Wisdom: The doorway to healing lies within us
This post is part of a series devoted to exploring the Values behind UNIVERSE WITHIN, and in this one we focus on Wisdom.
Please read on to explore the many lenses through which I think of wisdom, how it shows up in my work with clients, and its ultimate significance when it comes to generating effective and lasting healing.
Photo by Vince Kowalski
Sources of wisdom from both within us and outside of us
So often we believe that wisdom comes from outside of ourselves, external information that we must assimilate and integrate into our conceptual framework. Yet for centuries, Western philosophers have reminded us that the truth is already inside us, waiting to be revealed. The famous maxim “know thyself" (often attributed to Socrates) suggests that self-reflection and questioning the ego unlock understanding. Plato’s Theory of Innate Ideas argues that the soul already possesses all knowledge from a higher realm; learning is simply the process of "remembering" what is already inside us.
Eastern traditions often emphasize finding truth by looking outside the ego to the natural universe or the transcendent. Eastern philosophies (such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism) often downplay the individual ego, viewing the separate self as an illusion. Wisdom is found by looking outward to realize one's interconnectedness with the universe. Rather than exerting control over or analyzing the world like Western philosophies, Eastern thought emphasizes "changing oneself to accept the world" and going with the flow of nature (e.g., the Taoist concept of wu wei). There’s also the experience of transcending the self, in which enlightenment and wisdom come from dissolving the ego and quieting the mind so that ultimate reality—an objective truth far greater than the individual—can be experienced.
Each of these perspectives can be valuable when it comes to unlocking a new path through difficult terrain. Some of them may prove more relevant at different times in our lives.
Evoking inner wisdom is a skillset, one that can be cultivated
Each of us has the capacity to have an inner conversation, to attune to what’s happening on the somatic level through physical sensations and the emotions we feel. While each of us has this capacity, some of us are innately better than others at this and some have cultivated personal practices to support this through meditation, yoga and other intuitive practices. To be able to sit quietly, tune inward, and name what’s happening to varying levels of specificity is a way of forming a more intimate relationship to your body and inner experience. Just like learning to play an instrument, this skillset gets better (and more exponential) with practice.
Over 10 years ago, on my healing journey, while I had previously experienced a few different ways of tuning inward, my ability to discern multiple layers of physical sensations and decipher between nuanced emotions saw a huge leap in sophistication once I discovered Somatic Experiencing. This was absolutely a result of the supportive container built between client and practitioner in which the trained Somatic Experiencing Practitioner I worked with not only validated what I was noticing, but also knew which questions to ask to invite me to deepen into an experience and explore the layers. I learned how to become more curious about the patterns my body was holding, connected to my nervous system’s unique patterning, and some beliefs it held that I had the opportunity to unlearn. It was a fascinating experience, since near all of these beliefs existed beyond my conscious awareness until our work in sessions revealed them.
Cultivating this skill, for me, was more of a feeling of wandering a labyrinth than a straightforward walk in the park
These experiences took place in a recurring set of Somatic Experiencing sessions I committed to. For me, it began as an uncomfortable experience of being in compassionate presence, feeling the intense perception of someone skilled to attune to several wavelengths at once. Once I began to discover the value of attuning to my physiological patterns and the belief systems that held them in place, I was first caught off guard by their messages, then puzzled and amazed. We hold so many layers within us: some of them problematic that must be acknowledged and reevaluated to test against reality, and some of them so intelligent and compassionate, that once we find a path through the maze to encounter them, we are able to glean their deep wisdom and insight. A session can often feel like an adventure story in which we choose the path and often can’t predict what we’ll come across. Sometimes there are dead-ends. Sometimes walls we thought we had to live with come crumbling down to create new doorways.
Wisdom has a resonance all its own
When inviting my clients to notice something inward and report back, I often say: “There’s not a right answer; there’s a true one.” We can unintentionally pressure ourselves to do something “right” or force an answer that seems like what it should be rather than attune to what is. We learn instead to identify what’s real, not to share what’s expected of us. It’s a journey for most of us to relate to our inner experience in this way. Though there’s an unmistakable resonance that rings of truth once we clearly identify a physiological pattern or belief system that served us at a time but could not sustain once wisdom or insight comes to light. The beauty of this is that within Somatic Experiencing, or CranioSacral, or within a Psychedelic Integration session, the wisdom has come directly from the person. We each generate our new reality, which can be so empowering.
I have deep respect for the healing process and the many types of wisdom that can come forward: “My feet are telling me my climbing shoe is too small on the left.” “My grandmother who passed away is reminding me of how much I’m loved, and how I have everything I need to handle this.” “My future self is showing me what it’s like to embody my authenticity.” The examples are countless. The depth through which these answers are felt and the energy they unlock, tangible to the person, perhaps impossible to fully translate to anyone not living the experience, is the most powerful element here. Wisdom is the doorway to a new way of being.
The name of my healing arts practice, UNIVERSE WITHIN, speaks to the power of wisdom sources located deep within us as well as all around us, reminding us of the ways the inner experience can be vast and our potential to heal can be expansive.
