|
The Excitement of the Search -
Looking for the Self Behind the Symptom
By
Judith Hendin, Ph.D., N.M.T.
Page 5
Several Selves (cancer)
In cases of cancer, several selves behind the symptom overlap.
Though I draw on only a tiny sample, for the cancer clients I have
worked with, there is always a disowned self that needs to come
through in everyday life, a wounded Child that needs to heal a childhood
trauma, and some aspect of instinctual energy.
Take the example of Samantha who had spontaneously developed a
form of leukemia and was expected to die within two weeks. She had
a history of childhood trauma. Samantha began to speak about the
rest she was looking forward to in heaven.
“Rest from what?” I asked.
“From answering the phone all the time, being there for people
day after day. It’s just too much.” (Do you hear the
Caretaker, with overtones of Responsible and Pleaser?)
“You think you get relieved of this when you go to heaven?”
I retorted.
“Oh no, you mean I don’t?” and with this, she
toppled over from where she had been sitting in bed, aghast that
her Caretaker responsibilities might follow her.
“I don’t know. But I know that you could look at the
issue here, in life. You don’t have to answer the phone. You
don’t have to take of people all the time.”
“Really?”
We spoke for a quite a long time after that about other worries
she had, ways she was just “sick” of being, and she
understood she was under no obligation to continue those ways. In
other words, she could unhook from these primary selves. She lived
for several months after this, though she did not pursue counseling
to assist her in continuing to unhook from these selves in her.
Patterns:
Did Symptoms Heal?
I statistically analyzed data from clients over a ten-year period.
This study tracked to completion 144 of 223 presenting symptoms.
Those for which I do not know the healing results were workshop
participants with whom I had no contact after the workshop or clients
who opted out of sessions. At the time I did not know this analysis
lay ahead and the concomitant value of following up on results.
The main categories in this analysis are:
- Healing - healing occurred.
- Cyclical – healing occurred, then the symptom reappeared
within a period of time of several days to several months.
- Improvement – In the client’s words, such as
“I feel better,” there was improvement.
- No change.
- Don’t know.
Of the symptoms tracked to completion, results showed 63% of the
clients healed, 12% had cyclical results, 10% noticed improvement
and 15% did not notice any change. Some of these 15% are still working
with their bodies after months and years, and learning volumes.
If we look at the entire sample, the healing percentages decrease.
In other words, if none of the 79 people we did not track experienced
healing, the frequency of healing would drop to 41%, etc. Still,
we would be happy with those results. But we are overjoyed at the
63% healing, as well as cyclic and improvement results that occurred
in the 144 symptoms that were tracked.
Did Symptoms Heal?
| |
Number
of cases
|
% of 144 symptoms tracked to completion |
% of 223, whole sample |
| Healed |
91 |
63% |
41% |
| Cyclical |
17 |
12% |
7% |
| Improvement |
14% |
10% |
6% |
| Includes 1 Extended Life |
1 |
|
|
| No |
21% |
15% |
9% |
| Don't Know |
79 |
|
37% |
| |
|
|
|
| Totals: |
223 |
100% |
100% |
How Long Did Healing Take?
If we look at the 91 people above who healed with this work, we
can then ask, “For these, how long did the healing take?”
In just over half, healing occurred in a single session. 10% took
two or three sessions, another 4% took four to six sessions, about
20% took more than that. Some of these lengthier healing trajectories
took years.
How Long Did Healing Take?
# of Sessions to Healing
|
Number of Clients |
% of People Who Got Healing |
| 1 |
50 |
55% |
| 2 |
5 |
5% |
| 3 |
5 |
5% |
| 4 |
1 |
1% |
| 5 |
2 |
2% |
| 6 |
1 |
1% |
| several |
19 |
20% |
| unclear |
8 |
9% |
| Totals |
91 |
98% |
Quantitatively we can isolate certain types of people who heal quickly
with this work. First, individuals familiar with Voice Dialogue
and the reality of selves easily transition to this work. Second,
participants in a workshop benefit from intense immersion in the
world of selves and the power of group support. Third, people experienced
in the arts, particularly the performing arts, are already fluent
in the language of energies; dancers, musicians and actors do well
with this work. Fourth, willingness factors in; many individuals
who do not fall into these types have done powerful, effective healing
work. Brave souls create miracles.
Those that have more trouble are people who identify strongly with
the Rational Mind, including knowledge of psychology, traditional
medicine or alternative medicine. Their “Thinkers” think
they have the answers and weave the most convincing explanations
– I know, because I did for years. I would sit with a client
and together we would “brain out” the Self Behind the
Symptom, and then we would go into the body-psyche just to verify
our premise. In every case, we were mistaken, and what actually
came up was so much richer and textured and made us exclaim, “Yes,
that’s it.”
For further information
Visit: consciousbody.com,
Call: 610.330.9778,
Or contact: Judith Hendin at Judith@consciousbody.com.
__________________
Contents
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
__________________
|
