When I first got into recovery I was only 24 years. I remember joining a group therapy program and we spent a lot of time looking back at our childhood.
I felt like I had just left there (my childhood) so everything was still fresh in my mind. I took a quick glance (6 months of work) and then I moved on.
I wanted more adulthood! I was ready for responsibility. I remember thinking I had a pretty good childhood and there was no need to spend time reliving the past.
Yet every time I have a pain point in my life, where something is not working out the way I want, or someone is triggering me in some way, I usually ALWAYS find the original pain comes from something in my past. From my childhood.
When beginning to work with new clients I usually start with getting a history of what happened, an understanding of their past, how they grew up and what were some of the traumatic episodes along the way.
This is SO important because most of our issues lie within our subconscious minds. And the subconscious was originally programmed and conditioned from our parents or caregivers who raised us in the first 15-20 years of our life.
So many answers about why we behave in certain ways are because of our conditioning from our family of origin.
If it was clearly dysfunctional, we look at what we did to survive.
Some of us had “privilege” (born into good situations with loving and healthy family systems) but many did not.
I will also tell you that I’ve seen some incredibly successful people who were raised in hellish conditions, abused in all kinds of ways, with seemingly no chance of success and yet you would NEVER know it by looking at them.
On today’s podcast, I’m introducing you to one of those people. Dr. Bridget Cooper, unlike many raised like her, has decided to share her story. Not only is she sharing on Emerge. Evolve. Lead. but she has also told her story on the TedX stage.
Dr B has overcome so much adversity being raised by parents who were addicts. And now she dedicates her life to helping others get past their own trauma to be free to live a life filled with love and happiness.
I am so inspired by her and I’m sure you will be too.
There is nothing that you cannot overcome if you have the courage to look at your past, practice forgiveness and reprogram yourself for success.
No matter what you have endured, you can overcome it when you have love and compassionate for yourself. Your past does not equal your future.
All my best,
Maureen
P.S. I have 2 open spots in my coaching practice. If you are interested in working with me and want to understand more about what that would look like, get on my calendar so we can talk. Don’t stay stuck in an unhappy situation.
