The Many Uses of Mindfulness: Healing
Over the years people have come to me to learn mindfulness for many different reasons. At the top of the list is healing. Healing can be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual and in the end true healing involves an interface between all of these. To begin with, I like to draw the distinction between healing and curing. Curing is usually thought of in terms of a physical shift from disease to no disease. To me healing has more to do with one’s relationship to the desire for curing. That relationship can be “healed” through the practice of mindfulness. It produces a new way of looking at the issue that results in the clear experience of the issue in the present moment versus the experiences of it from the past and all the anxiety producing concerns for how it may morph in the future. Letting go of the past and future concerns of the issue jettisons a lot of unnecessary baggage and allows for a redirection of energy which can be used to help transform the existing situation. With the redirection of that energy the body/mind is given a greater opportunity to achieve balance and find the ‘healer within”. Mindfulness serves as the “hub” of the healing wheel and facilitates other strategies that can relieve different situations. Many people find other important approaches such as diet, nutrition, exercise, and sense of community are enlivened by a good dose of mindfulness.
Paul