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Being Seen
Anne E. Bachop, PhD
I have always had a problem with being seen. In my family
being seen meant performing, being perfect, getting it right,
being in control. Who I was when I allowed myself to be seen
was not perfect, was not right, was out of control.
The twist in my familial beliefs was that I never felt I belonged;
I was never good enough. I had the courage to charge ahead, to
meet obstacles head-on, to challenge myself, and my
limitations, with a passion to get it right, to become worthy
and it never happened. Since I was never worthy, since I was
never perfect, I never wanted to be seen.
Brene Brown, researcher and storyteller, says that
connection gives purpose to our lives, and that to have
connection one must be seen. She says that shame comes
from a fear of being disconnectedto be connected one
must believe that he or she is worthy.
I was talking to my daughter about God. She told me
that she believes that God is the connection, the interconnection between us all. That would mean that all are
worthy of connection. Ive always felt that in the
connection is the creativity. In every relationship is the
opportunity, the potential
Continued on page 2

Save the Date: October 24th

The Seven Sacred Sticks Guided Walking Meditation
Take off your shoes; the place where you stand is holy ground. Let go
of your storyembracing reality. Let go of shame, guilt and pretension.
Stand barefoot right here and now, and you will find that every place,
every moment is sacred. I invite you to take off your shoes and walk
with me barefoot on holy ground . . . 2-4 pm, 5648 Union Deposit Rd.
Harrisburg. $20. Bring a friend: $30!

The Healing Wave is a monthly offering from

TheHealingWave.org. Please feel free to share
it, or print it out. Comments, suggestions, and
contributions are welcome. Please email Anne
at anne@thehealingwave.org.

THE HEALING WAVE

SEPTEMBER 2015

Being Seen

Tips for Being Vulnerable

Continued from page 1

1. Choose wisely.
Practice vulnerability with someone who will not
judge or advise you.
2. Ask for what you want.
The purpose of vulnerability is not about problem
solving. It is about exposing and releasing.
3. State what is.
The key ingredients of vulnerability are
authenticity and intimacy. Let yourself be seen!
4. Share from your heart, not your head.
Let yourself cry. Ride waves of anger or
frustration by not restraining your voice or
editing your words.
5. Shine light on shame.
Tell the secrets you have locked away because
you've been too ashamed to speak them aloud.
6. Let yourself be messy.
Forget about grammar, making sense or looking
pretty while you cry. Be free with your expression!
-edited from Christine Hassler on HuffPost

for growth, for belonging, for creating something

bigger than ones Self.
Yet this connection, this creativity, this Divinity
comes about wholly, sacredly, when we allow
ourselves to be vulnerable, open to receive, to be
seen for who we are in our glorious
imperfections. This connection comes, as Brene
Brown goes on to say, with a willingness that has
no guarantees, no expectations or predictions.
So, today I am practicing being vulnerable to
myself, being open to my whole heart and soul
no shoulds, or have tos, no numbing or
pretending. Today I am practicing breathing in
others and breathing out me. Today I am
practicing being seen.
Anne Bachop works in the Harrisburg, PA area. She has her own
healing practice, and offers lectures and workshops focused on
awareness, connection, and healing.

The idea of practicing love is

deeply appealing to me, because

built right in is an acceptance of

imperfection. There is an

acknowledgment to myself that I

am going to mess this up, an

understanding that there is room

to grow. Each of my failures just

affirms the truth that we are all

starting over and rising again.

The Healing Wave

Anne E. Bachop, PhD
Brennan Healing Science Practitioner
anne@thehealingwave.org
301-275-3636

-Anna White,
Mended: Thoughts on Life, Love
and Leaps of Faith
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