Sacred Storywork Journey: 6 Steps into Your Imago Dei
- The Broken & Beautiful
- Oct 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 15
1. Seeing the Divine in You
What does it mean to reclaim the life you were created to live, to re-inhabit your imago dei? We are each uniquely designed to reflect a part of God in a way that no one else can. How many among us have been taught to look at our lives through this lens, much less to name and to inhabit our own unique, sacred beauty?
2. Recognizing We All Have Stories
We are born into families with a history of stories, born into a community in a particular time and space with its own stories, and we live in and out of story after story as our lives unfold. No one enters a perfect story. We all experience moments in life that change us, and not always for the better. Each of us has encountered trauma along the way, and the family and communities in which we live will play significant roles in how these moments shape us.
3. Understanding Trauma
What is trauma? When most of us hear the word trauma we think of the worst cases of harm that we can imagine, and many dismiss the possibility that it—trauma—has touched our life. We tell ourselves we have a good life and come from good families, not perfect but not that bad; so, this is not me; that is not my story.
Yes, abuse is trauma, but trauma lives on a spectrum. It may be as obvious as losing a loved one, coming from a single-family home, or a home in which your caretakers simply did not have the time or energy to be attuned to your needs.
Maybe your basic needs went unmet. Maybe you experienced exacting teachers who shamed or punished you when you did not perform to their expectations. Maybe you came from a spiritual background that was more about rules and morality than knowing the unconditional love of our Divine Creator. Maybe you were bullied, or maybe you have experienced abuse—physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological, or sexual.
Trauma is indeed on a spectrum, and no one escapes the hardship of life or living in imperfect relationships.
4. Healing Through Relationships
Yes, we are born into relationships. It is within relationship that we have been harmed, and so it is that we need to be in safe relationships in order to heal, grow, and recover the parts of us that have been hidden away, stuck, dismissed, shamed, or never quite discovered. Are there stories that stay with you even though you aren’t sure why? Do you have stories that stay with you and you know exactly why? In Story coaching, a caring, wise guide helps us re-enter our stories with kindness and gentleness.
As we enter these spaces with another, we are able to name with specificity the truth of what happened and how it changed us. In the naming, light begins to shine where once there was darkness, and the light brings life to those spaces. We can begin to heal and reclaim all of who we are meant to be.
5. Finding Hope and Possibility
Do you find yourself feeling stuck, carrying sadness, anxiety, or depression that doesn’t go away? Do you wonder why you keep experiencing the same challenges in your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues? Do you fight to believe it is possible to overcome behaviors that you wish you didn’t have to keep living with? Friend, there is hope, and it is possible for you to overcome, to reclaim the life you were created to live, and to re-inhabit your imago dei.
6. Your Next Step
If you have not experienced Storywork, I would highly recommend looking into it and discovering if it might be a fit for you. Please contact The Broken and Beautiful to be partnered with a Storywork Coach.
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