RECLAMING YOUR TRUE SELF By Angela Dunning
Conscious Vulnerability "To grow up is to accept Vulnerability. To be alive is to be vulnerable." ~Madeleine L'Engle
W
e are taught from a very early age not to show our vulnerabilities. We learn to mask and suppress our true feelings and needs. We don't express our emotions healthy because, as a society, we are told that to be vulnerable is to be weak. Going against one's true nature in this way and to the extent that we all do well into adulthood takes a considerable toll on both ourselves and those we interact with. To constantly have to cover up what we are feeling and what we need takes huge amounts of energy, the energy that could go into more creative and healthy outlets. Not only that, but we muddy the waters of our relationships, whether this is with our close intimate partners, friends, family members, colleagues, or strangers. Within families, in particular, these complicated ways of relating become the norm. A pattern is set within 94 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e October 2021
each family, and each member finds a way to fit into this mold and go against their own grain, including when as adults, we return home for get-togethers and holidays. Yet, such conforming and suppression of one's true nature can be crippling and even devastating for the individual. It can lead to serious problems with forming other adult relationships, as well as getting on in our career and even having our own family. Many, if not all of the adults I work with, bring such complex relationship patterns into our work. With the help of the horses who are fluent in authenticity and clear boundaries, we start to unpick the client's tendencies and templates; they practice learning to stay connected to what they are actually feeling in each moment, emotionally and physically, as well as tracking their needs as they rise and fall.