When I was a beginning therapist I read an article that suggested gratitude as an antidote to sadness and despair. I shared this with my clients who found that gratitude was a good medicine that had no bad side effects. Sometimes in the depths of a dark night of the soul, we might often find it difficult to name anything to be grateful for. Pain sometimes buries all possibility for remembering. But with attention and support the gifts can begin to come into view.
Perhaps at first there nothing but, “I am grateful that I have air to breathe.” Gradually, other blessings come slowly into view — the beautiful shade of blue of the sky, the soft wind against the skin. Slowly, gratitude can open up blessings that had been hidden and the beginnings of feeling a part of something bigger than one’s misery begin to emerge.
One day after recommending this medicine to many clients, I was surrounded by darkness and remembered the gratitude medicine that I had offered so many times. I decided that I should try it for myself and was amazed at the shift in my energy. I was also reminded that the healer has to remember that healing herself is necessary if she is going to continue helping others with their healing.
At that point I understood that importance of making gratitude an indispensable part of my life. A daily practice of gratitude can help us remember that we are not alone and that the universe is always showering us with blessings even in our darkest hours.