Kissing a Hurt Doesn’t Often Make It Better.
The miracle is that we can heal ourselves, sometimes.
Recently, a dear friend told me, “From here on, nothing good will happen.” It sounds to me like a superstitious statement.
Pain can be honest, whether it's physical, emotional, or both. It certainly needs to be acknowledged and dealt with.
The statement means on the surface that aging is an unstoppable predictor of future suffering. But, it’s really a different version of “Break a Leg” (in the theatrical tradition) attempting to offset fears over our ever-aging bodies and minds. It states, out loud, a wish opposite what we want to occur. It’s a superstition bent on keeping pain and suffering away like a Kina Hurra, in Yiddish, to keep the evil eye away-- an ancient bit of witchcraft.
What about crying, laughing, dancing, and singing to begin our Healing Arsenal?
Instead of making magical statements, we can begin to look at self-healing methods in the real world.
At sixteen years old, I go to a sailing, horse-back riding summer camp (as a camper) on Lake Champlain. When we travel to another camp for competitions, they put the horses in one truck and us in another. We all stand for the entire trip in the truck’s open back and sing songs like Ninety- Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall.
It isn’t lyrical or charming singing. It’s more like shouting in unison as loud as possible and, by doing that — becoming free. Not being lady-like, not be concerned about my voice quality, just singing my heart out. I look around at all my bunkmates, not giving a hoot about who hears them, and gradually, my courage grows, and I join them full force. I’m allowing the sound to burst forth from my throat without constraint.
Teenagers suffer! We all doubt the future and if we would ever evolve into at least moderately acceptable humans. But, shouting as we did into the wind, all the confusions and fears disappear. Crying and laughing can, even now, make the pain go away. These are self-healing techniques available at any age.
Modern medical developments can add to our Healing Arsenal of methodology for survival. I am afflicted with an Essential Tremor, particularly in my right hand. It has gotten so bad that I wasn’t able to write. However, last week, I was lucky enough to be directed to a neurologist who treats this affliction with Botox. He was terrific, and I had my first treatment. The miracle of miracles, the therapy seems to improve my ability to control a pen, and today, I wrote a check and signed it. Hurrah! Yeah!
Neuroplasticity is another tool to add to our Healing Arsenal. Neuroplasticity is the capacity of the brain and nervous system to renew themselves and grow new connections. Scientists knew that infants and children are born with the ability, and now, studies have shown that it functions in adults as well.
Dr. Norman Doidge is a significant contributor to these new findings. He writes that neuroplasticity represents “the most important alteration in our view of the brain since we first sketched out its basic anatomy.” Also, Dr. Doidge explains we know that neuroplasticity is stimulated through precise, directed attention to a wide variety of gentle and unusual movement possibilities. The Feldenkrais Method® is the perfect vehicle for this newly discovered brain function. I’ve been participating in these movement classes for several years, and I feel much more in tune with my body since I started. It’s another addition to the Healing Arsenal.
According to Wikipedia, the term “neuroplasticity” was first used by Polish neuroscientist Jerzy “Konorski.” In 1948, he described observed changes in neuronal structure (neurons are the cells that make up our brain). It became widely popular in the 1960s.
Another tool to add to our Healing Arsenal is Reiki. Modern Reiki masters offer the Reiki energy to others through non-invasive gentle light pressure touch using the traditional Reiki hand positions. Reiki healing complements many medicinal therapies and conventional medicine and can assist in the potential recovery of people suffering from pain, illness, disease, and more.
And, let’s not forget all the over-the-counter products available to ease pain and anxiety, and prescription drugs, too, although many of us try to use as few as possible. Nevertheless, they are helpful additions to our Healing Arsenal.
You probably remember, “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.” (the cure-all, aspirin)
In the Jewish world, the practice of Shiva, seven days of mourning after the death of a loved one, observed in ways different from ordinary daily life, is a method of self and community healing. Every religion has its observances surrounding losses. So, we can add them all to our Healing Arsenal.
So, here’s a summary:
We can cry, laugh, dance, and sing.
We can use new medical discoveries, like neuroplasticity and Botox, to name a few. There are many more.
We can participate in religious rituals to ease pain arising from losses.
We can try methodologies like Feldenkrais and Reiki, which are easily found.