Physician Healer
Pain, Growth and Peace
These 3 words at first glance, even to me, seem like such an incongruous connection. No one purposefully wants to experience pain. I see people everyday who want something to be rid of the pain whether it is of mental or physical nature. Peace? I believe we all want some degree of that, though many of us don’t subscribe to a life time of that; most of us feel this is impossible to attain 24/7. Is attaining peace even a goal for most people unless you’re a world leader? And, what about growth? Is this even a thing to aspire towards? You mean, like, grow taller? But, what if we are not kids? What do we need growth for? Are we plants? Isn’t growth like pertaining to a garden or a wart on your skin?
I’ve been immersed in personal development and transformation work for many years now, which stemmed from general restlessness and unhappiness with where I was going with life. I lived with many years of indoctrination by my parents that they were the epitome of what “good parents” should be and behave. And, I bought into that for a very long time. This was pivotal in my perception of self worth growing up into adulthood. If I believed that they were perfection in parent-ism, then if they disapproved of my personality or direction I took in life, then I was a “bad” person by sheer default. I was a “good” daughter until I strayed from their rules and followed the music to my own instrument of choice. Quite the heavy baggage for anyone to carry.
In the present time, I am learning and realizing that all types of pain are meant for us to grow in character, strength, soul and spirit. It is like a raw gem in the rough that is being polished over time, kind of like smooth and round pebbles that have been worked over by the water, sand and gravel over time—hurts at first but makes you shine at the end. Growth is an inevitable consequence of change. You can grow worse or grow better. Like the raw gem, it is important that we remember that we are beautiful as that from the start. Polishing makes us beautiful in different ways.
Peace, along with love and joy, are the elements of states of being, according to spiritual author and lecturer Eckhart Tolle, and do not depend on external factors or outcomes. He also mentions that joy is not synonymous with happiness or excitement. The latter 2 depend on circumstances and are parts of the emotional spectrum, transient in nature, which can fizzle out when the situation no longer holds its magic. This is when people describe a high and then a low.
Peace just exists, flows through us, emerges from us, unassuming, not dependent on any particular reason. It just is. Most would agree that peace is harder to attain than obtaining money. It is much more illusive in some aspects and priceless. No amount of money in the bank can ever deliver peace adequately. It is said that the more you have, the more you are afraid of losing. And yet, none of us even have ownership of the money in the bank, so how do we lose what isn’t really ours? For example, very time we pay a bill or a dinner check, money is lost. By the same token, every time someone purchases your services or products, money is gained. It is in constant flux. If you really think about it, money is constantly on the move. Some have described it as a form of energy and that it is labeled “currency” for that very reason. It is energy that circulates.
Most of us experience pain from time to time, some more than others and is not the same as suffering. Suffering is optional and comes from the incessant mental chatter reminding us about the initial painful event long after it has occurred, sometimes decades past. As much as we tend to avoid pain if possible, it does facilitate change. We learn something new each time. Without adversity pushing us out of the comfort zone, we remain in our old patterns and stories while regressing as the rest of the world moves forward.
We learn lessons effectively through pain. For this reason, growth comes from pain. Since the mind is hardwired for negativity, it doesn’t really need more fuel. Fortunately, it thrives on certain words if selected carefully. I have found it helpful to label all painful processes as “growth periods.” And, if I am confronted with events on any given day that I have labeled as “unpleasant,” I refer to them as “manure” or “compost” that I can use to grow an even more magnificent garden. Try that next time and see how that works for you.
Once the pain is recognized and validated and growth occurs, there is a natural drift back, a return to the present moment with ease, where we can focus our attention to the space we occupy, the space that is all around us. We can become grounded from the experience of simply existing and acknowledge our relationship with the ambient sounds sharing the space with our being. Then at this point, we become aware and welcome the peace and joy that are always with us.
There is still much for me to learn and process regarding pain. Part of the pain is the continuous journey of discovering who I am exactly and the purpose of my existence. For now, it is more than good enough that I am of service to assisting people to heal. Everyday, there is an abundance of lessons that continuously push me to grow. I don’t chase after peace. It isn’t something I can run and go get. It is like trying to capture an animal that is running away from you. Once I sit still for a time, I can locate the peace and almost simultaneously, as I am searching for it, it finds me and emerges through me like a dear friend who never left.
Relaxation and Meditation
1) Find a comfortable place to sit and close your eyes. Take a slow deep breath through the nose or pursed lips and track that breath down into the belly, taking about 5-7 seconds to do so. Then, when you can’t inhale further, release and sigh into the exhale slowly though the mouth, taking about 5-7 seconds to do so while visualizing pushing your belly towards the spine. Repeat 2-3 more times or more if desired.
2) Begin accessing the Meridian end point areas by applying gentle repetitive pressure or tapping on both sides of the chest (framed by the collarbone, breast bone and where the shoulder attaches to the body), brows near the forehead (where the eyebrows begin), corner of the eyes (bony socket) and under the eyes (cheek bones) by going in the order presented or whatever you feel comfortable with. For more Meridian areas and ideas, please refer to previous issues, the diagrams below and the Physician Healer YouTube discussion/tutorials.
3) The following intentional statements can be said out loud or silently while doing number 2)
—Why is my entire body so relaxed now no matter what happens?
—Why is it so easy for me to release all my heaviness no matter what happens?
—Why am I able to let go of all problems no matter what happens?
—Why are so many incredible things happening in my life no matter what happens?
—Why is it so easy for me to release all frustrations no matter what happens?
—Why is everything working out for me so magically no matter what happens?
—Why is my mind so clear and focused no matter what happens?
—Why do I feel so peaceful no matter what happens?
—Why does noise no longer bother me no matter what happens?
4) Repeat the breathing exercises in 1) while accessing any of the Meridian points or with your hands relaxed on your lap. Open your eyes slowly when you are ready to start the day or if it is night time, just lie down and go to sleep.
Please check out the YouTube video below, as well as the diagrams for illustration of the Meridian points.
Thank you for reading. If you found this article helpful in anyway, please remember to let me know in the COMMENT section, LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE to this free weekly newsletter if it was meaningful for you or your loved ones.
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Until next time, may you all be blessed with an abundance of love, joy, and peace.
With lots of love and gratitude,
Celeste Amaya, MD
