Listening is Healing

The feeling of being incomplete, that is the driving force behind all wheel of change everywhere. From economy, science, technology, politic, social, cultural  and even religions are driven by the same feeling. To be honest, the feeling of being incomplete is the major sign of the soul holes. Because the feeling of being incomplete then many people look for solutions outside to cover the soul holes.

From hole to hole

Since the beginning when the concept of community is formed, society is intended to cover the soul holes. Some of human affairs are certainly covered by the existence of community, but it's hard to deny that society also create a lot of new holes. Look at the existence of consumer goods. On the one hand, it covers some holes of desires. On the other hand, it creates new craving holes which tend to be larger from time to time.

Learning from well-developed countries, where such desires are highly fulfilled, the tendency is not getting healthier. In Japan and Korea where people are so competitive, the suicide rate continuously increase. Borrowing from Mary Pipher's discovery in "The Shelter of Each Other", in 1990 72 % of Americans do not know their neighbors. Post financial crisis in Europe unlock many secrets, when desires are continuously fulfilled, it will end up like putting out fire with gasoline.

The sad consequence of it, human being move from one hole to the other hole. And there is no sign when these holes can be fully covered.

Community of Listeners

Every friend who spent a long time helping people with psychiatric disorders will understand, what they mostly need to cover the soul holes is someone who can deeply listen. Kristina Nobel who spent a very sad childhood in the North of England once told: "What we do need when experiencing such deep soul wound is a person who listen". Therefore, after having successful life then she spends a lot of time in Vietnam listening to a lot of victims of war. Sadly, economic progress, science, technology everywhere makes less and less people who want to provide his/her life to listen the others.

Formerly, when many women became housewives, there was someone who provide herself to listen at home. Nowadays, do not talk at the house, school, office,  even in spiritual and religious community there is very rare human who has a willing to listen. Everyone want to be listened. As a result, we can see thirsty and dry souls everywhere. As experienced by many healers, conversation is a form of energy exchange. We exchange energy in conversation. As a result, listening is healing. It is not only curing the person who is heard, it also heals the one who listen. One who is listened recover because there is the feeling to throw the garbage out. The one who listen is healed because he/she experiences a meaningful and useful life.

This is possibly happen, when a listener learn to see the suffering sides of life. One who deeply embody the suffering sides of life, then give birth to compassion. As experienced by many healers, when the energy of compassion is used to listen the others there is immense healing effect.

Health and Whole

Referring to the concept of client-centered psychotherapy by psychologist Carl Rogers, in which we understand our lives better than the therapists, helping a person in healing conversation continually make ones digging him/herself. The task of a healer just ask and listen emphatically. At the beginning, it is an activity to listen outside. It makes someone richer and deeper from day to day, both on the side of the listener and listened.

Having spent long time listening outside, then there is a longing to listen inside. Listen to the voice of childhood, hearing the suppressed feelings from the beginning, listening to the messages of dreams, hearing to the crying of the unconsciousness such as anger and bad mood. Most people run away from these inner voices, that's why they fail to heal themselves. But the enlightened deeply listen to these inner messages, no matter haw painful it is. Having successful of listening inside, then there is a possibility of listening the whole (completeness). Include in this listening is listening to the voice of the earth, trees, birds, clouds, sun, moon, stars, etc.

After finishing these three stages of listening (outside, inside, whole) then one can understand the opinion of physicist David Bohm that had long been written in "Health and The Implicate Order" in which the word heal comes from word whole (completeness). Only one who attain wholeness (completeness) can be fully healed. Sometimes it is called enlightenment. And listening, as reviewed above, helped a lot in the journey of total healing.