Courage to Heal

In healing awareness week I have been reflecting on the nature of healing and the courage required to recognise, acknowledge and face the need to heal. It’s an easy option to simply press on. Ignoring the glaringly obvious and to settle for something less, for what we already have, in order to avoid the uncomfortable feelings which bubble up and sometimes erupt, on a healing journey. The other interesting truth is that healing never really ends, a phenomenon which I find disconcerting and comforting at the same time.

So what is healing and how do you know you need to heal? My own experience and my observation of the people I have the privilege of working with, is that something usually propels you towards this realization. It may be an illness, an accident, a loss, moving house, the arrival of a new baby or a myriad of other catalysts which catapult you into the therapist’s chair or onto the acupuncturist’s couch.

There are many roads to healing each as unique and individual as you. We are drawn to treatment modalities, protocols and healing facilitators by our own inner guidance and intuition when we allow. It may be an introduction to yoga which sets us on a path of inner exploration, or a digestive issue which necessitates an examination of our inability to take breaks, even a blow out with a relative following an acrimonious will reading.

However you arrive, the admittance, the acceptance that all is not well, and the commitment you then make to your healing journey is life changing. In my experience bite size chunks are the way to go and these chunks can be tasty snacks or quite substantial meals, taken little and often with an intention to keep going. Things may get worse before they get better as you clear away old worn out patterns and embrace something new and possibly unfamiliar.

It takes courage to step into the unknown, trusting the path will unfold before you with every unpredictable step. Even when you are unsure if you are going in the right direction, there will always be enough light to illuminate the way ahead. One thing’s for sure, there’s no going back, so you might as well take a deep breath and enjoy the ride.