... So we learn to be rigorously honest about all our fears when we do Step 10 by ourselves. And when it comes to doing Step 10 in a group, we prefer small private groups or a very small 12-Step meeting, because of the trust and intimacy we find there ...

... This can only be done wholeheartedly in a situation of trust. That is why our attempts to do Step 10 in large 12-Step meetings can be unsatisfactory. We may be sitting next to a complete stranger, and we may quite understandably be reluctant to talk about our mistakes and our fears with someone we don't know. In one-on-one interactions, or in small private groups, trust comes more easily ...

... Intimacy is what permits discussion of our deepest fears. And discussing our fears in turn deepens that intimacy. We are not talking here about sexual or physical intimacy. We are talking about a relationship that is based on trust and openness ...

... Some small 12-Step groups may offer this sort of trust and intimacy. But this is unusual. 12-Step groups with more than about seven or eight members, or groups where members do not know one another well, may be less suitable. We are talking here only from our experience. Your experience may be different ...

... In small private groups or in one-on-one interactions, it's possible to find the trust and intimacy that must accompany the working of Step 10 ...