Getting Over Yourself and Moving into You

We can all think of things we would love to do in life and we can all think of a hundred and one reasons why we can’t do them. But how many of these reasons are excuses and how many of these excuses are just our fears?

 

When I first started doing my complementary therapy work, I would often be invited along to various groups to give talks about what I did.  I had always been a very shy, quiet person so, needless to say, I would be  extremely anxious for several days beforehand but always made myself do it because “it was good for business”.  Just accepting the invitation was a hurdle; showing up on the day even more of a challenge.  I did several talks over the years, just bumbling my way through in the beginning.  Eventually I began to find it easier and, dare I say it, the last one I did, in a care home, I actually enjoyed. The funny thing was, once I’d got over my fear, the invitations dried up. I didn’t need to learn that lesson any more.

 

Around that time I came across a statement in a book I was reading that rocked me to the core:

 

“Being shy is the greatest form of self-obsession.”

 

As a shy person, I was rather indignant about this! However the more I pondered those words, the more I realised, albeit grudgingly, that they were right. By being shy and holding back from others, you are not sharing. You are more concerned with what people think about you. It’s all about you.  Your mind is filled with “I really can’t do that”, “I hate being centre of attention”, “I’ll start jabbering and dry up”, “I’ll do this wrong, I’ll do that wrong”… in other words, “It’s all about me, me, me!”

 

The moment you bring your own fears and dramas into the situation, you make it about you. The ego is going frantic, telling you that you can’t go through with it. The ego feels threatened and will do its best to sabotage any efforts you make towards personal growth.

 

Now, more than 10 years later, I can look at this from a more objective point of view and try to rationalise my former irrational reaction. If you really cared that much about what people thought, you wouldn’t speak or voice an opinion/viewpoint at all. When you think about it, whatever you say, in whichever environment you’re in (work, home, with friends etc), some people will agree with everything you say, some will agree with part and disagree with part and some will disagree with you whatever you say. And that really doesn’t bother you when you’re with people you know well! Public speaking is just speaking on a bigger scale than you usually do.  There will still be the same ratio of those who agree, those who part agree and those who disagree.

 

The challenge in life is to be yourself and let go of worrying about how you will be received. When you are being yourself you reflect the true you. You will then automatically attract the kinds of people who genuinely resonate with you and need to hear what you have to say. Every one of us possesses a unique set of gifts, passions and life experiences. All you need to do is share them honestly.  After all, people can’t like or admire the real you if they never get to see it. Doubts and fears are normal. Try stating your fears out loud – it makes them a little less scary.  When you have fear, you are afraid to be you. But if you can conquer one fear, then another, then another, you’re well on your way to finding and living your soul purpose. In other words you have moved out of ego (solar plexus chakra) and up into the heart.

 

Helen Shortland is a Spiritual Consultant, Reiki Master Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or visit and ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

TRUST YOUR GUT INSTINCTS!

I’m sure most of us have been in a situation when something we are being told just doesn’t feel right. You’re not sure why, you can’t put your finger on it, but something is telling you that something is wrong. So what are you sensing and what is it that is trying to communicate with you? Your energy body or aura is giving out and receiving communication on an energetic level all the time and it is your solar plexus chakra in particular where you  ‘sense’ or ‘feel’ energy.  This chakra connected to the psychic ability of clairsentience or ‘clear feeling’. The solar plexus is situated in our stomach just above the naval. For that reason, this feeling or intuition is also known as gut instinct. If you can strengthen your gut instinct and gain trust in it through practice, you can in effect become a human lie detector.

 

Everyone has a personal energy vibration made up of their thoughts and emotions. We respond subconsciously to a person’s energy vibration all the time – in other words, there are some people you instantly resonate with and others that you just wish to avoid. We make decisions about other people based on their vibration without even realising it. We can sense when someone is being authentic and equally when they are not being truthful. When someone is being authentic and truthful, the energy matches their words. When they are telling a lie, the energy they give out does not match what they are saying. This creates a feeling that something isn’t quite right and it is simply because the energy vibrations do not match. This is why you get that feeling that something just doesn’t feel right. Energy doesn’t lie.

 

Feeling Truth and Untruth in the Body

 

Your body works like a finely tuned biofeedback mechanism and is constantly giving you clues if you can learn how to interpret them. If you say a statement out loud, notice where you feel it in your body when you say something that is true, and again notice where you feel it in your body when you say something that is untrue.  When I say a true statement, I feel a nice healthy in/out type of bouncing energy in my solar plexus. However when I say an untrue statement, I feel a heavier energy swirling deeper, lower down from the solar plexus, around the belly button. Try practicing this yourself and determine your own responses for truth and untruth.  Please note that your responses reflect how you really feel about something, not fact or prediction.

 

Greater Awareness

 

Once you’ve practiced this a few times and found a consistent pattern, you will start to trust your gut instincts all the time. It can be very useful to find out how you really feel about something for instance. Do you really want what you are striving for or is it really what someone else wants for you? Try practicing with other people as well. Get a friend to make various statements and you will be able to develop your ability to sense other people’s energy as well as determine whether they are being honest with you! All psychic abilities can be developed with practice – it’s just like learning to strengthen a muscle you don’t normally use – and this is a skill that can be put to great use in a variety of situations.

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Spiritual Consultant, Reiki Master Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or visit and ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

 

Helen is running a Developing Intuition workshop on Sat 19^th March at 15 Wheeler Gate. This workshop is now fully booked but another one will be held at a later date at another city centre venue. If you would like to receive information about workshops, please ‘like’ her Facebook page or email helenshortland@live.co.uk to be added to her email database.

Healing the Heart

Years ago people usually stayed with the same partner, who they met at an early age, in the same job, in the same home. Nowadays there seems to be a quickening of pace which may be due to the higher frequencies of energies coming to the earth plane. People are evolving in a shorter space of time than before and are experiencing many lessons in one lifetime. We choose our ‘learning situations’ before we incarnate and these will inevitably involve romantic partners. Your most fundamental karmic lessons that you need to learn in life will most likely present themselves through the relationships you attract.

 

Over time you realise that you are repeating the same old mistakes over and over again in relationships. Unfortunately you will continue to attract an “opportunity to get it right” until you finally learn the lesson and break your habitual pattern of behaviour. Until you have learnt to value yourself as a lovable human being who deserves love and happiness, a successful relationship will elude you. Once you have reached that point, however, you will easily attract the right partner into your life.

 

Below are some healing techniques to help you work your way through repeating patterns of behaviour, along with information on crystals that can help heal heart issues and strengthen self-worth and the names of certain Archangels you can call upon to assist you to find love.

 

Healing Techniques

 

Energy Vacuuming – Call upon Archangel Michael daily and ask him to vacuum your energy field from head to toe to remove any fear-based energy and anything that is not serving your highest and greatest good. When I did this I saw Michael and his legions of angels approaching and sucking up negative dark energy with a large hose. You may also receive a message or insight into your love problem, such as “afraid to love”, as it is being released. Afterwards visualise your aura as lighter and brighter than before and thank Archangel Michael. I certainly find I feel clearer and energetically lighter after doing this.

 

Cord Cutting – Call upon Archangel Michael once more and ask him to cut the cords of fear and negativity that are preventing you from finding a loving, stable relationship. Allow a few minutes for the cords to be cut. You may feel a subtle shift of energy while this is being done and may have images or memories of past hurts that are still affecting you today. Repeat daily for a week.

 

Crystals

 

You can sit and meditate with crystals, hold them to your heart chakra or carry them around with you in your pocket.

 

Rose Quartz – increases self-love, self-worth and compassion for self and others; prevents negative self-talk (putting yourself down); promotes forgiveness; dissolves love blockages.

Rhodochrosite – self-acceptance.

Rhodonite – heals emotional wounds.

Amazonite – soothes emotional trauma, worry and fear.

Chrysoprase – heals a broken heart.

Angelite – releases fear.

Aquamarine – releases grief and helps you understand difficult situations.

Malachite – releases negative experiences (but use with rose quartz to soften as it is very powerful on its own).

 

Angels

 

Sit quietly and call upon the Angel you need, tell them your troubles and ask them for their help.

 

Chamuel – Angel of unconditional love (pink)

Gabriel – to guide you through a new relationship (copper/orange)

Raphael – healing past emotional wounds, to heal a relationship or if you’ve lost someone and don’t feel whole (emerald green)

Michael – to help you stand up for yourself; give you courage to demand changes in relationships if you always do what others want you to do; general emotional strain (blue).

Uriel – peace, forgiveness, exhausted from over-giving, releasing resentment (purple/gold).

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Spiritual Consultant, Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Angel Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or visit and ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

NEW YEAR, NEW VIBRATIONS!

In my work as a Healer and Holistic Therapist I meet many people who say they are “too open” and absorb too much from the people and environment around them. The problem of course is the negativity they are absorbing rather than the positive. The key here is to rise above and deflect the negative and be aware of and open to the positive.

 

Many healers, therapists and readers take on the lower energy vibration of their clients. Other people worry about the state of the world, their loved ones and their own problems, all of which lowers your vibration. The solution is to be at a high frequency but not so open that you lose energy to others. When you look at highly spiritual people like the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa and Amma, you can see it is possible to remain in a high vibration state.

 

The biggest issue we have to face during our time on earth is overcoming the dense vibration of fear. The aim is to live without fear, replacing it with love. This can only be achieved by working through our own individual fears. So our challenge is to reach a high vibration and stay there, not letting other people, situations, worries and fears drag us down. We can all call in white then violet light with the intention of psychically cleansing the energy body and use psychic protection techniques such as surrounding ourselves in a gold, blue or violet bubble of light. From an energy perspective, rising above negativity literally involves getting over ourselves (ego/Solar Plexus chakra) and up into the heart centre where we experience love for others. After all, how can you inspire others to rise up out of their own darkness if you are sharing the darkness with them?

 

There are several ways to achieve a higher energy vibration which are also highly beneficial for our wellbeing and relationships with others. Here are some suggestions:-

 

1. Look for the beauty in everything. Nature is truly awesome if you stop and take the time to look.
2. Practice gratitude. Write a list of all the things you are grateful for or happy about, whether it is supportive friends, a loving family or simply an act of kindness you witnessed that day which reminded you that there is kindness in the world. When you start looking for positives you become a more positive person. On occasions when you have a negative thought about someone or yourself, it is said that you have 17 seconds to turn that negative thought into a positive one before it turns into a negative energy pattern, ie. you experience the negative impact in your energy body.
3. Look for something new every day which will increase your sensory awareness. It is amazing how much more you notice when you actually start looking, especially if you are someone who is usually rushing around living a very busy life.
4. Practice meditation to restore the energy body to do guided visualisations to a place of peace and serenity which you are observing nature with your inner sight, hearing and feeling.
5. Avoid speaking ill of others and stop yourself when you hear you are putting yourself down. When you see others as less than ideal, you are being judgmental and lowering your vibration because you are focussing on what is “wrong”. Accepting others as they are, and yourself as you are, is a form of unconditional love which keeps you in your heart centre. When you are coming from a place of love, your vibration is high.
6. Work through and release your own issues and energy blocks. This will help you distance yourself from similar problems in others, preventing you feeling low afterwards. Empathy is one thing but wallowing in mutual misery is another! You can help people far more if you can let them know what has worked for you and how you came through your own challenges.

Despite many appearances to the contrary, we are not meant to live in fear or in a state of manic busyness where we are too exhausted to cope. The greatest gift you can give yourself this New Year is the awareness of how negativity affects you and making time for spiritual practices you can use to improve your wellbeing and personal growth.

 

Helen Shortland is a Spiritual Consultant, Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Angel Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

A Call for Light Workers to Shine their Light to all Humanity

I received this 'inspired communication' early one morning a few days ago and it seemed to come through with a real sense of urgency, a sense that time is running out and that we need to act now. Since then Turkey has downed a Russian plane and we seem to be heading ever closer to being drawn into a 3rd World War. Recent events in Paris have brought home to us how close this threat really is. It has been said that every war is fought up to the limits of the technology that is available at the time so now, in 2015, that means that the next one will be nuclear, threatening the destruction of the planet and annihilation of humanity. All because certain groups of people choose to focus on differences in ideology rather than what unites us as human beings.


For several years now more and more angels have been drawing closer to the earth plane and over the last decade more and more frequencies of healing energy have been transmitted to the earth plane by high level beings of light in other dimensions. I believe that the angels have been drawing closer to us recently because they know what is coming up for us. The explosion of interest in healing modalities such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Seichem, Sekhem and Tera Mai amongst others has all been designed to help as many people as possible raise their vibration not just for themselves but for the planet as a whole. The angels have been preparing us and supporting us for years. There is a Plan and we are part of it. Now it is time for all Light Workers (healers, angel therapists, spiritual teachers etc) to unite and start to consciously work to raise the vibration of humanity.


Whenever we hear of another terrorist attack on the news, it is very easy to sink down into the lower, heavier vibration of fear and hate. You can literally feel your energy level drop. Now more than ever, however, Light Workers need to stay strong in their own power of high energy vibration and send this light out to others, to the very people who appear to threaten our security and safety. Reiki practitioners will remember from the Level 2 training that whenever you are in conflict with someone, the best thing to do is to send them Reiki with the intention to heal the relationship/situation for the highest good of both of you. This sends light to the other person's higher self. Even if the healing is not fully sent with love, the act of sending light is the act of sending an increase in consciousness which the higher self receives and acts upon at a subtle level, causing a shift in energy between the people involved. Now we need all the Light Workers on the planet to send this healing light of consciousness to world leaders, politicians and, yes, to the terrorist groups themselves. I understand that some will feel resistance to this idea but the situation can only be helped if the higher self of all these people is reached and allowed to check and inspire their actions. When you send love and light to someone, the intention is to connect and uplift them into their higher self or soul, in other words into a higher consciousness. Remember that we are all bigger, and so much more, than the part of us in physical incarnation. If enough people set the intention to send healing to the terrorist groups, we can make a difference.  144,000 people is said to be the number of people working with the light required to shift the energy vibration of humanity into a raised level of consciousness.


It is worth mentioning here that everyone who comes into incarnation comes here with a plan for their life. Some people come here to do good works, others come here to be part of the chaos and destruction. Sending people hate is pointless; our only hope is a willingness to heal the situation. The threat we face now is part of the World Plan. If we manage to overcome our differences now and find a way to live in harmony, then we can truly live in the promised Golden Age that is possible for humanity to achieve. If not, the opposite will occur.


So why do I think sending people light and upliftment will work or at least have a positive effect?  Well there have been many times in my life when I have been aware of the forces of light and dark playing out in my life. Whenever I feel I am being dragged down into a fear-based mindset, I have been prompted to affirm to the universe "I choose light!" As ridiculous as this may sound, it always works. My energy field immediately brightens and I feel a shift, allowing angels to draw near bringing peace and calm once more. It is also excellent to use if you are under any form of psychic attack. If everyone currently on the planet at this time did this, the planetary vibration would be high enough to override all the fear and darkness on the planet today. Think how many angels would be able to draw close to us all then! Two spiritual truths I have learned over the many years on my spiritual path deserve mention here:  "Where there is light, there can be no darkness" and "A higher vibration always wipes out a lower one".


So how can we make a difference and send healing at this time? Whether you are a trained/attuned healer or not, it doesn't matter. Anyone can visualise their own aura lighting up - do this so that it is bright enough to feel like it is shimmering with pure white light. Now visualise the aura of another person or group of people lighting up in the same way, with the intention that they receive the love and wisdom of their higher self. All you need to do is visualise them surrounded with light.  I have even practiced this technique at the bus stop on a couple of occasions with interesting results! There seems to be a greater sense of consideration, care and courtesy between the people I surrounded with light than the ones I didn't. You can try this technique with anyone you are in conflict with, or with anyone you just wish to lift up into a higher vibration. It can be done either in person or by visualising them remotely. Another spiritual truth to bear in mind here: "The more harmony you create in your own life, the more harmony you have to spread to others".


If you are already a Light Worker, your mission in life is to spread light - the light of conscious awareness, love and healing. And that time is now. The world needs your light now. In the words of Light Worker Rebecca Campbell "The purpose of all light workers is to quite simply BE THE LIGHT". Visualise and intend your own aura to lighten up, then do the same for others.


Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Healer, Angel Therapist, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

RELEASING PAIN THROUGH BODY AWARENESS

Recently I was doing a body awareness meditation and my attention was drawn to a constant nagging pain in my upper back.  Focusing completely upon this area, I breathed into and through the pain and to my delight, it eased considerably.  In fact I would actually say that it disappeared…

 

During the meditation I was initially aware of heat and pain in my upper back for what seemed like a long time.  I could feel energy pulsing and throbbing around my spine. I then felt twinges moving outwards across my upper back muscles and twinges in the trapezius muscle across the shoulder blades above.  After about twenty minutes the pain seemed to be condensed into one particular part of the spine, which was the source of the problem.  In my mind’s eye I had an image of two pairs of hands over this part of my thoracic spine then, all of a sudden, the pain was gone.

 

During this exercise various impressions kept popping into my mind.  These, I realised, were the emotions and thoughts I had tried to ignore, suppressing them deep down into my physical upper back.  On a physical level I realised that the pain was due to over-worked muscles when I used my arms to give healing to others.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love my healing work and regard it an honour to give the gift of healing to another.  However, a deeper understanding arose that I also needed to give to myself the correct nourishment of love, positive attention and kindness that I gave to others. 

 

The following day my lower back was aching after I had been sitting in a far from ideal position. This area is weak from muscle strain a few years ago.  I did the body awareness meditation again and, once more, I felt energy circling around that part of the spine, then my spine felt stronger, more solid somehow.  I felt muscle twinges on the left side of the spine, and back muscles that usually ache initially felt heavy, which then eased.  No negative emotions popped into my mind this time.  I did however have an image of myself rushing about, trying to go through a door which was closed but when I did I ended up, somewhat embarrassingly, in someone’s private living space. I understood this to reflect my tendency to try to force things to happen quickly rather than allowing things to happen naturally in their own time.

 

How does it work?

 

So why does paying attention to a problem area ease it so dramatically? How can something so simple actually relieve pain? When we are in pain, our natural reaction is to fight it. We don’t like it, we want to get rid of it as soon as possible, so we suppress it with painkillers and carry on as normal.  Energetically we distance ourselves (with our conscious mind) from the pain, ignoring it and suppressing it deep into the unconscious.  Of course the problem causing the pain is still there, deep in the subconscious and in the cells and tissues of the physical body, which means that the pain can resurface as soon as the painkillers wear off.

 

When you meditate on pain with focused attention, the pain is allowed to express itself fully. When you fully acknowledge the pain, you can gain insights into any underlying mental/emotional issues that are contributing to the pain.  Pain is often the physical manifestation of unresolved mental emotional issues, so acknowledging these issues is the first step to healing.  You may also receive insight into what you are doing that is contributing to the pain, such as poor posture or repetitive muscle movement.  Let your intuition guide you to the source of the poor posture and literally follow the pain around the body.

 

As the muscles and tissues relax and let go as you breathe into and out of that area, they release the emotional and mental pain they were holding in there which was causing the pain and tension in the first place. It is interesting to note that ‘getting the message’ is usually enough for the pain to disappear.  The body just wants you to hear its message.

 

In addition, by focussing your attention on an area of pain, you are mentally giving that part of the body the extra boost of energy it needs to heal itself.  Attention is energy, so when you give attention to something, you are also giving it energy.  This method is almost like sending Reiki to yourself using the power of the mind. However you don’t need to be attuned to Reiki to get the benefit from this exercise. You don’t need to set any intention or have any expectation to heal – just allow what is there to make itself known.

 

Messages from your Body

 

Your body is always trying to give you messages. We usually prefer to ignore these messages hoping that the pain will just go away.  Giving attention to the pain is allowing your body to tell you what you need to know.  Quite simply our bodies are like a biofeedback mechanism.  Pain tells you that something somewhere is wrong and needs addressing, usually on a mental emotional level, and shouldn’t be suppressed long term.  Focusing fully on that pain by breathing into it and through it, impressions will arise concerning the mental emotional pain that has also been suppressed.  When you understand this message, the pain dissipates as it has served its purpose.  Now it is up to you to heed that message so that it doesn’t occur again!

 

Physical pain is often linked to deep-rooted emotional pain and you may be surprised or afraid to discover what has been buried deep in your subconscious.  It is worth remembering though that pain usually doesn’t just go away on its own and that sometimes we do need to face what is painful and fearful in order to begin the healing process.  By suppressing and ignoring pain, we are actually fighting it.  I learned many months ago now that accepting what is brings the greatest peace.  Sometimes we just need to allow our bodies to express themselves.  Focussing attention on them gives you the loving kindness and consideration you need.  If you listen carefully, your body will tell you what areas of your life need addressing and healing.

 

Healing Potential

 

By being willing to explore pain with loving attention, you are affirming that you are willing and able to face what is difficult in your life, what isn’t working for you, and that you are prepared to release it.  It is incredible to think that, in order to relieve pain, often all you need to do is get the message! This exercise also helps you to change your perception of pain and the role it plays in our lives.

 

This technique can also be used any time you feel anxiety, fear or worry in your solar plexus or wherever you carry your tension.  Focus your attention there and breathe into and out of this area.

 

This body awareness exercise is an excellent form of self-healing – it is so simple and so powerful. It is an excellent way for healers to deal with their own aches and pains, especially in places that are hard to reach when giving yourself Reiki.  However its strength and real potential lies in its ability to uncover the underlying causes of physical problem areas and release these smoothly and easily just by focusing on the breath and breathing through the pain. This is the key to real healing.

 

Body Awareness Meditation

 

If you would like to try this healing meditation, here are some guidelines to follow:- 

1. Sit comfortably with your spine straight and feet flat on floor. Focus on your breath, letting it flow evenly in and out.
2. After a few minutes, when you feel more relaxed, let your attention move to a part of your body that is causing pain or discomfort.  Be with the pain, breathing into it and breathing out from it.
3. Be aware of other sensations around this area such as twinges, heat, pulsing etc. The pain may feel intensified and condensed in one spot – allow that to be, just keep focused on that spot, breathing into and out of that area. Notice changing sensations and changing intensity.
4. After a while other impressions may arise. These are feelings and thoughts held here, usually painful and negative in nature, that are linked to your physical pain.  Whatever comes up should be acknowledged without judgement. Imagine yourself ‘opening’ and accepting.  If you wish, you can say to yourself “It’s ok, this is allowed, I can be with this”. In this way, you aren’t saying that everything’s fine if it’s not – you are just being open to acknowledging what is there.
5. When the pain has eased, subsided or disappeared, it is time to bring your meditation to a close. Take a few deep breaths in and out. Start to become aware of the sounds in the room to come back to full waking awareness. Feel your feet flat and heavy on the floor, if necessary with long roots reaching down holding you securely to the earth.

It is worth noting that not every unwanted physical sensation will have a strong emotional charge or underlying mental emotional cause.  If that is the case, just stay with whatever sensations arise, breathing through them, letting them ease in time.

 

If the pain is still present when you have finished, return to it another time as there is more to be released.  On the second and third occasions you will probably find there are no more emotions to acknowledge but the loving attention is still needed to promote healing.

 

NB. If you are working on a pain that does not disappear, it is strongly advised that you see your doctor.

 

Feedback

 

I have been so impressed with the power of this technique, I would love to hear how you get on with it. If you would like to email me your feedback, I can be reached at helenshortland@live.co.uk. The names of all respondents will go into a draw on 31.8.15 and the person selected will win a free half hr Reiki treatment, either distant or in person at my base on Wheeler Gate.

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

HEALING CORE BELIEFS

We all hold beliefs about ourselves and the world which determine how we perceive ourselves and life in general.

 

People whose beliefs are generally positive seem to flow smoothly through life, effectively dealing with whatever challenges arise, usually becoming successful, happy and content.  Those who struggle with negative beliefs about themselves, other people and the world in general, are more likely to suffer with low self-esteem and self-worth and achieve less success and happiness in life.  Many people are good at being positive on the outside but if they are struggling to cope or achieve success in a certain area of their life, it is very likely that deeply held negative beliefs are still present which need healing.

 

Negative beliefs are the ones that hold us back, convincing us that we are not as good as other people, making us believe that we are unworthy and unlovable. I have discovered that they are always untruths and often result from the negative projections of other people.  These are illusions that we have bought into, usually at a time in our lives (childhood/early adolescence) when our own sense of self and self-esteem were not developed strongly enough to provide the discernment we needed.

 

Discovering your Core Beliefs

 

The first step in discovering whether your core beliefs need healing is to ask yourself honestly how you feel about life. Do you feel life is hard or do you manage to face and overcome any challenges with relative ease, achieving your goals effortlessly? How do you feel about each area of your life? In which areas of your life are you not achieving all you would like to achieve? Now start to think about what beliefs you have that are preventing you from achieving the success you would like to achieve. Write it all down, let it flow, without censoring anything that comes out. It is also very insightful to think about who you envy and why – what do you perceive they can do that you can’t? This can reflect back to you your own issues that need healing.

 

I found my own core beliefs centred around lack of confidence. The phrase ‘I can’t do it on my own and as I’m always on my own, it doesn’t get done’ came to mind. I had to admit I was envious of people who have the confidence and self-assurance to do whatever they want to do and go wherever they want to go. Exploring the lack of confidence issue further, asking myself what lay behind this belief, I ultimately reached the underlying statement ‘I’m not good enough on my own’.

 

A lightbulb moment occurred when I recalled how many times I have said “It’s just not good enough”, whether about my business premises, my finances, my home, my own abilities, or even just getting 9 out of 10 instead of 10 out of 10!  When you examine the words you actually speak, you realise that you are constantly projecting your personal core beliefs onto other people and situations but the message is there, loud and clear, if you can recognise it. What you think about other people and situations is merely a reflection of how you think about yourself.

 

Now think about the events that have happened in your life that have contributed to your core beliefs.  Maybe you grew up in a very argumentative environment, receiving criticism about your perceived shortcomings and all the things you did wrong.  Many of us were bullied in our teenage years for whatever reason which reinforces the belief that we just aren’t good enough.  

 

When you examine your negative core beliefs, the underlying theme is always a version of ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I’m not lovable enough’.  These beliefs were formed in your early years; subsequent events just reinforce this one belief. You perceive offends and insults through the eyes of your wounded young self (the wounded child archetype). Emotions will inevitably surface when you do this exercise and identify these beliefs. However just acknowledging them is enough for now because by acknowledging them you are no longer suppressing them.  Once you have identified your core beliefs, you can now start to examine them more closely through the eyes of your adult self.

 

Reframing your Core Beliefs

 

In order to heal, it is essential to change your negative core beliefs.  What you believe and how you feel about yourself determines the energy you give out.  The universe responds to the energy you give out, bringing you the people, events and experiences that reflect your core beliefs. You really are the centre of your own universe!  As above, so below. The universe is not cruel – it is merely showing you which areas of your life need healing and bringing you the opportunity to do so. If you can change your beliefs into something more healthy, you will give out a different, more positive, higher, lighter vibration of energy, that will attract different, more positive people, events and experiences into your life. You really do have the choice of whether to keep buying into the usual, habitual experience of pain or choosing to adopt a more positive interpretation.

 

Now let’s take the main core belief ‘I’m not good enough’. Think about the events that took place that made you believe that statement. Now interpret them as a kind, caring, mature adult would. Arguments at home are always unpleasant for children but ultimately I know now that they resulted from issues between my parents, not me. Maybe I misinterpreted parental criticism – instead of belittling me, they actually cared passionately. I also know now that the horrible things that were said to me at school in my teenage years were not true and were most likely the result of jealousy and the fact that I was too quiet and shy to stand up for myself.

 

Reframing events in this way dissipates the painful emotions attached to them, releasing years of anger and resentment. Hard as it may seem, if you can hold the person/people who caused you harm and pain with compassion and understanding, you can start to turn your beliefs around.  Consider other explanations for their behaviour. There is always another, less painful explanation. It is all down to what you choose to believe. Remember that some people always see the good in others – try to emulate them; it is by far the kinder option - to yourself, not to them.

 

A Healing Choice

 

Disconnecting yourself from negative core beliefs enables you to set yourself free. Understand that only you are hurting; the other people involved have long since forgotten and moved on. When you make a different choice through reframing, you do not necessarily have to forgive the other person/people involved. You only need to find and accept a less hurtful explanation.  Most people who cause pain to others act on auto-pilot anyway, never really realising the consequences of their actions. It is up to you to choose not to let the mindlessness of others hurt you and stop you being all you can be.

 

At the end of the day the choice is yours. You can choose whether to buy into other people’s issues and let them create your reality or you can think to yourself ‘stop right there, that is about you not me’, and refuse to take it on board. Stay true to what you, as a mature adult, know to be true about yourself and detach from the rest.

 

Your life will change considerably for the better when you change your negative core beliefs. Taking responsibility for yourself is essential for healing. It makes you realise just how powerful we all are: our thoughts really do determine our reality.

 

Reframe → Reinterpret → Rebirth

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.