Meditation is a word that conjures up many ideas. For some it invokes irrational fear. For others it is the key to peace and well-being. For others it is jumbled up with confusion and ambivalence. For abuse survivors, it is an important key to striking a balance between the gut-wrenching process of recovery and the need for peace and deep connection with God during that process.
Many people who come from a conservative religious background may feel great concern over the practice of meditation. Perhaps this is a deep worry of yours, and yet you long to find a quiet place for your mind, heart, and body. Sometimes this apprehension comes from associating meditation with other religions. If this is your concern, then you might feel that practicing meditation will compromise your religious beliefs and values.
Other people may find the practice of meditation terrifying for quite another reason: they do not want to get to the core of their being for fear having to confront who and what they will find. If this is your fear, then you might believe that the journey inward will be your undoing because a dark, threatening shadow awaits you. Waits to devour you and finish you off.
Many others are on a constant pendulum swing between fear of deception (or equating meditation with a form of idolatry) and fear of uncorking a monstrous, unrestrained inner self who waits as if lurking behind a door or around a corner to attack. But let me state what I've stated many times before: abuse recovery is about finding balance. Balance between honoring your values and proactively cultivating peace and serenity. Balance between respecting your fears or concerns and exploring why they exist in the first place.
Meditation is simply the act of quieting your mind, spirit, and body, and then focusing. Who or what you focus on is up to you. Some people sit in a particular way and recite prayers and phrases that are meaningful and empowering. Some people focus on the love of God. Other's focus on the beauty of nature. Some people meditate in a house of worship. Others meditate in their own house. The point of meditation is to proactively discipline your thoughts, your body's rhythm, and your spiritual energy so that you become the master of them, not the other way around. In abuse recovery, this means that you are empowered to take debilitating thoughts (such as false guilt) and sabotaging practices (such as perfectionism or addiction) and master them so that they don't master you. It means that as you reach for One beyond yourself, you push toxic ideas and habits aside like a snow plow pushes snow, so that the road becomes clear and the journey is more manageable.
There are many ways to practice meditation that are deeply spiritual, and yet not particularly religious. Again, the focus – especially in abuse recovery - is to invite calm into your life - every aspect of your life. This is not a performance, it is a tool you can use to carve out healing space in your journey.When you find your mind wandering, be kind to yourself and gently redirect back to the focus of your meditation. No pressure!
To get you started, here are a few ideas you may not have considered:
1. Go for a slow walk, breathing deeply, and focusing on what your senses notice - physically and spiritually. If there is a labyrinth in your community or a nature trail, these are ideal for this purpose.
2. Take a camera or a sketch pad to look deeply at and record your environment, exploring images that reflect balance, peace, dignity, and worth.
3. Sit on the veranda of an old hotel or a scenic overlook or at the foot of an ancient tree, soaking in deep, replenishing strength as you deliberately take in God's peace and intentionally exhale toxic thoughts.
4. Read a very small passage of Scripture (no more than a few verses at a time) or other spiritual writings that are meaningful to you. Read these slowly, focusing on each word and how they function as a whole to bring you to a balanced, healthy place where your mind and heart can be renewed and your body can experience transformation.
5. Search through magazines for images and words that reflect the peace you want to cultivate in your life, then clip and glue them to create a collage.
6. Paint or color, letting shapes and shades form as you reflect on peace and well-being.
7. Go for a swim, keeping submerged as much as possible as your body moves with buoyancy and quiet. Other versions of this might be to take a long bath, being careful to notice your thoughts, sensations, and spiritual connection as you make full body contact with water.
8. Build a campfire and get lost in the flames, the sounds, and the fragrance as they accompany your journey inward to peace and balance.
9. Keep a meditation journal as you incorporate these and other meditative practices in your life.
One other note regarding meditation's healing power: this is the time to focus on peace, balance, calm, and serenity. There are plenty of other times when the examination of toxic thinking, false guilt, and self-sabotage are appropriate - but THIS is not one of those times. Meditation is spiritual, emotional, and physical nutrition. It replenishes instead of depletes. It restores, uplifts, calms, and strengthens your bond with Creator and creation.
Volumes have been written about the practice of meditation. Entire organizations and seminars and retreats are dedicated to this practice. This article isn't meant to replace any of those, but to perhaps open your mind and heart to new possibilities. Call God's name in whispers and prayers, colors and rhythms, shapes and sensations. Focus your mind, spirit, and body on the peace that is beyond understanding - the peace that comes through pursuit of all that is sacred, noble, and empowering. Experiment with meditation and determine what works for YOU. There is no formula for your discovery of balance and peace. What works for one person might be incredibly distracting for another. That's part of the joy - listening to the Spirit of God guide you into the presence of holy peace where healthy thinking and balanced living germinates.
Written by Sallie Culbreth, Founder
Committed to Freedom . . . providing people with spiritual tools to help them move beyond abuse
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