Do you remember what life was like when you were a 5 year old? Was this a happy or not so happy time for you? Did you feel safe, nurtured, loved?
During our formative years - birth to age 7 - we are highly suggestible with sponge-like minds, hypnotically absorbing information from our closest sources - parents, siblings, teachers, TV, church, etc. This is a time of confusion and contradictions as we try to make sense of a shiny new universe and lay down important foundations for our later life. We rely on adults for our survival, with their subjective perceptions of the world; we experience adventures as well as trip-falls; we desire to explore the outer reaches of our existence, yet we crave the safety of boundaries; we possess powerful imaginations yet little personal power. It is during these bewildering years that, in amongst the happy memories, we collect those unsettling Stories that will linger beyond childhood as emotional landmarks: mum bringing home a new baby sibling (rejection); our first day at nursery (abandonment); a visit to the dentist (anxiety); or far darker Stories of abuse and/or neglect.
It’s not surprising, then, that our issues in adulthood usually point back to our early years, particularly around the age of 5 when we were growing in awareness, developing articulation, and increasing our own cognitive grasp of the environment. Today, the trauma of a partner leaving us can trigger an unresolved Story of our parents’ divorce; a painful encounter with death can awaken unprocessed grief over the passing of a childhood pet or doting grandparent; a bully at work can remind us of our shame and helplessness when a teacher singled us out in the classroom; getting laid off from our job can take us straight back to the humiliation of coming last in the school egg-and-spoon race.
What unhappy memories still haunt you from around the age of 5? When you recall that particular incident do you experience physical sensations in your body? Nausea? Trembling? Racing heart? Dry mouth? Swallowing? Headache? Tense shoulders? Tummy wobbles? This is a sure sign of a Story that is still vibrating in your body as a cellular memory. Delete the Story! Heal the Memory! Move on! The rest of your Life awaits you!