"the only constant in life is change" - Heraclitus
in most self-help/mindfulness/psychology communities, the word healing is often heard in sentences like, "i am in a process of healing--of finding myself to achieve greater fulfillment in my life".
although healing means improvement in some area of life, when we dig deeper into the word, healing also implies that something needs to be fixed. this is why many individuals in "healing processes" tend to get stuck in negative self-talk.
this is a natural response considering how we process language. it is inevitable that our automatic and unconscious response to believing we are in a healing journey is to assume we are not okay as we are. we unconsciously believe we must do something to be better--to be okay.
the irony is that many wonderful modalities of this so called "healing" process involve self-compassion and tender care for oneself. but how difficult it must be to practice self-acceptance when deep within there is a belief that we need to be fixed!
THE PARADIGM SHIFT
to fully engage in authentic healing--an unwavering form of healing that helps us transcend our attachment to old beliefs and ways of being, we must shift our paradigm.
in stephen covey's book, "the 7 habits of highly effective people," he explains that before we can effectively change our behaviors and attitudes, we must first break traditions with old ways of thinking or paradigms.
so let's redefine healing. although we may be "healing," the authentic healing process can feel lighter if we view it as a journey of self-discovery.
in self-discovery, we are in an ongoing and non-linear process of unlayering our personalities to reveal more of who we are to the world. this means there is nothing to force, and nothing to change. just more to unlayer. and in time, we start to feel at peace, as our alignment with the honesty of who we truly are intensifies.
the more we practice acceptance of what is in the here and now, the more we remember that this is all a process--a journey. there is no where to arrive. there is only more love to give to ourselves now, no matter where we are.