JFT July 28, 2014
The truth shall set you free
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5,267
JFT July 28, 2014
July 28, 2014
Secrets and intimacy
Page 218
"We feared that if we ever revealed ourselves as we were, we would surely be rejected."
Basic Text, p. 32
Having relationships without barriers, ones in which we can be entirely open with our feelings, is something many of us desire. At the same time, the possibility of such intimacy causes us more fear than almost any other situation in life.
If we examine what frightens us, we'll usually find that we are attempting to hide an aspect of our personalities that we are ashamed of, an aspect we sometimes haven't even admitted to ourselves. We don't want others to know of our insecurities, our pain, or our neediness, so we simply refuse to expose them. We may imagine that if no one knows about our imperfections, those imperfections will cease to exist.
This is the point where our relationships stop. Anyone who enters our lives will not get past the point at which our secrets begin. To maintain intimacy in a relationship, it is essential that we acknowledge our defects and accept them. When we do, the fortress of denial, erected to keep these things hidden, will come crashing down, enabling us to build up our relationships with others.
Just for Today: I have opportunities to share my inner self. I will take advantage of those opportunities and draw closer to those I love.
Copyright (c) 2013, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Secrets and intimacy
Page 218
"We feared that if we ever revealed ourselves as we were, we would surely be rejected."
Basic Text, p. 32
Having relationships without barriers, ones in which we can be entirely open with our feelings, is something many of us desire. At the same time, the possibility of such intimacy causes us more fear than almost any other situation in life.
If we examine what frightens us, we'll usually find that we are attempting to hide an aspect of our personalities that we are ashamed of, an aspect we sometimes haven't even admitted to ourselves. We don't want others to know of our insecurities, our pain, or our neediness, so we simply refuse to expose them. We may imagine that if no one knows about our imperfections, those imperfections will cease to exist.
This is the point where our relationships stop. Anyone who enters our lives will not get past the point at which our secrets begin. To maintain intimacy in a relationship, it is essential that we acknowledge our defects and accept them. When we do, the fortress of denial, erected to keep these things hidden, will come crashing down, enabling us to build up our relationships with others.
Just for Today: I have opportunities to share my inner self. I will take advantage of those opportunities and draw closer to those I love.
Copyright (c) 2013, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
