3 Ways to invite in the light and support emotional freedom
“Am I More Than a Diagnosis”
“Who am I, if I am not my pain and my suffering?”
These are questions asked by real people all over the country everyday seeking to improve their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. They are doing amazing work to uncover what is stopping them from finding more flow and freedom in their life even amidst challenging circumstances such as:
Understanding how to love their body when painful physical conditions are present for which there is no cure like Endometriosis and Fibromyalgia,
Overcoming painful memories of adverse life experiences still reside within their mind and their body,
Transforming the way they feel, think, and act when it seems like they have no support around them - same family, same job, same life,
Raising children with mental health challenges, ADHD, Austism or other special needs,
Moving through cancer treatment,
Living with or caring for a spouse with special needs.
Whatever is causing you suffering and discontent, know that it is true for you and it does not matter what anyone else thinks, or what their experiences have been
Recovering from an addiction.
In some ways we get stuck in the “darkness”, it is our security blanket. As much as we want to change, it is so easy to stay hidden behind the cloak of our suffering. Our society is a bid conditioned to pay more attention to the darkness - it sells after all. And it seems most interventions for dealing with our struggles are focused on labels, diagnosis codes, and analyzing every shade of darkness in our lives, resulting in emotions like shame and judgment which can overwhelm and become counterproductive to the healing process. every time we revisit something painful, we are pulled back into the darkness again and again. The problem is that the darkness is like a heavy concrete or quicksand. It is an anchor pulling you down ever deeper into the abyss and it seems impossible to escape.
Integrative Therapy Approach
As a holistic and complementary therapist, coach, mentor and educator, there is a different, more integrative way to process the challenging experience in our lives because it is important to bring our sad stories, our trauma, our struggles to life.
We learn to notice, name and claim them, to speak with our voice and be heard by another. In this way we can reduce the power this person or experiences had on our life.
We explore and analyze with our mind to understand ourselves, develop self-awareness and learn to be discerning as we experience the world.
We can feel and process with our body and our emotional brain so we feel connected and safe in our body and therefore feel more safe in the world.
We can create a lifestyle that support optimal physical, mental and spiritual health with proper nutrition, sleep, clarity and self-care.
This is an effective way to we bring our darkness to the light but it requires support and proper resourcing. At Bliss, we work with clients individually, small groups, and clients who are working with different medical and mental health professionals so you can have a truly integrative care experience.
Choosing to Be Healed
To truly heal, we must also see, believe in, and step into the part of us that wants to heal, that sees the light. That wants to be more than our suffering. More than our pain. More than our diagnosis. More than our darkness.
Sadly, we live in a world that can entrap us in darkness which has led to higher rates of stress, anxiety and depression. With social media, the news, the constant noise, and graying lines of personal and business life that weight on our time and energy, we may feel a bit trapped in this high-stress, high-anxiety world that exists around us today. It is hard to remember that we live in a beautiful, abundant, and wonderful world.
3 Simple Ways to Invite In More Light
When I work with clients I offer 3 simple ways that you can invite more light into your life. You can start right now. It is nothing fancy and you don’t need to buy anything to begin (although a journal is nice). Here they are.
Start a daily gratitude practice - think of 1 thing you are grateful for every day, ideally when you wake up in the morning. I have had more than one client say they have a hard time coming up with things to be grateful for especially if the world seems so gloomy.
Celebrate success daily - Find one thing about your day to celebrate - it could be something simple like going to the gym, or eating lunch, reading a bedtime story to your child. Be intentional about celebrating something you have done each day before you go to bed. When you do squeeze your fist, smile and say “I’m amazing.
Start a daily Metta Meditation practice - use my Metta Meditation on youtube to cultivate loving kindness which can support forgiveness for self/others (see below or click here). We can let go of the darkness in our heart and make room for light and love to attract more of that in our lives.
Notice the Resistance
As a therapist, I work with people to explore resistance that shows up in the healing process. Resistance can show up in the form of moving away from the discomfort of thoughts or body during a healing session. Naturally, we want to avoid pain, but oftentimes sitting with the pain is the only way through it.
I also find time and time again that sometimes the person who wants to heal is the one getting in the way of the healing. As hard as it may be to believe, some clients can’t imagine life without their condition, ailment or diagnosis they have had it so long. It is such a part of their identity. Or they feel they “deserve” their suffering because of some past transgression. These are limiting thoughts and beliefs, often created by and carried down through generations. With the right tools, support and practices, you can eradicate them and get back in control of your life, and your healing.
The Cumulative Effect
As you begin to explore the practices outlined here keep in mind it takes 40 days to change a thought pattern and on average 66 days to build a new habit. So you must stick with it.
When you do these practices every day, they have a cumulative effect and they attune you to operating at a higher vibration and frequency. This in turn helps you attract more light from the world around you. Whether its a better job, more money, better people in your life, or supporting to let go of negative patterns and attachments.
You are more than your darkness, a dis-ease, condition, or dis-order … you are a human being with a unique story and capable of writing a NEW story for yourself. I’d love to hear from you.
Wrapping it all up
If you’d like to discover even more ways to overcome the struggles and suffering that keep you in the dark - especially if you are not feeling impact from other treatments you have tried in the past - schedule a discovery call to learn more about programs and services we offer contact us.