This will be the first of a series of future articles discussing the many facets of the healing process. To begin I would like to address the most fundamental component to true healing, Taking Responsibility.
Now what does that really mean, and what does that really feel like?
I encounter many patients here at Sedona Acupuncture seeking support from a long list of health challenges. These disease states arise from various levels, some being connected to their diet, some to an unresolved emotional state, some to a specific relationship in their life, or even a current life challenge they are facing. In most cases these issues are occurring on multiple levels simultaneously. Often times these patients arrive with the mindset that I can fix them, or heal them. Therein lies the real problem. Healing is an inside job! Although acupuncture, herbal medicine, and nutrition are powerful tools in supporting higher levels of balance and well being, the ultimate quotient in the equation comes from the inner conviction that:
The healing process rests in your hands.
This can be a challenging pill for some to swallow, for many of us feel very dis-empowered in our lives due to the conditioning we receive from media outlets, the western medical and pharmaceutical industries, our parents, our loved ones etc. There are very few resources that foster the reality that true healing comes from within. Most of us are consistently choosing to give our power away to beliefs that block or significantly delay this process.
There are powerful healers on this planet, don’t get me wrong, and I have experienced many of them in person. It has been my relentless search and passion for healing myself that has led me to the discovery that it is not the healer who is doing the healing, but the choices that I make in every moment that constitute my sense of health.
Powerful healers emanate a sense of well being, and perfection from their energetic state as an invitation for those in their presence to step into by their own free will. It is an opportunity, that is all.
There exists within all of us a state of being that is free from disease, negative emotional states, poverty, difficulty and drama. It is always there, waiting for us to choose it, to step into it with every waking breadth. In my experience choosing healing can be easy for some and difficult for others for reasons - reasons to be discussed in future articles.
Returning to the concept of responsibility, it is up to the individual to look within and discover the places they are choosing - their current state of ease or disease.
For example currently I am supporting a patient, whom I will call Bill, who is suffering from Chronic Fatigue. Bill is suffering from fatigue, chronic constipation, diarrhea, very little ambition, and an overall negative perception of his life.
Bill has tried everything in regards to his health and has seen a long list of health practitioners, with little to no success. Every time Bill arrives for his appointment he begins with complaints about how he feels, his doubt regarding whether the treatments are effective, or blaming his feelings on a current finding on a blood test, the weather, a person in his life, etc.
From this short synopsis of Bill’s personality it is easy to see that Bill is choosing to see the negative in everything. He is playing the role of a victim. It wouldn’t matter if Christ himself walked in the door his perception would begin dissecting and breaking down the possibility of a miracle. It is obvious that there is little impact acupuncture treatments will have on Bill until he learns to take responsibility for his feelings, perceptions and beliefs.
With each session I am coaching him in how to shift these patterns and how these are the keys in unlocking his ability to heal himself, with questions such as; When was the first time you felt this way? What happened? Do you want to let go of this experience? If not, why not? Do you enjoy seeing life from this perspective? How is it serving you? How invested are you in this way of being?
In reflecting and answering these questions and during the acupuncture session Bill is beginning to see the reality he has been choosing and is starting to create a healthier and happier one. As I said before this can be challenging for some dependent on their attachment, or even addiction to their pain or affliction. But with steady awareness and conviction, any disease can ultimately be cured or diminished considerably.
Bill’s case is an extreme example, but I chose it to illuminate the power of the choices we make in every moment, of everyday.
It is my passion and greatest joy to empower and guide my patients into the reality that they are truly the ones who are responsible for their healing process.
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