Wow!

[Guest guest]

I have just read the article about Steve from one of the newspapers

over there I believe. I was surprised and even shocked to read

about the stuff from Steve's past. Some of his experiences touch on

some of mine. Steve is so brave to be so open and upfront about

these things.

Something hit me while I was reading about it ... and that is the

subject of GUILT. Guilt is such a killer and can lead to comfort

eating and therefore weight problems. I can only imagine, because I

don't know, how much guilt has and does affect Steve's life, as it

has done mine. It's an issue for most of us I am sure. Guilt, like

fear, is such a waste of time and without it, we could achieve the

peace of mind we desire so much. It's odd, how those of us who have

been abused in our lives, (and conceived by rape is no exception),

tend to take on board so much guilt. Anyone would think we were

the abusers and not the abused. The flip side of this is that, as

hard as we attempt to project our perceived guilt onto others, even

the perpetrators of abuse, it seems to return to us ten-fold.

When I was in my early 20's I came across a little book in a

bookstore one day while wandering about in a post-traumatic haze.

It was called, " Love is Letting Go of Fear " by Gerald G Jampolsky,

an American psychologist and author, and founder I believe, of

the " Attitudinal Healing Centers " over there. The book is loosely

based on the philosophy of a book called, " A Course in Miracles "

which uses Christian terminology to teach about the value of

releasing fear and guilt in our lives. He has also written other

books including, " Goodbye to Guilt " , " Teach Only Love " and others

around the theme of forgiveness. I have found them most helpful.

Even tho I still struggle daily at this point, my life is

getting better all the time.

I don't adhere to any particular philosophy, except to consider

myself a Christian, however I agree with much of what is taught

thru this philosophy. It teaches that, in order to have peace of

mind and heal our lives, we must release the guilt in our lives -

both our belief in our own guilt AND our perceived guilt in others.

My personal thought is that none of us know what we would be capable

of, given a different set of circumstances. We don't always know

where another person is coming from, as much as we might think we

do. To be free, we must set the world free.

Hmmmnnnn, now I feel like I am lecturing, lol, but I felt so moved

to write on the whole guilt thing, after reading a little of Steve's

story. Please forgive me if I seem to be raving on, lol!

In Truth, we are all innocent children of God.

Blessings,

~kAtE:O)

http://www.localcommunities.org/servlet/lc_ProcServ/dbpage=page & mode=

display & gid=01004011550947263615155189

(Hope this link works ... horribly long but I couldn't figure out

how to shorten it.)

~*I am not a body, I am free. I am still as God created me.*~

~~~A Course in Miracles

~Everything can be taken from a man but ... the last of the human

freedoms -to choose one's attitude in any given set of

circumstances.~ Viktor l,Holocaust survivor.