Life After Divorce

I attended the first divorce counseling session yesterday at my church. The course lasts for 13 weeks. We meet once a week on Tuesdays for about an hour and a half. There were about 5 other people there in addition to myself (all women -- hummm). We have two facilitators whose role is not to provide therapy but to lead group discussions, provide biblical based advise and to encourage us. I felt really good after the class and I am committed to sticking with it for the entire 13 weeks. I wasn't sure if this counseling group would be beneficial to me since it has been 3 years since my divorce. My struggle is more with overcoming the guilt of divorce rather than copying with any emotional scars that often remain afterwards. I also need to learn how to deal with the emotional effects of divorce that impact children. Their confusion and hurt can last for many years, if not a lifetime. It was stated on the video we watched that it normally takes 5 years for a person to completely recover from divorce. This was very shocking news to me. When I think about it, alot of us will find whatever avenue is convenient to deal with the pain that we are experiencing. This will inevitably lead to self-destruction. These temporary fixes; whether it be shopping 24/7, jumping into a relationship to soon or hanging with the wrong crowd, are nothing but band-aids, which only take care of the surface. In a group setting, you are made aware of the fact that there are others besides yourself who have gone through a terrible situation and are experiencing pain that could be much worse than yours.