Can speaking your truth save your life? Candace Sanchez and Neil Parekh are joined by special guest Shawn Hittman. Shawn, a finance professional who is a survivor and thriver, shares his courageous journey of healing. Through heartfelt anecdotes, Shawn paints a vivid picture of his childhood innocence and the impact of abuse that unfolded.
Discover how Shawn's healing journey at the Aurora Healing Center became a pivotal moment in his life, leading him to co-write the inspiring book, "Healing Happens." Shawn's resilience and recognition as a Thrive Award Honoree at the Hope Shining Blue event demonstrates his extraordinary strength.
Listen as Shawn shares his insights on the power of vulnerability and the importance of forgiveness in the recovery process. Find out how Shawn's support system, including his girlfriend and sister, played a crucial role in his healing journey. Tune in to this episode which is a testament to the transformative power of storytelling and the immense strength found in community.
Episode Highlights:
15:16 - In my healing journey, and in my sort of what they call it recovery, but I'll call it healing and survivor journey, one of the pivotal things that I realized was, in order to give myself compassion, I also had to give Shannon compassion. He's 11. He learned it somewhere. So, if I'm seven and I'm not expected to know better, what would make me think an 11-year-old would be expected to know better? Naturally, he didn't wake up one day and just decide, "Oh, I'm going to go ruin some kid's life, and his sister, too."
21:50 - Healing is a lifelong process. I don't think you're ever truly finished, but it's also a very worthy process. I'm probably 12 years now into my formal healing journey, or 13 years maybe. I'm always pushing a little harder, digging a little deeper, learning something new. But also, there's a bright side to this stuff, too, is like turning your pain into your power, purpose, passion.
36:00 - My chapter in Healing Happens is called Disclosure Sparking A Victorious Cycle versus a vicious cycle. We know a vicious cycle, like alcoholism or addiction or sexual abuse, it gets worse, right? Because it gets passed down. No, this is a victorious cycle. When I tell a couple of people and then they tell a couple of people, and we have this disclosure, that is how we heal on a bigger scale. The one thing that perpetrators fear most is you talking about it. They don't have the asylum anymore. So, that's the way to really beat it.
Connect with Shawn Hittman
Resources
Living from a Place of Surrender
Connect with Neil
Connect with Digimentors
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