As we prepare to finish the chapter of this year known as “2022”, we may take time to reflect on what this year has meant. What skills did we gain, or forget? What experiences shaped us, or place us in a point of stagnation? What people stayed, or departed from our lives? Overall, these are questions that we sometimes neglect to review throughout the year until we think of goals for the following year. It is my opinion that part of our goal-building is set in our beliefs of how we have healed or grown throughout the current year. I make a distinction between the two because there is a difference between them.

What does that look like? How does healing differ from growth and can one occur without the other? Iyanla Vanzant beautifully makes the comparison of how healing and growth work differs during her Breakfast Club interview. To summarize, healing work is centered around “uprooting” a specific event and its power from the body. Growth work involves navigating around the experience and associated reaction with a different outlook. Dr. Iyanla, goes on to speak about releasing our past experiences from our bodies so that true healing can occur. 

So, in reflecting, what work works best? I think the answer may be more subjective to the individual’s experience. That is to say, to understand whether growth or healing is best suitable, we must understand what our overall goals and needs are. Some past experiences can be difficult to tap into to allow healing to begin. Growing from the experience may feel more appropriate and healing may come at a later time, or maybe not at all. For others, immediate healing from the situation restores a sense of safety and growth may come within the healing process. We must reflect on what season we are in: healing or growing, as this may be impacting our journey over the year and the year to come.

References

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1254714071626940