Have you heard the expression ‘drinking poison and expecting the other person to die’? Typically, the ancient quote refers to strong and unprocessed emotions. While it may not be actual poison, I often see people making choices that either diminish their health and their self-esteem or sabotage their fitness efforts.
I will see this reflected in test results; hormone and neurotransmitter assays show imbalanced ratios from either excesses and deficiencies.
The key element to know and remember is that outside support may help shift numbers but for lasting and substantial change, that must come from within.
What I mean by this is that we can support and nourish the adrenals with nutriceuticals and herbs but without lifestyle changes in habits and ways of perceiving, there will be a rebound towards the same symptoms that brought the individual to my office.
Hormones, neuropeptides, neurotransmitters make up the internal language known as interoception. When we exercise, meditate, sleep, love, work, play, employ bodywork such as reflexology, spend time outdoors and in nature, eat well according to your genes (ask me about genetic testing!) and do appropriate fasting your body can and does heal.
The same hormones and neurotransmitters are at play whether we are happy or miserable. Taking into account their levels and more specifically how we choose our simulated perceptions and predictions will affect our ability to interpret introceptive data.
This is why meditation and fasting is so very important. While we are at our most still state of being, our internal organs are moving just as much as ever! Our heartbeat is steady, peristalsis continues, our liver pulses, our lungs expand and contract, our bladders fill and our brain activity persists.
Mindful proprioception, being consciously aware of our body, can improve well-being by correcting posture, deepening inhales and slowing exhales, and increasing movement (thus exercising).
Doing inner child work, such as my Exon*erate Your Inner Child session examines the genetics and epigenetics of what keeps us feeling locked and blocked.
And let’s go even deeper: what is the fix to our key health concerns? Active principles of the spirit! We can identify when we feel fear, rage, frustration, boredom, etc. How often do we quantitatively identify our feelings of faith, hope, gratitude, fulfillment, courage and equanimity?
The same hormones, neuropeptides and neurotransmitters are on the stage. What this means is that you have the ability to actively choose whether the interoception of a tightening of the jaw and chest, a racing heartbeat and widening pupils will lead you towards an experience of disgust or perhaps the opportunity to try something new, or perhaps the choice of expressing a boundary and many more options of how you can respond to your feelings and thoughts.
Pretty cool and empowering, huh? And yes, this does carry much responsibility but that is where you will find your freedom.
You can love and appreciate every part of you as you are now. You can choose to forgive. You can choose to start anew. You can allow yourself to heal.
