What Mechanism Makes Healing Work?

True healing is more than relaxation, it is also releasing issues, themes and the identification with them.

Healing has a very different approach than regular care:

Our regular medicine works effectively with targeted interventions for a clear problem with a clear solution. Knowledge of anatomy, chemistry and biology is indispensable.

In a healing the body itself indicates what is needed. We look at imbalance and overall well-being, and put body and mind in a better condition to resolve the situation on their own.

As a practitioner I pay attention to the underlying “energy” from which everything arises. When blockages occur in the energy flow, this reinforces our issues, stuck emotions, and (physical) complaints. The focus of the treatment is to harmonize these blockages, which transforms into relaxation and reduction of complaints. The body follows the change.

Ultimately, this reminds us of a pure original state, and thus provides awareness.

From a Medical Perspective

How healing works can’t be determined yet within the biological/medical model.

However, the subsequent effects are well understood.

Our body is made to repair itself, but it doesn’t always have the chance to do so. When you are in stressful situations, many functions are inhibited, such as:

• Repair work
• The immune system
• Digestion
• Clear thinking
• Reproduction
• Non-critical organs

All energy is focused on the panic situation, whether imagined or real. Prolonged stress thus leads to symptoms of illness, which the body would normally have been able to solve by itself.

Stress gives your body the instruction: forget everything else, because this situation is more important!

Only when you really relax can the body continue its recovery. An important effect of the treatment is the stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which starts this process.

In case of prolonged stress, our body adapts itself. There are adjustments in the brain, DNA and our metabolism. This results in elevated cholesterol levels and chronic inflammation, among other things. Conversely, mind-body interventions reverse these adaptations. This partly shows the power of meditation, mindfulness, Yoga and Reiki.

Emotions as a Force?

The brain functions that process emotion also regulate many automatic body functions. Constant thoughts and emotions with a negative charge also lead to stress reactions in the body. These include worrying, gloomy feelings, fear, tension, anger, bitterness, hatred, envy, jealousy, disapproval and trauma.

When these negative feelings are generated continuously or are present for long periods of time, they accumulate and undermine our health. This can be seen, for example, in:

• Pressure to perform at work.
• Arguments at home.
• Repressed or unprocessed events.
• Traumatic experiences.
• Daily actions that result from negatively charged thoughts or emotions.
• Always pretending that all is well and positive.
• Extreme striving to create a good image.
• Please-behaviour; making everyone happy.
• Constantly believing you’re not good enough.

This is one of the reasons why it is so important to unload and relax, to be able to see yourself gently and lovingly. Because real positive emotions work the other way around: love, connection, security, compassion and kindness promote health. It is why the basic therapeutic attitude is very important in this release process, which is further reinforced by the healing.

Literature

Stress isn’t just psychological: it also has actual physical effects. The following articles explain this further:

• Meditation and yoga can ‘reverse’ DNA reactions which cause stress, new study suggests (Coventry University / Radboud University)
• Harvard neuroscientist: Meditation not only reduces stress, here’s how it changes your brain (The Washington Post)
• What does stress to do our body and brain? (Psychologie Magazine, in Dutch)
• Connection between stress and physical complaints (dokterdokter.nl, in Dutch)