Welcome to this meditation which I've created to help you heal after narcissistic abuse.
This practice embodies mindfulness,
Compassionate insight and vows of self-honouring to create a safe space and to create some ease from what you have endured.
I invite you to begin by finding your way into a comfortable position where you can focus on this.
Allow your eyes to gently close and take five slow breaths,
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through your mouth smoothly and evenly.
With each exhale imagine releasing the chain that once bound you to the narcissist's narrative.
Feel the surface beneath you and know that you are safe.
Your healing is a gift to yourself and to the world.
Relax your jaw.
Allow yourself to sink into the surface beneath you as you gently activate your imagination by seeing yourself in a sunlit forest clearing.
Surrounding you is a ring of towering ancient trees,
Oaks with roots deeper than time and whispering wisdom.
These trees embody protection,
Resilience and unconditional presence.
Step into the centre of the circle.
Feel the earth beneath your feet,
Solid and supportive.
I invite you to inhale and draw up energy from the earth like the roots of the trees and feel it flow into your feet,
Your legs and your spine.
Then as you exhale release fear or tension and allow those feelings and sensations to return to the earth where they can be composted into nourishment.
Inhaling,
Drawing in earth energy,
Exhaling and letting go.
Inhaling,
Feeling the grounding effects of the earth,
Exhaling and releasing what no longer serves you.
Inhaling,
Drawing up energy from the earth,
Exhaling and letting go of tension and fear.
You are rooted,
Supported and free.
You are rooted,
Supported and free.
Feel those words resonate in your mind and in your body.
As you rest in this sanctuary notice the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves.
Illuminating patches of moss and wildflowers on the ground around you.
Hear the wind through the branches of the trees.
A breeze that carries away old doubts.
Place your palm against a tree trunk.
Feel its bark protective and steadfast.
Breathe in the scent of the trees and the damp soil and the plants around you.
Breathe in the scent of the trees and the damp soil and the plants around you.
As you sense that the air is cool and clean like spring water.
Because in this grove you are held by ancient strength.
You are safe,
You are home.
From your sanctuary,
Visualize a path winding through the forest.
This is your healing journey.
As you walk you encounter first a clear pool.
The glassy water reflects your face.
As you gaze into it and you see yourself as a warrior of compassion.
You see yourself with clarity and you know that you are worthy.
You continue along the path and a fork appears ahead of you.
One track is steep and bright while the other is familiar but shadowed.
You pause for a moment and consider your options.
Then you decide to journey along the bright path.
You're choosing growth,
Even though it may be hard and challenging at times.
A bird sings overhead.
Its voice is clear,
Joyful and positive.
Let its song remind you to speak kindly to yourself.
May you speak to yourself with words that are gentle and true.
As you continue onwards,
There's a bridge that spans a river where the water is rushing and tumbling.
As you cross the bridge safely,
You know that you are aware of the boundaries that protect your peace.
Having a sense that you honour your needs and you now act in ways that respect your spirit.
A garden blooms beside the path.
A place where toxic influences are weeded out.
And as you nurture the plants around you,
They sustain you.
As you focus on cultivating relationships and spaces that help you thrive.
You continue along the path a little further and you find a large rock is blocking your way.
It takes you some time and effort to push it aside,
Not through force,
Rather a steady determination.
You have a sense of persisting with patience as you release what drains you.
You feel the earth beneath your feet as you continue on this journey,
Contemplating the sound of your footsteps and the air around you.
A deer steps onto the path,
Locking eyes with you.
You stay present with its gaze as you meet each moment as it is,
Without judgement.
As the deer disappears into the undergrowth,
You look up at a lantern that's hanging from a branch of a nearby tree.
You observe how its flame is steady and for a few moments you focus on its light.
Feeling that you can devote your energy to what heals.
You move on and after a while the path ends at a mountaintop.
You reach the top,
Looking out at the landscape and breathe deeply.
Knowing that you walk this path with courage.
Knowing that you are the author of your life.
May the merit of this practice nourish all beings.
May survivors of abuse find sanctuary within themselves.
May those who cause harm awaken to their own pain and cease to inflict it.
May your healing radiate like sunlight,
Warming the world with resilience and grace.
You can return here whenever you feel unsteady.
Trust that with each step on the path,
You reclaim your right to peace.
