A Prayer and Writing as a Healing Tool

A Prayer for those who are healing from the storm:

May each person have a warm home to be in and many lights that shine brightly upon them.
May everyone who lost a loved one be healed completely.
May each soul who left this earth be surrounded by God.
May anyone who lost their home have it easily and affordably rebuilt, with even stronger foundation and beauty.
May every single person affected by the storm have a warm, safe and loving bed to sleep in, good food to nourish them, warm clothes to wear and the loving arms of friends and family to wrap around them.
May everyone across the East Coast have a feeling of well being inside of them.
So Be it. So it is. It is done.
Amen.

This Monday morning feels different from last, and far different from the one before. Life has changed for so many people; thousands have moved from thriving into surviving. Over the last few days, I witnessed the eerie sight of gas lines running blocks down the street and pumps that read, "no more gas." I heard stories of people who have lost their homes and their lives. Gratefully, I was only out of power for three days, but since I blog on Mondays and Thursdays, this is the first time I've sat down to write. It's a strange feeling to both want to reach out with a positive message and also know that some may not want to hear one right now. So, I start with the deep and healing prayer above, and hope that whatever I write today may be just right for whoever reads it.
Writing is a healing tool in itself. I am offering it as a recommendation even to those who may only have a napkin, scrap of paper or back of a gas receipt upon which to write. It is not the size of your paper; it may only be three or four words that you choose to put down. I encourage you to release whatever you might be holding inside through the act of writing. Whatever feelings and experiences have been housed inside of your body (somatic experience) can start to move out through putting pen, pencil or even crayon to paper. Writing is one of the most cathartic tools to clear out our internal cobwebs, and anyone can write. Many people don't believe they are "good enough" writers to journal, and they make up a whole story about how it's not worth trying. I've heard this same story about meditation, too, another powerful clearing and healing tool that anyone can utilize; even the most scattered thinkers.
Here's an example of some words you can write if you don't know where to begin. These reflect the personal events of the last week:
I am so angry.
I don't know what to do with myself.
My feelings are out of control.
I am terribly scared.
I really need a hug.
I can't stop crying.
I'm overwhelmed.
Help!
Feel free to borrow any of these starters and use them as a diving board for a couple of additional sentences. You can write anywhere, including the bathroom, closet or car. Writing doesn't require space or time; merely the intention to release. From clearing and releasing eventually comes healing. There were some days in my life, where after I "made" myself write, I finally felt like I could breathe. Writing also grounded me when I felt like I was floating in space, which is how we often feel when pain or sadness envelops us. 
When we can't make sense of the world or our lives; when everything has changed and we can't seem to get back what we had, writing can shine a light on a place that feels very dark. I encourage you to trust the process, and wherever you are at this moment, to give yourself this gift. You are worth it and you deserve it.
With Deep Healing Love,
Hope

5 Girls Juicing Day 3

Juices:
1 quart cabbage, celery, cilantro, with lots of cayenne, nori seaweed shake, Himalayan sea salt lemon, poured into a soup bowl
2 1/2 pints of morning juice
1 1/2 quarts of bi-colored chard, dandelion greens, parsley, cilantro, navel oranges, carrot, apple and cocnut oil, with water
10 oz. lemon water
30 chlorella tabs
Total: 2 3/4 quarts

I am fascinated by the process of detox/cleansing. My enemas are getting better, but emotionally, they (I) feel very vulnerable to me. I'm trying to get in touch with what that's about, as I never felt that with colonics. It feels like I'm invading my inner sanctum, where all my secrets lie, and leaves me feeling a little tired with a desire to be held. Still lots coming out!
I was focused for counseling and other aspects of my practice yesterday. I skipped exercise and gave my body a rest. This is so strange as I usually bound outside to run. Honoring my body right now is number one.
I was supposed to go over to Irina's for sauna and juicing in the late afternoon, but as I contemplated going, I was gripped with an unknown fear and no desire to leave my home. I called Irina and told her I was going to take a nap and would call her when I awoke. As soon as I lay down, I thought about the fact that each day of juice feasting brings the body and psyche back 120 days. That is why you can re-experience aspects of where you were physically and emotionally at at various times in your life. You might smell something from the past or feel a sensation or symptom in your body from another time. Trust that this is part of the detox process and an amazing opportunity for core healing on a cellular level. As I was sharing this with a client in session yesterday, I said, "It's really another way to rewire trauma." So we get to go back there and heal deeper yet being kept safe with high health at the same time. If you are familiar with EMDR, it does this in a different way, using eye movement. Well, in my assessment, this type of detox can do this as well; heal the trauma on a cellular level.
So, back to my bed. As soon as I lay down, I realized that it was Day 3, which would be 360 days back, which would have made it April 16th of last year. This is when I had just gotten to Sedona and would be going to the Moab desert in Utah as well. I actually had debated going on that trip, even though I was excited, because of some things going on in my life which were bringing up fear. And even though the trip was remarkable and life changing, it was a journey that called upon all of my inner strength at times to walk through. Fear was definitely present for me on a core level in a way I hadn't experienced in many years. As soon as I realized this while laying in bed, I was completely fine. I understood the source of my fear.
I took a three hour nap to cleanse, and when I awoke, I felt great and filled with energy. I went over to Irina's, where we took a forty-five minute sauna together and sweated like crazy. Then we juiced for an hour, the whole time (sauna and juicing) talking and sharing about our lives. After watching a movie I left, feeling energized and alive!
It is extraordinary to be living in these houses we call our bodies and experience the miracles they bestow upon us each day if we only stay present to the process. I am enormously grateful.