“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” ~ Caroline Myss
So before we go any deeper into energy medicine, let’s take a look at the benefits of alternative medicine and what’s at the root of illness.
Many people seek alternative medicine, because Western medicine has been unsuccessful in treating their dis-ease. Dis-ease is when the energetic body is not in balance-often leading to disease.*
One amazing woman I met said, “Amy, I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The doctor said the cancer had spread to my femur and neck too. The doctor said I had 6 months to live and there was nothing they could do for me. Amy, that was 2.5 years ago, and I just went to the doctor yesterday and they can’t find the cancer in me. There is nothing wrong with me (my jaw dropped to the floor). Do you want to know why? I found Reiki. I decided my health was in my hands, so I found an alternative. I started getting Reiki treatments twice a week, took natural herbs, and became a Reiki Master myself. I don’t know why God decided I should live, but I guess it is to do this (energy healing)!”
Shortly after meeting her, I spoke to 2 more people who survived cancer using alternative medicine. And those are people I have met! I can’t imagine how many others are out there! So why isn’t the shock media talking about these cases? It’s shocking, isn’t it?
So what’s really at work in helping these people overcome things like cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, pain, nausea, stress, asthma, allergies, infertility and many other problems? That question has left many doctors and scientists scrambling for an answer. Some say the placebo effect. Some say misdiagnosis and others remain curious.
The curious ones are the pioneers helping the rest of us understand what is truly at work here. A new science called Psycho-Neuro Immunology is the study of the mind-body connection. Essentially, it is the study of how emotions are related to illness. We, as a society, are starting to look at the body more “Whole-istically.” This is great! We just need to figure out what’s causing our emotions to affect our bodies so dramatically.
If our bodies are exposed to all sorts of bacteria and viruses daily, why aren’t we always sick? Also, many of us have cells in our body that are reproducing too much (forming a tumor) that are destroyed without becoming life-threatening or even noticeable. Why? What is the defining factor in whether we get sick or not? You may have guessed by now that it is the complex dance between our emotions and our body. Emotions are biologically a complex network of chemicals and hormones being released into the body. Some make you feel good (Serotonin), others not so good (Cortisol).
In discussing illness, we are mostly concerned with the abundance of stress hormones. Of course, the other biological chemicals and hormones are important, because they help to balance the body, but for now we will discuss Cortisol. Cortisol, a stress hormone, in large quantities puts stress on your body and leads to inflammation and immune suppression. Originally, this stress hormone served an important function–to save you from being eaten by a lion! But now, this hormone is being released when we are late to pick up our kids from soccer practice (not so life-threatening!). This chemical is being sent around the body misinforming the body that there is danger.
So the million dollar question is, who or what is responsible for the body interpreting things as stressful when in fact they are not?
The soul! To make this easier to understand, I describe the soul like having a sophisticated four-year-old child inside your body at all times (bare with me please). The less you listen to that four-year-old, the louder the four-year old screams back at you until you listen. The more you listen to and love the four-year-old, the more she listens and loves you back. It’s that simple. In this case, ignoring the child creates dis-ease. Rarely, does someone become miraculously sick (sounds funny just saying it).
Generally, there are warning signs– much like when a four-year-old is about to throw a tantrum. It usually starts out (with increasing desperation), “Mommy…. Mommy… Mommy, Mommy… Mommmmmy, Mommmmmmy, Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy!!!!” The same thing happens in the human body. There are warning signs such as fatigue, “low energy,” confusion, unhappiness, pain, bleeding, vomiting– you get the picture. It’s when we pay attention to those signs that we often avoid the big Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy!!!!
If we don’t listen to the warning signs the soul will get our attention no matter what because it always has our best interest at heart. That’s when things like cancer and heart attacks happen. The idea is, if we stop you in your tracks–make you listen, maybe you will hear what the soul has to say.
If you’d like to connect with your soul/four-year-old child inside, just get quiet and listen to your body. Your body is talking to you through your cells at every moment. Your soul/body knows exactly what is best for you. If you listen carefully enough (meditation really helps with this), you will be guided to do things you probably aren’t used to. That’s ok!
We have all been programmed to do things that aren’t great for our body/soul over our lifetime. Often, the quiet is what we have spent much of our lives avoiding. This is why cell phones, email, the internet, and television are so popular. It seriously takes guts to listen to yourself. However, I assure you that you will be glad you did. You will begin to become more in tune with your emotions and body and thus lead a happier and healthier life! Who doesn’t want that?
Many alternative medicines aid in listening to the body and correcting the energetic imbalances taking place in the body. Often emotions that were once pent-up, are released thus aiding in the relaxation of the body and boosting the immune system. Boosting the immune system helps in reducing inflammation in the body. Inflammation is linked with all chronic illnesses.
Got energy medicine?
*Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting that anyone should abandon modern Western medicine. I truly believe it serves its purpose (thus my hope of the marriage of Eastern and Western medicine). I believe that anyone in crisis should seek out both options and choose the one that works for them.