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Steps of Healing
The Labyrinth Path
This page will describe the first 5 steps of healing on the Labyrinth Path. The Labyrinth Path begins with healing techniques that are not harmful in any way, and then as the steps go on, there is more potential for harm.
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Step 0 ~ To actively Do Nothing
The first step on this path is actually called Step 0.
This is an important step, and it is very underused. Often, it is not even considered to be a healing step unless someone is very ill. This step gives your body a chance to fix itself.
During the times when you are able to relax and let go of your mental chatter, your body is able to work on healing. Your nervous system switches from the 'sympathetic nervous system' work (or fight or flight) to the 'parasympathetic nervous system' (rest and digest"). The only way to turn the 'Rest and Digest' healing aspect of your nervous system on, is to turn off the 'Fight or Flight' aspect of your nervous system. The two symptoms cannot work at the same time. So, when you do not take time off thinking about your bills, or what to feed the kids for dinner, etc, you are not allowing your body the needed time to heal.
If you are getting good sleep, this is a time that your body will be able to work on it healing.
Some step 0 choices:
Unplugging the phone
Turning off the radio and tv
Do not look at a clock
Spend some time in silence.
With all of these steps, you will be setting a time limit that you believe will be appropriate for you. These can be changed as necessary.
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Step 1 ~ Collect Information
This is an interesting step to me. There are 2 types of information that you will be collecting. These type's are rational and irrational information.
Rational
This is information that you would collect from your Doctor, Telehealth Ontario, medical textbooks, or reputable sites on the internet, and it is regarding the problem that you are experiencing. I like to try to stick with University sites for information. This is important information because it deals with the physical problem that you are experiencing. It helps to give you an insight into how your body is functioning. Also, you would be collecting information on your physical symptoms.
Irrational
This type of information is called irrational because it will vary from person to person. If I have a condition, and you have the same condition, they will likely mean different things to each of us. This information is collected through divination or connection with God, or your higher self, your Creator, however you feel would work the best for you.
Ways to access this information include, but are certainly not limited to:
Prayer (for meaning or a sign)
Asking the first rock that you see, and sitting with it til you have an answer
Getting a tarot card reading
Asking a Shaman to go on a journey for you to ask what information you need to know (see Shamanism page)
Learning how to journey for yourself
It is hear that we begin to see the integration of body, mind and soul as equal.
You will set a time limit for how long you think is appropriate for you to be collecting information.
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Step 2 ~ Engage the Energy
Engaging the Energy, is about working with you body's energy system. This system has been described in Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, and by shamans all over the world. This is something that you cannot necessarily see, but that you can feel. Clients have described that they have been able to feel that my hands were still on them, even after I had left the room. This type of feeling happens when working with the energy system.
Here are some ways of engaging the energy:
Reiki
Therapeutic Touch
Bodytalk
Shamanism (see the page titled 'Shamanism')
Crying
Laughing
Chanting
Art Therapy
Story Creation
Drumming
and there are many more ways that you can work with your energy.
You will set a time limit on what you feel is an appropriate amount of time for you to work with your energy system.
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Step 3 ~ Nourish and Tonify
When working on this step, we will begin with nourishing. In order to be physically nourished, we need to make sure that our bodies are receiving appropriate nutrition, and that at the dinner table our taste buds are nourished, as well as our sense of smell, and our vision. It is not about calories, but about what we are taking into our body, and making sure that we are retaining the nourishment. Nourishment is something that once we have, it cannot be taken away.
Nourishment includes, but is not limited to working with:
Nutritionist
Feng Shui idea's
Learning about the herbs and weeds that are local to your area
Ensuring that the media that you take in is nourishing to your spirit
When working with tonifying, you will begin to look at activities that you can bring in to your life in a regular rythym. It does not help you to tonify to bike 10 kilometers today, and then never do it again. You would be tonifying if you were to bike a half a kilometer a week for the next 20 weeks. The tonifying intensifies as you are able to do the activity for longer.
You pick the activity that you would like to do, and pick as something that you would like to do for the rest of your life. Even if it is only 5 minutes a week, it will be more tonifying in the long run. Activities that you can engage in include, but are not limited to:
Yoga
Pilates
Bellydancing
Walking
Jogging
Going to the gym
You will choose how long it will take before you begin working on the next step.
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