Image by Gerd Altmann
There are many theories and many practices abounding today to heal disease and disorders. Basically though there is only one method. In other words, all methods boil down to one thing. The essence of "healing thyself" lies in exactly that... healing your self...
Is it a coincidence that the words Heal Thyself (or heal thy self) are the same letters and in the same order as "healthy self"? Is it a coincidence or a subtle message? The path to a healthy self is to heal-thy-self... not running to everyone else to heal you (though of course assistance and support is helpful), not putting your faith in remedies (though remedies can assist in the healing process), but rather in changing your self... not only changing your habits, but also changing your mind. Yes, that simple. Change your actions and your thoughts about your illness, dis-ease, or situation and the problem is transformed. However form that transformation takes.
Does that mean that you are instantly and miraculously healed? Does it mean that you can simply sit and think and your problem will disappear... it is possible, yes. However, more often it is a long lengthy process which involves a lot of soul searching, asking yourself a lot of questions as to the how and why and what for, and listening to your body and inner self for the answers.
Simple as it sounds, we all know that it sometimes is not that easy to do. Changing our mind (and our thoughts) about something can be an instantaneous process when all levels of our being co-operate. Our conscious mind may be very willing to get rid of the problem, but our sub-conscious may have many reasons why it wishes to hold on.
What's Going On?
What might be going on? Perhaps the dis-ease is a result of the way we treat ourself, based on our belief that we don't deserve the best. Perhaps we are not listening to our inner self, or inner child, or to our body, believing that we don't know much, and that what we intuitively feel and perceive can't be right. Perhaps our inner child enjoys all the attention it gets from this particular situation. Perhaps somehow we feel that this illness is part of our 'heredity' and there's nothing we can do about it.
Your super-conscious mind may also have its own reasons for creating this dis-order in your mind, body, or life. Maybe you are living out a scenario that you chose before your birth so as to gain a certain understanding or experience. Perhaps you made an agreement with yourself aeons ago to experience a certain disorder or problem. So you are simply responding to your program, being "good" and following directions.
Or, it may be a karmic situation... Perhaps you ridiculed people with a limp, at some point, and now find yourself having problems walking. Or perhaps, you are feeling confused about your life right now and not knowing which direction to take, and about the same time, you develop a problem with your legs... (having problems with going forward...)
There are many "perhaps" and many reasons why we have manifested a particular problem in our life... all of them having to do with somehow, somewhere, somewhen, making a choice (conscious or not) to have that experience, sometimes as a consequence of another choice we have made.
Getting Unstuck is Possible
If this sounds like you are "stuck" with these choices, be reassured! We are all free beings and have the power to reverse any decisions or requests that we made anywhere along the line. Once we learn the lesson that is to be learned in a particular situation, without blaming or judging ourself, there is no longer any need to struggle with the lesson plan... is there? The main purpose of the challenge is for us to learn, to gain insights, to become "enlightened" about the experience and about ourself... and then move on to the next experience.
If some situation is a result of past decisions, actions, or 'karma', then you can forgive yourself NOW and release the need to punish yourself. Again, the main thing is to "learn the lesson", to forgive yourself and others involved, and to move past the mental block or restriction that stops you from experiencing healing.
How To Heal Yourself?
So how to heal yourself? Let go of the need for the dis-ease, and forgive yourself and others completely. Affirm that you are a divine child of the Universe and that you deserve to be here, radiantly alive, healthy, and happy... This is a process that has to be repeated over and over... it is not a one time thing. You have to keep making that same choice over and over, in various life situations, and in your everyday thoughts and mental conversations. You have to keep saying yes to health and joy, and no to that other negative stuff.
Masters have said that enlightenment is an ongoing process... One moment you're enlightened, the next you're not, and another moment you'll be enlightened again. It all has to do with our presence of mind... Where is your mind... Is it focused on the Truth, or on the illusion? Is it centered in your Heart or focused on fear and lack?
One moment we attain "the goal", only to have to keep attaining it again with each breath, with each thought, with each word. The good news is that each breath, each thought, and each word brings us another chance to be healed, to be whole.
But of paramount importance is not to blame yourself, not to judge yourself. What is, is. It's all part of the "game of life" that we are living. Do you blame an actor for the actions of the character they are playing? Do actors feel guilt about the behavior of the roles they play?
In the same way, we have to let go of judging ourselves, blaming ourselves, criticizing ourselves for not being "good enough", not doing it "right", not being "perfect". All of these things are judgments, and are so relative. What is "good enough" or "perfect" for one person can be very different for the other. It's not just beauty that's in the eye of the beholder.
So in order to heal ourselves, we need to separate ourselves from the character we're playing and choose to play the game differently -- change the persona that we're acting out. And it's definitely an ongoing process. The main thing is to refuse failure, refuse giving up, and hold on to the vision that healing is possible.
Related book:
The Path of Energy: Awaken Your Personal Power and Expand Your Consciousness
by Dr. Synthia Andrews, ND
A guide to living with expanded consciousness. Included are techniques that build energy awareness and use this skill to deepen your spiritual path, intimacy in relationships, align with earth energy, clear space, create protection, manifest goals, facilitate healing, and more.
Click here for more info and/or to order this book.
About The Author
Marie T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from 1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and creativity.
Creative Commons 3.0: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author: Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article: This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.com
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