Trauma is incredibly difficult to overcome and can have lasting effects on a person, including anxiety and depression. Trauma can even compromise one’s sense of self-worth. When seeking recovery for trauma, simply feeling like you are deserving of your own happiness can be a very difficult hurdle to overcome. Trauma can cause a person to view themselves in a negative light, and the battle for recovery can begin long before a person has begun their first recovery program.
Asking yourself if you are deserving of recovery in the first place is a dangerous question, but it can come about for a number of reasons. Trauma can cause a degree of self-deprecation, guilt, or shame, all of which may cause a person to think that they are “unworthy” of happiness or change. However, this question can also be posted as its own defense mechanism for those who are afraid of what recovery may entail, or how loved ones in their lives may react to the news that they are seeking recovery. It can be an unfair way for a person to try to avoid their own betterment in recovery for as long as fear of the stigma may grip them.
However, there is one major issue with asking the question itself. Asking, “Am I good enough for recovery?” inherently means that a person is measuring themselves unfairly, either by trying to quantify their own experience and lives, or weighing their experiences with trauma against others’. Measuring a person against only themselves and their own experiences will often show a person that they are worthy of their own happiness. Each person will experience trauma differently, and there are no cases that are somehow more or less valid than another’s. Trauma is a unique and personal experience that isn’t intended to be put against any kind of overarching metric. Therefore, asking if you are “worthy of recovery” inherently puts you on the defense.
Asking this question is indicative of one more thing — the fact that there is a desire to recover, or an acknowledgment that a person may benefit from a recovery program. Armed with just this knowledge and measuring oneself fairly, if you are asking if you are “worthy of recovery,” then it is time to take recovery into your own hands and create the change you want.
If you are asking yourself if you are “worthy of recovery,” then you may have already acknowledged a desire for change to overcome your traumatic experiences or addiction. At The Guest House, we take a unique approach to each individual case, creating a personalized plan that is designed to help you address your recovery in a way that aligns with your interests and goals. With multiple approaches available, as well as a holistic approach to each person, we can create a unique experience designed to help you begin your journey towards a healthier, happier life. For more information on how we can help you, or to talk to a caring, trained professional about your unique situation, call us today at (855) 483-7800.