“I want to go back to how I was before this happened.”
“My body never used to do this/act this way.”
“I want my body back.”
“I miss my old body.”
“I want to be myself again.”
Do any of those sound familiar? I think we’ve all said one or more of them before, but has it ever struck you as strange? If you think about it, each of these sentences seem to imply the same two things-
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That our real identity is somehow frozen in time- we identify more with a past version of ourselves more than our current self
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A desire to “go back in time”
Doesn’t this seem contrary to the essence of human existence?
Healing
/ˈhēliNG/
noun
the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again.
“the gift of healing”
adjective
tending to heal; therapeutic.
“a healing experience”
Really, I think it’s unfair to expect your body to revert back to it’s previous form. Even if you hadn’t gotten sick your body would have continued to age and change, your brain would have continued to learn from previous experiences. Keep in mind also, that you may be capable of so much more than the previous you accomplished- why stop there? Maybe you didn’t feel compelled to care about health before, but now you dream of writing a healthy cook book or participating in a triathlon. To aim for a previous version of your existence is to rob yourself of a new one. Possibly a better one.
I think healing is more of a journey than we give it credit for (cliche, I know). It’s not about “getting your body back”; it’s about becoming something new. It’s about growth. Imagine you are the star of your life’s movie- what would be more compelling and inspiring to watch? A hero who faces an obstacle, overcomes it, and goes back to being the exact same person they were before? Or a hero who faces an obstacle, overcomes it, learns from it, and becomes a better, kinder, stronger, healthier person?
If you’d like to cast me as the healer/doctor in the second movie, please feel free to call my office and ask for my acting resume. It’s very short…
(Laughter therapy- Warning: Language)
If you are ready to begin a journey of self-discovery and true healing, I encourage you to reach out to my office in Chapel Hill, NC at 919-238-4094.
Wishing you profound growth,
