I have spent most of the last 41 years thinking about RA in terms of just my body – that is how most of the doctors I worked with viewed it. It gave me a victim mentality, that it wasn’t my fault because I was an innocent bystander being sideswiped by it for no reason. Therefore, I had no responsibility except to get treatment. It never occurred to me it was the Universe trying to get my attention. News Flash!!!
I had a note from the Universe the other day that was really cool:
Young souls use pain to learn how things are.
Mature souls use pain to learn how else things might be.
And old souls, Lee, use pain to learn how else they might be.
T-s-s-s-s-s-s,
The Universe
Of course, Lee, pain is only a choice, among many, for such learning. It just happens to be very popular.
It is only in recent years through personal development have I realized that it is mind, body and spirit. Over the years it has been bits and bobs here and there, then last year I had it full in the face with Ike Pono. This year has really been an eye opener since I have been working with Debye and deep tissue massage. I went to see her to help with the shoulder and neck pain from way too much computer and also waiting too long to see what could be done to relieve it. I finally “got it” that I was holding on to RA; at one of the last Ike Pono weekends Bruce asked me why I has still holding on to RA. It must have been simmering on the back burner for several months because in one session Debye told me I was sending mixed messages about it. That meant I had to look at what was going on inside of me – I realized my identity was all wrapped up in RA and I didn’t know anything about myself without it.
What I learned so forcefully was that I was stuffing down so many feeling of anger, resentment, fear, hurt and who knows what else – all somewhere in my body because I hadn’t expressed it. The first session was just physical massage and boy, was that uncomfortable. The second session I was so surprised to find myself crying – I remember saying out loud “I can’t take it any more!”. Ever since then my sessions have been like that, I find myself crying without really knowing why but I have been expressing and releasing all that junk. It has helped me learn more about myself and who I truly am. My goal for so long is to love all of myself deeply, completely and unconditionally. I am a lot farther along than I was a few months ago. All the things, the people, the techniques, everything I have done and learned has helped me over the years to come to this point.
For so long I have just wanted to get rid of the pain so I could move comfortably and do what I want. To me that is a cure, but there is the likelihood of it coming back because I didn’t get to the root of it. But healing is understanding what brought it on in the first place, then coming to terms with it and releasing it so it doesn’t come back. I thought it was just in my physical body and once that was gone, I was fine. Now I have come to understand there is so much more than the physical. I’ve had several people see something in a past life that was not resolved and has been carried over into this life. Not everyone goes along with the idea of past lives – I am very open to it though I have not really had any glimpses of my own past lives. It is very human to think this is the only life there is, on this planet in this time; that all this is just goofball, airy fairy, touchy feely woo woo stuff. I have read and heard quite often that if something comes up 2 or 3 times- PAY ATTENTION!
After spending most of my life with a limited view of things, I am now open and receptive to all kinds of possibilities because limitation is too confining and I don’t feel I have anywhere I fit in the regular world. I only know what is true for me and in no way would I ever try to convert or convince anyone of my view – in answer to Dr. Phil “It’s working pretty well for me”. Looking at myself as a whole person with feelings, beliefs, attitudes, pains, deformities, physical limitations – the whole gamut of my life so far, all of it has had an effect on my body. Is this a choice I made before I arrived here as a way to experience pain or to punish myself in some way for a past life? I can’t say for sure at this moment but it does made things more understandable. This past year especially has been uncomfortable, a revelation, satisfying, enlightening and instructive. Going within can be uncomfortable and upsetting but the end result is definitely worth it. I am learning to love myself and find out I am an amazing woman, not the loser I have felt I was for so many years.
Gift of RA 