Life after Death – Recovery from Caring
We have made it to 2013. What a roller coaster of upheaval our planet has been through. So many people have reported going through a terrible crisis. If you are one of the unfortunate people affected, maybe I can help you. The past events may have caused you to be traumatised. Trauma is caused when you experience a life-threatening situation. Your nervous system becomes overwhelmed, causing inexplicable symptoms such as anxiety states, fear, memory loss, eating disorders, phobias, sleeping difficulties, relationship difficulties, to name but a few. Trauma happens because your brain is stuck in the past reacting to a perceived situation of danger. Your brain continually floods your body with stress chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol. Trauma may be caused by small repetitive stress events that over time have accumulated and created a traumatic overwhelm in your body. Trauma can be healed. To do so you need to be well resourced and create a sense of safety and well-being. The brain needs to be reminded that the traumatic experience is over and that you are now well and safe. Above all you need kindness, support and quietness.
Witnessing someone else going through a life threatening situation is also traumatic. Often when a loved one becomes ill with a terminal illness and we care for them and witness their suffering, it can be very difficult. Our own life gets put on hold whilst night and day we nurse them, hardly having time to deal with our own needs or reflect upon our emotions of impending loss. This is both emotionally and physically debilitating. Often the stress may be so great that we get ill ourselves. If our loved one dies, it can be very hard. We may be left in a state of collapse and numbness, desolation and even depression mixed with anger at the injustice of it all, or angry with them for dying.
If you have gone through such a gruelling experience, you need to take time now to care for yourself and put the pieces of your life back together. It may feel like nothing has meaning any more. You may feel depressed. There is a natural grieving process that may take several years, and in addition your body needs to recover from the exhaustion. You may feel guilt that you didn’t do enough and you could have saved your loved one in some way. All these feelings are natural. They will change as your body becomes stronger again.
Take time to get in touch with and build your personal resources. Write a list of activities you used to do to enjoy yourself, and begin to do them. Include some physical exercises that help you connect to your body again.
Find a quiet space in nature and take some deep breaths to relax your body. You can call upon Arc Angel Raphael for healing. Allow yourself to ‘just be’.
Take special care to nourish your body with good fresh food, including lots of vegetables and some vitamin supplements, especially B complex to support your nervous system. Take time for a relaxing massage or other supportive therapy. Find someone who is empathic that you can talk to about your experience and the pain of your loss.
Finally when you are ready you can release your loved one with this powerful ritual. Light a candle and call in your guardian angel or guide. You may like to write a letter or a poem or draw a picture for your loved one, sharing your feelings of how it was for you. Sit quietly and allow the feelings to come through. Let them be expressed from your heart in the letter, poem or picture. When finished say ‘Thank you for all that you have given me. I now release you with forgiveness and love’. When ready you can now dispose of your letter, poem or picture, by burning it, or burying it or tearing it up and tossing it into a flowing stream. When completed, do something special and tell yourself, ‘I am now ready to embrace my life, again.’
For more on Resourcing: https://healing-waters.co.uk/resourcing-a-vital-part-of-healing-trauma/
Juliet Yelverton
Founder of Healing Waters Sanctuary, Glastonbury
www.healing-waters.co.uk