Embracing our deepest vulnerabilities is the path to healing ourselves and opens us to our authenticity. Many of us hide behind a wall of resistance, afraid that if we let our guard down, let someone in, or let ourselves be truly seen, we won’t be good enough. Yet, when we lean into our deepest insecurities and often excruciating vulnerability we are more open to transformation than at any other time. It’s in these dark moments of the soul that we peel away the hard shell of our humanity revealing the light of our being.
We can start our inward journey by taking time alone and making ourselves available to emotional pain. Confronting our vulnerabilities can make us feel anxious, fearful, wanting to distract or escape from the uncomfortable feelings we encounter. It takes courage to reveal our naked, vulnerable self. When we enter the space of our own vulnerability, waves of sadness, disappointment, hurt and shame surface like ocean swells crashing onto the shore. We feel afraid we will lose our balance like an undertow that pulls us below the water. Yet, facing our vulnerability actually allows us to sustain balance and open us to our authenticity. All we have to do is feel it and then release it. In this safe space, we can let the resistance step aside and allow the insecurities that we have buried so deeply within us reveal themselves.
Experiencing your vulnerability is the catalyst for physical, emotional and spiritual healing. Like Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall, this experience may feel as if you are shattering into a million pieces. However, once you move through this “experiential death,” you find that your fears, imperfections and insecurities have died and you experience what it feels like to be fully alive, fully yourself and fully worthwhile.
The space of vulnerability is the birthplace of change. Facing your deepest vulnerabilities allows you to recognize and uproot the negative beliefs, unhealthy behavioral patterns and reactions that inhibit you from living an abundant, joyful and balanced life. Remember, that the stronger your reaction, the more deeply seated your vulnerability is to that particular pattern, person, or situation. As you become aware of the source of your vulnerabilities, you can unblock your energies freeing this energy to create what you truly want in your life.
Dear Debra, your article Embracing our vulnerability reemerged for me this morning. I am embracing these truths for myself. I have come a long way in embracing my vulnerabilities, however, I need to continue this process. Thank you so much.
Thank you for commenting on my blog Betty. This is a life-long process and it does get easier with trust and experience. I’m working on a new book that will address this in more healing ways. Blessings, Debra
It’s going to be ending of mine day, however before ending I
am reading this fantastic piece of writing to increase my experience.
Another excellent healing insight from you. Unfortunately, in our overcrowded, frantic world, finding loving fellows with whom we may explore these deep vulnerabilities, Jung called it the “shadow”, is difficult. In the clan social groups where we originated in our hunter-gatherer ancestry, we could find the safety and fellowship necessary for this depth healing. Now, we seek out 12-step groups.