Lisa's Journey
My transformational journey began in 1999. I was 29 years old when my mother's diagnosis of breast cancer spurred my own personal crisis. It was also the year of my Saturn return - a time of great transformation.
What did I do? I ended my relationship and left university (in my last semester). I sold everything, put on a backpack, and traveled around trying to "find myself". Yup. It was drastic.
While I was traveling, I had so many amazing, life-changing experiences that showed me a whole other side of the world and myself. It was incredible!
After I came home, I went back to university and finished my Bachelor of Education degree, but that path didn't feel right anymore. I jumped from job to job, falling back on my college diploma in Office Administration, but this didn't feel right either.
Soon enough, I found myself unemployed, feeling lost and confused and living with my parents. I was at my lowest. I had no confidence. I felt like a failure, and I was stuck.
I knew I was different, but I hadn't yet come across the research around the highly sensitive person. And I tried so many different types of therapies and healing modalities to move myself forward, but nothing much changed.
Finally, an EFT Practitioner (disguised as a Career Coach) helped clear away my debilitating mental and emotional turmoil. Together, we worked through the many layers of conscious and unconscious stuff, and eventually, I felt lighter and motivated to move forward. From here, I was able to make peace with myself, rebuild my confidence and begin anew.
It was around this same time that I found the book, The Highly Sensitive Person, by Dr. Elaine Aron. It blew my mind because I could see myself so clearly in the pages of her book. It was life affirming, but it was also hard to take in.
This information highlighted how much of my life I had spent trying to fit in - overriding my sensitivities, ignoring my needs, and driving myself into the ground to keep up with everyone else. I felt a deep sadness for this.
And at first, I didn't want to accept that I was highly sensitive because isn't that weak? I'd spent my whole life hiding my tears, my feelings, my compassion, my creativity - everything that symbolized weakness in our hyper-masculine culture. So it took me some time to wrap my head around it all, but then I did. Accept it, that is.
After that, I went on to explore alternative paths that ignited a spark in me (so many paths). I trained in Reiki, studied Non-Violent Communication (NVC), certified as a Life Coach, founded Halifax Reflexology and became a certified EFT Practitioner.
This took many years, and it took courage and hard work to go against convention, but my spirit soared as I followed my heart and found new paths that aligned with my true nature. A whole new world had opened up to me.
After a while, it became clear that the common thread in all of these endeavours is my natural ability to help others with communication, emotional healing and transforming their lives. This is my reason for being. I am meant to be using my unique High Sensory gifts in service to others.
These days I feel secure and content in who I am, and I honor myself as a high sensory person. I dare to dream, and I trust that I will always find my way forward and achieve my goals.
Also, I’m softer. I’m more self-compassionate. I don’t put pressure on myself to live up to societal norms that don’t feel good for me. I live life my way.
I enjoy close relationships with friends and family, and I like spending lots of time in nature, tending to my houseplants, reading and researching, growing herbs and greens on my patio and homemaking and adventuring with my partner.
Of course, this is only a small part of my big life.
There have been a lot of other heartaches and challenges that came with being young and having no awareness of my sensitivities - like a lack of healthy boundaries, terrible communication skills, trusting without discernment, putting others needs and feelings above my own, and the list goes on and on. All of this contributed to my emotional turmoil I spoke of earlier.
But, like I've already said, when we do the inner work, life gets easier. I promise.
If you feel like you're in the right place, at the right time, I hope to meet you!
Lisa x
P.S. My mother beat the cancer. She's been in remission for almost 20 years now, and I'm grateful that she's still a big part of my life.
