The most valuable secondhand tips, tricks and resources from therapy.
Air
By The Conductor
We at soulXstation cannot emphasize enough the importance of understanding that each individual has and always will have their own unique healing journey. sXs is intended to* be used as a resource to help guide you, to hopefully make your journey a bit easier and help those who may not have the means to truly heal (ie: support from family + friends, the monetary means for therapy, etc.) I am extremely grateful, thankful and blessed that I do have the means to enhance and somewhat accelerate my healing journey. The following “map out” is used to steer you in the (what-we-hope) right direction.
Prior to starting the T word, I had my big brother's guidance and inspiration to heal. He handed me my first ever self-improvement book—What Happy People Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Life for the Better by Dan Baker Ph.D. It was the book that sparked my “I need to make some lifestyle changes” interest. As I continued to invest in self enhancement books and learning through popular inspirational /motivational people online, I was getting lonely and not making much progress on the solo mission front. MORAL OF THE STORY, invest in yourself and by invest, I mean= the time, the monetary budget, and being honest with yourself for starters.
Key takeaways from therapy
accountability
discipline
learning
Accountability
when it comes to basically anything relating to healing/goals
A personal example: my relationship with drinking was an area for improvement to say the least. If you have regrets more often than not when going out to parties, then you can totally relate (it's the hangover spiral regret for me).
How you can hold yourself accountable
Practicing what you preach as many times as you have to until it sticks! Practice makes permanent. Be more mindful about what you need to do to make this life change. Prioritize yourself for a bit—honestly just say NO to anything that will not bring value to what you need to heal.
REMINDER, everyone has their own unique journey, you HAVE to put in the work and TIME. I highly recommend starting by doing your research on therapy services to find the best fit.
Discipline
Faith, church + healing prayer
As I continued my therapy session religiously (no pun intended), I learned that my therapist integrated faith based counseling into her practice, which I gratefully accepted. A few resources I found helpful through integrating faith -
Guided bible/meditation apps: Abide, Bible App
Iconnectup.com: a free healing prayer session + donations for sessions can be given before or after a session. The suggested donation for a session is $50. ConnectUp serves people regardless of donation.
Learning
Meditation + Hypnosis
It was extremely hard for me to get into meditating. I am a mostly hyper person and always had high energy as far as I remember. It was not until recently that I was finally ready to be quiet with myself and meditate, so we get it—do it when you want to integrate it into your journey. When you are ready to integrate it, it's still going to be tough to stick to and though 10 mins is the minimum amount of time to meditate per day, I found that closer to 20 mins is most effective, so I highly suggest doing more than 10 mins to get the most out of the practice.
Since meditation is a personal preference just like music is to people, I suggest you start by doing some research via Youtube, Google, the App Store, and the music app of your choice—and you could do the same for hypnosis if that sparks your interest. Speaking of hypnosis, during one of our sessions, my therapist shared that she is certified in hypnosis. Though we do not use hypnosis during our sessions, she was nice enough to share a helpful exercise by simply guiding me through my senses to find a place of peace. For 3-5 mins, pick a positive visualization (for ex: going on a tropical vacation—scan what you can hear, see and feel and find the best ways to keep your focus. For more details visit: Eastern meditative techniques and hypnosis: a new synthesis
Learning through Self-development book recommendations
For those who have yet to read our “it was all a dream, you know the rest” post, here is an important excerpt in regards to self enhancement books: At one of our breakthrough sessions, she suggested the book, Live Your Calling: A Practical Guide to Finding and Fulfilling Your Mission in Life, by Kevin Brennfleck & Kay Marie Brennfleck. What seemed like a minor book suggestion, to my surprise, ended up being huge for me. Hence, www.soulXstation.com.
Another book to consider—Healing by Francis Macnutt, which provided the context to understand healing. Not the most fun to read, and I highly recommend using it more as a guide than a cover-to-cover resource.
Thanks for joining us on the “A” and we do hope you filled up on your AIR element: (clarity, change + inspiration)
PS: TEAM AIR SIGNS!
xx The conductor
For full list of resources from this post + more visit our resource directory (under construction)
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