This is a guided meditation for changing our relationship with the parts of ourselves that we may not be too fond of,
Or at worse,
Maybe even judge or feel ashamed of.
As always,
If you'd like to welcome in the soothing self-havening touch,
Please do so.
It will deepen the experience of the meditation as well as welcome in new opportunities with neuroplasticity.
Let's begin with a gentle breath in to a soothing count of four,
Three,
Two,
One,
And a gentle release to a count of six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
I'd like to invite you to go inside.
Notice a part of yourself that you're not that keen on.
This may be a part of yourself that you judge.
The part of yourself that you believe lets you down regularly,
Relieves you vulnerable to judgment from others.
Once you've found that part of yourself,
Notice where it lives in your mind and your body.
Notice what it looks like,
What it feels like.
Does it have a shape or color?
Does it have a message or a thought that goes alongside it?
Frequently the parts of us that we judge have what are known as cognitive flashbacks encoded alongside them,
Such as,
Ugh,
So stupid,
Or I'm an idiot.
Maybe I'm a failure or I'm unlovable.
What is the message connected to this part of you?
And as you welcome your attention to connect with this part of you,
And I do honor that this might be irregular,
This might feel weird.
So often we ignore the parts of ourselves that we don't like.
We try to box them up and set them on a table or even high up on a shelf.
And yet they still show up,
Don't they?
And they usually show up and we would least like them to.
We cannot compartmentalize our minds and our bodies.
All parts of us are valuable.
All parts of us need to be welcomed.
And if you have over the course of your life boxed up and set aside the part of you that you're now moving into relationship,
Even imagine you're picking that box off the shelf and you're bringing it into the here and now,
Welcoming it to be present,
Inviting it to share its messages with you.
As you're moving into relationship with this part,
I invite you to welcome in curiosity.
Why does this part of you exist?
Why does it carry the messages that it carries?
Why does it say such mean things?
And I invite you to open up your mind and be receptive to hold onto the possibility that this part of you came into being as a way to keep you safe.
Because I can guarantee that this part of you did not exist when you were first born.
It manifested out of many life experiences,
But as many stories told to it.
And it likely manifested survival tactics and gave itself a job,
Perhaps a job that doesn't need to be done anymore,
But a job nonetheless to keep you safe.
Moving in another gentle grounding breath to a count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
And a slow,
Easy release to a count of six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Beautiful.
And as you check in on this part of you,
If this was a character that had an age that was connected to your own life story,
If it was a symbol,
What would this part of you look like?
Would it be big or small,
Fragile or strong?
Just notice,
Allow it to manifest.
And again,
Recognizing that this may be complicated and tough.
Understanding that moving into these experiences with the shadowy parts of ourselves are critical for healing as well as growth.
All parts are welcome because all parts are part of our survival.
And now that you know what this part looks like and you've welcomed them to join you here,
I'd like to encourage you to ask this part,
What does it mean?
What does it want?
Again,
Inviting yourself to be open and receptive.
And finally,
What is it scared of?
Why does it keep doing this job?
What is its goal?
Let's gather information about this part of you.
Why does it continue to be a part of your life?
And if you like,
You may even pause this recording and write down some of the answers that you're receiving so that you can hold on to them for the future and remember them.
Let's welcome in another gentle breath to a count of four,
Three,
Two,
One,
And release to a count of six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Beautiful.
I'd like to invite you to imagine the possibility of being in a positive and empowering relationship with this part of you.
I'd also like to invite you to invite this part of you to imagine the possibility of doing its job in a different way.
Remembering that the painful parts of us often came into being from the experiences of our past and frequently date all the way back to our childhood when we just didn't know that there was any other way of staying safe or staying alive because we didn't have the tools or even the cognitive brain capacity to know differently.
And so our mind,
Our brain,
Our body simply took in the data from the world around us to create the survival strategies that worked because we're here right now,
Aren't we?
And yet often these parts of us that came into being so long ago don't know that they can do their job in a different way,
That they can help us survive in a different way or even maybe they're no longer needed in the present moment.
We can take a vacation for a very long time because they've worked very hard.
So continuing to hold space for curiosity,
Invite this part of you to share.
What would it like?
What does it mean?
And if possible,
Could it retire or get a promotion and do its job in a different way?
And what would the promotion or that retirement look like?
I'd like to invite you to welcome in another gentle breath to a count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
And a slow,
Easy release to a count of six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
And as we wrap up this guided exercise,
I invite you to take out your journal and do some left and right-handed journaling,
Allowing your dominant hand to represent you in the here and now,
The present moment.
Your non-dominant hand to represent this part of you that you're moving into relationship with.
Begin a dialogue,
Explore,
Get to know this part.
You're on the same team.
You're all part of the same being.
And see how you can move into partnership to create empowered healing and maybe even allow this part of you to take a break.
It's been working really hard for a long time and maybe it's ready to retire or be promoted.
