The Healing Mindset

It was a long time ago when I discovered that I could heal people. Growing up in poverty in the city made it harder for me to accept that part of myself. The idea of helping people in a world that tells you "Every man for himself" is a hard pill to swallow. The city beats you down and tells you that you are a fool if you aren't looking out for yourself. I struggled with the idea of being true to who I was when I was going against who I was supposed to be.

Who we are when no one is looking is who we are; isn't that what we are told? Yet, when we fall in stark contrast to who we are supposed to be, how do we resolve ourselves? How do we move in the path that was our destiny when faced with such staggering opposition.

Over time, I found myself willingly helping people. The rational part of me scolded myself, and my internal dialogue battered me repeatedly with negative self-talk such as "You're stupid, you're naive, you're foolish, and you're unworthy.'

As an energy healer and an Empath, it was hard to ignore the unspoken cries of those around me. I felt their pain before they even said a word. These people would come from a place of quiet suffering. The unspoken sorrow pushed at them until it was an all-consuming flame, and I felt all of it. It poured into me and ate at me until I started to listen to the cries. When I would come to help them, their fires were extinguished, and peace-filled their hearts.

I offered them a chance to heal, a chance to find the light hidden in the darkness, and offered them hope.

Healing, though, isn't just for the healers. Healing is about listening to the cries of those around you and about being open to hearing the stories of those who are different from you. An unwritten understanding between two souls says, "You will be ok. I am here," there is power in that message. There is power in having faith in humanity and our ability to redeem ourselves by lifting our brothers and sisters.

I read not too long ago a story about a teacher who created this activity where they placed hundreds of balloons on the ground with a single name written on them. This teacher asked the students to find their names, and after time passed, the students, frustrated, said it was impossible.

The teacher said, "Find the name of someone you know and give it to them," their balloons were found, and the hall cleared as students stood proud with their name labeled balloon. The teacher looked around and said, "When you are only looking out for yourself, the world will seem impossible to navigate, but when you are looking out for each other, you will find what you were searching for."

What was so powerful about this message was that it illustrated how important it is for us to help one another. A healing mindset isn't about trying to figure out how to become a healer. It is about caring about someone else and wanted to help them heal.

When we shift our focus away from "It's a dog eat dog world and see ourselves working as a collective towards the same goal, we can find the healing light within us and become who we have always wanted to be. Your balloon is out there; maybe someone else will help you find it.