We live in a world of unlimited choices. The amount of data, news, products, events, social media, and people vying for our attention is astronomical. At no other time in recorded history have people had to deal with this kind of information overload and so many choices. We know that our brain shuts down after a certain amount of information and it becomes increasingly difficult to make a choice when there are too many options to choose from.
When there is too much to choose from we can become paralyzed and unable to make a decision. We like to have some choices, but we can only handle a finite amount of options. When option overload happens it can lead to feelings of confusion and ineffectiveness, even depression.
In Amate Growth Work, we learn to listen to our “Inner Guidance.” We check in with our Inner Guidance about every choice that we have throughout the day. We learn how to discern what Inner Guidance is telling us to do and we learn to follow the advice we receive. When we are true to what Inner Guidance is telling us, we live in a state of Inner Peace. We are at peace with ourselves and our choices.
Childhood traumas will affect our ability to hear our Inner Guidance. We hear the voice of our parents, our teachers, “society,” the church, our friends. We hear everyone’s voice but our own. Our Inner Guidance is muffled somewhere in all the clutter. It is hard for us to trust ourselves because we do not love ourselves. We do not love ourselves because of all the negative messages we have received over the years. These messages might have told us that we were not important enough to be paid attention to, that our voice did not matter in the family, that our newly-formed world views were stupid or even dangerous.
Often times this negativity results in us believing that we are not worthy of being listened to above all of the chatter in our heads. It is not that the voice on Inner Guidance is not there. It is always there, but we are not yet brave enough and sure enough of ourselves to listen to it. However, as one experiences the process of healing these traumas and the times when our true nature was not honored, through a process called “Inner Work,” we come to realize that we are always worthy of being loved. We also learn that it is our responsibility to love ourselves. It is our job to be the encouraging voice and the protector of our Inner Self.
It is more important than ever to connect to this voice of Inner Guidance in the contemporary world of choice overload. It is a crucial tool to use to sift through the endless options and “noise” of opinions. When you tune into Inner Guidance you will take each option one at a time and make a decision on it, yes or no. You may also receive guidance to wait or continue to gather more information. You will receive an answer, but the all-important element is to trust that answer.
It can be quite difficult to follow the voice of Inner Guidance unless childhood wounds have been healed. The childhood wounds or “stoppages,” create self-doubt. When the Inner Self finally grows up into Emotional Maturity through the process of Amate Growth Work, the Inner Guidance will come through more clearly and we will trust it more and more.
As we grow up, we learn that we have an Inner Self to take care of. Taking care of the Inner Self means listening to Inner Guidance to show us what we need. We learn how to discern that what may be the Inner Child, for example, crying out for ice cream, is actually a need for love and affection. We can give ourselves this love and dismiss the ice cream. This ability to listen to Inner Guidance, to cut through the “noise” of too many options and too many choices is an invaluable gift. This is a gift that you are giving yourself when you embark on the journey of Amate Growth Work.
The choices made using Inner Guidance may not always be popular with family and friends. Without the support of a fully healed and grown up Inner Self, it will be almost impossible to make difficult choices when it comes to such things as family. Making a decision about going to a family event when we feel tired and depleted is an example of such a choice; we know that we would rather stay home and read by ourselves, but the nagging voice of social obligation is telling us that we “should” go. Listening to Inner Guidance is what will bring us Inner Peace and take care of our Inner Self. Yet we really have to be healed to be strong enough to be firm in the place of social pressure and do what is needed to take care of ourselves.
Our Inner Guidance may tell us that we need to stand up for ourselves and be true to our nature. This can be difficult, as we may have heard a message from others of being different than we truly are for too long. Our parents and teachers may have told us to be quiet when what actully felt right in our hearts was to be loud. We may have been told to override our own instincts and show affection to a relative we did not want to show affection to so that our parents would look good. We may have been ridiculed for our quiet introspective nature because it was not the ideal of the outgoing American society. When the Inner Self is healed we realize we have to stand up for her, this previously small and quiet person. It is our job to take good care of her. We are her guardian and we cannot let her down, so we speak up and we stand in our truth and we stand our ground.
Having this healed Inner Self and listening to our Inner Guidance will keep us focused no matter how many distractions are at hand and how many choices we are presented with. Each decision will be made with the use of Inner Guidance and it will be made one choice at a time. If we choose to ignore Inner Guidance we will receive feedback that will show us that we ignored it and we will not feel at peace. Dr. Horton, the founder of the Amate Growth Work method always says that “peace is the prize.” Living a life at peace with your decisions is indeed a great gift and cuts through the often overwhelming chaos around us.
For more information on how you can benefit from Amate Growth Work and to receive your free consultation contact Dr. Eva A. Malanowski, Psy.D. at 303-242-7824.
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