Healing Insights
From a young age I have followed a deep interest in holistic health -more specifically the healing process. How does one go through any healing process while building a career, starting a family, keeping up with the cost of living in a highly competitive ever-changing world, filtering through the biologically taxing terrain of chemicals, electromagnetic pollution, as well as the faster and faster pace of life? These are factors that are seemingly here to stay -until we choose to make fundamental changes and create a new way forward, that can only begin from within.
What is ‘healing’ ?
“…healing was defined in terms of developing a sense of personal wholeness that involves physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of human experience.’
One way to understand the process of ‘healing’ is through the notion of integration, something that cannot happen in isolation neither in separation from the whole. I first came across the following definition during my training as a therapeutic reflexologist in 2004:
“ Themes of wholeness, narrative, and spirituality are congruent with the derivation of the term “healing.” Heal means “to make sound or whole” and stems from the root, haelan, the condition or state of being hal, whole.’
Along my own personal journey, I have come to understand that ‘healing’ essentially falls into the realm of spontaneity. It cannot be forced. And it comes in its own time. Healing may often have a high degree of let’s say ‘mystery’ -beyond common logic.
There is also the aspects of acceptance and surrender. At a core level, beyond the noise and flux of modern life and society, a Presence remains. The main thing I have learned is to allow things to be and provide inner space. This makes way for higher self-management, trusting one’s innate potential for self-healing. Balance eventually happens in its own time. It’s always an inward journey no matter what the outside world looks like.
‘With’ calm
In the Latin-based languages we say, with calm (com/con calma): let’s solve a problem, let’s find a solution, let’s find a way -‘with’ calm…
A fundamental premise in the healing arts is that these forms of treatment help create the right internal environment, and restored vitality, to allow the body to heal itself and find its own balance. For example, long-trusted meridian treatment modalities such as acupuncture, or more acupressure-based forms like reflexology and shiatsu, are known to support the body to self-regulate much better. In this way the body is able to move out of the sympathetic ‘fight/flight’ response (which happens when one goes through stress), toward the parasympathetic state of ‘rest-digest-heal’ more reliantly. Many of our health problems today stem from / can be related to chronic stress.
In light of this, the aim of every treatment is always to support the body to reach homeostasis -an internal state of balance and equilibrium. If this is all that complementary therapies help to achieve it is a lot. It is only in this state of calm that the body can properly detox and deeply heal itself as a whole, in other words on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But this is not all that is achieved in regular treatment sessions. Vitality is restored, energy unlocks and flows, allowing for deep regeneration and authentic well-being to thrive. We support the body as a whole at the root level.
Reflexology acupressure ‘boot therapy’ using the Vacuflex System by Inge Dougans.
Acupressure cupping using the Vacuflex System by Inge Dougans.
Yoga, prayer and meditation, dance, sound journey, voice and breathwork, meridian therapies -stemming from from TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) -such as reflexology, shiatsu, acupressure, acupuncture, Thai massage therapy; Reiki, hot stone therapy, nutrition, and very importantly immersion in nature, have been amazing and so beneficial to my own wellbeing. One can adopt so many various options that can facilitate healing, grounding, and (re)-connection.
Just like feeding the roots of a tree, grounding therapies (like Reflexology, Shiatsu, Yoga, Hot Stone Therapy, and so many more), stem from an ancient, primordial connection with the Earth.
Today, I see many ‘new’ natural therapy modalities ‘evolving’ out of these ancient practices. They incorporate beautiful processes that integrate mind, body, and spirit through voice and song -such as vocal yoga. Another example is forest breathing -absorbing the vitality of natural eco-systems through breathwork. Healing therapies that are with us today have stood the test of time. They open up the flow, create space, and facilitate re-alignment and renewal.
From my experience, staying present and re-connecting regularly with the vital life force and higher intelligence is always the foundation for healing.
Namaste and God Bless!
-Nici Schmidt
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1466870
