Recent posts

#1
Recovery Journals / Re: Desert Flower's Recovery J...
Last post by Desert Flower - Today at 01:00:23 PM
Thank you dear friends, I do appreciate your responses and comments but I do not feel I have the capacity to write on the Forum atm.

 :grouphug:
#2
Recovery Journals / Re: Papa Coco's Recovery Journ...
Last post by NarcKiddo - Today at 12:58:49 PM
Your latest post has described a huge part of what I struggle with. My logical brain knows something fine well, but if my emotional brain does not have the experience, and thus the circuits wired in, I will never fully (or even at all) understand whatever it is my logical brain knows. (Wow, that was some tortuous sentence construction right there. Sorry.) So, yes, I think you are on to something. You need to experience peace to understand it. But getting there can be a pretty unpleasant experience. All my life I have tended to avoid feeling my feelings and this has not served me well now it is not a survival mechanism. My T would advise me to feel the feelings and my logical brain was cool with that. But when they hit, those nasty, cruel EF type ones especially, my emotional brain thinks they will NEVER END. So I have to do my utmost to NOT feel them. If I don't feel them they are not there. It reminds me of a pet guinea pig I had years ago. He would hide by putting his head inside his house door. He was convinced he was hiding despite the fact that his great big backside was sticking out of the door. I am now making a conscious effort to feel my feelings, when I can bear to, and am realising that they do go away. Much faster than the ones I squash down and pretend aren't there. I don't think my emotional brain has fully cottoned on yet, but it seems to me that there is no way round feeling this stuff when it comes up. The fastest way is to go through it, not round it.

 :grouphug:
#3
Recovery Journals / Re: Papa Coco's Recovery Journ...
Last post by dollyvee - Today at 10:49:12 AM
PC - I'm glad you were able to take my comments about Chatgpt as just another side of a coin, and I would've been equally ok with a response of this is something that I really need to use right now. I guess/think this part of me wanting to offer information is an extension of my caretaking part (fawning 101) who needs others to be safe and ok, so that I in turn can be safe and ok.

I am also learning about grief and understanding that it's a complicated thing. Part of the reading (and well youtube videos on this topic) that I have been looking into this year is around scaepgoating in families and being the scapegoated child. I've started Rebecca Mandeville's book, Rejected, Blamed, and Shamed and she has a chapter regarding the complicated process of grief for scapegoated children because grief is masked by anger, which is easy for the scapegoated child to get stuck in because there is no way to resolve the issues with their family. As I understand it, it's a double bind because they suffer if they remain engaged with their family, and they suffer if they end contact with those they still love. When they finally have their sense of anger and injustice heard, it can give way to grief. This is called disenfranchised grief. As I understand, this kind of anger, and therefore grief, in scapegoated children is also unrecognized because they are the ones that are seen to be the problem (and therefore don't deserve validation).

Please take and leave if it makes sense to you. I'm sorry that you're having to go through the issues regarding credit card fraud, but adult PC seems to be handling everything well.

Sending you support,
dolly
#4
Books & Articles / Re: David Bedrick - The Unsham...
Last post by Hope67 - Today at 10:14:56 AM
Hi SenseOrgan,
The book (Unshaming by David Bedrick) has arrived, and I've started reading it, and I am so glad I bought it - it is really helpful so far.
#5
Recovery Journals / Re: Papa Coco's Recovery Journ...
Last post by Hope67 - Today at 10:13:00 AM
I really like what you wrote Papa Coco - about being in the present moment and attempting to find peace there, without analysing the past and the future - just being in the moment - I am hoping to try to do more of that today.

 :hug:
#6
Recovery Journals / Re: the next step
Last post by Hope67 - Today at 10:09:55 AM
Sending you a big hug  :bighug: as well.
#7
Recovery Journals / Re: The tipping point…
Last post by Hope67 - Today at 10:08:35 AM
Wow, it's great that you have reduced your abdominal issues as a result of the abdominal strengthening. 

I find that my grief can come out when I'm watching TV programmes that have issues of grief within them.  Even a programme called 'Ted Lasso' on Apple TV has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. 

Sending you a hug  :hug:
#8
Recovery Journals / Re: Dalloway´s Recovery Journa...
Last post by Hope67 - Today at 10:04:38 AM
 :hug:
#9
Recovery Journals / Re: Hope's Journal 2026
Last post by Hope67 - Today at 10:03:26 AM
Hi SanMagic, Thank you so much  :hug:

Hi Chart, I appreciate what you said, thank you  :hug:

Hi NarcKiddo, Thank you for sharing your experience, and thanks for what you said  :hug:

***********
This time of year is tougher isn't it.  I think so.  The weather and these weeks leading into Spring - but I am looking forward to Spring and the flowers - they'll be here soon, and the warmer weather.  I have lots to read - and really the weather doesn't impact too much on that - as it can be cosy to read whilst rain pours.  Glad I wrote this now, as I feel a little more positive already! 
#10
Recovery Journals / Re: Dalloway´s Recovery Journa...
Last post by TheBigBlue - Today at 09:34:39 AM
That joy you felt was real, and it belongs to you - it wasn't a mistake or an illusion. I know it is hard, but this is one of those moments where you get to gently practice believing in yourself, even if only for a few seconds at a time.
:hug: