11. The Six Levels of Healing
Before we are able to take the first step on the path to self-healing, we must create an environment and space (both externally and internally) to support our inner journey. This topic naturally follows on from the previous blog and vlog - ‘The Role of the Nervous System in Healing’ – which discusses the essential role of the Parasympathetic Nervous System in the healing process. Make sure you read that article before this one.
The six fundamental levels of Daoist Medicine healing are:
Safety
Establishing a deep sense of safety around and within yourself is the first step in healing. If you’re feeling exposed, vulnerable and unprotected, the process of exploring the deeper waters of dis-ease and trauma can be overwhelming and have a negative effect on your emotional and mental health. This step involves creating a space that feels protected with no pressure to be anything other than yourself. This can mean scheduling time that is free from obligations and creating a physical space that is free of excess stimulation and that supports your intention. Just as a pub or bar would not be a good environment for addressing alcoholism, a house in the city that is surrounded by restaurants, bars, cafes, tempting treats, excessive social interactions and stressful situations will not be conducive to healing. We don’t, however, always have the option to just run away from our current situation and start afresh, so remember not to rush this step, work with what you have and approach it with patience and loving kindness.
Quiet the mind
Once you have established a deep sense of safety it’s time to quieten the mind. To do that it’s necessary to reduce sensory over-load be it in the form of communication, work, entertainment etc. Some classic examples of sensory over-load include social media, loud music, violent films/tv series, working long hours with little rest and reduced sleep. These lifestyle habits have a strong impact on our ability to feel safe (the first level of healing) and our ability to turn the volume down in our minds (the second level of healing) so we may feel more (the third level of healing).
Feeling
When we quieten the mind, we start to develop the ability to listen to our bodies on a much deeper level. This step is not about “feeling better” it’s about “feeling more” and expanding awareness of our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. If your goal is just to “feel better” it is easy to be tempted by quick fixes (a symptom-based approach). “Feeling more” however brings about wisdom and deep healing (a root cause approach). During this stage of healing we start to touch on subtler layers of understanding and clarity around our habits, constructive and destructive thought patterns and how situations/people/lifestyle choices are impacting on us.
Sacredness
Once we learn to observe and hold space for what we feel, rather than reacting impulsively and unconsciously we can move into the next level of healing which is sacredness. The process of developing sacredness involves being able to feel the “issue” and relax and accept the presence of that “issue” while not creating additional tensions and blockages around the issue. A prime example of how we sometimes create additional tension and stress around an issue is the act of worrying. Rather than worrying, which takes us out of the present moment and projects us into the realms of negative hypothetical future situations, it is far better to ground oneself in objectivity and take appropriate action or inaction (無為 wuwei effortless and attentive action/inaction). As one relaxes, perceived issues/tensions/blockages also relax, allowing energy to be released and flow more freely. This process leads to …
Surge
Surge occurs once we have truly embodied the healing level of sacredness. Not dis-similar to holding your hand in a fist behind your back all day, we all have blind spots to the tensions and blockages in our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. When we discover these tensions and dissolve our perception of the tensions as issues or problems, they become treasure. We are able to feel, accept and embrace them. And as we loosen our “grip” and they dissolve we feel a surge of energy. This is a very cathartic stage in the healing process.
Integration
The final stage of healing is integration. This stage can take the longest to implement. It involves deep reflection and growing wisdom to not re-create similar experiences and conditions in one’s life. It involves lovingly addressing your habits, lifestyle, relationships and constant gentle tending of your inner garden.
As we tend to each of these levels with tenderness, compassion and gratitude for their lessons, our awareness, inner harmony and healing deepen and strengthen. What were once issues, now float into your life and out of it, like clouds in the sky. You are more able to observe them, acknowledge them but not be pulled into them or so strongly affected by the emotional “weather". By allowing the clouds to be just clouds we don’t give them power and thus avoid building unnecessary physical tension, mental suffering and emotional hurt. This is what allows the space for deeper knowing and wiser solutions to arise and for us to start dealing effectively with root causes.
If you are interested in learning more on this topic we explore it in more depth in both of our online courses ‘The Fundamentals Of Qigong - An Integrative Approach’ and ‘The Dao of Self-Healing’ as well there are lots of simple practical tools to integrate these strategies into your everyday life.
