I always find aftercare groups with individuals in recovery inspiring. It gives me energy, motivation, drive and is a reminder of what the reasons of being a therapist in the addiction field is all about. “For me personally”. Its great to see people well and learning about themselves and accounting for their experiences. Added to this is their growing knowledge about the emotional processes that underpin their actions, thoughts and feelings. I like to look at this in terms of “Life Script” which can determine how we see things and how we experience and deal with life. Sharing about experiences is sharing about life script. Learning that perhaps life does not have to be defined by processes that make us feel uncomfortable. For me seeing individuals understanding some of these processes thus, then being able to get some release, manage or work through the discomfort is really inspiring and courageous.
4 thoughts on “Inspirational Aftercare Group”
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Hi Maria. Having only hadf a computer for two weeks and being a bit of a technophobe I am unsure what we are allowed to write here. Can we speak about our thoughts and feelings, or is that inappropriate? As a result of your script teaching I have been made aware of certain patterns of behaviour which have been prominent in my life. As a sex addict who has recently given up part of this behaviour, behaviour that i was not even aware of before you pointing it out to me and it being behaviour which time after time leads me back to alcohol, I have given up a lot of what I was doing. Like with alcohol when your head is planning that first drink, probably because of what I have given up, my head is already in the planning stage of my next game and with whom. I am not acting on these thoughts purely because I am now aware of them and realize that this behaviour will not make me well. Thank you
I am really pleased that awareness and understanding of the power of script with its impulses and potential for self destruction has helped. I do believe that people can feel the pull of a script process and if they understand what this is they can choose not to act it out. These are of course simple words and i know that actually setting that boundary is not easy. I applaud those who work on it and manage this as it is a powerful force driven by feelings that are entrenched.
If I had read about life scripts in the past, perhaps in a self help book, I may not have recognized their power or believed there reality . I have however experienced that power myself and witnessed it in others in the theraputic community. My personal experience of therapy and counseling over the years was really skating the surface of my problems and at worst making me feel lonely and misunderstood .You dynamic approach has been so important for my recovery and the understanding of my script around attachments is for me probably the most important factor in preventing relapse in alcoholism; it has been an amazing journey.
Foe me it has not just been understanding the script which has a separate life of it’s own outside awareness but experiencing those associated feelings in a safe setting. It’s sometimes a very painful process but one that shifts “stuff” on a deep level as opposed to the distructiuve repetition of life scripts that cause such suffering and worse. You know how much I appreciate your dedicated work
When someone has worked hard and engaged in their process thus, gained awareness, understanding and embraced healing it makes life script worthwhile. It helps develop a perception outside ones often limited frame of reference which can hinder ones life. I personally believe we could all do with understanding some life script and I am glad that it has been of help.