Seven vital Self-improvement Lessons
	Is the lethal [wounds + unawareness] cycle stressing your family? By Peter K. Gerlach, MSW Member NSRC Experts Council

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The Web address of this outline is http://sfhelp.org/cycle.htm

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        This YouTube clip summarizes the cycle of psychological wounds and unawareness outlined below.

        This ad-free Web site exists to alert people like you to [wounds + unawareness] that silently pass down the generations and stress most families and societies. I propose this unseen inheritance after 32 years as a family-systems therapist. During that time, I have never seen a version of this cycle, nor any research that confirms it. I have found many research studies that confirm parts of this toxic cycle.

If people - specially parents and grandparents - don't understand and stop  the unintended bequest of wounds and ignorance, it will implacably erode global societies and our environment. This bequest CAN be stopped, starting with public education.

        To fully understand what you're about to read, first study...

• this introduction to Grown Wounded Children (GWCs),

• this UCLA research on "risky families," and...

• this example of the cycle affecting a real stepfamily.

• Option - view this brief PowerPoint illustration of the cycle.

 

THE [ WOUNDS + UNAWARENESS ] CYCLE

Five primary problems... 1)  public unawareness and denial of inherited [psychological wounds + unawareness] and their effects (below); and... 2)  public tolerance for unqualified child-conceptions and inadequate parenting (which wounds young kids), resulting in... 3)  no public or professional education on epidemic early-childhood trauma and its toxic effects (below), and therefore... 4)  no effective federal or state legislation to motivate parents toward responsible child conception and effective nurturing, and... 5)  no (demand for) public media attention to these four problems.  ...cause these secondary problems
6 PSYCHOLOGICAL WOUNDS personality fragmenting excessive shame and guilts excessive fears excessive reality distortions overtrusting or undertrusting difficulty feeling and bonding	+  PUBLIC IGNORANCE OF... psychological wounds effective communication healthy grieving healthy relationships high-nurturance families effective parenting, and... the effects of inherited wounds and ignorance (below)	+  PERSONAL UNAWARENESS OF... my inner process my primary needs your primary needs our social dynamics our environment, and... healthy spirituality
These combine to cause epidemic surface problems...

personal problems addictions aggression depression impulsivity delusions egotism fears eating disorders intolerance isolation / loneliness manipulation "mental illnesses" mood disorders shyness self neglect obsessions toxic compulsions paranoias low self esteem suicide poverty some physical illness premature death	family problems abandonments abuse abortions arguing and fighting marital affairs child neglect desertions dishonesty distrust disrespect domestic violence legal divorce psychological divorce values conflicts relationship triangles loyalty conflicts financial conflicts unwise marriages unwise child conceptions toxic parenting parental alienation legal battles ex-mate conflicts	societal problems bankruptcies bigotry / prejudice bulging jails political corruption crime (all forms) dysfunctional families public cynicism mounting deficits drug trafficking school dropouts ecological damage gangs homelessness public scams excessive litigation murder terrorism overconsumption fear of change resource depletion public ignorance urban decay the welfare industry
These promote the primary problems above so wounds and ignorance silently spread down our generations

 Please register your level of concern about this cycle with this 1-question

poll.

        This unseen bequest of psychological wounds and ignorance can be stopped, once people are aware of it and its effects.

  Solutions

        The diagram above outlines a complex long-term social process that average people cannot see and/or deny. So they will continue to try solving surface problems (red box above) without affecting the primary problems causing them.

        Options for breaking this cycle include enforceable federal and state laws requiring that...

• funding be provided to test and verify or disprove this proposed toxic cycle;

• all high school, college, and military text books and curricula must explain the cycle objectively, and school and teaching certification must require demonstrated staff knowledge of it,

• human-service licensing must include testing for comprehension of the cycle and its main impacts on people and families;

• immigrants must demonstrate comprehension of the cycle and its effects before citizenship is granted;

• marriage licensing should include mandatory education on the cycle, and screening for psychological wounds

• public and private health clinics should include programs to help people understand, assess for, and reduce psychological wounds - specially if they're parents

• jail inmates should receive mandatory education on the cycle and its effects, and optional counseling toward reducing psychological wounds;

• doctors and clergy should inform pregnant couples of this toxic cycle and what it can mean to them and any descendents;

• the media should be encouraged or required to weave knowledge of this cycle into their programming, including public service announcements;

• welfare programs should inform their clients of the cycle and its effects and provide optional screening and counseling for psychological wounds.

        Laws like these won't happen unless legislators (a) understand and accept the cycle and its effects, or (b) voters demand that federal and state governments enact them. Because of epidemic wounds + denial + unawareness, the latter us unlikely.

  Feedback please - how motivated are you to alert others to this cycle?

See this article for more detail on the cycle. See this article for ways to alert people to the effects of inherited [wounds + ignorance] on them and their descendants.

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Updated  April 27, 2012