Accessing our inner fire.

How do we tap our inner resources? 

Everyone’s method is going to be a little different. What works for someone might not work for you, and vice versa. 

We ALL have reserves of really cool stuff inside us. Creativity, energy, focus, love. I really believe that. 

…but sometimes all that stuff gets buried— underneath exhaustion, pain, fear, regret. 

Over time, we can forget that all that cool stuff is inside of us— because all we can see is the huge, heavy pile of debris on top of it. 

We’re kind of like the planet Earth. 

The center of our planet is an unbelievably hot, explosive, molten core…but it’s surrounded by layers and layers and layers of, literally, every other substance on the planet. 

Most of us never think about the fact that we live on top of that firefly molten core, because all we ever experience are those outer layers. 

Every now and then we get reminded that all that fire and fury exists beneath us— when a volcano or a geyser erupts, or an earthquake happens…and we remember and marvel, for a minute. 

Then we forget again. 

Inside of you, YOU have explosive, volcanic forces. We all do. The core of who we are is white holt and molten and beautiful and powerful. 

But we’ve forgotten about it. 

To reach inside us and access the volcanic core of passion that exists in our heart of hearts is to remember who we really are, and what we’re really about. 

HOW we do that depends on how our brain is wired. 

My own brain responds well to visualization ritual, and narrative. 

I’ve found that the best way for me to access my inner reserves is to construct imagery inside my head that allows me to imagine literally going inside and being close to that fiery reserve. 

In my head I’ve constructed a structure— I call it a “Memory Palace”— that has halls and doors, that allow me to organize and access my internal resources in a way that makes sense to me. 

Without that imagery, I’d be stuck kind of feeling my way in the dark, wondering how on earth I’m supposed to even understand my interior world. 

I’ve worked with people who use imagery in combination with other modalities to access their internal resources— music, sound, rhythm, or movement. 

I can’t write a step by step guide for anyone without knowing what it’s like on the inside of their head. Everyone has their own unique way of experiencing both their inner and their outer world. 

All of which is to say: pay attention. 

There have been times when you’ve felt particularly close to the “real you”— to the reservoir of certainty and flow that exists at your core. 

What helped you feel that way? What brought you there? 

For most people, figuring out the “combination lock” to their inner resources is a matter of paying attention and being patient. 

As we recover from whatever we’re struggling with— depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, whatever— we learn to tap more and more of those inner reserves. 

The fire within us, when we learn to tap into it, truly burns hotter than anything that could threaten us fro the outside. 

Depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction don’t stand a chance against someone who has truly tapped into who they are and what makes them tick. 

That fire within you is there, quietly glowing and smoldering. It hasn’t gone out. 

And it’s going to save you. 

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