Chapter 73 Self-Healing.
We have just concluded that you are the most important persons to yourself. You must take superb care of your mind and body, before you can take care of others. Let us have a contingency, in case someday you plunge into the depths of failure, sorrow and illness. You need not give in, you can recover, rise and shine again. Everyone must now learn self-healing which supplements and even substitutes medication in curing many ills, especially the psychosomatic ones. Do-your-own healing gives us an active role in recovery. Samuel Smiles noted: "The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual... Help from without is often enfeebling in its effects, but help from within invariably invigorates. Let us rise above sickness and surrender, every cell in our bodies is programmed to fight for life. Research has also shown that our minds and faith are so potent that they can even reverse the real effects of prescribed medicine!
There is a man in West Malaysia who has busted ghosts from houses and exorcised spirits from people for many years. Now he confesses that it was all a hoax, toying with bottles, red scarves and chanting names of Japanese motorbikes backwards. Yamaha and Suzuki sounded like ahamay and ikuzus! In most cases, faith on the part of his clients was the panacea and cure-all.
In Canada, John Kehoe in his great book Mind Power gave several amazing cases of healing by the mind. One involved Martin Brofman, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He resorted to meditation and visualisation that focused intently on the tumour, and imagined it being reduced, dispersed, then excreted away. Two months later, the doctor found no trace of the disease left! Kehoe also reported a special visualisation programme ran by Dr Carl Simonton and his colleagues at Fort Worth, USA, which attained 3 to 4 times the average cure rate for cancer!
There are many more reports of faith-healing in various places. Experts in PNI (Psycho-neuro-immunity) research has hard evidence showing the intimate communication that exists between the brain and the immune system. Two Professors, A. Goldstein and N. Hall of George Washington Medical School found that the brain directs the immune system through a family of hormones called thymosins! No wonder that the father of medicine Hippocrates wrote: "The Mind is a great healer. Dr Albert Schweiter added, "The real doctor is the doctor within.
Then there is hypnotism, another area of intrigue. Bodily symptoms have been found to surface among hypnotised people merely as a result of suggestion! These symptoms include sneezing, allergy, chill, fever, injury and paralysis. Dr J. Murphy in his wonderful book The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind reported that Bernheime, a French medical professor has produced blisters on people by suggestion, aided by make-believe items. Other experts have done the same in hypnosis, where symptoms appeared when the mind was made to believe something.
If the mind can draw illness, it can cure it too! Remember the healing effects of the dummy placebo pills? Among such widespread non-medicinal healing in the world, the underlying cause is the subconscious, the mind-body relationship, and the might of faith, hope, love and spirituality. The subconscious can be tailored at will, by beliefs, imagery, autosuggestion, affirmation, etc. Isnt this good news? Let us learn self-healing now:
First, have courage, determination and mastery. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience by which you really stop to look fear in the face. Anyone can rebuild his life if he believes he can and if he only wants to. Mastery means the ability to command situations and outcomes, saying things like: "I now break through and decree these miseries to get out of my life! Research shows that fighters against diseases stand better chance of winning and recovery, so let us wield fortitude, confidence and selfesteem.
Next, excellent mental attitude. A good mental attitude is paramount and it strengthens the bodys healing mechanism. Stephen Covey put it beautifully, "It is not what others do or even our own mistakes that hurt us the most; it is our response to those things. Chasing after the poisonous snake that bites us will only drive the poison through our entire system. It is far better... to get the poison out. Be grateful for everything you have, gratitude can even mend a broken heart. Look for reasons to be thankful, search for something meaningful, seize every little incident of joy and flicker of hope. Put more trust in yourself and others. Faith boosts your strength and stability.
Have tolerance. Have patience and perseverance to the end. In your disappointment remember the wonder of dualism: You lose one thing, you gain another. Something is denied, another thing takes its place. A door shuts, another opens.
Believe in miracles. They will happen when you do everything beneficial for your health, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. The concerted efforts and their synergy will ensure your recovery. Build a powerful conviction that you can grow beyond what is wrong, and be reborn, not just once but successively. Employ visualisation; mental pictures are as powerful as words. Everyday, submerge yourself in thoughts of great health and let them seep and permeate every tissue and cell. Say to yourself: "Every minute, every bit of me is getting better and better... Go to the extent of believing that your illness is baseless, unfounded and imaginary, this will subdue or even dissolve it.
Anyway, all forms of healing come from God, whether through medicine, prayer or mind power, or all combined. Patience Strong commented, "Surgeons do their skilful job, but nature does the miracle. So pray often and say: "No matter how tough things are I am with me and God is guarding me and healing me.
Love yourself, love others and gain affection. Reach out to your loved ones, your confidantes and your friends. Return to the world of enthusiasm and laughter. Help others, thereby healing yourself. Dr Carl Menninger proclaimed, "Love cures people both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it. According to the Sophocles in 406 BC, "One word frees us from the weight and pain of life: The word is love.
Forgive yourself and everyone else. We all have imperfections, we are only humans, not God. If you have done wrong, admit it and promise not to do it again. You are the one who will gain immensely from forgiving. If others hurt your feeling, it is not important unless you persist in remembering it. The best remedy is simply to forgive and forget, look ahead with new plans, pleasant things, delightful dreams and fantasies.
Improve your state and disposition. Good postures and expressions, even a forced smile can do wonders, I will discuss these later. Expand your joy and enthusiasm, and see the funny side of things. Laughter is an excellent cure for a broken heart. Explore new ways of thinking and doing things. A long-term study by sociologist James House in Michigan, USA found that socially active, married people live longer than inactive single ones. Other studies also confirmed that cheerful, optimistic people have better health and immunity. Keep busy, it is another cure that makes you happier. Have rebirth in a new setting, a mountain retreat, or at a sentimental, long-lost childhood place; your life will never be the same again! Dr B. S. Siegel wrote, "Joy is a choice. Be grateful for being alive. Do not wait for a happy day. Everyday is that day. Tell yourself: I will have pain but I will use it.
Use meditation, massage and music. Please visit the library and read on self-hypnosis, Japanese Shiatsu finger-pressure therapy, ancient Chinese massage, herbal and alternative medicines; they all add to your arsenal against sickness. Psychologists confirm the effectiveness of hypnosis in pain relief, self-healing and control of bad habits and disorders. The therapeutic benefits of music are widely accepted and documented in medical journals. Dr R. E. Kasayka at Lutheran Hospital in Illinois, USA, who uses music therapy effectively said, "Its not just background music, you are working with rhythm, melody, harmony. Besides music, We have often forgotten to relish the stars and moonlight, the colours and fragrance of flowers, the lovely songs of the birds... they all bring solace and are part of the blessings, love and elixir from God.
Conclusion. I will remove the damage caused by spite and grief, or else I have surrendered my happiness into the hands of circumstances. Anger for example, is more harmful than the injury that first evoked it. Understanding, reconciliation and acceptance are vital. Why should sickness and sadness be my way of life? Instead I will make the most of each day and give maximum meaning and purpose to my existence. My world will no longer be a depressed, barren place. I will look at it afresh, one full of life, endless potential, charm and marvel. I will be happy, healthy and strong, I am all I have got. My sheer will to carry a fountain of gratitude, joy, love, and forgiveness within myself is enough to bring all the well-being I need. If my revival is not as dramatic as I wished, it is OK, I will do whatever comes next, and live one day at a time. The only direction for me is: Forward, to full recovery.