Many of us put the care of our bodies and well-being into the hands of another, for example, by allowing ourselves to be passive recipients of our doctors’ care. It is easy to abdicate our role in decision-making if we have been taught that the doctor is in charge. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By tapping into our own resources—our “4 H’s” of “head,” “heart,” “hand,” and “hunch”— we can become empowered patients, actively involved in our own health. “Whole person healing” encourages us to use thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting strategies to keep the body in a healthy balance.

   The mind can be a powerful tool. You can engage the power of your mind to listen to, comfort and de-stress your body. You can replace language that emphasizes lack, like “I can’t,” with empowering statements such as “I can, I choose, I have.” Research shows that affirmative language and an attitude of gratitude has positive effects on our well-being. Using your mind to this end is a choice that will give you many rewards. It can help you take initiative as a patient, whether in asking your doctor questions or making decisions about your health care. After all, what course of action you take is your legal responsibility, not your doctors’.          

 Respecting the emotions of the “heart” is another helpful way to promote wellness. The connection between emotional stress, physical symptoms, and illness has been understood for centuries. When the physical body provides clues about emotions, through “heart-felt” feelings and “gut” reactions, pay attention. Allow your body to share its wisdom. If you reflect on your body’s message in a non-judgmental or meditative way, you may discover insights that will contribute powerfully to healing and you will become healthier in the fullest sense of the word.

 Putting these ideas into practice is the kind of “hands-on” healing your body craves. Grounding and relaxation exercises, professional bodywork, and of course, breathing, can help you remove negative, toxic energy. Guided visualizations can help you feel more peaceful, and help you become aware, gently, of some of the fears that you have been absorbing.

 Finally, tap into your spirit with prayer and meditation, allowing the energy of the universe to sustain and guide you. Finding your center, your connection between heaven and earth, helps you to live more fully, and thus, more healthily.

 Use your intuition—any “hunches” you may have about your health or healing—to your advantage. Never dismiss them. Always speak up when you think your body is giving you some kind of message.  Pay attention to your dreams. Respect the sensations of your body. You know yourself the best, so if your body is trying to communicate to you, listen.

 The “4H’s” of health can help you participate and direct your own healing and health. Why leave it all to someone else?    

Puja will be teaching Head, Heart, Hand, and Hunch: Whole Person Healing   at SUNY New Paltz Lifetime Learning Institute this fall (Two 4-week classes) starting September 25^th 09.

For those struggling with illness, Puja also highly recommends: Unconditional Healing: Embracing Illness and Discovering One’s True Self With Jeff Rubin at Sky Lake Lodge, Rosendale Sept. 11-13^th  programs@sky-lake.org /845-658-8556