Hitting Rock Bottom: A Right
of Passage
We’ve all heard
the story of the alcoholic or drug addict found face down in a mud puddle after
losing his friends, job, and family. Generally, this is a right of passage, as
there is nowhere else to go but up, if he/she faces the addiction.
I’ve been watching a new television show called “Mom.” I’ve
not laughed so hard at a television comedy since I found “Big Bang Theory.”
“Mom” is television at its best. Allison Janney plays the alcoholic mother of
an alcoholic daughter who has a child that is prematurely pregnant at 16. The
three-women household defines the word destitute. Though the problem of
alcoholism is terrible, they seem to make the trip to finding their way to the
light a delightfully authentic comedy. It is definitely my pick for best new
comedy.
Over the years
of my life, I have heard many stories of hitting rock bottom. Most times this
happens as a result of an addiction, which means that the Ego had been in
complete control for a while. The person involved usually has a “dark night of
the soul,” which can be defined as the weakest moment of your life. This is
when you finally realize that accepting your spiritual truth, whatever that may
be, is the only way out.
My dark night
was a year after I moved to Nashville. I had been an “in the closet” homosexual
for many years, as I left my sexuality for the church and religion. I thought I
couldn’t be gay and love God at the same time. As I struggled for many years,
even giving up the idea of having an intimate partner completely. I asked God
for answers.
A friend
recommended I go to see a counselor, who happened to be a priest at Catholic
Services. I made an appointment for the next week. My first appointment took
three hours. I couldn’t stop crying. Every story I told about my past led to
more tears and shame. For some reason, up to that point in my life, I felt as
if my childhood had been normal. But suddenly, I realized that all the abuse I
had suffered left me with posttraumatic stress and enough anxiety to fill the
Titanic.
The priest was
kind and caring. He helped me through much of what could have been a nervous
breakdown. He advised me that my childhood wasn’t my fault. He showed me ways
of forgiving and moving on that I hadn’t thought of in the past. Still, one
night soon after I started therapy, I wanted to take my life. I felt hopeless
and fearful that I was too broken to ever find happiness. I didn’t make any
specific plans as to how I would proceed with suicide, but I thought hard about
not continuing my life. I shared with my mother how sad I had been. She lived
in Tucson, Arizona, then, and I lived in Nashville.
I went out to
get groceries. When I returned to my house, three policemen with flashlights
were looking in my windows. Of course, this scared me. I thought I had been
robbed, or that they had been looking for some criminal who ended up hiding in
my basement.
But, the truth,
though it sounds funny now when I think of the scenario: my mother was so
frightened that I would actually take my life that she called the police and
told them of her fear. The words of the big, hunky policeman were what actually
set me back on course, “Son, I think you better call your mom. She thinks you
took your life.”
When I heard his
words, I realized how horrible suicide would be for everyone around me, especially
my family. So, I decided to continue with counseling and seek for a more
authentic way to live my life. This action alone is what helped me be
compassionate toward myself and my personal situation. As a result, I ended up
starting on a path of healing that has taken me through until today.
______________________________________________
New Challenge: Go to Week 5 of the “Year
to CLEAR Challenge” at www.Bosebastian.com
______________________________________________
Look for MY LATEST BOOK: “Finding Authentic You, 7 Steps to Effective Change” with a
Year to CLEAR (C-larity, L-ove, E-nthusiasm A-nd R-elationship-Ready) on my
Website in the Webstore. Thanks!
Below is information that I will be sharing for about a
month, as not every person on my list reads the blog every day. If you have
already read it, just skip over it. Thanks for understanding.
A
Year to CLEAR Challenge:
(Please Know: You Can Join Us At Any Point in the Year
Challenge.)
The masses search outward for things that qualify them as a
person, but I always go inward for that which quantifies me for greatness. At
twenty-five I preached on street corners in NYC as an in-the-closet Pentecostal
minister. One day I heard a still small voice say, ‘God cannot be contained in a
book or a law or even in a religion. Dig deeper, reach further to find me, and
you will find your authentic Self.’”
A Year to CLEAR Challenge!
The acronym CLEAR
stands for (Compassionate, Loving,
Enthusiastic, And Relationship-Ready). The goal of this project is to
engulf readers in a weekly study that will transform them by removing blocks,
promote self-growth, and give them wings to fly freely into daily life. Each
week, by going to BoSebastian.com and choosing the Year to CLEAR Challenge tab,
a new challenge or thought to provoke conversation, growth, and group
functionality.
My vision is to make Finding Authentic You the book to
have in your Kindle or on your computer. The book is a comprehensive look at
growth—spiritually, mentally, and physically.
As a yoga teacher and student of the Ayurvedic tradition, I bring
to the table understanding of physical challenges, the ability to overcome
mental problems with Life & Health Coaching, as well as hypnotherapy, and
expertise in meditation and spirituality as a minister.
The combination of all three in one book with an interactive
connection to like-minded readers, for one year, is what makes this Year to
CLEAR Challenge a must-do for every spiritual seeker.
The One-Year Approach to Change
No one believes he or she can change overnight. But success in
change comes from the metaphors of nature. Seasonally, life changes all around
us in nature. Finding Authentic You offers a gradual change perspective,
looking at the triune aspects of change as in yoga: Body, Mind and Spirit.
Accessing the
ability to change and finding
yourself actually pursuing change must be a daily search, which I call
getting to the “observer mind.”
In this frontal cortex of the brain we find the anatomy of
change and the power to counter every negative trigger of the human process.
The workings of Hypnosis, NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) and EMDR (Eye
Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) are all positive actions to help the
mind and body flow to a positive space for change.
Every aspect of FINDING AUTHENTIC YOU fulfills this
constant need for diffusing the negative past and dreaming of a fulfilling
future.
Step 1: Recognize That Change is Inevitable
Step 2: Release from Resistance
to Change
Step 3: Understanding Change and Allow Spirit to Define It
Step 4: A History Lesson—About You
Step 5: Look at Your Past with Compassion
Step 6: Making a Strong Commitment to Change
Step 7: Dream Your Fabulous Future
TOOLS FOR CHANGE:
Go to Storefront to buy any of the following or make a
donation to Finding Authentic You: www.shop.bosebastian.com
·
My Latest Book: Finding Authentic You—7 Steps to
Effective Change (800 page downloadable Kindle version)
·
Introduction to Meditation
·
Smoke Cessation mp3
·
Weight Loss mp3
·
Hypnotic Lap Band surgery Mp3
·
Insomnia mp3
·
Eternal Om mp3
·
Meditation Music mp3
·
Guide to Meditation mp3
·
Healing the Body mp3
·
And my “Lessons from the Heart” book ready for
your download purchase.
Go to Home Page: www.BoSebastian.com
* * *
Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health
Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New
Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at
615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com.
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or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my
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the search header.
Also, look for MY LATEST BOOK: “Finding Authentic You, 7 Steps to
Effective Change” with a Year to CLEAR (C-larity, L-ove, E-nthusiasm A-nd
R-elationship-Ready) on my Website in the Webstore. Thanks!
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