0.8
June 23, 2015

An Extraordinary Insight from a House Fly.

 

housefly

Life has a funny way of showing us insight and wisdom.

In this story, I gained such a profound insight from a small house fly.

I was walking up to my room after a morning of soccer training with my friend and I heard that annoying, unwanted buzzing sound we’ve all heard before. It was a big, fat house fly and this thing was running into every wall in my room. Eventually it stopped for a minute on the window screen. And that was my chance.

I stealthily walked over to the window and in one powerful and rapid movement, I slammed the window so the fly was trapped within the screen and the glass. And then I watched this unwanted visitor bounce back and forth against the screen and the glass in a frantic attempt to escape toward freedom.

I waited, anticipating the fly to pause for a minute so I could guide it to freedom, but the fly kept on bouncing back and forth. This fly continued to ram itself into the screen and window for the next 10 minutes. Why I watched a fly do this for 10 minutes, I don’t know.

After a while I got over this fly and decided to open the window to let it free.

Interestingly enough, even with the window opened, the fly continued to bounce back and forth against the screen and a “phantom window.” It continued to live out the experience of being trapped, even though it was completely free to fly anywhere else.

I watched the fly do this for about another 10 minutes. That’s when I had the extraordinary insight: how many of us are still living our lives from the same perspective as we were during a previous traumatic experience?

Even though we may know better, our emotions can hi-jack what we think and bring us right into reactionary mode as if we were still at the time of the trauma.

Fortunately for us, there are solutions available to help us overcome trauma and actually grow from it.

Many people know of post traumatic stress; I want to invite you to the concept of post traumatic growth: where you become a more whole and greater version of yourself because of the traumatic experience you experienced. I noticed the power of post traumatic growth when I overcame anxiety by upgrading my nervous system.

From what I’ve learned and experienced myself, one of the most profound ways we can overcome trauma (especially trauma that we tried to forget about, yet is still showing up in our lives) is through upgrading our nervous system. When we free our nervous system of interference, more life and energy can flow throughout our body gracefully. Where we held defensive patterns, we can open up to peace and realize that we aren’t trapped between the window screen and glass anymore…instead, we are free.

I forgot to mention the ending of the story.

I wanted to get the fly out of my room and I had a bright idea on how to do so. I got some athletic tape and carefully aimed it at the wildly moving fly. I then gently caught the fly in the tape and walked it outside, where I freed it. I watched the fly get up in a disoriented state, and slowly continue the similar flight patterns of bouncing back and forth as if it were still stuck in between the window screen and the glass.

This seemingly random experience with a house fly has reminded me often about which state I am showing up from: is it a place of defense, empowerment, gratitude, fear or love?

And so I repeat: how many of us are living our lives as if we are still experiencing trauma? How many of us are doing so without even knowing we are?

You don’t know what you don’t know, until you know.

Relephant: 

Overcoming Anxiety Is Possible; Here’s How I Did It.

 

Author: Adam Siddiq

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Sam Bald/Flickr

Read 1 Comment and Reply
X

Read 1 comment and reply

Top Contributors Latest

Adam Siddiq