By Sue-Ann Wayow
A PEN could have healing powers if used correctly.
Teheli Sealey started using her pen to heal herself, writing out her feelings on a copybook while being filled with anxiety.
Writing was her way of helping herself deal with trauma, especially one particular trauma that changed her life.
Her feelings written on that copybook, over four years ago are now in the form of a published storybook available for all to read.
“I wanted to tell a story that children could understand,” Sealey said.
The book “The Light” tells Sealey’s story of healing after being run over by a car not just once but twice.
Apart from being an author, Sealey who lives in Santa Cruz, is also a personal trainer, health coach, yoga instructor and triathlete.
“Exercise saved me,” she said.
It was on the eve of the anniversary of that fateful incident that Sealey wanted to break free from the chains of anxiety, worry and negative emotions.
She sat down and wrote her feelings out, completing the original copy of “The Light” in that one night.
Remnants of the incident that caused her more psychological pain than physical pain are still there and Sealey would like to focus on all the positive aspects of a terrible situation.
“It still pains today but not with as much intensity,” she told AZP News.
Sealey is the light – the main character in her storybook, who had an accident and recovered.
Her close friends are the other lights in the book who “created the space that allowed me to heal and they also protected me from gossip and negative thoughts.”
Sealey, who is now in her forties, likened herself to a butterfly, healing in a cocoon state.
“I felt like I died that day and I was reborn.”
The incident occurred just before the major Covid-19 lockdown in March, 2020.
She said, “While people were trying to survive Covid, I was trying to survive, period!”
“I choose to see the collateral beauty of my experience.”
The journey to recovery was long and sometimes lonely as shared in the book.
Sealey emphasised the need to have inner strength and courage to break out of the cocoon, to be able to shine again.
She hopes that both children and adults would be encouraged to deal with trauma positively upon reading the book.
Sealey said, “A lot of children go through trauma and they don’t have a voice.”
“The Light” was officially published in October 2021 and illustrated by graphic artist Ross Webb.
Also in September 2021, Sealey published a gratitude journal entitled “Grateful” designed to help the individual pause, reflect, and focus on life’s daily treasures that bring a smile to his or her heart and leave the person feeling grateful for the blessings that come with each new day.
She states, “Gratitude journaling is a simple yet magical way of boosting your outlook on life, creating a sense of contentment, boosting the immune system, improving mental health and providing clarity of thought while reducing stress and allowing you to sleep better!”
And she also published a colouring book, “I Am: An Affirmations Coloring Book for Young Girls”
“This coloring book is inspired by the author’s own journey to self-love and acceptance, moving beyond her belief system of thinking she had to look a certain way or be from a particular socio-economic background to be loved or accepted,” according to the website Amazon.
The colouring book, published in August 2021 was the first of the three books to be published that year.
All three books are available on Amazon or from the author.
Sealey said the reason why she was attempting to promote her books at this time was because trauma in individuals was increasing.
Children were facing parental death, divorce, peer pressure and the list goes on she shared.
Referring to “The Light” Sealey said, “This book has a lot of healing power.”
“I’ve found the courage to face my fears and to break through many mental barriers – learned to love myself, believe in myself and be limitless – all through my physical pursuits. I’ve transferred the mental discipline and determination from physical activities to the other aspects of my everyday life using the mind-set that Consistency and small steps lead to mastery and big discoveries,” are Sealey’s words.
Through her books, she would like to share what she has learnt, what helped her and what she believes can help others too.
It is her dream that “The Light” especially makes it on the reading book list for primary school children.
For her future plans, Sealey would like to focus on a book based on gratitude as well as a poetry book.
And she would like to go to Singapore later this year to participate in the World Aquatics Masters Championships.
Advice:
Sealey also shared some advice for anyone going through a traumatic situation:
First of all, to anyone dealing with trauma, I’d like to send you a hug. I am truly sorry to know that you have had a traumatic experience. From my personal experience, my advice for dealing with trauma would be:
· Take your time – take all the time you need. Healing from trauma requires the right amount of patience and balance. Everyone handles life experiences differently and there is no timeline for healing.
· Accept it and let it go – holding on to the pain or anger from trauma can slow down the healing process. The sooner you can detach from the traumatic experience, forgive, and move forward, the faster you can get to your healing journey, move on, and cultivate a new life for yourself.
· Release Guilt/Shame – bad things happen to us all. If you had a traumatic experience, this does not make you a bad person. You didn’t do anything wrong and you are not being punished. The sooner you accept that you are not a bad person or deserve this (which you didn’t) the better. Bad things happen to good people too.
· Journal – We can’t always afford therapy. However, a journal is a very valuable resource for writing about your feelings and getting them out of your system. Your journal won’t judge you; you can share things you may feel uncomfortable sharing with even a health professional or trusted confidante. Journaling also reflects how you see yourself and the people/situations around you thereby providing insight and clarity.
· Exercise/Get in Nature – “The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, and the sea” ~ Isak Dinensen. Nature walks, immersing yourself in water, or getting physically fit can provide a healthy outlet to work through the pain, hurt, and anger associated with traumatic experiences with the added benefit of becoming a healthier and fitter version of yourself.
· Set small goals – give yourself challenges to keep yourself motivated to wake up and find joy in the everyday routine of life.
To get in contact with Sealey, her website is www.tehelisealey.com and her page on Amazon is https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B095PV59X5/about.
