Here is a good exercise to use to help you progress out of the pain of suffering.
Is this your experience? Try these steps while you meditate on this drawing:
- What suffering have you experienced that you remember clearly? List them all.
- Which of these sufferings have you shared with others? List them.
- Which of these sufferings have you not shared with anyone? Why?
- Now begin to meditate on some of the suffering you haven’t even thought about. Write things down you’ve resisted admitting to yourself before now.
- Who do you feel safest with sharing your sufferings with?
- How do you feel when you share your pain? Self-centered? Do you feel like you’re “dwelling on your pain”? Why?
- Who would you be willing to share some of your new discoveries with?
- Who or what is the biggest perpetrator of your sufferings? Or do you think you have something inside you that invites abuse or that deserves it? Why?
- What steps have you taken to remove yourself from an abusive situation?
- Are you willing to continue discovering more about your experiences that will bring your sufferings into the light where they can be healed?
Are you willing to share some of your experience with this exercise with us?