Waves Of Healing: A Finding Peace Meditation

This Finding Peace Meditation is a guided mindfulness journey that gently leads listeners along a peaceful beach setting, inviting calm and reflection. As waves lap the shore, the meditation incorporates the Finding Peace Worksheet, helping participants explore and process the Six Roots of Pain—Loss, Neglect, Rejection, Abandonment, Betrayal, and Abuse.

With each step, listeners are encouraged to name their emotions, identify core wounds, and access compassionate truths, creating space for healing, clarity, and inner peace.

Transcript

This meditation practice walks the listener through the finding peace process in a meditative sort of way.

The purpose of this meditation is to help the listener find more peace,

Comfort,

Joy,

Or serenity around a particular experience or a particular situation that they've had in their life.

It can be any type of situation.

It can be a situation where the listener behaved in a way that they didn't approve of for themselves,

Or it could also be a situation in which somebody else did something that created an upset feeling for the listener.

It is helpful to identify the situation in which the listener wants to find more clarity or sense of peace about before beginning.

And now let's begin.

Let's begin by settling into a comfortable position,

Either on the floor,

On a cushion,

Or in a chair with your spine long and your shoulders relaxed.

Sit tall with your spine straight,

And when you're ready,

I invite you to gently close your eyes and soften your gaze,

And allow your hands to rest on your lap or knees,

Palms facing up or down,

Or whatever way feels most natural for you.

And then I want you to begin by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Take a deep breath in,

And then slowly exhale,

And as you breathe,

Imagining that each inhale is drawing energy up from the ground,

And each exhale releases any tension down into the earth.

So allowing any tension or stress or any kind of discomfort to leave your body with each out-breath,

Breathing in comfort and relaxation with every in-breath,

Slowly just breathing in now,

Finding a regular pattern that fits best for you.

And I want you to imagine that you are standing at the edge of a beach,

Just walked through a path,

Your feet are now standing on the sand,

The sun is slowly going down,

You can hear the wave crashing along the shore in the distance,

And you notice that there is really no one on the beach tonight,

It's just you and me.

And you can notice the temperature of the air around you,

And smell the sea air,

You can taste the salt on your lips,

You might notice that there's a warm breeze blowing across your face,

And you can feel your feet stepping into the sand as it squishes beneath your toes.

And you turn towards me,

And you share that you want to find more peace or joy or clarity about a particular topic,

And so I invite you to journey with me to help you find that clarity and that joy and that peace that you desire.

And I point to a fire,

It's about 60 paces ahead of us along the seashore,

And I tell you that we are going to meet there in just a moment,

You can choose to walk with me or you can choose to walk on your own,

But I will meet you there at that first fire when you're ready.

Welcome to the first fire,

As you get nearer to the fire you can feel the warmth of the fire,

You can see colors that are within the flames,

You can hear the ocean behind you,

You can hear the fire crackling,

And I share with you that this first fire is the place to explore the facts of the situation.

Facts are the things that we can see or hear if we were watching whatever happened on camera,

And to be honest when you share the facts like this,

There are not very many words that need to be said.

And so we invite you to take a moment to sit by this fire,

Sitting down next to the fire,

Allowing yourself to feel the sand beneath your body,

And I want you to contemplate and imagine that you are watching this incident as you were a third party or a camera,

Looking at it from different angles,

Listening to what's being said,

Listening to what's words are being expressed,

Noticing the expressions on each other's faces,

Noticing what's happening in this situation,

Doing it almost from 30 to 40 feet away like a security camera would be,

And maybe the security camera is moving around so you can look at it from different angles.

So I want you to just notice what's happening in this situation upon which you want to find more peace or joy or clarity,

Just notice what you see,

Notice what you hear,

And if you can put everything that you've seen and heard into one concise short sentence,

What would that sentence be?

And I want you to say it out loud.

Very good.

Now I invite you to stand up,

Brush the sand off of your thighs,

And brush it off into the ground,

Noticing what it feels like to stand up,

And I direct you to the second fire,

Which is about 60 paces away from where we were along the seashore.

This is a little bit closer to the water.

I invite you to walk there either with me or separately,

And as you do so,

Just mindfully noticing your feet,

Noticing how your feet sink into the sand as you walk each step of the way,

And because we're a little nearer to the water,

You'll notice that the sand feels a little bit more firm under your feet because the water's packed it down,

So you're able to see your footprints a little bit as you're walking along,

And I will meet you at the next fire when you're ready,

And as you draw nearer to the fire,

You can feel the warmth of the fire.

You come closer to it,

And I invite you to take a seat next to the fire,

Just to observe the flames,

Notice the colors,

Hear the sounds,

And then I invite you to think about the facts that you just identified at the last fire.

See if you can notice what wound or wounds are most closely associated with what happened for you.

Was it the wound of loss?

Was it the wound of rejection?

Was it the wound of neglect?

Was it the wound of abandonment?

Was it the wound of betrayal?

Or was it the wound of abuse?

Or was it a combination of several of those wounds?

And as you identify what the wound is,

I want you to do a body scan from the top of your head all the way down to your toes.

See if you can feel where you feel the pain of this wound in your body.

Just notice what it feels like,

If it had a texture,

What texture would it have?

If it had a temperature,

What temperature would it be?

If it had a temperature,

What temperature would it have?

Is it a large feeling,

A small feeling?

Do you experience it in different parts of your body?

I want you to just breathe into that pain.

And I want you to validate that it is a place of pain and suffering.

Reflect on how long you've had this wound.

How old were you when it first was created?

Or for how many years have you carried this wound without it really being tended to,

Or healed,

Or bandaged up,

Or soothed in any way?

Just notice.

And consider how this wound has impacted you in your life.

You spend a few moments here by the fire,

Reflecting on and pondering upon this wound and its associated pain.

And if you notice that you are experiencing emotion,

Your emotion is welcome here.

Breathing,

Continuing to breathe in and out.

And then when you're ready,

I invite you to stand up and brush the sand off of your body,

Wiping it off of your thighs,

Taking a deep breath.

And you'll notice that there is another fire about 60 paces along the seashore.

And I invite you to travel to that fire.

And you can travel with me or you can travel on your own.

But as you do so,

Taking mindful steps,

Watching yourself,

Noticing how it feels to step into the sand,

The texture,

The temperature.

Noticing that the sun has now gone down,

Really beginning to be dark,

The moon is starting to show,

Stars are sprinkling up ahead above you.

And I will meet you at the fire when you're ready.

And as you draw nearer to this fire,

You can feel the warmth.

It feels really nice because as the sun's gone down,

It's become a little cooler.

The wind,

The breeze is a little bit cooler.

So being near that fire feels warm.

You can feel the heat.

I'd even want to reach out your hands and feel the heat of the fire on the palms of your hands.

Feel it along your legs.

Sit down crisscross style.

In here,

You reflect on the core beliefs that you have developed because of the wounds that you identified at the last fire.

What are the negative core beliefs that have been woven into your DNA,

Woven into your nervous system?

When those wounds are hit.

Is it an identity genre?

Something that says I'm not enough.

I don't matter.

I'm not worthy.

I'm flawed.

I'm defective.

Is it a safety or trust genre?

I'm not sure that I can trust anybody.

Nobody will show up for me.

The world does not feel safe for me.

I'm alone.

Can't depend on anybody.

Is it a powerless core belief that says that no matter what I do,

Nothing's going to ever change?

No matter what I do,

Nothing's going to ever get better.

Nothing's ever going to improve.

It's always going to be like this.

Or it is a combination of those core beliefs.

And so as you sit near this fire reflecting on the negative core beliefs that have been woven into what you believe when those wounds are hit,

Spend some time reflecting on what those core beliefs are and how long you've been carrying them with you.

And now thinking of the facts that you identified at the first fire,

What actually happened?

What happened and what wounds got hit there?

And as a result,

What are the automatic core beliefs that you were feeling about yourself now because of what happened?

Reflect upon those core beliefs and whether you wholeheartedly agree with them,

Whether you believe that those are true,

Notice if there's any resistance to believing that.

And just notice how you want to respond to these negative core beliefs.

And then when you're ready,

I invite you to stand up and brush the sand from your legs.

And you'll notice that there is another fire about 60 paces along the shore.

And I invite you to mindfully walk from here to there,

And I can accompany you or you can travel on your own,

Paying attention to your feet as they press into the sand.

And I'll meet you there.

As you get closer to the fire,

You can feel the warmth.

It feels comfortable and welcoming because the sun has gone down further and the stars are starting to shine more fully.

You notice that the temperature has dropped a little bit more.

You can feel the breeze off of the ocean.

You can smell the salty air,

And it's a little bit more chilly.

So you can feel the warmth as you approach this fire,

And you place your hands out to warm yourself,

And you sit down near the fire.

And at this fire,

We explore the emotions that have come up because of the facts that have happened in the world that's been hit,

And the negative core beliefs that have been activated.

What core emotions are you feeling now?

Is there anger,

Which comes from a sense that something's being taken from you without your consent?

Is there sadness,

Which comes from a sense of grieving something that's been lost?

Or is there fear,

A sense that something bad's gonna happen and there's no way you can stop it?

As you kind of explore those three core emotions,

Anger,

Fear,

And sadness,

Just notice which ones you're experiencing.

Notice where you feel those emotions in your body.

Reflect on the negative core beliefs that might be fanning the flames of those emotions.

And just be curious,

What am I feeling right now?

Allow yourself some time to explore your emotions,

Which are completely welcome here.

If you feel a wave of emotion rising,

Breathe in and let that emotion out with your out breath.

Breathing in and then letting it come up and out.

Not stuffing it in,

Not shoving it down,

But allowing that emotion to come up and out with every out breath.

Continuing to breathe.

And just allow yourself to feel those emotions.

Just experience them with curiosity,

Without judgment.

And then when you're ready,

Stand up,

Brush yourself off.

Brush the sand from your thighs and calves and just feel the warmth of that fire.

Now I'm going to invite you to actually go toward the ocean itself.

You're going to go put your feet into the ocean water.

You're not going to go very far in,

Just a couple of feet into the ocean.

When you get there,

You're just going to allow the waves to rush up to your feet,

Pull the sand out from under your feet a little bit as the water pulls back into the ocean.

And then it's going to wave up and lap over your feet again.

So when you get there,

We're just going to experience that.

And so that's about 60 paces from where we are right now.

So when you're ready,

You're going to walk towards the water,

Towards the ocean.

And I can accompany you or you can go on your own,

But just mindfully be there.

Taking each step mindfully towards the water,

Noticing how the sand changes as you get closer and closer to the water.

And I'll meet you there.

And now you're here with me and we're standing about a foot into the water.

You can feel the water rushing up against your legs,

Washing up against your legs as the waves come and go back and forth.

You can notice the temperature of the water.

You can notice how your feet feel the sand underneath and how the sand shifts as the water moves.

And as you're here,

You're going to notice the shadows of shame.

Which shadows of shame are washing up against you as you've experienced this incident?

The core wound has been hit,

The negative core beliefs have been activated,

And these emotions that you've been told your whole life you're not supposed to feel have been coming up to the surface.

What shadows are showing up now and washing up against you?

They're the judge,

The royal,

The politician,

The martyr,

The impotent one,

The rebel.

Just notice if any or all of the shadows come and notice what they say.

Imagine that they're standing in the water with you,

Maybe surrounding you,

Maybe they're a little ways off but you can hear them and they're talking to you and they're telling you different things.

Just notice what it is that they say.

And how much do you agree with them?

Is there a contract that you've made with each of these shadows where you agree with what they say and you don't question it,

You just go with what they say?

Or is there some doubt here and you're not sure that they are completely speaking the truth?

Just notice how much you resonate with what they're saying or how much dissonance there might be with what they're saying right now.

You're standing there in the ocean with them.

And I want you to say to them,

The shadows,

I see you.

I see you there.

I notice you.

And as you call them out,

Saying that you see them,

Just notice how they respond.

Notice what their reactions are.

Do they become silent?

Do they pull away a little bit?

Do they seem to get frustrated?

How do the shadows respond as you call them out?

And then as you look back along the fires that we've passed,

You notice that second fire that we were visiting a while ago,

Where the wounds were identified.

Take a look at that fire way in the distance and then look at these shadows and you say,

How are you trying to help me with these wounds that I'm feeling?

What are you trying to prevent me from having to deal with or experience by saying the things that you're saying to me?

And just notice what they say.

And then can you offer some gratitude to them for trying to take care of your wounds,

Trying to protect you from being rejected again or abandoned or betrayed or abused or neglected?

Can you express gratitude to them for trying to help you?

And now I invite you to leave the water and you'll notice that there is a path about a hundred paces away from the water line right behind you.

And I invite you to go towards that path.

And as you're walking,

You'll notice that the water is dripping off of your feet.

You'll notice the way that the sand reacts underneath your feet.

You'll notice the footprints that you're making as you're walking that way.

And as you are walking that way,

I want you to contemplate what it is that you need.

Do you need a towel to help dry off the water?

Do you need affirmation that you're enough?

Do you need assurance that everything is going to be okay?

Do you need comfort?

What do you need?

And not do you need to do,

But in this place,

As we've been walking along this journey and spending some time at the fires and visiting the shadows,

What do you need now?

And so as you contemplate that,

Walking this distance towards the beginning of the trailhead,

Mindfully asking yourself,

What do I need right now?

Tuning into that with every step you take.

And I will meet you there at the trailhead when you get there.

And now as you are here at the trailhead,

I want to ask your body a question,

Not your mind,

Your body.

What is actually true about you?

You've just gone through several fires where you explored the wounds,

The core beliefs,

The emotions.

You faced the shadows in the ocean and you've left them there.

You've started to identify what you need,

Practice compassion.

Breathing in,

Allow your body to answer this question.

What is really true about me?

Think about those negative core beliefs that you identified at that fire over there.

Is that what's true about you?

Or is the opposite of that true about you?

Can you breathe into what is true about you?

And when you identify what is true about you,

I want you to say that out loud.

And if you're not sure that it's completely true,

But you want to believe that it's true,

Then you can add some words like,

I want to believe that this is true about me.

I'm not sure yet,

But I want to.

But if you're absolutely certain that this is true about you,

Then I want you to say it.

I am enough,

For example.

I matter.

I'm worthy of love and belonging or whatever that truth is for you.

Breathe into that.

Notice where you feel that in your body,

Every breath you take.

Now,

As you're standing here at this trailhead,

You'll notice that the trail splits off into various different directions,

Away from the ocean.

Each one is a different way of getting that need that you just identified on your way to the trailhead met.

As you connect with your core belief,

That positive core belief that you've just resonated with,

And you breathe into that,

And then you notice that there's some different options to get that need met in a way that's healthy,

In ways that are not healthy,

In ways that serve you,

In ways that don't serve you.

Can you identify the path that will most serve you in a healthy way in getting your need met?

Can you choose that path and see yourself beginning to walk that path,

Advocating for yourself,

Asking for what you need,

Making the choices that you need to make in order to help facilitate getting that need met.

And then when you're ready,

Begin to walk on that path.

Just notice where it takes you as you begin the process of getting your needs met in a healthy way.

And as you continue along this path,

You come to this pool of water in a grove of trees,

And the pool of water is very still.

And the moonlight is just so that as you look into this pool of water,

You can clearly see your reflection.

As you look and you see your reflection,

Remind yourself what is true about you.

And then notice if anything has shifted because of this journey.

And as you reflect back on where we started,

Those facts at the very beginning of this journey,

And now you're reflecting yourself here in this pool,

What has changed about you?

What is different?

And what does this invite you to want to do moving forward?

So spend some time just reflecting what's different because of the journey that you've taken.

When you're ready,

Take another deep breath and let it go.

Bring yourself back to where you are as you're listening to this meditation.

Wiggle your fingers,

Wiggle your toes,

Bring yourself back to this present moment wherever you are.

Becoming aware of what's around you,

Opening your eyes.

And then when we're done,

You may wish to journal what this was like for you.

You may wish to sit in silence a little longer.

It's up to you.

Ready.

And when the chime rings,

This meditation is complete.