In the alternative and complementary medicine communities, it's a common saying that "everyone needs healing." According to Thomas Csordas, professor of anthropology and religion at Case Western Reserve University and author of "Body/Meaning/Healing," this universal need reflects a life process, shared by all people, of spiritual growth. Whether you're seeking to cleanse old psychological wounds, to help speed your own healing from injury or disease, or to advance along your spiritual path, there are a plethora of self-healing modalities to explore. Self-healing work is not a replacement for standard medical treatment.
Theories/Speculation
At the heart of most self-healing practices lies the belief that the human body and mind naturally heal themselves. According to David Klein, nutrition educator and director of the Colitis & Chron's Health Recovery Center in Sepastopol, California, your body and mind constantly seek to balance and repair themselves, but stress, poor diet and incorrect mindset can prevent you from achieving balance. Removing blocks to healing is, therefore, the focus for most self-healing techniques.
Features
Many healers include categories of exercise, stress reduction and diet in their systems of self-healing. Maoshing Ni is an acupuncturist and founder of the Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Santa Monica. He notes in his 2008 book "Secrets of Self-Healing" that food, herbs and supplements, exercise, energy balancing practices like acupressure, emotional balance, and living in harmony with the rhythms of your life are keys to healing common ailments.
Research
David Servan-Shreiber, physician, cancer survivor and author of "Anticancer: A New Way of Life," argues that recognizing the impact of painful emotions, exercising, practicing yoga and meditation, and minimizing your exposure to environmental toxins are strongly linked in cancer research to lower rates of cancer. In Servan-Schreiber's terms, the goal of self-healing is to strengthen the body's natural defenses, to improve "the field" in which diseases grow in order to prevent them from taking hold.
Expert Insight
Laurie Peel, reiki practitioner with the Wellwood cancer support center in Hamilton, Ontario, advises that for anyone seeking to self-heal, "the first step is taking initiative in your own healing process." Knowing that you can have a positive impact on your well-being is vital to self-healing. She adds that if you want to pursue a certain healing modality, don't be afraid to interview a prospective teacher. "Ask not only about the philosophy behind the modality, but the mechanics as well. How long will it take you to learn? What happens in a class or session?"
First Steps
According to Laurie Peel, the best place to begin your self-healing journey is with meditation. Meditation refreshes you completely by relaxing body and mind, and disrupting negative habits of thought. The website Meditation Types notes that most kinds of meditation share in common focusing on one thing only, bringing the mind back to that focus when it wanders, and disregarding any irrelevant thoughts. Physical exercise forms like tai chi and yoga work similarly, by disrupting your daily bodily habits and inviting you to focus on the moment.
Considerations
Approach your self-healing journey as an adventure, and understand from the beginning that every good adventurer needs sidekicks. Your medical doctor, alternative healing practitioners and meditation and exercise teachers are all resources you should keep in mind as you pursue self-healing. In the beginning, it's wise to choose just one area of improvement. If you find a modality that resonates with you, stick with it as you explore other tools to add to your kit.
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