To a degree, I agree with this image, but I think it goes a lot deeper than that. At no point in our journey do we ever reach a point where we're finished working on ourselves. There's always room to improve, become more #conscious and #SelfAware of not only our good traits but our harmful ones. This doesn't mean let people walk all over you or put up with #abuse. I think many people develop this kind of mentality because their trauma-based experiences. That people feel their traumatic experiences are what made them the way they are and that's just how it is and always will be. This is a defensive response to protect the part of themselves that was hurt in the past so it doesn't happen again. But this isn't healing, nor is it moving forward.

Your negative experiences, #trauma, wounds, they don't need to define your #existence. The things you may have experienced in the past that shaped your character of today happened, and it is good that you acknowledge those things and acknowledge the dark side if your being. But the issue lies in getting stuck in that darkness, unpacking and living there, and never #healing from it. If we don't actually heal from it, the hurt, anger, bitterness, distrust, all the negative things we're harbouring inside of us gets reflected towards everyone else, because we are a *mirror* of what's going on in our #InnerWorld.

Healing is hard, because it requires #vulnerability. It requires #SelfReflection, recognizing things about yourself that are uncomfortable to admit, such as #toxic #BehavioralPatterns, #MentalHealth issues, #EmotionalIssues, even physical issues. So much of these issues are rooted in our #traumas and #insecurities. I never realized this until I started looking into #ShadowWork, but it's true. So much of these things are connected and stem from roots we never healed from. It can be a #journey in itself trying to remember what the roots are and get through all the layers of our being.

So I just want to conclude this post with a word of #encouragement to whoever needed to hear this today. You are capable of so much more than you realize. Your wounds happened, they were awful, but you don't need to let them define who you are or who you want to be. Embrace your #shadow, work with your shadow, send love to your shadow, but don't allow it to consume your entire being. You do not need to remain #trapped in this fragment of the #past. You are #worthy and deserving of #MovingForward, and living a life where you feel #happy and at #peace. ❤️ It is 100% possible to get there.

A few things that have helped me on my own shadow work journey that I'd like to share with you are:

» #EFT (#EmotionalFreedomTechnique / aka #Tapping). This is a process of tapping on certain #MeridianPoints while repeating #affirmations that address things you're emotionally struggling with. This is a known treatment for #anxiety and #PTSD. This practice helps with #EmotionalRelease, so if you feel you need to cry doing this practice, allow yourself to.

» #DreamWork. #Dreams are one of the best ways of uncovering what's going on in our inner world and is an incredible tool to get to know yourself on a deeper level. In my experience, my #CordAttachments and unhealed traumas often reveal themselves in dreams, via #dreaming about people, places, or circumstances that have connection to my past or caused me distress. Dreams are often extremely #symbolic and so as you become more observant of what your dreams are, you also need to analyze what certain #symbols in your dreams represent to you on a personal level. It is a very #intuitive process, and sometimes you'll just automatically know what something represents based on the feeling it gives you. Keeping a #DreamJournal is also really important as it will give you the opportunity to go back and reflect more if at first a dream doesn't make sense.

» Talk to someone you trust. My husband has been my rock through my shadow work journey. He might not have many answers for me, but just having someone to confide in and a shoulder to cry on is such a huge support during the process.

» Join shadow work #SupportGroups. #Facebook has some really great ones. It's a great way to connect with others who are also working through things. There are also people there who have overcome many of their traumas that can offer resources that got them through theirs. And sometimes just talking about it with these groups will help you put your own puzzle pieces together.

» #Reiki is another thing that helped me. I highly recommend seeking out a #Naturotherapist in your area who practices this. #Naturotherapy takes into account the mind, body, and SPIRIT, and our #spirit is such an important aspect of ourselves that is often ignored in the world of #ModernMedicine.

I hope this helps someone on their own healing journey. ❤️ If anyone has any questions about anything I've mentioned here, please don't hesitate to ask and I'm more than happy to answer the best that I can. 😊