Random musings
So glad I discovered the JWH approach early on
I feel lucky to have come upon the pdrecovery.org website not long after I was diagnosed with PD. It meant I was able to get started with the protocol before the medical establishment, oblivious to pause mode, was able to badger me into starting on medication. Had I been on medication at the time I discovered the JWH approach, it would have made the whole process more challenging. I likely would have slowly weaned myself off the meds and commenced the protocol anyway, but that could have meant a large additional hurdle.
Recovery experiences vary tremendously
Over time I've come to appreciate how markedly different the recovery process is from one person to another. The people I've encountered who have had significant results with the JWH protocol range from those engaged in gradual progress over multiple years to those who flew right into recovery symptoms and full recovery in a matter of a few months. (I think multiple factors play into these differences. JWH makes clear that one important one is the length of time a person has been on pause.) Of course if you read JWH's books you know the range is even more varied than that, that different people's experiences vary in all sorts of ways, not just in the time required. But it's been eye-opening to see such differences play out among the folks I've come across.
Letting the real expert guide you
I've often tended to fall back on the same routines repeatedly in my engagement in the protocol. For example, it's been typical that in a session I'll begin with the first two auxiliary exercises, then connect with my Friend verbally, then add in the second of the two core exercises along with phrases aimed at enhancing feelings of safety and surrender, then move into some CBT concerning issues of safety, then finish with a pure focus on the second exercise.
I think there's a better way though. That is to do whatever your Friend, via your heart, suggests at a given time. That way you're spontaneously doing whatever you most need at the time. You're letting the real expert guide you. That may be easier said than done if you're not very proficient at listening to your heart (and those of us with PD have to learn this). It can also sometimes feel unproductive if your mind keeps telling you you should be doing something else. But that's the direction I'm working in. Presently it's often still more of a blend, but I think it's headed in the right direction!