Self-Healing: Who is In Charge In My House? Daniel J. Benor, MD, Editor-in-Chief
Conventional medicine, and to a large extent conventional psychology as well, teach that the mind is a product of the electrochemical activity of the brain. Disturbances of psychological functions – including both thoughts and emotions – are explained as resulting from malfunctions in the nervous system and/or hormones of the body.
Psychology allows that tensions in the body may become habitual through pairing of perceived and/or cognitive stimuli with physical responses to these stimuli. If you see a frightening, barking dog, you may become nervous or even phobic about dogs who bark, or about any dog. This is called getting 'conditioned' to a habitual response.
My own experiences, and those of many other complementary/alternative clinicians, is that the body participates far more intimately in memories than the simple conditioning model suggests. I find that the body holds memories of experiences locked into various tissues – particularly the muscles, tendons and joints. Massage therapists, yoga instructors, and other body therapists often note that as people's muscles, tendons and joints are stretched and relax, memories are released. At times these may be very intense.
I also find that the unconscious mind will 'hitch a ride' on body sensations in order to draw the conscious attention of a person to issues that the unconscious mind wants the person to attend to. For instance, a pain caused by injury, infection or other physiological processes may be more severe or more persistent than would normally be expected. When the person who is hurting invites the pain to 'speak' about why it is hurting, the unconscious mind will usually reveal what it wants the person to be aware of.
Remarkable Recoveries
Dream of a Blue Bucket: A Remarkable Recovery from an Ovarian Tumor and Medical Interventions Jacqui Ehninger
An ovarian tumor was diagnosed by ultrasound after a large mass was found in my abdomen on a routine annual physical exam by my family doctor. A malignant tumor was suspected. I declined the recommendation for a total hysterectomy along with removal of the tumor, choosing treatment with German New Medicine (GNM) instead. GNM helped me address my physical problems as issues relating to my whole self. When I dealt with some deep frustrations and unfulfilled wishes, I felt confident that my tumor could be removed. Although the pathology report indicated it had some potential for malignancy, my inner guidance proved correct. There was no spread of the tumor and no further treatment was required.
Wholistic Approaches
Thoughts on Healing in an Endoscopy Unit in the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital Shuna Watkinson
I have been privileged to work as a healer in an NHS Endoscopy Unit in the UK. I will share with you some of my journey as a healer and how it led to my working in a voluntary capacity as part of the endoscopy team in an environment of integrative care. I will explain some of the medical procedures involved, include patients’ comments, and the views of Patricia Swann, the Lung Cancer Specialist Nurse who so quickly recognized that healing might be of value in the department. I will also offer some insights into the effects of healing upon individual patients. I am inspired by the way that healing and clinical care have come to what seems a completely natural marriage of disciplines. This surely is the way forward!
Living with Life Challenges
On Healthy Death & Dying: The Shamanic Tradition and the Practice of a Death Doula Debbie Charbonneau and Kathleen Leeson, RH
Death is as natural as living, breathing and … yes, dying. From the perspective of traditional healers, death is viewed as a faithful companion, walking by your side since your birth. It is inherent within everything you do every day from the mundane to the transpersonal, whether you are paying attention to this process or not. This article discusses mainstream Western views of death, followed by teachings from the Egyptian, Tibetan and Celtic Books of the Dead and what these Wisdom Traditions have to offer as a way of dying well and therefore living well in the modern world. It then explains what a death doula does in the Shamanic Tradition and how to bring the Wisdom of Death into a healing practice.
Variations on the Theme of Healing
Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil Emma Bragdon, PhD
This article describes the origin and workings of Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil. Spiritist healing practices include: laying-on of hands, prayer, blessed water, fraternal assistance, consultation with medical intuitives and ‘disobsession.' Treatments appear to be effective for healing. They are typically accomplished by trained volunteers donating their time as part of their own spiritual growth, which makes them cost-effective, as well. The hospitals report many successes with their integral approach, and offer a substantial model of integral mental health care. Hospital administrators bring together the best of conventional psychiatric care with Spiritist protocols that are ecumenical and can be applied to patients of all religious and cultural backgrounds. Although some of the hospitals originated in the 1930s, little standard research on outcomes has been done outside of anecdotal reports. More research on the efficacy of the healing practices, philosophy and education offered at these hospitals is called for.
Poetry, The Creative Arts and Humor are Healing
Mauve? Gallery Tarak Shah and Sabina Nieto
The Mauve? Gallery is an art gallery made unique by virtue of its location: the gallery occupies a small cubicle in a large office building in downtown Berkeley, California. Founded in March of 2009, we endeavor to curate shows of new and interesting work, and in the process make one workplace a legitimate site of creative innovation and thoughtful discourse. Each show runs for four weeks at a time, and is seen by many workers in the office building as well as various visitors who take advantage of by-appointment-only viewings to engage with the work.
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