I will often converse with my inner counselor when things go wrong. The inner counselor is something I haven’t written an article on before. The inner counselor is basically your inner voice – it is the wise part inside of you that works as a guide. If you have never experienced a part of you that suggests something that would be beneficial, well, that may show that you rush around too much and need to slow down, quiet your mind, and let that voice speak.

The inner counselor is something that us students worked hard to develop in graduate school. We were told to quiet our mind and let our intuition take over. As we sat as counselors to one another, the client may say something that was painful to you, so then your internal session began. We may be seated as a counselor, but in our head we would process out the pain and hurt through the self-counselor method. Look, we are all people, and we all have issues under the surface that need attention. It so happens that when a person is working on their issues, we may have the same issue, and it can cause us upset. I’m glad this subject came up, because it is something I use daily, and often the obvious things are avoided.

The university had a slogan: “The Father does the work.” As we connect to that wise inner voice, interventions magically appear. When I am able to follow my gut and let it take the lead, magic takes place. Shoot, I’ve seen miracles take place and honestly feel that I am not very wise, but when I follow the inner inspiration, brilliant things take place.

There are numerous models of healing that I practice daily. As a human being, it is common for me to get stuck in a person’s story, feel their anger or anxiety, and soon be at a loss for words. That’s when I fall back on one model in particular: “When love is applied to hurt, we heal.” This is not a logical problem solver; it is strictly emotional. The interesting thing is that under stress we lack access to the higher functioning of the brain and simply can’t think properly — then what? You may think that you can think your way out of any problem, but what happens when you are overwhelmed? That’s when all thinking stops, and you are stuck with your emotional self. Thus, “When Love is Applied to Hurt, we Heal.” Grab hold of your innermost self and give him or her a hug. No thinking is required, but love is.

The glitch happened, I got triggered, then I took in a calming breath, exhaled, and gave myself a hug. Weird, huh? And no, I am not a narcissist. I do want to feel better and have developed habits that bring me back to my center so I can be of service to others.

Narcissist? I may be the opposite of that, as my job is helping people day in and day out.

This week, I looked at a plaque at home that said, “Life is about Plan A and Plan B.” Truthfully, I feel it is all about Plan B because I found myself this week altering my course, handling things that were not on my to-do list, and felt proud of my adjustments and getting twice the things done that I normally do. This paper is Plan B, by the way.

I like having a spiritual focus—where problems are seen as blessings for growth. In processing through an upset, we grow in consciousness—basically, we grow at the level of our soul. You may feel that the abuse you suffered wasn’t a blessing. Though, as you look back upon it, did you learn something? Did you make a beneficial change in your life? In not addressing the hurt part inside of you, you will remain stuck and wounded, and that issue will continue to confront you. This is how God works. Until you are sick and tired of something, then you will take the needed action.

What is going on in your life that has been happening again and again and again? The first step is to ride that feeling back in time to where it began and “apply love to the hurt.” In addressing the root, everything similar in your life will heal out. Therefore, Spiritual Psychology is actually a cheaper alternative to long-term therapy because chunks of subconscious wounds can heal out in an instant. This is no joke. I recall one woman who was raped repeatedly since age 5. She provided love to her 5-year-old self, returned for another session, wanted to work on her 13-year-old self, and found out in two minutes that that issue had simply vanished!

This is the reason why I am an advocate of inner child work and also remain close to my younger self in my thoughts and actions. When old wounds surface, I jump on in for the rescue!

What is interesting is couple’s counseling at my facility also entails inner child work. Ironic, huh?

In closing, the bumps in the road can lead to incredible healing and growth. Plan B is the best! Apply love to hurt. Lastly, stay on course. I must have wanted to quit school a thousand times, even put my books away for a few hours, convincing myself I was stopping—only to go back at it because I wanted to honor the commitment I made to myself.