Disease as Teacher

          Have you ever considered that the illness or disease which is currently plaguing you, is nothing more than an unwelcome guest that has arrived in your life? Of course you have, who would welcome this condition into their life? The thing is, if we sit down with this unwelcome visitor with an open mind, offer it a cup of tea and a visit, metaphorically speaking, we may learn what brought it into our life. Stay with me here…

          A few weeks ago my condition of Trigeminal Neuralgia started acting up. Trigeminal Neuralgia is common for people who have MS and it can be mind-numbingly painful. It is managed with a variety of heavy medications, all of which serve to dull the mind in one way or another. This time I decided to follow Gabor Maté’s advice and I literally made a cup of tea and sat down with it and asked my pain, “What are you here to teach me?” The answer came immediately, loud and forceful in my mind came the shout, “SLOW DOWN!” I like to think that what I did next would make Maté proud: I set down my tea, lay down on the couch, pulled a blanket over me and lay there for three days. I also asked a friend who is an energy healer and who trades healing sessions with me, to have a “look” at my trigeminal nerve.

          To cut a long story short the Trigeminal Neuralgia usually lasts 4-6 weeks for me. This time it lasted 3 and I was immediately able to cut my medication down to a level which dulled the pain and did not make me resemble a zombie. I was still able to counsel a few clients in between my nap sessions. Slowing down meant letting house and garden chores slide and staying offline with my blog (in case anyone was wondering where I had gotten to). So thanks to listening to my disease and following its advice, and thanks to my energy healer friend, I am back at work.

          Are you willing to make a metaphorical cup of tea (or a real one) for your unpleasant visitor and ask it what it has to teach you? Comment below.