Weekend Recovery

Weekend Recovery
B

Born to Resist

Registrant
I am seriously thinking about attending one of the Weekend Recovery Level I for next year. Could any of you who have attended share your experiences? What should I expect? What is it about? What is not about?
 
BtR,

I asked a similar question before the Alta weekend and got a very useful and detailed reply from Curtis St John. It's in archive, but I'm not sure how to ferret the thing out.

I have not been to one of these weekends yet, but I can tell you I see a big emphasis on safety. If you register you would be contacted to see if you are ready for such an event. Once there, the staff is absolutely geared to keep you safe and feeling okay with what is happening.

Several guys here were at Alta. One of them might be able to help you with specifics. Everyone I talked to thought it was a great experience.

Larry
 
I've been to three WORs--two Level Is and one Level II. I got something new out of each one and was very glad I attended.

My first experience was very scary but very healing; the second was harder for me and I wanted to leave and was able to work through that and stay. I got a lot out of it and was glad I stayed, even though it was more difficult. That was the Level II retreat. I then went back to another Level I and had a better experience. Part of the reason was that I left my family visit out of it--a big help.

Like the others have said, you can expect an environment of safety in which to share all or part of your story, your feelings, and/or how the abuse is affecting your life. There are various exercises and there is even some fun times like creating T-shirts and drumming/chanting. You are encouraged to participate in as much as you can but are not required to do anything that you feel will violate your safety boundaries. It's great that MS really goes to great pains to make sure that we all know to respect boundaries--something we may not have gotten as survivors in the past.

It is a place to meet fellow survivors who have similar stories or the common thread of being a male survivor. That in its own right is very powerful to know that you're not alone. I get that feeling from coming here online, too. There are specific guidelines set up on the first day to let you know what it is NOT. Those guidelines are very basic and are meant as a general overview to protect the safety of everyone there.

Take care,
Scotty
 
his "family visit" is not part of the weekend, he was just visiting his family own his own.
 
If I'm remembering it correctly, Scotty has a family like some of the rest have had. It probably would have better if he had just come to the weekend, without visiting his family, after.
As a matter of fact, I would recommend that you not try to work the weekend into a vacation plan where you may be interacting with some of the people who may not understand or who may have contributed to the abuse you suffered in the first place. Most are nervous about attending, and fairly relaxed and feeling a sense of real accomplishment after the event. So, be good to yourself and allow yourself some private time while you're on the way home, to let all that you've experience during the weekend to wash over you like healing waters.
I thorougly appreciated the experience and opportunity for growth in the two weekends I've attended.

David
 
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