When we start diving deep into our greatest challenges, we find things in the darkness that scare us, and we easily fear that everything in the darkness is scary. If we persevere through the muck and frightening things, we will ultimately find the layer of clarity and light where our issues make sense, and we’re filled with peace. So keep going, dear diving buddies, there’s a treasure in the depths!
Our greatest challenges ignite our pain bodies in such a way that we can feel like death, like all is lost and nothing matters. Our ignited pain bodies feel uncomfortable at best and terrifying at worst. Indeed, intense emotional pain triggers a part of us to return to the original time and place of the wound and it feels the same. These feelings can be extremely confusing because we often do not remember the original wound. It could have occurred when we were very young, before we were born, or even in another lifetime. Considering this multi-dimensional factor, it’s clear why they are our greatest issues. And it’s no surprise that most people avoid these intense feelings. Yet, our greatest challenges remain and haunt our lives and souls until they are properly dealt with.
I began to reflect on this topic after I read my Venus Retrograde Horoscope in Stephanie Stargazer’s article in the November/December issue of Wholistic Heartbeat. Here’s what it said:
This is an endurance test for you, dear Scorpio. Just when you thought you got to the last drop in the barrel, you find a false bottom. While you derive your sense of strength from your ability to dive deep into any issue, you also find that sometimes you question whether you are making life harder for yourself than it needs to be. There may be a crisis of faith as you stare further into the abyss. Stay strong. This is part of who you are, and an essential gift that you bring to the world. As the rest of us turn to examine the collective shadow, we are following your lead.
My immediate reaction to this information was discouragement. I had already been working on my deepest issue for eight months and I was ready for resolution. I did not want to delve deeper into this challenge. After the moment of protest passed, I gained strength in knowing that my efforts to dive deeper had a purpose. It felt gratifying to know that I would be helping others by persevering, so I continued to work on my greatest challenge in a process I’m calling Diving Deep. The technique works for every issue, it can be used as much as possible and it is best when used with an open mind. It’s a simple, but not easy process. Diving Deep challenges us to thoroughly examine ourselves and open our minds. I’ve been a student of the healing arts my whole life and have found no other method that produces sustainable peace and healing for our most gut-wrenching issues.
The technique:
Step 1: Feeling, identifying and accepting emotions that result from our greatest challenges
Step 2: Finding the belief patterns that created the emotions
Step 3: Challenging the belief patterns identified in the previous step
Step 4: Replacing those beliefs with broader truths
Diving Deep into my greatest challenge has not yet given me resolution, only more layers of muck to illuminate. But it is giving me freedom, healing and enlightenment (my definition of enlightenment = The human process of opening and allowing the presence of one’s Higher Self to occupy and root into their being). Although I continue to encounter challenging emotions, I am getting centered in a deepening trust in the benevolent Universe and its divine child, me. I would like to share more about the Diving Deep technique and how you can use it to assist with your greatest challenges.
Before we dive in to the technique, we can extract more from the process if we first examine our relationship with the Universe. De we believe in a benevolent Universe, where everything happens for our most loving and highest good? Or do we believe that the Universe is a dangerous and chaotic place that is out to get us? This basic relationship we have with the Universe affects every experience we have. Once we accept that everything happens for the best, we can start observing our experiences from the broad perspectives of an open mind. Admittedly, changing our relationship with the Universe is difficult. It takes time, effort, reflection and a lot of surrender. I have been working on this for almost 10 years and it still challenges me almost daily. And it has been so rewarding to do this hard work that it motivates me to keep going and keep breathing.
Step 1: Feeling, Identifying and Accepting the Emotions
If we can persevere through this first step without drowning in the emotions, we will eventually overcome our greatest challenges. In this step we feel the ignited emotions, identify them by name and accept them for being there. Although difficult, going through with this step begins to give us a measure of peace. The Ho’opono’pono prayer can be particularly useful at this step because the deceivingly simple technique neutralizes any disturbed energy that is focused upon. To use Ho’opono’pono, simply direct the phrases, “I’m sorry; Please forgive me; I love you; Thank you” at whatever disturbing energy catches our attention, like our raging emotions. The prayer is powerful, and it really works.
Step 2: Finding the Belief Patterns
This step can be uncomfortable because we must change our habitual ways of thinking to find the belief patterns that trigger our most challenging emotions. If we have done a thorough job in accepting our emotions in the last step, our minds are more peaceful and open, and our habitual ways of thinking can emerge. Once we are open-minded, we can explore our belief patterns. Limited beliefs hold us back, so we must dive down deep and discover them.
Step 3: Challenging the Beliefs
Once the belief patterns have been discovered, the next step is to look at those beliefs objectively and ask ourselves, “Do I really believe this is true?” If you don’t get a clear answer, keep asking and asking. The answer will come in some form, and it may come unexpectedly, so stay open and keep listening to your senses. Usually the answer is no. It takes an objective and open mind to see that one has been accepting and believing ideas that aren’t helpful or true.
Step 4: Replacing the Old with the New
This can be the most fun and creative step in the technique. It can also be hugely amplified by belief in the benevolent Universe. When we truly believe that everything happens for the best, it becomes easier to see things objectively. In the last step we speculate about what we truly believe about ourselves and our greatest challenges. It can be fun if we let our imaginations run freely. We can think up hilarious or ridiculous reasons we are so greatly challenged. Having fun with this step can even lead to startling realizations where the seemingly hilarious beliefs we came up with are actually true. If not sure what we truly believe, it is often helpful to ask ourselves, “What have I learned from this challenging situation?” Looking at our greatest challenges from a ‘what am I learning’ lens, automatically broadens our perspectives. After all, we incarnated on Earth to learn! Performing this last step deepens our relationship with ourselves and the Universe. Affirming our new beliefs as often as possible speeds up the process.
Here is a simple example of the Deep Diving technique:
Step 1: Feeling unworthy
Step 2: “I’m not good enough to fulfill my dreams.”
Step 3: “I am good enough to fulfill my dreams.”
Step 4: “Life wants my dreams to come true because I am a beloved child of the Creator.
By persevering with the Diving Deep technique, we can find freedom from the automatic and unhelpful patterns in our beliefs and make peace with the past. In this way we graduate from victim consciousness into creator consciousness. In all reality, we are powerful creators who have created our greatest challenges to learn from. Are we ready to submerge ourselves in the depths, grope around in the muck and have the grit to get to the bottom of our issues, where everything is clear and illuminated? We are definitely ready. And we will dive together until the depths are illuminated by our vigilant and loving awareness. Namaste.
Christine Johnson is a Quantum Healing Hypnosis Therapy (QHHT) practitioner with massage and energy work training, mother of three, and has her BS in marine biology. She is passionate about this incredible healing therapy and sharing it with the world. Sessions are typically 4-6 hours due to the therapy’s in-depth nature. In-home sessions are available. She is available at 707 407-5050 (call/text) or qhhtfuture@gmail.com to schedule sessions and answer questions.