I have been a ‘healer’ since 1992. This has meant different things at different times along my journey. I became involved, interested in holistic medicine in college. Mostly it was food driven, what I wanted to put in my body. I soon realized that food was a medicine. At this time I became an on again off again non meat eater. Mostly off. Newly married in 1973, soon after I healed a reoccurring skin aliment of childhood eczema through nutrition. As my first marriage dissolved into divorce I learned the role emotions play in our health and wellness. Through this journey of awareness into the 80’s I became a serious student of energy medicine. Along came New Thought, power of the word, and confidence. In the early 90’s came the certifications, classes, schooling, precancer, my first healing center, falling in love with my husband. In the later 90’s my personal relationship with God blossomed, terms like multidimensional, spiritual and innate landed, more study and I became an ordained interfaith minister in 1997. I feel I am a minster first, always. No matter what I am doing, I am ministering to others through my faith in God.
This paragraph is an excerpt from my upcoming book:
“I detest labels. Growing up in a home where labels were worshipped, I realized at an early age that their only purpose was to divide, never to unite. I have been called an empath, healer, intuitive, artist, channeler, transition doula, a Shaman, weird, clairvoyant, clairaudient, claircognizant, a medium, a Reiki Master, counselor, guru, teacher, an H.S.P. (Highly sensitive person), multi-dimensional, a master energy practitioner, psychic, and I imagine even others after I have left the room. My blessings are also my curse. I dislike the term sensitive. And, I say it often to describe myself, for many times words fail a cosmic association. In our humanness I feel it is associated with downfall, weak and a negative connotation. Once a loved one thought I must be very anxious, for they felt it went along with being sensitive. This is not true. Being open, being sensitive to the energy of people, things, experiences is a blessing, for it makes me very good at my work – yet its nature is I require equal downtime, rest and renewal.”
This introduction brings me to today. In my life I have had a few (major) physical healing journeys, the most recent is in the present. I think of each of them as an immense gift. (Migraines, Pre cervical-cancer, frozen shoulder, severe cut on tendon and joint of finger, digestive issues.) I call them healing journeys, for I went against the mainstream norm and took the inner path and chose holistic support instead. I refused suggested surgeries or allopathic medications. They each healed.
The present issue has been digestive issues. There was pain, ache, discomfort, what is called GERD, acidic belly. One day all my covid emotional eating caught up with me (Please know I eat well anyways, so my covid eating does not look too destructive, but being highly sensitive, a little affects me greatly.) Overnight, literally one morning after I had had pain in my upper belly, bowel discomfort for a week, and acidic taste in mouth – I went on a high alkaline diet. I stopped, all at once; coffee, any caffeine, alcohol, *processed foods, breads, cheese, (I ate WAY too much cheese), dairy, meat and only ate (everything cooked very soft) vegetables, maybe an apple or banana, and white rice, white potatoes and sweet potatoes. (*And sometimes saltines for the crunch. I love a good crunch and raw food was not working well for me.) I went to my chiropractor, had / are having weekly acupuncture, my healer and asked for prayer. I am 98 % better. I recently had my yearly physical with the medical world and shared all my symptoms and was told to continue doing what I was doing. No need for tests. All my blood labs are good, BP excellent. Nothing out of order was found.
For my husband and son it is going to a doctor or over the counter med when an issue arrives, and this works for them. For me, I believe our bodies are Divine and can and DO come back to balance when we pay attention to its wisdom and listen. I stopped listening through this past year. I learned I felt sorry for myself, through this covid experience. My work & home life changed drastically. I thought I had faced it, talked about it, honored it when it happened, but I have learned that I was carrying resentment. My body was carrying it. I clearly saw how I was emotionally eating, and through this not really listening, or I refused to listen to the signs because food was joy – and I felt joy had been taken from me – and I was obviously going to get it where I could.
At this time when my symptoms peaked and I became scared enough to make changes, I had JUST two weeks before completed my first book manuscript, sent it to the editor and my son, who had just moved to the west coast was experiencing severe symptoms and under going testing. I was also very full each morning (one to three hours) doing distant healing work on people, payer work and tears for my child.
When I had stopped to go within, I discovered that most of my pain was in an inflamed spleen. Chinese medicine is my choice, and I learned all about the spleen and the spleen meridian which answered every single one of my symptoms, including post nasal drip, dry mouth and mouth tingling! I also learned that the spleen houses the ‘YI’, which relates to thinking, studying, directness, mental focus, determination, drive, concentration. All these attributes pretty much sums me up. And with my book and healing work load, my acupuncturist and I agree; I wore my spleen out. Depleted.
I also was being totally a covid sludge. No movement at all. That has changed too. I am a big yard and gardener, so I know that will shift as warmth comes to New England, but I HAD to find ways to move now.
My diet continues to be ‘rigid’. Plant based. I have added celery juice with half an apple, parsley and ginger in the AM. I drink ONLY herbal tea and high alkaline water. I take a gut lining renewal aid. My stomach gets full VERY quickly and I eat maybe a 1/4 of what I use to. I only eat halve banana, not a whole. I have added legumes. (God bless the perfect lentil.) All food warmed except my morning celery juice. My goal is to enjoy a glass of wine, raw foods, salad and eat fish. But for now, my spleen still chats every now and then. It is no longer inflamed, but it knocks slightly to let me know it is there and still needs special love.
This kind of eating is not new to or for me. BUT, with feeling sorry for myself, eating what I know is not good for me, working intensely for my clients, pushing to get my book done, and lack of any exercise – I failed my body.
At almost 67 I am not on any medications and I do feel very good about that. This experience, when these self healing experiences happen, the God sent reminder is I know what I know, what I teach others, do for others, WORKS. What I BELIEVE works. We know this on an intellectual level, I stand firmly in my faith, but to be in the position of SEEING and feeling it all work, that the truths I live by are awesome – magnifies my faith and instills in me more confidence and gratitude. For this I have the deepest appreciation.
with great love,
Deborah
www.deborahevanshogan.org