We have tried everything, it’s time to look within
Sometimes the only way to heal, is to look within.
When we have a sickness or physical ailment, we go to a doctor, but who do we go to or what do we do to heal and address emotional pain such as: heartbreak, past trauma, stress, mental illness, anxiety, substance abuse, etc?
There are many valuable spiritual “tools” that can help facilitate this healing process, which all lead back to, increasing mental awareness of ourselves.
Tools that can facilitate healing:
Meditation/Mindfulness Practices:
Meditation can look different for everyone. The most important action is that one is mindfully taking a moment to disconnect from everything around, and take a moment in silence to look within, to feel the feelings, to allow thoughts to pass by, to be still. When we are busy and rushing around often, we miss a lot of meaningful moments and inspired thoughts that can guide ourselves towards greater enlightenment.
Journaling:
Journaling is a great practice of taking what’s in our mind, and putting it on to paper. This allows our mind to release “mental clutter” in an organized way. When we release our thoughts, we can make energetic space for other thoughts that we WANT to think. Our reality begins from within. If our internal world is anxious or fearful, we must find a way to “detox” our minds so we can think about things that are better for our psyche. That’s why talk therapy (or “venting”) can be so effective. Once we can get out that mental clutter, we feel the release and we are free to move on with greater/higher thoughts. Journaling can also look very different for each person. Some vent on paper. Some write in autobiography style, some bullet journal and some write prayers and gratitude lists. Learn more about my gratitude practice by watching Abundance Academy: https://downtoearthcounseling.org/2021/10/26/the-abundance-academy/
Talk Therapy:
In a talk therapy session, a counselor may help a person do the following:
- gain a better understanding of their emotions
- identify roadblocks and obstacles to optimal mental health
- overcome anxiety and insecurities
- cope with stress
- process previous traumatic experiences
- work on breaking unhealthy habits
- discuss possible lifestyle changes
- pinpoint triggers
- give one a non-biased perspective
Medication for hormone imbalance(Physical, yet impacts the spiritual):
Here’s what’s up. Everyone isn’t born equal. We are not physically all made the same. Life isn’t fair. Our body has systems that MOST of the time work pretty damn well but sometimes, we are off balance. It can happen for a variety of reasons. Some people are born with less serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These folks are more inclined to abuse substances, in this regard, it would be much better for them to take a medication that will SUPPLEMENT for the lack of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. Sometimes environmental factors can trigger imbalances such as the environment we live in, dietary habits or lack of dense nutrients in our diet. Sometimes our heredity genes are the cause. We may have a long line of women or men in the family with mental illness. There are SOME natural ways to help balance hormones, especially with improved nutrition, however, Some people NEED medication to live their best life and be their best version of themselves and that is 100% okay! Individuals with years of persistent mental health symptoms tend to do very well on medications. There are supplements that can assist your body in detoxing toxins from medications (however, it already has a system that works pretty darn good) such as kidney and liver tonics and herbs.
Positive Affirmations:
It’s as easy as 1,2,3 and it’s called CBT.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral therapy) is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals change their thinking in a positive impactful way. To simplify it, the main goal is to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Using positive affirmations (saying good things about ourselves) can take the place of negative thoughts such as, “I am ugly, I’m a failure”. Instead, we would speak TRUTH to our mind like, “I am beautiful, I am successful, I do have what it takes to achieve my goals, I am worthy, I am attractive”, etc.
We can’t just tell our mind to stop thinking about that thing we don’t want to think about. Our mind doesn’t work that way. Emptiness is not a normal state of being for our mind, however, we can replace that thought we don’t want to think about, with something we DO want to think about.
Example:
Don’t think about a purple elephant (ALL I can see in my mind is a purple elephant!)
Replace: Think about a zebra racing a deer (I definitely do not see the purple elephant in my mind anymore-simple, but effective)
Another example:
I don’t want to think about (that annoying coworker that pissed me off last week).
I am going to think about what I want to do this weekend with my kids and what activities we have planned.
REPLACE, REPLACE, REPLACE
Gemstone Healing:
Crystal therapy has been used for centuries to help treat the body holistically for various ailments and the use of these beautiful minerals dates back to Egyptian times when they were said to be used to purge ‘evil spirits.’ The belief behind crystal therapy is that individual stones such as amethyst, rose quartz and jade have the ability to communicate with the energy flow of the human body and help to realign the energy channels that are interrupting the natural flow of the body and help it heal itself. Crystals with specific stones are said to help to relieve specific ailments such as anxiety, depression and insomnia, or more physical ailments such as digestive problems.
Crystal therapy can be as simple as wearing precious stones and minerals as bracelets and necklaces, placing crystals in the room where you work and sleep or being treated by a crystal therapist, who can identify which stones can work to stimulate the seven chakras, or ‘energy points’ around the body.
The electromagnetic charge within each stone is said to offer healing vibrations as they work to remove blockages around the body and restore a natural flow of energy. If nothing else, they are beautiful and make me feel beautiful!
Here’s a link to my favorite handmade wearable gemstones: https://satigemshawaii.com/
There are many many more ways to heal. What’s important is that we have an open-mind, try something and find what works for ourselves.
Down To Earth Counseling 