December 8, 1999

Family pain can stick around
___GLORIETA, N.M. (BP)--Failure to deal with a painful family history can be a trigger for depression later in life, an editor of life support materials at LifeWay Christian Resources said.
___"God intended for us to have healthy families. Unfortunately for a lot of us, that just wasn't our experience," said Dale McCleskey in a session at Glorieta Baptist Conference Center. The seminar on dealing with depression was built around LifeWay's new nine-week study by the same name.
___To break the cycle of hurt, McCleskey encouraged church leaders to help people deal with the baggage from their past and learn to effectively communicate negative emotions.
___In a healthy family, McCleskey said:
___ Open communication is practiced, including a willingness to talk about problems and hurts.
___ Conflict is viewed as a normal part of life.
___ Parents have an intimate marriage, openly showing love to one another.
___ People are permitted to be themselves and are accepted as such.
___ Home is a safe place.
___ People share encouragement and affirmation.

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