A large piece of the Strength in Heart philosophy is that the experience of negative life events can block our natural ability to transform our pain into strength. This is largely supported by the compassionate work of Gabor Maté as described below.
As humans we have two basic survival needs:
1. Attachment, or connection to others (especially our caregivers when we’re children)
We are creatures of attachment! We have to connect and attach otherwise we won’t survive.
Attachment is not a negotiable need.
2. Authenticity, or connection to our authentic self
This means knowing what we feel and being able to act on it; being tuned into our intuition or how our heart & gut feels.
How long would you survive in the wild without listening to your gut feelings?
What happens when these two survival needs are in conflict?
If a child experiences an event where their attachment to a caregiver is threatened by the child’s authenticity the child will naturally cope by sacrificing their authenticity for the attachment (the attached short video describes this very well).
Later in life this can show up as feeling disconnected from one’s identity or intuition, low self worth, like a “people pleaser”, dissatisfaction in relationships, feeling emotionally blocked or alone, depression, anxiety, addiction, and more. The antidote to this is reconnection with the authentic self, to process and express traumas & default coping mechanisms so that new more healthy coping mechanisms can be adopted.
Are you in touch with your authentic self & the strength in your heart?
At Strength in Heart Counselling we specialize in guiding and supporting you on your journey back to your inner strength.