"As we move out of emotional isolation, we regain the ability to recognize and express all of our feelings." BRB p. 361

As children, many of us were not allowed to show our feelings. So we stuffed them and pretended not to have them for fear of being ridiculed or punished.

Is it any wonder that we carried this over to adulthood, where we continued to stuff our feelings and convince ourselves that they didn't matter? Or perhaps we chose the route of medicating our feelings with addictions or obsessions until we didn't have to experience them.

We come into ACA as adult children with an armful of triggers. These triggers can turn what should be a mild reaction into rage, not because of the situation, but because what is said or done awakens our stuffed feelings.

These denied feelings interfere with relationships, as we leave in our wake people who can't figure out why we respond the way we do.

ACA reaches into these hidden areas and brings our childhood feelings into the light of day where they eventually lose their power over us.

On this day I will continue to trust and appreciate that ACA is a safe place for me to recognize and express my feelings.