First off, I’m glad that CR is available for people who need it. However, I have discovered that I have many deep problems with it.
Let’s start with something as basic as personality traits. Why is being an extravert considered a “positive”? Some of us are not extraverts, have never been and will never be. Its who we are.
Sarcasm…what’s so bad about it? Sarcasm is, according to certain psychological studies, a sign of high intelligence. Is there a problem with it? Why?
I’m discovering that the scriptures used with the various principles just don’t work. AT ALL.
This tells it much better than I ever could: http://thecripplegate.com/should-recovery-be-celebrated-a-review-of-celebrate-recovery/. While I don’t necessarily agree with the author’s theological stance on other issues, this is the best explanation as to why CR has not set well with me.
CR seems to be the place where people kick one addiction for another. “I was all messed up on (place addiction here) but now I’m all messed up on Jesus”. That’s just trading one addiction for another, not ever getting to the root of the addiction issue. Same for the other “hurts, hang-ups and habits”. Nothing changes until the person chooses to look forward instead of backwards. Before you, the reader, starts saying “but you don’t know…”, I do. I’m a rape survivor, a domestic violence survivor, an abuse survivor. I started in CR thinking it would help me. After almost 6 months of attending weekly STEP groups, I discovered something very telling. Each lesson, at its core, had me review, replay, every crummy thing that had happened in my life.
I got smart! I stopped taking the medication that was not helping me in any way, I realized that the past was the past and needed to stay there, and discovered that going forward was the only way to put positive thoughts into my life.
CR practices “love bombing”. Terms like “forever family” just go to bond the person further into the group where the group can set itself up as the only place where love and acceptance can be found. It draws the person into essentially a cultic set up…and seeks to transform that person into another CR “success story”.
Why I left? I finally saw through it all. There’s no room for anyone who doesn’t fit in the box. Each session’s introductions “Hi! I’m (your name here) and I’m a faithful believer in Jesus Christ. I struggle with (insert hurt, hang up or habit here).” Robots! All robots.
Speaking of robots…stay tuned!
Caroline's Cogitations 