Being Your Own Hero

Sometimes the unexpected happens and we are given the opportunity to observe our responses to unusual circumstances.  If we pay attention to how we operate in times of trauma, we can gain some insight.

It was shortly after 7 pm when I looked out the window and noticed that it was starting to get dark.  It had been raining all day long, and the light was fading faster than usual.

My hens always put themselves to roost in the hen house at the end of the day, and all I have to do is close the door, so I went out to do that, calling over my shoulder to my husband, Mike that I was going out to "tuck the girls in."

I had secured the door and was on my way back to the house.  The ground was saturated and really slippery and the shoes I use for "chicken herding" are old and don't have much tread left.

I took a step, and felt a wrench as my foot slipped out from under me and I hit the ground.

Agony!  My knee?  I decided not to analyze it.

I lay on the ground in the pouring rain, and tried to call to Mike.  In about a minute I realized that I was not going to be heard.  I made a tentative effort to stand.  Which was unsuccessful.  

My inner hero woke up and I realized I would have to help myself in this situation.

I'm an energy worker.  So that's what I did.  I’ve been trained in the BodyTalk System, which teaches a technique called "Fast-Aid" designed for emergency situations.  So I started out with a brain balance, and the first thing I realized, is that my inner dialogue, in other words, my thoughts did not want to calm down.  So at first it was hard to find my focus.  I just persisted with it, and was able to get into the routine of the technique.  With this technique, I was able to calm down, and actually take steps to help myself.

My next priority was to get to shelter.  It was dark, and I was getting drenched.  I tried calling Mike once more.  Nothing.  So the next step was to send out a beacon.

What do I mean by that?  Bodies are senders and receivers, much like a broadcast system.  We all have this technology if you will, built right in.

I could see one of my cats watching me from the window, so I asked her to get "Daddy" and I was also sending Mike a message to come find me.  (Afterwards Mike told me that my cat had started meowing persistently at the door and wouldn't stop until he got up to open the door.  Once he opened the door, I was able to get his attention.)

But in the meantime, I continued to help myself.  I probed my leg with my fingers, and realized there was no detectable swelling, and there was nothing out of place.  It wasn't hurting unless I moved it wrong or tried to put weight on it.  So I started scooting myself along the ground, keeping my injured leg in the air, trying not to think about all the chicken poo I was coming into contact with.

Before I had gone very far, I heard the door open and called to Mike, who helped me stand and then supported me as I hopped on one leg into the house.

After I got cleaned up and settled in on the sofa for the night, I did a healing session on myself, where I heard a small pop, and felt something shift gently.  I still couldn't walk on it, but I felt really good.  Happy, blissful, and like I was healing.

In the morning I woke around 4 am.  I still couldn't walk, but did another session and slept until 7 am.  

I was able to get up and walk unsupported, (but carefully) and without pain within 12 hours of the injury.  All of the other aches and pains which had threatened to manifest shortly after my fall (like back, neck and hips), never amounted to anything.

I learned some things about myself from this experience.  The first thing being that when confronted with the possibility that I might have to make a trip to the emergency room, my reaction was basically "Oh, hell no!"  Which was good, because it got me from traumatized victim to able bodied Hero (though slightly dented).

I also learned that I could rely on my own tools to stimulate my body to begin healing on a fast track, and that I could even use my mind to call for assistance from my husband and that he would somehow get the message.

Mostly I learned that I get to choose how I will respond to circumstances creatively in order to change  my experience. 

Permission To Heal

Something which makes BodyTalk a unique system of energy medicine, is that it allows me to conduct the session guided by your body's innate wisdom.

To begin, I establish communication with your body's inner wisdom.  Then I go into the deeper layers of the subconscious to ask permission to conduct the session.

That's a little bit different than getting permission at the level of your thinking mind.

BodyTalk is a system of healing which you could say, gives voice to the body.  Re-establishing communication with your inner wisdom is the goal during a BodyTalk session, whether it's your inner knowing giving you guidance, or whether it is the miraculous wisdom that regulates your body's physiology.

And asking permission is part of that process.  Allowing the body to guide what issues we address, and in what order we do that.

If you'd like to find out what your body has to say about your health, give me a call or send me a message using the contact form in the sidebar.          

What Are You Bringing To Life?

"Happiness is something that you bring to life."  

This quote by Dr. Wayne Dyer woke up inspiration for this short post today.  Thank you to my cousin Tricia for sharing it.

When I read these words, "Happiness is something that you bring to life."  I caught a glimpse of a mother nurturing her child Happiness.  Almost like tending a fire.  I saw her coax it into being.  I saw her feeding it and tending it with a focused attention.

Have you ever tried to start a fire with green wood.  You coax, and it takes all your focused attention as you tend and feed it.  Starting a fire with green wood takes a tremendous amount of focus and skill.  You can't just put kindling and paper and strike a spark to it, and then walk away.  You must keep adding small bits of dry fuel in order for the green wood to heat up enough to catch.

And so it sometimes seems with the art of tending to your Happiness, in order to bring it to life.

What Are You Listening To?

At your very core, is your deepest , truest knowing.

It is your core star, your heart star.  It is your inner radiance that speaks to you in a resounding voice.  Your connection. That Wisdom which offers guidance.

It directs the function of your body.  It gives you instruction about life.

How is it possible to become disconnected from this guidance which you have always had?

The answer is this.  It isn't possible to be disconnected from your deepest Wisdom, because it is a part of you and it is always broadcasting, full on, loud and clear.  But it is possible you have turned off your receiver.  That you have stopped being tuned in to that station.  That you have stopped listening.

If you're not listening to your own inner Wisdom...What are you listening to?

Breathing Space

Have you ever noticed that when you stop obsessing about a problem, it usually sorts itself out?

"What do I mean by that?" you may well ask.

You have a problem.  It occupies your thoughts.  It fills your attention.  You experience anxiety over it.  You concentrate on the "fixing" of this problem.

OK, now you've done all that.  Now check in with yourself and ask this question. "Am I getting anywhere with this?"

If the answer is yes, then that's amazing and wonderful.

If the answer is no, then consider this.

Consider allowing it to be alright.  Give yourself permission to allow this problem to solve itself.  Stop allowing it to occupy you.  Stop allowing it to "Take" from you, your energy and your time and attention.

I know, I know.  Your problem is serious business.  Your problem Needs your attention.  You Must devote yourself to the fixing of this thing…even if now you're stuck. Stuck in a loop, or an energy holding pattern.

So shake yourself loose from it for a moment, and try to understand what I'm offering as an alternative.  This is not an easy concept to grasp, especially if the problem is really serious to you, but try because it may really help.

I'm going to tell you a story to illustrate what I mean.  First I must say that I am telling a true story, but it does not belong to any one person, because I have seen this over and over again.  So if you think that I'm talking about you, I am--but not exclusively you.  This story comes from many people I know personally, including myself.

You have a loved one who is seriously ill.  It may be a pet, a family member, or a friend.  You don't know what to do.  You are involved because you love this one.  You are extremely invested in the out come of the loved one getting well…or ending their life peacefully…or what ever it is you think needs to happen in this particular case.

Take a deep breath.  Now allow yourself to let go of what you think needs to happen.  This is not your burden to bear.  This is not your journey to  take.  Your job is simply to allow your dear one to make the choice.  And trust that they are experiencing life to their full potential.

Your job is to stand aside in a place of love and non judgment to give them the breathing room they need to either heal, or move on.  It's really that simple.

If you don't think you can do that, then please consider examining your motives. Be gentle with yourself, but be honest.

Spoiler alert:  If you can give this "breathing room" to your loved one, you will see something quite miraculous…and you will be forever changed by the experience.

This method works for all problems.  It really does.  Whether the problem is your health, your relationships, your job, etc.

The ability to take yourself out of judgment about what you think Needs to happen, will allow space for the miraculous to occur.

Are you brave enough to try?  It takes absolute faith and trust to pull it off.

Peering Inside

I wrote this a year ago, and thought I'd share it here.  Some of you may be able to relate to this post.  Especially if you have unresolved issues--and who doesn't have those?

I'm takin' a squint right now at my innards. Peering inside at the inner workings of the Rita. It's amazing in there. Oh yeah. Really messy. It looks like Chaos, but it's so very synchronized. Quite a thing of beauty.

Over there is the place where I harbor my fugitive emotions. The ones that never got expressed because I was too Busy, or too Bad Ass, or too Frozen. They're all over actually, just waiting to wreak havoc in tissues throughout my body. A sore muscle here, a tight tendon there. Scars and so on.

All the experiences, the good and the bad are jumbled in together, building my inner landscape. 

Peering deeper I see the faceless ones that want to remain hidden. They burrow down, not wanting to be seen. They keep me hidden, and invisible. They keep me from seeing myself. They keep me from feeding myself, from expressing myself, from contributing anything of value, lest it draw attention to me. They keep me anonymous and "safe". They would be happiest if I would just stay asleep.

Now that I know they're there, I wonder what they fear. In spite of their best efforts I have outgrown them. I look at them and they cringe away into the dark shadows, trying to blend into the back ground. I turn away from them and look out into the infinite within my borders. I see galaxies forming and stars being born. I see a landscape of amazing light and color. This is what I am now. I begin to move into that landscape, and the small ones clutch at me. I turn back to face them, and hold out my hand. "Come on", I say. "We'll go together".

This is what I am building now. This creation of me. As I tell this story, it becomes what I am. All the darkness and chaos is every bit as beautiful as the light and color of new forming suns. Even the small faceless ones are evolving. They know they must come along. They must transform to survive. It is inevitable. We cannot help it.

I often use this inner landscape to work something out. It's a natural process for me, and happens spontaneously. In it my emotions become characters in the story with personalities of their own.

I had a small scream one time. It belonged to a foolish memory that I allowed to torment me. It would lay hidden and then it would creep up on me when I least expected, and jump out and scream at me. I tried to ignore it for years upon years. One day when it snuck up on me and screamed it's scream, I realized it was like a small child trying to get my attention, by misbehaving. So I turned around in my inner landscape, and looked it in the face and said in a rather exasperated voice, "What?! What do you want, for heaven's sake?!" It looked at me with big eyes and said in a voice I could barely hear, "Nothing". And then it turned and ran away, and I haven't seen or heard from it since. 

In fact after that, a lot of my more tiresome memories stopped gnawing at me, grew up and moved out. And high time, too. How long can you be expected to support a house full of emotions and memories all feeding on your energy and draining your resources--raising a rumpus and generally just messin' up the place? I ask you.

Their contribution is that I learn from them. I find creative solutions to grow beyond them. And when my perception changes, so do they. They grow up and move on. The result is that I am no longer afraid to look into the shadowy landscape of my inner world.

So now I want to ask you to consider this option the next time one of your unresolved issues won't stay tucked away in it's carefully packed box.  The next time you are wasting your energy trying not to see what is tormenting you, I'd like to invite you to look your tormentor in the face.  See it for what it is.  Maybe the only way to end your struggle with this thing and to heal the wound is just to acknowledge it.  See if it has anything to say to you.  And if not, then allow it to go.

Sometimes when you stop struggling against something, it softens.  Sometimes the only reason you hang onto something is because you haven't heard the message you were meant to learn.  If you can sit with this thing and truly put your attention on it and acknowledge it--letting it have its say, then maybe you can be done with it.

I wish you well on your journey.