Is healing our individual and collective trauma essential for healing Earth? I’ve become convinced that just as people who are hurt tend to then hurt other people, people who are hurt also tend to damage Earth. We are learning to resolve our personal trauma and the trauma of the human species, putting us onto a new pathway of relationship with Earth.
In this week’s episode of the Humans and Earth Podcast, I talk with energy healer Joy Baker, who specializes in helping her clients release trapped emotions that can result from trauma. Because most of us are not taught strong skills for processing trauma, its effects become stored in our bodies and can influence our actions, experiences, emotions, and physical health.
Listen to Joy describe her journey of becoming a healer with close connections to the natural world. She experienced a painful childhood involving abuse, epilepsy, a speech impediment, and bullying. Going down the ‘rabbit hole of pain’ allowed her to clear past trauma and free herself, then become lovingly aware of other people and the planet.
- Why healing personal and collective trauma is a requirement for us to be able to heal Earth and live on Earth in harmless ways. “As I healed, I also healed my relationship with the Earth…. Earth is the reason we are here.”
- How love of self relates to love of Earth, but for those with backgrounds of abuse or trauma, the connection between love of self and love of nature can feel confusing. Joy offers an exercise for self-appreciation that can be part of healing relationships to yourself and the world.
- A guided process for connecting to your own well-being and to the well-being of the life community on Earth, supporting both. The process addresses the anger and grief we can feel when we see nature being mistreated, then helps us access our healthy power to fuel creative solutions.
Enjoy our interview here, and learn more about Joy’s work here.
Earth as Your Sanctuary
Do you experience Earth as your sanctuary? Do you want to? Listen to the Musings on Sanctuary and Spirituality Podcast to hear me offer practices for tending a relationship with Earth as your sacred and safe homeplace. I enjoyed talking with host Helen Butler about how we can connect Earth, our bodies, and our spirituality in nourishing ways.
I’ve published a new ebook for you!
Do you worry that we’ve ruined planet Earth? How would you feel if you realized that numerous regenerative solutions are already established and just need to be scaled up? If you hear only the ‘bad news’ you might feel hopeless. But once you realize that all around the planet people are changing the human presence from damaging to restorative, you can feel inspired instead. This is Informed Optimism: being alert to the need for Earth’s restoration while also becoming excited about how much progress we’re already making.
Explore A Guide to Informed Optimism: Things to Know and Explore to Feel Hopeful about the Human Future with Earth to learn about 8 Global Movements that are regenerating Earth’s systems and creating jobs and well-being for people, and 8 initiatives with the potential to create enormous healing for people and planet. Informed Optimism Inquiry questions throughout the e-book help you consider how you feel as you learn about restorative solutions, how you would like to see them advance, and how you are attracted to participate.
Humans create what we believe we can create. Join in deciding that we can heal Earth and humanity. Discover or up-level your contribution and enjoy co-creating with humanity and nature. Explore Informed Optimism.
For Humans & Earth,
Chara Armon