Personal Pathways to Healing - Introduction

Personal Pathways to Healing - Introduction

Introduction – Seven Personal Pathways to Healing

Comprehensively embracing past pain, completely dissolving anger, genuinely extending forgiveness, painstakingly acquiring faith, persistently looking inwardly, humbly receiving God’s peace and unconditionally accepting your self are seven effective pathways to personal healing and growth.

The “inward journey” includes as many pathways as the billions of persons who embark upon it.   Previously, a pastor for fourteen years and a past resident in a psychoanalytic training program, I strive to be an authentic “wounded healer” who shares sincerely and simply my personal story of progressing toward inner healing and wholeness.  As I offer thoughts on these powerful dimensions of daily living, I hasten to state that I am not recommending any full proof formula.  I detest the increasing commercialization of religion and spirituality in ecclesiastical and secular spheres.  Many pastors utilize “Christian” television to hock “the” biblical formula for living an abundant life which includes wealth, prosperity and good physical health.  For nearly fifty years, this “Gospel of Wealth and Health” hijacked American preaching as income inequality grew exponentially between rich and poor people.  Purveyors of unscientific and irresponsible diets published countless bestselling books as citizens in the United States became hopelessly obese.  Simultaneously, obesity became a primary contributing cause to heart disease, diabetes, organ failure, strokes and myriad types of cancer.  To resolve personal pain and enjoy your unique life, I suggest the foregoing seven pathways as effective, pragmatic and trustworthy methods. 

The inward journey to healing is not a linear progression.  Life’s daily complexities and mysteries contain too many unforeseen plot twists.  Sudden surprises like a spontaneous tornado erupt and destroy formulas.  Natural disasters are good symbols for unfortunate personal experiences and their contemporaneous pain.  Divorce, termination and bereavement parallel living through the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, a Japanese tsunami or Hurricane Katrina.  Responding to any catastrophe whether human, environmental or circumstantial necessitates faith, reason and supportive relationships.  Instead of traveling a direct route on an interstate highway, most people who commence the inward journey steadfastly zigzag between healing pathways.

Parenthetically, the seven strategies which I recommend hardly comprise an exhaustive list.  I encourage you to formulate techniques that work specifically and effectively for you.  Application of spiritual disciplines is as varied as our distinctive personalities.  One size does not fit all persons.  “The right way” to practice these techniques does not exist.  Admittedly, some pathways are more expeditious than others but the dividends of healing, peace and wholeness manifest for persons who commit faithfully to an inward journey.