It doesn’t matter what we call them…work, class, religious gatherings, social events…there is always room for old thoughts, emotions, beliefs and behaviors to show up in groups. There is a good chance you will meet someone “just like…” a family member or a past teacher or even a scout leader. These past relationships have created neural pathways of experience (some are helpful and some are painful). These pathways can be triggered by someone else in your current environment. I see these as gifts. Some are an opportunity to be grateful for love, compassion or any number of other great memories. It is also possible that the situation itself reminds you of past experiences that you have tried to forget. It is the triggers of traumatic experiences and relationships that are challenging to see as gifts. But they are!

The first step into joy is to realize, to be aware that some old neural pathway and its emotional reaction has been activated. Choosing to take responsibility for your own reactions and emotions is key. Then you can also remember that it can be shifted, you are no longer trapped in your old stuck places. Your joy, your state of being, is not dependent on anyone else. It is your choice to stay in the old experience or choose a new path of rewiring, of transforming an old reaction into a new way of being in groups.

Header Image courtesy of Pixabay/Mohamed_Hassan