“Be the person who breaks the cycle. If you were judged, choose understanding. If you were rejected, choose acceptance. If you were shamed, choose compassion. Be the person you needed when you were hurting, not the person who hurt you. Vow to be better than what broke you—to heal instead of becoming bitter so you can act from your heart, not your pain.” ~~Lori Deschene
“You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lines. You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.” ~~Maya Angelou
“Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?”~~Mary Manin Morrissey
Statement #9
The past is gone forever.
No longer am I victimized by the past. I am a new woman.
Rising from the past, any past filled with fear, hatred, or trauma can happen with the practice of Statement #9. Starting with the awareness and knowledge of holding onto or clinging to the past begins the process to move through strong or difficult emotions linked to days long gone.
In our WFS Program Booklet, “We evaluate our past so we can learn from it. We examine our feelings about the past so we can process and release them. Our interest in the past is to use it as a guide for how we want to be in the moment and to prepare for the future.” Statement #9 is an effective tool to move away from the pain of the past.
This Statement has been a lifesaver for me and countless others thanks to Jean and the effort put into it. My past lived in my mind for years but through sobriety and recovery and the WFS New Life Program, the past is now a tool for learning and growing into today.
How do you rise from the past?
Hugzzz
Karen
Hi 4C Women,
What a great question from Karen. I practiced that this very morning. A man tried to intimidate me with his words and for a moment I was standing in front of my ex-husband, stumbling for the right response, feeling ignorant and trying not to cry so he wouldn’t see that he was succeeding. Statement 9 and 12 flashed before me. I am competent, smart and have learned to express myself assertively. It was just amazing that with all the knowledge and life experience I gained along the way, I was back in the past, questioning myself.
I share this because years ago, I would have stayed in that fearful state of mind. So, while I was there momentarily, I didn’t stay there. WFS in action, is powerful. I stood strong. Yet, I was a bit unnerved by it all and was blessed that a friend was close by who spoke to me about perhaps his being in a bad place and I became the recipient. In other words, it was more about him than anything about me. I also recognized that my reaction had more to do with the years of intimidation felt by my ex than this one encounter with someone I don’t know very well. That is another lesson I have learned through WFS – to be in the moment, to not lump everyone from the past into the present and deal with the situation at hand.
Jean was very wise in teaching us, through Statement 9, to release and heal from the past, to stop the pain, shame and perceived guilt that does not serve us in the present. For me, forgiveness of self has been the key to healing. There are still times that are difficult yet, without it, I would not be able to move forward at all or learn to make healthier choices in the present. Remember, we are in charge of lives, our decisions and that includes whether we are willing to release the past, stop victimizing ourselves and be in the present.
Bonded in releasing and healing from the past and no longer victimizing ourselves,
4C WFS Member
