Introduction
This post is about healing our wounded hearts and human spirits. In it, I talk about the existential threats that wound our hearts and spirits. I also present five experiences that help us heal and recover. First, I point out how we talk about our hearts in two different ways. I then talk about our human spirits as the seat of our emotions and as what makes and keeps us alive. Next, I discuss three things that wound our spirits. Lastly, I present five experiences that help heal our wounded spirits. Let’s continue with the two different ways we talk about our hearts and human spirits.
Our Two “Hearts”
We talk about our hearts in two different ways. Most commonly, we call the physical organ on the left side of our chest our heart. However, we also refer to our heart as a feeling in the center of our chest. It’s the seat of our emotions. And our emotions are up-stirrings of our human spirits. When something breaks our hearts and human spirits, we often call that emotion “heartache.”
Besides being the seat of our emotions, our human spirit is what makes and keeps us alive. (Learn more about your human spirit here.) When we have an experience that wounds our human spirits, our lives are at risk. When our lives are at risk, we need to understand what wounds our spirits and how to heal them and recover. So, what exactly wounds our spirits?
Three Existential Threats That Wound Our Human Spirits
Personal Threats
Personal existential threats wound our spirits. These personal threats happen to us in different ways. They can come as direct assaults on our lives; for example, being physically or verbally abused or denied our basic human needs and rights.
Threats to Our Relationships
Secondly, existential threats can come in the form of threats to our relationships. For example, the death of our spouse, family member, friend, neighbor, or coworker. Another example would be our spouse or someone else near and dear to us being hospitalized with a serious illness or injury.
These and other threats to our relationships also threaten our own lives because we aren’t isolated individuals. We are connected with others. Our lives depend on being in healthy, happy relationships. Without healthy, happy relationships, our lives are at risk.
Threats from Our Circumstances
Besides direct assaults to our lives and relationships, the third way existential threats come is from the circumstances we live in. Circumstances such as corrupt government officials, totalitarianism, election fraud, wars, mass deportations, denials of civil rights, false arrests, economic hardships, racism, poor education, a lack of access to healthcare, and other unmet basic human needs threaten our lives. Now that we understand what wounds our human spirits, let’s learn about what helps us heal and recover.
Five Experiences That Help Heal Our Wounded Hearts
The five experiences that help heal our wounded spirits are being heard, believed, validated, emotionally empathized with, and receiving support for healing and recovery.
First, we need someone to listen to us as we tell the stories of existential threats to our lives and how they wounded us. We need to feel and know that our stories are really heard and taken to heart. We need to hear, “I’m listening. I hear you. Tell me everything.”
Second, we need people to believe us. We need those who hear our stories of existential threats to believe us, not doubt or question us. Our stories are real. They aren’t lies. We tell stories about real threats we experienced. We need people to say, “I believe you.”
Third, we need validation of the threats we experienced. Validation sounds like, “I’m so sorry this happened to you. It makes total sense how wounding this threat was to you.”
Fourth, we need emotional empathy. Emotional empathy sounds like, “You have every reason in the world to feel sad, hurt, angry, disappointed, frustrated, scared, or whatever else you feel, given what happened to you.”
Fifth, we need support in healing and recovery. Once someone hears, believes, validates, and empathizes with us, we are ready to hear and learn about how we can heal and recover from the existential threats to our lives.
NOTE: Click HERE to learn more about healing your wounded spirit
Summary and Call to Action
Healing our wounded hearts and human spirits requires awareness of our human spirit and how it makes and keeps us alive. It also requires awareness of three types of existential threats that wound our spirits. And most importantly, we need five experiences that help us heal our wounded spirits: being heard, believed, validated, empathized with, and supported in healing and recovery.
If you need to be heard, believed, validated, empathized with, and supported so you can heal and recover, I’m here for you. Click HERE and Schedule a FREE Online 30-Minute Initial Consult. I’ll be happy to meet you and learn how I can help you.