"People, like all forms of life, only change when something so
disturbs them that they are forced to let go of their present beliefs.
Nothing changes until we interpret things differently.Change occurs only
when we let go of our certainty. " Dee Hock
Rigorous honesty
is the first rule of recovery. Nothing happens until the truth is laid
on the table. Well,that ends alot of recoveries right there--the
inability or even refusal to be honest, especially with yourself.
Telling yourself the truth means several difficult things:
1.
It means you stop covering for him --making excuses for his behavior,
quietyly and secretly LOOKING for loopholes he just might fit into (he
doesn't met ALL the criteria for pathology, only 10 out of 12.Psychology
COULD be wrong in his case). Instead of looking with the eyes of safety
and seeing how many areas he DOES fit in, you scoure every square inch
of your memory and his behavior looking for ONE redeeming trait that is
suppose to wipe out the 25 absolutely pathological things he does. You
aren't telling yourself the truth about 'him' and his pathology OR your
own loophole hunt and what your real motives are--to find a reason to
stay.
2. You tell yourself the truth about how you need to
take responsibility for your choices and your recovery.Telling yourself
the truth about your own choices means you are willing to really dig in
and look at where your choices in relationships have their origins. You
can't change what you don't see. While you are not responsible for abuse
you incurred, you are responsible for your own recovery and the safety
of yourself and children. This can only occur when you begin telling
yourself the truth about the level of danger you are in and the level of
damage you and your children have already sustained. Taking
responsibility for your recovery means that you both acknowledge the
victimization AND seek to thrive beyond the mere title of 'victim.' I
see so many women do part one: acknowledge the victimhood and don't do
part two.They camp out in the victimhood and 10 years later, they are
still in the same spot as they were before.
Recovery means
movement and progress. We have to even tell ourselves the truth about
our own recovery---we kick our own butts if we are stagnate or have
stopped growing. Some women find their identities in their victimization
because of the severe abuse and loss of self esteem. Years later some
of the women have never done anything for their own recovery. They read
one book and saw them-selves in it, recognized their victimhood, closed
the book, squatted---and stayed there. You already lived THAT---real
life is out there on the other side of recovery (even IN recovery). Tell
yourself the truth about how invested you are in your recovery or what
you need to really do in order to recover. If you're afraid of
success---acknowledge that.
3. Telling yourself the truth
also means taking responsibility for relapses. Sometimes women secretly
want to relapse. Have you had that feeling? They just want to go back
to what feels 'normal' -- which is often dysfunction. It's human nature
to want what is comfortable even when it's painful. That makes recovery
all the more difficult because when you are tired, lonely, and sick of
the pain you are in, it would be great to believe the fantasy again
--wouldn't it? Just ONE night where he pretends it's gonna be good again
(and even though you know it's not true and for that night you don't
even really care if he's lying) and both of you know how to fake it to
ward off the pain and loneliness. So there's that night of passion that
has been fueled by fear and abandonment but the next day when everyone
is past the fantasy, it all starts again. Then you think since you gave
in, and you really don't have what it takes to end this and leave
anyway--so you sigh and resign yourself to just living in the hell.
Telling yourself the truth is pointing to the ways you sabotage
yourself. When you are tired, lonely and sick of pain and you feel the
old feelings of relapse sneaking in and your head is wanting the fantasy
back---you don't pick up the phone and call someone who can remind you
what reality is. You don't plan something for that evening that will
help you get thru that night without sabotaging yourself. The video tape
is replaying all the fragments that only show 'the good part' of the
relationship. It's warm and cozy. You pick up the phone and call him or
you answer when he calls. Telling yourself the truth is about how long
you had planned to self sabotage.
Those are 3 REALLY HARD THINGS
to hear. But they are at the crux of recovery. Trauma, fear,abandonment
actually INCREASES people's feeling of attachment. The more you have
been hurt by him,often the more attached intensely you will be. Those
trauma bonds are hard to break and even harder to live with. Women say
they want MOST to be out of pain, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts
about the relationship (good and bad) but they sabotage themselves by
not protecting themselves by no contact, by not managing their anxiety,
by not developing a support system, by not planning ahead for sabotaging
thoughts, etc.
Recovery is a life change. It's not a quick fix
to get out of pain like Ativan or Xanax. Women who take a whopping 6
weeks off of dating or a few months and jump back in are shocked to find
themselves right back in it--but usually with someone even WORSE than
the last one. The most common factor is each man is more dangerous than
the one before. That's because they think time heals wounds and if it's
been a few months, SURELY it's time to date again. Recovery heals
wounds. Sitting out for 5 years and doing nothing about gathering
insight about your weaknesses, relationship patterns, and problems will
not magically make you ready for a relationship because you waited 5
years. Time is time.
It just passes. You have to change your
life in order to change your choices. Recovery, or changing your life is
a new way of seeing yourself, your previous relationships, your past,
your choices, your coping skills--and most importantly a future filled
with different choices and healthier relationships.
I KNOW that
you ladies are up to the challenge. In the 20 years that I have been
doing this and kicking butts,(referred to as Sandra's Bootcamp!) I am
always AMAZED at the quiet strength that grows in women as they take the
chance to detach, be alone, and heal. It's your strength that has kept
me doing this for this many years in the face of alot of great odds and
often danger myself. But ALL of you are worth it!
If we can
help you dig down into the truth for you and help you start your
recovery, just let us know! We make it easy--phone sessions in the
privacy of your own home and in the comfort of your fuzzy slippers! Or
gather over coffee in one of our tele-support groups and meet other
ladies going through it too. Or jump on a plane or in your car and go to
a retreat. Whatever you do....tell yourself the truth so your recovery
can start!
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Gender
Disclaimer: The issues The Institute writes about are mental health
issues. They are not gender issues. Both females and males have the
types of Cluster B disorders we often refer to in our articles. Our
readership is approximately 90% female therefore we write for those most
likely to seek out our materials. We highly support male victims and
encourage others who want to provide support to male victims to
encompass the issues we discuss only from a female
perpetrator/male-victim standpoint. Cluster B Education is a mental
health issue applicable to both genders.
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