* Whenever you do inner healing work, if you need the support of a friend or a professional, please reach out. I want you to know that you are not alone. *
I just created this mantra symbol for managing emotional flashbacks and digestive issues which are really common among people who have CPTSD/ CPTSR/ severe codependency.
Using symbols and mantras for the purposes of healing and transformation is so much fun. It’s also soothing and empowering. 🙂
The mantra symbol in the photo can be especially helpful for addressing gut/ bowel/ digestive issues that are related to CPTSD. Anxiety, anger and grief may be stuck underneath the surface of the conscious mind and this mantra symbol can help you let go at deeper levels of being.
When you look at a symbol and read a mantra, you give your brain something positive thing to do while developing a healthy emotional habit.
Whereas mantras give the logical brain something to focus on, symbols are powerful because they bypass the brain’s filters and aim straight for the subconscious mind, where deep and lasting transformation can take place.
Suggestions for using the symbol and mantras:
- You can speak these mantras out loud or silently in your mind.
- You can speak the phrases directly to your stomach or colon or to your body, in general. You can speak them to your inner child. You can speak them as a reminder that you are in control of things and that you are safe.
- You can use them anytime you are triggered. Examples:
- when you are feeling afraid but are not in danger
- when you are about to eat something that you fear might not agree with you
- when you are about to step into a new level of sovereignty power and agency (spa) and you feel resistance or sabotage
- when you feel fear driving you to do too much
- when you feel fear keeping you from doing what you know is good, right and healthy for you
- when you feel fear keeping you from feeling peaceful
- when you feel fear keeping you from feeling joy
- when you realize you are dissociating (sign of an emotional flashback)
- when you realize you’re about to do or say something compulsively or addictively
- when you are afraid of allergies (in a pollen-heavy season)
- any time you feel the need for a psychological boost
Reference: CPTSD book by Pete Walker, specifically his 13 steps for managing emotional flashbacks, which you can find here: http://pete-walker.com/13StepsManageFlashbacks.htm
The first 2 steps of the 13 steps are:
Step 1: I am having an emotional flashback.
Step 2: I feel afraid but I am not in danger.
Here’s an excerpt about digestive issues from the “grieving” portion of Pete’s CPTSD book.
“Always focus on how far you’ve come, not how far you have to go.”
Anonymous
Cheers to your growing sense of safety, security, peace and joy.
Much love,
Happy D!
If you liked this post, you will probably get a ton out of the SANCTUARY E-book: https://joybasedliving.com/sanctuary-free-e-book/
Debbie Happy Cohen, author and coach, is the founder of Joy-Based Living. Her Master’s Degree is in counseling, specializing in family systems, healing emotional trauma, and practical spirituality. Also affectionately known as Happy D! and Reverend SASSY SHORTS!, she lives on Lookout Mountain in Alabama, near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her books include Reach Your Stars!, SANCTUARY, It’s All About Kids: Every Child Deserves a Teacher of the Year, and I Don’t Think So! Her social media playgrounds as well as the SANCTUARY ebook can be found right here.
