My Journey Continues

Journey Guide

Session 1: Creating a Safe Place (2 Corinthians 3:12-13; Jeremiah 6:14)

This session focuses on creating a safe place in the group where we can begin to remove our veils or masks. Hiding prevents authentic living and being known. Telling our stories is a way to take off our masks and begin to connect with God. The body story outline is introduced and group ground rules are established.

Session 2: Understanding the Culture of My Family (Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 7:6-9; Ephesians 3:14-19, 6:1-4)

Our family of origin gives us a significant window into our story. Regardless of whether we feel we were raised in a good or bad family environment, we have all missed something we were designed to experience. This session helps identify what we needed and missed or what we received that harmed us. Type A and Type B Traumas are identified. Participants are encouraged to take an honest look at where dysfunction existed and shame was propagated.

Session 3: Acknowledging My Abandonment (Psalm 27:9,10; Luke 2:41-52)

We study the connection between the need to attach (bond, belong, be loved), the need to recoil from harm (as from a hot stove) and the dilemma of a child who is absolutely dependent on the caregiver.  We discuss how as adults we can establish healthy boundaries to avoid abusive and unhealthy relationships and connect in more healthy relationships with God and others.

Session 4: Confronting My Betrayal (1 Samuel 18)

This session examines the drama of David's betrayal: the stages of its development, the actors involved, the causes, costs and consequences as it is played out in his life and ours. Looking at how past betrayal impacts present relationships and learning to respond to betrayal in a Godly way is emphasized .

Session 5: Battling My Powerlessness (Philippians 1:12-30, 4:10-13)

Like an elephant chained to a post by a light chain, we learned through early childhood experiences that we were powerless to change. This session looks at causes, costs and consequences of powerlessness and the styles of relating that result from trying to manage it without God.

Session 6: Enslaved to Control (Luke 4:1-114; Exodus 32:1-5; 5:1-8, 3:1-4:17)

In the original situations of abuse, there was a victim, a perpetrator (controller), and a failed-rescuer. In order to avoid pain, victims reenact this triangle in other relationships, living out a role, and finding others to assume the prescribed roles in the triangle. Each of these three ways tempts us to abandon the path to wholeness, destroying our relationships and robbing us of life. We look at Christ's response to temptation to see how to embrace the pain, assume responsibility and use the authority God has given us to face our feelings without controlling, rescuing or running away.

Session 7:  Caught in My Ambivalence (Romans 7:14-25)

This session examines how to live in the tension of the good and bad that exists around me and in me. Ambivalence is defined as experiencing two contradictory emotions at the same moment. We learn to recognize it, identifying things that provoke shame, as well as to grieve over losses and embrace ambivalence. We learn to treat ourselves and our stories with kindness and not contempt.

Session 8: Deadened to My Longings (John 4)

Longings that are part of our created design are examined, as well as what happens when these longing are not met. This includes deadening our souls, choosing to settle for less than God has planned to avoid disappointment. This leads to isolation and focusing on self protection. Jesus' response to the woman at the well shows an example of pursuing the longings of the heart that lead to a deeper encounter with Christ.

Session 9: Enjoying My Identity in Christ (Psalm 139 and Matthew 3:13-4:11)

One of the most insidious effects of harm is that it leaves us feeling full of shame and contempt. Our abuse seems to define us. Here we look at what God says about assurance as believers in Christ. We continue to examine the truth that needs to cover the lies that we have embraced in our attempt to do life on our own.

Session 10: Loving My Offenders (Matthew 18 and Psalm 51)

The Bible shows that offenses cause broken relationships, especially between us and God. After surveying several passages of Scripture, we see that we need to model our forgiveness after the forgiveness that God offers. Forgiveness is a process involving recognition of the offense and what it has cost, grieving the loss, revoking revenge and getting ready to forgive. Forgiveness waits for repentance before restoring the relationship. Restoring the relationship requires a deep work in both the heart of the offended and the offender.

Session 11: Preparing for Spiritual Warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18)

The battle does not take place on just a human plane. Our battle is spiritual warfare with a determined enemy. Here we focus on knowing our enemy, Satan, and his tactics. We must also know our spiritual resources, what God's purposes are, and who our comrades are. Practical suggestions are given for putting ourselves under spiritual protection, removing ourselves from spiritual oppression and resisting Satan.

Session 12: Celebrating My Redemption (2 Samuel 6:12-21)

Taking our cue from David's celebration as he brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, we too want to celebrate our journey toward wholeness and holiness. We want to rejoice with others in the progress they have made toward restoration, and together we want to experience closure as we review what God has done in our lives during these twelve sessions.