Rediscover Your Inherent Wholeness
“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind”—Caroline Myss.
What if the wounds you carry are not a sign of brokenness but an invitation to remember your wholeness? Healing isn’t about fixing what we believe to be damaged; it’s about reconnecting with the fullness of who we are. Integration takes this idea further by embracing all aspects of ourselves. This includes our wounds and perceived flaws as essential aspects of our wholeness. As the American author Caroline Myss wisely observed, “The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” The paradox of this quote is the foundation of true healing: we are not broken and need fixing, but we are whole beings who have briefly lost sight of our completeness.
To further expand on this idea, we can see how the language of healing can influence our perception of ourselves. As author Michael Brown suggests, using the word ‘healing’ may uphold the belief that we are incomplete. However, the truth is that nothing is missing other than the belief in our separateness. Like a hologram where each fragment contains the entire image, every aspect of us carries the blueprint of our soul’s nature. Instead of trying to fix ourselves, integration invites us to acknowledge and incorporate every experience as part of our whole being. It doesn’t mean erasing the pain you experienced but incorporating it into your greater self through compassion and understanding.
This perspective challenges our standard approach to healing. Does this idea appeal to you? Are you comfortable knowing that whilst you are born whole and pure, you created separation through your beliefs, thoughts, and experiences? I’m not implying this rests entirely on your shoulders since it is an unavoidable aspect of our human journey. It is said that while our painful experiences are not our fault, healing the pain is our responsibility. Although there’s an element of truth, we ought to remember there is nothing to heal other than to attend to our unconscious memories of our wounded selves. As a result, we integrate our separateness into our greater self by acknowledging these parts of us.
This path of integration requires a sense of releasing and renewing, represented as a constant cycle of deliberate transformation. In my writing, I often repeat the expression “Release and Renew” when discussing healing and emotions. By this, I am referring to releasing what is not conducive to our well-being, even though it may have served us previously. This may include regret, disappointment, fear, anger about the past, and replaying painful memories. Similarly, we renew our commitment to nurturing ourselves and moving forward by connecting with our core emotions. This involves embracing every emotion that surfaces through the eyes of curiosity and compassion. The egoic mind likes to separate us from our greater self to create two identities, i.e., the darkness and the light. This is why we experience pain and disillusionment because of two opposing interests.
The Journey from Healing to Integration
“I have been a seeker and still am, but I stopped asking about the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my soul”—Rumi.
This perspective is a subtle shift in our approach from healing to integration, but it carries lasting consequences for our journey toward wholeness. The wisdom of author Michael Brown, whom I referenced earlier, resonates with this concept. He suggests that the language of “healing” can unintentionally reinforce the notion that we are somehow damaged. Brown advocates instead for “integration,” a process that acknowledges those parts of ourselves we have unconsciously tried to resist, control, or numb. While the healing process focuses mainly on resolving our sense of brokenness, integration recognizes it as a part of our whole being to be embraced.
Unlike traditional healing methods, which label our difficult experiences as ‘problems’ that require fixing, integration calls us to embrace every part of ourselves—even our challenges—as essential to our wholeness. I believe Brown makes two important points: First, we mustn’t resist or try to manipulate the past but see it as an aspect of our life’s experience. Second, integration means to embrace, or at least acknowledge, everything that happened to us. Perhaps not immediately, but when we are ready to make peace with it.
As you reflect on these ideas, what emerges for you? What are your thoughts about this? You may have questions related to your personal experiences. Whilst I am not present to answer them, I assure you that trying to make sense of them consciously is a healing process rather than an integration process. So, rather than trying to make sense of the past, which keeps us trapped by replaying painful memories, we can identify how the experiences served us. Moreover, we should consider the following questions as a basis for self-inquiry.
- How can I use the past to facilitate my personal growth?
- How can I use my emotional wounds to bring peace and love to the part of me that is pure and whole?
- How can I integrate my separateness into the wholeness of my being?
- Who must I become or let go of to achieve this inner state?
Nurturing the deepest part of yourself is a journey of integration instead of a healing process, as we’ve established throughout this article. Transformation unfolds effortlessly when we shift our perspective from fixing what we believe to be broken to embracing what’s been forgotten. Remember: your pain isn’t a punishment; it’s a path. Your wounds can lead you to greater wholeness if you’re willing to look at them through the lens of compassion and curiosity.
Considering this, I invite you to participate in your integration journey. Create time this week to journal your answers to the four questions above. Approach this practice as a conversation with your deeper self. Similarly, try to notice what emerges in your dreams, what triggers unhappiness in your daily life, and what patterns appear as signs in your waking life. These are not random occurrences but signposts leading you home to yourself. Integration isn’t a destination; it’s a practice. It asks you to return to the wholeness that has always been your true nature. The journey begins with one courageous step: the willingness to see your fragmented parts as aspects of yourself waiting to be welcomed home. Will you answer that call?
Are You Ready to Transform Your Life with Confidence?
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Tony Fahkry
Expert Life Coach
