Deciding to begin the journey of recovery is a challenging step in a difficult process, which is why Twilight Recovery is here to guide you through. However, it isn’t just substance use that contributes to this struggle.
Understanding Resentment During Recovery
Like layers, the emotions exposed in recovery peel away. Among those emotions, one of the hardest to face is resentment. As a definition, resentment is displeasure or persistent ill will at something perceived as a wrong, insult, or injury. This can amount to complex feelings that can be a roadblock for recovery or a trigger for relapse.
It is important to keep in mind that resentment can be directed at several relationships, including:
- You toward others
- Others toward you
- You toward your spiritual center
- You toward you
Resentment Toward Others
Resenting others might be the first thing you consider. This is the default idea. Suppose you have experienced trauma at the hands of others, been neglected by those who should care, or even distrust those who are meant to help. In that case, resentment can have built up against them, interrupting healing and disrupting the path toward recovery.
Others Resenting Us
While it can be hard to confront, the unfortunate truth is sometimes, in the path that brought us to recovery, we often hurt others. Whether or not they are close to us, this pain is something we have to resolve as well. In the case of our families, seeking their forgiveness can be as important as learning to forgive others. For those who are not close to us, we have to find our path to confronting our actions and acknowledging the effect they have on others.
Resentment Toward Our Spiritual Centers
Regardless of your spiritual experience, the confrontation of the traumas you have endured or caused may lead to resenting that spiritual center in your life. These feelings can be complex, hard to interpret, and harder to endure. When the core of our beliefs is challenged, finding our footing again is a slippery business.
Resentment Toward Self
Perhaps the most difficult of all, and the resentment which is time and again acknowledged as a keystone to recovery, is self-resentment. It is almost inescapable that after all the hardship, all sorrow encountered on the journey you’ve traveled so far, you’ve come across displeasure toward yourself. This is natural, but it is not necessary. It is your right to love yourself, no matter your mistakes.
Working Toward Forgiveness
Resentment is the feeling of ill will and displeasure at those who have or are perceived to have wronged you. The opposite of resentment is forgiveness. Working to forgive yourself or others through psychological interventions has been proven to affect your levels of anxiety or depression.
Treating Resentment
At Twilight Recovery, forgiveness can be sought and found through any number of treatments, including:
- Residential treatment
- Individual therapy
- Family therapy
- Spiritual emphasis
Residential Treatment
While it may seem obvious, sometimes the first step toward forgiveness is distance. At Twilight’s residential program, along with excellent amenities and staff that allow you to rest and recover, the distance it provides from the environment and people of your day-to-day life can be crucial for recovery.
It also can provide the opportunity to assess your emotions and detangle the types and sources of resentment in your life. In turn, this can help you identify what type of treatment is right for your needs.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy is a cornerstone of all types of treatment. Finding help with forgiveness and resentment has its foundation right here. Unraveling the threads of resentment is an overwhelming task. However, with individual therapy, you don’t have to go it alone.
Family Therapy
At Twilight, we also use family therapy to improve your relationships that may be struggling due to feelings of resentment from all members. In the case of family therapy, a family doesn’t just mean blood, but what makes up your idea of family. If there is anybody in your life that you need to work out those feelings and arrive at forgiveness together, family support and counseling work toward healing rifts around disruptive interpersonal relationships and substance misuse.
Spirituality
Everybody’s experience with spirituality differs, but the importance of ensuring that relationships are healthy is a crucial aspect of recovery. Twilight’s emphasis on spirituality acts as a bridge between you and your faith.
How Twilight Recovery Can Help
Recovery doesn’t end at the end of your stay at Twilight, and the emotions and trauma you manage within the safety of treatment don’t stop them from being part of your post-recovery world. Because of this, Twilight has a comprehensive recovery tool kit to follow you through all of your journeys.