New Inspirational Woman: Marilyn LeVanChambon

40 years ago, Marilyn LeVanChambon packed all her possessions in a U-Haul trailer and forged a trail from Chicago to Colorado Springs with nothing but a job offer from an elementary school in District 11.  At the time,  Marilyn was just a young teacher seeking a better career opportunity, but what she discovered in Colorado was so much more. After 10 years poured into teaching young children the fundamentals, Marilyn’s career took a fundamental shift when she left D11 for Denver Seminary and a degree in counseling. Several factors contributed to this shift, including her own battle with co-dependency, but the net result of her struggle has been the tremendous gift of counseling for the past 20 years in the form of her Freedom from Co-Dependency Workshop, offered through Woodmen Valley Chapel.

“All co-dependency is about control,” Marilyn explains, then comments on the different ways that control becomes the drug of choice for someone recovering from childhood trauma. One type of control is the need to achieve, the need to be needed, often at the detriment of key relationships and even health. This is countered by another control tactic to retreat in fright because of conflict in their childhood, which totally limits a person from living a full life. Another controls by living in constant crisis, looping others into taking care of them in repeated circumstances. Some are looking for affirmation and approval, avoiding conflict and making sure that what is visible is only good. These people never say no, but internally feel used and resentful. The last one is the person who is so afraid that they exert authority and aggression to intimidate others into yielding control. “The key to healing for all of these is to admit that they are powerless over control,” says Marilyn, and that’s the core of her class - authenticity.

It was in Al-Anon that Marilyn first found the safety to be real, which is an attribute rarely encouraged, even in ministry. Especially in ministry. Her workshop is in a state of continual improvement based on how God is at work completing her understanding of this control struggle. Through her own divorce from a recovering alcoholic and struggles with loved ones, Marilyn keeps learning and building on her knowledge so that others can experience freedom.

Aside from the gift of her time to the community (she offers these classes at cost, for no profit), Marilyn inspires women to fully utilize the gifts and knowledge we have. “If I had to wait until I knew it all before I could teach this class, it would never happen,” Marilyn confesses. “I’m not sure I can ever say I’ve overcome.” Instead she continues to improve the class as life improves her knowledge of human nature and God’s healing power. “Co-dependency is all about having other gods in our lives,” she explains. The purpose of the class is to identify those gods and explore whether that relationship is working or not. 100% of the time, her clients discover the latter, which puts them on a path to heal.

The next eight week Co-Dependency Workshop runs on Tuesdays, January 18-March 8, 2011 6:30-8:45 pm at the Rockrimmon Community Center.  Cost: $25; $30 after 1/12/11. $20 for additional family members (Includes cost of movies, notebook, childcare and refreshments).  For more information and to register, please go to http://www.woodmenvalley.org/index.cfm/pageid/415/index.html  

This seminar runs annually.