"Dark Night of the Soul" Is Actually Your Hidden Superpower.

Everyone experiences a "Dark Night of the Soul" at some point, where your entire world crashes down, and you don't know what to do, or how to continue life as you know it. It's the absolute lowest time in your journey that literally breaks you, brings you to your knees, and can make you feel hopeless, scared, traumatized, panicky, defeated, depressed, angry, lost, alone, paralyzed, or even suicidal. It changes you and your trajectory forever.

Often times people turn to God or other Higher Powers (even if they never believed in one before), looking for answers, help, guidance or a miracle. If you don't hit rock-bottom in this lifetime, you will in another one.

Some "Dark Night of the Soul" examples include:

• Health Issues (diseases, illnesses, physical pain, paralysis, or other chronic conditions)

• Bad Relationships or Break Ups (personal or professional/career-related)

• Deaths

• Physical Abuse, Violence, Murder, Attack, Assault

• Rape/Molestation/Sex Trafficking

• Verbal, Mental & Emotional Abuse

• Poverty

• Loss

• Abandonment

• Neglect

• Bullying

• Being Kidnapped, Held Hostage/Captive

• Accidents

• Arson

• Addictions

• Near Death Experiences

• War/Serving our Country

• Grief

• Depression

• Suicidal thoughts

No matter what it is, the Dark Night of the Soul is traumatizing, and everyone experiences some type of PTSD. The severity varies from person to person.

The "old you" dies, birthing a whole "new you".

The Dark Night of the Soul marks the biggest turning point in your life - like your own death, but you're still alive. Often times people are required to endure and change so much that they are forced to become a whole new person, in order to survive and keep going. The change can be so drastic - like doing a complete 180 and becoming the exact opposite of who you were before. It's almost as if you are two different people in one lifetime.

Initially, this transformation is extremely painful - emotionally, mentally and/or physically - it can be depressing, frustrating, grueling, incomprehensible, and seemingly impossible to overcome. You don't want to accept the situation and your new "normal", or know how you'll ever get through it, or how to move forward, but you need to know that it's happening FOR you, not TO you, as insane as that might sound.

Take time to feel all of your emotions and express yourself. Get it out. Repressing negative emotions will only cause (more) physical issues down the road because when too much accumulates and you hit your threshold, it results in physical pain, illnesses, diseases and infinite other problems. So, release your emotions, try to understand them, talk to others, get a therapist - a good one - NOT someone who stays in the shallow end and talks about surface-level stuff every week. Negative emotions all tie back to childhood and need to be excavated.

Also remember: You choose how long you wallow/drown in your emotions. It's better to dig yourself out of the abyss sooner rather than later and do something about it to turn things around. Don't stay a "victim" for too long. Make the changes that your situation is forcing you to make, and take action one step at a time. Try to do things that bring you joy. Figure out who you are and what makes you happy. Put on your own oxygen mask, start filling up your cup, love yourself, receive, and keep taking baby steps forward.

The Dark Night of the Soul forces us to change for the better, even if it doesn't seem like it initially. We have to be course-corrected because most people don't change voluntarily - Humans like predictability and find comfort in knowing what to expect, even if it's not healthy or good for us. The unknown is usually feared and avoided.

However, when we're going down the wrong path, or doing something that's detrimental to ourselves, the universe will force us to go down a different path for our highest good, make changes in our lives, learn lessons, see things from different perspectives, gain knowledge/wisdom through new experiences, and become a better person and soul.

We need to lean into whatever we're avoiding - things that make us uncomfortable, scare us, seem daunting, painful, unfathomable or ludicrous - because overcoming them is the key to healing, growing, evolving, happiness and freedom.

Clients always ask me how I got into Energy Healing. Initially, it was to help animals - they are my passion. But I knew it was my calling, after I went through my own Dark Night of the Soul.

I had a traumatic experience at work - a VP verbally, mentally and emotionally attacked/abused me. He HATED me and wanted me to quit. So he made my life hell - harassed me, bullied me, derailed my deals, annihilated my self-confidence and self-esteem, and made me feel like sh*t - even though I was doing well at the company .

It doesn't sound that bad compared to other people's Dark Night of the Soul, but the emotions he invoked were so inexplicably traumatizing, I eventually was unable to walk. All of my negative emotions got stored in my knees. Shortly after I resigned and started a new job, I stood up at my desk and fell back down because of sharp shooting pain in my knees. Turns out, I had zero cartilage (bone-on-bone) and needed double-knee-replacement surgery immediately, if I ever wanted to walk again. This happened all of a sudden, randomly, out of nowhere one day, after sitting at my desk for a few hours.

I decided to heal my knees myself because I'd heard horror stories about surgery making people's knees worse. So I did, and doctors still don't know how I'm walking.

Even though it all magically worked out, I had to "die" in the process.

I felt like I died because I couldn't do anything that I loved anymore. Imagine not being able to do anything physical - no more running, biking, hiking, climbing, swimming, surfing, yoga, pilates, traveling, exploring, or anything outdoors... Even lifting free weights while standing up hurt my knees. Dating was out of the question because I couldn't do anything "fun" - it was like being 95 years old, and I thought "I might as well be dead". Depression set in... then introversion. I adopted my son (bunny) and didn't want to hang out with anyone.

The good news is: when you hit rock bottom, things can only get better. Spiritual Awakenings force us to turn within to do some serious soul searching. You start questioning life, and wonder who you are, and why you're here? What makes you happy? What do you like/love? What are you passionate about? Where do you want to go? Where do you want to live? Who is important to you? What's no longer serving you? What's next? Where do you want to work? What do you want to do and accomplish?

We have to dig deep for answers, inspiration and self-motivation to try new things, take classes, and find new hobbies/interests and things that bring us joy. People fall out of our lives, and a lot of doors close, but new ones open. Therapy is super helpful. I never did it (figured things out on my own), but I recommend it Most people go through this rebirth. New goals are born, and people literally become a whole different person.

As my own antithesis now, I've never been happier, more fulfilled, or had more peace of mind. AND I'm actually grateful for the VP who caused my knee issues, otherwise I wouldn't have figured out how to heal them/others, or discovered my life purpose. If I ever see him again, I plan on thanking him. I've already forgiven him.

There's a reason for everything - a divine purpose/plan and gifts and blessings in disguise. Lessons are always revealed later when we look back in retrospect.

Once we overcome the Dark Night of the Soul, it's like growing wings and becoming limitless, free, more powerful, and magical because we can do/conquer anything and everything! We just need to keep moving forward and trust that everything will work out. The darkest time in our life eventually becomes a gift and superpower because you learn how to rise above all of the challenges, and can help others in the same or similar situations, which is the most fulfilling and rewarding experience. Plus, who doesn't want to feel supernatural, discover their superpower and life purpose, and get to be two people in one lifetime?!