Hidden Hurt

I started going to a support group a few weeks ago called Hidden Hurt.  I had heard about the group several years ago, but support groups are definitely not my thing.  Besides, it was my husband's issue, not mine, right?  If only the group had been advertised as a class, perhaps I would have been more intrigued...

Anyway, the information given in the class so far has been awesome.  And the sharing and "support group" portion is very beneficial, as well, despite my natural reluctance to participate in such groups.  I plan to share a lot of what I've been learning at some point, but I'm not quite ready yet.

So I bring it up tonight for two reasons.  First, if you are the wife of a sexual addict (in one or several of its forms - pornography, affairs, strip clubs, etc.), I would highly encourage you to call Hidden Hurt and attend the "class."  Even if you've read books on your own, this different setting and approach will be enlightening and give you a list of even more books to read on the subject.  And if you aren't afraid of support groups, then you probably don't need much encouragement to call, but perhaps you just didn't know there was someone TO call.  Well, there is!  The number is 503-750-3992.  The group is very strict about confidentiality, so if you are worried about someone finding out your secret, call anyways and find out what measures are in place to protect you.

There are groups for men, too, of course.  Those groups are called For Men Only, and the number is 503-750-0817.

Both groups are sponsored by Pure Life Alliance.  You get more information about the groups, about sexual addiction, and about resources outside of the Portland area by visiting their website, http://www.purelifealliance.org/.

The second reason I bring this up is that, during the most recent "class" I attended, the following quote from Jerry Sittser's A Grace Disguised was shared.  I haven't read the book yet, but I liked the quote so much I had to pass it along!

     "Can anyone really expect to recover from [a great] tragedy?  Recovery is a misleading and empty expectation...  Catastrophic loss by definition precludes recovery.  It will transform us or destroy us, but it will never leave us the same.  There is no going back to the past, which is gone forever, only going ahead to the future, which has yet to be discovered.  Whatever that future is, it will, and must, include the pain of the past with it.  Sorrow never entirely leaves the soul of those who have suffered a severe loss...

     "But this depth of sorrow is the sign of a healthy soul, not a sick soul.  It does not have to be morbid and fatalistic.  It is not something to escape but something to embrace.  Jesus said [in Matthew 5], 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.'  Sorrow indicates that people who have suffered loss are living authentically in a world of misery...  Sorrrow is noble and gracious.  It enlarges the soul until the soul is capable of mourning and rejoicing simultaneously, of feeling the world's pain and hoping for the world's healing at the same time."

I love this.  I hate that it's true and necessary and experienced by people everyday, but ... wow!  So good.  I am definitely going to have to read the whole book!