The BALM Blog
See all postsBev’s Corner – Why Does the BALM Work So Well?
For people facing a new moment of recovery, whether from a co-addiction or use disorder of one’s own, getting from chaos to calm often requires ongoing inner work.
Like a chick breaking out of an egg, the recovering mind sees a ray of light outside of the shell, and slowly pecks through until the shell is broken wide open and life in the sunlight becomes the preferred reality.
When confronted with the reality of a loved one’s struggles with a use disorder, many families will read a book on recovery (have you tried this one: BALM – The Loving Path to Family Recovery), or go to a weekend or week long course at their loved one’s treatment center. Or they may attend the wonderful family recovery conference so many of you registered for (still open at familyrecoveryconference.com)
In the BALM, we call this type of education “Information“. It is important and worthwhile to amass recovery information. As a result of doing so, you know more about what you are dealing with and get a better sense of how to move forward to help your loved one.
Our experience is that many families come to the BALM after or even during these one shot or several shot experiences to move their recovery forward in a deeper way that allows them to completely shift the way they interact with self and others.
We call this inner work the Transformation component of family recovery, and it is truly the core of the work we do in the BALM Comprehensive Family Recovery Education Program. It involves a complete inner shift that structures and allows for a communication shift with the loved one that often proves startling to all involved.
Recently, after reading the chapters in my book BALM – The Loving Path to Family Recovery on transformation, a spouse reported completely changing the nature of her relationship with her using husband. Yet she knew that, without reinforcement, she could lose all of her gains. So, to solidify the change, she joined the BALM Comprehensive and began taking part in live BALM classes so she could hear the material live and interact with others in class.
Families report that when they participate in our transformation course, the 7 Steps to Be A Loving Mirror, they often completely transform the way in which they listen to and communicate with their loved one and everyone else and the ongoing interaction makes a difference in their ability to sustain change and encourage recovery in their family.
Plus, in the Comprehensive program, families have the opportunity to experience the tremendously important Support aspect of the program, which includes two live group coaching calls and a weekly Journal your Way to BALM Recovery workshop.
Meanwhile, that spouse brought her adult children to class and her husband is planning to participate in the next live BALM for Loved Ones class and get his own BALM Coach to help him move more deeply into his recovery process.
When we say Recovery is a Life Long Journey, we not only encourage a process, we provide the structure for it.
Designed to provide holistic development for families facing use disorders, the Information, Transformation and Support of the BALM has helped many families breathe in the calm of the BALM as they grow together in recovery.
If this is something you feel could help YOUR family, please click here.
Thanks for reading and remember, Be A Loving Mirror!
Best,
Beverly Buncher, MA, PCC, CBC, CTPC
Certified BALM Coach and Instructor
1-888-998-BALM