Emerging from the Underworld – Recovery from Long Term Illness
Serious illness can arrive like a dark stranger to rob you of your soul. Suddenly your whole world is upside down and you are faced with mortality. Sometimes we die and sometimes we recover. Either way we are changed. We may achieve a profound state of health, spiritually and emotionally and yet die from our symptoms. Illness is more complex than orthodox medicine aimed at treating symptoms with the weapons of war on disease, would have us believe. As we recover from illness, we may need also to recover from Allopathic treatments.
Illness teaches us. Our bodies are intelligent. They create symptoms to alert us to deeper issues that need healing in our psyche. We go on a journey of deep healing, like Innana to the Underworld. She is torn and robbed of everything, her body left hanging on a hook, to emerge later, different. Illness can inform in dreams of earlier abuse that could not be comprehended or healed at the time. Illness may result from symptoms Allopathically suppressed, pushing disease deeper into the core of your body.
You may feel like you are no longer yourself, you may even feel robbed of your soul. Now is the time of ‘Re-membering’ putting back the parts of you to create wholeness again. You are a different person. During your time of illness and particularly if your treatments involved surgery or long drug treatments such as chemotherapy, you may have been traumatised.
Trauma is a result of your brain, alerting your nervous system, to take action because you are about to die. It sends a cascade of neuro transmitters, adrenaline and cortisol, to your body, preparing to fight or flee. With continuing stress, para-sympathertic shock occurs and you become numb to any more danger. Human brains find it hard to keep up with real time events and may not switch off again after the life threatening events are over. Trauma means that this defense system is running continually, robbing your body of vital reserves, diminishing your immune system, causing anxiety. Preventing you from sleeping or eating. Perhaps causing all sorts of inexplicable symptoms. Smaller repetitive stresses where your body is overwhelmed through time can also traumatize. Your illness may be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Surgical procedures, although done normally under anesthetic, are experienced as a life threatening attack and will leave trauma. Symptoms may be anxiety attacks or nightmares. Hospitals can be depersonalizing with their procedures even though the staff can be very caring. Situations which rob you of your power and dignity leave a feeling of overwhelm. You may have grief and anger about body parts removed.
To heal trauma, create a sense of well being and safety. Reconnect to your body sensations. The brain needs to be brought back to present time. YOU ARE NOW SAFE. Creating safety turns off the chemistry of attack and replaces it with serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin which enhance your immune system. You have the ability to do this through the thoughts that you think and the sense of comfort that you can create for yourself.
Write a list of ‘resources’ that give you relaxation and pleasure. Recreate your support network of friends. Do things that help you to feel empowered. Become in charge of your life again. Positive affirmations and EFT are direct ways of changing brain chemistry and triggering your immune system. It will also bring positive situations into your life. Nourish yourself body and soul with good food and daily meditations.
Do often in a quiet place. Light a candle. Be cosy and warm. Close your eyes and call upon the Archangels Raphael for healing and Michael for protection. Breath slowly and deeply. Notice where you have a sense of comfort in your body and allow it to spread. Say, ‘I am safe.’ Notice the sensations in your body and slowly reconnect yourself. Say, ‘hello foot’, ‘hello leg’ welcome every part of your body and thank it for being there. Imagine yourself in your favourite place doing something that you love.
For more on resourcing, EFT, affirmations and healthy diet go to https://healing-waters.co.uk/category/articles/