I know that it’s your life that you’re living, but are you truly owning it? And what would that mean?
That might sound like a weird question: “Are you owning your life story?”
“Of course I am..” you might proudly say.
BUT!
Are you owning ALL of it or just the parts that are pleasant, comfortable, something you’re proud of — or are you putting the work to integrate all of your parts and experiences, even the unpleasant ones?
In psychology, we can look into the concept of integration. Connecting the dots, working on self-acceptance.
In Internal Family Systems therapy, we can talk about integrating – instead of orphaning – our parts.
In my episode, I present to you what meaningful starting points for this work can be.
I try to answer several questions, such as:
Can we own our life stories without orphaning any part or experience? And what dangers do we have to navigate here?
I share a personal story, too, as a cautionary tale of one of those dangers.
I hope you take the time to listen and reflect on how you’ve been doing in this respect. Because without that integration it’s difficult to talk about healing. And without healing it’s even more difficult to talk about a profound sense of empowerment.
Thank you for doing the work.
“Be an active participant in your own life” is the motto of this page after all.
Justina
PS. I promised to link to my episode on how not to take things personally — here it is!
Subscribe to receive my blog updates directly into your inbox.
Explore my blog:
What The World with Israel in It Looks Like – And Why It’s OK for Our Nervous Systems Not to Be OK
I hope it is something you can address with your therapists, friends, or online community at least: that if you are aware of how this world has been, your nervous system can’t be doing too well. And as long as we live in a world where fascist regimes like Israel can exterminate people in front of our eyes, we cannot be OK. But what we can do is put conscious effort to change that world.
Continue reading
When There’s an Opening of The Heart, But The Ones in Power Are Preaching Destruction
There is a saying that the cracks in the heart is where the light comes through. I also think it’s from where that light also shines. In my essay, I invite you to protect your hearts in this time of mass destruction; to engage in antiwar activities; to save your own humanity.
Continue reading
If You Reject Gaslighting in Your Personal Life, Reject It When It Comes as War Propaganda, Too
We can call it war propaganda (as we should), but we can also use another rather popular concept: gaslighting. This is what is being done to us on a global scale, as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran is being waged. That’s why, if you’re feeling that you might be losing your mind when you watch the mainstream media, indeed, that is the point.
Continue reading
Protect Your Kindness: Don’t Be a Safe Space for Those Who Preach Supremacy
We don’t expand our humanity by bowing down to those who preach their own supremacy. We only lose it. Therefore, I invite you to protect it.
Continue reading
On Fascist Regimes, The Heaviness of Interconnectedness, And Living Standing Up
With fascism on the rise, I share an extended metaphor with you that might be a reminder you were looking for. To keep on going, to keep on speaking out, and to keep on showing up for what matters.
Continue reading
How Do We Choose to Operate in Times of Fascism?
Fascism has never been a thing of the past; now, to disregard it means to disengage from reality. As international law has crumbled, Israel is still destroying Gaza, and masked agents are snatching people of the streets in the U.S., I invite you to ask yourself how you choose to show up in this reality.
Continue reading
Investigative Selfism 
Your thoughts