I’ve had more than one conversation, recently, about what healing really means.

If you look up the definition of healing, you will find something along the lines of: “the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again”.

As a culture we have a narrow idea of what healing is. Usually, we conflate it with the eradication of pain, illness or dis-ease, much the way we think of a cure.

But healing is so much more than that.

When we fixate on being “cured”, we can easily overlook the very real and impactful healing that is taking place.

It’s time we broaden our ideas around healing to match the infinite possibilities that exist within healing itself.

Healing isn’t only about fixing what appears to be broken.

It’s not only about curing a condition, though that can be a side effect of healing.

Healing is more about restoring health where health has been lost.

Health is not only happening on a physical level. It is happening on a mental, emotional and spiritual level, as well.

In fact, so very often when we allow healing to take place on these more subtle levels, we can experience reciprocal healing happening on the physical level, too.

For example…

Healing is present in those moments when you love yourself more than you did before.

It happens when you expand your capacity and increase your resilience beyond your previous limitations – physical or otherwise.

Healing happens when you let yourself be more and more present with what is.

It blossoms when you allow the messiest, most needy, most dark, shameful and even wicked parts of yourself to be invited to the table to be fed, heard, acknowledged, loved… and even forgiven.

One of my favorite ways of thinking about healing is to envision it as you, becoming your favorite version of yourself.

Not the “best” version, not the “super”, “most amazing” or “highest” version, but your most favorite.

Because striving to be the highest and best can lead to stress, worry, self-judgment and criticism, perfectionism, guilt and shame….

None of which perpetuate healing in the least. They in fact promote the opposite.

Becoming your most favorite version of yourself upholds what you cherish and value most, not what an outside source claims is best, most holy, enlightened or evolved.

Healing occurs when you allow who you really are to express – maybe in how you dress, or speak, or decorate your home.

When you care less about what others think of you and more about what you think of you, healing is present.

Healing is stepping into a higher level of self-authority, and allowing what delights and pleases you to shamelessly be present in your life.

Our culture is a shame-driven culture. Many religions use shame to motivate as well.

Healing is no longer allowing shame to run your life, make your decisions, or drive your body’s chemistry.

Healing is recognizing where fear, worry, guilt and anger are present in your life – not ignoring them, but seeing them for what and where they are.

Healing is choosing to feel, allowing the feelings to move out and through, and then choosing to move beyond those feelings towards a deeper truth that is aligned with what you hold most sacred and dear.

Healing is allowing comparison and competition to fall away, and to instead be led by the quiet whispers of your heart.

Can you see how healing is present whether or not a cure has been found?

It’s far more magnanimous than you know.

If you are living with a body challenge or a health issue right now, I invite you to notice where healing IS happening in your life.

You might be astounded by what you find.