Positive Living: Learning the Language of Healing and Recovery
Comments(6) For most of my life, it never occurred to me to ask for help with my emotional turmoil.
When I was really struggling with my self esteem and confidence, I assumed there was something wrong with me although I had absolutely no idea what it was… I thought I was flawed.
Fresh out of a loving but dysfunctional family, I didn’t even have the language of functional and healthy versus dysfunctional and unwell… I had no idea how messed up I was… No one talked about the turmoil within…
My first glimmer of hope and help came in 1986 from a chance viewing of a John Bradshaw special PBS called “Bradshaw on the Family”… I remember sitting spellbound through hours and hours of this program while John described my family.
I was so excited… My inner journey began that day… My path has been adventurous…
- It’s been scarey at times
- It’s required fierce determination
- There has been some very steep learning curves
- I have had to dig deep within myself to keep going when the terrain got rough
- I have met many helping kindred friends along the way who have held my hand
- For the life of me, I can’t think of a better path to walk
- I am heart-fully grateful for all the bumps and rocks and crevasses
- I am thrilled by what might be next
- I trust the process
- I’m having the time of my life
If you are deliberately walking your own path to wellness and self-love… I hold out my hand in friendship and unity…
Namaste
It’s a very good thing for all of us that you did see that John Bradshaw special, Joyce! XX
PS Love the new blog page!
Joyce:
I can relate more than you know to today’s insight. For me, the changes in my life, especially in the last 12 years have been enormous. There are days I have to keep reminding myself that my fierce determination and inner strength have brought me to where I am today. On a spiritual level, I know I have had divine intervention to get here.
Today my journey is still unfolding, but by taking daily personal inventory, being aware of my own shortcomings, my boundaries, and above all asking for guidance in each day, I can more easily accept my past, forgive myself and others, look in the mirror and love who is there and move forward.
Moving forward includes a new position at work, embarking on a new married life to a wonderful man in less than a month, joining two families, many lives, and many paths, plus enjoying my new found love and happiness.
By sharing my message, connecting with people of like mind and trying to stay in each day I move forward to my ultimate goal of achieving serenity in my life.
Elaine
Good Morning…I too have spent many years putting the pieces together about my own life especially the earlier years, but as I read this morning it made me think about my own two children..we have had conversations in the past about their childhood, but I have never really asked them if they consider us a dysfuctional family..I think I will bring it up…could be an very interesting conversation…I too loved John Bradshaw..
Thank you for your thoughtful comments…
Bev, I wonder if my parents wondered too… I’ll never know…
Joyce
Hi Joyce,
Wow…I can’t believe I’ve met someone who was also mesmerized by the hours of John Bradshaw’s PBS special in 1986 at the same time I was! That show was the beginning for me…the “aha” moment that highlighted some of the same doubts and fears and inner turmoil that I had for years.
Since that day in 1986, I have come to recognize that I can do, be and have more than what I had learned from my family.
Over the years, I have learned to:
- Forgive
- Forge my own path
- Think and act with clarity and purpose
- Discover my unique gifts
- Live the life of my dreams with passion and confidence
- Attract healthy, loving relationships
I could go on and on about my transformation [maybe, that will be in my book
but, hopefully, you get the idea.
And, because of the long, difficult journey I made, I now know my purpose is to share what I’ve learned from my journey with others to help then get unstuck from unhealthy limiting beliefs and get off the emotional roller coaster to live life out loud with confidence, clarity and courage!
I am so grateful for your transparency and the reminder that we can all rewrite our story. Thank you!
Joyce,
Once again this insight is something that I can definitely relate to. My journey over the last 10-12 years has been excruiatingly painful at times,and unbelievably joyous at other times.I’ve struggled a lot with forgiveness especially toward my parents for allowing me 9 years ago to go to the home of a friend whose parents they had never met and for not being home when 5 hours later I came home (when they had said be home i an hour) and they weren’t worried,weren’t looking for me. It took me 6 of the 9 years to tell them what happened when I went to my friends house. I also held a lot of resentment toward them for working constantly while I was in high school,and allowing other adults (Whose kids I babysat for) to take care of me when there was alcoholism,infidelity etc.. in the 3 different houses I was in.
It has just been recently that I have forgiven my parents and our relationship has improved and since I’ve begun dealing with and letting go of my past I find that I am a happier healthier person.