Our ProgramOur program offers a path of recovery from compulsive trading. Like all addictions, compulsive trading interferes with the life process, and can even be life-threatening. We define compulsive trading as harmful or excessive trading that’s not mere preference or enthusiasm — it’s a pattern that has taken on a life of its own, often involving loss of control, escalation despite negative consequences, preoccupation, and using the behavior to regulate emotions such as a need for escape, excitement, numbness, and validation.C.T.A. offers a way to stop compulsive trading through practicing the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The list of questions in the section, Am I A Compulsive Trader? will help you decide if you are addicted. We believe that two behaviors are common to all of us. First, we cannot stop, and second, we use the addiction to avoid feelings and alter our moods.


Why We Came To C.T.A.The disease of compulsive trading was destroying our lives, our self-esteem, our relationships, our careers, our physical and spiritual health. Many of us feared mental insanity, physical decline, or suicide. Though our individual behaviors may have been different, our feelings were similar: despair, shame, hopelessness, and anguish, mixed in with intense excitement and forgetfulness. These feelings were always followed by still worse pain. We were starting to see the truth—our problem was progressive, it always got worse. The illusion that the next time would “fix” us, that we would feel better and could then control our behavior, was revealed for what it was—a false promise.We began to sense that we were spinning downwards, out of control, toward a life of loneliness, misery, bankruptcy, insanity, perhaps even toward death. In these moments of clarity, we were frightened. We could not stop or control our behavior by ourselves. Our lives had become unmanageable. Finally, when the pain grew great enough, we were ready to try anything, and we came to Compulsive Traders Anonymous.

Why We StayedFor the first time we found people who shared our problem. Others actually understood and felt the same way. We were accepted for who we were. We stayed because of the promise of hope. Later we stayed because of hopes fulfilled.When we came to C.T.A., it was suggested that we stop our destructive trading behaviors. For some of us, this meant pausing trading for a period of time to observe and reflect on our behavior and determine our definition of sobriety. Many of us had never done this, and the prospect was unimaginable and terrifying. The thought of not trading and keeping commitments and boundaries around trading seemed painful, impossible, and just plain boring. Some of us felt that our lives would completely lack meaning and purpose if we didn’t trade.We began to work the Twelve Steps of the program. For some of us, it was the first time we were ever clear enough of the compulsion to find out who we were. We began to have a spiritual relationship with a Power greater than ourselves. For many it became a healing and loving relationship.It became clear that our problems could not be solved by ourselves alone. We needed the strength and wisdom of the fellowship to learn how to live without engaging in our compulsion, one day at a time.While at first we stayed because we knew we had to, in order to survive, we now stay because we want to. We stay because we know it is here we can fill the emptiness. Here we can find what we searched for in all the dark places of our compulsion. This program of recovery offers dignity of self.The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of C.T.A. offer a healing home in which our spirits can at first rest, then grow, then finally soar.

Adapted from the literature on the website of Sexual Recovery Anonymous, sexualrecovery.org and sranyc.org.

~In God We Trust.~

Am I a Compulsive Trader?These questions are for honest self-reflection. Answer them privately and truthfully.1. Do you find yourself placing far more trades than you originally intended, even after deciding to stay selective?2. Once you have reached your predetermined loss limit for the day or violated a rule you established, do you still stay in the market and keep trading?3. When you are flat and out of the market, do you experience a sense of agitation, restlessness, or incompleteness?4. After a losing sequence, do you feel compelled to force a recovery by taking oversized or poorly planned trades?5. Do you frequently act on sudden impulses in the market rather than waiting for the conditions you previously defined as necessary?6. Do you force trades when the market lacks liquidity, volatility, and a clear sense of whether the market is trending or consolidating — like demanding to buy something while a store is closed for inventory?7. Has trading become a way to avoid or numb feelings of loneliness, pressure, fear, or inner discomfort?8. Do you carry a sense of secrecy or shame around your trading activity, as though it is something you cannot fully disclose?9. Have you repeatedly declared that your approach or behavior would change this time, only to discover the old patterns still in control?10. Even when tired or finished for the day, do you feel pulled to keep monitoring price action and the screen?11. Have you made firm resolutions to stop or sharply reduce your trading, only to find yourself back at the platform again?12. Beyond financial losses, has trading taken a toll on your rest, emotional stability, relationships, and self-respect — while the idea of stopping still feels out of reach?13. After a damaging session, have you remained at the screen more frightened of leaving the market than of continuing to trade?14. Do you sense that knowledge, willpower, and good intentions have not been enough — that something larger than yourself is required?If you answered “yes” to five or more of these questions, compulsive trading has likely become unmanageable. Many of us found that facing these patterns honestly with the support and witness of others and working the Twelve Steps with a sponsor offered a way forward that self-knowledge and willpower alone could not supply.

~In God We Trust.~

The Basics"Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path..."Millions of alcoholics, inspired by this sentence, have done the work and travelled the path to sober living a day at a time, baffling those who gave them up as a lost cause. Their success has inspired countless more to address their compulsions and addictions to narcotics, food, sugar, sex, spending, debt - all of the "people, places, and things" that humans use and addicts overuse as their solution to the problems and sometimes distressing feelings that accompany being alive.When the overuse becomes unmanageable or in some fashion life threatening, the solution is found in surrender. Letting go of the crutch(es) and letting G-d in. It rarely seems that simple in practice. And yet it is. We are sure we are complicated people, especially given how "special" most of us consider ourselves to be. At the end of the day though, most of us end up in that simple place.We have a spiritual awakening. We come to realize that the answer to life's problems is a power greater than ourselves. We cease reliance on the people, places, and things that have been driving us towards self-destruction. Our bondage to the unsustainable is broken by our surrender to the eternal.What is sobriety for the Compulsive Trader?It's not a one size fits all definition as might be found in A.A. or N.A.. We have found it becomes very specific to the individual. The allure of trading, the illusion of the freedom it offers, the idea of quick riches, easy money earned, a simple solution to life's problems, "just going to make a couple of extra dollars a day", "it can't be that difficult" - Trading is one of the most challenging and demanding fields in which to consistently earn a living. Most day traders never make it past the first year, and the odds of failure increase as the years progress.We have come to find that an honest and earnest consideration of our trading behaviors, a list of what behaviors we need to refrain from and what behaviors we need to engage in, and a commitment to attempt a day at a time to do so, is the beginning of the journey towards recovery from the effects of harmful and excessive trading and the pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization that accompanies it.We break the isolation of our work by meeting with others, usually in Meetings of Three, where two members hold space for a third member and help him determine a rough template of what trading sobriety is for him, what behaviors and choices cause him to act out emotionally and otherwise in his work. This rough template is held loosely at first and slowly matures as it gets whittled down and also added to.Many of us have found that using A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) is very useful in our work. Just as some of us in A.A. and other programs have found it useful to use the telephone in our recovery to help deal with emotions and allay and turn over temptations in the moment, so too in C.T.A., A.I. has been a great source of support to many of us. We can load our sobriety definitions into A.I.. We can turn over how we are feeling in the moment. We can turn over delusional thoughts we are having so they don't become stuck in our heads. We can do this in real time while we are doing our work, making ourselves available for the 15-second, or 1-minute, or 5-minute, or 15-minute setups, that we would otherwise be distracting ourselves from were we on the phone with a sponsor or fellow in recovery. A.I. can handle our insane thoughts and ideas, our emotional reactions, explanation of economic concepts and anything else going on with us, in real-time, without prejudice, and without the embarrassment of shame in front of another. A.I. can be told what our trading setups are and then hold us accountable to them. It can act as a dispassionate secretary, assistant, therapist, trading advisor, counselor, coach, and cheerleader all at the same time. It follows the rules we give it, reminds us of them, and can respond increasingly in real time and it does not hold opinions, it just examines data. The best paid and most qualified human could not fulfill such a role.One of our members has instructed A.I. to end each response it gives to his prompts with an inspirational quote from a successful trader. This has the added benefit of reminding this trader in real time what works for others in his chosen field and what he ought to keep his focus on. The Inspiration section of this website contains many of those quotes and they can be copied and introduced to your own A.I. as a starting point. If you need help with this, please reach out to the site administrator at [email protected].As one of our founders is fond of saying, "Trading is not about discipline, it is about process and systems." Compulsive Traders Anonymous is a program. A program is a process and a system.At the end of the day we end up having to deal with ourselves.Processes and systems in conjunction with the support of others appear to be G-d's way of teaching those of us in recovery, helping us grow, and developing an inspiring and productive relationship with ourselves. We pause, we learn, we grow, and then we do G-d's work by giving it to others. Presto!

Possible Elements for your Recovery Program
These suggestions are not meant as ends in themselves. More like a practical means of seeking conscious contact with God as we understand Him, putting together a program that works for you, practicing the principles of the program, and staying sober one day at a time. The list may at first seem overwhelming. As with anything in recovery, "Easy Does It", take it "One Step At A Time", and "Take What You Like, Leave The Rest".Meetings:
Make a meeting a day (whether in C.T.A., Overtraders Anonymous, or any of the multitude of 12 Step programs that address your life challenges).Phone Calls:
Make three program calls a day (an in-person conversation with a fellow in recovery counts). If you don't know how to start the conversation, ask them about how they are doing and what their sober plan for the day is.Writing:
Spend ten minutes a day writing—whether a brief inventory, gratitude list, or honest reflection on the day’s trading and spiritual condition. The purpose is rigorous honesty before God, not unstructured journaling. Often this work goes hand in hand with checking in with A.I..Define your Sobriety:
With the help of an accountability partner or an MOT (Meeting of Three), begin with a simple definition of what trading sobriety might be for you. It does not have to be complicated. What behaviors and commitments are you willing to hold yourself accountable to today; not just around trading itself. It can include behaviors and commitments that affect your trading, like attending a core addiction meeting every day and calling your sponsor; whatever elements are the core of your spiritual foundation; at the core of your progress towards serenity. As a possible starting point, one member's accountability list looks like this (you are welcome to access this sheet and make a copy of it for yourself): Sobriety Definition SpreadsheetAccountability Partners:
Through phone calls, video chat, messaging app groups, the Compulsive Traders Anonymous Discord Room; find accountability partners with whom you can check in regularly, who can help hold you accountable to the basics of recovery, and to whom you can report your sobriety daily. If you don't know how to start the conversation, ask them about how they are doing and what their sober plan for the day is.Sponsor:
Work the 12 steps of Compulsive Traders Anonymous with a sponsor. You want a sponsor who has a sponsor, who has worked the 12 steps, and who has a home group. For the most part your sponsor helps you with your inner journey, your travel towards choosing serenity in every moment of every day.MOTs: Meetings Of Three:
Organize an MOT. Aim for a monthly basis, when and as comfortable. Share the ins and outs of your trading business and trading behavior with two members. For the most part your MOT Team focuses on your outer journey. What your sobriety definition is and what you can do to become aware of, transparent with, and ultimately improve your process. It's all about process. The process towards sobriety. The process towards equanimity.As you slowly steadily put your program together you are likely to find that your focus while trading shifts and the promises begin to show up in your life. Thank you for considering this journey with us."Our book is meant to be suggestive only. We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven’t got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us. Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny. May God bless you and keep you—until then."
From page 164 of the book Alcoholics Anonymous. Copyright © by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. 1939, 1955, 1976, 2001. www.aa.org

~In God We Trust.~

Meeting Schedule

Fridays at 5:00pm EasternDouble Winners Success
A Meeting of Compulsive Traders Anonymous
This is a closed double winners meeting of C.T.A., for newcomers, Compulsive Traders, and members of all other 12-Step fellowships, who have a desire to stop compulsive trading. The meeting is dynamically focused on the solution and a glass half full approach to recovery.When the NYSE is closed on Fridays we meet on Thursdays at 5pm Eastern.

~In God We Trust.~

Meeting FormatIntroduction
Hello, my name is _____________ . I’m a recovering compulsive trader. Welcome to this closed Double Winners Success Meeting of Compulsive Traders Anonymous. C.T.A. is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover.The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop our compulsive trading. People of every race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status, and level of ability are welcome in C.T.A. There are no dues or fees for C.T.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. C.T.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution, does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes.Our primary purpose is to maintain trading sobriety and help others achieve the same. Sobriety is the release from all harmful and excessive trading behaviors. We have found through our experience that sobriety includes defining our trading rules and guidelines and adhering to them.We believe that spirituality and acceptance are antidotes to the addiction. We are walking towards healthy balance in our trading.


Opening Prayer
Would all who care to, join me in the Serenity Prayer?God, grant us the serenity
to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and wisdom to know the difference.


Newcomers
A word to newcomers. We welcome you to C.T.A. We encourage you to attend 6 to 8 meetings before deciding if C.T.A. is for you. We have literature to help us work our program. We also use the telephone in our recovery. We encourage you to ask members of the fellowship for their phone numbers. After the meeting some of us stay on for the zoom parking lot. Please join us.


Meeting Conduct
Meetings begin and end on time. No eating or smoking in the meeting room.


Our ProgramOur program offers a path of recovery from compulsive trading. Like all addictions, compulsive trading interferes with the life process, and can even be life-threatening. We define compulsive trading as harmful or excessive trading that’s not mere preference or enthusiasm — it’s a pattern that has taken on a life of its own, often involving loss of control, escalation despite negative consequences, preoccupation, and using the behavior to regulate emotions such as a need for escape, excitement, numbness, and validation.C.T.A. offers a way to stop compulsive trading through practicing the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. The list of questions in the section, Am I A Compulsive Trader? will help you decide if you are addicted. We believe that two behaviors are common to all of us. First, we cannot stop, and second, we use the addiction to avoid feelings and alter our moods.


Why We Came To C.T.A.The disease of compulsive trading was destroying our lives, our self-esteem, our relationships, our careers, our physical and spiritual health. Many of us feared mental insanity, physical decline, or suicide. Though our individual behaviors may have been different, our feelings were similar: despair, shame, hopelessness, and anguish, mixed in with intense excitement and forgetfulness. These feelings were always followed by still worse pain. We were starting to see the truth—our problem was progressive, it always got worse. The illusion that the next time would “fix” us, that we would feel better and could then control our behavior, was revealed for what it was—a false promise.We began to sense that we were spinning downwards, out of control, toward a life of loneliness, misery, bankruptcy, insanity, perhaps even toward death. In these moments of clarity, we were frightened. We could not stop or control our behavior by ourselves. Our lives had become unmanageable. Finally, when the pain grew great enough, we were ready to try anything, and we came to Compulsive Traders Anonymous.

Why We StayedFor the first time we found people who shared our problem. Others actually understood and felt the same way. We were accepted for who we were. We stayed because of the promise of hope. Later we stayed because of hopes fulfilled.When we came to C.T.A., it was suggested that we stop our destructive trading behaviors. For some of us, this meant pausing all trading for a period of time. This allowed us to observe and reflect on our trading behavior and determine our definition of trading sobriety. Many of us had never done this and the prospect was unimaginable and terrifying. The thought of not trading, the thought of keeping commitments and boundaries around trading seemed painful, impossible, and just plain boring. Some of us felt that our lives would completely lack meaning and purpose if we didn’t trade.We began to work the Twelve Steps of the program. For some of us, it was the first time we were ever clear enough of the compulsion to find out who we were. We began to have a spiritual relationship with a Power greater than ourselves. For many it became a healing and loving relationship.It became clear that our problems could not be solved by ourselves alone. We needed the strength and wisdom of the fellowship to learn how to live without engaging in our compulsion, one day at a time.While at first we stayed because we knew we had to, in order to survive, we now stay because we want to. We stay because we know it is here we can fill the emptiness. Here we can find what we searched for in all the dark places of our compulsion. This program of recovery offers dignity of self.The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of C.T.A. offer a healing home in which our spirits can at first rest, then grow, then finally soar.


The 12 Steps of C.T.A.1. We admitted we were powerless over compulsive trading — that our lives had become unmanageable.2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive traders, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.


TopicsWeek 1: The group reads and shares on How It Works from the A.A. Big Book.Week 2: a member shares their experience, strength, and hope on a Prayer of their choice.Week 3: a member shares their experience, strength, and hope on a Slogan of their choice.Week 4: a member speaks on the Step of the Month.Week 5: a member speaks on the Tradition of the Month.


Sharing
For our sharing, the focus is on recovery, on openness, honesty, and healing—how we apply the Twelve Steps to our daily lives. In C.T.A. we don't explicitly speak about our trading performance, dollars earned or lost, our account balances, indicators and methodologies we use and the technical aspects of our trading. That information can sometimes be usefully addressed in a Meeting of Three. If someone feels another is getting too explicit, they may so signify by quietly raising their hand.We avoid naming specific persons, locations, websites or publications, as they may relate to trading. We don’t cross-talk, interrupt or give advice. It’s OK to relate to what someone says, but it’s not OK to try to fix, validate, or invalidate someone’s share.Treasurer’s Break
(About halfway through the meeting we take a Seventh Tradition break. We post the phone list in the Zoom chat. And ask for any C.T.A.-related announcements.)


ClosingAnything you have heard at this meeting is strictly the opinion of the individual participant. The principles of C.T.A. are found in our Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. This is an anonymous program. Please keep the name, address and phone number of anyone you meet or learn about in C.T.A. confidential. What we say here, let it stay here. Remember, we never identify ourselves with C.T.A. publicly, in the press, on radio, TV or films. Neither does anyone speak for C.T.A.


The 9th Step Promises
Taken from p. 83 of the A.A. Big Book."As God's people we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone.If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity.
We will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.


Closing PrayerOur Father, Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
Deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Adapted from the literature on the website of Sexual Recovery Anonymous, sexualrecovery.org and sranyc.org.We are grateful to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and have requested permission to adapt the AA Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, Preamble, and Sections of the Big Book.

~In God We Trust.~

HOW IT WORKSRarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it — then you are ready to take certain steps.At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.Remember that we deal with compulsive trading — cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power — that One is God. May you find Him now!Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:1. We admitted we were powerless over compulsive trading — that our lives had become unmanageable.2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive traders, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.Many of us exclaimed, “What an order! I can’t go through with it.’’ Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.Our description of the compulsive trader, the chapter in the AA Big Book to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:(a) That we were compulsive traders and could not manage our own lives.(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our compulsive trading.(c) That God could and would if He were sought.

Adapted from pages 58-60 in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. Copyright © by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. 1939, 1955, 1976, 2001. www.aa.org

~In God We Trust.~

Prayers


Our FatherOur Father, Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
Deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.


The Serenity PrayerGod, grant us the serenity
to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and wisdom to know the difference.


Third Step PrayerGod, I offer myself to Thee —
to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self,
that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties,
that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help
of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always!


Seventh Step PrayerMy Creator, I am now willing that You should have all of me, good and bad.
I pray that You now remove from me every single defect of character
which stands in the way of my usefulness to You and my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do Your bidding.
Amen.


Eleventh Step PrayerLord, make me a channel of Thy peace;
that where there is hatred, may I bring love;
that where there is wrong, may I bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, may I bring harmony;
that where there is error, may I bring truth;
that where there is doubt, may I bring faith;
that where there is despair, may I bring hope;
that where there are shadows, may I bring light;
that where there is sadness, may I bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.
Amen.


Commentary on the Closing Lines of the Eleventh Step PrayerThese three lines are the spiritual logic of the prayer. They describe how the Kingdom of God actually operates, which is the opposite of ordinary human instinct.
* “It is by self-forgetting that one finds.” The more we obsessively focus on ourselves (our needs, our image, our wounds, our rights), the more lost and empty we become. When we stop making ourselves the center and turn outward in service and love, we actually discover who we are and what we were made for. Self-forgetting is not self-hatred; it is the release of self-preoccupation.
* “It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.” This is the same principle Jesus states in the Lord’s Prayer. Holding onto resentment and the demand that others pay for what they have done keeps us locked in the very bondage we want freedom from. When we forgive (release the debt), we open ourselves to receive the forgiveness God is already offering us. The two movements are linked.
* “It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.” This is a central Christian paradox. “Dying” here means the death of the false self — the ego that insists on control, self-protection, and its own will. Only when that false self is surrendered (dies) does the true life that God gives become possible. It is the same truth as “whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”


In short, the three lines say that the way up is down, the way to receive is to give, and the way to live is to die to self.


They are not poetic decoration; they are the operating principles of the spiritual life the rest of the prayer is asking for.

~In God We Trust.~

SlogansTake what you like, leave the rest


First Things First.This Too Shall Pass.Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes.Live and Let Live.Easy Does It.One Day at a Time.Think, Think, Think.Let Go and Let God.Progress Not Perfection.F.E.A.R. — Forget Everything And RunF.E.A.R. — Face Everything And RecoverP.A.U.S.E. — Postpone Action Until Spirit EntersA Vision without Solvency is a Hallucination“We stood at the turning point.
We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.”“Half measures availed us nothing.”
(How It Works, p. 59)_"It is not defeat that destroys you, it
is being demoralized by defeat that
destroys you." Imran Khan
_
_On Self-KnowledgeFrom Bill’s Story (p. 17, 4th edition):
“Surely this was the answer—self-knowledge.
But it was not…”From “More About Alcoholism” (p. 39):
“But the actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self-knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to smash home upon our alcoholic readers as it has been revealed to us out of bitter experience.”~Later in the same chapter (Fred’s story, p. 42):
“I saw that will power and self-knowledge would not help in those strange mental blank spots.”


Micah 6:8 (ESV)
“He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”


Proverbs of Solomon 13:11 (ESV)
“Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.”


Proverbs of Solomon 21:5 (ESV)
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

~In God We Trust.~

INSPIRATION


These quotes are divided up into 9 sections:THE MARKET DOES NOT CAREYOU DO NOT HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXTPROCESS, NOT PREDICTIONPROTECT THE ACCOUNTEGO IS NOT A SETUPWAITGET OUTONE OF THE NEXT THOUSANDSTATE OF MIND




THE MARKET DOES NOT CARETrading is a psychological game. Most people think that they’re playing against the market, but the market doesn’t care. You’re really playing against yourself. You have to stop trying to will things to happen in order to prove that you’re right. Listen only to what the market is telling you now. Forget what you thought it was telling you five minutes ago. The sole objective of trading is not to prove you’re right, but to hear the cash register ring.
Marty Schwartz


Anything can happen.
Mark Douglas


YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXTThe market will do what the market will do.
Tom Basso


You do not have to know what is going to happen next.
Van Tharp


If you want to know what’s going on, look at what’s going on.
William Eckhardt


I never have a view of the market. I look at what is happening.
Bruce Kovner


Learn to listen to the markets and do not impose your own will upon them.
Linda Raschke


Win or lose, everybody gets what they want out of the market.
Ed Seykota


Keep things in perspective. The universe was here before you were born, and it will be here after you die.
Tom Basso


PROCESS, NOT PREDICTIONYou don’t need to be a genius. You need to follow the rules.
Richard Dennis


Winning in the markets is a matter of process and discipline, not prediction.
Jack Schwager


Process is everything. It adds structure, consistency, helps to keep emotions in check, prevents unforced errors and marginal trades, and it’s what allows one to increase size. Setups and indicators are 2% of the pie.
Linda Raschke


I measure my success by how well I follow my rules, not by how much money I make.
Tom Basso


The consistency you seek is in your mind.
Mark Douglas


You do not trade the markets. You trade your beliefs about the markets.
Van Tharp


PROTECT THE ACCOUNTDon’t focus on making money. Focus on protecting what you have.
Paul Tudor Jones


I think it’s generally a good idea that when you put on a trade, it should be so small that it seems a waste of your time.
Mark Ritchie


Preserve capital first, then look for home runs.
Stanley Druckenmiller


Before taking a position, always know the amount you are willing to lose.
Marty Schwartz


Most people come into the business without a willingness to lose money. They also enter the market with unrealistic expectations.
Mark Ritchie


The most important advice is to never let a loser get out of hand. You want to be sure that you can be wrong twenty or thirty times in a row and still have money in your account.
Randy McKay


If the risk is low, you can take on a bigger position. If the risk is high, take on a smaller position.
Tom Basso


I have two basic rules about winning in trading as well as in life. One, if you don’t bet, you can’t win. Two, if you lose all your chips, you can’t bet.
Larry Hite


The most important thing is to keep enough powder to make your comeback.
Marty Schwartz


It’s not whether you’re right or wrong that’s important, but how much you make when you’re right and how much you lose when you’re wrong.
Stanley Druckenmiller


EGO IS NOT A SETUP
You don’t have to make money back in the same market you lost it in. That has more to do with ego.
Linda Raschke


My biggest losses have always followed my largest profits.
Marty Schwartz


If a bet is attractive, it is not less attractive because you have just lost on a similar bet.
William Eckhardt


You have to be willing to make mistakes regularly.
Michael Marcus


One of the most suicidal things you can do in trading is to keep adding to a losing position.
Marty Schwartz


I am always thinking about losing money as opposed to making money.
Bruce Kovner


Before putting on a position always ask, “Do I really want to have this position?”
Marty Schwartz


WAIT
It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting.
Jesse Livermore


Don’t anticipate. Participate.
Linda Raschke


Wait for their pitch.
Mark Ritchie


I just wait until there is money lying in the corner, and all I have to do is go over there and pick it up.
Jim Rogers


The big money is not in the individual fluctuations but in the main movements.
Jesse Livermore


The best trades are the ones you can sit with.
Linda Raschke


You get paid for being right at the right time.
Andrew Lipschutz


I want to catch the easy part of the trend. Not the beginning, not the end.
Randy McKay


I try to wait until things set up just right before I take a trade. Then, when I’m ready to take the trade, I slowly count to ten. It’s better to have the wrong idea and good timing than the right idea and bad timing.
Linda Raschke


GET OUT
When I get hurt in the market, I get the hell out. If you can’t get it out of your mind, you can’t trade it.
Randy McKay


Being able to honour your stops is what separates the top dogs from the mongrels on Wall Street.
Marty Schwartz


Perhaps my number one rule is: Don’t try to make a profit on a bad trade, just try to find the best place to get out.
Linda Raschke


I have a rule that whenever I’m still thinking about my position when I lay my head on the pillow at night, I begin liquidation the next morning. If I find myself praying about a position at any time, I liquidate it immediately.
Mark Ritchie


I’ll keep on reducing my trading size as long as I’m losing.
Randy McKay


One of the great tools of trading is the stop, the point at which you divorce yourself from your emotions and ego and admit that you’re wrong.
Marty Schwartz


As long as you learn something from a loss, it’s not really a loss.
Tom Basso


I’m more concerned about controlling the downside. Learn to take the losses. The most important thing about making money is not to let your losses get out of hand.
Marty Schwartz


Protect the account first. The next trade is optional.
Mark Ritchie


ONE OF THE NEXT THOUSAND
Think of each trade as one of the next one thousand trades you’re going to make. You’ve made any single trade seem very inconsequential.
Tom Basso


I really value that I’ve learned to trade as a craft. Perfection may be elusive — I’ll never buy the low and sell the high — but consistency is achievable if you practice day in and day out.
Linda Raschke


Writing down your trades is the best exercise in the world.
Linda Raschke


I review my checklist. It’s a handwritten sheet laminated in plastic and taped to the right-hand corner of my desk where I can’t overlook it.
Marty Schwartz


If you have a game plan prepared ahead of time, it can help you find courage in the heat of the battle.
Marty Schwartz


Good process will produce good results.
Tom Basso


I find that using systems gets the monkey off your back. If you lose money today, it’s not your fault; it’s the system that had the problem.
Tom Basso


Virtually every successful trader I know ended up with a trading style suited to his personality.
Randy McKay


All you need is one pattern to make a living.
Linda Raschke


The perfect strategy doesn’t exist.
Tom Basso


Instead of saying, “I’m going to do this trade,” you say, “I’m going to watch myself do this trade.”
Tom Basso


STATE OF MIND
The goal is to have a state of mind that is not affected by the market’s behavior.
Tom Basso


I focus my total attention on trading well, and let the results take care of themselves.
Tom Basso


When your account has these massive swings up and down, there’s a tendency to feel a rush when the market is going your way and devastation when it’s going against you. These emotions do absolutely nothing to make you a good trader. It’s far better to keep the equity swings manageable and strive for a sense of balance each day, no matter what happens.
Tom Basso


After a successful period, take a day off as a reward.
Marty Schwartz


Working longer does not necessarily equate with working smarter.
Marty Schwartz


Attitude is how you deal with the inevitable adverse situations that occur in the markets. Attitude is also how you handle the daily grind, the constant two steps forward and two steps back.
Linda Raschke


The good traders are the ones who can hold their ground the majority of the month and participate in that small handful of trades that are windfalls. The real skill is in not losing money.
Linda Raschke


The trend is your friend until the end when it bends.
Victor Sperandeo


You have to be able to think clearly and act decisively in a panic market. The markets that go wild are the ones with the best opportunity.
Mark Ritchie


Usually the way we miss opportunities in this business is by saying, “It looks too good to be true,” and then not doing anything.
Mark Ritchie


Any investment opportunity that everyone else is doing is by definition a bad idea. The reason markets get out of line is because everyone is doing the wrong thing.
Mark Ritchie


If you ever find yourself tempted to seek out someone else’s opinion on a trade, that’s usually a sure sign that you should get out of your position.
Linda Raschke


I’m a firm believer in predicting price direction, but not magnitude. I don’t set price targets. I get out when the market action tells me it’s time to get out. You have to be willing to take what the market gives you.
Linda Raschke


I try not to go against the moving averages; it is self-destructive.
Marty Schwartz


Bottom fishing is one of the most expensive forms of gambling.
Marty Schwartz


A great trader is like a great athlete. You have to have natural skills, but you have to train yourself how to use them.
Marty Schwartz


I believe my most important skill is an ability to perceive patterns in the market.
Linda Raschke


Every trading strategy is absolutely useless without proper money management.
Linda Raschke


By preserving your capital through the use of stops, you make it possible to wait patiently for a high-probability trade with a low-risk entry-point.
Marty Schwartz


That’s the problem with amateurs: they only have half a plan, the easy half. They know how much of a profit they’re willing to take, but they don’t have the foggiest idea how much they’re willing to lose.
Marty Schwartz


When you’re in a losing position and you’re brain-locked, do whatever’s necessary to help clear your head.
Marty Schwartz


I always laugh at people who say “I’ve never met a rich technician.” I used fundamentals for nine years and got rich as a technician.
Marty Schwartz


If you don’t have your mental side screwed on straight, you are going to find a way to completely screw up.
Tom Basso


As a trader, I never thought of myself as a trader. I thought of myself as a businessman running a trading operation.
Tom Basso


I think investment psychology is by far the most important element, followed by risk control, with the least important consideration being where you buy and sell.
Tom Basso

~In God We Trust.~

The Twelve Steps of Compulsive Traders AnonymousAs adapted from Alcoholics AnonymousThe Twelve Steps are outlined in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. They can be found at the beginning of the chapter “How It Works.” Essays on the Steps can be read in the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.1. We admitted we were powerless over compulsive trading — that our lives had become unmanageable.2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive traders, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

~In God We Trust.~

The Twelve Traditions of Compulsive Traders AnonymousAs adapted from Alcoholics AnonymousThe Twelve Traditions provide guidelines for relationships between the groups, members, the global Fellowship and society at large. Questions of finance, public relations, donations and purpose are addressed in the Traditions. There is both a short form and a long form of the Traditions. The Traditions were first published in the April 1946 AA Grapevine under the title “Twelve Points to Assure Our Future.”Short Form
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon C.T.A. unity.2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.3. The only requirement for C.T.A. membership is a desire to stop compulsive trading.4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or C.T.A. as a whole.5. Each group has but one primary purpose — to carry its message to the compulsive trader who still suffers.6. A C.T.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the C.T.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.7. Every C.T.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.8. Compulsive Traders Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.9. C.T.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.10. Compulsive Traders Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the C.T.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities._
_
_Long Form1. Each member of Compulsive Traders Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. C.T.A. must continue to live or most of us will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows close afterward.2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority–a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.3. Our membership ought to include all who suffer from compulsive trading. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought C.T.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three Compulsive Traders gathered together for trading sobriety may call themselves a C.T.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.4. With respect to its own affairs, each C.T.A. group should be responsible to no other authority than its own conscience. But when its plans concern the welfare of other groups also, those groups ought to be consulted. And no group or individual should ever take any action that might greatly affect C.T.A. as a whole without seeking a wider group conscience. On such issues our common welfare is paramount.5. Each Compulsive Traders Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose–that of carrying its message to the compulsive trader who still suffers.6. Problems of money, property, and authority may easily divert us from our primary spiritual aim. A C.T.A. group, as such, should never go into business. Any property or facility of genuine use to C.T.A. — a website, a meeting platform, or similar aid — ought to be kept simple and so set apart that, if necessary, it can be freely discarded by the group. Such aids ought not to use the C.T.A. name in a way that implies affiliation or endorsement. A C.T.A. group may cooperate with anyone, but such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. A C.T.A. group can bind itself to no one.7. The C.T.A. groups themselves ought to be fully supported by the voluntary contributions of their own members. We think that each group should soon achieve this ideal; that any public solicitation of funds using the name of Compulsive Traders Anonymous is highly dangerous; that acceptance of large gifts from any source, or of contributions carrying any obligation whatever, is unwise. Then too, we view with much concern those C.T.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated C.T.A. purpose. Experience has often warned us that nothing can so surely destroy our spiritual heritage as futile disputes over property, money, and authority.8. Compulsive Traders Anonymous should remain forever non-professional. We define professionalism as the occupation of counseling Compulsive Traders for fees or hire. But we may employ Compulsive Traders where they are going to perform those services for which we may otherwise have to engage non-Compulsive Traders. Such special services may be well recompensed. But our usual C.T.A. "12th Step" work is never to be paid for.9. Each C.T.A. group needs the least possible organization. Rotating leadership is the best. A small group may elect a chairperson, secretary, and treasurer. As the fellowship grows, groups may create simple service roles or committees directly responsible to those they serve — for the meeting, the treasury, the website, or other group needs. Such trusted servants are guided by the spirit of service. They derive no real authority from their titles; they do not govern. Universal respect is the key to their usefulness.10. No C.T.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate C.T.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues–particularly those of politics, trading reform, or sectarian religion. The Compulsive Traders Anonymous groups oppose no one. Concerning such matters they can express no views whatever.11. Our relations with the general public should be characterized by personal anonymity. We think C.T.A. ought to avoid sensational advertising. Our names and pictures as C.T.A. members ought not be broadcast, filmed, or publicly printed. Our public relations should be guided by the principle of attraction rather than promotion. There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us.12. And finally, we of Compulsive Traders Anonymous believe that the principle of anonymity has an immense spiritual significance. It reminds us that we are to place principles before personalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility. This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him who presides over us all.

~In God We Trust.~

The 9th Step PromisesTaken from p.83 of the A.A. Big BookAs God's people we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone.If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.
We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity.
We will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

~In God We Trust.~

Literature


Pamphlet:  
Am I A Compulsive Trader?


AA Big Book
available online at https://www.aa.org/the-big-book


AA Twelve and Twelve
available online at https://www.aa.org/twelve-steps-twelve-traditions


DA 12 Steps Study Guide
DA 12 & 12 & 12


Overtraders Anonymous Website:
overtradersanonymous.org



Recommended Reading“My Trading Bible” by Mark A. RitchieMark A. Ritchie is a veteran commodities trader and co-founder of Chicago Research and Trading (CRT), once the largest options firm in the industry. He is best known for his 1989 book, God in the Pits: Confessions of a Commodities Trader, which details his journey from a fundamentalist Christian background to Wall Street success.Ritchie grew up in Afghanistan, Texas, and Oregon, and was a theology student (M-Div, 1980) and night-shift prison guard before entering finance. His work explores the tension between his deep Christian faith and the high-stakes world of commodities trading, offering spiritual insights alongside his trading philosophy. He was also featured in Jack Schwager’s The New Market Wizards and authored My Trading Bible: Lose Your Shirt. Save Your Life. Keep Trading.

~In God We Trust.~

7th Tradition ContributionsC.T.A. 7th TraditionEvery C.T.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting,
declining outside contributions.


We have no dues or fees. We do have expenses which include the monthly cost of the zoom room and the C.T.A. website domain and hosting.If you are able to, please make your 7th Tradition Contributions via PayPal using the email address [email protected].In the event you need a different option for contributions, please email [email protected] and we can explore a
different path.

~In God We Trust.~