Letting go of the past – what does it mean to let go of the past? Wanting to let go assumes that there are old, negative experiences and emotions impacting how we show up in the world today ready to be released by the mind, body, and soul.
It’s impossible to be a human being without having a past, parts of which you may wish to or need to release. Past negative experiences, memories, or attachments can hold us captive, and sometimes we may not even be consciously aware of them. We’ve all had moments when we deeply know we want to do something, but no matter how hard we try, willpower alone does not get us there in a sustainable way. This can feel difficult to make sense of: consciously wanting something very badly while also sabotaging yourself in a way that seems confusing to the logical mind.
Your subconscious mind holds on to patterns of thought and behaviour that no longer serve you. It calls on old emotional responses to similar sets of events happening now. These beliefs (thoughts repeated over and over again until they become strong and ingrained) are set in your blueprint for living.
This can make it difficult for you and your conscious mind to do the things you want to do in life, feel the things you want to feel, and go where you want to go, behaving in the way you want to behave.
Letting go of the past is a beautiful journey back home to yourself – a homecoming to the truth of who you are without the conditioning that no longer serves you.
This blog is for you if you find yourself feeling perpetually frustrated in certain areas of your life. Whether you are aware of it or not, something from the past is holding you back. I want to share three areas to focus on simultaneously that will support your journey in the art of letting go:
- Mind: Deep inner work with the subconscious and conscious minds.
- Body: Somatic practices to support the detachment from thought, to shift energy and connect through introspection.
- Soul: Being the energy of love and approaching yourself with compassion and curiosity.
From my personal lived experience and the deep work I do with clients, I know that the combination of these three areas will invite more inner peace as you move through your journey of letting go of the past. Below, I will detail a few key tips to approach each area.
The Mind: How Do You Mentally Let Go of the Past?
Consciously: Your conscious mind is the logical, analytical, willpower 5% of you. We can work with our conscious minds to support letting go of the past in very tangible ways:
- Setting goals and identifying the path you wish to take.
- Looking at your current situation.
- Understanding the resources you have or the ones you require and how you can obtain them.
- Being creative about the possible ways forward.
- Taking the actions (e.g. setting boundaries consistently, having a difficult conversation, whatever that may be for you).
Subconsciously: Your subconscious mind is the emotional, visual storehouse of your feelings. It makes up 95% of your behaviours. We can work with our subconscious minds to let go and release in many ways:
- Dynamic hypnotherapy allows us to work closely with the subconscious to reframe, regress, and rewrite past stories, to work deeply with the inner child, and do parts work, to let all parts be seen, heard, held, & validated – in order to heal.
- Fantasy hypnotherapy to utilize the visual powers of the subconscious to let go of what is not needed and seek answers using metaphor.
- Suggestion hypnotherapy to introduce new beliefs.
As we work on reshaping our mental patterns, it’s equally important to address the physical manifestations of our past experiences, which brings us to the role of the body in healing.
The Body: How Can the Body Help You in Letting Go of the Past?
There are three ways I believe your body can help you to let go of the past:
To detach from thought
We’ve all been there – no matter how conscious or wide awake you are – sometimes we go from “I AM” to “I am all the thoughts in my mind”. Being totally attached to thought, in rumination, overwhelm, self-depreciation, overthinking, can be an intensely uncomfortable place to reside. There are lots of epic tools you can use to soothe your nervous system when you recognize what is happening.
- Havening: a self-soothing technique of giving yourself a slow, soft hug.
- Orienting: finding yourself in the room by noticing the four corners and the exit to the room to signal to your brain safety within the space.
- Butterfly tapping: crossing your hands over your chest and alternately tapping your hands on your collar bone to soothe the nervous system.
- Meditation
- Yoga practice
These are practical actions you can take to move yourself out of your mind and into your body. It is important to recognize when letting go of the past, there is absolutely ZERO healing or comfort that can happen when we are attached to the thoughts around it. Acknowledging this and taking action is a self-compassionate move to support letting go as it allows you the headspace to BE and also, to do something that will serve you more than rumination.
Imagine if you want to let go of a past relationship (with a person, a job, with food, whatever it may be), or a past mistake – it serves you in no way whatsoever to let it go, when you are stuck in thought about it.
To tune into your emotions
Your body is your internal navigation system – getting to know her deeply and what she is telling you is absolutely invaluable in letting go of the past. Tuning into your emotions regularly (by way of getting to know the felt sense in your body) is imperative in letting go – she shines a light on the things that trigger you.
When you can see how certain situations make you feel, you can do the inner work to meet your needs. When you are more consistently understanding your needs and meeting them, you are literally signalling to your body that she can trust you and it’s safe to let go now that you are being what she needs – that you can count on yourself.
To move energy in your body
Another way in which your body can help you let go of the past is by accessing somatic and energetic practices, for example, Kundalini activation, Reiki, Conscious Connected Breathwork, Emotional Freedom Technique, and so on. These practices can awaken and release dormant energies, improve energetic balance in your body, and clear negative emotions and energies.
There is an unbelievable amount of wisdom stored in our bodies and getting to know it intimately, as well as working with the mind is paramount to letting go of the past and embodying the healing journey. A holistic approach also asks us to deeply connect with the soul.
The Soul: What Is the Role of the Soul in Letting Go of the Past?
Your soul self, your energetic self, the higher self, the remembering of “I AM”. This is waking up and from your wide awake-ness, remembering that you are love itself, you are the ONENESS.
Doing this inner work from a seat of conscious awareness allows you to do it from a place of self-compassion and curiosity. Remembering the truth of who you are, which gets easier and easier with practice, means that there is really nothing to DO, simply to BE with all that is.
My personal favourite ways to remember “I AM-NESS”:
- Meditation – to relax the body and quiet the mind and find moments of peace.
- Being in nature and finding presence all around me in what is – by staring up at the sky and remembering I am a tiny little human on a massive spinning rock held by forces beyond the comprehension of the human mind.
- Practicing mindfulness and remembering that absolutely EVERYTHING (past, present and future) is happening right now.
- To read books such as The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.
Conclusion: Embracing Your Unique Healing Journey
The journey of letting go of the past is not linear. It is a deeply personal process that involves trusting yourself and calling upon your mind, body, and soul in whichever way resonates with you. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to heal. The essence lies in embracing your unique path and finding balance in your own way.
As you move forward, trust the process. Engage in deep inner work with both your conscious and subconscious minds, practice somatic techniques to connect with and heal your body, and nurture your soul by embodying love and compassion. This holistic approach will guide you back to the truth of who you are, beyond the conditioning that no longer serves you.
Your healing journey is your own, and it is beautiful in its authenticity. By allowing yourself to be present, compassionate, and curious, you will find the inner peace you seek. Embrace each step, knowing that every effort you make brings you closer to the wholeness and balance you deserve.
In the end, letting go of the past is about returning home to yourself. It is about reclaiming your power, honouring your experiences, and moving forward with more ease and grace. Trust yourself, and trust the journey.
If you are wanting to let go of the past and move forward with more ease in any area of your life, I would love to chat about how I can support. You can read more about navigating your healing journey here.