Where does it all start? In the womb? The first month? The first year? Perhaps the first time you were dismissed or ignored. Maybe your story begins with the first slap or the first beating. Have you thought about the messages you received? Does it even matter? Abuse is abuse, broken is broken, and dysfunction is dysfunction. And the cycles continue.
I was well into my thirties when I heard the word dysfunction for the first time. I learned that it means 
“abnormal or impaired.” Anxiety and devastation crept in when I began to realize how the word applied to my family growing up and to my life, that not everyone grew up the way I did. Four hours later, I realized that my boyfriend of six years came from the same type of background.
I felt as if I had been diagnosed with a fast-growing cancer not yet named. The understanding that a therapy session or two was not going to fix this was overwhelming. But this very new awareness started me on my journey of crawling out. Opening one can of worms at a time led me step by step to the peaceful, forgiving ground I stand on today.
Where does it all start? What were your messages? What is getting in the way of you living a life filled with peace?
Hugs, Casey
Photo by Nick Harris1
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