Meditations

Taking in the light while running along the shores of Lake Bomoseen in Vermont—sharing the light in my heart now.

Setting the stage and providing a container for the work

Meditations play a significant role in my work. I start most of my sessions with one of 2 to 3 minutes. They reflect the journey we are on together, setting the stage for our work from the get-go and a container throughout, both inside and between us.

I also view them as a bridge connecting the right brain, where the trauma is stored, to the left brain, where language can reconsolidate the meaning of the old memory. This helps build a common language of understanding and resonance, which we reflect on when needed in the moment to keep us in presence and moving forward in the healing process.

Some of my meditations parallel my writing, which contains many of the metaphors and images that emerge in the healing work and become our truth. Each one is unique and individualized, always evolving, depending on what the patient is dealing with, and where they are on their healing journey.

Here are a couple of examples or models. Feel free to share or adapt them in whatever way works best for you or your patients. Please check back as more will follow. Eventually, I also hope to have some audio versions.

Finding the Light Meditation

by Marc Cecil

So good to see you again. You have been in my mind and heart, holding the hope that you are feeling some of my light as you find your own. Now, as an adult, connected to your core, you shine it on the little ones inside who need it right now.

Let's begin as we usually do, by settling into the chair and finding some comfort in your body. Just remember why you are here and how this work is important to you, believing in the power you have inside and around you in your life.

Then, when you are ready, let your breath take you inside, remembering the person you are and were always meant to be. Slow your breath down. Take a deep breath in, hold it, and then slowly exhale.

Each time, feeling a settling in your body and some of the lightness from your core emerging, telling you that you are here now and that you no longer need to hide.

Just notice. Take as much time as you need. Feel your wholeness, and all that is good and special about you.

Let the little ones inside know that they live inside your heart now and are not forgotten. Let them know that you are their future self, driving the car. And, that they are safe.

Notice how that feels as you land here now in this room. Breathe into your presence, the light in your core, as you feel mine.

Feel into the light within yourself that has always been there, believing it is true, even when you can't see it.

Notice what might be important to talk about today or where you would like to start. If you're not sure, that's okay. I'm sure, as we start, you will know what that is.

So, when you're ready, gently start opening your eyes and tell me where you'd like to begin. Take all the time you need.

You will know where to go next. I will help you stay on the path within yourself, so that you’ll find your way home again.

I’m Here Now Meditation

by Marc Cecil

"The Ghetto Children of the Holocaust" being held by Janusz Korczak, the doctor who cared for them and refused to let them go, even though it meant he would also be killed. Statue at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, Israel. Photo by author, September 2017.

Let’s begin by finding a comfortable position. Allow yourself to land, giving yourself the gift of time and space.

When you are ready, close your eyes or soften your gaze. Allow the breath to slow, and focus your attention inward.

Just be here. Take a deep breath in. As you exhale, silently say to yourself: “I’m here now.”

Let these words settle. Let them echo in the space between the lines. “I’m here now. Not in the past. Not in the future. Now."

Let your breath ground you. Let it row you steadily through the storm—or back to shore. Imagine you are not alone. Someone is sitting beside you in the boat of your being.

They are the children who were lost and alone. You are the adult they grew up to be. Present. Trusting. Unmoving. No judgment. Safe.

Open your kind eyes and look at them. Bring them close, so they can see you and feel you.

Let the little ones know that you see them and are not invisible. They live inside your heart and are no longer alone.

Allow them to take in your love. And then, receive theirs so they know you are still with them. Let any feelings rise, riding the waves through darkness and light.

Gently, gazing into their eyes, say again: “I’m here now.”

Let these words be a bridge from then to now. From the wounded parts to the whole. From the lost…to the found.

Feel your presence. Feel the glow inside that you were born with—a light that is still burning. Remember that no one can take that away, no matter what they say or do.

Not even your father’s silence—or your mother’s pain. Not trying to forget, but remembering what is, the person you became. Hold the light gently now. Cradle it.

Like a child’s hope in a world that looked the other way. Let the light burn brightly to honor those who were invisible, now a statue of hope that lives on forever.

Let it shine light on the parts of you that still feel unseen, saying in unison: “We celebrate the forgotten children who never stopped holding on. We hold the light. We won’t forget.“

We see their faces. They are no longer invisible. And neither am I—not just feeling the pain, but the love inside and around you.

Breathe it in. Breathe out what doesn't need to be there. Feel the quiet strength of being here. Of being with. Of being real.

And when you are ready, wiggle your toes. Bring movement back into your body that silently keeps the score.

And carry this power with you. Holding the light now—doing this healing work together.

We are home. It’s our life—a witness and participant. I'm here now. The truth brought us here. The pages will continue to unfold, even if we can’t see them yet.

Gently coming back to the room. Let me know when you arrive, and we will continue the story—our journey of love and hope.

Where would you like to begin today, knowing that you are here now and are not alone?

Comments or questions? Email me at mcecilvt@aol.com. Feel free to share these words—and this blog—with anyone you hold, or long to be held by, in the light of invisibility.

Marc Cecil, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, certified AEDP supervisor, approved EMDR consultant, and senior CSRT consultant. He specializes in treating complex relational, developmental, and transgenerational trauma, bringing therapy to life through heartfelt stories and images of connection and healing that emerge from the light of invisibility.