The Sitting Swing: Finding the Wisdom to Know the Difference

By Irene Watson and Liliane Desjardins

Irene Watson's pretentious life could go no further until she faced her past. Her moving and inspiring memoir begins at the end, in a recovery center, where she has gone to understand a childhood fraught with abuse, guilt, and uncertainty.

Two distinct parts of the book look at abusive child rearing and the process of recovery years later. This story shows change, growth, and forgiveness are possible. It gives hope and freedom to those accepting the past and re-writing life scripts that have been passed down for generations. It's never too late to change your life, never too late to heal.

Praise for The Sitting Swing

"Watson's memoir recounts her fearful, highly sheltered years as she uncovers the childhood wounds leading to her personality crisis. This is an earnest memoir, well structured." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"The Sitting Swing is the poignant story of the author's successful journey to transcend the patterns sculpted by her parents and childhood experiences. I loved it!" --NANCY OELKLAUS, PHD, LIFE COACH AND AUTHOR OF JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART: LIVING AND WORKING AUTHENTICALLY

"As a teacher of transformational principles for self-discovery and the treatment of addictions, reading The Sitting Swing inspired me to a richer new voice, infusing my lectures with a deeper level of meaning. Irene's personal story of transformation will add to the experience, strength, and hope we share with our clients and to anyone who is on a path of personal transformation. " --MARY LYNN SZYMANDERA, LCAS, CEFIP, OUTPATIENT MANAGER, PAVILLON INTERNATIONAL, AND EQUINE PROGRAM DIRECTOR, SAWHORSE HILL

Author info at www.irenewatson.com

Book #6 in the Spiritual Dimensions Series from Loving Healing Press www.LovingHealing.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Loving Healing Press Inc
• Release date: Jul 8, 2008
• ISBN: 9781615998951

Irene Watson

Irene Watson holds a Masters Degree in Psychology, with honors, from Regis University in Denver, CO. Her emphasis was spirituality and psychosynthesis. Irene's life has taken her on many paths, with breakthrough results and exemplar growth, to find her authentic and true self. She has designed and facilitated workshops and retreats in the United States and Canada. At present she is the Managing Editor of her book review and author publicity company, Reader Views. She lives with her husband on the banks of Barton Creek in Austin, Texas along with their rescued Pomeranians, cockateils, and one cat. Learn more about Irene at her site www.IreneWatson.com

Reviews for The Sitting Swing

[beckvalleybooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautiful heartfelt book describing a little girls life as she grows up under the dominance of a mother who lived in a bubble of how her life and that of her perfect daughters life would be. Starting from fear of loosing her child, her mother protected Irene to the highest degree, constantly being with her, implanting her thoughts and beliefs and even speaking for her, making her believe that she was not to speak her mind at all. Irene was left to feel worthless and that people were not interested in her input in life at all.A little girl petrified that God would punish her for not sticking to his ten rules, learning from her parents that when he was angry he could create plagues or even kill people. A little girl who sat and watched as her parents themselves went against these rules, confused and fearful. A little girl who was being abused by her cousins and was led to believe that this was her own doing and nothing else. A little girl who had no need for education as she WOULD live locally and WOULD be a farmers wife. Then she met her saviour in friend Margie, who made her feel valued and a real person. She began to open up and challenge her mother but she was going against her perfect girl mother and when she tried to run away it was the final straw and brought out a violent side of her mother that she would never forget. In time she escapes by getting a job away from their small hamlet, but doe she really escape?Left with a lifetime of mental as well as physical abuse, Irene follows her friends hype and enrols into the Avalon Center for a 28 day course on overcoming addictions. Extremely skeptical and believing it all to be a waste of time, she carries on believing at least it would help her when working with her therapy clients, hearing that addiction is only a symptom of the real underlying pain. Until one day close to the end of the course she finally gets it, a light bulb moment which positively changed Irene's life forever.Although covering sad points in Irene's life I found myself fascinated reading about her day to day family life and the area around them. The author has written with a truly open and honest hand, even with a little humor at times. Very easy to read, you can feel the desperate emotion and pain felt at the time by the author and you may also find some possible answers to life's problems yourself. I must admit when reading I love books with short chapters, the only problem with The Sitting Swing was that I kept saying to myself just one more, then another and another, it was very hard to actually put the book down. An inspiring memoir that will empower you to look within yourself with understanding and spirituality. Extremely recommended reading.

[oldmanriver1951_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to really like this book, but I just couldn't find it in myself to 'enjoy' it. While the material was not written to 'enjoy' I missed the potential for redemption amidst the addictions, the failed marriages and the overbearing mother, the family abuse...it was heart wrenching to read, but while it comes across as an earnest story, it was too deep and depressing for me to really 'enjoy'.

[dabunny_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Irene's story is one in which most of us can relate to in one way or another. While not experiencing the same kind of abuse, there are episodes in growing up that came to mind as I read her own life experiences. Not to make light of her trauma, but I believe it is very common to be scarred in some way by our parents who normally do the best they can, right or wrong. No one is born knowing how to raise kids, and like Irene's parents most people inherit child rearing from their own parents. Unfortunately, we seem to spend a lot of our adult life reflecting on and trying to overcome our experiences in growing up. Irene set a great example of one who not only overcame her trauma, but went on to concur it by learning forgiveness and moving beyond the boundaries her controlling mother had placed on her.

[sonnenblume84 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I started reading this book with a genuine interest in the topic. Looking for a new perspective I was disappointed by what I read. The book offers nothing new, nothing that has not been said millions of times before. In fact it seems to gather all the typical stereotypes. The writing style itself lacks everything that makes reading a story enjoyable. There are hard transitions and unimaginative sentences structures. Maybe I simply lack the ground of understanding that is required to read and enjoy this book. However, I would recommend that only people with a big interest and maybe some experience of there own in the field read this book.

[leahboyer · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Irene Watson checks into a recovery center to face her past which involved childhood abuse. I found the book a little "wanting". Irene seems to hold herself out from the other patents at the recovery center.

[mdlady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Disturbing but all too real.

[phyllisd_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Too often memoirs wrap it up quickly and the reader never learns how the author moved past the events in their life. The Sitting Swing, however, is an excellent balance of memoir and self-help. Irene Watson made her experiences at the recovery center as important as her childhood. Though I could not relate to her unique childhood, I could appreciate her feelings and the residual issues that existed when she entered the facility. Written in a unique voice, this book sometimes resembled a letter to a friend or a journal entry. It was brutally honest and thought-provoking. I felt fear myself as the walls she developed to protect herself were torn down as I recognized those walls in my own life.

[moneysaver3_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Sitting Swing by Irene Watson details Ms. Watson's journey through a 28 day "recovery" program at Avalon. During this process, Ms. Watson remembers what she went through as a child and details her experiences for the reader. She speaks of how she held back thinking she was somehow better than the "addicts" and such at Avalon with her. She knew more than them and could fake her way through the program. However, the counselors at Avalon saw right through Ms. Watson's attempts. This led to Ms. Watson actually having a breakdown which led to the break-through she had been doubtful would happen.The Sitting Swing was difficult to get committed to. However, once I finally got through the beginning, it was not only palatable, but enjoyable. I recognized myself in much of the book although in a more modern time. Ms. Watson makes herself quite vulnerable by opening up as she does in the book. It is easy to identify with Ms. Watson when she details her thoughts about Avalon. Most readers without "typical" addictions would have the tendency to feel better than those with them in a program like Avalon; despite how equal to them we might actually be. The Sitting Swing reads very much like a work of fiction. Perhaps Ms. Watson intended this; it certainly makes for easier reading once one gets into the book. It is hard to remember towards the end as you're drawn back into her "current" time at Avalon that this isn't a work of fiction, but her real life. The pictures thrown into the book certainly help to remind the reader that this was real. I would recommend The Sitting Swing to anyone willing to take the time necessary to get through the beginning of a book that will turn out to be an excellent read overall. However, the reader must be aware the many of the experiences in the book can be graphic. There is also some language that I always think a book can do without, but I'm sure Ms. Watson found was necessary to tell her story.

[ponder_2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Definitely not my cup of tea. I would hate to discourage other readers that may identify with the situation and therefore find it beneficial. Usually I can at least be empathetic but I just had a hard time warming up to the book.

[gpsman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Irene Watson's book is well-written, insightful and intriguing. It is easy to read the book but difficult to read the story. Difficult because it is so open and personal the reader feels like a voyeur. It is the story of recovery, of discovering and learning how to trust one's spirituality to guide his life.She starts with a flashback through a childhood that sets the stage for maladjustment, repression and anger. With another relationship seemingly failing she happens on Avalon. and Jean. Together healing is discovered and inspiring to the reader on several levels.I recommend The Sitting Swing to any serious reader.

[melissagagnon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think anyone can relate to Irene and what she went through in some way. I think the way this book was written made drew me in and helped me feel what Irene was feeling, in this way, this book was very real to me. I did not have a background for understanding codependancy as she described it. I had other ideas of what that meant. I never thought of it as a addition, but after reading the book my views have changed. It is nice to have someone come out and tell their personal story to help others. For that I applaud Irene. I enjoyed reading it and think that everyone should read this book.

[reader247_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Sitting Swing is a memoir by Irene Watson. When I started the book I fought the idea that I knew anything at all about what the author was going through. In the beginning of the book, Irene Watson tells of her first moments at Avalon center where she checked herself into for the next 28 days. She knows all the memories of her childhood she is going to have to sift through as well as her recent years of marriage and raising children are going to be tough to go through.She delves back into her earliest memories of being constantly next to her mother, not even thinking for herself but finally just giving in and letting her mother do everything for her. I found this really hard to read through because some things were so similiar in my life or I could see things in my other siblings. I think what I really liked about this book is that while in treatment, the author gave the steps in her treatment a broad scope. I felt there were many things I could relate to myself.This was a very tough and touching story.

[jackie1966_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Sitting Swing by Irene Watson is a true story about how she overcame her over protective mother and its ill effects from Irene’s childhood to adulthood, to a treatment center which transformed her beliefs about her past to a renewed vision for her life as she continues to bless others. Irene Watson thanks her parents for bringing her to this world to experience and learn the path to find her true self. I believe we all have been brought to earth to learn and experience what we have been living whether it be good or bad things, circumstances or people on our own journey. Irene Watson read two memoirs, “Change Me into a Zeus’s Daughter by Barbra Robinetts Moss” and “Lost and Found by Babette Hughes,” which taught her how these women healed their childhood wounds and how they reclaimed their true self. I have always wanted to find my authentic self and after reading “The Sitting Swing,” I will be reading the two recommended books as well because it is my belief that if something we read resonates then it is something to be pursued. The Sitting Swing on the cover of her book reminds me of freedom, and it took great courage for Irene to stand out from the crowd and tell her story truthfully. I admire anyone who can go from hurt to healing to helping others and this is what Irene does with her words.It is said that in our greatest pain lies our greatest blessing and Irene did exactly that by publishing her book. © 2012 Written by Jackie Paulson

[jodeekulp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Sitting Swing is no longer motionless in this expose’ by Irene WatsonWith good intentions, Irene Watson, a certified therapist enters the world of Avalon, a recovery and treatment center with the desire to help her clients build skills and grow into healthier and more stable lives. And maybe, just maybe she can take this time to do some reflective thinking about her marriage—should she stay committed or should she start a new life?Her book opens in a childhood controlled by a mother who fears for her safety. Irene was born after the death of an older brother and her parents desire to keep her protected is stifling. As expected when independence comes she begins her life out of the area. She marries, settles down and develops a competent practice to help others struggling with the challenges of life. Always seeking advancement for herself and her clients, she is introduced to the wonders of Avalon by friends, clients and an odd duck named, Jean. Curious, she signs up for a 28-day stay hoping to learn something. And that is the beginning of a tumble down, fall out, you got to be kidding beginning of, “What did these people see in this? How can this help me or anyone else?” Irene is armed with education, life wisdom and a secure profession. And even it her marriage might be on the rocks, she has high self-esteem and capabilities to survive disaster. She is a self-made, compassionate woman. Stripped of her basic self, she is annihilated to begin searching for a deeper sense of life, love and personhood. And soul bared she finds a gift of rebirth she never expected. Watson takes each reader on a journey into our inner being and like Dr. Mate Gabor author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction (2009) she exposes hidden additions. And by lighting the darkness she offers healing.

[ridinaround · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Irene Watson, a therapist, wife and mother, took a bold step in her search for acceptance, knowledge and understanding. This venture into a unique rehab center brought about an unexpected and meaningful experience that changed her life. After ten years of ruminating and allowing the realizations she gained at the center to take hold, she shares her road to insight in “The Sitting Swing: Finding Wisdom to Know the Difference.” Ms. Watson holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and is the founder of Reader Views, an author publicity company and website where authors and readers can access quality reviews. She actively participates in her nonprofit organization, Higher Power Foundation, Inc., facilitating retreats which lead participants through steps to discover any deep-seeded issue creating turmoil in their lives, and take conscious action on that issue through meditation and empowering self-awareness. Ms. Watson’s examination of her childhood adversities and perceived discontented adult existence in “The Sitting Swing” leads the reader through an unforeseen emotional excursion which touches the soul, uplifts and educates. The sitting swing itself, poignantly and captivatingly presented on the front cover, is a symbolic hurdle many people can, and should, overcome. We can use Ms. Watson’s example to do so.Beautifully written with vivid descriptions, in a professional manner, yet with appropriate casual touches and a delightful personal style, Ms. Watson’s ability to speak to the reader through her words affirms her sincerity. She emanates friendship and creates a sense of closeness with her audience that evokes emotional responses and inspires self-examination and realization.“The Sitting Swing” is much more than a memoir or psychological report. It is a journey into a childhood not many people alive today could have experienced—but one with which many can identify. It is also a triumph of achieving emotional release and enlightenment. This book is a major component of Ms. Watson’s life work—her self-realized purpose for being. It delivers her message and meaning effectively, and in a most entertaining manner. I highly recommend “The Sitting Swing: Finding Wisdom to Know the Difference ” to everyone. My own personal experience with reading this book was meaningful and wonderful. Every reader can garner some insight and learn valuable lessons. Reading “The Sitting Swing” is a must for anyone who desires a better understanding of their own personal being and who cares about the relationships with self and their loved ones.

[novak_13 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The sitting Swing:I could not get into this book at all. Try as I might the relevance of what was being recorded just passed me by. “The wisdom to know the difference” , therefore escaped me. You win some, you lose some……….

[leahhenderson · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Irene Watson checks into a recovery center to face her past which involved childhood abuse. I found the book a little "wanting". Irene seems to hold herself out from the other patents at the recovery center.

[leahsimone_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Irene is a therapist and her story begins at Avalon’s substance abuse program. She explains her reason for attending as a desire to learn more to help her clients while acknowledging the possibility of gleaning a bit of wisdom for herself to assist with her marital problems. Even before the first meeting Irene finds her past reasserting itself. The first part of the book details her parent’s traditional Ukrainian background, living on the farm with no modern conveniences, the very small town, and her controlling abusive mother and absent father. The second half of the story is her experiences in the twelve-step recovery program.From a psychological standpoint, the information presented mirrored most of what I have heard or read before. While not addicted to alcohol or drugs, Irene realizes she is stuck in co-dependent behaviors that affect her relationship with her loved ones. I did find it interesting that they categorized co-dependency as an addiction. I always understood the definition to refer to an individual who was in an unhealthy emotionally dependent relationship with someone who had a substance abuse problem. The idea that co-dependency could be it’s own addiction was compelling. While I didn’t find her story to be that extraordinary, I absolutely admired her courage in sharing it. I felt sympathy for the little girl with dysfunctional parents who struggled to come of age. I found the dynamics between her and two of her counselors to be particularly intense as they challenged her understanding of herself. It is an emotional journey and I took it with her especially when she finally had the breakthrough moment and released all that pent up misery. This is ultimately an uplifting story about a woman connecting with her spiritual center and finding the courage to blossom into a loving individual who takes responsibility for her happiness.