The Power of Embracing Slow Healing

I watched a documentary on Saint Hildegard of Bingen recently and it reminded me of a book called God’s Hotel that I read a couple years ago. This book was based on a doctor taking pilgrimage to learn more about Saint Hildegard and her method for healing while simultaneously witnessing the demise of the Western healthcare system as they adopted models of efficiency in the early 1980s. She recognized the potency of what she called slow medicine, taking time to allow the body and mind to speak, and offering deeply compassionate and empathic care rooted in following intuition more than protocols and algorithms. 

Today’s society is so focused on a quick fix, a pill that will cure without putting in the effort to upgrade our lifestyle choices, and a deep avoidance of pain at all costs. And yet, those quick fixes often lead to other problems if we aren’t taking responsibility for what we are capable of changing within ourselves. The avoidance of pain continues to fuel addictions in all its variety of forms. And, seeking a cure isn’t always possible as disease is built into our experience in these bodies. 

Victoria Sweet, the author of God’s Hotel, described the power of slow medicine and how so-called inefficiency often led to deeper healing because of the potency of tapping into deep listening. She recognized the power of taking time to tap into both the patients and her intuition to guide treatments. She understood the need to develop human connection, to become curious with each individual person and what their body was trying to tell her, and to take her time. This is the way of slow medicine. This is the way towards lasting healing through allowing the body to heal itself when given the right conditions. 

Lifestyle medicine, transforming mindsets, and choosing true healing over quick fixes and bandaids is definitely the slow route to overcoming what ails us. At the same time, this is where true life resides no matter what our bodies may be throwing at us. Barbara Larabee spoke about a patient with end stage heart failure. She asked this patient how she was coping with her disease. The patient responded, “the most important part of my heart is working just fine.” This patient had embraced the tenets of slow medicine, of understanding we can’t always fix what is broken in the body, but we can fix our perspective, focus on what’s most important in life, and accept what cannot be changed despite our best efforts. 

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna states, “that which tastes like nectar in the beginning turns to poison in the end. And, that which tastes like poison in the beginning turns to nectar in the end.” The quick fixes are often that quick hit of nectar in the beginning, but without rooting out the disease from deep within, it often turns into bitter poison in the end. Embracing slow medicine, upgrading our nutrition, choosing to move our bodies, and desiring to explore the aspects of our psyche that may be playing a role is bitter poison in the beginning. It takes work, effort, and determination. And yet, as we take responsibility for our choices, upgrading our lifestyle where we can, listening to what our bodies need, and choosing to accept what is, then the nectar of deeper healing has an opportunity to take root in our lives. 

Choosing to embark on a healing journey is one of the most courageous things we can do because it reminds us that we are ultimately responsible for how our lives are playing out. Choosing to see our lives from a broad perspective, and taking ownership for our choices can be the catalyst for that deeper healing our bodies and minds are craving. Sitting with our messy emotions, wrestling with our grief, and allowing them to teach us what we must learn are the pathways towards regaining life rooted in wholeness. 

The moment we accept what is and take responsibility for choosing wisely is the moment our bodies tend to stop yelling for attention quite so much. I know my chronic pain is significantly worse when I’m overthinking situations, exerting more than my body wants, or resisting the path laid out before me. Recognizing my body’s cues, listening to the pain speak, and choosing new ways of approaching life is what is helping me thrive no matter what my body may put me through. 

It has been a slow process of upgrading my nutrition, figuring out how my body wants to move, and anticipating when I might need to pause. It has taken active research and tapping into my inner wisdom along with experimentation to find the right plant remedies that help restore balance to my system. And yet, with each small victory, each lesson learned, and each trigger recognized, moving forward gets a little easier and a lot sweeter because I know my body will ultimately thank me for deeply listening and treating it kindly.

I now know how much dairy I can consume before my inflammation hits. I understand the activities which will invariably lead to headaches and am now pre-medicating or adjusting how long I participate in those activities. I am taking more breaks and time for rest rather than trying to push through. I now recognize my body's cue that I'm low on vitamin D or need some detoxification support. This deep listening and taking action allows all aspects of who I am shine more brightly because I am becoming aware, intentional, and tapping into the intuitive power that is far wiser than my own mind could ever be. I'm no longer resisting what comes, but flowing with it with curiosity leading the way.

Slowing down, choosing to take time in silence, and allowing our bodies and minds to speak is the way of slow healing. The more we embrace the uncomfortable moments of silence, the moments of darkness, and the body’s cue to pause, the greater opportunity we have to allow for deeper wisdom to guide our path and holistic restoration to take root deep within.  

This was the way of Saint Hildegard. This is the way of the Native American healers. This is the way of Ayurveda and the Shamans. This is the way of embracing the healing gifts found in nature, dancing with the sacred rhythm of life, and restoring the essence of who we are as the catalyst for lasting healing. This is the way of nurturing our vehicles so that we can come alive in creativity and sharing our gifts with others to the best of our capacity.