In the journey that is the healing process, I’ve discovered that mere physical healing is only the tip of the iceberg. I’ve been lucky to have more than one teacher in my life, thus far. Each of them had their own way of speaking about healing. One of my mentors once said, “Healing is waking up”. And another said, “Healing is removing all fear and doubt.”

What does it mean to wake up? To remove fear and doubt? And why are these integral parts of any healing process?

Throughout your lifetime you have been collecting information through experience, trauma and tragedy, and everyday living, being, breathing, and relating. This information gets stored in all kinds of places. It’s easy to think these experiences get stored in your memory, but memory is much more than a bundle of information we access through our brain and thought patterns.

Memories get stored in many places and locales- in our physical tissue, in our subtle or energy bodies, in our meridian system, in our muscles and organs, in our emotional body and in our very cells. They imprint into all aspects of what makes you you. Over time, these imprints begin to influence how you see and experience yourself and the world around you.

Most of you have had one event, or multiple, that was a turning point for you. It changed you and how you saw and experienced life, from that point forward. You were no longer the same after that time. Perhaps it was an ecstatic event, or maybe one you wish you could forget, or have. Regardless, that event left its “mark” on you in one form or another.

Maybe you were given a repetitive message about who you are and what was possible for you while growing up. Perhaps you heard that we were special and gifted, or that there was something inherently “wrong” with you. These messages begin to mold and shape how you see yourself, and therefore how others perceive you, too.

You cannot believe one thing about yourself and not project that belief out into the world in some way, either through insecurities, behaviors, how you relate to others, and so forth. As these beliefs and events imprint into your psyche and your cells, it becomes a part of your “make-up” on an often unconscious level.

Part of the healing process is to begin to question a lot of these things you have come to “know” and believe about yourself and others. Many people suffer and punish themselves ruthlessly because they are trapped under a false illusion of who and what they are- either placed upon them through other people’s projections, or a twist of what is true has taken place within them, leading them down the “wrong” path of self-concept.

Questioning begins to break up what you have always thought to be true about yourself, others, and the world around you. Waking up to a higher knowing, a bigger picture and a grander plan is part of this healing. Remembering that you are inherently good and worthy of exquisite love no matter what you may have said and done in your lifetime is part of this waking up. Choosing to think about yourself differently, see yourself and others through new eyes, and experience the world from a “lighter” place of being- this is as important in any healing process as any medical protocol or procedure.

The energy of faith, hope, love and joy are incredibly powerful. What could happen if you began to give more time and attention to these things? What if you chose thoughts and words and actions that actually promoted and built this powerful energy? This becomes a powerful internal shift in your attention that the body will follow.

Energy flows where your attention goes. So give your attention to the things you wish to build, create, manifest and be.

For example, take a moment and think about an instance that is unresolved in your life. Perhaps it’s a divorce, or a family member you don’t see eye-to-eye with. Or maybe it’s a financial conundrum, debt, or work related issue. Whatever it is, when you think about it, your mind goes around and around in quiet “conversation” with whatever this issue or person is.

Do you find yourself arguing your point? Wanting to show the other how right you are? Wanting them to “get” it?

Now notice how your body feels. Are your shoulders tense or tight? Are you beginning to clench your teeth? Is your stomach in knots or is your head beginning to pound? For a moment imagine the years and years of issues and events that you have had similar responses to, and notice your thoughts. Are they positive? Do they convey and grow joy and love within you? Or is what you’re thinking about creating a “contracting and tensing” kind of sensation within you?

Without even being aware of it, most of us spend hours upon hours of everyday filling our minds with unhappy, stress inducing thought patterns that are teeming with worry, fear, frustration, anguish, punishment, guilt, shame, anger and everything that is WRONG with the world, ourselves and others. All of that thinking takes a lot of energy, a lot of focusing upon things that don’t feel good, and a lot of unproductive, crazy-making stuff.

You are creating and perpetuating this. Why not choose to create and promote something that is beneficial, that feels good, that builds dreams and wishes and helps you manifest the life and health that you want? When we change our thoughts, we begin to chip away at old, outdated, incongruous belief systems.

The power of our thought creates an internal shift that the body can follow.

In my own healing journey there have been huge chunks of time when all I could do was focus upon everything that wasn’t working right, that wasn’t healthy, that wasn’t “beautiful”. When I shifted my attention away from everything that was WRONG, and started being grateful for everything that was RIGHT, a palpable spiritual and psychological shift occurred. It wasn’t an overnight complete process by any means. But I FELT BETTER.

My thoughts were more positive. I was happier than I had ever been. And then my health began to follow suit. I didn’t do this with affirmations and mantras alone. I was taking several physical steps towards healthier food choices, healthier relationships, and a healthier me. But the biggest shift happened when I SHIFTED MY THOUGHTS, which shifted my beliefs. My entire world then moved in a very positive direction.

What does it take to do something like this? In my journey I have had to learn to receive a lot of support from reliable people who love me and want the very best for me. It has also taken a lot of faith and willingness to take the next step forward, not knowing where it will lead. I had to choose to “wake up” from a life of struggle and believing things have to be difficult. I began to remember who I really am and that life was never meant to be difficult.

I had to realize and wake up to how I was responsible for everything in my life- the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. I had invited a lot of negativity into my life and given it a home. My negative and self-deprecating thoughts and beliefs were instructing me along the way to settle for less than what I was worth, to put up with various abuses and hurtful things, and to punish myself again and again by making life a lot harder than it needed to be.

I recognized I’d always had the power to create the life I desired but instead I’d been waiting for someone else to do it for me. My life used to happen “to me”. And now I see that it has been happening “for me” all along. We are all so much more powerful than we believe or know. And our thoughts and beliefs do have tremendous power.

They can catalyze a healing process forward, or catapult you backward into a quagmire of insecurity, fear, doubt and paralysis. At some point in time we all have to ask ourselves, “Which path am I going to take? The one I’m already familiar with, or the one that holds the potential for so much more?”

Some have said that the body is a vehicle for the soul- that bigger intangible aspect of you that is the essence of who you really are. Wouldn’t it then make sense then that your body, the vehicle that carries your soul around throughout your lifetime, that it would begin to reflect the imprints, projections, belief systems and thoughts you hold about your life’s experiences?

Illness of any kind can be seen as a journey for the soul- to learn and grow and transmute its former limitations. Sometimes an illness can be a catalyst for deeper change and transformation. And other times it becomes the excuse for shutting down and not moving forward any further. For many it is a crossroads. Whatever decisions are made at that time are unique and rightfully belong to the individual in that position.

Regardless of your perspective on what illness or disease or healing is about, I hope you begin to see yourself as the powerful, creative, multi-dimensional being that you are. You are infinitely more important than you know. Perhaps part of your journey forward in this life can include uncovering this truth about yourself. Embracing the journey of your soul with delight and wonder is an incredibly potent way to claim your rightful place on this planet in the here and now.

I invite you to begin to recognize your inherent goodness, your love-ability, your true self. You are worthy of love simply because you exist. You do not need to prove your value to anyone. You do not need to work, beg or plead for love. When you know this truth you will experience a tremendous level of freedom in your life. The more you can embody this truth, the better you will feel.

Healing is about unearthing your true, authentic self – that essence of you that has perhaps been long buried under preconceived notions, the projections of others that you took to be true, and misguided beliefs about who and what you really are. Excavating through this rubble to find the incredible gift that is you is part and parcel of the healing journey. Releasing fear, doubt and all of the ways you have bought into negative belief systems around yourself- this is one of the steps along the way.