Recovering from addiction is a transformational process that invites us to challenge the many thoughts, emotions and behaviors that are hurting us and driving us towards our addictive patterns. When we are filled with pain we haven’t healed from, when we’re consumed by issues we haven’t resolved, we’re far more likely to turn to addictive substances and behaviors to ease the heavy, painful weight of our burdens. Some of the most debilitating feelings we experience, that we have a very hard time reconciling and making peace with, are our anger, our resentment and our shame. We feel unable to forgive other people and also ourselves. We might feel that they, and we, don’t deserve our forgiveness. We might feel vindicated by our anger, justified in our withholding of forgiveness. When we cling to anger, whether directed externally or internally, when we’re unable to forgive, we create an internal environment of toxicity, conflict and turmoil that makes it impossible for us to heal. What does forgiveness have to do with recovery?
We can’t heal from our addictions when we’re still embroiled in patterns that hurt us, that limit us and that hold us back. We’re actively impeding our forward progress and impairing our ability to get well. Anger, bitterness, resentment, guilt and shame are destructive. They destroy our inner peace, our sense of self and our self-worth. They destroy our relationships. They keep us from being able to cultivate happiness and inner peace. Forgiveness can turn all of that around. It can be the remedy for these very painful, debilitating emotions. It can open our hearts to healing. It allows us to be open, vulnerable and loving with both ourselves and with the other people in our lives.
Forgiveness is not the same as enabling toxic patterns and behaviors. It’s not the same as condoning things we feel are wrong. When we forgive, we’re not justifying, or making excuses for, the things that hurt us and other people. Forgiveness is the process of letting go, of releasing, of detaching, in order to make room for peace. It’s the process of choosing harmony and balance instead of turmoil and negativity. It’s the act of choosing love and light rather than acrimony, animosity, tension and strife. It’s the conscious decision to prioritize our healing and our peace over any anger we still feel, any grudges we might still be holding. It’s the process of coming to terms with the ways in which we’ve been hurt, and the ways in which we’ve hurt ourselves, so that we can reconcile them, move forward and finally be at peace.
At The Guest House Ocala, you will be treated with dignity, respect and compassion. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information on our treatment programs.