Everyone embodies four aspects of the self—intellect, emotion, body, and spirit—but we often neglect to integrate all four into our lives, which creates feelings of isolation and disconnection from ourselves and others. We’re also influenced by the larger systems in which we live (family, community, work), but we often find it difficult to be present in our relationships with ourselves and others. Whether you are facing professional or personal difficulties, the answers to your questions will come to you by doing the work on all aspects of yourself.

Intellect

Our intellect is what helps us make decisions and accomplish our goals. While it is needed as a powerful contributor to our lives, it often overrides our emotions rather than being one aspect of the self, which can create depression and anxiety in our lives.

Emotion

As young children, we relate on an almost purely emotional level—particularly with our parents. We learn to create an emotional language only we understand, one that is not conscious of time and so our emotional language from childhood remains in the here and now. That internal language is ever-present, driving us to make choices that do not always serve us well. For example, women in abusive relationships were once little girls who associated intimacy with abuse. By learning a language that serves us well, we can create an authentic life story that is loving, accepting and compassionate toward ourselves and others.

Body

We have thousands of stories about ourselves that we suppress and often manifest in our bodies (i.e., overeating, substance abuse, self-injury). By listening to what the body tells us—the messages it communicates—we can begin to heal our emotions and reawaken our embodied intelligence that streams through us and enlivens our gestures, expressions, conversations and experiences that help define who we are.

Spirit
At the core of every human being exists the spirit. It is the only aspect of the self that is eternal. Our human experience on earth has a primary purpose, which is to allow our spiritual self to lead us through the lessons we’ve come here to learn, beginning with love and acceptance of ourselves and others. If we lead with our spirit, all of our interactions can be authentic, powerful and ever-present. The spiritual self is the essence of who we are. It is our ideal, loving, compassionate self. Feelings of separation dissolve at this level, and are replaced by oneness with life and all that is living.

It Starts with You