A filter
We are basically a filter
What we eat, see, listen to, surround ourselves with is something that then is filtered through our system.
7 years ago I started on a personal project that meant that every cell in my body would be a renewed or replaced version of what it is today.
I had substantial organ damage and nervous system damage. I was not sure that a brain could be repaired because a GP had told me once we kill the endings to our brain neural pathways, they die and become like a big black patch on a scan. An article here gave me a tiny bit of hope. I think it was in time magazine and perhaps a long article about damage done by toxic overload and malnutrition. It commented on new findings that although the pathways, (like the ends of the branches of a tree) did indeed die, (like a plant when it isn’t watered) but their was still new growth. Old research said that we are given a certain number of brain cells, and these are pruned at birth, adolescence and then as we age, deteriorate. But new finidings found that new neural pathways formed in healthy adults (or children) after brain damage – in different parts of the brain. Much like a plant, new areas would grow around the dead parts. I persisted, because, really, what have you got to lose.
After my first 6 months into a health science degree, I could see how cellular health worked, and its effect on the whole body. A lot of research on cell health showed that the cell wall was a blueprint of our overall health. What happened within the body could be fine tuned down to the health or the integrity of the cell and its wall or membrance.
When spending a significant amount of time in nature and watching plants, mountains and snow, rivers, and also deserts and forests, I realised that our health was much like the planet and when you broke it down, we imitated nature or vice versa. We were integrated with nature in it’s integrity, and everything was a huge filter.
I spent a lot of time working with herbs and supplements to find what worked for me. What I discovered that there were layers of needs to my personal system. In the beginning, I had to work at removing toxins. While these toxins were ‘dumping’ from organs and tissue, but essentially cells, at a base level, I had to support my ‘filters’ and ‘engine’ to carry away the trash.
This involved food, herbs, and water methods such as steam, exercise to sweat out, baths or showers or swimming in nature and sleep as it ‘detoxed’ as it was a heavy load on the system. You will often see people who have been ‘coping’ but stressed, who start to take a health journey, literally swell up or appear to gain weight. They are puffy and bloated. This is a sign that the toxins are being brought to the surface, prior to release through our integumentary system and kidneys and urinary pathways.
I have found that herbs are one of our greatest allies in this detoxification process, because we mimic nature and vice versa. There is the similar energy of requirements of water, sunlight, and oxygen. And good nutrient soil for plants or food as humans. Because of this it is a complementary ‘medicine’ or treatment.
The herbs used to treat detoxification have been around for centuries. As a much older civilisation we can look towards Asian health and their use of natural products. It is also worth noting the body shapes of the two cultures of Europeans (particularly the USA) where medical intervention has been the preferred solution to health woes, and Asia where food and plant medicine plus other detoxification methods to remove waste, is culturally practiced. The American body is overweight, bloated and confused. The traditional Asian body type is refined, taut and astute.
Apart from noticing that the type of treatment evolved as did the health of the body, I also noticed that the demands of the brain changed. We often talk of mindfulness, meditation and relaxation, but when a mind is full of chatter and confusion, this is impossible. In my first few years of detoxification, when new experience occurred, loud music and distraction were required in order to cope with anxiety and overwhelm. 5 years down the track, I could sit in silence, observe life around me and deal with personal situations as they arose. But initially, with the chaos going on inside my body, being still was hard. At this point I discovered journaling. I would just write the confusion out. I put the big jumble of mixed thoughts into words on a page, and left them there and continued with the rhythm of life as it appeared before me.
Another fallacy I discovered was consistency. Some times it was too hard and I needed some junkfood or mindless tv or drama even. Initially, I would feel bad that I had regressed in either exercise or diet mainly or even depression. Over a period of years however, I noticed that the healing was concentric. I got better and better in ever expanding circles, always returning back to me at the center. Images, and words and also the people around me continued to improve, become better quality and look nicer as a ‘journey’. So when a backwards step is taken, even if it is a bad habit of the mind, as long as we review, recenter and reconnect to our purpose of what we want to look like in the future, there is no disconnection to the path. Only human nature and our connection to that, in that, we are linear in a non linear world. That time is not a straight line. ‘
As a woman, and having concern for my appearance and wanting to stay looking young, I was entertained by the ‘US’ version of repair to the body. Injectables, lipo, and organ replacement are very much ‘things’ of the 20th century. See notes botox, lipo and the return to imbalance.
Sculptural massage was the next step in the journey. Working with women tons of experience in their field, I learned that we could ask the body to redistribute fat and we could change the muscular position of our face and our expression. Our ‘expression’ of ourselves is reflected in the clothes we wear, the friends we hang out with, the house we live in and the ‘face’ we show to the world.
A furrowed brow or lined forehead can tell us that a person is often worried or takes life too seriously. A double chin or slack jaw can tell us that a person has given up, has now determination. A tight jaw can tell us that a person is stubborn and finds it hard to change habits. And drooping eyes or hooded eyes can tell us a person sits in sadness or is hiding their thoughts of sadness from the world.
On a massage plane, we can work deeply into the skin layers. There will be more discussion in other articles on the deep layers of fascia in the face, but it is important to note the thoughts that create the expression must be addressed for long term change. In order for transformation to permanent change in body or face, we need to look at the why. And ofcourse introduce the hope, that change is possible, and that change will result in an alternate future.