What is Healing?
The word healing comes from the Old English haelan and the Protogermanic root khailaz which means cure, make whole, ‘‘wholeness’’, which encompasses the depths of the process of healing and the human being, in the human experience. Even before birth, from the womb, and throughout all the phases of life, we are warriors. Life, as it is, is challenging, imperfect in nature, and with every challenge, struggle and call to grow, we become warriors, survivors. Sometimes a traumatic and unexpected experience or a series of repeated experiences can occur and shape our body and mind at their cores, fragmenting us in broken parts. Our body and brain are changed.
However, no matter how complex our traumatic experiences have been, and how difficult and stressful life is right now, research and clinical practice have proven healing is possible and must be holistic, as it is a lifelong journey.
We carry wounds, sometimes from experiences we don’t explicitly remember. These wounds are internal and have taken the shape of internal holes, sometimes they reflect in our behaviors, our relationships, the way we attach, the way we hide.
Therefore, healing is internal, healing must come from within. Healing is a process that begins with the creation of safety and emotional stability. At the core of any healing process dwells self awareness and connection. In listening to your body and what the brain is trying to tell you through daily emotions, thoughts and body sensations you are embracing the healing process, which entails self awareness and willingness to acknowledge the painful past and differentiating it from the present, reminding the body we are here: Connected and safe right now.
Healing is an internal work that takes courage: The courage to see all the fragmented parts of ourselves, our vulnerable parts; the curiosity and patience to listen to our wounds non-judgmentally, our older parts; and accept ourselves with compassion; the courage to see our strengths inside the wounds.
Healing occurs in many stages, in different forms, moments of life, it is a lifelong journey, an endless experience that may hurt sometimes in the process, and simultaneously brings growth, transformation, connection. Healing entails the finding of meaning, the integration of ourselves, the acceptance of the past, the living in the present and finding hope and connection.
Therapy is a space for healing and through therapy we will discover genuine healing is possible and comes from the inside, driven by the power of faith and self compassion.