Healing Through Spiritual Exercises: Addressing Past Hurts

Healing Through Spiritual Exercises: Addressing Past Hurts

The memory of previous wounds can penetrate deep into our minds, affecting our thoughts, feelings, and actions. It prevents us from living life to its fullest, damaging relationships and Self-esteem, and reducing overall health. 

Nevertheless, it is still possible to recover fully in this lifetime. This happens when we engage in spiritual practices beyond conventional therapy limits. Therefore, let us seek healing and change through enlightened and holistic spiritual teachings.

The Nature of Trauma and Its Effects

Trauma disrupts our sense of safety and Self by shattering our ability to trust others or even ourselves — whether it arises from childhood experiences, relationships, or major life events. 

The result is a feeling of being fragmented, unsettled, ungrounded, and not connected with who we are within ourselves. 

This is what Carl Jung meant by saying: “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate.” –Carl Jung

Often residing within the unconscious mind, trauma also shows up through triggers, anxiety, depression, and other emotional disturbances. 

Here are a few practices to help you heal the old wounds:

Forgiveness & Compassion Matters Most

Spiritual healing heavily relies on forgiveness. It is a process that releases us from the bondage of grudges or resentments, which restores peace within us. It also brings about inner harmony and a more expansive connection with The Divine. 

Thich Nhat Hanh puts this beautifully when he says:

“Forgiveness is the water that washes away the stains of the past; it’s letting go of pain and resentment so as to open up our hearts for love again.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Ho’oponopono: Hawaiian Reconciliation Practice

A very old Hawaiian practice called The Ho’oponopono emphasizes reconciliation through forgiveness, gratitude, humility, etc. Just saying “I love you,” “I’m sorry,” “Please forgive me,” and  “Thank you” can cleanse relationships as well as the Self. Repeating these four phrases sincerely and intentionally leads to emotional release, self-forgiveness, and deep transformation. We can use this practice to forgive ourselves or anyone else in our lives.

Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta Bhavana)

Loving-kindness meditation is based on the teachings of Buddha. During this practice, one sends out unconditional love and compassion for the Self and others. This helps to dissolve anger, hatred, and resentment so that they can be replaced by love and divine connection instead. Extending loving-kindness towards ourselves heals the wounds of self-judgment while fostering inner peace.

Being Mindful of the Moment

In Buddhism or the Advaita Vedanta, among other spiritualities, mindfulness forms part of their core practices. This simply encourages us to be fully present here and now – without judgmental thoughts about anything happening around us, including our own feelings. 

Jon Kabat-Zinn captures this best when he says:

“Mindfulness is about waking up in your life; seeing each moment vividly.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn

Vipassana Meditation

Through Vipassana meditation, we develop awareness alongside self-understanding through carefully observing thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, etc., without becoming attached to them. 

This leads to a realization about what underlies the suffering within us all. We begin to understand more deeply not only why some things occur, but how they affect us, thus creating room for healing and transformation.

Breath Perception (Pranayama)

According to the Advaita Vedanta and other yogic traditions, breath perception can be used as a tool to calm the mind and release emotional tension. Nervous system control can be achieved by Anulom Vilom (alternate nostril breathing) or Ujjayi (triumphant breath), which reduce anxiety and foster emotional balance. By concentrating on our breathing, we ground ourselves in the present moment, connect with our pure Selves, and create sacred space within us to achieve a deep peace and recovery.

The Role of Self-Inquiry and Contemplation

Self-exploration and deep personal self-inquiry are profound practices that help us see our personalities, behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes more clearly. Seeing ourselves, our desires, our projections, and our obsessions more objectively, we can further explore the nature of reality, eventually arriving at more ultimate truths. 

A renowned sage of Advaita Vedanta, Ramana Maharshi introduced Atma Vichara (self-inquiry) to his followers:

“Self-inquiry alone can reveal the truth that neither the ego nor the mind really exists and that the Self alone exists. “Who am I? Not the body, because the body is decaying. Not the mind, because the mind is just thoughts. The mind is the sum total of thoughts. The body and the mind both perish.”

Atma Vichara (Self-Inquiry)

By asking “Who am I?,” we begin to see our pure nature, before the root causes of our pain and contrived assumptions. Diving more deeply, we approach the origin of all Creation.

Those who are sincere in the pursuit of liberation continuously engage in atma vichara, which is the process of knowing ourselves deeply. This exploration liberates us from identifying with personal stories, temporary self-identities, and traumatic experiences. 

As spiritual aspirants, our primary focus is to grow beyond the mind-body obsession and into deeper levels of awareness about every aspect our Selves, relationships, environments, cultures, families, religions, and lives.

Journaling & Reflective Writing

Through reflective writing, one can safely (and joyfully) explore thoughts, beliefs, and emotions in an organized manner, without becoming overwhelmed by them. Journaling about our projections and assumptions, along with our many traumatic events, helps bring clarity and healing, allows emotional release, and creates more evolved and empowering narratives. This deepens our self-awareness.

Integrating Body & Mind: Yoga & Movement

Traumas, especially those that occur early in our lives can later create physical pain, discomfort, disease, disassociation, and detachment, all to our detriment. But we can facilitate a whole-person healing through our spiritual practices. 

Bessel van der Kolk, who is regarded as one of the leading experts on trauma, said this about our bodies and trauma:

“The body keeps score. It remembers what the mind forgets.” – Bessel van der Kolk

Yoga & Asanas

Yoga combines physical postures (asanas) with breath control (pranayama) and meditation, aiding physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Hatha, Yin, and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga practice can help release held tensions, heighten bodily awareness, and foster feelings of safety through grounding exercises. Kundalini Yoga, a yang-style spiritual discipline, uses intense movements and breathwork to free the body of old emotions and karma. Some might find it too extreme, but it offers quite a profound experience when practiced properly.

Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing, a therapeutic approach developed by Peter Levine, focuses on releasing stored traumas within our bodies through gentle awareness and movement. When we pay attention to our somatic sensations and allow them to pass through us completely, we can resolve many of our traumas physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This method speeds up the healing process, especially when practiced alongside your favorite spiritual practices.

Embracing Divine Grace and Giving Up

Surrendering to a divine Being or The Eternal Consciousness is a common thread among all religions. Our acquiescence helps us release control of what is illusory or challenging and put our faith in The Universe. 

Swami Sivananda, a great yogi and spiritual master, has offered profound teachings to help us along the spiritual path:

“Surrender is the first rung in the ladder of Yoga. It is the foundation of Bhakti Yoga.”

“Egoism is a strong weapon of ignorance. It brings delusion and attachment.”

“Peace and happiness can never be achieved through material means. Surrender to God brings real peace.”

Prayer and Devotion (Bhakti Yoga)

Devotion, or Bhakti Yoga, consists of praying, chanting mantras, and performing rituals. Once we commit all our actions and thoughts to The Divine, it becomes easier to surrender ourselves completely to the All That Is. Over time, this practice allows us to release everything within us that is untrue.

Contemplative Prayer and Meditation

Contemplation is a simple process where we simply watch our thoughts and emotions rise within us, while also uttering the name of God or reciting a simple prayer. We might begin this process with a meditation where we place focus on our breath or the divine aspects of Creation. Sufis perform something similar called dhikr, where they utter the names or attributes of Allah repeatedly, either audibly or mentally. 

In Hinduism, people often do Japa, where they repeat a mantra or the name of a God to clear their mind and get it in the spiritual zone. Meanwhile, Buddhists do mindfulness meditation, also called Vipassana, where they sit quietly and reverently watching their thoughts, sometimes chanting or repeating mantras, too.

The Transformative Power of Community and Connection

When people experience traumatic events, they often need compassionate support from those who can listen to their stories without judgment. Many people find great solace within communities. 

Carl Rogers, a famous American psychologist known for the person-centered approach, said we need to meet certain conditions for growth to happen. He put it simply: “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I change.”

Support groups and ones centered around spirituality can offer a safe and sacred space to share your stories, find comfort, and build new, conscious relationships. These communities helps us feel grounded and loved, and they remind us that we heal together if we so choose.

Coaching and Mentorship

Exploring coaching from therapists and spiritual mentors can offer valuable insight and much needed guidance. They can be quite instrumental in your recovery journey. My work is focused on those who are struggling while also seeking to heal and uplift themselves.

Gabor Maté: His Work & Teachings

Dr. Gabor Mate is known internationally as an expert on addiction, trauma, and childhood development. He’s made phenomenal contributions in the areas of mental health and personal development, inspiring not only those who are suffering but countless healers and teachers throughout the world. 

Dr. Maté believes that all addiction and mental illness can be traced back to unresolved traumas experienced during our early years. too. 

“More pain is created by trying to get away from pain” – Gabor Maté

Dr. Gabor Mate encourages others to do a variety of practices to assist in their healing, including meditation, yoga, exercise, and breathing consciously to reconnect with our emotional and physical bodies.

Conclusion

Healing your old and suppressed wounds through spirituality inspires a complete and total transformation. During this process, the wisdom of your inner master will emerge. 

Begin the healing process by first forgiving yourself, and then seeking to forgive others. Practice mindfulness, explore self-inquiry, do body-oriented activities, and surrender to The Divine. Along the way, you can engage with various support networks that appeal to you. 

It’s time to heal and become whole again. 

As Rumi said, “The wound is the place where light enters you.”

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