As children, many of us who experienced emotional neglect spent our days fantasizing about the perfect person who would rescue us from our toxic homes. We relied on these fantasies to help us get through a day, however, there are very real consequences to whimsical thinking.

While we were still unaware we were unaware, our brains and minds became attuned to thinking and believing in relationship dynamics that were built upon pain, immaturity, and fantasy.

Although imagining being rescued or being the rescuer helped to fill our depressed brains with fuzzy warm feeling hormones like oxytocin, on a very deep level, we were developing beliefs about how life should be.
As healing codependent adults, we need to be very careful about the way we perceive ourselves, others, and relationships.

We need to ask ourselves;
"Have I idealized this person and now, as the honeymoon period wears off, am I blaming this person for NOT sizing up to the fantasy version of this person I talked myself into...

There is nothing that upsets me or excites me more than an adult child of an alcoholic, or an adult child of a dysfunctional home who is on the cusp of being able to comprehend that he/she is NOT her thoughts.

When you are born to parents who cannot SEE you, who cannot HEAR you, who are unaware at how self absorbed they are--in relation to you--YOU never learn to be comfortable in your own skin. Because it is the absolute responsibility of the parent to instill within a child a sense of unconditional love and acceptance--children are not born knowing how to love self. In fact, children learn about their worth or lack of through their relationships with parents. If the parents are dysfunctional, then so will be the messages the child receives about self, others, the world, relationships and love.

Perhaps the saddest thing about being a wounded adult child of a dysfunctional parent--is how often we tend to argue for our limitations. We argue for why we can't stop smoking, lose...

Vince Lombardi has stated, “The greatest accomplishment is not in never failing, but in rising again after you fall.”

Abused adult children are terrified of appearing NOT perfect. TOXIC shame is at the core of our fear of feeling vulnerable and until we reconcile our humanness and understand that there is NO joy in never having to accomplish anything, we may stuck in cycles of self-sabotaging behaviors.

It takes WARRIOR like strength to put yourself out there and believe in a dream, especially when you come up against those who find joy in kicking you when you are down.

We may think that what hurts us most are the experiences we experienced as children we were not able to process, integrate, or understand. However, what hurts a child the most is having a painful experience ignored, denied, or marginalized by the caretakers they adore, respect, love, and need to survive.

It is normal for the mind to wish to flee from painful memories and to even panic when bodily sensations surface in response to a pain-filled recalled memory. However, recoiling keeps us stuck in the amygdala living in fear and afraid of our thoughts.

Within each of us is an INNER CHILD that has only wanted to be loved and to love.

Outside of our conscious awareness, the INNER CHILD may be running our lives and we may not realize just how often we give over our power to others because the INNER CHILD’S PSYCHE is directing our inner narrative.

Today, in this precise moment, you have the opportunity to help the INNER CHILD feel more protected, seen, respected and validated. In this moment, you have the chance to remind your INNER CHILD that the more adult you is in charge now. The more adult you no longer needs to seek validation, fawn, fight, run away, or dissociate from scary situations that show up. Today, you have the opportunity and the DIVINE RIGHT to think about the way you think, rather than react to what shows up.

If you are learning to THINK before you REACT, KUDOS to you Dear One!

Thinking should be celebrated!

#GratitudeTuesday

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As children, we did not have a choice. We were powerless to others and to the perceptions that were created by our very limited, fragile, and impressionable minds.

But—we are NOT children anymore.

Today, we CAN remind ourselves that we are ENOUGH and that what happened in our pasts does not have to hold us back, define us, or prevent us from GOING AFTER OUR DREAMS.