Becoming Me
A Personal Healing Journey
by Elisa Nguyen

Iwill start this off by saying this was one of the most challenging and amazing things I have ever done. I am not an author by any definition of the word, so I found it very hard to put myself onto paper. In my business and in everyday life I love to empower others to be fearless, do the scary thing, take the leap, that we are all capable strong beings. So I am listening to my own words. After all, growth and transformation can only come from looking outside of our comfort zone. And taking the leap. Here is a little bit of my story.

Loss was the start of my spiritual journey—losing a parent is never easy and this rocked me to the core. I could quite literally feel the physical pain of my heart breaking, losing my mom. This however, was a pivotal moment in my life that changed me forever, and left me with so many unanswered questions and craving the connection with spirit/divine to know that she was still with me, in a more tangible way, although physically gone. I am forever grateful for the beauty that came out of the darkness.

Years later, I found myself giving to others all I had to give, pushing through all the challenges that life was putting in my path. Not taking any time to heal, to rest, and to process any of the deep emotions and struggles I was facing. I kept on pushing through as we have been taught, told, and conditioned to do. I was surviving in slow motion, amidst chaos, trying to keep some sense of normalcy. Inevitably, something had to give. I no longer had control over my life, body, mind, or spirit. I shattered, unable to push or give anymore. Physically and emotionally broken, I was clinically diagnosed with anxiety, depression, chronic migraines, and exhaustion. It took all of that for me to finally give my body the love and support she needed. To listen to what she had been saying all along.

After months of resting my body, mind, and soul, I regained balance within. I chose me. Becoming a Reiki master allowed me to do the work, so I was able to serve others as I had passionately always wanted to do. I always knew that I was meant for something more, as though there was a piece of me missing, but I was not able to recognize what that was. This was the first step to my healing process and it really allowed me to open up my world of healing.

When I needed it most, the spirit gave me a beautiful sign that I could not ignore. A free four-day tapping event on Facebook. After only 20 minutes on the first day I was in awe, as tears streamed down my face, not from sadness, but in a beautiful cleansing way, releasing tension and stress that had been trapped in my body for so long. I felt lighter in body and mind, clear and excited. I knew this was it, what I had been looking for all of my life. All of the moments of being unsure, untrusting of my path, feeling lost, has brought me to this very moment.

I signed up for a six-month Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT, practitioner certification, and my life changed in momentous and beautiful ways.

EFT, or tapping, is a somatic and energetic tool/technique that combines traditional counselling, acupressure, and energy work. Tapping involves pressing acupressure points on the body that have a significant impact on the central nervous system and how the body responds to information/manages stress.

This technique allows you to move through complex emotions, beliefs, memories, and physical sensations. It soothes the nervous system by disrupting the fight/flight state and releases and restores the body and energy system to a calm, relaxed state.

It can be used for transforming self-limiting beliefs, distressing feelings, and non-optimal behaviours. You can release and shift things such as grief and loss, overwhelm, fear, physical pain, phobias, and so much more, the list is endless. As well it’s a powerful tool for integrating positive emotions, expansive beliefs, and optimal actions.

EFT made me look in the mirror and become real, raw, and vulnerable. With consistency I stripped away the layers brought forward by my subconscious to be healed/seen/heard, or voiced, that I didn’t know existed. Fear that had been holding me back in many areas of my life. Keeping me in the energy of self-doubt and lack.

Healing and doing the deep dark, shadow work is not magical and pretty. It’s hard and exhausting. While looking deep within, amidst the stillness, quieting the mind, I discovered a way to trust my inner knowing, intuitive voice, and guidance again. I found strength to be vulnerable, really sitting with what I needed to feel. Digging deep, even when it was hard, even when it is easier to forget or to shove down all the pain. EFT allowed me to heal childhood trauma, trapped in my body and tissues, emotions stored from memories of long ago that I tried to escape and heal before in so many other ways. Being able to forgive and understand some of the most traumatic and confusing childhood memories.

I am now my perfectly imperfect, truly authentic, confident, spiritually guided self, who has done the work and continues to do so every day. This allows me to share this amazing life-changing gift with everyone. This is something that needs to be experienced to feel the magic, and how it works!
Love and Blessings

Elisa Nguyen supports the healing and transformation of others through Reiki and intuitive energy healing, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Tarot and Oracle cards, and love. For more information and to contact her see the display ad on page 27 of the 28.4 November/December issue of the WHOLifE Journal.