06/09/2026
FABULOUS STORY - one does not have to be in recovery or headed to recovery to appreciate the message. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS! IT'S HOW WE LEARN
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At a 12-step recovery meeting I attended a while back, one of the attendees shared the following quote that resonated with me: “Being vulnerable is being strong.” Often in life we are afraid to ask for help or guidance thinking that it makes us weak or incompetent, but the opposite is true.
I recently finished an incredible book on addiction and recovery, The Only Life I Could Save, by Katherine Ketcham.
During family week at the wilderness recovery center her son was attending in Montana, they did numerous group activities to build connections and help them understand one another. One of the activities involved blindfolding everyone, and having them walk through a rope maze, which they were to navigate using only their hands and the ropes.
Occasionally, the staff would step in and offer guidance and ensure that participants didn’t bump into each other.. At some point, as Katherine was working the maze and getting more and more frustrated, she heard another participant in the distance announce that they had made it out.
This only heightened her need to figure out the maze and she worked harder and faster to try to find the way out. As she kept working harder, she heard more and more participants announce that they were out. Feeling her anger and annoyance peak, she finally turned to one of the counselors and asked for help.
As soon as she asked for help, he came over to her and lifted off her blindfold and she suddenly saw that the maze actually didn’t have a way out. Only when your resistance is broken down enough that you are humbled to the point where you finally ask for help can you get out of the maze.
Instantly, it all became clear. The purpose of the exercise was to help the families understand their addict and the need to ask for help. Sometimes that is the only way out of the maze.
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BIRTHING MINDFULLY LIVING MINDFULLY |Licensed Social Work Therapist | Birth Doula/Educator |Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs
