DailyOM: What does it mean to go from self-destruction to reconstruction?
Leah Guy: We are beings always in motion on a planet that is in motion. Nothing is ever the same, although we perceive it to be the same or similar, which helps us feel safe and comfortable. The truth is, we are always moving toward something or away from something. In a simple analogy, you are either moving toward the thing, person, thought, or event that will positively react with your makeup and energy system or negatively react with you.
This may include moving toward a healthy relationship or a relationship full of pain and crisis. It may be moving toward nutrient-rich vegetables or a chemical-laden box of sugary food. You may be moving toward unhealthy patterns that create self-loathing or toward healthy patterns that create self-love. Regardless, we are always moving, and it is important to become conscious of what we are moving toward so we have a way to direct our paths.
Reconstruction is a conscious effort to move toward what better supports the inherent value of your being. It's a rebuilding of self: foundation, inner worth, strength, support, and love, which will lead toward decision-making and action taking that feed the body, mind, emotions, and soul in a healthy way.
DailyOM: Why is it so important to do our emotional-healing work?
Leah: Healing work is the foundation from which we grow. Each of us has been subject to pain, injustice, heartbreak, loss, and many other experiences that affect how we feel about the world and ourselves. Working with the emotional body and processing our experiences in a healthy way gives us the opportunity to be free and available to life as it unfolds. Without personal growth, we can easily get stuck in pain or negative patterns that inhibit us from good relationships, positive self-esteem, and being open to new possibilities, trust, and love.
It can be challenging and even scary to process some of our emotions, because we're afraid of experiencing more pain or being unable to escape the nightmares or fear that surround potential threats. The reality is that as we process our emotions and gain clarity about our worth, we can begin building a foundation of strength and surety. This is easier with a plan in place and support, which is what I offer in this course.
All emotions have a thought attached to them, and as we learn to trust ourselves to face the truth of our emotions, we gain discipline of the mind that is otherwise unavailable if we are reacting out of fear and projection. The clearer we become, and the more we trust ourselves to handle difficult situations, the more present and sturdier we feel in handling situations that may arise.
DailyOM: Do you believe anyone can heal from emotional pain?
Leah: Yes, I believe anyone can heal from emotional pain, and it is important that we remember healing is a process. For some, it is a longer process but still achievable. As a process, if you remember the truth that we are always moving (toward destruction or reconstruction), every single small step can take you further on the path of healing at any time. And that is the journey.
It's important to not think that healing has a limited scope or deadline or that it will be "over." Commit to the path and that will lead us to greater personal heights. Linear thinking about healing comes from the ego needing to judge how things should be. Healing is a recovery, and recovery is an action of regaining possession of a state of being. It's about reclaiming the self. We cannot expect to wipe out experiences from our psyche or memory.
Just as we won't fit into the same clothes for the entirety of our lives, the same is true with our emotional growth. We need new perspectives and tools to help us fit into the new state we have grown into, while also connecting to our true selves to make this new space as healthy and peaceful as possible.
DailyOM: With over 21 lessons, you cover a lot of ground in this course. Is it necessary to work through all these elements to find peace and happiness?
Leah: The course does cover a lot of ground and is meant to attend to all of the nooks and crannies within our operating systems, so we have a full scope of the patterns and possibilities of how to positively affect our behavior and experience. While I shouldn't say it is "necessary," because there is no failure when any attempt at recovery or self-growth is positive, I have found that working through each of the steps consecutively helps create a foundation and internal support system that underpins holistic wellness.
Sometimes we don't consider different ways we may think or feel about something because we are focused on lack or insecurities have taken over (our negative patterns). Generally, we can all relate to all the variables of this course, and even though one may not hit the trigger zone, we must realize that every earthquake has reverberations, and attending to the reverberations is just as important as dealing with the larger quake.
DailyOM: How did writing this course affect you?
Leah: I love my work in that it is often a reflection of what is going on in my own life, and sharing this with students helps me to connect authentically to myself and others, to be transparent and real in the process of what happens to me in a course such as this. So the answer is: it's life-changing!
With so many changes in my life, both personal and professional, during this course I witnessed the places I still hold resistance, my desire to distract (it took me five days to finish this Q&A!), the holding patterns of emotion, the wanting to sleep more than engage when I am overwhelmed, and that very quiet voice that kept trying to knock me down a rung — "Who are you to (fill in the blank)?" — was present, making me doubt myself and practice recentering and loving myself, day after day after day.
I will say that by the end of the course, I felt on point, fresh, free, satisfied, and ready to move forward in a new way. (And no surprise, the universe felt my shift, and all of the things that were in a holding pattern started to come into focus, completion, and alignment!)
DailyOM: Shame and insecurities are big topics in healing. Why do you think these issues are so prevalent in our society?
Leah: I think the short answer to this is that we are in an imperfect world, raised by imperfect people who have dealt with their own wounds and shame and transferred their pain onto a loved one. Combine that with the world of social media and marketing and the illusion they create that says other people are more successful, prettier, more confident, more important, and just have more worth.
I believe we are entering an age of authenticity, which would help flush out the toxic system of shame to a degree, where we can all operate as is, while placing worth on the important things in life, such as equality, justice, love, and the value of simply being.
DailyOM: Thank you, Leah, for the course, the interview, and your big open heart. If you would like to start reconstructing your life, try this transformative course. Until next time.
Be well,
DailyOM
No comments:
Post a Comment