HEALING TOWARDS HAPPINESS

Healing

Towards Happiness

Some days I think health is an absolute requirement for happiness. Other times I believe that without happiness, there can be no chance at health. Of course nothing is that simple…

In my world, happiness begets healing. I tend to believe that my thoughts create my reality, and I consider my experiences to be evidence of my mood. So if I have a headache, I’m much more likely to think the pain is the result of my stress or negativity, rather than the cause of it. But what about when illness is severe or long term? We have to admit that our health can impact our emotions just as much as thoughts and beliefs can influence our bodies.

I recently made the… brave? foolish? … let’s say Conscious choice to explore some beliefs that weren’t serving me, and before long I had opened a Pandora’s box. I began feel anxious, even nauseous – so, figuring these symptoms were a result of my soul-searching, I naturally dug a little deeper. And instantly broke out in a rash. It was so itchy, I went straight for the steroid cream, and then I worked backward through my ‘toolkit for healing’ – probiotics, liver herbs, essential oils… I considered the emotions associated with skin – grief, guilt and worthiness. I meditated. I applied more hydrocortisone.

Eventually the rash did ease up, but what I really noticed was that I simply couldn’t be happy while that symptom was raging. In this case, healing was a requirement for happiness. But without that specific symptom, would I have looked at those specific emotions, discovered that herb or done that meditation? In a way, was the rash itself a requirement for my growth?

So healing leads to happiness, and happiness leads to healing. On the whole, it sounds to me like a win-win.

Kate Leuenberger is available for Intuitive Counselling, Emotional Freedom Technique and Reiki Energy Healing at Gnostic Healing Centre.