In late 2013, my body staged a full mutiny against me. After a lifetime of significant emotional stress, capped off by the loss of my daughter, my body had enough and decided it was no longer going to be “business as usual”. Cognitively, I understood the connection between emotional and physical health. Over the years, I had done my fair share of self-care in terms of addressing nutrition, exercise, connecting with others and even seeking counseling. However, it had never been at the level commensurate with what I was actually dealing with. I tend to focus on the good and what I have to get done so much of my methodology involved “keeping it moving”. Maybe you can relate? Especially when you’re a parent, it’s easy to convince yourself that there is no time to live life at the depth that holistic health requires.
By January of 2014, I had to make some drastic decisions and I declared the new year – one of recovery. I made those doctor’s appointments, scheduled procedures, exited a whole lot of commitments, re-entered therapy and pursued a more consistently healthy lifestyle. Who I am today is so very different and I am grateful! Don’t get me wrong…it is scary to upend your life, to attend to those things under the surface. It is a painful process to face the things which need to be grieved, and new insight causes us to re-evaluate all that has come before….not always with the kindest vision. Oh, but how it has all been worth it! In the process, I’ve explored this mind/body connection even more and solidified my understanding of just how much the body cannot be fooled. It will assert itself no matter what.
It is this experience which drives my work – both in the classroom and in the therapist chair. My area of expertise is the emotional, social and mental worlds. I am not a doctor or a pastor but I can ask the questions that help us look at all the connections. I can dive in to the deep waters of trauma, relational damage and the mind tricks we all play while monitoring their effect on our physical and spiritual health. It’s a complicated journey and one I’ve become convinced we cannot do alone. I have found my guides and I love giving back the same. If this topic interests you…contact us to express your interest in a workshop – we plan our events based on what the public requests.
I would love to hear what others have learned along the way in this regard. How have these mind/heart/body/soul connections manifested for you?