From Emotional Healing;

Shadowwork/Inner Child work

When we are triggered into the fight or flight response based on a perceived fear or threat of being hurt, our inner child becomes activated. This can often be the case when we have not learned healthy ways to express our needs. We move deep into our unconscious where core beliefs such as unworthiness, shame, abandonment, issues take over our awareness. Many of us may have learned that love was conditional and based on behaving and acting in certain “preferred” ways. We may have learned that love is not safe. We very well may have internalized messages that did not speak to our true nature as a sacred, beautiful, holy child of the divine who deserves love unconditionally. Often we have simultaneously been taught that our emotions were invalid. All of these experiences further deepen the personality split that creates the Shadow. I have written extensively on these concepts in previous newsletters which can be viewed on my blog.

Shadow work introduction

Shadow work: healing the subconscious.

Shadow work: healing the inner child

Shadow work: Healing Grief

Emotional Freedom Technique. EFT is a unique process that is based on the understanding that the more unresolved emotional issues you can clear, the more peace and emotional freedom you will have in your life. Limiting beliefs can vanish, personal performance can soar, relationships can thrive, and vibrant physical health can be yours. EFT can be an ongoing process that we use to clear out the old traumas and create emotional wellness. Find out more here.

Trauma Release Techniques. TRE (Tension, Stress & Trauma Release Exercise) is an innovative series of exercises that assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. Created by Dr. David Berceli, PhD, TRE safely activates a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system. When this muscular shaking/vibrating mechanism is activated in a safe and controlled environment, the body is encouraged to return back to a state of balance. This is very powerful work. Click here to purchase the book.

Inner Smile In case you don’t know Chinese medicine believes there is a connection between your organs and emotions. By simply giving your organs mindful attention and filling them with more healthy energy such as smiling and breathing (more oxygen and blood flow), you are in effect shifting emotional garbage trapped in your organs. I can honestly say it does work.

From Embracing the Raw, Messy Road to Emotional Healing:

Whether you’re well into your journey or just starting out, here are six things to remember:

Have a good support network in place.
Recovery is hard work and requires a great deal of courage. It’s difficult to do without a strong support network in place in the form of a good therapist or specialized support groups. Recovery is deep and personal work. Finding a safe space to practice the vulnerability necessary to share your deepest fears is crucial.

If your history includes childhood trauma and addiction issues, make sure you find support specific to those issues — it makes a huge difference.

Learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Healing from trauma is scary. We’ve got to tear down walls and years of unhealthy coping mechanisms that are woven into the fabric of our daily lives. That doesn’t happen overnight.

Processing shame and unhealed wounds is uncomfortable. We’ll endure waves of tears, anxiety, and breakdowns. But if we’re willing to dive into the messy parts of ourselves, we’ll experience breakthroughs too. And that’s what gives us a chance to build the lives we’ve always wanted.

Things may get worse before they get better.
Tearing open the lid that’s kept our pain and shame hidden isn’t for the faint of heart. We expose ourselves to uncomfortable feelings when we haven’t yet learned the skills necessary to process them.

The learning curve takes time. We may feel like we’re sliding backward before we stride forward. Things improve with support and practice. We learn to acknowledge and sit with our feelings instead of stuffing them away and running for our lives. Over time, we grow self-trust, turning away from shame and isolation, learning to give a healthy voice to our painful feelings.

Learn to lean into discomfort.
The wildly popular researcher and storyteller Brené Brown has spoken extensively about leaning into discomfort.

“It’s he or she who’s willing to be the most uncomfortable can rise strong,” Brown says. “Discomfort: the way home.”

Leaning into discomfort can be a challenge after spending our lives leaning away from it through avoidance, addiction, and other numbing behaviors. The truth is, most breakthroughs happen when we stop avoiding. When we learn to lean into and our scary, uncomfortable feelings — face them and embrace them.