A warm welcome.
Our relationships bring us much love,
Satisfaction and connection.
But they can also be complicated,
Triggering,
Hurtful,
And multi-layered.
This guided meditation uses a somatic tool called titration.
That allows you to meet a relationship hurt,
Challenge or stress in small manageable amounts rather than all at once.
Just as a scientist adds one drop at a time to a solution.
We can learn to touch difficult experiences gently.
Giving the nervous system just enough to hold without asking it to hold everything at once.
This matters because when the nervous system feels safe,
It can finally do what it's built to do.
Process what happened.
Update the old pattern and come back to safe and steady.
So you know what's coming.
During this practice we'll be locating a part of your body that feels at ease,
Safe and grounded.
And using this as an anchor.
From here,
We'll bring our attention to something that feels difficult,
And over time,
Moving our attention back and forth.
From anchor to challenge in a way that feels manageable.
As always,
You get to choose how deep you go.
This is,
After all,
Your practice.
Ready?
Awesome.
This practice is best done sitting in a chair.
Letting your feet rest flat on the floor.
Gently lengthening your spine.
Rolling your shoulders back ever so slightly.
Softening your face.
Eyes closed or gaze gentle.
And beginning by focusing on the centre of your chest.
Often referred to as the energetic heart.
And as you breathe in,
Noticing how your chest expands from the center point out in all directions.
Front body,
Side body,
Back body,
All expanding.
And as you breathe out staying present in the center of your chest whilst also being aware of the feeling of contraction.
Awareness resting in the centre of your chest.
Breathing in,
Whole chest expands.
Breathing out whole chest contracts.
Now layering this practice as you inhale breathing in a sense of gladness as you exhale,
Breathing out any tension.
Nothing forced or dramatic here.
Breathing in a sense of gladness for this moment you've carved out for yourself.
Breathing out any tension.
Now let's begin to explore this practice of titration by first locating a part of your body that feels at ease,
Safe and grounded.
No need to overthink this.
Trust yourself here.
Is it your feet,
Your hips,
Your heart,
Your belly?
And over the next few rounds of prayer,
Connecting with this part of you that will become your resource.
The place you can return to whenever you need.
This is your anchor.
And now allowing a hurt you have experienced in a relationship recently or in your past.
To come forward in your mind's eye.
Bringing the details to mind.
Perhaps picturing the location of where a certain conversation or event took place.
Maybe identifying the dynamic that feels hurtful.
What else is coming up for you?
You and noticing what's happening in your body.
Is their tension,
Heaviness,
Gripping,
Restlessness.
Being curious about any felt experience in the body.
Noticing any emotions too.
No need to get hooked in,
No need to solve anything.
Just noticing.
And now gently shuttling your attention back to the part of your body that feels grounded and safe.
Letting awareness rest on your anchor.
Feeling the steadiness,
The support,
The safety that is available to you.
And as you rest here.
Trusting that your nervous system is integrating what you just touched.
Processing a little of the pain.
Of the activation.
So it doesn't need to feel quite so strong.
And when you're ready,
Returning once more to the relationship that feels difficult or the particular hurt.
This time looking a little deeper.
Beyond the stories,
The judgments,
The blame or discomfort.
What is the real pain for you here?
Does it relate to not feeling seen?
You're not feeling respected.
To feeling lonely,
Disappointed,
Betrayed,
Misunderstood.
Meeting whatever arises.
No need to change it.
Fix it.
Here we're simply building the capacity to turn towards what's hard,
Steadiness and care.
And now once again returning your awareness to the place in your body where you feel grounded,
Resourced and at ease.
Enjoying three slow cleansing and integrating breaths here.
Trusting once more that your nervous system is integrating what you just touched.
Processing more of the pain,
More of the activation.
Sensing into your entire body now.
Whole body breathing.
Whole body supported by the surface beneath you.
Whole body held by the safety of your room.
Now allowing an intention that feels supportive to arise.
You whispering it silently in your mind.
And just noticing if through your wise awareness and your commitment to titration.
If anything has changed.
Perhaps you feel less activated.
Maybe things feel less raw or tender.
Has a new perspective landed.
Maybe you don't feel much and that's okay too.
Trust that this process has allowed your nervous system to process some of the hurt.
Feeling your feet on the floor.
The sounds in your environment.
Trusting in the change that has taken place within you.
Opening your eyes when you're ready.
Thanks for practicing with me today.
Titration gets more powerful the more you return to it.
So you might like to save this meditation and come back to it a few more times,
Letting it keep working on that old hurt,
Layer by layer.
