CELEBRATE RECOVERY

Women in Recovery from Guilt & Shame

Bethlehem Church
Gastonia, NC

Fridays 7 - 10 p.m.

RECOVERY FROM GUILT & SHAME

This is a Christ-centered group for women in recovery from their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. One of the keys to success in 12-step recovery programs is the coming together of people with similar backgrounds who also have common goals and objectives. Our common background is a history of guilt and shame. Our goal is to enter into or maintain recovery. Recovery for us is a two-fold issue. We need healing from the pain of our past. We also need healing from the guilt and shame these past experiences continue to have on our present lives.

One of our objectives is to provide a supportive and safe environment. We respect and acknowledge each woman’s right to be where she needs to be on her own road to recovery. We acknowledge the sensitivity we need to have for each member of this group. Anonymity and confidentiality are a must to insure the safety of each woman present.

Together we multiply the witness of Christ. We are not here by accident. God created us to reflect the grace and love of Jesus Christ as we move through our recoveries.

SHORTCOMINGS
Resentment - feel injured, violated, experiencing low self-worth, feeling left out, retaliating, bitter
Fear - feel threatened, fight for survival, experience rejection, resist change, facing our morality, anticipating loss
Inappropriate Anger - resentment, self-pity, anxiety, depression, jealousy, stress
Approval Seeking - people pleasing, fearing criticism, fearing failure, feeling unworthy, ignoring our own needs, lacking confidence
Care Taking - feel indispensable, rescue people, ignore our own needs, lose our identity, feel very responsible, be codependent
Control - over-react to change, lack trust, fear failure, be judgmental or rigid, be intolerant, manipulate others
Fear of Authority Figures - fear rejection, take things personally, be arrogant, compare ourselves to others, react rather than act, and feel inadequate

Frozen Feelings - being unaware of our feelings, have distorted feelings, suppress positive feelings, be depressed, withhold conversation, and struggle with relationships
Isolation - fearing rejection, being lonely, procrastinating, feeling defeated, being timid and shy, seeing ourselves as different
Low Self-Esteem - being non-assertive, fear failure, appear inadequate, isolate from others, have a negative self-image, rescue or please others
Over-developed Sense of Responsibility - take life too seriously, appears rigid being a perfectionist, over-achieve, have false pride, manipulate others
Irresponsibility - become detached, appears uncaring, feel like victims, under-achieve, have false pride, expect others to take care of us
Repressed Sexuality - feels guilt or shame, be frigid or impotent, seduce others, lose our sense of morality, avoid intimacy, and be lustful

CHARACTER STRENGTHS

Emotional - The healthy feelings I have towards self and others

Spiritual - The good way I relate to God

Relational - Positive and supportive interaction with others

Moral - Proper ethics and behaviors in thoughts and actions

Intellectual - Quality attention and energy devoted to mental activities

Self-Care and Nurturing - Healthy concern and care for self

THE SOLUTION

We are ready to work the 12-steps of recovery and are committed to learn where our specific guilt and shame comes from. We are ready to accept responsibility for our own actions and cease taking responsibility for the actions of others. When we make Jesus Christ the Lord of our life and abide by His steps, we heal from our hurts, habits, and hang-ups and start living the abundant life God has planned for us.

We are willing to move toward truth, even if it is upsetting, and to look back in order to gain a new perspective from which we can move forward to a better life. We are willing to re-examine our beliefs about ourselves, our way of life, and our relationships to make changes that can give us emotional freedom.

We are willing to seek a closer relationship with God. We will continue to seek a daily quiet time with God and trust that He can and will renew our minds. By doing all of this, we will learn more and more about our heavenly Father’s character, His grace, His promises, and His love.

Ephesians 4: 23 - 24

“There must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness - righteous, holy, and true.”