Last but not least, I talked to the people charged with my treatment, including non-doctors (such as yoga instructors). But until I did my other homework first, I was not in a good position to cherry-pick their expert knowledge.

Knowing thyself is a highly personal and literally infinite undertaking. You will almost certainly want to extend your inquiry much wider and deeper than what I have suggested here. For the time being, I have kept our illness as the main focus. Over the course of this series, other dimensions will come into play. In the meantime, the same basic precepts that served me well so early on in my inquiry into myself continue to guide me today, namely:

1. Talk and listen to fellow patients. They have walked in your shoes.
2. Acquire book knowledge. When it comes to what makes us tick, even the esoteric has a practical application.
3. Talk and listen to friends and family members. Their observations will often surprise you.
4. Have conversations with yourself. Otherwise, you are dealing with useless information.
5. Talk and listen to the experts. But do your homework first.  

Know thyself. Live well …