ALEX MELANSON

The Wounded Heart Group changed my life and it can change yours. The premise is fairly simple: open yourself up enough to let God in to those places that need healing. 

My name is Alex Melanson. I was 21 when I decided to attend the Wounded Heart Group the first time around. The decision to attend was, well, scary. I had only just started dealing with sexual abuse in my own life. I had been seeing a secular counsellor for about 4 months at the time and I realized that I wasn't confronting my 'whole story'. While seeing a psychologist was most certainly helpful and I don't regret it for a single moment, I believed that I was missing both the communal and the spiritual component that I hoped would propel my healing.
 
I found the Wounded Heart Group through my church. I made contact with leader of the group through email because that was what I felt most comfortable with. Just making the decision to actually send the email was challenging. I was afraid; of what? I'm not quite sure even to this day. I received a welcoming email back and through subsequent correspondence, we set up when we would start meeting as a group. I remember being very nervous that first night. I did not know any of the other ladies in the group, I didn't even know the woman leading the group. All I had was a location, day and time. 

Walking in that church was one of the best decisions I've ever made, and here's why: 

1. The relationships: 
I met some amazing women during the course. Here were women who truly supported and understood where I was coming from. While all of our stories were different, we were all in the same struggle together. When dealing with such personal and difficult issues, the bonds that form are incredibly deep, resilient and beautiful. The Wounded Heart Group allows you to grow in relationship with others.  
 
2. The spiritual growth: 
When I first attended the Wounded Heart Group, I was a fairly new Christian and the spiritual growth that occurred was phenomenal. There were definitely parts of the course that I was unsure or hesitant about simply because I had not fully accepted my own spiritual beliefs. The course allowed me to explore my own faith in the context of my abuse, and I believe can help those who are exploring the faith, new to the faith or have been Christians for as long as they can remember. The core of the battle we face is a spiritual one, and once I accepted that (no matter the extent of my beliefs at the time), I was finally able to see God`s hand in my own life.  
3. The healing: 
The Wounded Heart  Group deals with sexual abuse. Everyone`s story is unique and difficult to face, however this course offered me a place to explore my own history in a safe place and with people who could accept my experience because it was known to them. One of the biggest battles to face in dealing with sexual abuse is dealing with shame. It also happens that one of the reoccurring themes in the Wounded Heart is shame because it goes to the core of what I dealt with, and with what all victims of sexual abuse face. While everyone who attends the Wounded Heart Group will enter at different stages of their healing, recognizing and understanding the power of shame in your own life will empower you to take significant growth steps in your own life. In my situation, the Wounded Heart Group enabled me to have the strength to finally cut all ties with my abuser. It has also given me the strength to report him to the police and talk about the abuse with family members. Your experience may be similar or completely different, however the potential for healing is the same. 

The Wounded Heart Group gave me a safe place to face my own experience, to accept my abuse, to set safe boundaries, and to grow in my relationships with God. All I had to do was open myself up enough to let God in to those places that needed healing.