The following perspectives are from my personal experiences of healing and working with others.
Transformational vs pathological
This practice is based on a transformational approach, rather than the pathological model sometimes associated with clinical therapy. It assumes and embraces your underlying wholeness, goodness and worthiness (even if that is not your current experience). However, it does not replace the need for clinical therapy or specialized support, in the event of severe trauma, addictive behaviors or psychological conditions.
Only I can heal myself
Ultimately, only I can heal myself. Conversely, I’m not responsible for healing anyone else (what a relief). As children, we were all wounded, some more than others. Sometimes the wounds remain unacknowledged, and we take it as “just who I am”. As a child, we were obliged to turn to our parents or caregivers to meet all of our needs. Continuing to outsource our well-being to others as an adult creates unhealthy relationships. Taking responsibility for healing ourselves is part of growing up, whether 25 or 75 years old. It is a gift to ourselves as well as the others in our lives.
It doesn’t need to be done alone
By choosing to work in healthy healing relationships with others who resonate for you, you can leverage both your own and another’s capacity to access awareness and resources. We’re designed to do this together - to allow others to support us, and to offer our support to others.
Natural pace
The human system (mind, body, emotions, energetic) has its own intelligence and does its best to find an internal balance. That balance may include experiencing dysfunction and self-sabotage. Some parts of us find this safer than fully experiencing the original pain, grief, shame, anger or fear. It is helpful to allow contracted energies to unwind at the natural pace of the system, so that it can progressively adjust. Forcing the process can lead to unhelpful levels of nervous system dysregulation.
Working with body sensations
Dropping down below mind, below emotions, and into body sensations allows a deconstruction of experience. Especially experiences of suffering. Our identifications are supported by the spin we put on our experiences. For example, some work I performed didn’t lead to the result I expected. I may find myself sucked into a labyrinthine experience of being a failure. By simply becoming aware of what is happening in the body and being with the sensations associated with “I’m a failure”, we can allow the deeper contraction to unwind at an energetic level. Processing at the level of “content” can also be helpful, but staying there exclusively can lead to the reification of our suffering.
Trust
There is a deeper intelligence guiding this journey to wholeness. The process is more about letting go and returning to simplicity than struggling to become something better or more perfect. Sometimes all that is needed is to be with what arises without resistance. If resistance does arise, be with that. Life itself reveals what is needed. The deepest suffering may reveal itself as the greatest teacher.