FSA Recovery Affirmation: Healing From Family Scapegoating Abuse
Includes Audio Recording - Available to all of my subscribers (free and paid).
Dear Subscribers,
GIFT TO MY SUBSCRIBERS: This week's FSA Recovery Affirmation is free to all of my subscribers (free and paid) - my gift to you as we head into the New Year. In this affirmation, I emphasize the reality of healing from the devastating effects of Family Scapegoating Abuse (FSA) - something that, for some adult survivors, can seem like a distant dream - something that can happen for other people, but not them.
AUDIO RECORDING: I’m including a recording of me reading the affirmation with some relaxing music in the background for those who prefer audio versus reading.
PAID SUBSCRIBERS: I’ll be taking a few days off between Christmas and New Years. I will be checking into our Holiday Support Chat as I can at https://substack.com/chat/2666152/post/df4add47-8ffc-44bc-9caf-4ec1000ba3fa
May your holiday season be restful and restorative. Remember to follow the wisdom of your nervous system and trust its ‘health-seeking signals’.
See you in 2025!
Rebecca
Prefer to listen to this affirmation versus reading it? You can access the audio version of this affirmation, below.
Music by Liborio Conti | Narration by Rebecca C. Mandeville
Link not working? Access this post at the top of my archives at https://familyscapegoathealing.substack.com/archive
FSA Recovery Affirmation for 2025
“The scars I carry from experiencing family scapegoating abuse are not signs of my weakness—they are symbols of my strength, my endurance, and my will to survive.
I may not be able to see the full picture of my healing yet, but I believe it is unfolding as it is meant to, even in moments when I feel lost, hopeless, despairing, or overwhelmed. I trust that healing and expansion doesn’t happen in a straight line, and that, although frustrating, it’s okay to experience setbacks and contractions.
Though there may be days when the weight of my painful past feels insurmountable, I choose to remind myself that I have the power to shift my internal narrative. The possibility of recovering and gradually aligning with my true self and living a life filled with joy, connection, love, and peace is real. It is not only possible; it is my birthright. The family I came from does not define who I am or who I can become. I am not confined by their pathological projections, and I have the power to re-imagine what my life can be.
I will not be bound by the distorted ‘scapegoat narrative’ my family wrote for me, about me. I can rewrite my story—at my own pace, in my own time. There is so much more to me than what I’ve been told. The possibilities for my life are limitless, and each day I take a step forward, no matter how small, is a victory.
Even when hope feels distant, I will hold on to the possibility that I can heal, knowing that recovery is not just a dream, but a journey I am on—one where I will find the courage to trust myself, my feelings, my bodily signals, and my intuition. This in turn will help me to build healthy boundaries as I cultivate new, reciprocal relationships that allow for the love and support I deserve. I am worth being respected, being seen, and being loved for who I really am and I will no longer settle for anything less.
Today, I know that I am not broken. I am a survivor, and I am worthy of the possibilities that await me. For so long, I carried the belief that I was flawed, fragmented, or not enough. But I now see that these beliefs are not truths, but distortions born from my family’s inability to understand me, see me, hear me, or value me. I am not the person they told me I was, nor am I the person they tried to make me believe I should be.
I do not need to accept the labels that were imposed upon me, nor do I have to carry the belief that I am irreparably broken. I can choose a new story—one where I am allowed to grow, to thrive, and to embrace my true self, even if it feels uncertain right now. Healing doesn’t mean erasing the past, but it means creating space for new, empowering possibilities.
Though the road feels long and hope seems distant at times, I can still move forward, knowing that every small step I take is an act of resilience, and every moment I survive is proof that I am capable of far more than I’ve been led to believe.
The power to heal is within me, and I am deserving of the peace and love I seek. As I expand into my innate wholeness, I begin to trust that I am able to love others in return.
Today, I entertain the possibility that recovery is not just possible, but inevitable.”
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Thank you for recording the Affirmation.
Cleansing tears streamed down my face as I listened. I will listen again when I start to feel lonely or low again throughout the Christmas season.
This is the first one that I’ve chosen to stand my ground. Gone no contact with some including my mother whom I discovered some serious unpleasant behaviors that have been vicious and intentional. Jealous and ill intention to separate me from my adult children and grandson. My heart is heavy with grief.
The level of toxicity in my extended family and I being the black sheep. Not understanding where they were getting their information from. Then it hit me like a bus. My entire life my mom deflected her misgivings by telling tales of how awful I was. Exaggerated stories or all out lies.
The curtain is drawn back. My daughters are estranged. I sit back and see how the manipulation played out in her favor. When she flat out admitted it to me just before the funeral of my daughter’s second child (who she gave birth to and was deceased). She admitted everything and said that is the way the world works. I cut contact immediately after that.
My heart is…. devastated…. I removed myself from social media as I saw how she placed herself in my position.
I sit alone in the stillness of my own home. Grateful for the peace. Praying.
I have a long road to go and I’m beyond grateful for your presence.
Rebecca, with heartfelt gratitude , I thank you for your wonderful affirmation and impactful article. Today there was heaviness on my heart , but your words of validation, compassion and of hope reaffirm why you have become a powerful voice in our lives. The truth you capture for us all, brings healing to our souls. Thank you for this generous and enormous gift and for being here.