TRANSFORMING TRAUMA THROUGH SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

Have you been a victim of abuse be it sexual, physical or emotional? Have you experienced a loss in your life of a loved one, a relationship, job or money? We have all experienced trauma in one way or another throughout our lives. According to Buddhist teachings, the human condition is one of suffering. The question is: How do we transcend our traumas and suffering?

For some individuals, suffering or trauma brings them down, creating depression and feelings of hopelessness while others seem to survive trauma with grace and equanimity. For instance, a woman who has been sexually abused as a child or raped as an adult can suffer long term effects and carry deep resentments which often lead to depression. A different women can see how the abuse helped to shape her into a forgiving, more loving person. This latter example is my story and is detailed in my book "Stepping Outside the Secrets."

How did I come to a place of peace regarding all of my sexual abuse? It was through a spiritual journey of seeing things differently, of seeing through "spiritual eyes." I sought out spiritual teachers  and learned to view reality in a new way through their teachings. I believe I chose my life experiences (being sexually abused by my alcoholic father and others) before I even came into this life so that my soul could evolve in this incarnation.

My early abuse drove me deep into my childhood religion for comfort. I spend hours reading spiritual books and going to Church to be able to endure the abuse. Later, I studied to become a psychologist to "understand" my father. Thus, my path was laid out for me to become a transpersonal (or spirit-centered) psychologist to help others. Everything was perfect. Once I understood this, it was easy to forgive my father for he played his part perfectly in the divine dance.

I also came to the realization that I am not my body. While we have bodies, minds and emotions, we are more than this: we are spirits! We are spirits in human bodies which are given to us as vehicles to co-create good or Godliness on this planet. Once we are aware of this we can more easily detach from whatever traumas are presenting on our lives. Everything that happens to us happens by God's will and our job is to learn from the experience and transcend it. Staying attached to our wounded-ness only feeds the body, the ego, and not our spirit