Journaling as a Tool for Healing: Processing Thoughts and Feelings that Arise in Meditation
Opening us to tranquility, self-awareness, and occasionally unanticipated feelings, meditation can be quite profound. But you’re not alone if you’ve ever completed a meditation session and felt unsettled or discovered old memories arising. Meditating helps one to surface ideas and emotions by gently stirring the waters. Journaling helps with this. Journaling provides a safe place […]
A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation
Meditation. The word alone can make one feel somewhat intimidated. Perhaps you’ve seen pictures of people sitting motionless for hours, appearing impossibly serene, and thought “That’s not for me.” Alternatively, perhaps you’ve tried meditation before and become annoyed when your mind wouldn’t calm down. Guess what? You’re not alone; and you don’t have to be […]
Standing Your Ground: A Simple Meditation to Cultivate Stability and Ease Anxiety
Have you ever felt like you’re floating, unsettled, or just can’t shake that anxious, jittery feeling? Having a sense of stability, of being grounded, is difficult for a lot of people, particularly those who’ve experienced trauma in the past. In particular, childhood complex trauma can cause long-term anxiety, making it difficult to achieve stability and […]
The Hidden Challenges of Meditation: When Sitting Still Brings Up Old Wounds
These days, meditation is really common. Its advantages—peace, tranquility, mental clarity—have all been discussed here. However, there’s a side to meditation that gets less attention, particularly for those who have a history of trauma. What if meditation begins to bring back old wounds, anxiety, or even depression rather than calm and tranquility? If this sounds […]
The Power of Concentration Meditation for Healing from Childhood Complex Trauma
Particularly when it comes to recovering from the long-term effects of childhood trauma, meditation can be a game-changer. There are countless varieties of meditation techniques available. But after nearly 25 years of daily use, I’ve realized that my own practice has been based primarily on the most fundamental approach—concentration meditation. It’s straightforward, direct, and requires […]
Using Mindful Breathing to Calm the Stress Response from Childhood Complex Trauma
If you’ve experienced childhood trauma, you’re probably aware of how draining it can be to always feel like you’re on edge or high alert. Trauma naturally causes that continual “fight or flight” sensation, as if your body is always ready for something terrible to happen. But what if I told you that something as basic […]
Journaling Through the Lens of Dialogue: Finding Clarity and Support
Disclaimer: The reflections shared in this post are based on my personal journaling process and interactions with ChatGPT over several years. While this approach has been helpful for me, results may vary, and readers should not expect identical outcomes. Journaling is frequently regarded as a modern, Western approach of expressing feelings and developing self-awareness. However, […]