Women and men who have been sexually abused need to discover how to feel safe again, often years after the event. If you experienced that mistreatment it left long lasting effects on your physical and spiritual body, even if there is no long lasting physical evidence.
Sexual abuse has the potential to unbalance all of the chakras, and until you are able to heal those chakras you’ll find unwanted disruptions in your relationships and sense of self. Reclaiming your power is essential to healing.
Reclaiming your power is about you, not the perpetrator. When you have your power you accept yourself as who you are, flaws and all. You feel a sense of connection to the world, to spirit (however you define spirit) and you have healthy relationships with others.
In the ritual below you will be working with the seven energy centers in everyone’s body that are called chakras. When these centers are blocked or damaged, the energy is disrupted and the disruption can cause physical, emotional and spiritual distress.
Here is a reclaiming ritual to open and balance that you can do on your own or with a trusted group of people. If you prefer, an energy worker such as a Reiki healer or Shaman, can be a great assistant to reconnect, open and realign your chakras before or after the ritual.
Prepare a space with items that represent the elements of water (bowl with water and an essence such as lavender or frankincense), air (feather), earth (crystal or stone), and fire (candle). Bless the elements. Cleanse the space with sage or salt water and declare it sacred.
Start with the Seventh Chakra which is above the crown of the head. This chakra is associated with spirit and when injured can mean you have difficulty connecting to spirit. Begin by claiming a reconnection with your angels and guides (or however you refer to spirit). This is your personal spiritual connection, not an institutional connection. Say, for example, “I call on the spirit of One, on my Angels and Guides to be with me on this healing journey.” Place a hand just above your head and move it gently and slowly up and down. Feel the pulsing energy of the crown chakra. If you can’t feel the energy continue the exercise and trust the connection is there.
Move to the sixth chakra, the third eye, which is behind the forehead. It relates to your intuition which can be hard to trust after abuse. Abused people often constantly distrust their intuition because it didn’t keep them safe from harm. Touch a feather to your third eye and ask for a vision of what your guides want to tell you. Still your mind and let the images come until a positive image that might represent healing or safety or joy comes to you. Hold to that image. Breathe into that image and then relax.
Next, the fifth chakra, at your throat, relates to your ability to communicate and speak your truth. Use the fire of passion to speak your truth. Name the abuse and/or the abuser. Write the name of the abuser and any description about the event or events. Burn the name and abuse as you say something like, “I [your name] call back my power. I reclaim my body, mind, emotions and soul. [abuser name] has no power over me. My body is healed, my mind is soothed, my emotions are strong and healthy, my spirit is true.” It is very powerful to tone or sing at this point.
The fourth chakra is the heart chakra and is charged by our relationships to others and ultimately to ourselves. Dab the water with essential oil on your heart chakra. Mediitate on the people who love you. Mediitate on the relationships you want to call into your life and mediitate on how YOU want to be in that relationship. Call on the power of the Universe to help you create that perfect relationship. For example, “I call on the power of One to bring to me the perfect relationship that makes me feel treasured, joyful and safe.”
Move to the third chakra which resides behind your naval and is the chakra from which your personal power emanates. After being abused a person often loses her sense of place in the world, or becomes so hyper-organized so nothing can ever get near her again. She loses the perspective of boundaries. Think about your relationships and be honest about which ones bring you joy and which ones are stressful. Ask yourself why you have these feelings about them. Are you feeling pressured; does someone barge into your space; do you laugh often with anyone; how do you decide how time will be spent with others? After you’ve thought about these questions, and your own questions, imagine a large square that represents your boundaries. Take each of the elements and draw over your boundaries and say something like, “My emotional (water) boundaries keep me safe, but available. My passions (fire) are mine to decide and to pursue. My thoughts (feather) explore the world. My physical (crystal or stone) self demands safety and health.
Go to the second chakra where you feel your emotions, or the emotions of others. It is where your sexual feelings reside. For an abused person this chakra may feel ripped and torn. Fear, betrayal, anger, lust, and anxiety can sit in the pit of your gut. Mediitate on weaving the rips in the fabric of your being. Call in your power by saying something like, “I [your name] call on MY power. XX has no power over me. No one has power over who I am. I am [your name] and I embrace her with love. I call on my power to love. I call on my power to be safe, happy and joyful, thoughtful, satisfied and excited in the world. I call on my power to grieve and then release the past. I call on my power to be the most of who I can be in a way that satisfies ME.”
Finally, the first chakra relates to our connection to earth. Sometimes those wounded by abuse have a difficult time deciding if they want to stay on this planet. Stand before the elements, raise your arms to the sky, stamp your feet as you declare, “I claim my power to be me. I claim my power to be healed. I claim my power to love my body and to remove all traces of XX. I am [your name] and I am powerful.” Touch every part of your body, your lips, cheeks, head, throat, breasts, waist, vagina, buttocks with love and kindness. Use your own healing touch to reclaim your body and your power.
If you wish assistance with this exercise, or a healing Reiki session, please contact Judyth at (360) 305-1491.
