A Lifestyle of Healing
When we talk about mental health, we often tend to go straight to the mind. This is also what often comes to our minds when we first think about mainstream psychotherapy.
Although the mind is an important aspect of therapy and healing there is also other aspects to healing, which involves our body and spirit.
For instance, epigenetics, research on how our behaviours and environment influence the way are genes are expressed, have shown that trauma is mainly rooted within our bodies on a celullar level. So staying in-tune to practices that reach us on this level can be transformative and healing too.
A Holistic Approach to Healing
A healing practice that reach us on a cellular level is mindfulness practice. Research have shown that regular mindfulness practice can help reset our bodies by regulating our emotions and lower our stress response. This might be, but is not limited to meditation. Mindfulness practice can be anything that involves setting your attention to the present moment and observing that moment without judgement such as directing your attention to your breathing or paying attention to the sensations on a walk - noticing the movement in your body, how your feet touch the ground, the sounds and things you see around you.
Spirituality, engaging with nature, creative expressions and movement practices, such as yoga, dance, and exercising can also have mindfulness aspects to it, as this directs your attention to sensations in the present moment.
Another aspect of healing is communal healing. When our trauma is rooted in history such as colonialism, war, famine, or poverty, healing on a social or communal level can be very powerful and liberating. For instance, group therapy, community healing, or even advocating for social change can help us transform collective pain and trauma into growth and resilience.
So rather than adapting a singular approach to healing I encourage you to explore healing across multiple aspects of your life that resonates with you. Also, remember that your approach to healing might evolve as you will too. For instance, a practice that you find healing now may not resonate with you in a couple of months. Or on certain days you might find it difficult to attend to still mindfulness practices and something more physical might be suitable then. So be kind and check in with yourself on your journey of healing to feel what works best for you.
How Do You Heal?
Lastly, when exploring what healing means to you, I encourage you to focus on how you engage with healing as opposed to what you do to heal. “What do I do to get better?” is a question I frequently get asked as a therapist. However, when we shift our attention from the what to the how, we might start to notice the parts of healing that already are accessible to us that need some tweaks. For instance, by paying attention to how you engage with your everyday life, such as your bed routines, relationships, meals, movement, rest, work, spirituality, nature, and interests, you might be able to shape a lifestyle of healing.
References
Mate G. (2022). The myth of normal: Illness and health in an insane culture.
Pfeiffer, J. R., Mutesa, L., & Uddin, M. (2018). Traumatic Stress Epigenetics. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 5(1), 81–93. doi:10.1007/s40473-018-0143-z
Resmaa M. (2021). My Grandmother’s hands: Racialised trauma and the pathway to mending our hearts and bodies.
