Andrew said:
I agree with you that it needs to be identified, observed, and corrected but what if like I wrote to ScioAgapeOmnis it's some how blocked, or repressed so far that it may in fact be entirely invisible to the perceiver? What does one do in such a case?
You are not such a case, and I don't know that ANYONE would be such case. Let me elaborate on what I meant by "it needs to be identified, observed, and corrected":
IDENTIFIED: You are now aware that you have a Self-Punishment Program, so it has been identified. Nothing "blocked" there.
OBSERVED: This you can begin doing it at any time. As per Gurdjieff's Fourth Way teaching, you must start practicing Objective Self-Observation, in order to become more aware and familiar with how and when you run the identified Program in your life. The premise is that we are all essentially mechanical and program-driven, and that we are not able to develop our "Real I" and become truly "awake" until we get to know our "Machine".
CORRECTED: The process of Objective Self-Observation is usually a lengthy one, but Gurdjieff teaches that with discipline, patience, and daily practice we can begin to recognize the workings of our Programs and gradually eliminate them as unnecessary. It is self-defeating to be in a hurry to change or eliminate a program, because you cannot do so until you are able to SEE it.
Andrew, you seem very attached to and identified with the idea that you need to know a past-life origin of your program before you can successfully undertake the Work and begin to understand your own behaviour. You are also attached to the idea that whatever you need to know in order to progress is has been hidden from you and must be uncovered like buried treasure. I suggest that your first step would be to give up these ideas, as they are at best misconceptions, and at worst avoidance mechanisms. In fact, you may want to explore whether your current method of dealing with certain issues may involve an "Avoidance Program" that kicks in whenever you are close to seeing your behaviour for what it is.
The Work is quite straightforward and available to everyone; it is not deeply esoteric and inaccessible to the "uninitiated". However, it is difficult and challenging, and calls on us to give up many of our most cherished ideas about ourselves and the world around us. Many people would prefer to devote their time to various kinds of "phenomena chasing" in pursuit of mysterious "hidden" knowledge, because it is easier than facing and addressing one's issues head-on.