By
Victoria Maxwell
We all have challenges and setbacks in our lives. I personally know how tough life can feel at times. I’ve been through a lot of challenges, including a miscarriage, a sexual assault, a business betrayal from a close friend, and the death of my father.It’s hard to believe when you are in the midst of tough times – but there are benefits to your pain! Yes, the struggles you are going through all offer an opportunity to discover how powerful you truly are – deep inside of you.
The Chinese say that everything in the world has a yin and a yang, or two opposite forces. The yin is the negative or passive force, and the yang is the positive or active force. The yin has also been applied to darkness, and the yang applied to light. We all know that there is a balance of darkness and light in life, and our hope is that they balance each other out. There are times, however, when the darkness of life’s vagaries becomes overwhelming, and we need to bring in more light, which is what healing is all about. So how do we do this, and how do we help others?
There’s no doubt that some people are more capable of self-healing. They open their minds and bodies to allow this to happen. Blakeway (2019) says, “Healers are simply conduits” (p. 209), and this is certainly true. They also have tools, either innate or learned, that have worked for them in the past. Chances are, we know healers when we meet them, simply because we feel good in their presence.
In order to be a healer, you must come from a healed place—that is, you need to be healed yourself. For the most part, healers have been on that life path for a long time, and it has been their desired direction. You most likely know if you are one of those people, but you also might be able to identify a healer you know. There are many kinds of healers who work in various career paths.
Here are some ideas for healing yourself and others, keeping in mind that you cannot heal others until you yourself are healed. Self-Healing If you intuitively feel that you’re a healer, or if someone has told you that, it’s important to trust your abilities and use them wisely. This means accepting who you are from a physical, physiological, and spiritual perspective. It also means treating yourself in a kind, gentle, and supportive way, just as you would support a loved one in need. In many ways, our bodies help us self-heal. For example, if you consume too much alcohol, you might have a headache the next day and decide to rest. If you eat unhealthy foods, then you might have gastrointestinal problems and choose to drink tea or have some chicken soup.
How to Heal Yourself
One way to heal yourself is to do a grounding meditation. Begin by placing your feet comfortably on the ground or the floor. Take three deep breaths, and with each breath, release any negative energy. Direct your attention to the soles of your feet. Imagine large roots extending down from your feet and into the Earth about six or eight feet. Move your awareness to the base of your spine. Imagine your spine going deep into the earth. Feel the magnetic pull of gravity coming from the earth’s core. Breathe in for three counts. Hold your breath and exhale for four counts. Repeat this pattern three times. When you’re ready, open your eyes. You can also practice resonant breathing. Lie on your back; breathe in for six counts and breathe out for six counts. When you feel calm, change your breathing pattern by breathing in through your nose, filling your diaphragm and chest full of air. Then exhale through your mouth. If you can, repeat this for about 5 to 10 minutes. You might feel your consciousness shift. Write down your thoughts in your journal. Establish a regular journaling practice. Start with 15 to 20 minutes, and then increase as needed. Journaling increases self-awareness while also allowing you to tap into your subconscious mind. You may also practice inner visualization. Focus on a troubled area, and then imagine radiating energy outward from that place and then pulling in the universe’s energy to that area. Imagine the troubled part feeling better and healed. Bathe in that sensation.
Healing Others If you’re a healer, you others may reach out to you when they’re troubled. Other times, you might feel as if you need to reach out to those who don’t readily ask for your help. You can also practice the above exercises with those in need. Here are some other tips: Choose a safe and sacred space to meet. These individuals should be able to speak honestly with you, sharing whatever information they’re comfortable with. Establishing trust is vital. Ask the person to get comfortable, whether it’s by sitting in a chair or lying down in a safe place. Prepare yourself to do a grounding exercise by connecting yourself with an imaginary cord within the Earth’s center. Next, imagine a bright, white light coming in through the top of your head and making its way down your body. Take some deep breaths in and out, and feel the powerful light energy. Feel the energy moving through you, and focus on it. Some healers energize their hands by having their palms face one another so that the energy is felt. The healers then place their hands around the person, and the healing energy is picked up.
In summary, whether you engage in self-healing or are assisting others, the experience can be quite transformative. You might also find it to be a transcendent experience where you reach levels of solitude and interconnectedness that you’ve never experienced before. Enjoy the journey!
The 6 Steps of Healing You Need to Know
Take any traumatic event: a suicide attempt, a diagnosis of cancer; whether the event is mental or physical, it doesn’t matter. As healing begins, several stages start to occur. Each happen at varying rates and depths unique to the person undergoing the crisis. No right or wrong, but a healing pattern unique as a fingerprint. I say healing, because this is not about cure, but about creating wholeness not health; creating meaning so that the wounds of our illness no longer pain us, but become part of our living narrative enriching ourselves and those around us.
This six-stage healing process is one I discovered as I’ve gone (and continue to go) through recovery and what I’ve seen in others. Although described as a sequential process, it’s more accurately pictured as a woven tapestry. When one part of the tapestry is restored, all aspects of the piece shifts and improves.
1. Acceptance. Denial of the illness is the greatest barrier; acceptance, the greatest liberator. When we start, albeit slowly perhaps, to accept our illness, mental illness or otherwise, only then can healing begin. Often the longest leg and biggest barrier in the road to recovery is the journey to acceptance.
The process of acceptance is similar to the joke: how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Bit by small digestible bit, denial is eventually erased. It took a full five years for me to accept I had psychiatric illnesses before I became willing to accept help.
2. Insight. Even the smallest degree of admission allows insight to begin. It is only then that I will notice and then have the ability to monitor details of the illness: warning signs, behaviors exacerbating mood swings, frequency of shifts.
3. Action. At each stage of insight, I can craft a plan of action to enhance recovery or take steps to enlist support to help me do so. If I see staying up late worsens my illness, I learn to turn into bed earlier. If connecting with friends helps keep me buoyant, I find ways to nurture my social ties.
4. Self-esteem. As I make positive choices, I see how those decisions and actions impact my health, rebuilding my sense of competency, self-efficacy and in turn my self-esteem. test cypionate for energy This encourages further acceptance, insight, and action.
5. Healing. When I allow myself to accept an illness I would rather not and take actions to combat it, healing is a natural by-product. Healing needs to be defined very broadly. Healing does not necessarily mean remission of symptoms, fewer stays in the hospital, or a return to the level of functioning pre-illness. It is (in my definition) the restoration of a sense of meaning, purpose, sense of self, and quality of life, despite struggles with the illness.
6. Meaning. As healing occurs, the self returns to new wholeness complete with these past new experiences and new choices. It is here meaning can unfold. Via discovery, meaning, from an otherwise painful experience, is birthed. Discovery of familial history, personal strengths, bonds of friendship, and belief systems play a pivotal role in crafting purpose. The significance an illness holds differs from person to person. Every malady emerges from unique sets of life circumstances. The distinct details from which the disorder arises shape the kind of meaning harvested.
If we accept illness, seek to understand its mechanics, importance can be derived even from our darkest hour. This isn’t to diminish or ignore the pain experienced by those of us with devastating illness and our families. On the contrary, it’s to honor struggles and celebrate the power that is retrieved. Remember, facing what is, is an act of bravery.
Wholeness and meaning are hard-won. Finding meaning isn’t dependent upon comprehending the ‘why’ or ‘what’ of it all. Paradoxically, it is as we learn to live without knowing the ‘why’s’ that peace and meaning emerge.
Life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived. –Anonymous
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References
Blakeway, J. (2019). Energy Medicine : The Science and Mystery of Healing. New York, NY: Harper Wave. Palmer, H. (1998). Inner Knowing. New York, NY: J. P.