Introduction
Personal Healing Myth

Personal Healing Myth

Personal Myth:

A strong experience that may create a pattern that tends to repeat itself.

Personal Example:

I remember being very sick when I was in grade five. I vomited out the contents of my stomach, then wretched up bile and then had the dry heaves. It feels now like I was mostly alone. I did not go to the doctor. The only medicine I remember taking was some ginger ale.

I am sharing this with you to illustrate how it possibly shaped my personal myth around healing. Let's analyze it for fun and learning. Firstly, I was alone, so I obviously started developing the philosophy of self-healing. Secondly, the illness followed its own course, therefore since I got better I learned to trust in the healing power of my body.

The only medicine I used was Ginger Ale which is an herbal beverage. Ginger is an herb that I still like to use, although now I take Ginger tincture or strong Ginger tea. Ginger links many of us to our childhoods. That powerful childhood experience probably influenced my interest in herbs. More healing experience memories may present themselves at another time, but for now I will work with the one my memory offered.

"The Child is father of the Man" William Wordsworth

Do This!

Exercise 2 • Healing Myth

Recall your earliest memory of being ill.

• What was the illness like?
  
  
• What was going on in your life at the time?
  
  
• Who was with you?
  
  
• Where were you?
  
  
• How were you treated?
  
  
• How did you get better?

This may have set up a pattern for getting sick and how you deal with sickness. Think about other times that you have been sick. See if they have any similarities to the one you just recorded.

Pay attention to all of the different factors involved the next time you get sick. If you notice a pattern you may want to do something different with it, or at the very least follow the process with more awareness.

Childhood Dream:

A strong recurring dream or strong memory that affected us during our childhood.

Some may have been disturbing while others may have been exhilarating.

Do This!

Exercise 3 • Childhood dream

Reflect back to your early childhood to find the first strong dream that you remember. Mine is " I am sitting in a very large building. It is dim in the building. I sit on the ground. A huge rope hangs down and swings hypnotically, back and forth." The strong part of the dream is the feeling that it evokes. I loved and feared that dream as it repeated itself often during my childhood.

When you have found your dream or memory spend time meditating on it. Maybe draw it, preferably in colour (big crayons are great) and write down any important words that capture the energy of the dream. Meditate on it again and pay attention to any feelings it evokes. Expand those feelings into small movements. Slowly increase the movements by increasing their range and tempo to the extent that is comfortable. Movement is challenging but often rewarding. If you have a willing partner then discuss the dream with them.

• Draw your childhood dream:

Introduction
Personal Healing Myth