Joni Abbott @theonlyjustjoni

There is no lack of content or stories when it comes to the deepest gratitude I have for Liana Shanti.

When I hold someone very near and dear to my heart, it is often not something I shout from the rooftops.

The wounding from my childhood meant that, saying what was true, what was most sacred and important to me, whatever I deeply valued, must be kept secret, like so many other secrets me and my siblings had to hold on to.

That is all changing because of the healing work I’ve done with Liana’s programs and because of her loving guidance and community. I share vulnerably, more than I ever have now, because of the abuse she’s been enduring from a group of criminals who have raped and molested, kidnapped and psychologically tortured, who have abused their spouses and children, and now, because she has helped those of us who have endured horrible abuse (most at their hands), she has become their target. I cannot sit idly by without sharing publicly, what her life’s work and endless advocacy for healing and personal freedom, have done for me.

As I’ve been piecing back together the fabric of my life, it has been through Liana’s teachings that I’ve been able to truly observe the traumas I’ve experienced, how they affected me, my children, and my family.

I’ve been able to be introspective in ways that have helped me step out of ego and into a truly humble and honest healing space. I love and honor myself deeply for the first time in my life.

I’m learning what healthy boundaries are and how to use them, I’ve nourished my entire being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the very first time - all at once. I’m in the best health I’ve ever been in.

I’ve accepted radical responsibility for my life in ways I used to shy away from due to denial, shame, fear, and guilt associated with making choices that weren’t in my highest good.

I’m the most honest and authentic I’ve ever been and that means more intense, too, which is highly palpable to those around me.

I never knew fully healing from trauma was possible. I thought it was going to be a nasty scar I lived with for the rest of my life, a tender spot that still gives you pain every now and then. But no, I’m seeing others heal. I’m seeing myself heal and now have the most hope I’ve ever had.
I’m dropping dead toxic weight, I’m healthifying my life when it comes to the people in it, healing the ways of living and parenting that needed major improvement and I’m settling a bit more into remembering that home is within me. I’m peeling the layers of trauma bit by bit with her work, that is totally done on my own timing. There’s nothing forceful. No ‘musts’ or ‘must’nts.’ No rules or suffocating expectations. It’s all my process, my life path, and my choices.

Finding this work after spending so many thousands of dollars in therapy has been an oasis of healing and health after ‘trying everything’ and still feeling as if I was spinning my wheels.

As an abuse survivor it was very important for me to get out of survival mode. I realized I had been living in that trauma response most of my life. My nervous system has calmed down, my life has drastically improved, and my days are becoming more and more beautiful, more and more deeply connected. My anxiety is less and less triggered and totally manageable with breathing techniques I learned from her.

You see, it’s not always the big things I’ve learned from her that mean so much, although, they mean a whole lot. It’s the fact that I’m functioning and able to thrive on a daily basis that has been my biggest win yet.

My goal in this healing work was never about a “quick fix.” It was about authentic healing that would change patterns and break cycles. That’s no small feat. And while I’m actively choosing it, my loving teacher is there as a very brightly lit guidepost, anchored and stable, cheering me and tens of thousands of others on as we go. The best part: I get to decide each and every day. I wake up happy knowing that my choosing this is a far cry from the days of dread I would wake up with when I was living in oppressive abuse.

To say that my life has improved or gotten better is quite the understatement. What price can you put on your own freedom and liberty to walk this earth without fear, feeling whole, happy and in your own power and sovereignty? There is none. There is no price you can put on that kind of life.

When you look around is that the life you see the majority of people living? Wouldn’t it be beautiful if they were and had a way to heal? They do.

And so do you.

This is merely a fraction of what Liana, and her work, have done for my life. I am forever grateful and changed.