The wounded self is the part of you that feels incomplete. It questions your worth & value; it doesn’t feel whole, or it feels flawed in some way. My wounded self is the “little me” who wonders if I’m truly lovable. It’s never happy. We’ve all felt disappointed or hurt by a relationship in the past; we carry the memory of this wound into adulthood (sometimes unconsciously). If a wound from childhood is still active within you, you’ll attract people who are going to highlight the same feeling. For example, if your wounding is centered around feeling rejected or unseen, it’s likely that you’ll feel a similar way in your relationships as an adult. Your unconscious is programmed to attract people who activate your wounds. The reason for this is so you’ll grow. This is a frustrating part of the growth process! But think of it this way: You’re replaying your wounds so you can finally heal them. We cannot heal anything we don’t feel or see; we can’t heal things that are unconscious! The uncomfortable feeling has to come to the surface for you to grow beyond it. And how do you grow beyond it? By identifying with your higher self. Remember, your higher self is the part of you that knows the truth about you. It knows that you are worthy, amazing, capable & powerful. Through the lens of the higher self, you are whole. Yes, you’re an imperfect human with flaws; but the larger truth is: you’re a soul. You’re beautiful. You’re important. You’re special. You’re love. This is what the higher self knows about you — & it wants you to know it, too. By identifying with your higher self (the love within you), your compulsion to play out wounds with other people dissipates & in some cases, disappears. When you wake up to the higher self’s truth, you suddenly realize that the “wrong” people were just teachers to nudge you into the “right” state-of-mind; a state-of-mind that does not question your value or worth. Unfortunately, nothing inspires us to grow more than a broken heart. Your higher self wants you to identify with it; it wants you to own who you really are. Reclaim the love within you, and you’ll heal your relationships from the inside-out.