I’m safe.
Body, please hear me.
We are safe.

I appreciate how you
carried me all those years.
Protecting me in ways I didn’t realize
until I didn’t need you to anymore.
Survival mode was necessary.
I appreciate you.

Though the threats have lowered
And the stakes are not so high,
You still tense up, nerves on edge,
mind on high alert.
Triggered.

Body, please hear me.
We are safe.

The pathways formed inside of you
Lead us through to safety.
You were beautifully designed
to do what you did, so we
could be where we are today;
Safe, secured, supported.
Darling body, you responded as was necessary and I appreciate you.

Our environment has shifted though –
No longer shaky, frail, and unpredictable –
Yet the old pathways remain.
You are conditioned to respond
according to previous circumstances;
It takes no thought or effort to react.
Smell, touch, sound, movement, colors – memories triggered in my nerves.
Survival mode activated.

Body, please hear me.
It’s not necessary anymore,
We are safe.

Those old pathways no longer lead to safety. There is space where we are to breakdown.
Space to breath.
Space to grieve.
Space to acknowledge.
Space to rest.
Space to form new paths.
Space to heal.
Space to grow …

Slowly, we are moving forward,
forging new paths with new experiences.
I will be patient with you.
I will appreciate you.
I will honor you.

Body, please hear me.
We are safe.