Hi Danny,
An interesting thread, although I'm sorry to read your tale of woe. If it's any consolation to you, many of us here have been (and some are yet to be) in a similar dark place with our trading. I lost 70% of my account some years ago on a single trade (ERTS); something that, just before it happened, I gleefully told my wife could never happen because of my risk and money management skills. The thing was, on the fateful day in question, I somehow forgot those skills and I thought I was so good at this game that I could trade my way out of any that hole I'd dug for myself. For about 4 consecutive months up to that point, I'd been riding on the crest of a wave, thinking I knew it all and that the markets were to me what a well trained and obedient dog is to its master. Arrogant - moi? Never! It's taken me around four years to recover my confidence and, I hope, to learn from my spectacularly stupid and elementary mistakes (and lots of them), which will stand me in good stead in the future. Or so I hope. I've read more times than I care to remember that the best traders often start off by blowing their account at least once. I don't know if this is true or not - it doesn't really matter - but it's comforting to know that you and I are not alone and that it doesn't necessarily mean that we can't be good traders. Sorry for the double negative. I look at it much the same way as a reformed alcoholic views booze. Stay 'clean' one day at a time, one trade at a time and realise just how easy it is to be lured into what I call 'sloppy & cocky' trading patterns that can so quickly be our undoing. On the psychology front, I recommend you read anything you can by Brett Steenbarger - starting with the excellent articles posted right here on T2W in the Knowledge Lab'. Good luck!
Tim.