Sometimes you need to feel worse to get better!
It sounds counter-intuitive doesn’t it, but the healing reaction is a powerful part of the journey to better health. It’s something I often warn clients about, but experiencing it myself recently reminded me how intense it can be and how it’s important that we understand what’s going on.
After the excesses and stresses of Christmas I found myself with a brutal IBS flare-up. I turned to the amazing Suzie B for help, and, not only did she use muscle testing to successfully figure out my triggers, she performed a lymphatic drainage massage on me. All forms of massage get the lymph system moving, but Suzie has special moves that target lymph nodes and give the lymphatic system a huge boost.
I left feeling slightly spaced out and by the time I got home I was freezing! I had to get into bed in the middle of the day with the electric blanket on and spent a few hours curled up with a pounding headache. Luckily I understood what was going on, I drank my water, and I thanked my body for responding so brilliantly!
Because it makes sense when you think about what was going. All those toxins, including some toxic thoughts, that had quietly been hanging out in my system w
ere suddenly on the move! I like to think about it in the same as way as when you do a deep clean of the house. Have you ever been in the situation where half way into your tidy-up the house looks loads worse than when you started?! But once you get rid of all the rubbish you don’t need it starts to look and feel lovely. Well it’s exactly the same in our bodies.
Whether it’s reflexology, massage, reiki, counselling or anything that causes energy, lymph, circulation and thoughts to shift, there’s going to be a temporary awareness of the stuff you need to clear out.
This can show up as nausea, fatigue, low-grade fever, chills, achiness, low mood or vivid dreams, and is usually accompanied by sweating, frequent urination and/or bowel movements as the body gets rid of it. I appreciate it doesn’t sound fun, but it’s only short-lived and it’s definitely something to be embraced! In my training it was referred to as a healing crisis, but I think that's a scary name for a really natural and functional process. I like healing reaction because it reminds us that, as a response to the power of the treatment, the immune, endocrine and nervous systems are hard at work deep cleansing and detoxifying.
So if you feel a bit worse after a treatment, please don’t worry or be put off. Be gentle with yourself, rest and relax, drink plenty of water to flush all the nasties out, and let your incredible body do the healing it wants to do. If you’re not sure what’s going, always get in touch with your therapist to talk it over.
After a healing reaction, however intense or subtle, you should be feeling lighter, brighter and healthier. (I really did, thank you Suzie!) Without the burden of dealing with toxins, your body and mind can return to its natural balance and you can enjoy a sense of gorgeous wellbeing.
Curious about how reflexology helps you rebalance? Get in touch or book online. Jenny xx