My best friend has a thirst for knowledge. If I causally make a comment like wondering about why ducks can swim in cold water, she will be looking it up to get the answer. My simple comment turns into an encounter with knowledge – and once I know, I can’t ignore it.
In my work with victims of trauma, especially the trauma of sex abuse, there typically is an automatic reluctance to take a deep dive into exploring how the trauma has impacted life. I get it. It’s painful, ugly and overwhelming to “know what you know.”
Knowledge has a built in challenge. Take a look at the word “knowledge” – the very word speaks of an encounter. It includes the word “know” which means to look at and accept facts, and it includes the word “ledge.”
Picture it – once I know something I’m on the ledge of a new encounter.
That encounter is one of the reasons people stay in denial. Its tough to encounter the structures your mind has built to manage life. Its tough to encounter truths of having been deceived or the truth of the impact of abuse, of having been disregarded, and dismissed as an object.
I submit to you that the encounter found on the ledge of knowing is actually freedom and not disaster.
Making our way through life we build mindsets and belief structures that shape our path. Often these structures are unknown but built from the hurtful experiences of life. They whisper to the heart such things as “don’t trust”, or “fear this” as a means to protect self. They actually limit life rather than protect.
When you come to the knowledge of how you are living your life, you have the freedom to encounter thoughts and beliefs and develop healthier, empowering actions. You can be proactive and not reactive.
When you come to the knowledge of having been deceived, get on the ledge, encounter it and move into truth.
Because the truth shall set you free.
Get knowledge!