How to Bring About the "Healing" Experience - Part 1

While looking at the news from America today (February 8th, 2005), I was saddened to see two news reports that showed perhaps just how far lost some of us have become.

One was an article about a woman, a mother in New Jersey, who murdered her 14 - year old daughter.

Another was about another woman, this one in East Meadow on Long Island in New York, who killed her mother.

So this is what some of us have come to, mothers killing daughters and daughters killing mothers.

Though horrible things happen among mankind in all parts of the world and have at all times in human history, a look at the news from America shows that such a thing seems to be happening disturbingly frequently.

Perhaps is it proof that many of us have lost mindfulness of ourselves and the power of our feelings and mental states at the moment, so that things build up and explode in a frenzy of violence and murder.

And many times it seems that this violence and murder is directed to those who are closest to us, our parents, our husband or wife or our children.

Perhaps we are not as close to them as we think that we are or can be?

In seeing the experience and progression of America and all societies we do find people who are confused and troubled.

What has got them in this state may vary?

It may have been some kind of trauma, a one - time experience that left such a scar on them that they can not see it or know how to deal with it.

It may have been an ongoing experience where they were threatened or made to feel anxious or fearful by someone or some situation.

It may have been a lack of mindfulness about who and how they are and an inability to see the need for a change or be able to make such a change.

The philosophies of Yoga and Buddhism teach us that the mind and consciousness are defiled and that this is very much a part of people everywhere in the world and that they do lead us into mental states, feelings and behaviors that can hurt ourselves and others.

Regardless of how an individual sees all of these things in their own life, many do seem to seek something better in their life.

Sometimes this thing that is "better" is nothing more then enhancement of what is going so well for them already.

At other times, this idea of "better" actually means that they want to heal from what is troubling or disturbing in their life.

It seems that in these modern, wealthy, comfortable and convenient times people suffer from more maladies, personal traumas, perceived and real threats then ever before.

We always seem to think of a period of time of as little as ten years ago as being a time of greater innocence, safety and security then the present.

So at this time in history the idea that many of us need healing is a common and popular one and many of us will seek out that healing experience and process.

Too many times we want this healing process to be quick and painless, but anyone who has really experienced any healing know that this is not the way that it works.

Healing takes time, mindfulness, commitment, effort and discipline.

It also takes knowing those things that can help us heal ourselves.

These things may vary.

Some will say believe in Christ.

Others will say meditate and practice Yoga everyday.

And still others will think and say that one should work a program, such as the 12 - step program offered by AA and NA.

Through these methods mentioned above many people have been able to experience a degree of healing or a complete healing.

Sometimes these things are easily within our reach to learn and practice, while others may find them as being too extreme or not in line with their own characteristics, personality and believes at this time in their life.

But there are some other things that we can do that assist in the healing process, some things that are closer to our present state of being, consciousness and situation.

One of these is to become more mindful about what our duties, responsibilities and roles are in life and try to perform them with acceptance, a whole - hearted interest and commitment.

These duties, responsibilities and roles may be small and take little time, such as washing the dishes or taking out the trash or they could be big and involve counseling and taking care of others.

We all have duties, responsibilities and roles in life, regardless of our age and where we live, and once we understand them and perform them well, we are taking a step in the healing process.

2005 John C. Kimbrough (February 8th, 2005)

(John lives and teaches in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be reached at johnckimbrough@yahoo.com)