An uncomfortable be to lie in
posted 2nd November 2022
We have all heard "The Princess and the Pea"[1] fairy tale and how she couldn't get comfortable in a very layered bed because of her sensitivity to the hidden pea. But, if we put a different perspective on that magical story, our princess could represent any child abuse survivor. The pea would not be small, round, or green. Instead, it signifies a spot of hidden trauma energy that became squashed and intensified in its energy frequency. So, what about the numerous layers of soft, billowing pillows and cushions that cradle our princess? They are transformed into layers of troubled energy, fluxing and changing with life's issues. All of it can add to the depth of layers that make the hidden spot of intense energy even more problematic.
Our princess cannot settle, and as much as she tries, there is a constant niggling from the pea. Any survivor of childhood abuse can relate to that because they sense an underlying niggle that never seems to go away. No matter how hard they try, it's still in the background, causing discomfort. Sometimes the weight of all the layers of unresolved trauma energy gets too much to bare. They are sailing the storm in a leaky boat without a paddle and a compass. Yet, how can they navigate to a calmer place when standing up to look makes the boat rock even more vigorous? So, our princess takes cold comfort in knowing that the layers are there and discomfort is just part of how it must be if she wants to lie more comfortably.
How can she overcome what she has to deal with?
Dismantle the bed she had to lie in, throw out the uncomfortable layers that held her trapped in the history of her trauma. There she will find the pesky pea, whose tininess belies how it dramatically influences her well-being and future self. So, pop the pea from its restraints, and then inner calmness can descend on the body and mind. When our princess returns to her bed, it is the kind of bed she has looked for all her life - soft, supportive, and re-energising. The energy drain has gone, and the niggling discomfort held deep within is now a thing of the past.
Then, presented before our princess is a new realm, a new prospect for finding all that can support her well. Perhaps, it's the friends she never thought she would have or receiving the kindness that was once only given or having a voice that sings loud into the community—rejoicing in all the goodness. By empowering people who've fallen by the wayside at some point and were exposed to their vulnerabilities and manipulated because of them. Those hurt by people who were supposed to love them but didn't have the heart to do so. Yet, it is the heart of our princess that beats to a different tune. And that tune is a community that comes together, heals together, and speaks together through shared experiences. Now, isn't that a bed worth lying in?
- 1."The Princess and the Pea" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young woman whose royal ancestry is established by a test of her sensitivity. The story was first published in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 8 May 1835 as an unbound 61-page booklet called Tales, Told for Children. First Collection by C.A. Reitzel.
