"Letting go" is a phrase we hear all the time. It's become so common that we sometimes lose what it really means. We tell people to just let go, but we often don't fully understand what we're asking them to do.
So, let's take a closer look at what it truly means to let go.
To truly let go, we need to remember that we are made up of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. Each part of us needs attention when we're healing from our trauma whether it’s offence, hurt, unforgiveness, fear, abuse, anxiety…basically your negative experiences.
Spirit: Our Core
Our spirit is the deepest part of us, the part that connects with God. When we go through tough times, our spirit can feel heavy and disconnected. Healing in our spirit starts with prayer, forgiveness, and finding a sense of purpose. This is the foundation for letting go.
Soul: Our Emotions and Thoughts
The soul is where our mind, will, and emotions live. It's where we think and remember and where we name an emotion. Negative life experiences leave marks here, leading to long-lasting emotional and psychological challenges. (Of course, the opposite is true for positive experiences but that’s for another time).
Counselling and therapy are essential for dealing with these issues. Victor Frankl, a psychiatrist who survived the Holocaust, emphasised finding meaning in suffering. He believed that finding purpose in the trauma helps us heal from the events. But even after we've worked through things emotionally and mentally, there's more to do.
Body: Our Physical Self
Our body is where we actually feel the emotions that we've named in our soul. We experience everything physically in our body. I want to be clear: a feeling or thought is not just an invisible thing; it creates a physical response in the body.
This is where cellular memory comes in. Our cells store memories of trauma and negative life experience, which show up as physical pain or tension, anxiety, panic attacks - even after we've dealt with the trauma/experience in our heart and mind.
The Forgotten Step: Releasing Trauma from the Body
It's vital to understand that therapy for healing and processing doesn't just involve the heart and mind. Even after we've processed the trauma psychologically, the physical cellular memory of the trauma -how our body felt at the time - remains. This doesn't mean we haven't truly dealt with it; it just means that releasing it from our body is the final step of healing, which is mostly forgotten.
Many people overlook the body in their healing process because they don't understand or value its role. Yet, when we include bodywork in our therapy, we can release the buildup of negative memories stored in our cells.
If you're doing all the right things but aren't seeing a change in your health, you might need to address cellular memory. Not all therapies treat cellular memory, but these do:
Including these methods in your healing journey can help you release what’s stored in your body and experienced as a symptom, to achieve a more complete and lasting recovery.
In summary, letting go isn't just about moving on emotionally and mentally. It’s not just talking it through or processing psychologically. It's about addressing and releasing what’s physically being stored in our bodies. By taking care of our spirit, soul, AND body, we can truly let go and find lasting healing.
If any of the above resonates with you, please contact me so I can help you. It’s an honour and privilege to share the these tools for freedom.