Pain, or your attachment and belief about pain, is your own creation. On a basic level, pain makes you move your hand quickly from a hot stove. We like our ability to respond in this situation. When pain shows you areas of your life that need to be reevaluated or shifted, do you have the same ability to respond?
Physical and emotional pain can be transformative when you shift your beliefs.
I experienced three years of acute emotional pain but felt powerless to respond. I couldn’t digest what was happening but I also couldn’t stop eating it and talking about my indigestion, on a metaphysical level. I felt anger that I had zero reference point for and depression that brought me to my knees. My entire self-image was demolished to an unrecognizable pulp that used to be me. The life I had was completely sucked out of my body and all that remained was a frail, skinny limp version of what I used to know as me.
For the people who could be around me during this time, the pain was palpable. I was on the verge of an emotional break day in and day out. No one could help me and many people disappeared from my life.
During this challenging time, I tried many things to relieve myself of the insurmountable pile of emotional debris. The only things that helped were the things that required me to take action and increase my ability to respond to my situation. Shamanic journey work and energy modalities were of the greatest efficacy in letting go of my previous form and rebuilding a new version of myself.
ability to respond
Whatever you repress or reject can create its own life form and energy pattern inside of you. Imagine your body like a hollow bone. When there is repression or rejected parts of your psyche, they lodge into your hollow bone and create sticky spots. Then, when things in your reality match frequency with that sticky spot in you, it irritates that spot. You can blame the person or situation that triggers your sticky spot, but ultimately you must own that the sticky spot originated in you. The person or situation can be viewed as a tool for bringing your awareness to this spot rather than an enemy that needs to be eradicated from the face of the earth. Having space from the person or situation while you do your own personal exploration has proven to be helpful in my experience, but you will find what is best for you. You are bringing power back into your hands now and not waiting for someone else to change. You are responsible for your beliefs, feelings, and emotions. The only person who can cause you to suffer is you, often through believing your thoughts.
changing a belief
Sounds simple enough, right? When coming up to seemingly impossible obstacles in life, changing your mind is the last thing that occurs to you. My pattern was to see the obstacles as threats to my happiness and success rather than a potential source of power or tool for transformation. From a physical fitness perspective, you add weight to your movements to build strength and endurance. The same concept applies to heartmind and bodymind issues. Writing things down is very powerful. Try it with this exercise to changing a belief.
- What is the discomfort in my current situation? If there is another person or people involved, do not imagine what they may be thinking/feeling.
- Where in my body is the discomfort being most expressed? This can be multiple places, but start with the most prominent place.
- Mentally or intuitively go into that place in your body. Breath into that place. See how it feels, what it looks like, what feelings or emotions might be there.
- Ask if there is anything that this place wants you to know.
- Give gratitude for anything that comes up even if nothing obvious is pointed out to you in the moment.
If there is advice, words or images that you get, honor them. The body often speaks a subtle language of symbols and sensory signals. Learning your body’s language is imperative to leading an empowered life and taking responsibility for your healing.
Healing means wholeness. There is nothing you need to fix or make better about yourself. Wholeness is accepting and approving of all aspects of yourself under all circumstance.The truth is, you are already whole and healed.
