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Finding Healing Through Spirituality and Somatic Experiences #Childhoodtrauma

Childhood trauma is a heavy burden to carry, leaving scars that often linger into adulthood. However, in my journey towards healing, I discovered the profound impact that spirituality and somatic experiences, such as yoga, can have on the process. Through a combination of connecting with my inner self and engaging in physical practices, I found a path towards healing and liberation from the chains of my past.

The first step in my healing journey was the awakening to the power of spirituality. I realized that healing went beyond just addressing the surface-level symptoms of my trauma; it required a deep connection with my inner self and a sense of purpose beyond my pain. Spirituality provided me with a framework to explore my beliefs, connect with something greater than myself, and find solace in the midst of my struggles.

Embracing Somatic Experiences:
As I delved deeper into my healing, I discovered the significance of somatic experiences. Somatic therapy allowed me to connect with my body, releasing stored trauma and emotions that had been trapped within me for years. Through practices such as breathwork, meditation, and yoga, I learned to listen to the wisdom of my body and honor its capacity to heal itself. These somatic experiences provided a safe space for me to process and release the pain that had been holding me back.

Connecting Mind, Body, and Spirit:
The integration of spirituality and somatic experiences became the cornerstone of my healing journey. By combining the introspective aspects of spirituality with the physicality of somatic practices, I found a holistic approach to healing. Through meditation, I learned to quiet my mind and create space for self-reflection. Yoga and movement allowed me to release tension and connect with the present moment. These practices helped me bridge the gap between my mind, body, and spirit, fostering a sense of wholeness and self-empowerment.

Cultivating Self-Love and Compassion:
Spirituality and somatic experiences also played a crucial role in cultivating self-love and compassion within me. Through meditation and mindfulness, I learned to observe my thoughts and emotions without judgment, allowing myself to heal and grow with kindness and acceptance. By integrating self-care practices into my daily life, I began to prioritize my well-being and nurture a loving relationship with myself. This newfound self-love became a powerful antidote to the wounds of my childhood, creating a foundation for healing and transformation.

In my journey towards healing childhood trauma, I discovered the transformative power of spirituality and somatic experiences. Through connecting with my inner self and engaging in physical practices, I found a path towards healing, liberation, and self-empowerment. By embracing spirituality and somatic experiences, I was able to release the weight of my past, cultivate self-love, and embark on a journey of healing and growth. I encourage anyone who has experienced childhood trauma to explore these avenues, for they hold the potential to unlock the inner strength and resilience needed to transcend the pain and embrace a life of healing and wellbeing.

xoxo — Trauma Girl #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #PTSD #CPTSD #Spirituality

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The Significance Of Disabled Spirituality

Disabled Spirituality does not need to be complicated to be life altering or world changing! It must connect us to the need for each other and the social justice needs of our community.

Sadly, it seems the church has in many ways lost the very visible disabled spirituality seen decades ago in the 504 Sit In. We need more Dennis Billups!

Did you know there is no Disability Act in Canada or federal laws of disability rights? Local & provincial sub laws are around. But the protection for the disabled is largely understated.

How might we reinspire the Dennis Billups in our communities today?

How has or does your spirituality as a person with a disability Influence your life today?

“Billups told the Guardian that “I was just making sure that we had our minds together to keep going forward and not look back. And to sing as often as we could, and to make sure that we checked on each and every other person around us, so that we could have that sense of unity. I went around the building, sometimes all night, doing cheering, doing counselling, doing listening, doing debating, that kind of stuff. I had to keep people up. I think that’s what I saw as my greatest gift: that I brought in the universal aspect with the meditation and spiritualism that kept a lot of stuff together.”

#Disability #Spirituality #SocialActivism

www.respectability.org/2023/11/504-sit-in-faith

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Disability & The Deeper Self

Most times when we approach the subject of understanding our deeper selves, I think our first thoughts go to the question of, “Are we religious?” From there we then move towards our inner beliefs and struggles between religion and spirituality. The problem is, by polarizing the two terms, we effectively turn both into institutional ideologies that tear our identity’s apart, rather than embody our whole selves in authenticity. In essence, we loose our deeper selves to the argument of semantics. As I heard it said once by John Ortberg, “I do not have a soul. I am a soul.”

Betty Pries describes the Deeper Self by saying:

“Together our deeper and descriptive selves form the essence of what it means to be a person. If our descriptive self is our form, then our deeper self is our formlessness, or life breath, on which identity rests. This is the house of the sacred that lives in each person. It is the birthplace of all goodness, generosity, and grace. In various religious traditions, the deeper self is described as the presence or breath of God, as consciousness, or as the energy of great love, coursing through the body of each person.”

— PRIES, BETTY. THE SPACE BETWEEN US (PP. 89-90). MENNOMEDIA. KINDLE EDITION.
Deep within ourselves, an essence to our being was created through a relationship with all things and our creator. We might think of it as an unseeable alter, a holy of holy’s, or glimmer of lightness within ourselves. The moment we think we’ve got a grasp as to what it is, it seems to slip through our fingers back into the mysticism of the unknowable. All we can truly hope for is to build upon our relationship with this part of our being while allowing it to mature and hold together our Described Selves.

Our relationship to our deeper selves is where religion and spirituality become practical realities grounding and connecting us to its foundation…

#Disability #Spirituality #CripTheology

Read More Here:

Disability & The Deeper Self

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Disability & The Deeper Self

This post is part of a series that starts here. Most times when we approach the subject of understanding our deeper selves, I think our first thoughts go to the question of, “Are we religious…
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God and Bipolar

I grew up religious. I went to a Christian school and to church every Sunday. When I went to college, I went to church there and also joined a student ministry.

My bipolar hit spring of my sophomore year of college in 2017. It manifested as hyper religious mania. I went undiagnosed for the rest of 2017- the whole time thinking my manic episode was a spiritual experience and people just didn’t understand.

My second manic episode happened that fall. It was also hyper religious mania, but this time I had a psychotic break that led to trauma and finally a diagnosis of Bipolar I and PTSD.

After this episode, I tried to remain religious and spiritual and not “turn my back” on God and Jesus.

But it was just too hard to try to reconcile what had happened to me with the idea of a loving God. The questions of why bad things happen and how does God fit into my life apart from psychosis were too big for me to ignore. I was also incredibly hurt by the church and their inability to help me through both my manic episodes and the aftermath. I felt so alone, how could God be real?

So I broke up with God. I told him I might come back one day, but I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

Fast forward five years. I was in my first year of grad school, finally doing what I dreamed. And I started to want to believe in something again. A higher power. Certainly not Jesus, but some kind of deity I guess.

It didn’t take long for me to realize I wanted to be a Christian again. It was what I grew up with. My family history. And I wanted it back.

I had my third manic episode a couple weeks after flirting with the idea of religion.

This one was the worst in terms of psychosis. Hyper religiosity once again, but with psychotic hallucinations of trauma.

I’m now healing and stable, but I’m struggling with discerning what was my sick mind and what could have been God.

It’s hard. But I want to know God.

I’m realizing my pursuit of God is not going to be the same as it was pre diagnosis. I have a lot to learn. But I’m learning.

This is a quote from C.S. Lewis’s the Chronicles of Narnia. It says, “you would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you.”

I like to think God had been calling me back this whole time, slowly melting my heart with every little reminder of him until I was ready to come home.

I hope it’s real and not manic musings.

#BipolarDisorder #Spirituality #Christianity

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Thursday Thoughts and Lunch

Thanks be to God that I was blessed with the energy to cook a solid meal for the first time in a couple of days. Scrambled eggs with olive oil, turmeric, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and rosemary; snap pea chips and white toast with sweet potato butter. It needs some work and may not look the best, but it was pretty tasty. Listening to music while cooking also really helped.

I’ve not felt the best in a minute, and my faith has suffered and weakened these past few weeks. I worked my first job recently for three days before my anxiety prevented me from holding it down. In a restaurant, too, to beat it all. All the while, I was struggling spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. It’s only slid further downhill from there. I haven’t read my Bible in a while either because I’m scared of what I might come across, and I haven’t been good at following its teachings in years.

I’m no good at self-care, but I’m trying to prioritize it more today. I went outside yesterday and sat in the shade while listening to music. It sounds hokey, but it made me feel a little better. I started picking up my room, as it was cluttered. I made my bed today and put some stuff away. I still need to do dishes and laundry and clean my drain. That’ll come soon, hopefully.

How do you engage in self-care?

#Anxiety #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #Sadness #Spirituality #Religion #Cooking #Selfcare

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What’s your experience with a karmic lesson? (If any).

Just found out what this is. Essentially it’s when you’re stuck in a cycle putting up with different people but the same triggers and attitude and the cycle won’t stop until you’ve learned your lesson. I’ve had to learn this the hard way. #checkin #karmiclesson #mentalwellbeing
#ChronicFatigue #Spirituality #checkin #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #imbalance #Depression #Anxiety #ChronicDepression #Karma #learnsomethingnew #thirdeye

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Consistency

Something that has really helped me stay on the track to better health is consistency. Staying consistent with treating your mental health (medication and therapy) is wonderful. However there are many other ways you can be consistent in your life too. Consistency has a lot to do with habits and while forming or breaking a habit can be daunting, it is possible. Treat yourself with grace, patience and kindness. You deserve it, especially if you are trying to break a toxic and unhealthy habit. Try to be consistent with your physical health too. Treat your body with the respect it deserves. I personally am attempting to have better physical health. I am making changes to my lifestyle. If you are religious (like I am) or spiritual then try to be consistent there too. I am trying to keep a prayer journal as well as my regular journal. When you are anxious or depressed, remind yourself that it is okay to not be okay but do not let them play tricks on you. You can and will reach your goals with consistency. One of my goals is to heal (as an abuse survivor) to a point where I no longer have crying spells or go into a mental health crisis. What is your goal and how will consistency help you reach it?

#SexualAbuse #EmotionalAbuse #PTSD #BipolarDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Trauma #Inspiration #Motivation #CONSISTENT #Health #Anxiety #Depression #thankful #Hope #Religion #Spirituality #Lifestyle

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