Trusting Our Symptoms

Probably one of the biggest challenges I originally had before gaining the knowledge I have now, which I often hear from those I work with, is trusting our symptoms and the process our body is naturally going through to help us…the body’s natural healing intelligence.

We’ve been conditioned and programmed into believing something is wrong with us when symptoms show up…that it’s somehow our fault when we are ‘ill’ ‘unwell’ ‘sick’. That we are in some way broken and we need fixing in some way.

The truth is, it has nothing to do with any of that. It’s about biology. Your body is the seat of consciousness. Your body, your biology, your organ tissues are all a reflection of who you are in all your greatness…and your body is also lovingly, intelligently talking to you, giving you messages of where aspects simply require rebalancing, adjusting and realigning, to return you to health once more.

This may include removing blockages with tools like EFT, which no longer support the natural healing process. It may also include adding in aspects such as foods to strengthen you, physical activity to enliven you and also looking at the social environment factors which you engage in e.g. at work, at home, out socially. These will all help to increase vitality in mind, body and spirit when aligned with your true nature.

We already know about auto-regulation and homeostasis in general medicine. However, we’ve perhaps not been clearly shown what that actually looks like in lay terms and how to realistically apply it for ourselves to achieve our health goals.

Our body is striving to achieve this for us naturally though and symptoms are messages relating to where there is an imbalance, which requires our more focused attention. This happens very easily and effortlessly in nature. It’s constantly adapting to maintain balance, even with all the pressure humans put on it. The human body is doing the same. Climate change is a symptom of imbalance on the planet, which many are listening and responding to, to help restore a healthy planet. Symptoms in our body are exactly the same…a call to action, a call to make positive changes.

Therefore, the more we can trust our body, our symptoms and the messages being given to us…as well as understanding what phase in the autonomic nervous system, symptoms are in, coupled with knowing their root causes (see previous posts), which, combined is the natural response from the logic of our biology at its finest…the more we are able to support an easier restoration and rebalancing process within the body system overall.

So I invite and encourage you to begin to see and experience your symptoms from a biological intelligence perspective…and begin the inquiry as to what’s triggered these responses in your body, rather than seeing yourself as broken…because that is simply not true.

Nothing is random. Your body is showing you, telling you, speaking to you. Your biology is incredibly smart…and not just your mechanical biology…there is a direct link between your emotions, thoughts and brain with our social environment. Therefore, notice how beautiful and intelligent your body is and what it’s communicating to you to help restore balance and harmony for you again. What better gift to give yourself in this new year as we ease towards spring and embrace this new decade of 2020 than to listen to what you truly need and be present with yourself.

If you would like to find out more and how the tools I use can help and support you with your health goals, get in touch.

Why are symptoms chronic and recurring?

Chronic health symptoms, as I mentioned at the end of my last post, are a different ball game…albeit similar. This kind of pattern sees the body-mind-social system cycling back and forth between the sympathetic and parasympathetic i.e. from stress to restoration to stress to restoration to stress etc.

Let’s think about this for a moment…🤔

If we’re experiencing some symptoms and then they disappear or change for a few days, weeks or months and then reappear…why is that? What has happened to create this looping pattern?

Well, it’s the exact same process I’ve described in the last few posts, in the nine points and phases of the biological healing process (as shown in above graphic)…except with chronic recurring symptoms, we’re never fully resolving the original stress trigger (the traumatic event, also known as a UDIN – because it’s usually Unexpected, Dramatic, you feel Isolated and have No strategy) and therefore, in every way, we oscillate between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic, each time that button, that still open unresolved emotional hurt, is re-pushed, is re-wounded, as shown in the graphic below.

There are usually two or more aspects which are contributing to this pattern repeatedly occurring e.g. the original stress trigger (which will be how you emotionally and cognitively responded in that moment of unexpected stress), plus it could be an environmental aspect, such as pollen being present when you were triggered (so you may have recurring hayfever); or it may be a social aspect, such as a specific food was there at the time of the trigger (so you may have a food allergy); or it could be another social-environmental aspect, such as a specific place, like work, where you are always put down by your manager (so you always get lower back pain).

In the past, these recurring cycles were left with the ‘cause unknown’ question mark over them ❓by medics and medical manuals. We didn’t fully realise what was happening in the body-mind-social space. We didn’t really fully acknowledge that these elements were all connected.

We do know now though and I can’t imagine working without this knowledge in my practice…and those I have the privilege to work with express similar sentiments when they understand what’s truly happening within them. It’s empowering and gives you back your power and control over outcomes, rather than feeling helpless and at the mercy of your symptoms. It gives you options.

This is what you will learn when you embrace this knowledge. And embrace it or not, it’s biological science. It’s real. It’s happening in all of us. So we can take it and be informed. Or we can choose to ignore it.

Day one. Or one day. We can all choose when to begin.

You will learn what phase your symptoms are in; which of the six root causes require rebalancing and what steps you can take, which are workable and sustainable for you, towards your health and wellness goals.

We learn to appreciate that our symptoms aren’t random anymore. We can spot cycles and patterns…and with this knowledge, we can utilise appropriate methods to support where we’re at in this time and space and to ultimately help us reach our health and wellness goals, living a life we love and thrive in.

When would now be a good time for you to begin your own journey to health and wellness again?

Get in touch now, if you would like to know more and how you can begin to help yourself.

So…what’s going on…?

So…if we’ve got these symptoms and we’re not broken…what’s going on?

As I said in my previous post, from the meta (big-picture) perspective, your body is starting to repair. Restoration, repair and regeneration produces a lot of these symptoms, viewed as being sick/unwell/ill.

The first part of this restorative phase will produce different symptoms, depending on the body tissue impacted by the organ-mind-brain connection, which has been triggered in us, based on our perception of the situation. It’s all a very subjective experience. No two people come to have their apparently similar symptoms or the same diagnosis from the same trigger.

What is a common aspect though, is your autonomic nervous system has been activated with parasympathetic activity i.e. your symptoms of exhaustion, sleepiness, tiredness is the body asking to rest and repair…BUT often we don’t give it enough of this restorative time because we push ourselves to continue working, doing, pushing and pushing to keep going going going.

So we end up treating and managing symptoms, trying to counter-balance the symptoms with medications etc.

Don’t get me wrong…there can be a very valid reason to take medication because there is a place for all forms of healing. It’s knowing what to do to fully support ourselves when we are properly informed of what is truly going on within our mind-body system, which makes the difference as to what is the best form of action and treatment to take and follow at any given time, however. This will vary for everyone, even if you do have the same diagnosis. No two people are the same, therefore, it also makes sense that a one-size-fits-all approach to healing also needs to be individually tailored.

Once we are triggered into the restorative, regenerative phase (as described in the last post at step 4), the first part of this restorative phase (5) often sees swelling/oedema, increased inflammation and viral or bacterial or fungal activity (what these will be all depends on which brain relay has been triggered, as well as which organ/organ tissue is involved from that brain relay. This is determined by our subjective view of the world…i.e. our thoughts, values, beliefs and emotions).

Our thoughts and emotions in this rest and digest parasympathetic phase tend to feel more like brain fog/fuzzy thinking because we feel so tired and fatigued.

The emotions from the sympathetic stress phase (e.g. anger or ruminating thinking) are almost not there or are at least lessened in some way, shape or form.

These initial restorative phase symptoms may typically last approximately 3-7 days (though this varies depending on the length of the stress/sympathetic phase). What then occurs is described as a healing peak (6) i.e. it’s a short burst of sympathetic nervous system activity, which mostly goes unnoticed, the exceptions being when more serious health challenges are present and then the healing peak will be evident e.g seizures, strong palpitations.

Following the healing peak, however, in a normal biological cycle and process, we move into the second phase of the restorative (parasympathetic) phase (7) and our body begins to normalise again…moving towards homeostasis (balance and harmony within mind and body) once more.

Our appetite usually returns and we feel a little better too. Our body will be excreting a lot of toxins now as well, or tissue it no longer requires from the repair phase, so we detox quite heavily in this part of the biological process, as our body shifts more into normalisation again e.g. increased urination may also be a detox symptom.

Subsequently, after a few days of this detoxing, where we’ll feel increasingly better, in most general cases, we’ll reach that auto-regulation phase (8) and feel normal once more…”I’ve recovered”.

Most of us have experienced this general biological cycle and process, where we then carry on with the regular day-night cycle of general health and sympathetic-parasympathetic autonomic nervous system functioning.

In most cases (excluding long term/chronic symptoms) we feel as good as before, sometimes stronger than before. Chronic health issues are a whole other subject, which I’ll come to in another post.

If you have any questions about how this applies to you, do get in touch. And if you would like to know how a meta-health analysis could help and support your health and wellbeing, please do find out more about how I work and what I can do to support your aspirations and goals.

Only you can steer the ship of your health and wellness. When would be a good time to take back your power and own your path to wellbeing again?

Day one? Or one day? You choose.

The Mind-Body-Social Connection

Let’s look at the first aspect mentioned yesterday. The WHY. The mind-body-social connection. We know it exists. Its relevance and importance in understanding our overall health and wellness is still a bit vague, however. We know the mind impacts the body and vice-versa. Is there more to it though?

In meta-health, what we’ve found through empirical research and science is there’s a very specific connection between the organ, the mind and our social environment, with the brain.

It’s important to emphasise the social aspect because we’re embedded in it and can’t be separated from our social environment, be it at home, at work or out socially.

Another way to look at this is from a quantum neurobiology perspective.

      • Quantum – our thoughts, beliefs, values, emotions, feelings.
      • Neuro – the networks, connecting everything in our body & mind, right down to our cell receptors.
      • Biology – the physical body: cells, tissues, organs etc.

We are energetic beings. Everything is energy…Einstein taught us this. When we look at it this way, it’s more supportive and empowering, because energy is changing and evolving all the time…therefore, we can change and evolve with this energy too. On the other hand, just looking at our health from the finite physical-only perspective e.g. it is what it is and I can’t recover…this isn’t empowering, encouraging or inspiring at all.

Knowing our whole being is interconnected and can be shifted and changed for the better is a far more positive perspective and gives us all a new and optimistic paradigm to work with and focus on for our health and wellbeing.

In my next few posts, we’ll be looking at and exploring this in more detail. To find out more for your own symptoms or diagnosis now though, do get in touch to discuss how I may be able to help you.

A New Health Paradigm

It’s time for change – it’s time for the new biology to be talked about. So let’s start the conversation.

Your health is all about your perspective…your personal view of the world and how your biology responds to what you experience.

Most of the time, we’re busy managing our symptoms (acute or chronic) – dealing with the pain, the thoughts, the emotions, the rash, the inflammation, the growth, the fill in the blank.

Even though symptoms may be reoccurring over and over, we still tend to just spend time managing them each time they arise, often never questioning the health professional, such as our GP, about what could be causing things. We just do the same thing, over and over again.

What if we looked further and explored the root cause of these symptoms? What if we started to ask questions about why our body is presenting these symptoms? What if we explored why our biology is behaving the way it is, be it acute or chronic?

What could this uncover and help us understand so that we could approach our health and wellbeing in a more empowering and sustained way?

This is the essence of Meta-Health, Meta-Consciousness. It’s about the art and science of root cause analysis of physical and mental symptoms and understanding what’s triggered the body to respond the way it is, for each individual person. It comes from New German Medicine, researched and developed by Dr Hamer.

This is the new paradigm of health and wellness which people like Bruce Lipton, Gabor Maté, Kelly Brogan, Sayer Ji and Bessel van der Kolk are talking about. It’s what I’ve been talking about for years now too. It’s the new biology and it’s what I knew was out there from my late teens when I was told I had an autoimmune disorder. What utter rubbish and the medical answer for ‘we actually don’t know what’s causing this, so we’ll label it autoimmune‘.

The fact is, the body doesn’t attack itself…rather, it’s a biological defence response, because the body is doing its best to help us stay safe and survive in what it perceives to be a threat to our survival. And this is what I’ll be sharing more of…so watch this space.