You’re in the middle of a maze and can’t escape. You’re blindfolded. You know there are others in this same place, but you don’t know where they are.
Wandering around, trying to find your way out, you’re frustrated.
You can hear others finding the path out. They’re cheering with one another, congratulating each other on figuring out how to break out. Now you’re really frustrated.
Why are you the only one who can’t seem to find their way out? What secret does everyone else know?
This is the literal place my dear friend, Russ Scarce, found himself in.
The Maze of Trauma
Before making the brave decision to seek out healing, Russ found himself in this metaphorical place first.
Russ had suffered traumatic events in his life. From physical abuse, to codependency, to alcoholism, Russ talks about his life experiences and story in my podcast.
He was wandering around, searching for a way to escape the maze of the stress and strain. Trauma has a way of intruding into every facet of life – your relationships, your health, your own inner dialogue.
But it wasn’t working. He needed something different.
Russ knew he didn’t have to stay where he was. There had to be a way out of the dark, twisting way of his situation.
He needed a reprieve from the stresses of life and a chance to heal.
He needed to be shown how; he needed help.
Still Trapped in the Maze
With the support of his family, Russ decided to check himself into an intensive trauma facility to find some healing.
At the trauma facility, Russ and his cohorts were blindfolded and led to a maze. Placed alone in various places throughout the maze, they had to escape.
Russ, like many of us in our daily lives, groped his way around the ropes with no sense of direction or how to find freedom. Eventually, Russ realized he was touching the same places and trees over and over again.
Then he started hearing people escape. They had found a way out! There was hope!
Still, Russ couldn’t get out. The work of others and the solutions they had found didn’t matter. Russ had to do his own work, solve his own problems.
Frustration built. Defeat loomed.
The trapped could raise their hand and talk with a worker at any time, so Russ then slipped his above his head. He shared that he felt frustrated. Other people were finding the escape he longed for, meanwhile he continued to visit the same old places.
“Just to let you know, you’re still in the maze,” came the response.
Russ continues. Soon, more people get out. There’s cheering.
He finally raises his hand one more time.
“I need help.”
“Congratulations, you’ve just escaped the maze.”
Ask for Help
Russ learned a vital lesson that day. You escape the maze by asking for help.
It’s hard, but it’s crucial.
It’s humbling, but it’s necessary.
Do you need help? Chances are, you do. Ask for it. Allow yourself the support you need.
Escape the maze.
