Healing
Healing is one of the most profound experiences in life. It can occur in body, mind or spirit. Imagine healing a friendship that was estranged or dead. Imagine letting go of a friendship that needed to die and feeling healed as a result.
Imagine being able to say "I forgive you" to someone who hurt you and really meaning it. Imagine someone saying that to you and really meaning it. Imagine asking someone to forgive you.
Imagine finding a way to be at peace with a mental illness and experiencing it as a gift. Imagine listening to your body and following what it is calling you to do, no matter how difficult the work. Imagine a renewed body. Imagine a diseased body and peace of mind. Imagine being at peace with your own death because you have no regrets.
Joy emerges from pain well attended. Joy is the result of healing...this is the profound land of healing.
An Illustration of Healing:
What it means to be whole.
Barbara's story: Barbara has an estranged daughter who rejected love from the time she was born. Barbara tried everything she could to be a kind and loving mother and to do what she felt was right in reaching out to her daughter, only to be rejected and even bullied by her.
Overcome with shame, Barbara finally chose, in prayer, to let go of her daughter and take care of herself. She made a ritual of releasing her and stopped making conscious contact. After several years, she felt detached enough to have limited contact and now can see her daughter without being hurt. She is free. She feels sad but reconciled with herself and her process to wholeness.
Tom's Story: Tom's wife, at age 55, developed early onset Alzheimer's disease. IT was devastating to both of them. They got active in the local ALZ organization and even traveled, telling their story.
Tom drew on his spirituality and his close relationship with God to navigate this difficult, sometimes treacherous journey. But as the years wore on, Tom realized that he was losing Julie mentally and that they could no longer teach together. In fact, no matter what he tried to do to be helpful, she was just fading. He had to face his worst fears and still cling to the hope that he would not be totally alone.
He shares part of his story in this video.
Video Link: Surrender
Janet's Story: I have an anxiety disorder. It came on quite suddenly during a time of high stress in my life and it stopped me in my tracks. I could no longer do what I did for a living and I wondered if my life would be sharply curtailed. I was scared.
I went to my doctor and suggested that I would like to talk to my therapist and spiritual director about seeing this as a spiritual issue before I decided whether to take medication or not. Both of my support people agreed with me, that my disorder was spiritual in nature, meaning that I had a disordered life and this was my body's way of bringing it to my attention.
Over the next several years I reordered my life, turned to smaller and different work, stopped traveling completely, and drew closer to my heart's deepest desires, to be more intimate with God.
During this time of healing, I learned a lot more about how God works. My friend, Tamra and I recorded a video on the topic for your reflection.
Video: How God Works, with Tamra Koehler
Imagine being able to say "I forgive you" to someone who hurt you and really meaning it. Imagine someone saying that to you and really meaning it. Imagine asking someone to forgive you.
Imagine finding a way to be at peace with a mental illness and experiencing it as a gift. Imagine listening to your body and following what it is calling you to do, no matter how difficult the work. Imagine a renewed body. Imagine a diseased body and peace of mind. Imagine being at peace with your own death because you have no regrets.
Joy emerges from pain well attended. Joy is the result of healing...this is the profound land of healing.
An Illustration of Healing:
What it means to be whole.
Barbara's story: Barbara has an estranged daughter who rejected love from the time she was born. Barbara tried everything she could to be a kind and loving mother and to do what she felt was right in reaching out to her daughter, only to be rejected and even bullied by her.
Overcome with shame, Barbara finally chose, in prayer, to let go of her daughter and take care of herself. She made a ritual of releasing her and stopped making conscious contact. After several years, she felt detached enough to have limited contact and now can see her daughter without being hurt. She is free. She feels sad but reconciled with herself and her process to wholeness.
Tom's Story: Tom's wife, at age 55, developed early onset Alzheimer's disease. IT was devastating to both of them. They got active in the local ALZ organization and even traveled, telling their story.
Tom drew on his spirituality and his close relationship with God to navigate this difficult, sometimes treacherous journey. But as the years wore on, Tom realized that he was losing Julie mentally and that they could no longer teach together. In fact, no matter what he tried to do to be helpful, she was just fading. He had to face his worst fears and still cling to the hope that he would not be totally alone.
He shares part of his story in this video.
Video Link: Surrender
Janet's Story: I have an anxiety disorder. It came on quite suddenly during a time of high stress in my life and it stopped me in my tracks. I could no longer do what I did for a living and I wondered if my life would be sharply curtailed. I was scared.
I went to my doctor and suggested that I would like to talk to my therapist and spiritual director about seeing this as a spiritual issue before I decided whether to take medication or not. Both of my support people agreed with me, that my disorder was spiritual in nature, meaning that I had a disordered life and this was my body's way of bringing it to my attention.
Over the next several years I reordered my life, turned to smaller and different work, stopped traveling completely, and drew closer to my heart's deepest desires, to be more intimate with God.
During this time of healing, I learned a lot more about how God works. My friend, Tamra and I recorded a video on the topic for your reflection.
Video: How God Works, with Tamra Koehler
Essay Link: Holy Brokenness
Act on Healing:
1. Forgive yourself for something you've said or done. Ask God to rid you of shame and guilt and restore you to health.
2. Forgive another person for something they've said or done, without condoning their actions.
(See estrangement and reconciliation model in Learn section).
3. If you truly desire healing, start working with someone who knows a process, a spiritual director, a healer. Read books on the healing process by Matt Linn. Read Who Are You, God? by Janet.
Essay Link: Becoming a Whole Woman, Our Bodies as Temples, Forgiveness is a Process
Resources:
Who Are You, God? Suffering and Intimacy with God - Janet Hagberg
Heal Your Body A-Z - Louise Hay
Anatomy of the Spirit, How People Can Heal and Why They Don't - Carolyn Myss
Sleeping with Bread, To Heal as Jesus Healed - Matt Linn, Dennis Linn, Sheila Linn
Fred's Not Here: Living with Alzheimer's Takes Courage-Lynn Smith
Act on Healing:
1. Forgive yourself for something you've said or done. Ask God to rid you of shame and guilt and restore you to health.
2. Forgive another person for something they've said or done, without condoning their actions.
(See estrangement and reconciliation model in Learn section).
3. If you truly desire healing, start working with someone who knows a process, a spiritual director, a healer. Read books on the healing process by Matt Linn. Read Who Are You, God? by Janet.
Essay Link: Becoming a Whole Woman, Our Bodies as Temples, Forgiveness is a Process
Resources:
Who Are You, God? Suffering and Intimacy with God - Janet Hagberg
Heal Your Body A-Z - Louise Hay
Anatomy of the Spirit, How People Can Heal and Why They Don't - Carolyn Myss
Sleeping with Bread, To Heal as Jesus Healed - Matt Linn, Dennis Linn, Sheila Linn
Fred's Not Here: Living with Alzheimer's Takes Courage-Lynn Smith