One of the most powerful tools every single one of us has on the healing journey is the power to discern and choose from which angle we are treating our illness: physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual.
Each of these aspects of ourselves are entry points into healing, and we are the only ones who can know and decide which aspect (or aspects) are the most important for us at any one time.
Its also important to take all of them seriously, and to have multiple care providers who can help us deeply in each of these areas.
Many years ago, when I was first diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease and after I had tried (and failed) the conventional antibiotic treatment, I was hell bent on “killing” all the”bad bugs” using natural means. I thought this was the only answer, and that these bad bugs were directly to blame for all 200+ of my symptoms.
Neither myself or my practitioners were taking anything else into account other than “killing the bugs”. The equation looked like this: Anja + Lyme = Seriously sick. Anja - Lyme = perfect health.
It’s easy to get into this pattern of thinking, especially when you learn how evasive and advanced the Lyme spirochete actually is, but this way of thinking shows a very poor understanding of chronic Lyme and how to get well.
But humans have been living and evolving with spirochetes for thousands of years, and just because you get rid of, or reduce significantly the pathogenic load of borellia burgdorferi in your body, doesn’t necessarily mean you will be thriving and healthy. As we know, many, many people who show few symtoms have lyme disease, and many more who have the serious diagnosis of ALS, MS, Parkinsons, Fibromialgia and even autism have Lyme disease as a root cause.
Without taking into account my bodies ability to detoxify, genetic factors, allergies, environmental toxin load, immune function and emotional and psychological stress/trauma my treatment at this time wasn’t very successful. I was taking all the right “killing agents” in the form of high dose herbal formulas, but my symptoms kept increasing and eclipsing whatever headway I was making.
After the period of time where I was only trying to kill Lyme naturally, I spent 6 months living in northern Sweden being treated by a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor who treated me with tar like concoctions of herbs to be drunk by the liter daily. “Killing” went out the window.
In the eyes (and poor English) of this Chinese doctor, all I needed to get well was “melt ice, in belly.” He would also occasionally point to my mild acne and say,
“make more beautiful, too.”
Um, Okay. Right.
And yet when I returned to the States after six months there was a subtle stamina and strength in my digestion which had been lacking for years.
Then came a two year phase of working with the energetic, the spiritual and the shamanic aspects of healing. I learned that on a quantum level our bodies are just space, energy and light. I worked with our ability to change the quality of our physical life by starting with this fundamental truth. And I experienced huge strides forward in my health.
I discovered meditation. I learned yogic techniques to work with the physical and subtle anatomy to achieve healing. I studied the science of emotions, happiness and psychology, and how they intersect with the body to create health.
Finally the feeling, the urge, came around again. I knew there was something I needed to address on a medical level, something that needed to be killed, purged and cleaned out. I sought that help and spent 3 years back on the killing regimen, except this time I was integrating the holistic understanding I had gained through the years prior.
Now, it’s a continuous flow. I try to keep all areas of treatment balanced. And I always know when one area is not getting enough attention.
So the healing task and insight for you today is to assess where you are, and then tune into your body and feel what you really need. Ask yourself these questions:
At which stage are you at right now in your treatment: physical, emotional, energetic?
Are you addressing pathogens head on or are you working on building up your immune system, strengthening detoxification or just giving your body a rest?
Which area feels like it is being fully addressed and seen?
Which area feels lacking, unsupported or unseen?
What is preventing you from approaching your healing from this angle right now?
What is the first step, something you can do right now to address this?
I want to hear your insights, and how you are going to shift your perspective or focus on your treatment right now, or how it is going to stay the same.
As always, these words are about empowering YOU to be your own healer.
With Love,
Anja
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