The Hummingbird Process: Life Is What You Make It

By Jenny Rayner

The Hummingbird Process is a holistic process that anyone can do. But it is particularly effective for people who have any form of mental illness from depression, self-harming, anxiety, low self-esteem, and lack of confidence or are just finding life stressful and are having trouble engaging in their life due to a life-changing experience or trauma. This is a program that is used to still the mind and cut out the mind chatter that can lead to destructive thoughts. It helps you get in touch with your inner self.

Working through the process enables you to truly understand yourself using visualization and self-enquiry. You will also use a journal to track and record memories and stories about your life. This will allow a greater understanding of who you are and why you do the things you do. Ultimately, this process will heal past traumas, beliefs, and attitudes that do not serve you today.

The process takes the form of a virtual house that has many floors. Each floor has several rooms for you to explore. Each room represents an aspect of yourself. As you enter a room, you meet an aspect of yourself. This presents an opportunity to have a conversation about why you are in this room and what it represents to you.

Write in your journal about your experiences in each roomyour findings and how you feel. In time, certain observations will emerge and patterns of behavior can be seen. After working through the rooms on each floor, an opportunity to break the pattern can be taken. Thereafter, you move on to the next floor.

The final floor will be the place where you get to see and understand who you truly are. From here, you will have all the tools and skills to live a more fulfilling lifein mind, body, and spirit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Feb 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504372947

Jenny Rayner

Following the death of her daughter Lucy who took her own life aged 22, Jenny with her family run a charity in her daughters name The Lucy Rayner Foundation which raises awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental health issues through education, training and counselling support services. Jenny has written and self published a book called The Hummingbird Process which is a self help book to help those who suffer with low self esteem and depression. She also runs conferences that gives a platform for young people to share their mental health journeys called Can Anyone Hear Me? As a motivational speaker Jenny sends a clear message that everyone has mental health, we just need to get a better understanding of what it means for us and how we can express how we feel by talking about it without feeling judged.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 Jenny Rayner.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The information, ideas, and suggestions in this book are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. Before following any suggestions contained in this book, you should consult your personal physician. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising as a consequence of your use or application of any information or suggestions in this book.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-7295-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-7294-7 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 02/23/2017

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

The Hummingbird Process

Preparing to Meditate

Isochronic Tones

The Breath

The Hummingbird Process

The House and Ground Foundation Level

The Basement

The First Floor

The Second Floor

The Third Floor

The Fourth Floor

The Fifth Floor

The Sixth Floor

The Attic

Afterword

About the Author

Audio Download

Further Information

Foreword

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Foreword

I met Jenny about three years ago over drinks after a property seminar. Given our different backgrounds, one would be hard-pressed to find something in common to talk about. And yet our conversation topic easily flowed from our property journeys into our spiritual ones that evening. Over the years, I was deeply moved by her life experience – spirituality, work, family and the loss of her daughter, Lucy, through suicide. This long conversational thread continues till this day.

My background is in insurance and over the past few years, I witnessed the effects of the 2008 financial crisis and workplace stress on individuals both in my professional and personal spheres. Mental health claims are the second highest cause of income protection claims in the UK where even bank CEOs are not immune to the harms of stress. An estimated one in four people will experience a mental health problem during their lifetime.

I witnessed first-hand the effects of busy periods during my professional life and its effects on my sleep, mood and general well-being. Fortunately, my personal interest in spirituality and complementary therapies has helped me recover, find balance and also to question what it means to be healthy. I found a kindred spirit with Jenny and was honoured when she asked me to write the foreword for this book.

The Hummingbird Process is a practice in personal reflection and exploration through a series of visualisations. It’s purpose is to help us break free from unhealthy mental patterns in order to realise a more healthy potential. Welcome to your dark world of hidden agendas, secret payoffs, shame, fear, loyalties and betrayals, and many more ‘landmines’. Do you dare shine a torch of honesty, courage and awareness to uncover and defuse these booby traps? Are you ready for a treasure hunt once the mines are cleared?

This process reminds me of spring cleaning - an unenviable task of going through piles of unused items. Broken items and junk are quickly disposed of whereas others make me ponder longer. Some are kept out of nostalgia or fear despite having no further use. This process reminds me to be present and aware of the feelings about people, things and events whilst I go about my daily life.

So what does a more healthy potential entail? For some, there may be renewed energy once the burden of old beliefs are cleared. For others, realisations from the process may trigger a change in career, personal relationships or lifestyle. Some may discover and nurture hidden talents whereas others are inspired to explore and develop new ones.

In this sense, The Hummingbird Process is a journey of change through honest examination and conscious choices. It empowers the individual to raise their awareness and manage change at their own pace. The internal conversations and journalling provide a way to verbalise hidden and uncomfortable feelings and motivations. A non-judgemental environment would be conductive for individuals undergoing this process, in addition to opportunities to engage in deeper conversations at the appropriate times.

Jenny’s charity, the Lucy Rayner Foundation, and family work to raise awareness of mental health issues in young adults through social media campaigns like ‘Kiss Off Depression’ and at the community level through their ‘Just Talk’ initiative. Furthermore, she recognises that there is no single magic bullet to the complex issue of mental health and works with several charities to direct affected persons to the most suitable treatments. I am excited for her vision of a Sanctuary where a wide range of services can be available to affected persons as a one-stop recovery centre.

This book is an accessible resource to address unhealthy mental patterns and provide a tool for change. I thank Jenny for having written it and wish that The Hummingbird Process will lead to healthy changes and inspiration for all readers.

Justin Chan

Actuary, Complementary Therapist

Singapore

November 2016

Preface

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Preface

All I ever wanted in life was to be happy. To lead a life that was stress free, to love whom I wanted to love, give to whom I wanted to give and laugh when I wanted to laugh, have sex with gay abandonment, not be self-conscious about my body and just let go! I wanted to walk in nature and wonder about how it all came to be, to live my life how I wanted to live it and be whom I wanted to be without fear of criticism and reproach.

I am writing this book because life just wasn’t like that for me and I know many of us feel this way too! I longed for the day when I could be truly free and live a life with true purpose.

The book you are about to read is about finding out who you really are and what it will take for you to be really happy - to create the life that you have been yearning for! The life that is meant to be for you. The only thing that is stopping you having this is YOU! Unpredictable things happen and we lose our way. Well, carry on reading this book and you might just find your way back!

Getting back to the topic of happiness. Happiness comes firstly from within, which involves being happy with yourself, inside and out. Why don’t you you think about this for a moment?

Have you ever had something happen to you that has changed your life forever? There is no turning back, no reversing the outcome, nothing will ever be the same again? Have you ever felt so disconnected as if you were looking at yourself from a mirror, walking through life and not feeling a thing? Ever felt like you don’t belong in this world and everything is alien to you? Can’t relate to anyone? Is life just too hard with each day a struggle just to function at a basic level? Have you ever been in a crowded room yet feel very alone? I could go on ...

If you have felt these, then know that you are truly not alone with your feelings. The truth is, we just don’t talk enough about how we are feeling. We hold it all inside until it becomes a volcano. We then become physically or mentally ill because the body requires an outlet to release the emotions stored up inside. It is as simple as that! Just hold that thought…

This is life. Life can be hard. Life can be difficult. Life can be full of obstacles, pit-falls and challenges. It is how we deal with these obstacles, pitfalls and life challenges that defines us.

Every person is unique in their capacity to experience pain, love, joy, sorrow, hurt, elation, happiness, wonder, compassion, anger, and much more. So the question is, how is it some people can ride the storm of life, take each challenge as it comes and reach the other side without the battle scars whereas others feel the full force of their experiences, that life is one emotional roller-coaster with no reprieve, no getting off the ride,