Have you ever wondered why you can recognize that something is hurting you, yet still find yourself returning to the same situation, relationship, thought pattern, or behavior?
You know something needs to change. You may even know exactly what it is. Yet somehow, you stop at the door.
I love learning about who I am and who I need to become in order to live as my authentic self. That desire to know myself more deeply has been an important part of my own healing journey.
There was a time when I believed my healing required someone else's involvement. Or, at least, that's what I thought.
I really wanted to hear certain people say that they were sorry. I wanted to know that they had experienced some of the same anguish and turmoil that I had experienced during that time. I wanted their acknowledgment to somehow confirm that what happened to me mattered.
But they were nowhere to be found in the mindset to help set me free.
They were not going to say the words I was waiting to hear. They were not going to give me the permission I believed I needed to heal.
So, I stayed stuck.
I stayed in the emotions. I stayed in the questions. I stayed in the search for an explanation that would make it okay to continue blaming the people who had hurt me—even though they had moved on with their lives.
Yes, they had gone on with their lives.
And I was still living in that first moment, on that first day, in those minutes when I discovered that I had been abandoned.
I had allowed that moment to continue happening inside of me long after it had ended in reality.
Eventually, I had to ask myself a difficult question:
What if they never give me what I am waiting for?
What if they never apologize?
What if they never understand?
What if they never acknowledge the pain they caused?
Would I remain stuck forever?
The answer had to be no.
I realized that waiting for someone else to give me permission to heal was keeping me connected to the very experience I was trying to move beyond.
Today, when emotions surrounding something from my past arise, I am able to move through them with much more ease. I have learned to take responsibility for myself and my actions because I do not want my past to control what I am asking for in my present.
That does not mean the past didn't happen.
It means the past no longer gets to decide what happens next.
And that is where I believe one of the most overlooked parts of healing begins:
Permission.
Sometimes we are waiting for someone else to tell us that it is okay to move forward. We are waiting for an apology. We are waiting for someone to understand our pain. We are waiting for circumstances to change. We are waiting until we feel ready.
But what if healing begins when you give yourself permission to take the journey?
Your Passport to Healing
Think about a passport.
A passport gives you permission to cross borders and enter places you may have never been before. It identifies you and allows you to travel.
What if you viewed your healing journey the same way?
Your life has different territories. There is your emotional world, your mental world, your relationships, your spiritual life, your physical life, and the experiences that have shaped the person you are today.
Some places are beautiful.
Some places are painful.
Some places you may have avoided for years.
And some places you may have visited so many times that you don't even realize you're still there.
The Healing Passport was created as an invitation to travel through those places with intention.
You don't need someone from your past to hand you a ticket.
You don't need someone who hurt you to approve your departure.
You don't need an apology before you can begin moving forward.
You can give yourself permission to leave the place where you have been stuck.
Where Does Your Healing Journey Begin?
Before beginning a healing session, I often ask a simple question:
What is your most pressing issue?
The answer can be revealing.
Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is connected to something that is currently affecting your everyday life. It may be a relationship, a decision, a fear, a memory, a recurring pattern, or something you simply cannot seem to move past.
That doesn't mean it is the only thing that needs healing.
It may simply be the place where you need to begin.
And beginning matters.
Healing Doesn't Always Follow a Map
One of the most important things to understand about healing is that it doesn't always happen in a straight line.
You may begin with emotional healing and discover that you need to examine a relationship.
You may begin with a relationship and discover that you have been carrying an old belief about yourself.
You may begin with your thoughts and realize that you have been living from an experience that happened years ago.
You may even reach a place you thought you had already healed and discover another layer waiting for your attention.
That doesn't mean you failed.
It means you are human.
Healing has detours, layovers, unexpected stops, and sometimes long periods of simply waiting.
There is no wrong order.
The important thing is that you keep traveling.
The Healing Passport is a guided workbook created to help you explore that journey through reflection, scriptures, prayers, and intentional exercises. You can download practices to assist you on your healing journey in the HappyChat Book Store. https://payhip.com/b/ilAMb
For more information, resources, one on one guidance, visit email me : graceguidance@gmail.com
Let's Chat!! Watch my Video on LovingYourselfToLife YouTube to give more of an insight. Leave a comment and let's Chat.
https://youtu.be/ZclxGg5LwZ8?is=Umf0Y2fs-yHN48cv