An Intention or Prayer for the Wounded Self

This is an intention or prayer for those times when we feel stuck in bad habits. These habits come from something I call the Wounded Self, and all of us get stuck in our Wounded Self sometimes. And when we do, we act out of fear, rage, hopelessness, and addictions because we are just trying to cope.

Two Ways of Looking at Our Bad Habits

When we start acting out of our Wounded Self, often our first reaction is to shame and punish ourselves. Perhaps we feel like if we can make ourselves feel bad enough, we will change. But there is another way to look at our Wounded Self. We can imagine that part of us as being like a small child acting out and throwing a tantrum because it is scared and confused.

Little children often act out because they find the world confusing, overwhelming, and terrifying and don’t know how to cope with it. Children in these situation certainly need boundaries, but what they also really need is love and kindness to help them through their difficult time.

When we behave badly, we may need boundaries, but what we also really need is love and kindness to help us through our difficult time. Prayers or intentions are one way we can show ourselves this loving kindness.