Healing from Emotional Abuse: Overcoming Obstacles and Obtaining Benefits from Meditation

I hear people claim they can’t meditate and so they opt for some other form of relaxation or marshal art. My hunch is they can meditate if and when they get out of their way. Meditation is fundamentally not a doing activity, though there is a discipline of routine and mechanics involved. nnCommon Obstacles in Meditation When we set aside our expectations of how and what it should be; and rather, hone in on how we experience whatever our experience is in the moment, a meditative state may indeed evolve. As we gently remain in witness of that, without trying to “hold on” to it, we may notice it embraces us even more. Cultivating the capacity for such bare witness takes time and practice, but invariably is the outcome of a regular meditation practice. Another obstacle I see people struggle with is judging it, as it is happening. Problem with this is that by doing so the mind moves into an “analysis mode’ and away from “pure being.” Meditation is a state of non-judgment...a state of pure being. nnWhy Meditation for Domestic Abuse Survivors? For domestic abuse survivors, it is a state that they thirst for because it is the antithesis of the constant scrutiny in which they live with their abusive partner. There is no guardedness, no egg-shells nor external verbal, emotional or physical assaults; only exquisite comfort and satisfaction. If you are a domestic abuse survivor, seek to learn how to meditate. Don’t just pick up a little CD or guided exercise that you download, find a coach to mentor you into the integration of this life-enhancing discipline. Doing so will insure that you evolve in your meditation practice rather than stumble upon common obstacles like those described above. In doing so, you probably won’t let it go because you’ll want to maintain the results of its impact.