How does your pathology serve you?

They always give you something. What they give you may not serve you. It may be something that used to serve you and remains a stubborn artifact of the past. But it has, or still serves, some need. What is that need?

Does it keep you in place, making you feel safe? Does it make you agitated, pushing you to move away from the discomfort of stillness? Does it turn you angry, firming up a boundary or disconnection from someone dangerous?

Awareness around our stories is the first step in letting them go. When we know an artifact's purpose, we can determine whether we still want it.

I'll be the first to say a logical, conscious knowing is not sufficient for letting go of long-held patterns of being. I emphasize: it's just the first step. We can self-parent ourselves, use repetition to our advantage, and gently guide and steer ourselves away from ugly artifacts. But we are not logical nor purely rational creatures. Our emotional makeup does not speak the language of cold, clinical logic. It must journey through stories, expression, and time before it loosens its grip on old patterns.

Sometimes the fear of letting go seems unbearable. But what's on the other side of fear?