One of the things I love about the holidays is having plenty of time to read. This Christmas I finally read A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle. It was like going back to the basics with my personal development. The past two years I have kept myself busy learning energy healing and connecting with guides and angels.
Don't get me wrong, I love it, but my self-care fell by the wayside. Until recently I hadn't even made self-healing a daily habit. I've been giving myself daily Reiki sessions for two months now and I am really feeling the benefits. For one, a lot of my hormonal problems have cleared, including PMS. To be transparent, I had a medical issue in my 20's and my doctors advise against most treatments for PMS. Energy Healing & Reiki are complementary to medical care, not alternative.
Moving onto A New Earth ...
One of the things Tolle mentions in his book is a buried imprint of emotional pain. Our psyche keeps it hidden out of sight until a trigger brings it up again. He calls it the pain-body. The more you identify with it and wallow in it, the harder it is to shake. For some it is to shake it. For some the pain-body manifests as depression, anxiety, chronic pain. A classic example is premenstrual syndrome; to some extent women get cramps because they expect to. I was finally able to kick PMS when I realised I don't need it, want it or have to live with it. I also stopped resisting and dreading the cramps to being with. Accepting the process with all of its aches and pains made it easier because a lot of energy is wasted on complaining and moaning. It may sound weird, but welcoming it actually made the pain and discomfort lower.
When I've given healing sessions to female clients who get bad cramps; I usually notice the following on the energetic level:
- At best apathy + a feeling of "shit it's that time of the month again, why God why?" And at worst a real dread and rejection of the female cycle and more importantly womanhood.
- As a result, the feminine aspects is unappreciated and this somehow dials up the experience of PMS. This is often notable in a healing session. Tuning in can give clues about imbalances in the body and what we can do on an emotional and mental level to help.
- Resistance to the whole process.
During these healing sessions I will usually send energy to the sacral chakra. I also send healing to the uterus and I thank the whole reproductive system for doing a good job, for staying healthy and I send feelings of appreciation and joy it's way. Sometimes I feel the presence of female healing guides, especially Isis. I have felt Isis’s presence with clients who have health issues that are predominantly feminine in nature: breast cancer and PMS. She is there to support and bring out the feminine side in all of us.
So back to Tolle. I was quick to spot the voice of my ego (mental chatter) but I couldn't spot my pain-body. That must mean I am so completely identified with it that it's hard to separate it (can't see the Forrest for the trees!). Then wham! I get Moctezuma's Revenge while on holiday in Mexico, followed by my period.
Talk about a bad 48 hours. I felt really sick and drained for two days and kept dragging myself down in this "cramps-tummy-ache" pity party. The first day I stayed home after getting sick five times in the space of one night. On day two I ventured out and did my best to separate myself from this wave of tiredness that kept taking over me. I found that if I indulged in feeling exhausted or feeling like crap, it just piled up. If I separated my thoughts and pulled my consciousness away, telling myself "I am not exhausted, there is just a feeling of exhaustion in me" it wasn't so hard to carry on. I had a brief glimpse of that pain-body (let's call it an 'I feel Sick pity party'), and I was able to separate myself from it.
I also noticed that PMS cramps have become much less of a hassle. I believe that my daily Reiki sessions, combined with a shift in consciousness, have helped me get to that point. I have to confess that I have a habit of preemptive pill popping at that time of the month, and I had gotten used to taking one before I got the cramps. I am even grateful I got Moctezuma's revenge the day before I started getting cramps; it was the only reason I didn't take anything for PMS - couldn't risk an upset stomach again.
One more thing... I'm not sure a monthly visit to a Reiki Practitioner would have done the job. The fact that I gave myself daily self-Reiki helped. If this is a problem for you, I would suggest looking up a Reiki Master and asking for a Reiki attunement yourself. Then you can give yourself Reiki anytime =)
Also, I am fully prepared to take painkillers when needed. Reiki is complementary to medical care, and personally, I would rather get the best of both worlds.
Oh, I'm sure that visiting a Reiki practitioner on regular basis would help - but something more is needed. I mean, the Reiki practitioner must be not simple a Reiki practitioner, but he must also implement his own experience, skills, knowledge, the second symbol, Waka poems and 5 principles to figure out and pass through the emotional blockage - then, the healing is possible.
ReplyDeleteThat is true! Though I would like to encourage people who are interested in Reiki to try it for themselves. I happen to believe that if more people were in the habit of self-healing and proactively dealing with their issues before they turn into baggage, the world would be a better place. There will always be a place for a qualified Reiki Practitioner/Master or Energy Healer. But self-healing is highly recommendable. =)
DeleteIt also encourages us to take responsibility which would be fantastic for this world.