The Fourth of July is almost here and recipes for everything barbecue and decadent are all over the media. Fourth of July parties are being planned. The fireworks are set for display. In fact, one town near me has already had their fireworks show, so that locals could get in as many shows as possible. I love the anticipation, the joy and the excitement this all brings. More important though is what all of this symbolizes. We are celebrating freedom. The freedom of our country yes, but I believe it is a deeper freedom we want to celebrate.
We are born with a psychological freedom, by that I mean a detachment from labels, styles, failures, possessions, occupations and more. We arrive in this world naked and pure. As we grow, one by one the layers are placed upon us. We learn to “fit in”. We are given labels and uniforms. The purity turns to judgement, the harshest is what we heap on ourselves. We begin to find more and more reasons we don’t measure up, which means we have to work harder at obtaining labels that we believe will free us.
My clients come from all walks of life. Some are wealthier than others, some are more classically beautiful and some are more social. The one thing all of them have in common is that they see themselves as “broken” in some way. Eventually, freedom has been reduced to an impossible label of perfection. If they could only lose more weight, speak more clearly, be a better athlete, then they will be free to be themselves.
I will ask my clients, if you were to have already accomplished your goal, how would you be different? Some will say they will feel better about themselves, others tell me how they will be happier, less fearful or any variety of feelings that freedom brings. I will ask them to imagine how that feels. How it might look if they were free. I want to know what their inner dialogue might sound like if they were free.
Next we take the abstract concept of personal freedom and transform it into something more concrete. I have had clients identify the negative sensations as shapes, colors, textures and even scents. We find where it resides in the body and I will ask them if they can hand what they have just identified over to me. From there, we may shrink it, move it, shred it or even flush it in the commode!
Once the old concept is gone, it is time to fill the space it occupied with the sense of having achieved the goal. Filling themselves with freedom is a lighter and happier experience. We naturally move away from pain towards pleasure. This makes the process of filling the empty space with goodness a natural one. As we practice those feel good moments, they become more and more comfortable and natural to us.
The Fourth of July And Your Freedom
Maybe it is time for you to experience freedom.
You can choose from the list below and declare on this Fourth Of July that you are now free.
I am FREE from:
- my ego
- the blame game
- depression
- shame
- pride
- ego based anger
- having to justify myself
- the fear of self-ridicule
- self-doubt
- self-damning
- manipulation of my ego
- the game of pride or shame
- the lies of self-esteem
- the pressure to be something
- the pressures to become something
- ego based anxiety
- having to prove myself
Enjoy your barbecues, parties and celebrations. When you watch the fireworks this year, celebrate true freedom, personal freedom not only this Fourth of July but everyday beyond!
