The shares you heard are the opinions of the circle member who spoke them. If a member says something here you cannot accept, consider that she is merely speaking from her own experience and it may not have value for you at this time in your life. You will benefit most by focusing on and identifying with the feelings expressed rather than the situations.
These meetings are for self-discovery, ergo, we keep the focus upon ourselves. Not our relationships or on the behavior of others—our focus is ourselves, our feelings.
We can offer you hope as a trauma survivor—we know you are probably desperate to salvage your relationship also. First you must save yourself. Interpersonal Relational Trauma is a serious condition.
As our awareness increases, so does our personal power and self-esteem. In our relationships, we learn detachment and become more fully present. We live our lives in deeper joy, serenity and fulfillment, one day at a time.
There is not one of us here who does not remember what it felt like to attend our first meeting. Please ask for a phone list and please call other circle members. We have an ever-changing and expanding Resources list. Please ask for that as well.
Through the process of reaching out, we begin to get to know one another and understand that although we are all different, we can see that there are no circumstances too challenging to be improved and no sorrow too great to be lightened. Support is a vital part of trauma recovery. We can bring the carried shame of relational trauma to the light.
(Go around the circle with:)
You: I’m ___, trauma survivor, and today I gave ____ and today I received ____.
Group Response: Thank you.
Will all who care to join me in the Unity Prayer…
I put my hand in yours, and together we can do what we cannot do alone. No longer is there a sense of hopelessness. No longer must we each depend upon our own unsteady willpower. We are all together now, reaching out for power and strength greater than ours. And as we join hands, we find love and understanding beyond our wildest dreams.