Taking ownership of your life from trauma script 1

When someone close to you dies, we often feel empty and alone. We struggle to move forward, because we don’t know what we are supposed to do next.

In this meditation, you can start to become more present and reclaim some ownership over your life.

Find a comfortable meditation posture and invite gentleness into the body.

Be aware of your feet, noticing the ground beneath them. Rest your awareness in the sensations of the soles of your feet, your ankles, and your legs.

Become aware of the contact between your body and the chair. You can become aware of how the muscles, bones, and organs of your body touch the chair.

Become aware of your eyes, noticing the world around you, and the objects that surround you. See if you can bring awareness to the space between the top of your head and the ceiling, noticing the lines of the floor and ceiling.

Become aware of the sensations of your body. You can notice the muscles of your face and jaw. Feel the pressure of your cheekbones, your nose, and your forehead.

Become aware of your stomach, your chest, your neck, and your collarbone. Feel the air touching your skin.

Become aware of the rest of your body, from your shoulders to your toes.

Bring awareness to your whole body, and notice how it feels to be present with your whole self.

After a few moments, notice the sensations of your breath. Become aware of the air entering your nostrils, your throat, your lungs, your stomach, and your chest.

Feel the breath as it moves through your body.

Begin to notice the thoughts and feelings that come into your mind. Don’t push them away. They are all part of you, even the ones that seem uncomfortable.

Notice your emotions as they arise, like the anger, the sadness, the joy, and the gratitude. Bring awareness to what you like about the experience of being present in the moment.

You may feel like you are doing it for the first time. Be gentle with yourself. It’s hard to be present when we feel lost, but you have found a way to do it now.

Taking ownership of your life from trauma script 2

When you are struggling with trauma, it can be difficult to take ownership of your life. It’s easy to blame the world or your parents for the situation you are in, or to blame yourself for making bad choices.

This exercise gives you the chance to look at how you are living your life and ask yourself if you have any choice in the matter.

Close the eyes and find a comfortable posture in which to sit. Bring your awareness to the sensation of the body breathing.

Bring your attention to the breath for a few minutes, allowing the mind to settle and focus.

Take a deep breath and slowly exhale.

Notice how your chest expands.

Think about a time when you were young, perhaps 10 or 12 years old. Think about a time when you were happy, a time when your parents loved you.

Think about a time when you felt safe and cared for, when you felt loved. This may be a time when you felt like you were a child, or it may be a time when you felt you were a grown-up.

Now, go back to that time, when you were younger.

How did you feel? Did you have fun? Were you worried? Did you feel loved?

Bring your awareness back to your breath.

Now, bring your attention to your current life. Do you see anything that resembles what you experienced as a child? How do you feel?

If you don’t feel good about your life, ask yourself if you have any control over what’s going on.

If you do feel good about your life, you can think about how you can keep this feeling.

If you do not feel good about your life, and you’d like to make some changes, ask yourself: What is it that keeps me stuck in my own personal hell?

What is it that stops me from being happier?

What is it that causes me to feel more and more anxious?

What is it that stops me from being healthy and successful in life?

What is it that stops me from having a relationship that feels fulfilling?

What is it that stops me from feeling loved and connected?

What is it that stops me from being free?

Ask yourself: If I am to change anything in my life, what would I have to let go of?

Bring your awareness back to the breath and notice the body breathing.

Bring your attention to the fact that you have control over your life, and that you can choose to be free from the things that are holding you back.

Taking ownership of your life from trauma script 3

Trauma often affects our ability to make choices. It causes us to be reactive, rather than proactive.

In the aftermath of trauma, we have difficulty thinking clearly and acting in ways that align with our values.

We feel like we have no control over our lives and that we can’t move forward.

By learning to take ownership of your life, you begin to heal. It begins by noticing what you have done well and where you can make positive change.

It starts with what you do know. You may not yet have the skills to handle whatever you are facing.

But you can know where you have made good choices and take ownership of those choices.

When you are ready to move on, you can start to take charge of your life and make decisions about how you want to respond.

You can look back and recognize the things you did well, even in the midst of struggle. You can take ownership of those choices.

Think about the qualities you appreciate about yourself and your relationships.

Imagine you are looking at your life from a distance. See the things that are working well and appreciate them.

Notice how you show up, even when things are difficult.

You may need to use mindfulness and compassion in order to take ownership of your life.

Bring awareness to the feelings that arise. When you are triggered, say a phrase like, “I am feeling triggered right now” and see if you can notice the thoughts that come up with this phrase.

It helps to remember that you can’t always control what happens, but you can always control your response to it.

Remember that this practice requires time. It takes practice to know yourself well enough to know what you like about yourself.

Even after a long time, you may not feel like you’ve taken ownership of your life. But the practice continues to grow as you learn more about yourself.

As you get to know yourself better, you can begin to take ownership of the difficult moments, too. You may have had trouble taking ownership of your life before, but now you may be able to begin.

Click here to get back to the list of self-compassion meditation scripts

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