is also my experience, that putting fresh water in a vessel with residue from the previous stale water will only lesson the purity and quality of the new water.

Most people try to stop one thing and once that one thing is stopped they then adopt/implement its replacement. I want to suggest another approach to removing the past negativity.

This approach is, what I call, The Exchange Theory of Recovery. In this Great Exchange, what we are doing is understanding the need to remove negative past thoughts, experiences, or people by exchanging them with something/someone more in line with the positive path we are choosing.

This may be challenging for some, but it is an easier transition than stopping as a separate act. Since we know the negative past must be removed and a new present must be installed why not allow the new to push out the old.

This is what I mean when I say “The Great Exchange.” Removing the old is best done by introducing the new. Just as darkness is exchanged by introducing light, cold is with warm, sadness is exchanged with happiness, the negative past is exchanged with a positive present.

Understanding things like this looks easier on paper than they do in real life, it is easier than some may think. I am going to give you 5 things I did/do to help ensure the negative past is exchanged with a positive present.

1. We must be “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” In other words, if we aren’t ready for the exchange we will never start and if we start we will not follow through.
2. Talk with others who you see as leading successful lives. I guarantee you, every one, one of us leading successful lives have done so by practicing The Great Exchange.
3. Start small and work your way through exchanges that you have designated for change. Doing this piecemeal is likely to prove more successful than trying to eat the apple in one bite. Remember, recovery is a journey, not a destination.
4. Understand that there will be setbacks along the way. Therefore, we must start incrementally. Remember the story of “the tortoise and the hare.” The tortoise won the race.
5. Develop and cultivate a relationship with a “Higher Power.” What we are looking to accomplish requires an insightful vision and power that is beyond our human understanding. A growing relationship in this arena will only add to our success.

The Great Exchange has been the most rewarding experience of my life. In the beginning, it was born from desperation. I now practice this theory with the anticipation of joy and happiness that comes from exchanging the negative past for a positive present. When this is accomplished the future is more bright.