Are you ready to take on your childhood abuse?

I read a Twitter message yesterday that said,  “I’m ready to take on my childhood abuse.”

I empathized immediately! 

I know that proclamation well.  As an adult, I was ready to move forward after my divorce but I felt I was shackled by the events in my childhood.

As you know from reading my book and from my early blogs,  I am an advocate for Erik Erikson’s (1902-1994) 8 Stages of Human Development. Erikson’s stages are like building blocks; each stage consists of a unique developmental task that is a turning point of increased vulnerability and enhanced potential.  The more an individual resolves the crises successfully, the healthier development will be (Hopkins, 2000).  So, if you were in an abusive home or relationship (13-19 years) you most likely did not resolve all of your unique developmental tasks. (Stages 1-5, Infancy-Adolescence, ages 1-19)

Erikson’s theory helped me break down my life’s stages which ultimately, after much soul-searching, enabled me to sort out positive events from the negative.  That was the key for me;  freed me to race forward.   In Chapter Ten of my book, you can get an idea how to start your own unshackling.

I warn you it could be as scary as rescuing your pet from a burning building, but it is as rewarding as saving a loved pet.   In this analogy you are the pet, save yourself.