Allowing vs Controlling – Attitude in Health and Healing

A human being is a multi-dimensional, complex system of systems consisting of over 70 trillion individual cells.  This rather simple representation of a complex system may help illumine and enable informed decision making for improved quality of life. 

Recognizing that, in solution, a cell can make only one of three simple choices:

• move towards something,
• move away from something or
• remain neutral. 

Now, if you, for a moment, could see yourself in this simple light – as one organism, made up of 70 trillion cells, you may discover that decision-making is a lot simpler than you previously thought – much like the childhood game of Red Light, Green Light.

To operate from this somatically-anchored, embodied information system requires training and continued practice. By tuning in and listening attentively to what you are experiencing, in the moment, in your body is to cultivate an inner communications system. In the process, you discover means and ways to avoid pain and suffering that results from not heeding the early warning signs you may have at first ignored, tried to suppress or failed to notice.

What’s at Stake?

Stress, illness or disease consume life force energy otherwise available for growth. Repeated incidents or chronic stress deplete your energy reserves leading to inflammation and dis-ease due to a weakened, compromised immune system.

Keeping the Immune System Strong

The immune system, when healthy, protects us from internal threats like bacterial or viral infection. When activated – the expression of the system’s attack against an invading pathogen, the immune system as the body’s protective system, consumes much of our available energy supply, leaving us feeling wiped (think of the experience of influenza or bacterial pneumonia etc).

Both the stress response, the body’s defence system activated in response to real or perceived external threats and the immune system, the body’s protective system, activated to protect you from invading pathogens tie up and consume the body’s energy reserves.

Learning how to de-stress and developing coping skills is critical to managing energy supply. When threatened by fears, real or imagined, anticipated loss, failure, accidents, unwanted challenges, harassment etc, your system automatically activates the stress response, drawing down, tying up and depleting available energy resources leaving the protective immune system more and more vulnerable to pathogenic invaders.

Awareness – the Greatest Agent for Choice

Understanding the body’s defensive and protective systems and how they work, offers insight into how to help the system sustain equilibrium – health.

The foundational practice, I learned and teach my coaching clients and students of Therapeutic Touch® is Centering. Centering consciousness brings us into the neutrality of the present moment, where anything is possible. Centering is defined as:

• The act of bringing the body, mind and emotions to a quiet, focused state of consciousness
• Achieving inner quiet to connect with our inner core of wholeness and stillness.
• A stable personal reference point, that is experienced as calm, alert, open and receptive; awareness without thought.
• Has a rippling effect on the system as a whole, builds a sense of openness and coherence.

It is through the act of centering consciousness that we come into the eternal NOW. Centering is an experience of expansive, timeless awareness of the world as one, interconnected whole.  It is this experience of Oneness that creates the conditions for healing to occur, activates a relaxation response and facilitates a shift from ego-consciousness experienced as controlling to eco-consciousness – experienced as allowing.

Allowing vs Controlling

The attitude of allowing is marked by an opening to possibilities; a surrender of control and release of tension, and an opening to trust. It’s what we see happening and experience in a Therapeutic Touch healing session. What it takes, is an intentional shift of consciousness on the part of the Therapeutic Touch practitioner who, centred in compassion for the healing partner,  co-creates the conditions for healing – for coming into right relationship – a movement towards wholeness and balance for the individual receiving a session.

From the tightness and suffocation that comes from wanting to be in control, of wanting so badly to do it right; to be the best; to be right; to be acknowledged, heard, admired, approved of by others…to be seen and held up as a shining example of something – of anything, no matter how mundane to…. something so much simpler – to just being, breathing deeply, accepting and loving myself for who I am and what I am experiencing in this moment.

Love alone is capable of uniting living beings
in such a way as to complete and fulfill them,
for it alone takes them and joins them
by what is deepest in themselves.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Right Relationship Heals

As you, as healing partner feel accepted by the Therapeutic Touch practitioner   or you, as coaching client feel respected, appreciated  by your coach who holds a safe space for you to come home to yourself….you realize that you have a choice.

In fact, it’s in making choices that are right for you, whereby you harmonize and strengthen your immune system and learn to manage your stress response more and more effectively.

Directing your energy to take inspiring, empowering, action that’s in your own best interests puts you in the “driver’s seat of your life”, with you taking responsibility for the choices you make and developing self-accountability. And in so doing, you begin to accept and love yourself, giving yourself permission to enjoy the experience of what it is to be you right here, right now without judgment or commentary for it’s the only way you’ll know, definitively, what works – for you!

Hallelujah!