As I wade further and further into my own journey, I’ve come to notice what seems to be an implicit orientation within healing where someone is required to look backward in order to heal their current position.
As if, on a protractor, the healing journey ranges from 0 to 90 degrees, meandering from the path we’ve come from to where we currently stand.
Now, I absolutely advocate for and believe in healing past pain. The more I learn, the more I steadfastly believe it’s a must have. For you and all generations that follow. Afterall, since conception everything you’ve ever experienced is recorded in your body at a cellular level and there are certainly experiences upon experiences that need direct compassionate attention in order to be made whole.
And after sitting at the feet of my clients — who teach me more than any course or book ever could — I’ve become curious.
“Is it ever over?” one asked, a tremor of uncertainty in their voice as if they didn’t want to know the answer intrinsically living inside.
“Is the healing journey ever over? Because I’m really, really tired of healing” they whispered, words crawling out leaving imprints of exhaustion with every touch of hand and knee.
“Oh no, it’s never over” I intuitively responded, unexpected levity sprinkled my voice.
“It’s never over because there is always more Love to receive. It’s never over because the more we heal, the more we receive and the more we receive the more we heal. It’s never over because we never have to worry about getting to the end of Love.”
It was at that moment my spirit received the importance of a 180 degree aperture on healing, adding 90 precious degrees to my original perspective.
We heal from things. We heal from the experience, from the relationship, from the surgery, from the overwhelm, from the rupture, from the divorce, from the assault, from the neglect, from the abuse, from the disappointment, from the abandonment, from the hell of our unique lived experience.
That’s really, really important. And what if it’s one half of the story? What if always looking backward — always healing from — limits us from receiving the oncoming swells of goodness from what we are healing toward?
Healing toward peace, toward joy, toward rich and meaningful connection with yourself, others and the world around you. Healing toward beautiful confidence. Healing toward embodiment, toward presence, toward understanding and unwavering patience. Healing toward a quiet mind. Healing toward the actualization of all things hoped for. Healing toward Unconditional Love, who we will always receive more of and from who there will always be more to receive.
I submit you to that healing toward is just as worthy of our precious energy flow of our attention as healing from.
So friends, no matter where you find yourself in your journey, whether you’ve begun intentionally healing or are mustering up the courage to begin, I offer you 180 degrees of perspective.
Look back to heal from and, with courage in your eyes, I invite you to look forward to all that you’re healing toward.
In your corner,
Leah