I believe we are capable of way more than we realize.  In addition, I think there is nothing that we can not heal.  When you take a holistic approach to healing, you become unstoppable.  

In this article, I am going to share with you how I healed my knee, wrist, and back with a holistic approach.  Undoubtedly, there will be something here that inspires you to take more control of your life.  

Healing with your Mind:

“My knee is well.”

One day I went to see Dr. Art Labelle about my back pain.  I told him that I was probably going to have to have a knee replacement sooner or later.  

He told me, “If that is your story, then that is what you will create.”.

Man, that hit me like a ton of bricks.  I spent a year processing that, thinking about it, and deciding it was true.  Therefore, I decided to come up with a better story.  

I started declaring, “My knee is well.  My back is well.” long before the reality of it was true.  However, something shifted right away.  Here is a video of one such transformative moment where I went from excruciating pain to no pain at all in a matter of minutes.  

“My back is well.”

One day I was doing a forward fold very slowly, feeling into my body, when I realized that my whole left side of my body was not engaging.  It was weak as if it were sleeping.  My left big toe has arthritis and has been modified surgically so now it doesn’t bend.  Then moving up my leg, I noticed that my left thigh was weaker, as well as my left abs, and even the muscles in my face on the left side.  I have had surgery on my left knee 3 times, and my left toe and wrist.  This side of my body has been through the ringer.  

Interestingly, I had been suffering from back pain for 6 years at this time.  It was so bad a t times that I couldn’t bend over, it hurt to roll over in bed, and jumping with my son on the trampoline was not a good idea.  I felt like an old lady.  

Like many of you with pain, I tried many ways of working with it like physical therapy, dry needling, yoga, stretching, etc.  Nothing worked long term.  

However, in that moment of insight, a light bulb went off in my head.   My first thought was:

“Oh great, I have been walking odd for over a decade since my toe surgery, this is going to be hard to change.”

Immediately after that, a new thought came in, which was:

“I can heal this quickly and easily.”  

I had made a commitment to myself to catch limiting beliefs quickly, and switch them to higher truths, and that is what I did.  

Next, I set to work.  The next day I was guiding someone up a long ridge climb to the top of Mt. Olympus.  Every step I took, I said to myself, “Engage, Engage, Engage!”  as I rooted down through my left big toe, squeezed my left thigh, and engaged my left abdominals.  Meanwhile, I kept saying things to myself like,

• I can heal my body.
• My body is a powerful healing machine.
• I can find alignment quickly and easily.  

I Believe in the Power of the Mind

Less than 1 month later my back pain was completely gone.  

It blew my mind.  I lived with debilitating pain for 6 years, and in one month, I had healed my back pain.  

How? – An Door Opened

When I began saying to myself, “My back is well.”, something in my brain shifted.  I became open to new possibilities.  My subconscious mind went to work for me as it tried to figure out how to make this a reality.  

The Old Story kept me Stuck

“My back hurts.  This sucks.  I feel like an old lady.  I can’t do what I want to do.”  

This story, while seemingly true, kept me stuck.  I had to create a better story.  

Wisdom Arises:

1. As long as I live in the thoughts and mindset of my current reality, then I can not create a new reality.  
2. When I bring in more powerful thoughts, I live into a powerful reality.
3. I can heal my body.
4. My body is a powerful healing machine.
5. I am powerful.
6. What I say in my mind, the body will follow.

Healing with Food

Obviously, I believe in the power of the mind.  Equally as true, I believe in the healing power of food.  I can think my way so far into good health, and there comes a time when without the right tools, the body will crash.  

A big part of my healing journey has been to grasp what my body truly needs.  Both in healing my back, knee, and wrist, nutrition has been key.  I tried Keto for a few years, hoping it would help heal my wrist pain.  It did not do that.  In fact, I realized how detrimental it is for me to be eating all the fat I was.  Over the long run, it may have very well caused big problems.  

Eating to heal:

This is what has worked for me.  Eating/Drinking:

1. Loads of fruits and veggies
2. Potatoes
3. Low fat
4. No eggs, dairy, or gluten
5. Little to no meat
6. Eliminating vinegar
7. Lemon water
8. Celery juice
9. Smoothies
10. Not over eating

That sums it up in a nutshell.  One book that really has had a big impact on my understanding of how to eat, is Medical Medium, by Anthony Williams.  I highly recommend it.  

Feeling is Healing : Learning to feel my Emotions

Look, we are not taught how to feel our emotions.  We are taught how to distract ourselves from them.  How to run away.  Undoubtedly, you have seen or experienced, when a child gets hurt, and a parent, loved one, or stranger, offers them a piece of candy or an ice cream?  We are trained to eat when we are upset as we drown the pain with addictive foods.    

It doesn’t have to be food though.  We may turn to movies, social media, shopping, or pain killers.  Perhaps you use alcohol to cope with stress, cigarettes, pot, or something else.  We all have our vices and ways of coping.  

However, it is important to feel our emotions.  I now know how to place my hands on my heart, turn off my spiralling thoughts, and just feel anger, sadness, grief, loneliness, fear, anxiety, etc.  Powerfully, everything changes when I do this.  

Emotions are Energy:

When we feel & when we listen, then our emotions can serve us.  The Energy can move through, instead of getting stuck.  We can become a free flowing being, capable of handling anything that comes our way.  

The Importance of Clearing Emotions:

Importantly, healing my knee, back, and wrist, all became possible when I cleared the emotions that were holding me back.  I was hanging onto fear in my back and wrist, and anger, doubt, and pity in my knee.  Surprisingly, when I came to accept, understand, feel, and listen to these emotions, then I cleared the space for healing to take place.   

I love the book, The Language of Emotions, by Karla McLaren.  Below are some of the take-aways from here that have totally shifted my perspective on my emotions.  

The Power of Emotions:

Fear:

• Fear tells us when we need to stop, change directions, or double check things. Fear can save our lives.  
• Fear tells us when we need to prepare for something.  Often we feel fear when we are not prepared.  

I envision Fear now as a Companion to my Adventurous spirit.  It comes with me wherever I go.  I thank them often.  In addition, I listen to it, and when I am prepared to take bold action, I tell my fear, “We totally got this!”  

Anger:

• Anger tells us when our boundaries have been crossed. Get curious.  What boundary has been crossed?  
• Anger is a gift.  It stands up for you.  It wants to protect you.
• Anger helps you get clear on what boundaries you need to shore up.
• Anger tells you when you need to speak up or ask for what you need.  
• Anger helps us take bold action.  

Thank your anger for being there.  As soon as you thank it, it begins to calm.  I love the energy of anger, because it helps me take bold action, and ask clearly for what I need.

Sadness:

•  Sadness tells us when something needs to be released.
• What is it that you need to feel so that it can move through?  
• I thank sadness for helping me see what is important to me.  
• Sadness lets you know what you don’t want, so that you can figure out what you do want.  
• Sadness helps you ask for what you need.  

Depression:

• Karla McLaren expresses that, your inner being never wants you to die, but it is telling you that something needs to change.  

Overall, Here is How You Can Clear Emotions

1. Feel everything that arises.  Love everything that arises.  
2. Place your hands on your heart, close your eyes, stop the mind for a moment, breath and feel.  
3. Listen to the emotion.  What is it trying to tell you?
4. Thank the emotion for trying to protect you.  
5. Gain the wisdom that is arising from the emotion.
6. Let it move through.  
7. Design an action step in the direction you want to go.  

Summary:

My path to healing has involved all of these realms.  As in the story about my knee, I asked myself, what am I resenting?  I told myself where I was going when I declared, “My knee is well.  My back is well.  My wrist is well.”  And I gave my body the best with good hydration, nutrition, stretching, and exercise.  Lastly, I tapped into my spiritual realm to ask myself, who am I becoming, what is my purpose here?  What is the deeper wisdom available to me?  I asked for what I wanted.  

What I want you to know:

• You can heal your body.
• You are more powerful than you realize.
• Your body is a powerful healing machine.  
• You have everything you need.
• You are creative, resourceful, and whole.

Want to work with me?

I use the tools of leadership coaching, yoga and meditation, health coaching, and all I have learned as a mountain guide and explorer in this world to help people get what they want.  If you want to see new possibilities for you, tap into your inner wisdom, and create a better life, then I am here for you.  I love working with inspiring adventurous people who want to learn and grow.  If that is you, email me today so that we can have a conversation to see if we are a good fit for supporting each other.  contact me