In Reply to: Re: the bad side .. posted by Donny on August 08, 2003 at 09:59:16:
well , please keep me posted on how that negative side works out for you. (j/k)
seriously,i think i feel that the negative side is real, is really bad, and calls for efforts towards justice and healing. folks still caught in the negative side are unavoidably both victims, and collaborators. i was one. so i hold out hope.
venting about that negative side is certainly the therapeutic right of the abused. and i also believe that it is helpful to direct anger specifically towards the individuals and behavior involved. painting the bro or sis in the bunk next to yours w/ the same brush as db,m,or p, and there ilk seems counterproductive from every angle to me. and innacurate. hence, to some extent untruthful.imo.
beyond that lies the question of healing. from what i've read on the subject anger is clearly part of the mix, but doesn't lead to healing on its own. there is a danger that many in the therapeutic community point to , of becoming completley controlled by the painful past, watching the mental videotape over and over, reliving the pain daily. this seems to me continuing to give power over the future to those who so damaged the past. as u2 put it, "stuck in the moment, and i can't get out of it."
your thoughts?