R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thoughts
I received this message this morning from one of the presenters at my last boot camp. I think it's worth sharing. So here it is:
"I love the magic of women!
Although I had worked for 20+ years with women in various types of transition, I never saw Radical Recovery coming my way. I never imagined that this new path was in the stars for me.
I know oh-so-well the power that emerges from bringing together a small group of women to – on the surface – provide support and information at a time of challenge. I know that even a positive life-change – like becoming a mother – can make a woman feel isolated and ill-equipped to cope. Over and over again, though, I’ve seen the magic of women’s groups change even a daunting life-event into a rewarding new chapter of “living out loud.” Providing a safe setting and appropriate resources allows the natural connecting and nurturing qualities of women to flourish – even in the face of unimaginable change. That process benefits each individual, and each individual benefits the group. Suddenly – voila! – we are creating positive and durable change.
The formula is breath-taking and it’s dependable. I’ve seen this elegant, uniquely feminine dance hundreds of times, and it was just as miraculous and compelling when I saw it in my first Radical Recovery Midlife Divorce Support Group this spring. These women, all of us strangers to each other as we gathered that first night, were vulnerable, gutsy, wise, and generous. Before long, they began to marvel at how far they’d come and about the many unexpected gifts that had come their way: new skills, self-confidence, and a new “cultural identity,” with a sense of personal strength, significance, and belonging.
Members would ultimately laugh and reminisce with each other about the power of going through this terrible rite of passage with a community of women, finding themselves in a culture where they could begin again to feel safe, empowered, resilient, inquisitive, happy, energized, and valued – each one ready to embrace her future and the possibilities it holds.
Magic, I say again. Simply magic!"
Susan Bettis Smith, MS
Licensed Clinical Psychotherapist
Presenter at Suzy Brown's Midlife Divorce Recovery Boot Camp
To contact Susan about her upcoming support group in Kansas City, e-mail her at susanbsmith@yahoo.com
