My Mother/My Mirror

Last night I attended a lecture entitled "My Mother, My Mirror: Recognizing and Making the Most of Inherited Self-Images" by Dr. Laura Arens Fuerstein.

I have spent much of my life differentiating and learning from my mother. It's a sifting process, what to keep, what to toss. One of my biggest takeaways from the evening was Dr. Fuerstein's reference to the distorted carnival mirror through which most of us see ourselves. How many of us have a distorted self-image? A negative sense of self? Many of those distortions come from our mother/daughter relationships. 

When we look at how our mother saw herself as we were growing up, her body image, how she formed relationships (healthy? destructive?), whether or not she was able to take pleasure in life, we can gain insight into how our self-image was formed. 

Here are two questions to ask yourself:

1) Are you fulfilled?

2) Do you see yourself in a distorted carnival mirror?

If the answer is no to number one, and yes to number two, she suggests that:

1) We look at our own mother's self-image as an answer to our own. Look through old photos of mom. Was she happy? 

2) Separate yourself from mom and get in touch with difficult feelings about her. What are the triggers that you are still responding to?

I suggest that you journal about these thoughts. You learn so much through journaling. 

I am about to launch my new series, Nurturing the Nurturer: A Visual Journal Workshop. In this workshop, we will pay close attention to what fulfills us and what drains us. By using the visual as well as the written word, we will be accessing more of our right brain, the place where our inner wisdom lies. As we unleash this inner knowing, we are freeing our limiting beliefs and getting in touch with our hidden potential. 

In my opinion, this is where self-image is boosted, in finding the success and wisdom that lies hidden in us all!

What will you journal about?