However unnerving the experience, we need to bring a moment-to-moment awareness to the wound. It’s important that we not get lured too much into the past or future storylines until we have completed the descent. A bit of past or future thinking can heighten and deepen the feelings so that the descent can take place; however, the descent into the wound is not a story-based experience. The story can help deliver us into the energy of the wound, but it won’t, in fact, heal the wound. Mostly, our stories just numb us from the wound. So, it’s important that we not go to our heads in this process. This is a kinesthetic, feeling experience that requires a presence, an awareness of the here and now.
Being here and now is really a practice in learning to stay. Because this is a lifelong process, you want to bring a quality of kindness and compassion to the process, kind of like training a puppy. If you’ve ever trained one, you'll know that beating them can make them obedient yet inflexible. They can become easily confused if everything doesn’t go a certain way. But if you train the puppy with kindness and clarity, it can be flexible and have a sense of humor. It can role with changes. Which kind of puppy do you want to be?
When the mind goes off, don’t hit yourself. Just come back. It’s like being very naïve. There is no big deal about it. Whatever arises, just acknowledge that its there, and just come back to the wound, here in the present moment. With that simplicity you just keep coming back. You are just training in staying with yourself.
Transforming the Sacred Wound Series
This is one part in a nine-part series that explores ways to heal and transform your sacred wound. Be sure to check out the other posts!