Natural Healing: Conflicting Intentions

Let's say you're on a mission to create health and healing. For yourself, perhaps. Or maybe you're supporting a loved one. You could be facing a career or personal crisis. Even doing some volunteer work for an organization that could use "fixing." This natural healing strategy will work in nearly any situation where things haven't been going as well as you'd like. The word "heal" and the word "whole" both come from the same root. When you are in a state of health, you are whole and complete. All parts of you are aligned toward the same goals. You have lots and lots of energy to use for whatever you wish -- because the energy you have is being focused effectively on creating what you want, not on arguing inside yourself about which of several conflicting desires you want more. That hidden conflict -- between two disparate things you want -- is the root cause of many health problems. Physical conce s like heart disease, cancer, chronic pain, and even accidents may have their deepest roots here. Now at first, that may sound like bad news. "But I thought I could have it all!" you might even say. Well, actually can. You can have pretty much all the great things you want, provided you're willing to let go of the limitations you've got in place that keep you from allowing them. Let me explain. Most of the conflicts with what you genuinely desire and deserve are easy to resolve, because they're fear-based phonies. Oh, they exist all right. But they're not "truth." Unmasked, they're no more than energy-sapping beliefs that deceive, trick, and mislead you into thinking they're worthy of your valuable attention.nnMeet Janie Let's take a quick peek into my world as a structural bodyworker. "Janie" comes in, describing chronic neck pain and headaches. "When it really flares up," she says, "It feels like everything I own is painful!" No arguing the fact that Janie is miserable. No arguing that she'd like to lose the pain and feel better. Unfortunately, our Janie also exists in a world where she's felt put-down and used. Her posture tells the story, as she hunches forward to protect her solar plexus from yet another perceived assault. When I point out that raising her up to her full height is a necessary part of relieving her pain, Janie pales. "It's hard to stand tall when life keeps beating you down," she sighs. Janie is dealing with some major conflicting intentions. She's learned a particular way of surviving in life, and her strategy isn't paying off. Somehow, Janie has come to see herself as a victim of circumstance. It's part of her coping strategy and it's gotten her to the exact point at which she finds herself today. So in a sense, it's worked. She is here. Unfortunately, there's a part of her that's too afraid to see what life might be like with a new set of rules. We'll call that part Janie's "Inner Saboteur." It exists, in part, to protect Janie's comfort zone. And it's doing a fine job! But at the same time, it prevents her healing. In order to be whole and healthy, Janie must recognize that her perception of being a victim has outlived its usefulness. She'll consider taking those first brave steps in the direction of personal power. Who knows what that might look like? Perhaps simply learning to say, "no" without apology when she's had enough. Now it won't be completely magic. Neither you nor Janie is likely to have a grand awareness and then Prince Charming lands in your backyard with the keys to the kingdom. Too bad, but no. You'll still have to take the physical-world steps. The difference will be that this time, they'll work!nnGet the insight for yourself! So much for Janie. How do you do it? Great question. Three steps. First, identify exactly what you want. Write it down. Then, fill in the blanks: "I could have ______ except for / except that ______." Keep going as long as it takes until you fill in the second blank with a very special answer that "kicks you in the gut." That feeling is your clue that you've identified a conflicting intention. Recognize that its purpose in your life is to preserve the status quo, which is not what you want. Finally, having identified the conflict, tell it "thank you for sharing." Then move on to wholeness!