The Grumpy Old Bookman has a review of John Sarno's, The Divided Mind. Dr. Sarno began exploring possible causes for pain for which there seemed no physical cause and which did not respond to treatment:
"One possible cause is what he calls tension myositis syndrome (TMS). What happens in those cases is that various powerful emotions, largely unconscious, bring about a tension in the muscles of the back. This tension causes real (not imaginary) pain, because the muscles are deprived of oxygen. And Sarno's major contribution to medicine is that he has found a way to treat such patients with a high degree of success.
To oversimplify greatly, the treatment consists of explaining to the patient the physiological basis for TMS, and inviting the patient to consider, with or without professional assistance, the possible unconscious emotions which might be the underlying cause."
We underestimate the power of our emotions, and how unruly they can be if there are problems that are hard to deal with: abuse, loneliness, frustration, failure. The strain alone of holding one's world together for one's loved ones can take its toll, as we all know.
Whether or not any of us have TMS or not doesn't matter. We surely could all do with a litte TLC (tender loving care) anytime. I'm suggesting that self-love, which includes self-acceptance, is a viable form of healing our own divided minds.
Last night I thought, hey, if directing this pranic energy of love to my upper arm (diagnosed with bursitus) has substantially healed it, why not extend it to all of me, even where it doesn't hurt. I felt bathed in bliss, let me tell you. Such inner brightness - a flowing healing energy, I felt a high voltage charge of pure happiness. It was like a guided visualization; I used to do this for my yoga students, why had I never done it for myself? I am happy to report a sense of inner calm, balance, and joy today. Being in love has been shown to increase immunity, so it's all good. And, if you're really nice and leave lovely comments, perhaps I'll even try a recording a guided visualization for you...
Sheath of feeling. Words groping to touch air.
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you're so sweet, it makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteI once read in a book titled The Book of Secrets, by Osho, that there is a real possibility that the essence of life energy is found as tiny particles found in oxygen - the "breath of life" kind of idea. Of course I'm paraphrasing, but it was a super interesting book dealing with directing your inner energy in meditation to achieve healing. This book might interest you too, if you haven't read it already.
Ester, that makes me smile too. But I don't know what it is about Osho, I find him superficial - and I helped one phase of editing all of Osho down to an 'Essential Osho' as an editing assignment for a private client last year! Yet what you write I agree with! Prana and Apana: incoming life energy; outgoing releasing energy. Both are crucial. My yoga teacher, when she was pregnant, laughed and explained, when a woman's giving birth, it's her apana (labour) producing prana (the baby's new life)! In the yoga I taught there is a lot of breath work and working with the prana, which is a fabulous metaphor for healing energies...
ReplyDeleteAre not those ancient Hebrew words for breath and life the same? We, in North America, have become so dedicated to medical healing, drugs for everything, complex unnatural interventions at each moment, and we forget about the quality of breathing and the healing power of laughter, of joy, of long walks, of deep silences, of the touch of loved ones.
ReplyDeleteIs it just that we'd rather have others care for ourself than take on that responsibility?
All of this so resonates with me.
ReplyDeleteJust lately, at the end of my first year of really regular meditation practice, I've had a few experiences of directing loving warmth at agonising migraine in my head and very clearly and specifically feeling the thrumming swollen veins start to go down and stop vibrating.
On one of these occasions, it wasn't just generalised loving feelings. I became acutely aware that I was feeling distressed and insecure about some particular growing affection/ possible dependence feelings and that this, in the presence of the object of these feelings, was bringing on a migraine. I put all my attention on wrapping my distress and insecurity in loving awareness and acceptance, it was then that I had the absolultely specific sensation in my head.
It's only been couple of times and it didn't go on for long, but it was absolutely real and convinced me of something I've long believed was possible in theory but never so strongly experienced before.
So I'm really keen to learn more and get to know the good people working to spread this knowledge. Sarno is one, obviously. Ingrid Bacci is another - her book Effortless Pain Relief.
Jean, I agree with you - and it does work, but for me it takes conscious effort, and effort that has to be continuously applied. But then, surely, consciousness itself is an energy that affects our physical organism. So is our emotional well-being ... there were all those studies done on people who are in love having higher concentrations of immune cells in their saliva. Never mind if it's trite-sounding, love heals. There's no doubt about it, or how profoundly true this is.
ReplyDeleteA very exciting break-though with your headaches, too.
Nodding at this. I've done various healing visualizations in my own process, with sometimes profound results. And I remember Mary telling me something about hugs and the body's natural electromagnetic energies -- whatever the details, it boils down to "love heals."
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful post. *The strain of holding one's world together for one's loved ones can take its toll ....* Indeed
ReplyDeleteAnd I am more encouraged and cheered than I can say to read your final paragraph. Thank you, Brenda. And when things are calmer (or maybe I shouldn't wait?!) I will try and track down the book in question.