Comment on a conference
The four-day conference I attended on Trauma, Addiction and Adult Children of Alcoholics had top-quality general sessions and workshops. It's unusual, even in a particularly good conference, that every session is excellent, which was the case with this one. I was struck by the fact that each presenter, besides being a well-known therapist, author and workshop leader, grew up in a very frightening family. They entered adulthood as wounded souls, taking each of them through many struggles, often including some period of alcohol or drug addiction. When they got into recovery and went through personal healing, they became exceptionally empathetic and effective therapists and educators, and enjoyed more satisfying personal lives. Fortunately, there are positives that come out of even very painful experiences. As survivors of abusive and frightening childhoods, the presenters emerged with an unusual degree of resourcefulness, resilience and empathy, which serves them well today.