The Wound You Keep Reopening

Open wounds stay infected.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

The Wound You Keep Reopening

Do you walk around with an open wound?

If you do, you invite infection. Ask any physician.

Emotional wounds work much the same way. If you don't close them, they have a way of infecting your whole life.

Some people carry those wounds for years . . . decades . . . even a lifetime. They never think about stitching them up.

That got me wondering.

Why would someone leave an emotional wound open?

I'm sure there are plenty of reasons, but one answer came to me.

They want their pain acknowledged.

Not fixed.

Not explained.

Just acknowledged.

Sometimes the greatest need isn't for a solution. It's for someone to recognize how much something hurts.

Until that happens, the wound stays open.

I didn't always understand that.

Years ago, I'd quietly roll my eyes at people who kept talking about the same hurt. It sounded like drama to me.

Then I became wounded.

I discovered something surprising.

Everyone wanted to tell me how to heal, but almost no one acknowledged how deeply I was hurting.

When acknowledgement did come, it didn't erase the pain.

It simply began to loosen its grip.

It was like letting a little air out of a balloon.

But here's the part that often gets missed.

Once your pain has been acknowledged, you have to stop telling the story.

Every retelling reopens the wound.

Every replay strengthens the hurt.

Healing doesn't come from repeating the story.

It comes from feeling the pain.

There's a big difference.

Talking about pain keeps it alive.

Feeling it lets it move.

So instead of reciting your story one more time – in your head or out loud – quietly notice where the hurt lives in your body.

Is it in your chest?

Your stomach?

Your throat?

Sit with that sensation without adding commentary.

No analysis.

No narration.

Just feel it.

It takes discipline to stop telling the story.

 It takes courage to stay with the feeling.

But that's how emotional pain gets metabolized instead of memorialized.

It's the storm before the calm.

And it works.

So here's the whole remedy in three steps:

1. Acknowledge the hurt.
2. Stop telling the story.
3. Feel the pain.

That's how wounds close.

And once they're closed . . . pain becomes very hard to maintain.

All the best,

John