YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin
Postings on this site are NOT by mental health professionals, rather the opinions & experiences of a community of regular people. If you feel like you are going to hurt yourself or others PLEASE call Suicide Prevention at 1-800-273-8255
I think Paul mentioned the book Healing the Shame that Binds You on his podcast. Do you feel like it is helpful to read and encourages you to keep moving forward or is it more of a discouraging and self-defeating experience reading it?
All of the above. It feels like torture and needed enlightenment all at the same time. The book feels very personal and gets straight to the point. It gets to me on such a deep level that it's painful.
Akwardly fostered...where you by chance in foster care? I ask I noticed your name and I was in foster care myself. I also happen to be in Florida (Miami area). I moved here all by myself and I feel TOTALLY ALONE and lonely as well. I've read a million self help books (literally.) and I still feel this way. This forum and the podcast have helped a LOT.
I know exactly how it feels to read a self-help book that can be so physically and emotionally painful. I'm in the middle of reading "The Food And Feelings Workbook" and I literally can't read 5 pages without wanting to throw up. It can be so hard to analyze the things that are so painful to you.
Yes Bri9227...I was in foster homes. I'm glad I'm not alone here. I am surprised people actually read my posts! I feel ignored and invisible a lot. I just started watching GRIMM. I needed a break from reading all of my self help books!
I have experienced the same things, reading things about yourself can be like such a smack in the face and I tend to have to have a nap after reading anything too close to the bone, but the knowledge was what I needed and has benefited my way of thinking and my life greatly. But yes... take breaks from self-help. Definately!
I am somewhat worried I come across as a know-it-all in a lot of my posts, so please allow me to use this space to make it clear that I actually don't know shit and am just trying to be helpful.
Scratch - I just wanted to say that I love your disclaimer! I don't know shit either! All the self help groups I went to - I remember they said over and over that if we just...
(ONLY- like not being educators of all to show that we know it all)
(I don't know about you - but my life coach consistently reminds me that I know a lot and I'm very smart - but none of that matters because I try not to feel and I'm not really connecting when I'm just excitedly sharing how I know all the answers that I don't even practice myself that I read in "this book" or heard from "this place")
...shared from our experience, hope and strength (I've shared a lot from my pain - I think I get why they said strength now - i.e....recovery)
What I like about this forum is that we could feel as if we are here among all the other fuckups - keepin' it real!