Our deepest wishes are whispers of our authentic self. We must learn to respect them. We must learn to listen.
– Sarah Ban Breathnach, author

In a 2022 Engaging Exchange, author Holly Elissa Bruno remarked,

“The truth is, I can either be fear-based, which was the way I was raised. And what happens when my brain goes on trauma? I become fear-based. Or, I can choose to be hope-based. And as I choose to be hope-based, I choose all kinds of different behaviors. Like I might choose, for example, to sing…

“I’m gonna tell you the truth. What gives me hope in a heartbeat is number one, laugh at myself. And I got a thousand things to laugh. You know what? Just laughing, singing, going outdoors, hugging someone, being with children, all dancing, moving in my body. All of these things can switch my fear-based self, which is the way I was taught to be hyper-vigilant, into hope. And how does that happen? This amygdala that just tells us you’re not safe…And so what I choose to do in those moments is to say, ‘I’m gonna get help here. And I’m gonna do it by doing something that will help me return to my executive function. Now, that just sounds like a sort of businessy thing, but honey, the executive function is where my spirituality lives.”

Renowned Buddhist thinker Thich Nhat Hanh offers a hopeful vision for both acknowledging fear and moving from it:

“Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.”

Join Holly Elissa Bruno, Alexandria Domingo, Najwa Dahdah, and host Valora Washington at the upcoming CAYL Catalyst webinar on February 6.