The Healing Power of Relaxation

Sharing here my article, as it was published by Dr. Veronica Anderson, MD and on LinkedIn:

As a Traditional Naturopath, I specialize in relaxation. This statement may sound simple, but it took me few years to grow into it and recite it with confidence. Living in a fast-pacing era, we tend to take relaxation for granted, as if it is always available to us when we choose to relax, and do not value an effort to create it. Therefore, I have always hesitated to talk about relaxation, but never hesitated to employ this concept in my sessions. The more I performed my sessions and witnessed the benefits, the more I realized how important relaxation is in the healing process.
In my work, I utilize a specific combination of castor oil pack, reflexology, abdominal massage and energy work (Trad-em@ session) which all together bring the body to such a deep state of relaxation that allows a complete shift in all states – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
I am fascinated to watch how patients, who arrive to the initial session when they are angry, shift while still on the table. They are angry at the universe, but especially at their family members or friends who “forced” them to try another therapy that probably will not work. As session progresses, their anger dissolves into sadness and fear, and they are much more open to face the real issue causing them to suffer.
Our society became one that does not touch, does not care, does not listen, and does not want to see the truth. Therefore, we learn to lie: First, lie to our own selves – hiding our real emotions and our real desires to the point it becomes a norm. Then, we lie to the world – showing only grand acts that present us as special. But since these acts capture only one moment of our lives, all other moments are left hidden and covered. The best cover for our real feelings is anger – it is so easy to become angry and blame the whole world for our misery instead of turning in, looking for the real problem.
But, once we enter a safe nourishing environment, which allows us to experience deep relaxation, we may feel warm enough to take off this “blanket” of anger and let our real-us unveil. It may not be an easy element to digest, but it is certainly one that we are able to metabolize when deeply relaxed.
Crying or experiencing sad emotions may not necessary mean we need medications. Sadness or feeling depressed could be the most important step towards our healing. Only when body is deeply relaxed, we can realize that our deep wishes are not being accomplished by our acts. And only when this realization makes us distressed to the point of being paralyzed with sadness, we are ready to transform.
Since we are so used to hide our real feelings, we may be left confused and overwhelmed by their appearance, and do not know how to process this gloomy melancholia that landed on us. Learning how to bring our body to a very deep state of relaxation, where it is ok to surface our true believes, will enable us to accept and understand what we really want, and modify our actions accordingly. Everything will start opening and our view of the world will change. We will be able to have a deeper understanding of the events surrounding us and recognize who the real-people around us are.
I am a huge believer in castor oil packs, and wrote about my real reason for loving it so much and using it in every single session. In short, when applying this thick oil on the abdomen it manifests a whole shift in the nervous system. This shift can help lowering pain anywhere in the body, can help reduce anxieties, can allow the body to work properly while not in fight-or-flight mode anymore. And along with these wonders, it lubricates the local area being applied and is absorbed into the blood stream (due to the applied heat) and carried through the whole body. Every tissue gains from this lubrication. Adhesion, inflammation, stagnation, pain – can all be relived to various degrees.
Adding nourishing touch to the session increases the accessibility of cells to open. Each cell stores memories, which we spend a lot of energy hiding. With touch that resembles parental gentle contact, our body gets permission to release what is not necessary. Sometimes we may need support to process the memories and allow them to be accepted rather than being hidden.
As we become more relaxed, our view of life becomes wider and we are able to make the necessary corrections to promote our health. I am fortunate to work with patients, who rarely experienced this parental touch in their lives, and witness the huge impact of this simple act: pain decreases, blood pressure lowers, blood sugar level lowers, skin issues relax, inflammation decreases and so much more. When a patient feels cared for, it changes their perception about their body and healing state. Also, their compliance increases as they recognize that they are an important component of their health.

Yes, I specialize in relaxation. Saying it loud and clear with full confidence and appreciation to the process. I love how relaxation is manifesting transformation with everyone who seeks deeper level of healing, and I truly believe that relaxation may be the most important step in our healing process.