The
Healing Self
“The
secret something that is shared by all effective healing methods can perhaps be
best characterized as the process leading the patient to an honest and truthful
self-discovery. This self-discovery is required for the initiation and continuation
of self-healing; for it is only through self-healing—in contrast to ‘curing’—that
patients can experience both permanent recovery and spiritual growth.”
John
E. Upledger (“Self-Discovery and Self-Healing,” in Healers on Healing, p.67;
Edited by Richard Carlson and Benjamin Shield, Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1989)
As you know,
there is a difference between curing and healing. The surgery I had to replace
the joint in my knee cured the knee problem, and now the healing is up to me—healing,
like joy, is an inside job. So now it’s my turn to discover what caused the
problem, and what is required to truly heal. The cause of the problem (known as
osteoarthritis) is seen medically as wear and tear—walking and running and wearing
out the cartilage inside the knee capsule, but there are always psychological underpinnings
to disease in the body as well. According to the energy analysis of Caroline
Myss, medical intuitive, “All forms of arthritis are created in response to
feelings of irritation, frustration, and anger. In general, the causes
generating these underlying, irritable feelings have to do with issues of
control. These range from minor power confrontations that occur in daily life
to major situations in which a person becomes obsessed with controlling another
person or consumed in resentment over being controlled.” (The Creation of
Health, by Norman Shealy, M.D. and Caroline Myss, p. 234, Stillpoint Publishing,
1988)
My
orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kissel, has replaced the damaged knee joint, but he cannot
resolve my irritation and frustration. That’s entirely up to me. Sometimes the
symptoms that show up, in this case pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joint,
are the body’s way of communicating to the psyche, “Hey, we have a problem
here! Pay attention!” If the response is only to remove the joint, without
dealing with the underlying conditions, then the body will find another way to
communicate—maybe the other knee, or a hip. These emotions of anger and
frustration are toxic to one’s whole life—they also destroy relationships and create
havoc in the home and the workplace.
Healing
comes from the same root word as holiness. It is a sacred contract between the
individual and the collective—I will allow myself to understand that the
inflammatory condition in my knee reflects the inflammatory condition that my
anger causes in my community. This is my work—to deal with my anger
and control issues so that I can heal myself and my relationships.
You don’t
have to wait until your knees hurt, or your gallbladder fills with stones, or
your gut becomes ulcerated to address the underlying problems. It doesn’t have
to be cure first and healing second. When we begin looking with clear eyes at
ourselves and listening to our inner guidance, we can bring about the healing
before the damage is done that requires outside intervention. As always, awareness
is everything.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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