Breaking out of the spiral

Sometimes I think we all have something of the hamster in our genes.  

Because we all do it, don’t we?  Something challenging happens that sets off a reactive train of thought and before we know it that thought is looping round on repeat in our mind like a hamster wizzing round on his wheel.  And of course, the more it loops, the more entrenched it gets and the harder it is to let it go.

We all do it.  This is one of those inner narratives that I write about in my new book.  I was reminded of this ‘hamster tendency’ this week when I received some encouraging feedback from a reader who has endured long-term mental health issues.  Here’s a short extract:

Your book is absolutely brilliant in every way. … … For me, as a person with recurrent depressive disorder (which of course keeps coming back at me when I thought I was done with it) it promises perhaps a way of getting out of the spiral.

 Getting out of the spiral  ...

Breaking out of the spiral (that we often don’t realise we are spinning in) can lead to a significant breakthrough in finding healing from our emotional wounds and struggles. Healing Life’s Wounds contains a whole chapter on recognising and learning how to break free from our inner story. As well as lots of other helpful healing insights!

How about you?  What troubling narrative is looping round in your head?  

Repeating the inner story only perpetuates the pain.  Would you like to be free of it and feel happier, lighter, more at peace?

The book’s available here.

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Not just for those in crisis …

 

Life’s busy, isn’t it.  And it’s noisy.  And it seems to get faster with each passing year. 

And in the midst of all this, as we keep on keeping on with whatever life demands of us, we so often give precious little time to our own mental health - until a crisis hits, and we are forced to.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.  

Caring for our emotional health is one of the very best things we can do for ourselves, and for those around us.  Happy, contented people enable others to be more at peace too.  Being emotionally content has a ripple effect on those we engage with in our small corner of the world.  It’s infectious.

Why wait until you’re struggling?   If even one small issue is niggling away in your mind and robbing you of the peace you deserve to have, why not think about exploring your unsettling feelings with a little help from my new book; Healing Life’s Wounds.

“Beautifully written, easy to read, and full of helpful insights”

was one recent comment. 

For the sixth week running, it’s high in the Amazon Bestseller lists for Christian Spirituality (4th) and Christian Counselling (6th), which is a sign of how many people are already discovering and recommending it.  

Why not join in with this momentum and explore your emotional healing? 

The best time to start to care for yourself is always today. 

Why not do it now?  

Healing Life’s Wounds

Available from all the usual places where you buy your Christian books.

…. and here …. from the link on the right!

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Vicki Cottingham reviews my new book

I am indebted to Vicki Cottingham - author, blogger, speaker and fellow retreat leader - for kindly writing this review of my new book.

Here it is …

Pat Marsh’s book, Healing Life’s Wounds, has grown out of her years of leading healing retreats, and also her personal healing journey. It is a must-read for anyone who is ready to go on their own healing journey and is looking for practical tools to help them with their inner healing. The ‘Pause Points’ within the book provide the reader with a valuable resource which, if implemented, will be of continuing help throughout life.

The book’s content combines Pat’s personal experiences, where she writes openly about her own journey of healing, with the knowledge and understanding she has gained through researching the mind, body, emotions and healing. Pat looks at dealing with strong difficult emotions, such as fear, grief and anger.

She explains that forgiveness is a critical part of each of our journeys towards healing, and I found chapter 9 which focused on forgiveness really helpful and practical. Pat does not minimise whatever the cause for forgiveness may be, and she makes it clear that rarely can forgiveness be given immediately and that it is often a process.

I appreciated the examples she used throughout her book to illustrate her points as they helped me to understand what she really wanted the reader to grasp. Such as the broken vase, (a family heirloom) which she wrote about in chapter 3.

Throughout Pat’s book are ‘Pause Points’, and in Pat’s own words:

“they are important in helping you learn to connect with yourself in moments of stillness, in helping you to reflect, and in guiding you, as you progress through them, to a deeper understanding of how to work towards freedom from your debilitating emotions.”

 The message that we get from Pat and her ‘Pause Points’ is that there is power in the pause, and we would benefit in implementing this small, but significant exercise in our own lives.

“Our stories include our failures and our losses, our wounds and our scars, and all those things we wish had not been part of our experience. For each one of us, those things will be different. But, make no mistake about it, we are all wounded in some way. It happens to us all. Life is like that. But that doesn’t mean that those wounds need to dominate our lives. If we are open to the possibility, there are ways to find healing of our inner wounds, and with that healing we can then begin to live a richer, fuller, more content and fruitful life.”

Pat’s book is practical, encouraging and filled with hope. If you are open as you read it, and put into practice her suggestions, it could be of help to you on your journey of healing.

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Vicki has a multi-faceted ministry that blesses many people.   Why not check her out on her website.

World Wellbeing Week

Apparently this week is World Wellbeing Week. I wonder what comes to mind when you read that? Dusting off the walking boots maybe, heading out for a bike ride perhaps, or finally returning to that gym you signed up for way back in January? Or perhaps some nice relaxation is more your thing?

 All of those are good and healthy pursuits - and, go for it if you feel so inclined - but what about your inner world? What about the niggling emotions you keep trying to ignore? The hurts that still fester and the old wounds that still keep surfacing, still affect your behaviour?

 We all have a tendency to try to power on regardless when our inner world isn’t feeling too good. It can seem selfish, and a bit scary too, to set aside time to stop and really face those feelings. Who knows what can of worms we might open up.

 But it’s not selfish. It really isn’t. In fact it might just be the very best thing you can do for your wellbeing. A mind at peace can find a way through all sorts of external pressures. As I quote in my book, a wise friend of mine says, 

 

‘As long as I’m alright on the inside,

 everything’s alright on the outside,

even when it isn’t.”

 

If you want to begin to feel ‘alright on the inside’, this book’s for you -

 

 

World Wellbeing Week is a great time to make yourself a gift of it.

It's available here, or from all your favourite online retailers. 

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A truly accessible, dyslexic-friendly book

I’ve always been a prolific reader, and I’ve never really considered how hard it must be for those for whom immersing themselves in a book doesn’t come easily.

My new book is now out there in the world and I love the way that the publishing team have designed it and birthed something beautiful and accessible. I’m humbled to be the recipient of their skills. From the start, I have wanted the book to be accessible to anyone who might be helped by it. What I hadn’t considered though is the 10% of the population who, because of dyslexia, find reading extremely difficult.

So I’m delighted to share with you the brilliant news that my publisher, Sarah Grace, is an expert in this field and now specialises, with Malcom Down, in producing dyslexic-friendly books. Sarah has been a pioneer in this field and you can read her incredible journey with God in last month’s Woman Alive.

I count it a privilege that Healing Life’s Wounds will be a truly accessible book. The book’s about how to be set free from all that inhibits us from being our best self, so I rejoice that engaging with it will not be a barrier to dyslexics.  When I shared it with a dyslexic adult this week, I was blown away by her reaction: it was a real ‘wow moment’ for her. Deeply moved and excited, she was in awe of being able, for the first time ever, to easily read the words!

God is good. By a wonderful Godly serendipity, he led me to write the book, led Sarah to develop new ways of enabling dyslexics to read, and led me to be publishing with her publishing house.

Healing Life’s Wounds; Beyond Feeling Broken 

a truly accessible, dyslexic friendly book

available here.

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Pentecost gift and blessing

 

“Pat has a gift for saying profound things very simply.

Oh, how our church needs that gift!”

a very humbling endorsement of "Healing Life's Wounds" from Jan McFarlane, Dean of Lichfield Cathedral

Saying things simply.  Jesus was good at that, but his words aren’t always easy to live out. His teachings about finding emotional healing couldn’t be simpler:

Don’t worry.  Don’t be afraid.  Don’t be angry.

Forgive often.  Let go of your burdens.  Be thankful.

Be still.  Rest.  Pray.

But how? How to begin to live those things out can feel a real challenge when you’re struggling. The words of Jesus can feel like reprimands rather than invitations.

This Pentecost, it’s my privilege to offer you a solution. The Holy Spirit anointing on the very first Pentecost propelled the early disciples to go out and share the good news with people in a language they could understand.

“Healing Life’s Wounds; Beyond Feeling Broken” 

aims to do just that. 

Combining modern day medical and psychological insights with those teachings of Jesus, the book is a practical step-by-step guide to help you find healing and freedom from all the troubling inner stuff you never speak of, written by someone who has lived it out and helped others to do the same.

Written in a simple style, it’s appropriate for those who know a bit about Jesus and those who haven’t yet discovered the reality of his presence with them.

It’s selling fast. It’s potentially life-changing. 

And it’s available here.

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Emotions are OK

 

I’m feeling very emotional this morning, as I sit here with my newly released book in my hand. Emotional in a good way. Wonder, gratitude and a quite beautiful amazement are surging (tearfully) through me.

Though I never intended it to be such, “Healing Life’s Wounds” is in some ways a testimony to how God broke through into my life and led me through some dark and difficult times to a place of peace and healing. Not that this is a memoir - it’s not. It’s very much a book to help the reader. But elements of my story are woven through it. Because it’s only when we’ve found a way through our own vulnerable times that we can help others through theirs.

As Brené Brown writes …

When we have the courage to walk into our own story and own it, we get to write the ending.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that I feel emotional as this book becomes available. After all, that’s what “Healing Life’s Wounds” is all about; emotions, and how to process them in a healthy way.

If you know anyone who’s struggling, why not make them a gift of it? It’s perfect for chaplains, pastors, spiritual directors, and all who come alongside others compassionately.

Join me in releasing it to the people whom God wants to help, so they can find the courage to walk into the difficult bits of their own story and write a new ending.

You can buy it here.

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