Tensions have been rising over the last few months. Small arguments have turned into shouting matches. The fights calm at the end of the night and are stuffed away and replaced by physical touch as an attempt at forgiveness. The cycle continues day in and day out. The tension is reaching a boiling point. After a stressful day at work, or dealing with the kids, a glass of wine, or maybe a few beers, is all you are looking forward to in order to unwind. A few drinks in and another argument starts. This time it is different. A button gets pressed, a person brought up, a text message read, a phone number seen; the shouting is not enough. The only way you are going to be heard is if you make yourself heard. A glass tossed across the room, a slap across the face, a nail breaks the skin… blood is drawn, a bruise formed, a siren heard in the distance…

Maybe this story sounds familiar to you. It is a story I hear often when a person first starts an FVIP course. It is the story of unmitigated emotion and passion loosed in a fit of fury. This even momentary violence can land someone in a program for 6 full months of FVIP. FVIP is a class meant to bring an understanding to not only what happened on the fateful event, but what happened the days before, the months before, and the misunderstandings even years into the past. Your FVIP instructor is there to hopefully take the blinders off your eyes. FVIP is meant to show you a new path to understanding your emotional states and the consequences of being unaware. Trust me we understand. There can be guilt and shame and hurt involved in the process and there can also be resentment toward the person involved in the incident. Instead of looking at FVIP as a sentence try to see it as an opportunity to really look at your life with brand new eyes. FVIP can be the first step in a new life.