Part 6: Ways of Healing

Credit: photo of me by Michael Julian Berz

Rumi, a mystic Sufi poet (see my July 7th, 8th, and 10th posts) informs us: "There are many ways to kneel and kiss the ground." This is applicable to ways or methods of healing as well.

When I mention the word "healing," what comes to mind: traditional? contemporary? alternative? complementary? or a combination of these?

Alternative healing may be considered by some as "new age" though this is a misnomer; it actually refers to "...alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, with an interest in spirituality, mysticism, holism, and environmentalism" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age).

Furthermore, even though some of the so-called 'new age' healing modalities have existed for centuries, some even for millenia (as referred to in this article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine), its meaning is actually referring to the astrological age of Aquarius. Check this link for more information if you are curious: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_age.

There are many ways to heal and paths of healing, and no one way is "the one or "the one and only." There is no "one size fits all" philosophy, as what works for me might not work for you, and vice versa. One method of healing is not necessarily better than another, just different, just like you and I are different.

Healing modalities for me include my voice via my speaking and singing; my hands via my writing, my art, and my conducting; and my body via creative dance/movement (like when I used to perform spontaneous dance years ago).

I have been aware for some time that my voice is instrumental as a healing modality from numerous compliments over the years of how calming and/or soothing it is (especially when I used to work on a crisis line and other phone lines, and similarly when reciting poetry or reading kids' books in public); and my hands which 'perform' their own kind of magic, moving spontaneously through involuntary movements, and through my writing. (Yes, that's me! I'm dancing to a poem I performed as a rap at my Expressive Arts Therapy graduation.)

These forms are healing for myself and hopefully for others in some way; sometimes it can be primarily or only for myself, and other times not.

Are you aware of your ways of healing? What do others admire about you and praise you for and/or that you know are unique to you?

Part 5: Healing Me, with A.C. (How I Overcame Brain Buzz)

Hehe - that's me chuckling - what can I say? I love to rhyme sometimes, eh! ;) (referring to the title of this post)

I know that one is not supposed to claim healing someone or being a healer with non-traditional methods AKA (also known as) alternative medicine, though I am not a healer per se anyway. I am only a channel or conduit, primarily through my hands, whether through hands-on healing energy work or my writing. However, what do you call it?...What is the term you use to describe when symptoms change - disappear or lessen - for yourself and others whom you work on? Hmmmm?

The medical system directly/indirectly admonishes the general public in not making any claims that we can do so, i.e., heal, at least not where alternative healing methodologies are concerned. However, this is my blog and I am a 'rebel' at declaring truth: where is my right for freedom of speech?!

I would say 'truth' with a capital 'T', though I reserve that for spiritual truths. There are some, perhaps many folks who would not agree with this; however, I am not here to appease anyone which is what speaking up and speaking one's truth is about, speaking up for what is really going on, that serves the higher consciousness.

Please understand that I am not claiming to be the end all and be all in this realm - I am not the 'Grand Poobah!' (like Fred Flinstone, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Poobah for a great yet brief explanation).

You, the reader, may choose to be responsible for reading between the lines in some of my blog posts, but I digress here. That is a whole other topic, a big whammy that I do not have the interest to travel on on my blog or at least not at this point in time anyway. My preference is to encourage, empower, inspire, and hopefully transform people's lives through whatever means.

Essentially what I want to say about the said title is the following: My mind used to race a lot (most often) with tons of fleeting ideas that seemed to be bouncing all over the place like ping pong balls in action x 1,000 or more times. Another analogy is as if my brain was buzzing, on like the humming of an electrical switch or current.

It seemed like my mind would not shut up or shut down and relax. I swear it was constantly going, going, going, going like a busy bee. At least that is what I used to say to describe this continuous pattern of thinking. Even when attempting to meditate, my body does not like sitting meditations - the worst for me - my mind was non-stop thinking.

And then one day, Access Consciousness which I wrote about yesterday, came into my life very spontaneously and somewhat unusually, at least on my part. I was introduced to it via an email from an acquaintance. I persuaded someone whom I had met through a women's circle to join me without watching the video, or only a minute or two at most, if that.

After arriving and settling into the venue, I laid on a massage table. Someone I knew "ran bars" on me. "Bars" is the name of a particular process.

I knew something had occurred when I got up to walk around for (1) I couldn't walk properly, more like being drunk and swaying and (2) I felt somewhat lightheaded. That wasn't a "bad" thing I was told and I didn't feel it was.

When I walked to the tables of interesting and unusual refreshments, I saw a woman whose face literally glowed. It wasn't an hallucination. I wasn't imagining it. Think of this: does your face or someone you know ever light up especially when you or they are extremely happy/excited or the like? That is what I am taking about.

It was the combination of that experience, but more so because of her face, that actually caused me to sign up and enroll in my first 'bars' class. I thought, "I want that!"

I came to be truly grateful and still am as this methodology alone saved me in a sense. It kept me calm, focused yet relaxed, grounded, peaceful, and stable in a sane way.

I mean, can you imagine this? Your brain going constantly for years, hardly ever getting a rest, a break, a much-needed and well-deserved vacation? I was amazed after one treatment, my intro to this, how I felt. I knew I was onto something, something good!

When the facilitator worked on the 'bars' on me, I was distracted by the click-click-click of a women's heels on the wood floors and her incessant talking just like my brain was thinking - "Will you shut up please lady! I just want to relax, maybe even sleep. And besides I am having difficulty hearing you" - with hardly a pause.

Now when I reflect back on that incident I find it rather amusing, but at the time I was extremely annoyed and rather irritated.

Do you believe you can be healed? Do you believe you hold yourself back from healing? What if you were to open up and surrender to the process? What could/would happen?