In my first article of the series, “Tenets of Inner Healing,” I mentioned that in order to begin the journey of change, we must really want to change. Indeed, desire is a very powerful thing since nothing begins without a desire. Unfortunately, a lot of people never get past desire into action and manifestation. Thus, via these articles, I will provide for you the principles that will allow you to do just that, so you can go from talking about change, to living it. 

The second most important principle for dramatic, radical change, is to become open to our spiritual reality.  

Now, before I lose those who may be offput by religiosity and talk of GOD, please keep reading. This isn’t about religion or any specific deity. This is about an aspect of your nature that, if you choose to ignore it, will prevent you from experiencing the fulness of life and finding true happiness and completeness. You don’t have to believe in God to access it, so, please, read on. 

While I certainly believe in a supreme deity, which I do call God – but only because that’s what I am used to; not because that word denotes anything in specific to me — I would like to inform you that I do not practice or believe in any religion. I used to, but my journey expanded to the point where none of those doctrines or religious systems can feed me anymore. On the contrary, I find that people have historically bastardized divine, spiritual texts with restrictive rules and regulations, as well as condemning, divisive teachings; these only create barriers and hindrances to the spiritual life. Today, I study an array of spiritual teachings from many different faiths and find great truth and power in most. I also believe that we each have our own distinct journey with Spirit, and whatever that looks like for each of us is just fine.  

So, when I talk about connecting with our spiritual reality, what I am referring to is the one found within us. None of us must denounce our faith to begin. By all means, do you! We must find our own path, but there is one very important caveat: In whatever way you practice spirituality, make sure that you are not making a person or group of people your God or your way to relationship with God, as this is wholly an inside journey. Indeed, true spirituality is learning to connect with the God within each of us, the only true guide.

For the atheist or agnostic, connecting with the God within represents connecting with your inner spiritual essence, one that goes beyond the physical, human attributes, into the nonphysical and the eternal. You can see it as a journey of exploration. One that has no rules and no end point. It can be anything, everything, and nothing all at the same time. It is about opening up to the metaphysical realities of your being and the world. It is obscure and abstract, and gradually comes into focus.

When people have asked me in the past how one is able to access information about God and the spiritual realm, I always quote one of my favorite prophets, “If you ask, you shall receive. If you knock, the door will be opened. If you seek, you shall find.” Every answer begins with a question and a desire to know more.  

For me, spirituality is all about energy. We are, in our essence, energetic beings. Thus, radical healing has to be holistic in nature. This means that our pursuits toward personal growth must encompass, not just the physical aspects of the human experience, but also the energetic. We are all conscious beings. Interestingly enough, it is our consciousness that bridges the gap between the physical and the spiritual realms. Thus, most of the concepts I employ in my theories of inner healing are about turning inward and connecting with our innermost self, our soul, or higher self (these terms are used interchangeably). We all need to come home to the self, and we do this by using our consciousness, drawing it in, to connect with and awaken the soul. 

Two powerful ways to connect with our soul include the art of being and energetic practices. Being refers to our ability to clear our mind, connect with inner peace, and just be in the moment, practicing our zen energy. Energetic practices include meditation, yoga, breathe work, working with the chakras, praying (while connected to our inner self), meditating on the presence of God, connecting with nature, and more. Basically, any time we still our mind and connect within, we begin to restore the mind-body-soul connection. 

This is the only journey that will bring inner healing and completeness. It has done so for me. I had so many problems when I started my healing journey – from addictions to severe self-worth and codependency issues to profound rejection issues, all of which are now a thing of the past. I credit the spiritual aspect of my journey for bringing the most profound results. I could not have gotten here through mental health practices, talk therapy, or coping strategies alone. And you won’t either.

I did years of therapy, and I am a therapist, so I am clearly a believer of self-help and mental health approaches. It’s just not the whole story. We must draw in to truly heal. Within our beings is the God-self connection, which is our life force. Turing inward allows us to “plug in the refrigerator,” which is what I call this inner re-connection. Through this inner connection, we plug into the life force of the universe that begins to heal our lives radically from the inside-out; we find an abiding, loving connection with the real God; and we find our true selves.

When we try to apply only intellectual and cognitive approaches to healing and change, the result is that the necessary integration of what we have learned doesn’t take place. Integration is the ability to make what we have learned cognitively and intellectually ours. It’s the integration of what we’ve learned in our mind with our actual experience of being and living. It’s where we become what we have learned. When this happens, we don’t just know something intellectually. We live it. We embody it.

Re-establishing the vital mind-body-soul connection is integral to integration. And it isn’t difficult to begin this process. Furthermore, you don’t have to become religious or even believe in God to do so. All you have to do is become open to and begin the journey of coming home to your inner self. The rest will take care of itself. It’s as simple as connecting within, breathing, and surrendering to the inner peace. As you do, the path will become clearer. You won’t have to control it. You won’t have to figure it out for yourself. As you connect with your soul, your soul will begin to show you the way. It’s actually been waiting for you for a long, long time.

Namaste <3