This audio is a portion of my keynote at the Re-Creation Retreat, a residential program and school treating personality disorders, trauma and abuse, adoption issues and other life controlling issues. It is an all-girl dual-diagnosis treatment facility, a less costly therapeutic boarding school (up to 50% less than most such programs) offering girls (age 13-17) a journey of self-discovery and self-empowerment. Re-Creation Retreat helps girls overcome and emerge from troubling behavior as emotionally intelligent and self-confident individuals who are ready for a second chance. They lead them to a deeper understanding of their worth, their strengths, and the principles of success in life. Learn more about Re-Creation Retreat at https://residentialtreatmentforteens.com/
One of the girls who listened to my presentation sent me this letter and hoped I would share it to help others:
"Hey, my name is Amanda. I recently graduated from the Re-Creation Retreat. ... I just wanted to thank you for all that you have taught me, my family at home, and my family at RCR. We all still talk about your speech ... in almost every group. I just wanted to let you know that you are so very appreciated and I personally look up to you a lot. You are seriously someone that has helped me so much in just a few hours. I have struggled a lot in my short 16 years of life (obviously since I was at RCR). I grew up with sexual abuse all throughout my elementary school years. I have a stepbrother who used to violently molest me and I have had a lot of anger and pain from that. I had also been raped when I was 7 by my someone who was in my Mom's home when I was there. My Mother now doesn't talk to me as she struggles with bipolar disorder and basic denial of everything that happened to me under her watch. I was called a liar for finally coming out about my stepbrother so I didn't come out about my rape either until I went to RCR. Many of the girls at RCR have stories like mine and we all have had to work hard just to keep going. I and We all have so much pain, but I will never forget the spider story. I have been able to reconnect with my pain even more in order to see how it really has moved me to greater things. I am now home with my dad and stepmom, but even more, I am home within myself again. For so long I avoided myself in order to try and run from that pain. I was always running from anything that seemed like it might be good because I was afraid of having good. I didn't think I was worth any good, so I hid and I gave up. Then I went to RCR and I started seeing all of my spiders for what they were. I saw that they were just these little things in my life that hurt a little, but that didn't mean I always had to be with them waiting to get bitten again. I learned to see my spiders first before I learned how to move away from them in order to reach higher and make more out of my life. You helped me to realize that I could move away from them. Yea, I have pain. Everyone does. You helped me to realize that the pain isn't me and I can easily step out of that seat and move away from it because I deserve more. Thank you Leslie, I will never forget the lessons you have taught me. With love and sincerity, Amanda (16)
"PS. I also wanted to share my story with any of your subscribers who may need help. I want to help anyone I can with what I know now. Thank you."
