Monday, November 4, 2013

Psychic Change?

I observe a client who's been here twice before and notice he’s doing something different this time.

He's volunteering around the living units cleaning up the common area. He's helping newcomers become oriented to the program.  He found a sponsor.

He no longer breaks into tears in counseling sessions. He’s quit whining about his circumstances at every opportunity. He participates in groups and attends outside meetings. He talks about the internal changes going on with him, instead of portraying himself as one of life’s victims.

What happened to this guy?

It says in the recovery literature that “selfishness and self-centeredness we think is the root of our problems.” And all of a sudden this man is reaching outside himself and doing for others.

While change around TLC is often very subtle, we sometimes are blessed to see clients undergo the dramatic psychic change this man seems to be undergoing.