To Be Healed, or Not to be Healed. That is the Question - by Anita Burns
Of
all the "New Age” practices, healing is undoubtedly one of the most
sought after. With the latter half of the 20th century, came a growing
disillusionment with "traditional” medicine. As the majority of
physicians distanced themselves more and more from any spiritual or
even personal involvement with patients, we became increasingly
uncomfortable with being treated as a "bio-mechanism” and having pills
pushed at us by the handful.
Alternative medicine
and energetic healing, although not practical and effective for all of
our ills—I wouldn’t go to an acupuncturist for a broken arm—give us the
psycho-spiritual element so often missing in our relationship with our
M.D. It also offers us options not available with allopathic medicine
and in the vast load of anecdotal evidence, is often effective where
"medicine” fails. Our migration to embrace alternative medicine, in all
its myriad forms, is so great it amounts to a multi-billion dollar
industry in the U.S. as we continue to seek health.
But what is health and how do we attain it? Health, according to
alternative medical professionals and energetic healers, is more than
the absence of disease. It is an ongoing experience of radiant energy,
vitality, inner joy, and mental/emotional clarity. This involves the
whole body and mind as a symbiotic unit.
Alternative medicine, including herbs, supplements, acupuncture,
naturopathy, homeopathy; disciplines such as yoga, tai chi, chi gong,
massage; and straight energy work, including Reiki, Re Hu Tek, qigong,
and pranic healing, all claim that radiant health is possible. Healers,
healees, and researchers are well-armed with stories and testimonials
of how "healing” works in conjunction with, or in spite of allopathic
treatments.
Yet, we also know many occurrences where the alternative treatment did
NOT work, where nothing we try seems to bring relief. Why? The answer
is complex and varied. Many of the factors involved include:
Karma
Lifestyle
Belief system and subconscious sabotage
Skill level of the practitioner –our expectations
Karma,that New Age buzzword, is the universal law of cause and effect.
It is usually associated, in our minds, with past lives. Although
technically speaking, we can have karma inclusive in one lifetime. It
would take much more space than this article allows to discuss all the
ins and outs of how karma works. But, in relationship to health, the
theory is that we often choose to experience health difficulties
because of a past life deed, or emotional pattern. If this is the case,
we must either learn the lesson involved or continue to suffer through
it until the Karma is balanced.
Perhaps more often, in modern society, our lifestyle prevents vibrant
health. Stress, the great killer, sucks vitality and youth from our
being until we weaken so much, eight hours of sleep are not enough to
replenish it and we constantly run on a negative energy balance. In
this country, the demands of job and family are often more than we, as
humans, were meant to endure.
Our diet plays an important role in the health picture. The modern
Western diet is mostly sugar, fat, salt, and chemicals—as in
cheeseburger, fries, and a soft drink. Most of the food we eat is
processed and devoid of nutrients. As a society, we talk a lot about
eating right, but the lines are still long at the "junk food palaces.”
Many believe also that food must contain "life energy” to properly
nourish the body. Frozen and processed food, they say, is "dead” and
incapable of sustaining health. If we go to a healer, yet continue to
eat dead, nutritionally empty and potentially harmful foods, we will
most likely either not be healed, or return to illness shortly after
the healing.
Belief systems play a part in whether or not we are healed. If we have
serious doubts or fears about the treatment, our own subconscious minds
may sabotage the effectiveness of a healing—sort of a reverse placebo
effect.
With that in mind, why is it that we seem not be totally effective in
using our minds to heal? That gets into another lengthy subject.
However, put simply, it is harder to muster the focus and pure belief
necessary for this to occur. We are mentally complex beings and often
haven’t a clue about what lurks in the deep recesses of our psyche.
The skill level of the practitioner must also be considered with some
healing practices. A novice may not know her/his craft well enough yet
to be as effective as a veteran, skilled practitioner. This isn’t
always the case, but it is something to keep in mind when working with
a healer.
Lastly, I want to address the issue of our role in being healed. So
often, we equate spiritual/energetic healing with allopathic
medicine—give me a magic "pill” and make it all go away. We want to
renounce any role we play in our own healing process. Although the
thought of this is appealing to many, it is not the most effective road
to health. We must also address our willingness to make changes in our
lifestyles, our mental and emotional selves, and to be as open as we
can to receiving the healing in its highest possible expression. When
we are with a healer, focusing on being open to receive the healing in
its greatest capacity will help you receive the best and most from the
session. This is true whether you are receiving acupuncture, taking
herbs, or receiving Re Hu Tek.
Anita Burns and her husband Allen are the developers of Re Hu Tek, a
powerful renewal of an ancient Egyptian healing system that integrates
Earth and Cosmic energies with the power of sound. For more
information, visit www.rehutek.com