Contributed by: Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLCL for Addiction Hope
When your past has been characterized by pain and turmoil, the last thing you may want to do is revisit that history. Often times, we spend our lives escaping from a pastime that may have haunted us or caused us discomfort.
If you have struggled with addiction, this may have been your means of coping with painful experiences from your past or finding a way to block out a period of your time in your life that has been hurtful.
One of the keys of addiction recovery is learning how to effectively cope with the many emotions that you might be experiencing, including instances from your past that have contributed to the development of your addiction.
Processing and Exploring Your Past Experiences
Another aspect of addiction recovery is being able to effectively process and explore your past experiences in order to learn, heal, and move forward. Within a support group setting, sharing from your past can actually be a meaningful part of recovery – for both you and your fellow members.
Consider that other individuals you are interacting with may, in fact, have shared a similar situation as you or could perhaps learn something from an experience that you have gone through yourself. As you share from your past, you will also find that talking about a situation is productive in the sense that it enables you to better process a situation.
You may find that you have greater insight or discover something new about yourself the more you talk about various circumstances that you have been through.
Start Out Sharing Things That Are Easier for You to Share
If you are uncomfortable sharing about your past in a group setting, start by discussing something that you are perhaps more at ease about sharing. As you grow in your community and support group, you will begin to find that you can trust the people who support you in recovery and who want to see you live a healthy and productive life.
If you are continuing to have difficulty revisiting a pastime that may be painful, consider working with a counselor or therapist who can work with you on an individual basis. Working through a hard history can be done in both individual and group settings. Learning to face your past and heal can help you make progress towards your future.
Community Discussion – Share your Thoughts here!
What do you think are the benefits of sharing your past experiences with others?
Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on April 4th, 2015
Published on AddictionHope.com