How can we make informed decisions about our healthcare, if we are basing our decisions on external sources that don’t take into account the larger picture of who we are? Heck, we don’t even know who we are. We don’t listen or trust our inner guidance system. When we have chronic lingering pain, most of us call our doctor hoping to glean some Godly wisdom. What is wrong with me? I don’t want this pain. Please help me get rid of my suffering. I shouldn’t feel this way. 9 out of 10 times the answer is, “The tests were negative. So maybe it’s all in your head.” Or, “The tests were negative. But your symptoms suggest you have Fibromyalgia.” The most common remedy is drugs or pain management therapy.
How do people arrive in this desperate place? All of a sudden? Or is it a slow steady downward spiral? The exacerbation of physical symptoms arises when life’s cumulative collection of trauma tips the scale. Emotional stress is the top culprit. Often physical pain is a cry for help from the emotional body.
Recently I had a client who had been taking an anti-depression medication for years. When she got off the drug due to its unpleasant side effects, all sorts of physical pain showed up in her neck, shoulders, arms and hands. What a coincidence. Instead of her healing old emotional trauma, the drug was just masking previous emotional issues. So now this woman had a choice. Begin the work of addressing the cause behind her physical symptoms. Or get her doctor to prescribe a new drug.
As a Massage Therapist for 25 years I have heard hundreds of clients recount stories of being told their symptoms were psychological or lumped into the catch-all diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. The truth is doctors need a category for your pain. Or the HMOs won’t reimburse for the drug company’s latest magic bullet.
So what’s going on here? Why all the pain? Why the exhaustion? The tests were clean. What is happening? From my personal & professional experience, the cause of most pain, fatigue, headaches, etc. is stress. Better yet, resistance. To be perfectly clear, if you are fighting a path of fulfilling your heart’s deep desires, this resistance will be likened to crashing into a wall headfirst, in this case, heartfirst.
Thoughts such as, “I am not good enough. I am a lousy mom or wife. I better hide my fears, doubts, guilt & shame. Or everyone will know what a loser I am.” These are stories in the mind based on lies. Beliefs of how you should be. And if you fail to live up to these beliefs, you will judge yourself as bad and unworthy. Believing such stories will take us far from living in bliss. The flow of creativity and life moving through gets compromised. Then the voices of fear become so loud creating pain and confusion.
Who wouldn’t have a headache with such a commotion rattling in their head?
Yes, the pain is real. The gnawing, sharp aches that run from your neck down your arms are legitimate. And believe me, after carrying 6 children in my womb & arms for years, I have dealt with my share of low back pain. I am sure the physical stresses through which we put ourselves, including hours of driving, sitting at computers or repetitive manual labor are brutal on the body. Then there are the emotional stresses, financial pressures and scheduling challenges which accompany the go-go fast-paced Starbuck lifestyles so prevalent these days. Do you have a sanctuary where you feel peace and serenity? Do you have an outlet to release stresses from your day? If not, it’s likely that a nasty cocktail of these factors will create illness of some form.
What if you are taking care of yourself ... Yoga, stretching, aerobic exercise, eating well, getting enough rest, etc ... and you still have pain? Are you addressing the emotional and energetic body? Often clients complaining about chronic symptoms of physical pain walk into my office after having tried numerous modalities without success. With such individuals I examine the deeper issues of organ or fascia stress or an emotional trauma. This is not to say there can’t be a more serious illness. As I said before, this prognosis is based on “the tests are clear”.
The question now becomes: are we ready to take responsibility for our lives by addressing pain before imbalance compromises wellness? Are you ready to let yourself really feel instead of trying to control/deny what your whole being yearns to express? Here are primary tools you’ll need: discernment, courage, compassionate, faith and honesty. With proper guidance and the proactive willingness to face the pain demons, you will be on your way to a life that is pain-free!
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