HELLO...
my
name is Ellie Large. I created this Site in
February 2002 to provide a forum for exploring
and sharing stories, essays and information
related to healing. Our capacity for healing is
more readily understood when one explores the
literature on our mind/body connections. I have
placed on this website essays I wrote on the
subject whilst studying for my Graduate Diploma
in Healing Therapies, in the section titled
'ABOUT
HEALING'.
My
interest in healing came about as I explored ways
and means to understand and also to find healing
modalities to assist me in dealing with my own
physical problems related to the development of
rheumatoid arthritis in my teenage years. My
decision to share with you personal details is born
out of the wish to perhaps inspire you, especially
those of you who may be struggling with an chronic
illness or disability. Healing does not always mean
'cure'. Sometimes 'to heal' is about 'coming to
terms' with one's life circumstances and to achieve
optimal quality of life within the context of these
circumstances.
"Indeed,
virtually all modern approaches to
mind-body communication attempt to
facilitate the process of converting
works, images, sensations, ideas,
beliefs, and expectations into the
healing, physiological processes of
the body" (p26).Rossi, E. (1993).
The
Psychology of Mind-Body Healing, New
Concepts of Therapeutic Hypnosis.
New York: Norton.
I
have noted in my role as a Health Professional
that all to often patients are given a diagnosis
and information outlining 'the worst case
senario' of a particular illness and that some
of these people place great credence on what
they are told, subsequently 'living their life
out of their diagnostic label'....this
frequently leading to feelings of hopelessness
and helplessness.
In
life we can experience tough times without
necessarily having an illness and these times
can challenge all aspects of our being and can
ultimately be valuable opportunities for
learning and growing, for instance, Thomas Moore
in his book 'Journey of the Soul', writes about
depression as being an opportunity to 'go
within... to get in touch with one's soul's
journeying' whilst Kahil Gibran's in his book
"The Prophet' speaks about the relationship
between joy and sorrow... and how to be able to
be with one's sorrow enables one to also
experience deep joy..."The deeper that sorrow
carves into your being, the more joy you can
contain".
The
way we think, how we view 'our world', the
attitudes we adopt and how we speak things, e.g.
the words we use, have an effect on us. Negative
and self-defeating patterns of thinking will
influence how we experience our life, our view
of ourselves and our view of others. Therefore I
have included information on how to
use
AFFIRMATIONS
as
a valuable tool in helping to change these
negative patterns of thinking to improve one's
attitude towards oneself and to enhance
one's
SELF-ESTEEM
and
outlook on life.
My
goal has been is to provide you with a template
for getting in touch with your own journeying,
for you to become more aware of yourself
physically, emotionally and spiritually. This
may mean that you are able to look upon the
difficult times in your life as an opportunity
for growth and for you to be able to notice the
gains and strengths that emerge as you move
through these tough times, opening up the
possibility for you that healing can
occur.
Hopefully
you can find ideas within this Site to motivate
you, to challenge you to forge ahead in your
life, perhaps to 'push the barriers' and to
embark on a journey of self discovery, healing
and learning, to become empowered in your life
circumstances.
If,
like me, you have a curiosity in learning more
about healing issues take a look at these
HEALING
and BODYWORK
BOOKS.
I have listed some of the many books in my
personal library that have been important to me
...books on bodywork, hypnotherapy, energy
modalites, bio-energetics and many other related
subjects.
If
you download material from the Site to use in
any way, please could you acknowledge the source
of this information ....thank you for
this...Ellie
Large