From Isolation to Connection

I discovered ARCS while searching around online, and I’m so grateful I took a closer look!

I had already done a lot of personal work to find peace within myself, and had even helped others process their own “stuffed” and unresolved issues. But ARCS took me deeper than I ever thought possible.

Through this training, I gained a clearer understanding of my past, how I processed it, and most importantly... that I am not to blame for any of it.

I learned about addiction...not just in the traditional sense, but as a pattern that applies to anyone. Because at its core, addiction isn’t just about substances; it’s about false beliefs and muddled thoughts that drive unhealthy behaviors. 

ARCS gave me a roadmap to healing those tendencies.

The weekly classes are gold. Hearing my Coach's story helped me to unlock parts of myself I didn’t even realize needed attention. And when others share their stories, I can see how vast and deep trauma runs through our society. 

It’s easy to recognize dysfunction in others, but harder to see when I haven’t been taking the actions I need to take, saying the words I need to say, or fully participating in my own life.

I was adopted at birth. 

My biological mother was a teenage foster child, taken in by my adopted aunt. My adopted mother convinced herself that my father had an affair with the 17-year-old and that I was the product of it.

She was wrong. But that didn’t stop her from despising me.

She spent my entire life believing I was her husband’s illegitimate child... resenting me for something that never even happened. She finally apologized when I was 50 (not when the truth first came out, thirty years earlier), but only after she had done her own personal growth work and could finally accept the reality.

Two divorces before I turned six. A mother who didn’t want me. A childhood shaped by drama and pain. For years, suicide was an option I kept in my back pocket.

But I fought my way forward.

And when I found ARCS, I gained even more tools to truly step into my life... not just as a survivor, but as an active, willful participant in my own healing.

This work showed me something I never wanted to admit: I was afraid of people.

I’ve spent most of my life in isolation... choosing solitude over connection, and staying home over going out.

I had convinced myself I was fine. But looking back, I can see how I overrode my feelings, ignored my discomfort, and forced myself to function in a world where I never truly felt safe.

Now, I look forward to relationships... real ones. 

I'm experiencing relationships where I can fully be myself. Ones where I don’t have to pretend. Ones where I can build deeper connections with those who have stuck by my side.

I look forward to working with ARCS and helping others heal...because the more people who heal, the greater our collective chance of breaking free.

Thank you for this program.