Healing Techniques

At Mandie's Safe Haven, we understand the importance of healing techniques for survivors of sexual abuse. Here are some effective methods that I and other survivors have found helpful:

“When you change your thoughts, remember to also change your world.”

—Norman Vincent Peale

 

Mindfulness

Practising mindfulness can help survivors stay present and manage difficult emotions.

Therapy

Therapy sessions provide a safe space for survivors to process trauma and work towards healing.

Journaling

Writing down thoughts and feelings can be a cathartic way for survivors to express themselves.

Meditation

Meditation practices can help survivors find inner peace and cultivate self-awareness.

Lao Tzu Quote:

"When the student is ready the teacher will appear.

When the student is truly ready. The teacher will Disappear."

 

 

I am a avid reader and enjoy learning new things.  The books I post are available at the google play store.

 

Start Your Healing Journey Today

 

Explore these healing techniques to begin your path towards recovery and empowerment. As with any advice, there will be some advice that you will take seriously, while others you will take with a grain of salt.  As with any opinion, you will need to apply and take what you need.  After all, life is a spontaneous journey that we all most discover on our own, with help of course.

 

What is mindfulness?

According to the Mayo Clinic -

"Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress."

Mindfulness is a form of meditation that benefits us by being more aware of our environment, and social settings.  With practice it allows us to see the world differently.  Because technology and world changes impact us, we are not "sure footed" in adapting these changes into our life style, causing us stress, aggravation amongst other facets of our life.

Most people are leery of "change" in their environment, we become accustomed to "the good ol ' days", where life was simpler and easier to understand.  Now are we faced with new medical break through, smart phones, and even smarter cars etc.  Life seems to be very challenging having to adapt to "new" technologies.

By practicing being mindful, we get in touch with our world and life become "easier", because our understanding has increased, alleviating us from the stressors life brings.  We are all to familiar with the saying stress kills, or at least weakens our immune system, making life extremely challenging causing a vast variety of illnesses.

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
Your breath is an anchor to the present moment. Take a few deep breaths and notice the sensation of the air entering and leaving your body. Allow yourself to fully experience each inhale and exhale without trying to change it in any way.
Start with Your Breath
Engage Your Senses
Bring your awareness to your senses. Notice the sounds around you, the sensation of your body against the surface you're sitting or standing on, the taste of the food you're eating, the smell of the air. Engaging your senses can help you bring your attention to the present moment and fully experience it with all your senses.

If you would like more information about mindfulness I recommend these sites:

https://www.soulevolutioncollaborative.org/

https://missionbe.org/

https://www.milesformigraine.org/

There are many more to give you a more in-depth description and practice of mindfulness.

 

Therapy

Therapy is defined as a treatment of physical or mental disorders. Mental disorders are conditions that affect a person's mood, thinking, feelings, and behavior. Biomedical therapy is a type of therapy that utilizes medication or medical procedures to treat a patient with a mental disorder.

There are many pro's and con's when it comes to choosing a therapist, counselor, or a support group.

Before I begin discussing this topic, there is something I want to say about therapy.  Everyone learns differently, we all have our own strengths and weaknesses.  Meaning we are all predisposed to what influencers from our past have told us about seeing a shrink or whatever terminology that we were influenced by in our past.  The fact about any therapy, it will only work if we put the effort into it as well as the energy required to make it a success. So in reality, the cons are the barriers we put up to stop us from reclaiming our lives.  With that said let's cover some details on how to implement therapy so it will help you become the person you want to be.

The first step to getting help, is realizing that you cannot do this on your own.  Since, moving back to New York, where I am from.  I have found a good counselor, but after awhile we had an issue, so I then searched and found an awesome counselor, who let's me call her after hours and on weekends.  I have never expected to have such an great rapport, because she shows she really cares. She inspired me to create a blog to let other's share my experiences and help those that need it. So it is important to have a good bond with your counselor/therapist.

I feel that everyone needs a support group to become the best that they can be.  Now a support group takes on many meaning, it's not just sitting in a classroom or office.  It is engaging people when you have a problem, whether it is your significant other, or a friend, or your attorney or doctor. In this case we are using an electronic format to contact you and share your stories as well.  Like I mentioned we all learn differently and even the style in which I write to convey my thoughts. 

So if you are feeling overwhelmed, I highly suggest seeking out a counselor/therapist.  You need to be brutally honest with them so they can assist you in your therapy.  I know, I thought holding things back would help, but got nowhere fast.  So we need to hear your full story, maybe not all at once, but let us inside your world so we can offer good advice.

In conclusion, it is not whether therapy will work for you, it is whether you will work to make it incredible.

 

What are the scientific proven benefits of journaling?

Science has shown that journaling can only bring you good things: improvements to your mental and physical health, memory, relationships, and productivity. What's most important—it doesn't cost anything. All you need is a notebook and pen, or a journal app, and some motivation.

You know some people probably think I am a super woman, for getting involved and creating a website/blog as well as manage my duties to my family.  Recently, I started journaling again, to provide clarity of the daily struggles I go through as well as records of what happened to reflect on.  To me journaling validates the decisions I made, as well as reflect on the choices I made, either good or bad.  It keeps me in perspective of who I am and what and why I make the decisions I do.  In the long run it helps hold me accountable for my actions.

 

How to get "away" from an abusive relationship

There are several things one can do to get out of an abusive relationship.  The most important tactic is when you leave is to be prepared.  Meaning you need to be physically and emotionally ready to take the next step; whether it's contacting the police, going to a battered shelter, or to a trusted friend or family member. 

I know many women feel the relationship will change in time, so they wait hoping the abuser will change.  Some women feel lost, due to the abuser manipulating them and preventing them from contacting family or friends.  Thus controlling them and breaking down their will power to do anything they want. 

While others' are physically threatened or attacked , being coerced into staying or any other combination of ways forcing you to stay with them. Whatever your situation, you should be treated as a human being. In most cases the abuse will not stop, and waiting around for someone to truly change may not happen.  I firmly believe if you are in an abusive relationship you need to leave ASAP!   The longer you stay the more jeopardy you put yourself in. 

It took me several years to break the cycle of abuse, since mine started at four years old it took me longer to find a real relationship, and not jump from one bad relationship to another one.

Trust me, I do realize that it might be difficult, but if you reading this information it is an indication that you or someone you know is in a bad situation and needs help.

What is meditation, more importantly how can it help me.

Meditation is a practice that involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques. Depending on the type of meditation you choose, you can meditate to relax, reduce anxiety and stress, and much more.

Meditation has been around for several centuries, as well as different types of meditation practices, according to Health Line there are currently 9 different techniques or kinds of meditation.  From mindfulness to Mantra to Transcendental meditation.  Each has their own unique style as well as purpose.  To discover more, and what may work for you I recommend going to Health Line and try out different meditations.

If you are looking to take a online class Dharma College teaches meditation for kids as well as for pain, anxiety and numerous other concerns. To be honest, I don't meditate like I should, I find myself using it more in crises situations as well as when I am stressed out, even though I want to get back into the habit of daily meditations, I do find that it does help when I use it. My way to meditate is to go to a nearby waterfall, and listen to the sound of water rushing over a cliff. I attempt to go 2 to 4 times a week, and I find it very relaxing.

Trust me if you implement meditation into your life style, you will definitely reap rewards that you may not even realize.