by Alanna Ketler, Collective Evolution

What does it mean to be truly vulnerable?

This question has been on my mind a lot lately. Being vulnerable means letting your guard down, and it means risk. By completely exposing yourself and expressing your thoughts and feelings, you risk being hurt, you risk being rejected, and you risk being seen. Understandably, many people find being vulnerable challenging and frightening, particularly men, at least in my experience. They often have a more difficult time showing or expressing emotion, having been told by society, their parents, or their friends that it’s not ‘manly’ to do so. It’s not uncommon for men to feel weak or effeminate when expressing emotion, so often they lock it all away and bear the burden of holding on to so much. But there is such power in being able to be absolutely vulnerable with someone, and deep connections are made in this way.

As C.S. Lewis once said,

“To love at all is to be vulnerable.”

By Deb Wellmes, MA, SLP, ND
Guest Writer for Wake Up World

Like waves of vibration that are eternally connected and influenced by one another, our understanding and appreciation of vibro-tactile healing has ebbed and flowed. Ancient traditions recognized vibration and sound as an important method for returning to balance and healing. Some of the ways these traditions have used sound and vibration include: music, chanting, prayer, toning, and the use of instruments such as drums, bells, singing bowls, gongs, and wind instruments.

As Ancient traditions fell from favor, we lost sight of the powerful benefits of vibro-tactile healing. It has taken great thinkers and scientists millennia to return to this lost knowledge. Perhaps we are so comforted by vibration and sound because as humans, our first experiences within the womb were known and felt as vibration (e.g., our mother’s heartbeat and voice). All matter vibrates and the human body is no different.