Face What You Need to Change
This quote from James Baldwin really hit home for me. I have been having a few old health issues showing up recently. Whenever there is something challenging it is normal human behavior to try to ignore or hope it goes away. I did that for awhile, fully knowing that there was something deeper emotionally I had to look at. As a mind body practitioner, I truly believe that most physical problems also have a mind/emotional component. When we have a handle on the role the mind and emotions have on the body we can really go deeper into whatever is ailing us, and in many cases the problem will resolve.
I remembered a technique I learned in my Mindfulness Teacher Training class called dialoguing with a symptom or body part and decided to try it. The techniqe is simple. Take some breathes, relax completely and than connect to the part of you that needs support. Once you feel connected start dialoging asking questions such as “why are you there,” “what do you need to tell me,” “what do you need from me to feel better,” etc. After spending a few minutes practicing this technique I got a very strong story as to what the origin of the problem was and what I needed to do to feel better.
If you are struggling with an illness or a symptom of some sort and you have done the traditional medical approach and still not seeing any results, it may be time to look at something deeper. Healing is a complex process that usually needs time and multiple tools to help.
Feel free to contact me if you need help with this practice or any other mindfulness practices to get outside of your head and balance your body, mind and spirit.