Your Healing is Possible
By Sherap Andrea Winn, psychotherapist
A life coach recently asked me what single message I would like to leave the world when I die, and my response was: “Your healing is possible.” Through the years I have heard people talk about things that have happened in their lives, and they say, “There is no way I will ever heal from this.” A man once told me that his wife goes on a drinking binge every year at the anniversary of when she had been raped many years ago; it seems she gave up on believing she could heal from that experience, and has accepted disconnecting from herself and her family for few days every year to block out the pain. Other people are unhappy in their jobs. In some cases their work conditions are causing health problems, and yet they tell me, “I am going to stay in this job for another five years until I retire.” They do not see the possibility for change, for improvement, for pursuing meaningful work that supports their health and enjoyment of life.
On the one hand, I admire our ability to find ways to cope with harmful experiences. These coping mechanisms can be the saving grace for getting through extreme experiences. However, we need to be able to be honest with ourselves about when the coping mechanism has outlasted its usefulness and starts to take away from our quality of life. When the danger has passed, it is time to let go of the coping/surviving and move back into thriving mode. And if a problem is feeling too big for us to handle, then we need to be courageous enough to seek out appropriate help.
Our gorgeous minds
It is our mind that comes up with amazingly creative coping strategies. It is our mind that is open or closed to making efforts to change. Our minds are truly amazing, and when we tap into the depths of our minds’ abilities, we can create change in ourselves and in our lives. This is why we must create good relationships with our minds.
Meditation
Meditation is one way to do that. The meditation technique I am teaching at the clinic is simple: it works with good posture, paying attention to your breath, and working with your thoughts as they come up. By practicing this technique regularly, you will find a noticeable difference in how you feel in yourself and in your life. This technique softens up the ground of your mind, creates a friendlier environment in your heart, and your life will feel more wholesome and workable. These simple changes can go a long way in empowering you to connect better with the people in your life and make positive changes. Among many benefits, meditation reduces stress, increases peace of mind, helps you sleep better, and fosters a better relationship with eating.
Solution-focused counseling
Another way to tap into the hidden powers of your mind is through solution-focused counseling (SF). This form of counseling falls under the broad category of Positive Therapy. It has a beautiful set of methods to help you recognize strengths and resources you already have within yourself and around you in your life. For some reason it seems easy for us to fall into negative states of mind where all we see are closed doors. SF helps us shift into a positive outlook based on identifying what is already working for us and building strategies for creating the changes we want in ourselves and our lives.
Click for more information on our Meditation and Psychotherapy services at Lifecycles Wellness.
By Sherap Andrea Winn, psychotherapist
A life coach recently asked me what single message I would like to leave the world when I die, and my response was: “Your healing is possible.” Through the years I have heard people talk about things that have happened in their lives, and they say, “There is no way I will ever heal from this.” A man once told me that his wife goes on a drinking binge every year at the anniversary of when she had been raped many years ago; it seems she gave up on believing she could heal from that experience, and has accepted disconnecting from herself and her family for few days every year to block out the pain. Other people are unhappy in their jobs. In some cases their work conditions are causing health problems, and yet they tell me, “I am going to stay in this job for another five years until I retire.” They do not see the possibility for change, for improvement, for pursuing meaningful work that supports their health and enjoyment of life.
On the one hand, I admire our ability to find ways to cope with harmful experiences. These coping mechanisms can be the saving grace for getting through extreme experiences. However, we need to be able to be honest with ourselves about when the coping mechanism has outlasted its usefulness and starts to take away from our quality of life. When the danger has passed, it is time to let go of the coping/surviving and move back into thriving mode. And if a problem is feeling too big for us to handle, then we need to be courageous enough to seek out appropriate help.
Our gorgeous minds
It is our mind that comes up with amazingly creative coping strategies. It is our mind that is open or closed to making efforts to change. Our minds are truly amazing, and when we tap into the depths of our minds’ abilities, we can create change in ourselves and in our lives. This is why we must create good relationships with our minds.
Meditation
Meditation is one way to do that. The meditation technique I am teaching at the clinic is simple: it works with good posture, paying attention to your breath, and working with your thoughts as they come up. By practicing this technique regularly, you will find a noticeable difference in how you feel in yourself and in your life. This technique softens up the ground of your mind, creates a friendlier environment in your heart, and your life will feel more wholesome and workable. These simple changes can go a long way in empowering you to connect better with the people in your life and make positive changes. Among many benefits, meditation reduces stress, increases peace of mind, helps you sleep better, and fosters a better relationship with eating.
Solution-focused counseling
Another way to tap into the hidden powers of your mind is through solution-focused counseling (SF). This form of counseling falls under the broad category of Positive Therapy. It has a beautiful set of methods to help you recognize strengths and resources you already have within yourself and around you in your life. For some reason it seems easy for us to fall into negative states of mind where all we see are closed doors. SF helps us shift into a positive outlook based on identifying what is already working for us and building strategies for creating the changes we want in ourselves and our lives.
Click for more information on our Meditation and Psychotherapy services at Lifecycles Wellness.
