Throughout the course of our struggles with addiction and mental illness, we find ourselves up against all kinds of obstacles. We have difficult life circumstances to contend with. We have intense emotional issues that can feel as though they’re taking over our lives. We can feel as though the challenges we’re dealing with are coming from all angles, from many different parts of our lives – from our relationships, from our work, from our routines, habits and lifestyles. Our biggest obstacle often comes from within and radiates outwardly, permeating everything in our lives, bringing confusion, turmoil and distress to every facet of our lives. This obstacle is our resistance, and it is often the cause of our many difficulties. Where does our resistance come from?
Our experience with addiction and mental health issues can generate a great deal of resistance within us, that then informs and directs how we live our lives. We resist the idea that we’re addicts. We tell ourselves we don’t actually have a problem, and that we can quit any time we want. We resist getting help, even when we know we need it. We resist other people’s support, even when we feel alone and isolated. We resist doing the hard work it will take to recover. For many of us, at the root of our resistance is fear. Our fear compels us to self-destruct. It tells us we’re inadequate, unworthy, undeserving and inferior to other people. Our fear makes us want to give up on ourselves altogether. It depletes us of hope. It robs us of our sense of purpose and chips away at our chances for fulfillment. What are we so afraid of, and why do we allow our fear to make us resist healing?
Many of us are afraid of all the implications that go along with identifying ourselves as addicts. We’re afraid of being met with judgment and scorn, rather than understanding and compassion. We’re afraid that if we identify as addicts, instead of hiding behind denial, we’ll no longer be able to avoid ourselves. We’ll have to face the truth, and this is a scary and daunting undertaking. We’re afraid of giving up the addictions we’ve grown so dependent upon. We think we need them, that we can’t live without them. We fear the withdrawal, the mental, emotional and physical pain of losing our drugs of choice, our addictive behaviors and relationships. We let our fear consume us by continuing to run from it. We give it more power over us when we try to deny its existence. When we resist it, it grows and festers and starts to completely take over us.
Examining what it is we have resistance to, and why we have this resistance, is an important part of the process of opening ourselves up to the honesty, fragility and vulnerability of true healing transformation.
At The Guest House Ocala, we are uniquely equipped to help our guests heal from trauma-induced substance abuse, process addiction, anxiety and depression in a safe, comfortable and confidential setting. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information on our treatment programs.