The Spiritual Warrior Guide to Healing: The Spiritual Warrior Guide to Healing book series, #1

By Carmen Everall

"The Spiritual Warrior Guide to Healing" offers a profound exploration into the intersection of spirituality and personal growth, providing a roadmap for you when seeking healing on multiple levels. Written by the biographer, a Clinical Mental Health Therapist, the book serves as a comprehensive manual for those embarking on a journey of inner transformation.

At its core, the book delves into the concept of the "spiritual warrior" – an archetype embodying courage, resilience, and a commitment to personal evolution. Drawing from diverse spiritual traditions, ancient wisdom, and modern psychological insights, the author shows how you can tap into your inner strength to overcome obstacles and cultivate a sense of wholeness.

One of the key themes explored in the book is the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit in the healing process. Through practices such as meditation, energy work, and mindfulness, you are guided to deepen your awareness of your inner landscape and address the root causes of your suffering. Carmen Everall emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and self-compassion as essential components of the healing journey, encouraging you to embrace your vulnerabilities with kindness and acceptance.

Central to the teachings of "The Spiritual Warrior Guide to Healing" is the concept of energy healing. The author introduces various practices as powerful tools for clearing energetic blockages and restoring harmony to the body-mind-spirit system. Through suggested experiential exercises and practical techniques, you are introduced to P.E.M.S.'s 4 Pillar Therapeutic Wellness System for deep healing and transformation.

Another cornerstone of the book is the exploration of the shadow – the unconscious aspects of the self that often hold the key to healing and growth. By embracing the totality of your being, you can reclaim lost parts of yourself and move towards greater wholeness and authenticity.

"The Spiritual Warrior Guide to Healing" also addresses the importance of cultivating a supportive community and seeking guidance from wise mentors along the healing journey. Through her personal stories of triumphing over trauma, the author illustrates the profound impact of community and mentorship in facilitating healing and growth. You are encouraged to seek out like-minded individuals and guides who can offer wisdom, encouragement, and accountability on your path.

Throughout the book, the author weaves together timeless principles with practical guidance, making the teachings accessible and applicable to readers of all backgrounds and experience levels. Whether struggling with physical illness, emotional wounds, or spiritual crises, you will find solace and inspiration in the pages of "The Spiritual Warrior Guide to Healing," discovering the inner resources and resilience needed to embark on your journey of healing and self-discovery. You are not alone and you matter!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carmen Everall
• Release date: Apr 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224436835

Book preview

The Spiritual Warrior Guide to Healing

Introducing P.E.M.S.™ 4 Pillar Therapeutic Wellness System

www.everallwellness.com

COPYRIGHT © 2023 CARMEN EVERALL

eBook ISBN: 978-1-304-48928-9

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All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced mechanically, electronically, photographed, or by any other means including photocopying, without permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.  It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any means without permission from the author.

References to internet websites (URLs) was accurate at the time of writing.  The Author is not responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.

Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty

The author shall not be liable for your misuse of the enclosed material. This book is strictly for informational and educational purposes only.

Printed in Canada, The United States of America, United Kingdom, and North and South America.

Dedication:

This book, The Spiritual Warrior Guide to Healing, Introducing P.E.M.S.™ 4 Pillar Therapeutic Wellness System is dedicated to all those who have shown unwavering support, love, and encouragement throughout my path in bringing this work to life.

To my family, for your boundless patience, understanding, and belief in me during the countless hours spent writing, this book is a tribute to your unwavering support.

To my dear friends, who provided valuable insights and kept my spirits high during moments of doubt and uncertainty, your friendship has been my guiding light.

To my mentors and teachers, who shared their wisdom, guidance, and expertise, helping me shape this work into what it is today, your influence has been immeasurable.

To all the readers, who embark on the transformative odyssey within these pages, may the wisdom shared here empower your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual healing and growth.

This book is dedicated to each one of you, for being an integral part of this profound undertaking. Your collective support has made this journey possible, and I am eternally grateful for your presence in my life.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Carmen Everall

The Motivation Behind The Spiritual Warrior Guide to Healing.

In writing this book, I share my life's transformative experiences, from profound traumas to triumphant moments, with the primary goal of inspiring and connecting with you. Life's challenges can be tough, but I want you to discover your inner strength and realize that you don't have to face them alone.

This book also tackles societal taboos and stigmas surrounding sensitive topics like mental health, addiction, abuse, and trauma. My aim is to encourage open conversations and help you seek support without shame or fear. My story is about empowerment, inspiring you to take charge of your life and become the hero of your own journey. We all have the power to turn pain into purpose and adversity into strength.

For those who've endured traumas or hardships, your feelings and experiences are valid. By sharing my experiences, I hope to educate and raise awareness, fostering a more empathetic, compassionate, and supportive global community.

As a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, Certified Body-Mind Therapist, Certified Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, Reiki Master, Brainspotting Facilitator, Chi Kung Practitioner, and Meditation Teacher, I recognize the significance of adopting a holistic approach to aid you in enhancing your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. I firmly believe that genuine support for healing and overall health requires addressing the whole person — taking into consideration your physical body, emotions, thoughts, and spiritual essence. This holistic perspective has a rich historical heritage and remains a cornerstone of many Eastern and Western cultural approaches to healing that have stood the test of time.

My aim for this book is to make a lasting impact, continuing to inspire and guide you, your loved ones, and even broader audiences on your journeys. Writing it has been a deeply personal process of self-discovery and growth. I'm honoured to have you accompany me on this journey. I hope that by sharing my experiences, they can serve as a platform for advocacy and positive social change. Ultimately, I've chosen to reveal my life's highs and lows to foster resilience and action, not just in myself but also in you, my reader, as a fellow Spiritual Warrior.

In this book, I offer insights, strategies, and resources that have aided me on my path. Visit www.everallwellness.com for practical tools and information, along with companion resources that enhance the topics covered.

P.E.M.S. ™ 4 Pillar Therapeutic Wellness System of Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual Healing - Defined

P.E.M.S.™ 4 Pillars of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing are considered important because they collectively address various parts of a person's well-being and together they promote a holistic and balanced approach to health and healing. Here's why each of these pillars deserves consideration:

Physical Pillar: 

Body Health: Physical healing focuses on the health of the physical body, including aspects like nutrition, exercise, breath, sleep, and managing chronic health conditions. A healthy body is the foundation for overall well-being.

Pain Relief: Physical healing can address physical discomfort, pain, and injuries. It aims to alleviate physical suffering and improve your quality of life.

Energy and Vitality: A physically healthy body often leads to increased energy levels and vitality, allowing you to engage fully in your daily activities and pursuits.

Emotional Pillar:

Emotional Resilience: Emotional healing helps you build emotional resilience, cope with stress, anxiety, and depression, and manage your feelings effectively. It's about understanding and regulating emotions.

Trauma Recovery: For those of you who have experienced trauma or emotional wounds, emotional healing can be essential for processing and healing from those experiences.

Healthy Relationships: Emotional healing can contribute to healthier and more fulfilling personal and professional relationships by improving communication, empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence.

Mental Pillar:

Cognitive Well-Being: Mental healing focuses on cognitive well-being, including mental clarity, problem-solving skills, and decision-making abilities.

Mindset and Beliefs: It addresses limiting beliefs, negative thought patterns, cognitive distortions and reframing, that can impact one's mental health and self-esteem.

Stress Management: Mental healing equips you with strategies to manage stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions, promoting mental stability and a positive mindset.

Spiritual Pillar:

Purpose and Meaning: Spiritual healing explores’ questions of purpose, meaning, and connection to something greater than yourself. It helps you find a sense of purpose and fulfillment in life.

Inner Peace: It promotes inner peace, mindfulness, and a sense of tranquillity. Spiritual practices can help you navigate life's challenges with greater strength. Meditation, Mindfulness, Breathwork, Visualization and Prayer are all helpful.

Connection: Spiritual healing often involves a sense of connection with oneself, others, nature, God, the Divine, Deity or the universe. It fosters a sense of belonging and interconnection with all life.

The 4 pillars of well-being are deeply interconnected and neglecting one can affect the others. For example, physical issues can impact emotional and mental health, and unresolved emotional trauma can manifest physically. These pillars recognize that humans are multidimensional, not just physical beings, and addressing all four promotes holistic wellness for a fulfilling life. Healing is personal, and people may prioritize different pillars based on their needs and beliefs. The key is to find a personalized approach that aligns with your values and goals while encompassing all four pillars.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: The Paving of a Rocky Road - Surviving A Violent Abusive Alcoholic Father        

Chapter 2: Discovering My Identity and Path - College Escape to Exploring Europe

Chapter 3: Unveiling Egypt’s Mysteries - An Adventure Without a Roadmap

Chapter 4: Seeking Healing and Inner Nourishment - Community Living at Kripalu

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Chapter 5: Discovering Inner Strength Amidst Chaos - Recovering from My Physical Attacker

Chapter 6: Mountains, Parks, and Ocean Oasis - Starting Over with Family Support

Chapter 7: Resilience and Carrying On - Post Terrorist Attack in Bali

Chapter 8: Unveiling Choquequirao - From Hurricane Katrina Disaster to Peruvian Ruin

Chapter 9: Growth in the Face of Grief - Remembering My Brother

Chapter 10: The Path Forward - Choosing the Roadmap

Chapter 1: The Paving of a Rocky Road - Surviving A Violent Abusive Alcoholic Parent.

In the faded snapshots of my childhood, the sky is often gray, and the smiles on my family's faces are hesitant at best. These memories of my past serve as haunting reminders of a time when the world within our four walls was strained, and the shadows cast by my father's demons seemed to never go away. It was within this challenge of chaos and sadness that the seeds of my future trauma and triumphs were planted.

I like to think of my father as someone who once had dreams of a better life, but he got caught in a web of addiction. His love for alcohol, gambling, and other women turned him into a scary and unpredictable presence at home. Every day felt like a fragile dance on the edge of a cliff. I had to be very cautious, hide my feelings, and stay quiet because I was too afraid to express myself, nor did I know how to say what I was experiencing or ask for help. I didn't realize that not everyone had a dad like mine; I was just a child in a frightening, lonely world.

Growing up, our home was a place of fear, with loud arguments, violence, and sudden outbursts. My dad's drinking turned our family life into an emotional battleground. I remember the smell of alcohol in the air, a reminder of his inner struggles. Fear was a constant visitor in our house, and as a sensitive child, I absorbed all that negativity like a sponge. My small body couldn't manage the emotional burden, and it affected my health.

Looking back now, I realize that my early health issues, including three surgeries before my first birthday, were likely linked to the stressful environment at home. My early childhood was filled with challenges, and my dad's drinking problem had a devastating impact on everything in its path. My earliest memories are haunted my father and by hospital rooms, the hum of medical equipment, and my mom's worried face hovering over me. The physical scars would fade, but the emotional wounds remained.

During those tumultuous times, there were few safe places. The one place that should have been our refuge was filled with danger. I was a vulnerable child, trying to make sense of a confusing world. My father's violent outbursts were unpredictable, and I often hid in my room, hoping it would all end soon. Prayer was my only defence.

I can still hear the sound of breaking glass against the walls, a sound that terrified me. Nights were the worst, as my father's alcohol-fueled rage turned him into a monster we couldn't recognize. I learned to be invisible, to hide in the shadows, hoping he'd forget about me. But there were no guarantees. Sometimes, his anger found me, and I endured physical and emotional abuse that left deeper scars than any surgical cut.

The impact of that period in my life was beyond measure. Nightmares haunted me well into my teenage years, and I carried a perpetual sense of fear. Each day was a battle for survival, not just against external dangers but also against the inner demons that had made a home within me. The example of a partnership between my mom and dad that I saw as a child was distorted and twisted, and regrettably, I carried that unhealthy pattern into my adult life.

In those early years, I was always on edge, waiting for the next explosion. I never got to be a carefree child. Instead, I carried the heavy responsibility of navigating my father's addiction, violence, and anger, which no child should have to bear. My siblings, mom, and I were in constant survival mode. 

Describing my childhood as traumatic doesn't even begin to cover it. What my siblings and I witnessed and experienced was a nightmare we couldn't wake up from. As the years passed, I carried the weight of those early experiences, shaping the person I would become and the battles I'd face in the years ahead.

Only as I matured and the wounds of my past slowly mended with the help of others, did I begin to piece together the puzzle. My allergies, illnesses, and surgeries didn't happen just by bad luck or genetics. I am convinced that the connection of body-mind showed even then how everything was connected to the trauma around me and the emotional and mental pain I was subjected to.

Amidst the turmoil of living with my father, figure skating and swimming provided solace and hope. My mom, despite limited resources, made sure we could participate.

Skating on the ice initially filled me with fear, both of falling and life's uncertainties. But each tentative step and cautious twirl bolstered my inner strength. The ice rink became a sanctuary, a world of playful spins and jumps, free from my father's troubles.

Swimming, in pools, lakes, and rivers, was a peaceful escape. As I swam, I felt embraced by the water, safe and shielded from the world. Learning to swim taught me bravery and determination. These activities brought happiness and purpose, focusing on my own goals and strengths, not my father's struggles.

Innocence nurtured my inner strength, and my resilient mother provided love and assurance, promising a better future. These activities were more than pastimes; they were vital for my survival, helping me reclaim my sense of self and find happiness in darkness.

Our mom's life had taken a tragic turn when she was a baby, she lost both her parents before she even turned one years old. They had a terrible accident involving a live electrical wire, which ended their lives instantly by being electrocuted. Since she was the only child, she had to live with elderly relatives who came from a time when people didn't show their emotions, and children were expected to stay quiet and out of sight. While she had a few distant relatives from her parents' side, she grew up with a deep sense of loneliness and a feeling of not being loved. Learning to express and receive love would be a journey she embarked on later in life and trying to heal the wounds deeply carved in her being, would be a lifelong battle.

As I got older, I started to notice the stark difference between our small family and the world beyond our home. At school, I saw my friends’ playing games and enjoying themselves with what appeared to be not a care in the world. Their lives appeared untouched by the darkness that consumed ours.                                                                      

I, as the youngest in my family, felt the weight of our suffering due to my father's addiction, but I later transformed this burden into strength. Healing and change were challenging, leaving lasting scars that influenced my path to becoming a mental health therapist, driven by a desire to help others. This story highlights overcoming adversity and finding strength in trauma, emphasizing healing and compassion. It reveals a vivid memory of my father's frightening actions under the influence of alcohol, which left me traumatized and praying for protection, highlighting the deep emotional scars caused by a supposed protector's danger.       

The nightmarish scene that had unfolded in our home over and over again, was a reflection of the horrors we endured as a family. My father's rage, fueled by alcohol and inner demons, had cast a long shadow over our lives. But in the midst of this darkness, a thread of resilience bound us together.

In later years, as the wounds of my past began to heal, I came to learn that we were not alone in our struggle. Our town, a seemingly quiet place, concealed a web of secrets and suffering. Other families, too, were trapped in the clutches of violence and addiction, their voices silenced by the same shame and fear we had felt.

It was eye-opening, and it brought both sadness and knowing. It made me realize that our struggles were not isolated, that there were others who had faced similar challenges. In our collective silence, we could have found a sense of solidarity. An opportunity missed. One I would later find with a group of women at a Shelter for Battered Women many years later, united by our strength to survive.

Those memories, though painful, have become a testament to the resilience that eventually helped me break free from the cycle of violence that I would find myself in latter years and build a life far removed from the horrors of my childhood. 

Escaping the Nightmare.

It happened during my fifth summer on this earth when the days felt endless beneath the warm sun. But even during those sunny days, our home was shrouded in darkness. Our father's behaviour had become more erratic, terrifying, and dangerous. The