The Whining Stops as the Healing Starts

The backlash against the co-dependency recovery movement was inevitable. “Stop That Whining!” provides evidence of the movement’s inroads into a society hellbent on denying the effects of the physical and sexual abuse of children.

Some of the charges laid out in the article contain an element of truth. It’s true that there is a community of people in recovery; they may speak similar language and sometimes prefer each other’s company. It’s also true that unscrupulous operators sometimes prey on vulnerable people beginning to explore painful issues.

(But) the notion that it is whining to acknowledge and grieve over damage done in childhood denies the present-day effects of what happened. Past damage is no excuse for bad behavior in the present, but for some the best way to change bad behavior is to know its origins.

SHIELD ANDERSON

Altadena