A true healer
January 18, 2008
It was long before I lay down on the table for acupuncture that I began to feel healing happening. It was in the tone of his voice, his total lack of judgment, the loving quality which seemed to surround him. I came to him very much in need of healing as I had been experiencing excruciating back pain for three weeks. My emotional body was totally jangled and I felt overwhelmed. By the end of the session, I felt completely different, and the session proved to be a real turning point in my healing process.
Of course, we all respond to different healers, and a someone who is a healer for me might not be a healer for you. It also depends on our receptivity at the time we see someone, as well as factors too complicated and mysterious to fully uncover which have to do with why something heals when it does. Nevertheless, this acupuncturist was definitely a healer for me. As I left his office, I thought “this is a true healer” and started to think about the qualities that make for a good healer and positive healing experience. Since I’ve heard other people in my area call him a healer as well, I felt it was worth exploring the qualities that are present in an effective healer.
Here are some of the things I came up with, and I’d be interesting in what others might add to the list:
- Is non-judgmental. I felt completely accepted and did not feel like I was being judged in any way.
- Makes life-supporting, positive statements. He spoke of his findings in positive terms. For example, he might say “your core issue is with this chakra and I’ll give that some attention”, rather than “this chakra is clogged up and blocked”. None of his statements created a sense of alarm or fear or discouragement. He never made me feel “broken” in any way.
- Is supportive without being emotionally reactive.
- Cares without being emotionally involved.
- Is self-confident and yet humble.
- Creates a sense of safety and trust.
- Works in partnership with you. Honors your thoughts and perceptions.
- Is not attached to the outcome of the work.
- Is open to questions.
- Listens deeply.
As I wrote this list, I realized how difficult it is to describe exactly what makes someone a good healer. There is a quality of “presence” that is impossible to describe. Something about them invokes a “healing response” in you. Perhaps the best way to identify a true healer is to tune into how you respond to someone. Healing is much more likely to happen if the healer makes you feel relaxed and safe, so that you are open and receptive to their treatments.
I’m also struck by the fact that I never mentioned this healer’s expertise in acupuncture. He is obviously very skilled both in acupuncture and energy therapy (he used hands-on energy healing as well as acupuncture). My sense is that while technical skill is very important, in many cases it will be useless if the healer’s personality does not allow you to be receptive.
What if I’m not the main character? The ultimate meaning of holistic healing.
March 26, 2007
When I first heard about holistic healing I was thrilled. It was about all of me — my mind, my body, my psyche, my spirit. As my definition of healing expands, however, I see that we really can’t talk about holism in healing from the narrow perspective of the individual. This is not to say that it isn’t crucial that our approach to healing include all levels of the individual. It is, and yet if we are really to evolve as human beings, we need to be able to consider the health of the whole of which we as individuals are merely a part. We need to do this for the health of humanity as a whole as well as for the health of the planet.
I saw a tee shirt once that summed up this shift in perspective so perfectly. It depicted someone in a crowd of people who was obviously startled by the revolutionary thought — “What if I’m not the main character?” When we become aware of how our entire understanding of life and its meaning revolves around the sense that we are the main character and it really dawns on us that obviously we are not, it can create a radical shift in our perspective.
What if, instead of being the owner of planet earth, we are owned by her. What if we are simply cells in the larger organism of the planet? What if my individual preferences are actually draining the energy and vitality of the whole? Certainly the phenomena of global warming is challenging us to look at the impact our individual choices are having on the life of the planet. Hopefully it is causing us to recognize that our own individual well-being is dependent on the health of the whole.
It’s become obvious to me that to be truly holistic, holistic healing needs to expand to include the consideration of the health of humanity and the planet as a whole. In the more narrow consideration of upgrading our health care system, the addition of the holistic approach is an important step, but it doesn’t go far enough. To lead truly healthy lives, we need to experience see own well-being as inextricably bound up with the well-being of others. It can’t just be a concept, it has to be something we feel. It’s something that goes far beyond just what happens in the offices of doctors and holistic practitioners. It involves our choices and strategies on all levels — politics, economics. It’s about our choices in every aspect of our lives in every moment.
I wonder how well we will be able to thrive, or even survive, without an evolutionary leap in consciousness and perspective. Some feel this is happening. I hope so. I don’t really know. I do, however, find some peace in the realization that my one life and even the life of this planet is a tiny blip in space and time. I can’t pretend to understand how my life and that of this planet fits into the whole. It’s a mystery and surrendering to that brings peace. Nevertheless, my passion for healing will undoubtedly continue and so will the prayer in my heart that this wonderful planet will grow and thrive.