Wellspring Wednesdays|Week 23: Wellspring
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The reason I love the concept of the wellspring is because it means not just an abundant, continual supply, but also because it is the original, true source of that bounty. Isn’t that beautiful for trauma recovery? To know that all the work you are doing is coming from this original, authentic place inside you, to help you return to the authentic Self that trauma tried to destroy. To me, that’s majestic. Here inside of you lies this amazing wealth of resources.
You are born with this inherent deserving of love, care, attention, respect, and safety. From your inner wellspring, you created your identity by digging the hole and building the well. The trauma you suffered tried to damage or destroy this identity. (See the term for “victima” in the episode called Victimhood.) However, you have this life-giving abundance at its original source that has been with you since birth — the true and worthy Self that trauma tried to force you to surrender and lose by breaking or blocking the well that accesses the supply. And, yet, here you are. An overcomer. A marvelous feat of fate, and you are doing this arduous work.
Now is the time to fully realize and fully accept that you have all the healing inside of you, below the surface, in a beautiful, true, overflowing, natural river. Yes, you may need to unblock the dug hole, repair the old well, and even (for some of us) rebuild an entirely new one. The wellspring is in there, flowing away, deep below the surface. Your access point via the well has been altered, damaged, corrupted, dilapidated, or destroyed. But nothing, in my opinion, can poison the wellspring underneath because it is by definition a continual flow — ever replenishing itself by inherent goodness.
The work we do as trauma survivors is to first remember we have the wellspring, believe it’s there, and believe it’s your authenticity. We can learn to trust this wellspring as we dig down and create a connection from the earth to its wondrous flow. This looks like trusting yourself for your own healing and regaining connection to your body, mind, and spirit. Once you’ve dug down, you can tap into this unadulterated river of self-knowing, self-care, and self-love. From there, we can build a beautiful fountain or well, so that you can sustain the connection to the true source and have it more readily accessible anytime you need its abundance. That’s where creativity, play, and true joy can be ever present for you to use at your disposal. It’s when you start losing touch with your trauma identity and start returning, full circle, to your authentic self. Boundaries and healthy relationships will become a new normal. Trauma responses will start to be supplanted by new coping mechanisms. New habits of regular self-care can begin to flourish in your life.
And it all starts with finding and re-connecting to that authentic wellspring. It doesn’t matter where you are in this process. I am always here to support in whatever way I can. I’ll bring the shovel and some lemonade and help you dig the hole, or I’ll bring the supplies for the well building or help you map the blueprint. Whatever you need, feel free to reach out, ask any questions, give feedback, or schedule a free consult to see if coaching is a good next step for you. This is amazing and hard work, and I am definitely here for it.
