Sunday, December 13, 2009

Have you tried....

Often, when I explain my disabling condition to others, they immediately chime in with
"Have you tried _____________ ?". I understand that they think they are being helpful. Underneath the helpfulness is a common misconception: Somehow, by being chronically ill, I have failed. Failed to "accept healing", failed to "allow myself to be well", failed to "do what the Dr. tells me", failed to "find the right healer". Endless assumption of failure. In reality, my chronic illnesses is not a failure.

Especially in New Age circles, there is this idea that some one who is sick is somehow "giving themselves a lesson", they are "thinking the wrong thoughts", they are "not accepting THE LIGHT".
These ideas and assumptions of the sickness ( and death) as failures are actually toxic. They are of no value to the sick and the dying. These ideas allow people to ignore what really happening right here, right now. In other words this way of thinking is a form of avoidance of suffering.

There is a wonderful essay explianing these misconceptions entitled Spiritual Healing, Holistic Healing and the White Light Fascists by Caitlin MacKewen. It's in a book called Stricken: voices from the hidden epidemic of chronic fatigue syndrome by Peggy Munson. (I have it pictured in the Amazom.com sidebar here on this blog.)

In a future blog, I will list all the healing techniques I have tried in my journey toward wholeness.

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