Do you remember being in your teens and thinking about being old? It was disturbing to me to imagine my young healthy body morphed into a body that is arthritic, stooped over in pain, old, and wrinkled. It never occurred to me to wonder what my mind would be like then, and that maybe I would be at peace. This practice works with that.
Imagine you are nearing the end of your life. Visualize the compassion and wisdom on your face. Your mind is at peace. You have healed the trauma from life. You have resolved regrets and come to know yourself. You unconditionally love and accept yourself. You are kind and compassionate with yourself and others.
Have a conversation with your older self. Use all of your senses. You might imagine the two of you sitting in a garden or a room in your home. See and hear your older self expressing their gratitude to you. Take your time with the words, letting them really sink in. If your present day mind is resisting (You didn’t always take such good care of this body), let that move to the background. We’re not entertaining the inner critic right now.
Focus on opening to and absorbing the gratitude from your older self. Look into your own kind, compassionate eyes as they tell you:
I am grateful to you for taking care of this body
I am grateful to you for the work you did to heal trauma
I am grateful to you for healing your mind. I am no longer plagued by fear, a mean inner critic, and compulsive catastrophic thinking. My mind is a pleasant place to be.
I understand your struggles. I know you did your best.
I love you.
This is a practice to return to. You could ask questions and for guidance from your older self as a way of tapping in to your own intuitive wisdom.
Listen to the guided practice here.
