What is a "corrective experience"?

Corrective experiences are defined by many mental health professionals as, a way to challenge the way you relate to others, how you view yourself, and how you view past emotional hurts. There are moments in life that shape our opinions, our passions and the path of our existence. What's important to remember is that taking inventory of these moments, and making adjustments, is a healthy practice.

What does this mean? Something that occurred when you were 8 years old doesn't have to shape you today. You can shed the cape of victim, knowing there is no power left in that memory to weigh you down. Doing the work in mental health and recovery has tangible benefits and I promise this is one of them. 

What's an example? A few of my favorite things to do is golf, travel and listen to live Country music. In the past when traveling to these activities the experience always involved alcohol. Going to Nashville for a long weekend or a guy's golfing trip doesn't need to be replaced or eliminated, but I want to own the experience again.

Alcohol has taken enough from me through fear, but my future will not be confiscated by drinking. By attending the CMA's last November and embarking on a new sober group golf trip last August I snatched back my memories for me to shape them with a Swayze-like attention to detail. 

In order to call the experience "corrected", time must pass. Our patience and balance is tested (battle tested). Let your spirituality be your guide and show yourself some grace. This is a hard part of the recovery process. It's not defined as a phrase or level but more so an overt act of mental health intentionality. In part 3 of this blog series I'll talk about healthy ways to judge and gauge our previous selves. 

By: Aaron Perry