Healing a broken heart

When we think of healing most people will assume it relates to the physical body, but there are many types of healing, spiritual, emotional and medical, when we talk of mending a broken heart we relate this to grief or loss of some kind, it can have real physical symptoms like pain or palpitations. Our heart is not just a muscle pumping blood around our bodies, it is considered in spiritual terms as holding the key to man’s evolution, the opening of the heart centre can raise our vibration and awareness of other species and the plight of our planet, it holds our spiritual key.

When our heart gets broken it can manifest as emotional or physical pain, loss of a loved one, betrayal, losing a job, death of a beloved pet and many other human emotions brings on this grief and most people will use the term broken hearted to explain how they feel.

Grief is not something you can take a pill for, it is a process, it takes on various stages varying from anger, denial, guilt, disbelief and many other emotions. Grief takes time and most of us learn to live with it day to day, hiding or burying these feelings can have a detrimental effect on the body’s internal organs. Some alternative therapists believe that each organ retains the energy long after the grief has subsided and if this is not dealt with can lead to dis-ease in the body. There are no rules to dealing with loss each process is personal the important thing to remember is it’s unique to you, only the person coping with grief knows how they feel.

The mind and body are connected so it is important to look after yourself, when you feel healthy you can cope better, drinking or taking drugs to dull down the feelings will in the long run only make things worse, seek out friends or therapists to help you through the stages of loss.

Healing the heart in itself is a journey, it may lead you to question your religion or way of life, it may render you numb for a while, and you may open or close your heart to many things along the path of recovery, but one thing is for sure, each step you take helps you heal, your heart will feel battered and bruised for a time but it will mend, we can choose to hold onto the pain or move forward knowing it has shaped and defined us as a human being, allowing our heart to open and accepting grief as a part of the human condition will help us become more compassionate towards others.

Some people feel guilty about being happy again and have a sense of betraying their loved ones, this is a natural process, it’s alright to feel joy and laughter again, and loss should not hold centre stage in your life, letting go and acceptance are all part of the healing process.

When someone dies, leaves or betrays us it is easy to hold on to that moment in time, playing the scene out over and over again in our mind, the most important thing to remember are the happy memories, the times you shared, focus on the positive rather than the illness or days leading up to the event.

Our hearts are so much more than blood and tissue; it is the centre of our existence on this planet, empathy and love emanate from this heart centre, embrace its lessons and with every heartbeat move forward on this fantastic journey we call life!

© Paula Wratten 2011
www.paulawratten.com