FAMILIES:

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We may love and care about our family very much. Family
members may love and care about us. But interacting with
some members may be a real trigger to our loss of sanity
– sometimes we go into a deep level of shame, rage, anger,
guilt, and helplessness.

It can be difficult to achieve detachment, on an emotional
level, with certain family members. It can be difficult to
separate their issues from ours. It can be difficult to
own our power.

The first step in separating our issues is awareness and
acceptance – simple acknowledgement, without guilt, of our
feelings and thoughts. We do not have to blame our family
members. We do not have to blame or shame ourselves.
Acceptance is the goal – acceptance and freedom to choose
what we want and need to do to take care of ourselves with
that person. We can become free of the patterns of the
past. We are recovering. Progress not perfection.