Heal From Betrayal With This Practice

(gentle music) Headspace Studio. (gentle music continues) Greetings, greetings everyone. Welcome to Radio Headspace. My name is Kessonga, and it's Monday. I'm hoping everyone was able to have a restful and enjoyable weekend. So for today, I wanted to talk a bit about betrayal, being stabbed in the back, being duped, getting hoodwinked and bamboozled. And I know, I know what a positive way to start the week off Kessonga. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but to be honest, I'm not sorry. For this podcast, I tend to discuss those things that are most pertinent in my life or topics that have come to my awareness, and it just so happens that the topic of betrayal has revealed its deceptive head as of late. So as my therapist used to say, let's talk about it. One of my favorite things to do is to sit down with some snacks and watch a good movie. Well, that's exactly what I was doing on this particular day when I received a phone call from a friend. He was obviously distressed and talking frantically. I told him to take some deep breaths and to explain to me what the problem was. He plainly said, I'm divorcing that B-I-T-C-H. Hearing him say this, I immediately knew that something terrible had occurred. He had been married for about eight years and truly loved his wife. The marriage wasn't perfect by any means, but whose marriage is. But overall, they were happy, or so he thought. He told me that he recently discovered that she was having an affair with an old boyfriend. The affair had been going on for about six months. He was heartbroken and experiencing a whirlwind of strong emotions, anger, sadness, confusion, anxiety, worry, and on and on. I felt so bad for him. This was one of the greatest forms of betrayal, and it got me thinking about the many dynamics of betrayal, how it affects us on all levels, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and how can mindfulness help us to navigate it effectively. Betrayal, just hearing the word can evoke a sense of discomfort. It's that moment when trust is shattered and it feels like the ground beneath you completely disappears, and you're doing a free fall into nothingness. It's really the most sinking feeling. Whether it's a friend who breaks your confidence, a partner who deceives you, or a colleague who undermined you, betrayal can leave deep, deep scars. Physically, betrayal can manifest in many ways. You might feel a knot in your stomach, your heart might race, or you could experience severe muscle tension. These reactions are your body's way of saying something's wrong. Your nervous system goes into high alert, and it's easy to feel like you're in a constant state of high stress. Emotionally, like I said, betrayal can lead to a whirlwind of feelings, anger, sadness, confusion, and even guilt. You might question what you did wrong or wonder if you could have prevented it. It's...