As we work to heal from our pasts and progress in our lives, sometimes we seek help and advice from external sources. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. Having someone outside ourselves telling us what they see and think can help us determine the best course for our journey.
But when we’ve experienced trauma, sometimes we put other people’s words ahead of what we know within. A practitioner tells us something that feels wrong or doesn’t resonate, and instead of trusting ourselves, we think, “Well, they’re the practitioner, they must know more than I do.” We ignore our inner knowing in favor of what someone else tells us.
Trusting yourself after trauma isn’t easy. You may have been told outright that you couldn’t be trusted, or you might doubt yourself because of what you experienced. But the Core Self, the part of you that holds your inner power and knowledge, hasn’t been changed by your experiences. It still knows. Your power and knowledge are still there, even if they’ve been obscured by what you’ve lived through.
A practitioner or professional whom you go to for help or guidance might have more practical knowledge or more book-learning than you do, but that doesn’t mean they automatically know better than you do. Especially when it comes to knowing who you are and what works for you, you are the expert. If what someone else tells you disagrees with what you know about yourself, or if they advise a course of action you know won’t work for you, listening to them instead of yourself won’t benefit you.
There is a difference between knowing for a fact that something won’t work and feeling resistant to it out of fear or for other reasons, so as you assess what a practitioner tells you, be aware of the reasons you disagree with it. If it’s due to fear rather than to a deep inner knowing, it might be better to follow what they say. But if you feel strongly that they are incorrect or don’t know enough about you to advise you, listen to that.
Your Core Self holds the knowledge and power you need to progress in your healing journey. When you allow yourself to reconnect with and trust that Self, you’ll benefit greatly.