Counselling Can Help With Unhealthy Patterns

A cycle is a pattern of behavior which is learned from a person’s family. A more known cycle is the cycle of domestic violence or the cycle of abuse which is a social cycle theory developed by Lenore E. Walker in 1979 to explain patterns of abusive behavior in a relationship.

Abusive cycles happen repeatedly in a relationship and are often passed down in family systems. Unhealthy patterns, or cycles of abusive behavior are repeated within family systems because people are taught about how to be a family from the people who raise them.   This is why when a child has witnessed violence in their family they often repeat this cycle, this is all they know and this is their normal pattern.  Intergenerational abuse affects Aboriginal people at higher rates compared to non-Aboriginal people due to the impacts of colonization, the Indian Act, and residential schools. This unique and traumatic history is often deep rooted and outside help is needed to break it. No one asks to be born into an unhealthy family, but everyone has the choice to seek help and change unhealthy patterns.  Human beings are built to process emotions; this is our natural healing tool.  If you have been impacted by an unhealthy cycle, be different and make a change.