“Nobody escapes being wounded. We are all wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not, ‘How can we hide our wounds?’ so we don’t have to be embarrassed, but ‘How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?’ When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.”- Henri Nouwen
Working in the field of mental health today is finally being recognized as a valuable and honorable profession. Yet, at the same time being a therapist for over 20 years has the potential to carry heaviness with it. Like most jobs, some weeks are better than others, and this week was on the more hectic side. The week was full of clients, consultations, meetings, crisis situations, paperwork, and a 30 minute presentation to an audience of over 300 people. As the day ended, I felt exhausted, and wanted to sleep away the weekend. Luckily, my co-worker and I decided to treat ourselves to a sunset sound bath held at Meditation Mount.
I have never gone to this special place, held in the hills in Ojai, a spiritual center that has been active for over 50 years, offering weekly meditations, yoga classes, and other workshops. For the past several years, I have been holding sound baths on a monthly basis whether in the UK, France, Spain, and now California. I have to admit, it’s quite rare that I am able to attend these myself. It’s like a physician who never gets around to going to the doctor. I was so grateful for the opportunity to be a participant, particularly during a stressful week.
The outdoor space was beautiful, held in the hills of Ojai, looking over the rural fields. The sun shined heavily on us, as we laid on yoga mats. Parasols were offered to attendees to strategically minimize the sun’s impact. A family of bunnies looked at us with curiosity, as the sounds melted over us. It took awhile for my mind to wind down, as I tried to let go of the week’s stressors. I tried to turn down the wonder of what instruments were being used and where in the outdoor space were the facilitators at.
As time passed, I noticed my hips getting heavy, tension arising from my first and second chakra. Although I have led an outdoor sound bath, I have never been in one. And as I laid on the grass on top of the Ojai hill, I felt as if the Earth was taking the sorrows and traumas from my body that I had heard throughout the week. My body had served as an instrument during the week, and now it was being cleaned and tuned by the Earth. My mind finally relaxed, and I momentarily fell asleep. I awoke, prior to the end of the sound bath, I felt restored. The week’s heaviness had been lifted, and I could appreciate the sunset that appeared before me.
We packed up our belongings, my fellow therapist friend and I discussed how restorative this sound bath was. Our troubles melted away through the power of sound and the sacred land. There was a realization that as healers, we must frequently care for ourselves as we hold so much of the world’s pain with us in our therapy rooms. I am someone who yearns for restoration through meditation, retreats, and awe experiences. We vowed at a minimum on a monthly basis, to commit to nourishing our souls in places that can support, nourish, and carry us. The healers need to be healed.
It Only Takes A Smile 