Breaking Through Resistance When You Feel Like Running
Published on 5 Oct 2007 at 3:17 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Feature Articles, Personal Development Strategies, Spirituality & Inspiration.
This past weekend I sponsored a workshop with my friend Kimberly Marooney who flew in from California. Her talent is helping people to feel God’s love. We had a healing circle and a one-day workshop scheduled. She also offered private healing sessions. It was wonderfull!
As a bonus treat, my other pal Anita Pathik Law, www.powerfofmyway.com drove in from Maryland to join us.
As Kimberly began talking and taking us through different explanations and exercises, I found myself starting to yawn and become unfocused which is a signal I’m starting to distance and disassociate so I can run away. Knowing myself as I do, I realized that detaching is a normal protection I use whenever I’m about to break through something important. A part of me becomes afraid and resistance begins to build. I could barely keep my eyes open!
As we moved into a meditation, I became frustrated and restless. I wanted to open my eyes and get up to take a break rather than stay with the experience and go deeper. I could feel myself becoming more anxious.
What helped me to break down my resistance was verbalizing what happening to Kimberly. I have found that giving voice and owning my discomfort enables me to find the courage to recommit to the experience I wish to create. I disempowered my anger and fear to keep me from receiving the gift of healing and personal growth.
Kimberly immediately understood the struggle I was creating and validated what was happening for me. I was then able to give myself permission to be vulnerable and to feel the resistance without trying to get rid of it. Trusting myself, Kimberly, the group, God/Source, and the process gave me the courage to receive the blessings from the experience.
I have found that when I recognize and separate the drama I am creating in my mind from the reality of the moment, I can regain perspective and strengthen my courage. Coming back to the present moment and reframing the experience into a positive one enabled me to “show up” rather than to constrict inside so that I could run and hide. (Breathing helps!!)
I was able to move from resistance (fear) to anger into sadness and then into peace. And, it took far less time to process my feelings than it did to fight against feeling them!
Pretty cool!
The more you fight with something, the stronger it becomes. What you resist persists.
So, throughout the weekend as many emotions came up I allowed myself to feel them without running away or becoming overwhelmed by them. It was so freeing to be fully present and open to whatever happened. If I had allowed my resistance to win out, I would have missed the wonderfull healing and love I experienced!
Most times (if not all) the resistance we feel is the anticipation or fear of what we might experience. We scare ourselves into running away and collect evidence to defend our position.
How do you deal with resistance?
1. How often does your experience match your expectation?
2. What is the affect of your self-talk? (the conversations you have in your head). In other words, what drama does your imagination create to affect your experience? Is what you tell yourself true?
3. What you might be missing by bailing out too soon?
4. What do you need in order to face situations that feel uncomfortable so that you can positively benefit from the experience?
5. What helps you to move through resistance?
We create our own experiences. We can be passive or active. Resistant or flowing with the moment. Conscious or unconscious.
So…….
What will you create today?
Enjoy!
Lorraine
www.powerfull-living.biz
Lola Fayemi on 6 Oct 2007 at 9:49 am: 1
Hey Lorraine
Maybe we are kindered spirits after all, I soooo hear you on this. I find workshops can be the worst time for experiencing resistance. Maybe it’s the intense and accelerated growth from the combined energy of likeminds that can occur during these days/weekends. Major changes are about to happen so something inside pipes up to maintain the status quo.
My personal coping mechanism is to simply watch my thoughts without judgement and see the range of emotions that arise on my way to peace. I have to say I love your no. 3 tip, it really resonated with me so I will be adding that to my mechanism. “What might you be missing out by bailing too soon” so simple yet so effective, great coaching question too.
Thanks Lorraine
In love, light and abundance x x x
lorraine on 6 Oct 2007 at 10:39 am: 2
Hi Lola,
That is so true about how experiences like workshops accelerate growth and intensity. For a day or so before I was aware of the anxiety beginning and once we began working, it became more intense. I’m grateful for those signals.
I love your comment about stepping out of judgment and becoming the observer and learner so that you can move with what is happening towards peace. Boy, I’m with you on that!
Thanks so much for stopping by and adding your insights Lola.
Blessings to you
Lorraine