That's interesting about your mug, hankster. When a former therapist asked me if I still had X that she'd given me. I told her that she'd handed it to me, but it hadn't been clear she was giving it to me, so I'd looked at it and put it down. It was still in her office somewhere. Partly, tho, I think she needed to be more clear.

As for changing core beliefs, it's a long process. First, I try to be awake to them. My therapist has pointed out that my intensity of feeling does not equal truth, so that's what I try to tackle/question whenever I get into the death grip of a belief about myself. I don't look to other people to fill a void, though, so being able to even seek reassurance would be a big deal for me right now.