Now I See My Dad and Love Him
I didn’t leave RC but was inactive for a long time. Now I’m trying to reverse the situation. Outside of sessions I no longer give myself the harsh messages I used to. The feelings of terror that go with being a child of violence are still there, but I’m working on them.
Realising that the perpetrator (my dad) was also a child of violence gives the work a more benign perspective. Not being allowed to discharge on the violence was seriously damaging for both of us.
Dad died at the age of forty-six of a major heart attack. That alone speaks volumes for working-class men’s oppression.
Now I see my dad as a staunch ally and love him to bits [love him very much].
It’s good to be back.
Southampton, Hampshire, England
(Present Time 193, October 2018)