Abuse is so much more than injury to one’s body or to one’s mind; it is injury to one’s very spirit. I am speaking mostly of childhood abuse, because that’s what I have the most experience with, but I’m sure this applies to other types of trauma as well. True, there is usually physical pain involved in abuse, as well as distorting of the child’s mental processes, but it goes so much deeper than that. When a child is abused, it changes the very nature of who they are; it penetrates to his or her very spirit. This is not something that can be healed easily. The bruises and scars eventually go away or fade, thoughts can be changed, but the injury to one’s spirit needs a special attention to heal. Abuse can cause the victim to question what is so intrinsically wrong with them that would make it ok to for someone to do such awful things to them. Why did no one protect them? Why did no one notice that something was wrong? Why were they chosen as the target? So many questions that can’t really be answered with words.
An injured spirit needs gentle care. It needs quiet strength from a compassionate healer. An injured spirit needs a healer to bear witness to the pain without trying to explain it or fix it. It does not need anyone’s pity, nor does it need someone who is not strong enough to go to the darkest places imaginable. Going to the dark places has to happen to bring light, but it must not be done alone. The spirit needs an ally to stand close, to hang on tightly. An injured spirit requires much silence in the presence of a strong spirit. Only through direct contact of the energy of a stronger, compassionate spirit can the injured spirit find peace and healing. This work requires courage on the part of both the healer and the injured. It is not work for the weak. It is not one person fixing another, it is two spirits walking together in search of wholeness.
Healing is possible if approached in this way; of one spirit working directly with another. There is life after abuse, and it can be peaceful and happy and fulfilling. It doesn’t have to be “good enough”. Good enough is not what I want for my clients. I want full healing, I want the best possible life for them. I want not only the bruises to be gone and the negative thoughts to be gone, I want to help them restore their spirit to the bright, pure, clean and peaceful place it was before the abuse. I have seen it happen, and it is my wish that more people experience this deep healing. Please contact me if you are struggling.