Tonight’s
podcast with our guest, Parul Shah, will delve into the topic of Bullying and
PTSD. Every day in this world a bully
affects the physical and mental wellbeing of all age groups- this is not just a
“child thing”, it is a human thing.
As a child and young teenager,
I was the victim of several neighborhood bullies. Most of them ran in packs of two or more, as
that was the source of their power. When
the bullies entered the playground area, I ran as fast as I could to try and
get away – to no avail. The bullies were
always stronger and faster than me. I did the best that I could to fend off
punches to minimize the physical “damage”.
However, these experiences were much deeper than the wounds I sustained.
Growing up, I always felt
different and more sensitive to the energy of the world around me but could not
articulate this to anyone. I now know
and accept that I am an empath who is affected by both the positive and
negative energies of the Universe in which we live. I was painfully shy and introverted all the
way through my college years. The bully
is also unique in that he or she can pick up on this sensitivity and view it as
a sign of weakness (or easy target for lack of a better description). Some are physical bullies, and others exert
their power using fear tactics. Let me
explain what I mean.
As a teenager, us
neighborhood kids came face-to-face with a family of five brothers and sisters
who were either bonafide psychopaths or sociopaths – I kid you not. I remember playing a game of strikeout when
said family of five arrived on the scene carrying machetes. As soon as we saw
them in the distance, the freeze response kicked in and we all cowered in
fear. I immediately became short of
breath and could not speak or move. The
oldest boy started chopping our pop cans in half with the machete. He then took out a Bic lighter, and started to
ever so slightly burn off the ends of my cousin’s hair. These kids never resorted to all out physical
violence- just terrorism. And it worked
like a charm.
As the years passed, I
took up martial arts to not only defend myself, but also to “toughen up” my exterior. Up until a year ago, I was always in flight
or fight no matter what the situation. I
viewed any exertion of power as the bully coming to get me again. I just did
not have a clear picture of the emotional turmoil that these childhood foes
created. I have discussed my healing
journey at length in this forum, so I am only going to share a recent wonderful
experience that happened the other day.
As you all know, I am a
reiki master practitioner and have a daily practice of self-healing. I found a guided meditation for practitioners
that included distance healing. Reiki
energy spans the Universe, and one does not have to be in the same room as me
to receive its gifts. I have sent reiki
to others in Canada- it works, and it is real.
During this meditation, I visualized myself as a 13-year-old boy
face-to-face with the usual neighborhood nemesis’s. I was in a gangway being
beaten by pack of two. I sent this
13-year-old healing reiki energy that came back around to strengthen my resolve
in present day. However, I did much more
than that during this distant session.
Not only did I send my
younger self reiki, I also sent it to the bullies of the past and present
day. It was in that moment where I
realized that those individuals also needed to heal from their wounds. I firmly believe that bullying is a learned
trait from the product of the environment in which one was raised. By sending them distant reiki love and light,
I was also forgiving them for what they had done.
Earlier today, I was
conversing back and forth with Parul who shared these words of wisdom that I
leave you to ponder: “I believe in the openness of forgiveness
and healing- that’s how we grow.”
In health and wellness,
Tim