One of the greatest tools I've learned to embrace and what I tell my clients all the time, is the importance of grief. For hundreds of years we've been taught as children that our emotions are bad, wrong and we need to always hide them.
Growing up in a cult the only emotions I was allowed to have was happiness, compliance, and supportiveness. Anything else I would be punished for. I was taught to hide my grief, shame, and anger from myself and everyone else. For years after though, I continued to live in this cycle, pushing away my sorrow and powering through.
There were so many times as a child that I needed space to grieve. Whether it was the loss of stability when I moved communes each year or the toys I was forced to leave behind that gave me the only comfort available in a highly abusive environment. And of course, the loss of my innocence as a child when I was repeatedly abused sexually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I needed to grieve all of these things and so much more, but I was never given the space or the opportunity.
I am now making time to grieve these and so many other experiences in my childhood that I need to honor. When need to make time to grieve traumatic experiences in our life, or they stay stuck inside our bodies, manifesting as inexplicable illness, triggering outbursts or making our way through the world completely numb to life.
I'm using this time in the country to grieve for the countless horrendous things I experienced as a child. Rather than doing an overall grieving process for my childhood as I've already done, this time I'm going through each horrifying moment and truly honoring the experience. Then I honor the grief, however it comes.
If there are things you've buried in your past that you've never honored, or if there are things you're still holding onto and you want to learn more about grief, send me a message or get on my newsletter list at the link on my website! Grief is for ALL types of loss, ALL types of events, and ALL types of circumstances! You need to grieve that sprained ankle AND your lost relationship. It's about honoring the process, honoring the event and honoring your life.
I've been there and I can help you through the process.