THIS ONE QUESTION WILL HUMBLE YOU...

One of the most significant side effects of anxiety or previous trauma is how it affects our sense of identity. The person you were before anxiety or trauma is no longer present. A new version of you exists and with this new identity comes questions about who you really are.

Losing identity and a sense of purpose are two of the most significant personal obstacles we can face. Hard times, stress, trauma and chronic fear and anxiety have a way of suppressing hope and the anchor that it creates for positive identity.

Self-identity changes over time and circumstances. If you are a parent, you’ll know exactly what people mean when they say that their purpose and identity in life changed when their first child was born. 

Which leads us to the fundamental question of who am I?

Who are you?

One activity I ask most of my clients to complete is to open a new note on their phone or start a new notebook with the following statement...

“I am”

I then ask them to sit in silence and write down whatever comes to mind. It generally starts with small stuff like their name, that they are a wife or partner, a mother, a son etc.

As the gates of the subconscious open further, deeper, more identity or emotionally charged answers start to come out..

I am scared

I am alone

I am afraid of the future

I am lost

I am unsure of myself

When you have lost an understanding of who you are or are questioning your place on this earth, I find it helps immensely to first acknowledge and accept where you are right now - wherever that may be. There is a buddhist notion that in order for you to become someone new, you need to let go of something old.  And an even deeper idea that ultimately, the goal is to be no-one.

For us, it starts with acknowledging what needs to change by first identifying what that actually is.

I strongly believe that growth and a wholesome, centred identity is possible, at any stage of life - even at the end of life. But we need to collapse the subconscious traits and fears of old before we can anchor in something new.

A key part of the treatment process here is identifying those key emotions, events or questions that generate states of despair, fear or loss of self - then reducing them to nothing; replacing them with neutral states of calm. The aim is to feel neutral to those moments in time - this is where there is real balance.

By removing and reducing triggers of anxiety, fear or trauma that have made you question your place on this earth, we allow the subconscious to open up to the possibility of new future states, where your identity and purpose can be found or created.

If this resonates with you, or you want to be free of the anxiety or trauma that is holding you back or causing you to question your sense of self or purpose, get in touch for a free consultation.