My Healing Journey

My healing journey began as soon as I became ill nine years ago. How it came about and all the steps taken along the way led me to a place of joy, growth and fulfillment. It certainly wasn’t an easy path, and though it seems I made it harder on myself than necessary, every choice I made ended up being part of the healing.

I was working long hours in a stressful teaching position and struggling with a family crisis in another state. I suddenly became achy all over and exhausted, so after several trips to Urgent Care, my family doctor and finally a rheumatologist, it was determined that what I thought was the flu turned out to be some type of autoimmune disease. This all took place during the last month before I was set to retire, which wasn’t the way I’d planned to leave. Still feeling very ill with no solid answers to what exactly I had and what action to take, I carried on with my plans and moved to another state to help out my family. Looking back, the move seems crazy now, but at the time my rheumatologist believed the autoimmune was caused by a virus and that it would clear out within a few weeks. So instead of slowing down and taking care of myself I went full force ahead into a move and into a caretaking position I was not physically up for. To be fair, my family had no idea how ill I was because I stoically went forward without saying much about it.

During this time I also began striving for the “cure.” Chiropractor, naturopath, rheumatologist, MD, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, yoga, vegetable juices, allergy testing, food sensitivity testing, special diets, blood work and more blood work. Several of the medical doctors had only gloom and doom in their diagnosis and prognosis, stating that what I had was going to “brew” into more definitive autoimmune issues and ultimately lead to cancer if not corrected. I had tried almost everything I could, but rejected steroids or chemotherapy, which were adamantly recommended by the physicians. I was scared to death of the long term effects of these strong medications, and continued to believe I could heal without them.

SLOW PROGRESS

I began seeing a chiropractor that was also a functional practitioner, which was the foundation for the onset of healing. He put me on a regimen of supplements to heal my intestinal tract, stop the gut leakage and calm down the inflammation. I also took many other supplements and vitamins to boost my weak, fragile body. After sixteen months since the beginning of this illness, my blood work showed much less inflammation and my lab results were going toward normal in most areas, but I continued to feel exhausted, achy, foggy-brained, and with painful swollen joints.

I seemed to be stuck at this level, and felt a desperate need to do something different, so I reluctantly decided to move across the country back to my home to focus fully on my healing to find relief from the symptoms of this debilitating disease. By returning home I could honor my body and healing journey by resting as much as needed, eating in healthy ways, continue to seek alternative care, and hopefully find some answers. By doing this I gradually began to have more strength and less pain, and my blood work looked even closer to normal, but I still felt fatigued and in pain. Seeing alternative healers helped alleviate the symptoms short term, but I continued to feel very sick.

BREAKTHROUGH

Then I began to regularly see an energy healer, who worked with me on all levels, physical, spiritual, mental and physical, to clear out old patterns, beliefs and traumas, and allow for healing energy. This created room for exponential growth and healing, and opened a space for the next step in my healing journey. Through my work with this beautiful healer I became interested in and open to the possibility of learning how to use energy healing for myself. Amazingly for the first time, our local community college adult education offered a class in Reiki. After resonating with the first wonderful Reiki course I continued on, taking levels 2 and 3, and even animal Reiki throughout the next year. During this time I began practicing Reiki on myself daily, and gradually began to notice a difference, a shift. I had more energy, clearer thinking, and less pain. I began to feel hopeful that I could actually feel “normal” again, whatever that would be for me.

I had diligently worked with diet, exercise, relaxation, and many other aspects that were all important, but was missing one key area. Now I was working with and clearing out the energetic part of the illness. I had all along felt this illness was more encompassing than just a physical problem. Also, although frustrated as to what to do to heal, I never believed it was something I was supposed to have forever. I knew there were messages and reasons for it, and once these were unlocked I would heal. I never called it “MY illness,” it was “an illness.” Even though I felt I was guided by higher, divine energy and there were reasons this was happening, I was extremely far into fear with my head leading the way in searching for answers. Through Reiki I slowed down enough to listen to my intuition and begin to receive direction on what to do to heal, including releasing old patterns and stuck energies that were keeping me in the cycle of illness. Reiki also led me to other healers that continued to support the ongoing progress.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

Now I’ve moved back across the country, have a beautiful healing career, enjoy a physically active life, and spend precious time with family and friends. My journey through illness helped to create and strengthen my abilities and gifts to support others in healing themselves. Through the experience I learned that healing must take place on many levels. It needs to be through a combination of ways - medical, movement of energy, supplements, meditation, and much more. Through what I’ve learned in my own healing I now apply a variety of techniques and intuitive guidance to help others on their healing journeys.

There are many more aspects to my healing, including a spiritual awakening, gaining self love and all I learned through therapy. I’ve also opened to a myriad of evolving avenues within my amazing healing work and with all the related gifts received through the journey. I’m excited to share more on this with you in subsequent posts.

Sending love and compassion to all.