Kind of a weird title, huh. Really no other way to describe it. “”Vomiting” is as close as I can come to describing this. Let me explain.
Someone told me the other day they’d just done a “body cleanse.” I don’t mean they traveled to the Nile River as some in India do. Just a period of time for fasting. Eating almost nothing for a week. Gritting teeth all the way. A process to glean the toxins from you. Send you off on a new revitalized course. Made sense. Periodic digestive pause. Allowing things to clear. Give your body a chance to purge bad stuff. Good.

 This brought to mind an exercise I conduct with all my new coachies. 

The “Vomit” Memo. Not a very appealing thought. But actually a true handle on what this entails.

No one comes to me without issues they need to address. There’s always some confusion, lack of confidence … frustration regarding their circumstance, their future. Mental, spiritual “toxins” if you will. Needing to be “cleansed.”

Invariably there’s anxiety about what’s next. Stress. Even a depressed state in some cases.

Where do we need to start? The mental pipes are clogged. Bad thoughts on board. Apprehension. Illusions (perceptions that aren’t reality) … abound. A mental and spiritual “cleansing” is how we normally begin our work together.

Enter the “Vomit Memo” A process of taking pen to paper. Do this handwritten is best. Pour it all out. Don’t hold back. The joys, the pluses. The disappointments, the failings. Let it rip. So much going through your mind. A traffic jam. Hard to sort it all out. Decide what’s next. Like your body … your brain and spirit could use a good  “cleansing.”

Perplexed, one has difficulty, might even be afraid, imagining what a “vomiting” might yield. Oh, this can be three sentences. I got six pages once. More possible content.

o   Anger? Always lodges in the rib cage. Hard to purge. 

o   Confidence? Usually not a lot of this here now.

o   Gratitude? Easy for someone currently consumed with challenges to miss this.

o   Joy? A worthy goal. But seemingly at the moment unreachable.

o   Fear? The ultimate deterrent blocking progress.

o   Throw in a little guilt, shame and regret … and you have the ingredients for a revealing “release” of it all. Via the “vomit” memo.    

What will you end up with?

·      A puzzle. 500 pieces or more. Words before your eyes. What do you do!… what can you possibly do with this?

·      Take a close look at what you’ve written.

·      Take some time to sift through it all. “Nuggets” should appear. Flashes of thought that may have been lodged in your psyche for some time.

o   Pull these out. Put them each on a 3×5 card.

o   Writing this down … not word processing it is the key.

The coachie usually feels better. Like a body cleanse, this outpouring of thought, spirit can be freeing. Give us boatloads material for the process ahead.

Try this. It will release my thoughts, frustrations. Try “cleansing”… maybe once a month.

You’ll find it to be a cost free therapy.