that all seems pretty accurate mckell... for me, it consists of surrounding myself with all the self-hate built up inside myself, at times, rather than self-hate, it might be extreme sorrow, fear, lonliness... feelings you've tried every method of avoiding without success...

it could last for days, months... in my case, 29 years...

but there are levels of attainment along the way... gradually, the pain which previously imprisoned, is dropped away.. ever, so gradually...

at the pace you can endure... but, essential is self-honesty and a desire to heal...

there are probably guides available... i am still not certain of the practices used in Catholicism but i believe there is an association.. i need to do more research to understand it myself..

but, the reason this topic is interesting to me is because of the transcendances i have experienced..

i believe as Sky and Alexandra support, catharsis is a term that can be used to describe therapeutic healing...

self-catharsis is less controlled and possibly more damaging.. imo ..

however, self teaching is one of those things in life that makes life have meaning...

if i had known the process prior to beginning, im not sure i would have stayed with it.. i tried many successful programs, but, whatever reason, i didnt stay with them... and returned again to dropping myself full into all the darkness and breaking down until there was nothing else to do, but let it go awhile...