The individual is the primary focus when trying to help a Ba’al Tshuva integrate properly.   Every individual has had his own unique experiences and is gifted with his own unique talents and abilities.  It is of the essence that a Ba’al Tshuva be aware of his uniqueness so that he will be able to fully channel his drive and motivation into his new-found Jewish experience.

Only through knowing himself and tapping into his unique talents can a Ba’al Tshuva reach his full potential

  By learning Torah and keeping mitzvos but failing to be aware of his individuality, a Ba’al Tshuva may become totally observant and look the part on the outside, but be totally removed from his real self on the inside.  Worse, he may be likely to still feel the same intensity of subconscious impulses and drives that he developed when he was secular.  This is a tremendous hindrance to a Ba’al Tshuva’s goal of becoming “fully integrated.”  Only when a Ba’al Tshuva is in touch with his unique talents and abilities and he gives validity to the experiential knowledge that he has gained through his past will he be able to turn around subconscious pulls and redirect them into a frum Jewish context.

               All of ones past experiences in life can enhance one’s relationship and understanding of Hashem.

   Furthermore, a Ba’al Tshuva‘s past experiences actually can enhance his current commitment.  Many Ba’alei Tshuva choose to sever totally any connection with their past experiences because of their negative associations with them.  In reality though, only by drawing from the positive “life knowledge” that was gained from his  past experiences will a Ba’al Tshuva actually feel an intensified experience of his present Judaism and a unique level of inner satisfaction.

  The practical means of how an individual can tap into his past experiences and how he can realign his  conditioned emotional reactions to correspond with Torah ideals can be found in many Torah sources.  By utilizing these Torah “tools” to rebuild a healthy expression of the emotions, a Ba’al Tshuva finds himself empowered to be able to relate to his past in a positive way and incorporate his whole self into the service of Hashem.