How do you know if you are in the Denial Zone? Are you living your life under false pretenses? Are you constantly convincing yourself that you cannot move forward and that waiting means putting your life on hold? Are you seeing the reality of your circumstances, or are you still trying to excuse them away? Denial has a way of convincing you that you are OK when you are not. And when you are facing something you cannot quite wrap your mind around – prison, the loss of freedom to be in relationship on your terms, the social stigma of incarceration – it is natural to run to denial to get through it. During this time, you see all the things that led you to this point through a darkly colored lens. The shadow of denial makes it easy for you to ignore the truth. You see yourself as a victim of circumstances. You reject your part in creating the present you are living in. You are not aware of the role you have played in getting yourself to this point. When you are in denial, it is nearly impossible for you to lead your children out of the distress they are in.