Connecting with your Authentic Self - Karen Penfold

 
 

CLICK HERE to listen to this Trauma Recovery, Somatic Meditation for self awareness, so that you can discover and connect to the values that are true and genuine for you, thereby connecting to your authentic self.

There is much talk these days about being authentic. We strive to be authentic with our social media, authentic in our relationships, authentic in our work, business or ministry and authentic with ourselves. The simple definition of authentic is “genuine or real.” Mindfultools.com describes authenticity as, “true to your own personality, values, and spirit.” If being authentic is being real and genuine; then in order to be authentic and live authentically, we need to know ( be aware or connected to) our true personality, values and spirit.

After trauma, you may need to connect, reconnect or perhaps even discover for the first time what is true for you. How do we know what is true for us? …. By how it feels. Does it resonate with our mind, heart, soul and body? Trauma so often disconnects us from our feelings and ourselves, making it hard to have the self awareness required to be know what is true, genuine and real for us. Such connection and discovery will require much self reflection which requires much self awareness.

Self awareness doesn’t necessarily come easily. Particularly if you have and/or experienced chronic or traumatic stress. As we struggle in survival mode, time and attention to inner reflection and self awareness is often lost. Additionally, our core identity, personality or values can get buried or lost under our roles as ….. cancer fighter, cancer survivor, caregiver….. mother, father, breadwinner and more.

If being still and turning your attention inward is difficult or unsettling for you, I encourage you to give this somatic meditation for self-awareness a try. We will create safety for you to turn inward by shifting attention away from thoughts and towards physically awareness of being grounded and oriented to to the present moment.

A trauma survival response is to stay in the mind and disconnect and distract from the body where sensations, feelings and emotions have been painful.

But we can use the body to ground and orient to the present moment, drawing the nervous system into the safe and stable zone of the parasympathetic state.

For this practice, I encourage you to intentionally choose a space that feels safe to you. Safety may feel comfortable, pleasant, supportive or something different for you. You can also, as you’re able, intentionally create a space where you feel more…. comfortable, pleasant and supported.

After the meditation you may wish to take time for additional self reflection.

 

For Further Self Reflection:

(by soulsalt.com)

When do you feel most like yourself?

When you’re in situations that allow you to be authentic, that’s a clue that you are in alignment with your values. And when you have to betray yourself to fit in or find success, you feel ashamed and alone.

In situations that feel wrong in some way, what’s going on? Write down:

  • who you’re with

  • what feelings are triggered

  • what these experiences cost you emotionally or physically

In situations where you feel real and authentic, what’s going on? Write down:

  • who you’re with

  • what activities are involved

  • positive emotions or outcomes of these experiences

Take some time to explore this list of values and beliefs, and consider which ones resonate with you. Click on image to download PDF version.

 
 

References:

The Mind Tools Content Team By the Mind Tools Content Team, et al. “Authenticity: How to Be True to Yourself.” Career Skills From MindTools.com, https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/authenticity.htm.

“How to Be Your Authentic Self: 7 Powerful Strategies.” SoulSalt, 3 Feb. 2022, https://soulsalt.com/how-to-be-your-authentic-self/.

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