Can Being More Aware Lead To Self-Healing?

Amy Taylor April 18, 2013

Being aware of how we feel, physically or emotionally, is a critical aspect of self-healing. Decades of research tell us that our thoughts greatly influence, if not control, our health and well-being. Just as the old saying goes – you are what you think. Modern psychobiology confirms that our thoughts and emotions have very specific biochemical counterparts. Emerging scientific evidence also suggests that the images we form in mind can lead to dynamic changes in our body. Does this mean if we think of illness we get ill, and if we think of happiness we find peace? Most probably, yes.

While being aware of our thoughts and emotions does not automatically free us from the difficulties we are going through, it opens up the door towards healing and transformation. Awareness helps us take more control of our life, identify the causes of our illness or distress and find ways to overcome them.  

Understanding Emotional Pain

Physical pain is, with no doubt, much easier to detect than emotional pain. A headache for instance does have plenty of possible causes and there are various treatments for it. Assessing physical pain or discomfort is easier too. We only need to focus on what particular area of the body hurts and that will pave way towards healing and recovery.

But the pain that comes from deep within takes time to be discovered. In fact, some people don’t even know that they are already undergoing depression or any other mental illness until the symptoms become severe and obvious. On the other hand, some deny the fact that they are emotionally unwell. These people choose to suppress or ignore their emotions because they believe that doing so will ease the pain. There are others who simply cannot let go of the pain. This is called psychological attachment. It means being attached to emotional pain, deprivation, and other negative emotions which may have resulted from having an unhealthy childhood experience.

Whatever kind of emotional setback you are having now; do not forget that just like physical pain, it is possible to achieve self-healing. The question now is – how?

Self-Awareness for Self-Healing

This is where self-awareness comes in. Self-awareness is a way of exploring our individual personalities, strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, tendencies, emotions, and all other things that make us who we are. It’s about self-discovery. Every person is in a continual discovery of himself. Just because you are old enough to understand your wants and needs doesn’t mean you are already in full notion of your true self.

Self-awareness helps us understand ourselves better and understand how others perceive us. It gives us an opportunity to know the answers to the most common questions that are bothering our mind. Once you have gained full understanding of yourself, making changes becomes easy.

We might quickly assume that we are self-aware, but our level of awareness may not be enough to promote self-healing. If you have ever been in a vehicular accident, you may have experienced seeing the entire scene in slow motion. That’s what you call ‘heightened awareness’. And it’s possible to incorporate it in your daily life. Giving yourself sometime to be alone and assess your emotions is the best way to achieve self-awareness. A very effective approach is meditation – a technique that helps you release negative thoughts, and encourage positive feelings, including forgiveness and compassion. This natural therapy can be practised alone, but if you have never tried it before, it is best to seek guidance from a professional practitioner.

 

Dear Readers,

Do you agree that self-awareness is the key towards emotional healing? Aside from meditation, what other natural therapies can promote self-awareness?

Share your comment below.