My journey to recovery began with forgiving my dad. After he passed away in April 2020, I knew there was still bitterness and resentment in my heart toward him and I wanted to be free from it. The forgiveness process was painfully beautiful, and it showed me how safe...
Taking custody of the mind is a topic that always piques much interest when brought up in recovery meetings. Those of us who struggle with addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments recognize the mind as a battlefield. I was introduced to the concept of...
When I first stepped into Adult Child recovery a little over five years ago, I kept hearing about something called Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS). I was intrigued, but unsure. Could this “parts work” really be compatible with my Catholic faith? I wasn’t looking...
As I have grown in my understanding of sacred Scripture and matured in my relationship with Jesus I have come to appreciate the value of spiritual direction. As Saint Paul reminds us when he tells us, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians...
One of the more memorable characteristics of the therapists I had when I was a client at The Ranch was his uncanny ability to tell you exactly what you needed to hear. Many of the men who were in the Sexual Recovery Program (SRP) were there because they realized they...
For members of Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA), part of our solution for healing is to become our own loving parents. We do this through 12-step work and by taking a blameless inventory of our caregivers to recognize the wounds that we received from them so that we...
In ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) and ACDH (Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes) meetings, we often hear about people doing IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy. So I decided to do a little research and discovered Souls and Hearts founded by Dr. Peter...
In part one of this series, I wrote about the recovery principle of acceptance and how through acceptance we can begin to live “life on life’s terms.” Yet, how can we practically live “life on life’s terms”? Philosophers divide knowledge into theoretical and practical...
This past summer, I’ve been able to return home for weddings on three separate occasions. And my parents came out to visit me after one of the weddings, too. So, despite being a few states away, I’ve gotten to see my parents quite a bit this past summer. One of my...
I’ve learned through ACA (Adult Children of an Alcoholic) recovery that growing up in a dysfunctional home actually gave me a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, thanks to recent research into this phenomenon there are many resources available to...