When I was diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis way back in 1988, my body stopped my life dead in its tracks and said: "Please take care of me or we'll die." So began a very diligent effort to follow my body's messages and to soothe them mentally, emotionally, spiritually as well as physically wherever and whenever I could. All of my moment by moment self-soothing and making peace with visibly red-hot joints and episodes of emotional darkness with help from doctors, western medicine, complementary healing arts and the like, brought forth a sense within me that I was taking care of the pain of generations before me. Over the years of that major health "project" I use to say to people, "I bet you a buck that a lot of people dealing with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases probably experienced some form of abuse as a child." That was pure intuition speaking. And, sure enough, it appears for many folks to be absolutely true.
Science News, February 3, 2007 reports in an article entitled: Child abuse heralds adult inflammation that "New findings from a long-term investigation indicate that child abuse leads to a potentially dangerous disruption of the body's stress response in adulthood." The study participants included 83 individuals who had experienced serious traumas or abuse by the age of 11. Incidents of abuse mentioned were maternal or paternal rejection, physical or sexual abuse, and two or more changes in the child's primary caregiver. This is important information because previously abused individuals showed markedly higher concentrations of two inflammatory substances - C-reactive protein and fibrinogen - than their non-abused peers. And, the abused volunteers' blood also carried elevated numbers of infection-fighting white blood cells.
A side note about child abuse. Back in the early 1900's we know the "experts" advised parents to regularly beat their children so they would not become spoiled and so they could survive in the cruel world. That was the child rearing wisdom of generations even prior to the early 1900's. Late 20th century studies have shown definitively that our psychology affects our biology. In other words, good or bad, our thoughts and feelings can cause harm in the body.
My holistic M.D. used to say to me that my immune system was like a wildly barking guard dog. Even after the threat of intruder has passed and everything should be calm, the guard continues to bark, and bark and bark. The "wildly barking over reactive guard dog" immune system is probably another name for high levels of C-reactive protein and fibrinogen discovered in the recent Science News report.
Why am I mentioning this? Because, you do not have control of your environment when you first come into this world, actually until you leave the house at 18, or sooner for some of us. Every 12-Step program talks about: "The only person you have control over is yourself." Control - as an adult the wind can still blow, the world can fall apart, AND you do have the power to adjust your sails.
What I love about the integrative energy medicine healing art form I share with people in my HOME GUIDE is that no matter how bad your childhood was, by tapping into your body's natural system of healing you can over time "reset the switch" to health and balance again. You can calm down that wildly barking guard dog. I know this from my personal experience. And, the best part when you apply Healing Touch Quick Steps® self-care, old crap from your childhood can be harmonized without you even having to look at it. You just notice one day that you feel emotionally lighter. And, certainly, sometimes the childhood memory still needs to be addressed, for only you and Creator know why. Either way, making peace with your past has a perfect complement in Healing Touch Quick Steps® HOME GUIDE - 42 Powerful Things You Can Do Instantly to Bring Your Body into Harmony® because without that daily energy healing self-help, you can easily get lost in a deep abyss. This energy healing helps to unburden while supporting and uplifting. You can "clean your house" and immediately re-energize your life in the process.
If you want more information about making peace with your childhood demons, you can check out my book: Soul Aerobics® - Conscious Movement of a Soul into Wholeness at Amazon.com or through my website. I encourage you to include some energy healing self-help in your daily life. Everything goes a lot more smoothly when you add your "Big Picture" Self to your "Life Team."
Blessings, Barbara
Copyright (c) 2007 Barbara J. Semple. Entire contents. All rights reserved.
