That's a good way to put it! (And welcome! Great question, John!)
Remission and recovery aren't the same thing. Thanks, hamster-bamster for the definition of remission. "Recovery" is a word that really perplexed me for quite some time. The understanding of it that I've gained is that it is the state of one who is making efforts, as you say John, "heading toward" one's goal of stability.

Kind of like if one had a physical injury or illness. Perhaps there are exercises to do, appropriate nutrition, rest, massage, meds, or whatever stratagies one can take to put themselves on the most helpful course of actions to bring things to the best place they can be. Um, recovery, right? Which, in the case of BP is a place relative stability where extremes are not wreaking total havoc with one's life.

(I'm still uncomfortable with the word itself for some inexplicable reason, but that's my problem and quirk, lol. At least I finally came to understand what people were talking about when they used it(!))