I am very excited to present my first Heal Your Life online workshop, based on the practice and teachings of Louise Hay. As I’ve been preparing, I’ve relived a bit of my personal journey: the joys and the struggles that have molded me and the subsequent layers that needed to be peeled away to reveal the health and vitality beneath. I remain grateful for the work and the clarity provided and I am thankful for the friends, family members, and healers who have been brave enough to stand with me on the journey.
Four years ago, I had my first experience with a Heal Your Life workshop when I was training to become a certified Louise Hay workshop leader and teacher. I spent a week in beautiful San Diego, California as I explored healing for some childhood sexual abuse (from outside my nuclear family) as well as facing the grief of losing my beloved father. Who knows why I thought it was a good idea to tackle such diverse yet equally traumatizing events at the same time. I will tell you, there were moments I thought I would stay in the fetal position and never come out as I worked through the fear, sadness, guilt, and shame of it all. However, the Heal Your Life workshop is a process that allows you to access those sometimes overwhelming feelings and work through them to develop a new level of healing for your heart and soul. The journey of that week was transformative and the friends I made during that week from around the world are still present, supportive figures in my life.
One idea that grabbed hold of me and has yet to let go, is the recognition we are more alike than we are different. As I sat in a room of men, women, straight, gay, American, Mexican, Turkish, Indonesian, Canadian, I realized our hurt, our pain, and our sorrow all looked and felt the same. As I held their hands and listened to their stories, I realized their stories sounded remarkably similar to mine. There is healing in telling the story; there is strength and power in realizing you are not alone in your pain.
Another truth that I continue to embrace is the idea that in order to truly heal, you have to learn to love yourself exactly as you are…right now. I can hear your thoughts from here on that, but, it’s the truth. You have to love the part of you that isn’t perfect, that is overweight, that is unhealthy, that is anorexic, that wants to escape via all kinds of addictions, the part of you that is judgmental, the part that is spiritually challenged, the part of you that doesn’t want to take a risk. EVERY. LAST. PART. When you can look at yourself in the mirror and claim the love for yourself, you have taken the biggest step in your healing journey. I still practice this in my life, and there are some days it is harder than others, but that’s when I offer myself a little grace and continue moving forward.
It doesn’t matter how much personal healing work I’ve done on my life, my heart, my soul, it appears there is always another layer to work through. Recently, while preparing to lead the upcoming workshop, I realized there were yet more layers I needed to clear off myself. Of course, if you want to hear those stories…you are most welcome to join me online.
I want to offer you the encouragement that as you walk the path to a healthier version of you, you are not alone. I will stand with you, hold you in your pain and shame, and celebrate and dance with you through your victories.
Together we heal…together we bloom.
If you are interested in joining me online for the upcoming workshop, click here. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at Julie@juliehighley.com