(02-26-10) Day 36: “BIRTHDAY BOP!”

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviors. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.

For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

There were a lot of events that happened today. We played MISMO with the residents, we met the practicum students from Letran, had our culminating activity in the afternoon, birthday celebration and send- off party for Kuya Po. Wait… Kuya W is discharged against medical advice. Just imagine it was just a day but it seemed like a days were needed to fulfill it.

With regards to Kuya Po, I am very happy for him and for his family. I was not expecting that it was a surprise for him for he had not known that he will be discharged already after finishing his program. I could actually picture his reaction when our practicum supervisor/ program officer extended this good news to him. He jumped with joy in his face and shouted with his whole energy that finally this time arrived. I felt his emotions and was teary- eyed about it. We considered it as birthday gift for him also. He thanked our supervisor tightly and expressed his feelings how thankful he was for this gift/news. Everyone was happy for him and it manifested from the messages of the residents, students and most especially his family. Kuya Po had a different skill in his artworks making him THE ARTIST among the residents. He was a quiet man that often seen smiled at a corner and most of the time was like sleepy and not paying attention yet he cooperates and he is honest if he could not attend to the demands of activities facilitated. His family was very kind and extended their heartfelt gratitude with the residents and the management of LCRC on how they have helped their son recover from his life before. Within that day and the expression from Kuya Po, I could say he was ready to face his life outside this institution that served as a home for him also.

At the end of his program in LCRC that truly changed him, he will finally make a step to start something new. A new life to conquer and a chance to prove to the world he is now for the better… of course, for the best, too! I hope that he will also bring with him what LCRC has taught him, his experiences with his co- residents, and the memories of being a resident as he will start a new journey. Thank You and Good luck, to THE ARTIST!

With regards to the culminating activity the presentation of the Letran practicum students shared an oath about giving importance to who we are. “I am unique. I am worthy. I am loved.” We should never forget to commend ourselves that we should value ourselves for who we really are. It is in healing our inner child that we learn to respect and love ourselves. It is the only way to empower ourselves to stop living life in reaction to the past. We have been ignoring history and repeating it for centuries. If we are going to have a chance to reverse the self destructive patterns of human kind, it is going to come from individuals healing self. By healing our inner child wounds, we can change the world.

The main activity was about removing our bad experiences from the past as what we did with the peanut butter scattered in the mirror. At the beginning of our lives, we could see our reflections clear as a mirror but as we go on and experience a lot of events, our reflections are slowly blurred until such time comes that we can not almost see our reflection. Life does not stop there. We are always given opportunity to remove this peanut butter, the dirt or the one that hinders us from seeing our clear reflection we had before.

It’s truly true that learning is a continuous process because it always happen everyday. Thank God for this day! Thank God for the insights I gained from this Healing the Inner Child Week! Smiles”,

(02-25-10) Day 35: “MISMO!”

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviors. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.

For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

In the morning we had a very intimate talk about childhood experience and steps on how we should heal our inner child through the worship services of Pastor Paul. We were very thankful to Pastor Paul that he managed to share with us his childhood experiences and how he coped up with certain issues from the past- CHILDHOOD. From what I have remembered these were the steps in healing our inner child:

We have an age of the wounded inner child that relates to each stage of the development process. It is very important to start getting in touch with these parts of ourselves and building a Loving relationship with each of them.

1. ALLOW- To heal this wounded, inner child, you first need to locate them. Allow yourself to find your inner child and tune in with him or her.

2. ACCEPT- Acceptance of what you find and learn about this "little" one. The knowledge you gain from this inner child will most likely be painful. Accept it and work through it.

3. UNDERSTAND- It is only when we start understanding on an emotional level, that we were powerless to do anything any differently than we did that we can truly start to love ourselves. It is very important to start having compassion for that wounded part of ourselves.

4. LET GO- It is by owning our wounds that we can start taking the power away from the wounded part of us. When we suppress the feelings, feel ashamed about our reactions, do not own that part of our being, then we give it power. It is the feelings that we are hiding from that dictate our behavior, that fuel obsession and compulsion. We need to rescue and nurture and love our inner children - and STOP them from controlling our lives. STOP them from driving the bus! Children are not supposed to drive; they are not supposed to be in control.

He also let us experienced breathing exercises that could help us as we heal the inner child within us. Gently close your eyes and begin to take deep, slow breaths. With each inhale breathe in love and light, filling your whole being with both. On the exhale, breathe out all your worries, fears, concerns and doubts knowing that they are not serving you in the present moment.

As you begin to relax each part of your body, breathe into any areas that you are feeling stressed, pain or discomfort. When your body is completely relaxed, continue to take nice deep, slow breathes, envisioning love warming your body from within while the light heals you from within. Feel your self lifting higher and higher and freer and freer.

In the afternoon, we played an all- original Pinoy board game called MISMO! It was a very good game that for sure will be loved by the residents as soon as it is introduced to them. Then, we continued the practice of the presentations for the culminating activity tomorrow. I am very happy they were cooperated much like different from what we had yesterday. I should say their meeting with our practicum supervisor/ program officer helped bring a friendly atmosphere during that practice. They talked about how it is important to assess the feelings they had at the present moment and how they could be able to manage to be more positive in everything that they will do. Expressing ones feeling be it positive or negative is very important in order to manage to have a healthy living. We should learn to express it than to keep it aside and let it pass. Bursting of emotions is always a negative consequence if we do not disclose what emotions we have in us.

It’s truly true that learning is a continuous process because it always happen everyday. Thank God for this day! Thank God for letting me know how important is my expressing of emotions with my well- being! Smiles”,

(02-24-10) Day 34: “SYMPTOMATIC!”

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviors. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.

For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

I admit I am being stressed today for we have not managed the attitude of some residents especially resident Jg, Jn, Mc, and Rj. They are being symptomatic and it was like their own issues were displaced towards us. Whatever motivation pushed to them or explanation we did, we hate to admit it but we were overpowered. I am overwhelmed with how the other residents helped us with this issue just like what resident E and Rm done. Their group really was the opposite of that group who were symptomatic. The issue here was authority. Our presence inside the hall is not as much compared to the presence of our practicum supervisor/ program officer. His presence denotes authority which makes everyone else in the room be attentive in their tasks whenever he was there. Upon revealing this issue with him, he tried to uplift our stressed minds by explaining what have happened. Their issues reflect our own issues too; like for example, our issue of authority with them reflects our issue of authority with our supervisor. Furthermore, they were displacing their emotions toward us, which is why they were like that. Displacement is the transfer of emotion from the original focus to another less threatening person or object, or the substitution of one response or piece of behavior for another. I consider myself to be one of the less threatening person mentioned here in what displacement was meant. So the solution is learning to manage my own issue so that I could also apply this with them. Proper handling of problems will be the main aim rather than fighting their hot heads.

It’s truly true that learning is a continuous process because it always happen everyday. Thank God for this day! Thank God for I know now how I will handle my issues with them! Smiles”,

(02-22-10) Day 33: “Healing the Inner Child”

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviors. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.

For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

The theme for this week is HEALING THE INNER CHILD. Inside each and every one of us is an inner child. This child is either healthy, happy and adjusted or it's unhealthy, frightened and in chaos. This inner child manifests itself in our everyday adult life. This week is the time to take in consideration our past experiences most especially our CHILDHOOD.

Just like the quote of the week that we have introduced: “The child is the father to the man.” Our present situation is determined by what we experienced during our childhood, be it good or bad. We could never overlook our past for we will never be like this today if we have left what we had before. “Ang marunong bumalik sa pinanggalingan ay makakarating sa paroroonan.” It is important to learn from the past and move on. We should not stop from the past instead learn from it and heal the inner child.

The purpose of the healing the inner child is to stop letting our past dictate how we respond to life today. It can not be done without revisiting our childhood.

The main activity in the morning was about revisiting the sad experiences we had in our childhood and settling these emotions that we had before. With regards to the sharing of each resident’s experiences, I learned how to process the unexpected disclosing of emotions experienced during the activities facilitated. I should have let my group mates, by that time, to further explain or open up the emotions they have felt because it appeared like it was not settled and left hanging… just like a question mark. I felt pity with resident E when I heard of what experiences he had during his childhood and felt responsible on processing it. Thanks to the afternoon’s main activity, I saw the shifting of emotions from what the residents had in the morning until to the activity in the afternoon. The activity was about how most of us were being too hard on ourselves and being serious in managing our busy lives today. Often times we forgot to be a child: a picture of innocence, worry- free, and enjoying everything without being too much focused on the consequences. It is not bad to sometimes be a child; to relax and let go of the baggage of worries and responsibilities.

It’s truly true that learning is a continuous process because it always happen everyday. Thank God for this day! Thank God for I should revisit my childhood and heal this inner child within me! Smiles”,