I stumbled upon this by myself one day, by noticing that there was nothing happening in the room I was in to drive the feelings and emotions I was experiencing, and it came to me that these could be old, past feelings.... feelings that little Corneilius had been unable to resolve (I had learned that my children could resolve their own feelings if enabled to do so, by calm active listening, a skill set of empathic parenting.)
So I started to talk to little Corneilius...........
I started like this : "Little Corneilius, it's big Corneilius here and I am an adult, and I love you and I can take care of you and hold you safe. Can you talk to me about the first time you felt this way?" It helped me that I knew I was a good enough parent, that I was able to nurture my children, that I had learned to spot behaviour that was irritation and stop it, and calm down and sit with the child and just chat about whatever was going on at the time.
So I started to talk to little Corneilius...........
I started like this : "Little Corneilius, it's big Corneilius here and I am an adult, and I love you and I can take care of you and hold you safe. Can you talk to me about the first time you felt this way?" It helped me that I knew I was a good enough parent, that I was able to nurture my children, that I had learned to spot behaviour that was irritation and stop it, and calm down and sit with the child and just chat about whatever was going on at the time.
I knew I could be kind and warm to little Corneilius, a safe space for little Corneilius.
And then I would just sit with it, and let insights come, when they did, without forcing them, and I used art and writing and songs to express what came up, and I recorded these in a journal, just for myself, and over time I noticed that the feelings, the reactive emotions became less intense, and that I started to grow through, bit by bit, in those areas I where I had stopped growing as a child. Trauma stops us growing when we cannot safely resolve the feelings around it.
I found that this could work too for areas where I couldn't feel or reach or clearly sense - I would ask little Corneilius to talk about the first time he felt that way, or when he first had to silence or suppress his feelings and why.....
I did this regularily for about three years and I do it now from time to time as I feel the need.... I also do this just to child out, like relax from the adult world of judgemental 'should do' admonitions, to rest.
What this has taught me was that it's possible to creatively evolve one's own self-healing tools, from our own insights into ourselves. It's not a prefect process or even a guaranteed process, sometimes it helps, sometimes it does not.
And then I would just sit with it, and let insights come, when they did, without forcing them, and I used art and writing and songs to express what came up, and I recorded these in a journal, just for myself, and over time I noticed that the feelings, the reactive emotions became less intense, and that I started to grow through, bit by bit, in those areas I where I had stopped growing as a child. Trauma stops us growing when we cannot safely resolve the feelings around it.
I found that this could work too for areas where I couldn't feel or reach or clearly sense - I would ask little Corneilius to talk about the first time he felt that way, or when he first had to silence or suppress his feelings and why.....
I did this regularily for about three years and I do it now from time to time as I feel the need.... I also do this just to child out, like relax from the adult world of judgemental 'should do' admonitions, to rest.
What this has taught me was that it's possible to creatively evolve one's own self-healing tools, from our own insights into ourselves. It's not a prefect process or even a guaranteed process, sometimes it helps, sometimes it does not.
I also learned that little Corneilius would not come out until he felt it was safe to do so, and that it never worked to push little Corneilius, that when he was ready was when he was ready and he was usually spot on.
I found that by being kind and caring and nurturing as big Corneilius to little Corneilius I was able to be kinder to myself, and to other people. Being kind to oneself, being gentle and non-judgemental, being playful and curious. whilst being honest is healthy.
Counselling
Having said that, I did not take up counselling for myself until my early 60s, and I discovered there was more to work through, that there were elements of my own behaviour, thoughts and feelings that I had not ever discussed or shared with anyone. I was holding it all together, still working from coping mechanisms.
At first my experience with my counselling was that I perceived that my counsellor was trying to fix me, to push me towards behavioural change. What I understood I was doing was chatting about myself in ways I would never do with friends or family, about my most inner experiences, and slowing discovering what those meant. So it took a while to establish that as the dynamic. It takes a while, working through counselling for old childhood trauma. It is not a process to be put under pressure. I was fortunate to have access to open ended counselling and a counsellor who understood the way I was working. I am so grateful for that counsellors patience and warmth.
Through counselling I spoke of these things, and slowly began to hear myself and understand myself and integrate and work through and release internal admonitions and fears and sad feelings I had been coping with. Bit by bit.
As Stephen Harrod Buhner put it - 'People to do not come to me to be fixed, they come to me to feel better about themselves in the world in which they live.'
I know from experience that it's almost always inappropriate to push the child, to force the child, to use power to urge the child on, and I think that it's most often for the adults needs rather than the child's needs that such pushy behaviour emerges. It does not help.
I know from experience that it's almost always inappropriate to push the child, to force the child, to use power to urge the child on, and I think that it's most often for the adults needs rather than the child's needs that such pushy behaviour emerges. It does not help.
We must be gentle, we must be kind, with our selves and our children.
One of the things that made me pushy was various internalised admonitions and shoulds, that voice in my head that was bullying me, criticising me, calling me names.
These were usually rooted in external drivers of behaviour, such as my Catholic indoctrination, and other external sources of behavioural advice I took up through the self help industry, often failing to achieve the results indicated, with much frustration associated with that.
I think that external motivation is sometimes less efficient than intrinsic self-motivation.
This is what I call natural or emergent wisdom. I think each of us has an emergent wisdom or sense of self that is a natural, healthy core part of our being.
Kindest regards
Corneilius
Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe..
This is what I call natural or emergent wisdom. I think each of us has an emergent wisdom or sense of self that is a natural, healthy core part of our being.
Kindest regards
Corneilius
Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe..
