Some important healing tools that I have learned and used over the years are as follows:
1. I can't fix someone else's problems but I can listen because sometimes a good listener is all that is needed. Become an active listener instead of planning what you are going to say when the other person shuts up.
2. If someone else's words upset me or make me angry, I need to look at where my reaction is coming from. What wounded part of me is feeling the anger, hate, fear or confusion? What can I do to change from reacting to acting? My upset is mine, not the other person's.
3. Don't attack someone else because of what I am feeling. I sometimes fail miserably at this one. I have to think and act or not, rather than react to what I feel. I can do a lot of harm if I simply react out of my hurt, anger or fear. I can say I am sorry and make changes in my behavior if need be to make things right.
4. Look at my own feelings and figure out where they are coming from. What do I still need to heal? What steps can I take to heal these feelings? My feelings are my responsibility. The other person rarely sets out just to make me upset. What I do with my feelings is my own responsibility. I can choose to heal. I can make the committment to do my own healing work.
5. Share from my own experiences rather than offering advice. Advice makes me sound healthier, stronger, wiser - whatever superior word that my ego likes to add to make me appear better. I am not any of those things. I am equally wise and unwise, healthy and not so healthy, strong and weak in different areas and at different times. I don't need to feed my ego to be the person I am or to be the person that I want to become. I am better than I was and I still have a long way to go to be who I want to be. Some days I am healthy and some days I am dysfunctional. Some days I am a kind person and some days I can be mean and irritable.
6. When I attack others, I am coming from my own place of woundedness which is something that I don't want to do. Rather than attack, I try to look at what is going on inside of me. Again, sometimes I am not so good at doing this one in a healthy manner. Progress is more important than perfection.
7. My truth is my truth. It may not be yours. I don't have the right to use my truth as absolute to attack you with. I don't know your story. You don't know mine. Even when you share a part of your story here, it is just a part of your story so I can't and shouldn't make judgments about you or your story. I ask the same consideration from you about me and my stories. I hope to always treat others with dignity and expect the same from others toward me.
8. I am just as human, just as fallible as everyone else. Life is a constant journey with many ups and downs. Many times I fall and have to get back up. It is the getting back up that is most important. Baby steps are better than no steps at all. Holding someone else's hand when I get scared helps. Lending someone else a helping hand helps them but it also helps me to become a better person. Shared experiences and shared hope make for an easier journey.
9. I may be further along on my healing path than some others but it only takes one trigger to make me feel like that hurting, frightened child again. I have learned to take the time to comfort that child as my parents never did. Reparenting my inner child has been an important step in healing.
10. If I leave at the very first sign of trouble, how does anything get resolved. Running away doesn't help. It just keeps me in denial that I have a problem.
These healing tools were part of a comment that I left on the blog Emerging From Broken. Here is a link to the article that I commented on:
http://emergingfrombroken.com/my-mother-doesn%e2%80%99t-love-me-and-the-process-of-grieving/
What healing tools help you in your life?
Patricia
1. I can't fix someone else's problems but I can listen because sometimes a good listener is all that is needed. Become an active listener instead of planning what you are going to say when the other person shuts up.
2. If someone else's words upset me or make me angry, I need to look at where my reaction is coming from. What wounded part of me is feeling the anger, hate, fear or confusion? What can I do to change from reacting to acting? My upset is mine, not the other person's.
3. Don't attack someone else because of what I am feeling. I sometimes fail miserably at this one. I have to think and act or not, rather than react to what I feel. I can do a lot of harm if I simply react out of my hurt, anger or fear. I can say I am sorry and make changes in my behavior if need be to make things right.
4. Look at my own feelings and figure out where they are coming from. What do I still need to heal? What steps can I take to heal these feelings? My feelings are my responsibility. The other person rarely sets out just to make me upset. What I do with my feelings is my own responsibility. I can choose to heal. I can make the committment to do my own healing work.
5. Share from my own experiences rather than offering advice. Advice makes me sound healthier, stronger, wiser - whatever superior word that my ego likes to add to make me appear better. I am not any of those things. I am equally wise and unwise, healthy and not so healthy, strong and weak in different areas and at different times. I don't need to feed my ego to be the person I am or to be the person that I want to become. I am better than I was and I still have a long way to go to be who I want to be. Some days I am healthy and some days I am dysfunctional. Some days I am a kind person and some days I can be mean and irritable.
6. When I attack others, I am coming from my own place of woundedness which is something that I don't want to do. Rather than attack, I try to look at what is going on inside of me. Again, sometimes I am not so good at doing this one in a healthy manner. Progress is more important than perfection.
7. My truth is my truth. It may not be yours. I don't have the right to use my truth as absolute to attack you with. I don't know your story. You don't know mine. Even when you share a part of your story here, it is just a part of your story so I can't and shouldn't make judgments about you or your story. I ask the same consideration from you about me and my stories. I hope to always treat others with dignity and expect the same from others toward me.
8. I am just as human, just as fallible as everyone else. Life is a constant journey with many ups and downs. Many times I fall and have to get back up. It is the getting back up that is most important. Baby steps are better than no steps at all. Holding someone else's hand when I get scared helps. Lending someone else a helping hand helps them but it also helps me to become a better person. Shared experiences and shared hope make for an easier journey.
9. I may be further along on my healing path than some others but it only takes one trigger to make me feel like that hurting, frightened child again. I have learned to take the time to comfort that child as my parents never did. Reparenting my inner child has been an important step in healing.
10. If I leave at the very first sign of trouble, how does anything get resolved. Running away doesn't help. It just keeps me in denial that I have a problem.
These healing tools were part of a comment that I left on the blog Emerging From Broken. Here is a link to the article that I commented on:
http://emergingfrombroken.com/my-mother-doesn%e2%80%99t-love-me-and-the-process-of-grieving/
What healing tools help you in your life?
Patricia
8 comments:
Great post Pat. One that has to look deep inside. Not surface. But real. Blessings to you and yours.
JBR, thank you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Happy New Year Patricia. Such valuable tools, like a compass, to guide us. I'm looking forward to reading your words in 2012.
Alene, Thank you and Happy New Year to you too.
Pat,
Happy Holidays to you and your family.
I think #7 has impacted me the most. It gave me validation and strenght. I use this a lot because everyone has a different memory and showing others respect and dignity is very important to one's healing.
Renee, thank you. I hope that you too had a glorious Christmas holiday. You are right that showing dignity and respect for others can be an important part of our healing. It starts with showing dignity and respect for ourselves and expecting others to do the same.
I applaud your honesty and know that your story inspires and empowers many, many people.
www.resolvetoevolve.net
Eileen@resolvetoevolve.net
Eileen, thank you. I hope that my readers will also click on your links to your website and check it out. You empower people too with your site and your words. Welcome to Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker.
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