I had gone to a hypnotherapist a number of years ago with one burning question: What is this sorrow that I have been experiencing all my life, ever since I can remember? After the session, he said that the sorrow I was experiencing was not my own; it was other people’s sorrow.

I have been trying to escape my family’s sorrow all my life, to the point that it almost killed me. The only way I can be free from the sorrow is to embrace it. The only way to heal the sorrow is to feel it, accept it and not run away from it. By accepting it, my heart of stone becomes a heart of flesh. Anger melts away and turns into forgiveness for myself and all others who feel guilty for not being what they think they ought to be.

Every time I let myself feel the pain, I become more human, more loving, more compassionate. I embrace all humanity and I shout for joy. I feel resurrected. I thank God for loving me, for saving me, for not giving up on me. I accept it, that I will never be normal.

I would tell others that they are not their sorrow, not their pain. They are a wonderful creation and like no other. People should never be ashamed of who they are. They need to break the cycle of pain and heal themselves.

Laurianne Anctil, Lewiston