{"id":193,"date":"2014-06-30T16:54:52","date_gmt":"2014-06-30T16:54:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/healingandtransformation\/?p=193"},"modified":"2014-07-01T06:28:48","modified_gmt":"2014-07-01T06:28:48","slug":"light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/healingandtransformation\/2014\/06\/light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.html","title":{"rendered":"Light at the End of the Tunnel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"light<\/a><\/p>\n

As Proverbs reminds us \u2013 \u201cThere is light at the end of the tunnel.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yet the tunnel fills us with a darkness so deep, we are left breathless, hopeless and lost in our suffering. It\u2019s a black hole of hopelessness.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re inside that tunnel and the darkness is all you can see and feel, it\u2019s difficult to imagine there may be hope. The darkness can suck all the life out of you, and take you further than feeling lost, desolate, disconsolate – sadly some are nipped or engulfed by thoughts of suicide.<\/p>\n

The tunnel is the feeling of falling. The darkness is falling into oblivion.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re in the tunnel, you can\u2019t see any light.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re there, take time out, be patient, and seek help wherever you can find it. Suffering alone makes the whole experience of despair deeper. There is help available, and there are those who do understand.<\/p>\n

The light at the end of the tunnel is no illusion; the tunnel is. The tunnel is the illusion of separation, the illusion of being alone, the illusion of being lost.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all on the same path\u2026 Our separation from each other is an illusion of consciousness.\u201d<\/em> ~\u00a0Albert Einstein<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Life is an imperfect experience, a journey that, for everyone, contains light and dark aspects. Suffering is part of growth.<\/p>\n

There are choices to be made about whether to focus on the tunnel, or take positive active steps to shift into the light. Yet, I understand that in the tunnel, it feels hopeless, and it feels like there is no choice. I\u2019ve been there. There is no judgment in the tunnel of despair. How can one judge another\u2019s suffering?<\/p>\n

Darkness imprisons us in fear, love liberates us from the tunnel of despair.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I believe we do have power to overcome suffering, although it may not always disappear. Until one reaches one\u2019s last breath, there will still be a new sunrise on the horizon, a new day, a new breath, something to look forward to.<\/p>\n

In the tunnel, the world makes no sense, and we are brought to a place we would do anything to avoid. Yet, the tunnel is there, it lies relentlessly in our consciousness like a noose held tightly around our neck. We feel strangled by fear and loss.<\/p>\n

The dark tunnel is the strangulation \u2013 it feels like one cannot breathe \u2013 one has nowhere to go but to vanish and be swallowed up into the earth\u2019s abyss.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The vacuum is not the end of the road. There is a new beginning and a new hope, a new light around the corner. Stay present to the breath\u2026.<\/p>\n

Some Helpful Suggestions:<\/strong><\/p>\n