The root of healing
What is the root of healing? This industry is saturated with people and companies telling us how to feel better. Being told to surround ourselves with all these ‘’healing’’ products or complicated lifestyle practices can be very overwhelming at times. It’s like we have this collective need to treat healing as something outside of ourselves. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been writing this blog post since July. I’m still not sure how I fit into this whole ‘’wellness industry’’ or IF I even fit in at all. I’m trying to figure out how to speak about the topic of healing in a way that empowers others rather than making them feel powerless. Because I too, spent a long time thinking I needed to be ‘’fixed’’by this industry. I think it’s so important now more than ever to openly talk about healing. But when we navigate these spaces, it’s important to be aware and sensitive to the experiences of others. People are not things that need to be “fixed’’. At its core, healing is a personal journey. No one knows your trauma more than you do and it’s not anyone’s project to fix. It’s lovely to want to help but let’s stop acting like saviors. Your story is yours and my story is mine. There's room for all of us. So, how can we talk about healing without trying to fight other people's fight? And how can we empower each other to share and receive our individual stories, to use our unique voices?
We're taught from a very young age to shut ourselves out of self regulated healing. We adapted systems that keep us out of tune with our own intuitive nature. We developed a collective fear of sharing our personal expressions. Our stories. We’re told we need to use specific tools, do specific things and act in specific ways in order to be ‘’healed’’. But all of this is anchored in a capitalist system and it’s very clear that this system is failing us. This doesn't mean that healing is a lonely battle. Quite the opposite! Safe community plays a huge role in healing but working with healing is in part, the realization that what we have in common, is our ability to self-heal. What truly brings us together is simply sharing this self-healing.
I believe that deep healing comes from connecting to others through the sharing of our unique experiences. Of our own healing. Our own growth. We are simply each other's guides and we heal by sharing the work that we're doing on a personal level. We heal by being vulnerable about our mistakes, and by sharing how we grow from them. Every.Damn.day.
I never saw myself as someone that was able to heal others. I still don’t. No one has the power to heal you. Truth is, I fell into this industry by accident, simply from approaching my own darkness with curiosity and creating from it. I’m healing myself alongside you. All I can share with you from what I’ve experienced so far, is that creating is how I soothe myself from my inner storms. My wounds are different than yours. They always will be. Our commonality is the powerful growth we can experience by treating our creativity as sacred. Maybe I can guide you towards exploring that for yourself too, but ultimately this part is fully up to you. Creating for me is what gets me closer to my true nature and helps me shed all of the conditioning I was born into. This is how I show up for myself. How I slowly started to understand my needs on a personal level and how I continue to find my path as I grow. It’s how I realized that by allowing ourselves to get curious rather than fearful about what’s hidden inside, we can find our own healing gem, tailored specifically for us!
Once a week I spend time with a few women at a local shelter. I lightly guide them through a movement practice first where we focus mostly on breath. At the end, they always have a choice to move as they wish to the music. Some sway side to side, some stay completely still, but they always have the choice. After, we create art together. I bring a mix of pastels, crayons, markers, paints etc. and they’re free to create whatever they wish to create in the moment. Again, they always have the choice and I always create alongside them too. I’ve been working with them for one year now and the evolution has been slow but significant. I’m seeing them open up in a way that is incredibly unique to each of them. It changes and evolves week to week. Every time I leave I’m left incredibly inspired by their growth. I’m simply holding space for them to express what they need to express. No questions asked.
I think that by being open to simply listening and observing we help others build trust within themselves. By fostering guidance over reliance, we can build strong, supportive and safe communities. That's the root of healing to me. It's planted inside of us and it's time to let it bloom outward again.