Emilie

To a degree, I agree with this image, but I think it goes a lot deeper than that. At no point in our journey do we ever reach a point where we're finished working on ourselves. There's always room to improve, become more #conscious & #SelfAware of not only our good traits but our harmful ones. This doesn't mean let people walk all over you or put up with #abuse. I think many people develop this kind of mentality because of their trauma-based experiences. That people feel their traumatic experiences are what made them the way they are & that's just how it is and always will be. This is a defensive response to protect the part of themselves that was hurt in the past so it doesn't happen again. But this isn't healing, nor is it moving forward.

Your negative experiences, #trauma, wounds, they don't need to define your #existence. The things you may have experienced in the past that shaped your character of today happened, & it is good that you acknowledge those things & acknowledge the dark side if your being. But the issue lies in getting stuck in that darkness, unpacking & living there, & never #healing from it. If we don't actually heal from it, the hurt, anger, bitterness, distrust, all the negative things we're harbouring inside of us gets reflected towards everyone else, because we are a *mirror* of what's going on in our #InnerWorld.

Healing is hard, because it requires #vulnerability, #SelfReflection, & recognizing things about yourself that are uncomfortable to admit, such as #toxic #BehavioralPatterns, #MentalHealth issues, #EmotionalIssues, even physical issues. So much of these issues are rooted in our #traumas & #insecurities. I never realized this until I started looking into #ShadowWork, but it's true. So much of these things are connected and stem from roots we never healed from. It can be a #journey in itself trying to remember what the roots are & get through all the layers of our being.

So I just want to conclude this post with a word of #encouragement to whoever needed to hear this today. You are capable of so much more than you realize. Your wounds happened, they were awful, but you don't need to let them define who you are or who you want to be. Embrace your #shadow, work with your shadow, send love to your shadow, but don't allow it to consume your entire being. You do not need to remain #trapped in this fragment of the #past. You are #worthy & deserving of #MovingForward, & living a life where you feel #happy & at #peace. ❤️ It is 100% possible to get there.

A few things that have helped me on my own shadow work journey that I'd like to share with you are:

» #EFT (#EmotionalFreedomTechnique / aka #Tapping). This is a process of tapping on certain #MeridianPoints while repeating #affirmations that address things you're emotionally struggling with. This is a known treatment for #anxiety and #PTSD. This practice helps with #EmotionalRelease, so if you feel you need to cry doing this practice, allow yourself to.

» #DreamWork. #Dreams are one of the best ways of uncovering what's going on in our inner world & is an incredible tool to get to know yourself on a deeper level. In my experience, my #CordAttachments & unhealed traumas often reveal themselves in dreams, via #dreaming about people, places, or circumstances that have connection to my past or caused me distress. Dreams are often extremely #symbolic & so as you become more observant of what your dreams are, you also need to analyze what certain #symbols in your dreams represent to you on a personal level. It is a very #intuitive process, & sometimes you'll just automatically know what something represents based on the feeling it gives you. Keeping a #DreamJournal is also really important as it will give you the opportunity to go back & reflect more if at first a dream doesn't make sense.

» Talk to someone you trust. My husband has been my rock through my shadow work journey. He might not have many answers for me, but just having someone to confide in & a shoulder to cry on is such a huge support during the process.

» Join shadow work #SupportGroups. #Facebook has some really great ones. It's a great way to connect with others who are also working through things. There are also people there who have overcome many of their traumas that can offer resources that got them through theirs. Sometimes just talking about it with these groups will help you put your own puzzle pieces together.

» #Reiki is another thing that helped me. I highly recommend seeking out a #Naturotherapist in your area who practices this. #Naturotherapy takes into account the mind, body, & SPIRIT, & our #spirit is such an important aspect of ourselves that is often ignored in the world of #ModernMedicine.

I hope this helps someone on their own healing journey. ❤️ If anyone has any questions about anything I've mentioned here, please don't hesitate to ask and I'm more than happy to answer the best that I can.😊

Jan 22, 2023 at 4:58amWeb
Show thread🌸 Errant 🌸Jan 22, 2023
@Aevisia I know a lot of people of the opinion of "why would you be friends with someone if you have to change for them? You don't need to change for anyone." Yet it is precisely because some of my friends shedding light into some of my unhealthy behaviors that I am who I am today. It's because they pointed out these behaviors to me that I took the measures to heal, not only for them, so I wouldn't be toxic and hurt their feelings unnecessarily, but also for me, so I could live a life with more self confidence, self love, and kindness. I think people seem to understand change as becoming someone you are not, rather than growing and healing. I didn't change to people please and submit to others desires. I changed because they were right in their judgments of me. I needed to set boundaries with people, I needed to see when something wasn't aimed to hurt me, I needed to see the world as less threatening, I needed to see that I could be loved. If it wasn't because of change prompted by others, I would be stuck in the same place, suffering more. In a way, those friends acted as a mirror for me to understand what was wrong. Shadow work is also one of the tools that has helped me most because it really develops your self awareness. I often describe it as being your own detective looking for clues to understand why something is happening or why something feels one way or another. It requires you to be humble and admit that you are wrong sometimes, but it's good to be wrong, it's good to be able to know that you can set your own path from that place of darkness and transform continously into a new person each new day.
Show threadEmilieJan 22, 2023
@ErrantStarlight
That's amazing that your friends helped you with that! They sound like really amazing friends too. ❤️ Many people would be afraid to tell their friends those things and instead gossip behind their back. The fact they instead brought it to your attention is really honorable. 😊 It's also amazing that you were open to listening to them when they brought it to your attention, because that in itself is not an easy thing to do and facing criticism can be hard. Shadow work definitely requires a lot of self awareness and being humble enough to realize things that need work and healing within yourself. But I think every person who does it is making the world a better place a little bit at a time, because we mirror so much of our inner world. I often wonder how different the world would look if everyone did this work. ❤️ Thank you so much for sharing your shadow work journey 🙏 it is truly inspiring to hear of others who incorporate it and the transformations that take place! 🦋
Show thread🌸 Errant 🌸Jan 23, 2023
@Aevisia Thank you so much as well for sharing your thoughts and experiences! Criticism can be hard to hear at times, but when it comes from someone you trust, someone who doesn't want you any bad, I think it hits you even harder, because it carries their good will amidst that initial feeling of that harsh realization. I always thank them for being forwards with me if they are and to tell me what they think, even if we don't agree, so I have their perspective to work with as well. I also believe if more people took the time to develop their self awareness and integrate their shadow, the world would be a better place.