Physical manifestations in the body from emotional pain
When I first started working with Reiki, I never envisaged myself diving so deeply into this modality and then expanding into Metaphysical Anatomy and more Holistic Healing. It’s funny, the more I read into these subjects, the less I feel I know, it seems endless. I remember the first book that initially inspired me to work in this way, which most of you that know me, know that it’s the Anatomy of the Spirit. I’ve recommended this book to hundreds of people, honestly, I feel everyone should read this book, Caroline Myss, if you’re reading this, HI, I’m one of your biggest fans, and I’m open to taking commissions haha.
The human body fascinates me. It’s so insanely complex, we are literately walking miracles. It is the one vehicle that we rely on every day to get us around, yet the one thing that we often take for granted, mistreat, and abuse. When something in our life needs fixing; the car, the hole in the house roof, the washing machine, we don’t hesitate to pay for the work that needs doing, perhaps begrudgingly, yes, but nevertheless, we pay to get it fixed and working again. Yet, for some people, paying for their own health comes last on their list; choosing the unhealthier food option because it’s cheaper, masking pain with painkillers so as not to miss a days paid work, allowing chronic pain to take over day after day when a simple acupuncture treatment could potentially relieve most of it instantaneously. Surely this is the thing we should invest in the most, as without it, we need nothing else anyway?
What intrigues me the most about pain and disease in our bodies is that the majority of the time, this manifests from an emotional imbalance. This emotional imbalance could be sitting within the body anything from days to years before it manifests as illness. Yes, there are other factors that we have to take into consideration, such as the environment and nutrition, as to take a more holistic approach to what is manifesting in the body, but enquiring into the emotional body, I have found to be the most effective. I passionately believe the more people that are able to work with themselves in this way; the less we would need medical intervention.
I’m going to share one of my personal stories to give you an example of the way we can work in this way. I’ve spent the last three years, on and off, living in Bali. For those that know it well, they will understand that mould is a real issue there, especially in the monsoon season. In Ubud, we’re in the jungle, often living in open spaces, next to rivers and all the nature. As beautiful as this is, it can cause a lot of damp to get into the walls, the bedding, clothing and appliances. Sometimes you can’t even see the damp and mould forming, but it can lay in the walls, unseen. And when living in a home, the smell in the atmosphere is something you may notice initially, but often get used to over time.
My first two stints out in Bali were predominately fun, full of happy moments and adventures and love. Even though I knew mould was present it wasn’t something that affected me in any way. My most recent visit was my longest yet, spending nearly 8 months in a traditional Balinese house overlooking a river, completely open to all of nature’s wonders. The monsoon season was pretty full on, yet beautiful; there’s something about watching the heavy storms and rain from the comfort of your own place.
My experience this time around, however, was rather different, to say the least. I spent quite a lot of time alone, hiding in my cave, diving inwards. I was dealing with deep heartbreak, grief and sadness. I spent months, on and off, processing through my emotional body. However, after a few months had passed, my physical body started to scream out for me to pay attention. After 5 months of living in Ubud I got to the ocean for a week of teaching and decompressing. My physical body finally had a moment to catch up on itself… and here I witnessed the beginning of what I felt to be the final clearing. What started as a day of feeling under the weather quickly turned into a deep and chesty cough, physical heart pain, and tight lungs. The longer I left the cough, the deeper it went. I knew this wasn’t just about the damp and the mould getting into my lungs. Had I not been grieving, the mould probably wouldn’t have affected me as much, however, because there were deep emotions being processed, it made me more oversensitive to the toxins that I was inhaling; mould, pollution and toxins in the air.
There are a few other emotions that can affect the health of the lungs, yet I knew exactly why this was manifesting in my body. The position of the lungs also correlates to the Heart Chakra, so of course, this had to be looked into as well and made complete sense. Acupuncture, herbs, saunas and a short course of antibiotics, (that I had avoided for weeks), were able to relieve some of the pain, however, I knew I had to deal with the root cause of why this was manifesting in the first place. It was my own sadness and grief that I was clearly still holding on to on some level. When I tuned in, it felt like the physical manifestation was the final residue that was remaining from the emotional pain that I had endured. Now I had to muster up any remaining strength I could find within me to let go, clear and heal.
Initially, I had to focus on outside work and helping other people, until I got so sick I ended up in bed for days and weeks on end. I couldn’t push it aside any more. I understood it all and saw that the path that had chosen me was always challenging me, so that I could grow and be in greater service to my students and this work. They say we teach what we need the most, right? They say we need to reach the depths of our own pain and suffering to emerge brighter and stronger than before. We have to go through the pain to grow through it.
Every day I sat with my hands on my chest and did a little more self-enquiry. I visualised Reiki light and healing… I cried when the emotions surfaced, I felt peace in the clearings, I let go a little more each day, it took time, dedication and commitment to self. Patience became one of my biggest teachers.
Feeling the frustrations, but not letting the emotions take over. Rather accepting their presence and thanking them for showing me where I’m at. Understanding that this is just a part of the process and time will be my greatest healer. Also, knowing that healing isn’t a linear journey and will often come in peaks and troughs, and the more I can sit in the spaces of self love and compassion, the more I will discover the wisdom in the unraveling that needs to take place. As always, I’m humbly still learning.
So, why am I sharing this? As I said previously, I’m deeply passionate about this work and sharing the experiences and wisdom as much as possible. It’s an invitation, to you, to do more self-inquiry when physical illness and dis-ease manifest in the body. Instead of reaching for the pain killers, or the addictive tendencies to numb, go internal and ask your body what it needs. When you take the time to enquire you may be surprised with what comes up. Research the metaphysical connection to the pain and see if you can relate to it. Look at your nutrition, your stress levels and your environment. You can also look into your parents and grandparents history because it can also be that you are holding onto emotions from their lineage and even as far back as your ancestors. We are the generation that have come through to heal these wounds and to stop the patterns from playing out in our lives and for our children’s, and their children’s. We now have the knowledge and therefore the power to shift, transmute and heal through the lineages. The more I work in this way with friends, family, clients and myself, the more I’m amazed at the results! For me, this is pure gold!
When I work with clients I take a very holistic approach to my work and so you won’t be receiving just Reiki alone, yet a more in-depth method that could bring great awareness and deeper healing than other traditional methods. If this resonates for you, and you’d like to know more, get in touch, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Love always
x