There is definitely a misperception about healing and how long it takes you or a loved one to heal. Many healing professionals, depending on the extent of the particular health ailment or disease will say that healing takes a long time, while for other healers who have seen miraculous healings will say “not that long”. So who is correct? My answer, “it all depends.”
What I have witnessed in the past 16 years of my practice is that healing of a challenging health condition can happen immediately, almost spontaneously really, or moves at an agonizing snail’s pace. The defining difference was dependent upon the individual’s personal desire seeking to be “fixed” or wanting to “heal”. There’s a huge difference between the two and I will explain.
When anyone deems the health condition, ailment, or pain as something that is wrong, bad, and inconveniencing, oftentimes their focus is to “fix” the issue. The mental construct is that this health ailment is bad and needs to be addressed pronto. So their whole thrust and motivation is to get rid of the pain or ailment. When a person is searching to “heal” and become whole, they are usually more open to understand the reason and cause behind the ailment. They are willing to embrace the dynamics of the healing process, which is chaotic and non-linear. Although the elimination of the health ailment or pain is what they are initially seeking, when they gain an understanding of why their bodies are creating the health crisis or pain, they become more empowered and learn to take full responsibility of their healing process. A “timing” element is recognized and you begin to understand the persistence of a pain or health condition is not your body’s way of punishing you, but helping you to stay on track to what changes in your life, need to be addressed.
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes people searching to be fixed, can sometimes go to a healing professional and gain relief or resolution of a health crisis or ailment. However, what I have observed is that the health ailment will eventually return and upon it re-surfacing, if the deeper reason is not addressed, the pain or health crisis will persist and become chronic. Even for those individuals searching to heal, the time it takes to resolve pain or a health ailment, can persist and be daunting at times. Until you gain greater confidence and trust in your body’s innate ability to heal, oftentimes it’s hard to suspend disbelief or fear that the pain or ailment will ever go away.
This is where understanding the mind-body connection and its strategies can play an essential role in your recovery and healing. By taking the time to connect with your body and learn how your body responds to stress and life changes can make all the difference. An appropriate analogy is learning a foreign language – if you just spend one day a week learning a new language, it takes forever to learn and mastering the new language is nearly impossible. When people first learn to connect with their bodies, if they don’t take the time to pay attention to how stress impacts them physically, mentally, or emotionally how can one even expect to deal with their health challenge or crisis? However, this is why it’s easier to go to someone such as a doctor, chiropractor, naturopath, or other health professional to take the lead in addressing the health ailment or pain. The importance of seeking help of a professional is to be given guidance and advice, from which the individual’s responsibility is to weigh their options and make a choice that resonates with them the most.
Learning to understand your unique “body language” is essential to you gaining greater confidence in your ability to heal and know that you are fine. Instead of being an ostrich and putting your head in the ground to hide from what is really going on with your body, take the first step in connecting with your body. The first step to connecting with your body is your breath. Place your hands comfortably on your stomach and take a few deep breaths with eyes closed. Just allow yourself to focus on how your breath feels – restrictive or expansive, short or deep. Also make a mental note of any tension you feel in your body. If you do this simple breathing exercise for literally, 30 seconds to a minute a day, it will help you start creating a greater connection with your body and help you in the long term, to address any health ailments, pains, or disease.
Each and every one of you deserves vibrant health and peace of mind in regards to your well-being and life. Take time to breathe and connect with your body to make this happen. Taking responsibility of your body and your life now will pay dividends in the long run. Remember – “Breathe, Heal, Empower!”
