Working with our Covid-19 Hopes and Fears

(In collaboration with the Institute for Identity Development)

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. 
Now is the time to understand more, so that we may be fearless.”
(Marie Curie) 

For many of us the last few weeks have been a discombobulating period of fear, doubt, concern, care, inspiration, grief, anger, disagreement, and hope. The palette is vast and looks different in color and shape for each of us. And while there is very little certainty as to a “right” and truthful assessment of the situation (that might come with time or not), it is evident that this health crisis means disruption in virtually every area of our lives. 

With our healthcare system struggling to provide essential services in the face of Covid-19, and the quarantine taking its toll on each of us in a myriad of ways, it is suddenly clearer than ever that we need to reconsider our prevailing paradigms of health and illness.

In a recent article, Charles Eisenstein writes: “War-on-germs thinking brings results akin to those of the War on Terror, War on Crime… and the endless wars we fight politically and interpersonally. First, it generates endless wars; second, it diverts attention from the ground conditions that breed illness, terrorism, crime… and the rest.”

Those ground conditions are the core terrain in which our health thrives, or not. The body’s state of ease or dis-ease cannot be reduced to mere physiological and chemical processes. Health and illness derive from the complex, subtle, and precious interplay between our psyche, our bodies, and our relationships – the resonance that we transmit.  

Each of us can do something to keep this interplay in balance. We hold the key to thriving, health, and healing when we address the confusion, anger, and fear we are currently feeling – at its roots. 

Current psychological theory and clinical work has made clear that these roots lie in a lack of healthy bonding and attachment, which is especially true when disruption of attachment occurs early in life (in utero, birth, early childhood). This compromised connection can then create a separation from our own feelings and body, from our own life experiences, from each other. Social distancing, the lockdown, and travel bans intensify and underscore the disconnected, compartmentalized worldview that pervades our life experiences, relationships, and systems. 

One can easily feel powerless and victimized in the face of externally imposed restrictions, particularly when they evoke in us feelings from our earliest years. And yet: our thriving health relies on connecting with a healthy and stable “I” (identity), empowering ourselves to know what’s best for us, not just now but always. 

So how can we connect with our healthy and stable “I”? How do we process and move through our Covid-19 discombobulation to be responsibly and fearlessly present for this profound moment in human history?

Join the Institute for an upcoming Identity Development (ID) session and experience a powerful and direct method for integrating stress and identity challenges for the benefit of your health and wellbeing.