The how of healing.

I’ve got a little something on my mind today. Well, I often do. That’s why I’m a little Owl- I watch, listen, and learn. Also, I heal as my day to day job. If a Little Owl often thinks HOW, of course she will think about the how of healing!

I can’t help but think that many approaches to healing often make things worse, or they raise obstacles. In this sense I mean an aggressive approach- looking at issues in the human body as problems to be solved at all costs. In the sense that we might (as massage therapists) put a lot of pressure on muscles, or as humans trying to heal we might put ourselves through the wringer trying to change, trying to make it better.

One can be reminded of the parallel to war, or to politics. In which the solution to a given problem is to rise in opposition and strike back harder (or cleverer) than the thing we don’t want or like.

But has this approach led to peace for humanity? Has this approach, when we take this approach with our bodies- led to peace in our bodies?

Is there a better way?

Buddha said you can only fight hate with love. The Little Owl says you can only fight pain and tension with gentleness and care.

Pushing too hard, enacting a bunch of resistance- that only serves to activate the sympathetic nervous system, which is what is needed when we are running from angry gorillas. It raises adrenaline and cortisol, depletes our immunity, makes us run damn fast but at the expense of everything else. Sort of like running your rev counter in the red; it’s fun and you may need to do it in an emergency- but day after day it will definitely hurt your engine.

So what’s the how of healing? It’s simple. Don’t hurt your engine. Give it a workout- it’s also not good to let the engine sit around and seize. How boring, as well- if you have a good car but never run it like a beast? Heal your body by loving your body. Nurture your mind by loving your mind. Care for your heart by loving your heart. Do something awesome and fabulous and soothing that YOU love today- just for you- and don’t try to bully soreness into oblivion; it’s a stubborn bastard when you get at it that way.

Keen to learn more? Check out my Facebook page here

Or read this peer-reviewed article here