Have you walked in the rain as an adult? Or maybe you got caught in the rain. I was riding my bike this morning, and halfway to the workout place, it started pouring. But I bet you are wondering how getting soaked is a part of healing the child within.
Well, I hate to get my face wet, so I always avoid the rain. But this morning, I kept peddling forward, and by the time I got to the fitness center, I was soaked. Which, of course, started an avalanche of thoughts.
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Why do I hate to be wet? Why is it stressful for me to get caught in the rain? I realized that as a child, I would get in trouble for walking in the rain, but I am no longer a child. So I embraced how liberating it is to feel the rain on my face.
I realized I was healing the child within because I embraced what was uncomfortable. Let’s take a deeper dive into healing the child within.
Revelation
What I am writing today is a revelation for myself. When I rode in the rain and got soaked, it forced me to see why I didn’t like it. And in turn, it set off a circle of steps I needed to walk through to heal from child abuse.
When I would walk in the rain as a child and get all wet, it was always something bigger. My dad would make up outlandish things about how I wanted it to rain so I could get wet, and from there, the punishment also grew.
I have worked through so much healing in my lifetime, and the process is an ongoing one. Recovery is like peeling layers off and digging down to reach the painful parts and taste freedom.
Healing The Child Within
I want to throw this in here because I ran across this book title while looking at healing the child within on the internet.
Healing The Child Within By Charles L. Whitfield is for adult recovery from dysfunctional families. I have not read it but, if you do, please let us know if it helped. It appears to be along the lines of healing from the trauma of childhood.
OK, so I am moving forward to healing the child within and walking in the rain.
Before We Get Started
As I go through these four steps, I want to tell you that the process is challenging. I talk about each step as if it is a smooth process. For some, it can be easy; for others, it can be bumpy.
The trick is to take each step as slowly as needed. Spend time taking care of yourself. Self-awareness alone will take time to adjust.
So go at your speed, do it your way and use these four steps as a guide.
4 Steps To Heal The Past
When I realized I hated to get on my face, I felt ridiculous and set in motion the steps of my healing.
The 4 steps to healing our past:
- Awareness
- Acknowledgment
- Acceptance
- Letting go of fear
awareness
As I rode in the rain and my face was dripping with water, I became aware of why it bothered me. I had this exact situation happen many times in my life, but this time, my mind was ready to face it.
Moments like this happen all the time in our lives, but if we aren’t ready to work through them, awareness will not happen. We will keep moving around the issue until the day dawns, and it is a safe time to begin our recovery.
Acknowledgment
When we become aware of something in our life that needs work, it is time to acknowledge it. The problem is in front of us. We can choose to work on it or let it go.
Since we are aware, it may be a safe time to take control of the situation and work through the issue.
At this point, it may be helpful to talk to a professional to reiterate or learn new coping mechanisms. Each person is different in their needs.
Acceptance
We can’t just accept it and move on. It is important to consent to feel and know that past situations can no longer harm us. It can cause pain from memory, but as an adult, we have control.
The past pain or what happened to us is a memory and can not touch us unless we permit it. We have to take away the power the past held over us and empower ourselves to let it all go after we work through it.
Let Go Of Fear
When I work through a new pain or issue that arises, I often have the same emotions I had when I was young and in the situation. If l let the same fear take over, it will hinder my healing process.
I continually remind myself that I m grown and the situation is in my past. It can no longer touch me on a physical level.
Once I grasp these four stages, I can let go of the fear and the situation.
I almost turned around and went back home when I got all wet. The situation was a trigger of past fear and pain. But when awareness hit, I acknowledged the issue and accepted it was a part of my past. I took control and realized I could no longer get in trouble with my dad. Then I let go of the fear and felt liberated.
Sounds So Easy
The 4 step process I just talked about makes it all sound so easy. But nothing about working through our past is easy. The more we use this method, the faster the process will move.
We are constantly dealing with past pain and working through it to heal. It may take days or weeks for some to realize the pain from our past no longer has a hold. That pain is a memory and not a physical threat.
Most of all, be kind to yourself as you face the past and bring it into the future so you can let it go. It is a continual process, and each one we work through brings us closer to feeling whole.
Summary
These four steps, awareness, acknowledgment, acceptance, and letting go of fear, are condensed versions to heal. Sometimes in life, we have to simplify healing the child within to get the freedom we crave.
You got this; I got this, and tomorrow will be a new day.
