Hello,
And welcome to this meditation about rebuilding trust from the inside out.
I am Rashid Zahidi,
Creator and author of the Emojim Journal.
That is a journal and workbook for emotional awareness and for balancing your wheel of life.
Take a comfortable seated or lying down position.
Allow your spine to be upright but not rigid.
Let your hands rest naturally.
And gently close your eyes.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and a steady breath out through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale slowly and exhale fully.
Let your breathing return to a natural rhythm.
Now,
Bring your attention to the area of your chest.
Notice what is there.
There may be heaviness,
Tightness,
Guardedness,
Or perhaps numbness.
Without trying to change it,
Simply observe.
Silently say to yourself,
Something painful happened and it mattered.
Allow that truth to exist without explanation.
Breathe gently into the chest area.
With each inhale,
Create space.
With each exhale,
Soften slightly.
You are not reliving the event.
You are acknowledging its impact.
Stay here for a few breaths.
Now,
Bring awareness to the thought.
What happened is not who you are.
You can repeat that to yourself.
What happened is not who I am.
You can repeat it silently if you prefer.
The experience was real.
The pain was real.
But it is not my identity.
Imagine placing the event in front of you,
Like an object on the ground.
Notice that you can observe it.
And if you can observe it,
It is not you.
Feel the subtle distinction between the event and the one who witnessed it.
Breathe into that separation.
Now shift your attention to your body as a whole unit.
As a complete unit.
Notice that despite what happened,
You are still here.
You survived.
Feel your feet or the weight of your body supported by the surface beneath you.
Silently repeat,
I can handle difficult things.
I have handled difficult things.
I have the ability to respond when something goes wrong again.
Notice how this feels in your body.
Trust does not mean nothing will ever hurt again.
Trust means you believe in your capacity to respond.
Let that truth settling to your nervous system.
Trust means you believe in your capacity to respond.
Now imagine a protective wall around your heart.
Do not judge it.
That wall once helped you survive.
Acknowledge it.
Then ask gently,
Is this wall serving me now?
You do not need to remove it completely.
Instead,
Imagine a small doorway forming in that wall.
A doorway you control.
It opens only when you choose.
It closes when needed.
Feel the difference between being exposed and being in control.
You are not removing protection.
You are regulating it.
Breathe with that image.
Now picture yourself in a future moment of connection.
Nothing dramatic.
Just a small,
Safe exchange.
A conversation.
A shared laugh.
A moment of honesty.
Notice what it feels like in your body to allow just a little openness.
Not all at once,
Just a measured amount.
Trust grows gradually.
With each breath,
Imagine your nervous system learning that openness does not equal danger.
Inhale safety.
Exhale tension.
Now bring awareness to the reality that life includes uncertainty.
Notice if your body tightens at that word.
Now gently say,
Uncertainty is part of being human.
I do not need guarantees to move forward.
I only need self-trust.
Feel into that.
Trust is not certainty.
It is confidence in your ability to respond.
Let your breath deepen slightly.
Place one hand over your heart.
Feel its warmth.
Repeat silently.
I choose wise openness.
I choose discernment.
I choose to trust myself first.
Sit with that for a few breaths.
Notice your body.
Notice your breathing.
When you feel ready,
Slowly begin to wiggle your fingers and wiggle your toes.
Gently open your eyes and carry this steady,
Grounded awareness with you.
It is something you extend from a stable center within yourself.
Thank you.
