Claim Your Light Through The Art Of Healing & Spirituality

— True healing takes place when all three areas; mind, body, and spirit become healed and integrated. Integration may mean accepting what is; it does not mean all our physical issues will go away or we will no longer have problems to deal with. What happens is that even with these issues and problems, we now respond differently. We have an expanded view of interconnectedness. We want to grow to a place where we can serve others and move beyond taking care of only what is in front of us.

This philosophy or way of believing may not be for everyone. But those who feel called to serve will understand the feeling when it comes knocking. The question is: will we answer?

Laurie Teixeira believes everyone should love who they are and live a happy life—a life not stopped or impeded by a trauma they have experienced. When we undergo one trauma a piece inside of us can break and multiple traumas can leave us feeling broken, unhappy, anxious, depressed, unworthy, and disconnected.

Healing can bring back wholeness. From a place of wholeness, we can show up differently in the world. We can be happier and healthier within ourselves. We can have better relationships with our family and others. The ripple effect of us changing can expand not only into our families, but our neighborhoods, communities, workplaces, and the larger world. When we are whole, we are not in competition but community. We can build each other up instead of tearing each other down for our differences. We can create a better world for the next generations.

Valeria Teles interviews Laurie Teixeira — the author of " Claiming My Light: In Search of Meaning—Healing Trauma Through Conversations, Connections and Spirituality."

Laurie Teixeira is a licensed clinical social work therapist specializing in treating PTSD, anxiety, phobias, and depressive disorders. Her practice provides effective and simple techniques for working through distressing emotions and cognitive blocks brought on by trauma that are interfering with life, health, and relationships.

She graduated from Boston University in 1987, and has worked for 30 years in private and clinical practices. From 2007 to 2011, she worked in the military's Behavioral Health Department located on a base that serves some 5,000 soldiers and their families. She is trained in sensory-based psychotherapies that have proven to be successful in treating both military deployment-related traumas and other traumatic events.

Her series, "In Search of Meaning: Healing Trauma through Conversations, Connections and Spirituality," documents her experiences, observations, and personal transformations surrounding some of her more challenging work that inspires her life. She lives with her family in Georgia.

Meet Laurie at healwithlaurie.com