08. The Healing Crisis
The term “healing crisis”, simply put, can refer to any discomforts or unpleasant sensations that arise in the body/minds’ journey to heal and recover homeostasis. It can take on countless forms, be they long or short; mild or severe. So, what is its significance, how can we recognize it and how can qigong help?
To illustrate the concept of healing crisis more clearly we’re going to use Dawa’s story with allergies as an example:
“From the age of 8 until about 32 I suffered from many symptoms of allergies; constantly blocked sinuses, seasonal asthma, recurring lung infections and more (for more details see: My Journey with Allergies). This had a significant impact on my life as a child, teenager and young adult. Needless to say, when I heard that practices such as qigong, fasting techniques and other lifestyle changes could help, I was all too keen to try.
Initially, I didn’t see the significant results I was hoping for. I enjoyed the practices, my energy started improving, I experimented with new foods and even finished my first 7 day water fast*. Despite all of this there still hadn’t been a huge noticeable shift in my allergies. This frustrated me and pushed me to start experimenting more. After trying a number of dietary and lifestyle changes I took what for me was a big leap at the time and cut out all dairy, eggs and grains and adopted a predominantly raw plant based diet.
Soon after I came down with an extremely severe flu. I literally had rivers of green mucus flowing from my sinuses; I was coughing up dark chunks of phlegm; had splitting headaches; a foggy brain; my entire body ached and I had virtually no energy... I was outraged! I felt hard done by, helpless and sorry for myself. My qigong practices went out the window and my days were spent being grumpy in bed.
This went on and on and showed no signs of getting any better for many days on end. At around the two week mark however there was a distinct shift. I still had copious amounts of green mucus coming from my sinuses and lungs, but my energy was slowly beginning to increase; my aches and pains were easing; and I started feeling mentally clearer. I once again took up my qigong practice. For another three weeks the mucus continued to flow relentlessly but my energy kept increasing and on a deep level I knew that this was something other than flu symptoms. I had finally created the conditions my body needed for it to start healing itself.
Since then my allergies have reduced by what feels like 99.9%. I still occasionally get itchy eyes if I get too close and personal with severe dust or a cat, but even that’s usually only when I’ve slipped back into old lifestyle and dietary habits that no longer work for me. Furthermore, I can honestly say I virtually never get sick. I have not had the flu, cold or a lung/sinus infection since my healing crisis some 7 years ago.”
We can clearly divide Dawa’s case into four different stages, each with their own defining qualities.
1. Life before allergies/illness – this was a period of time in which Dawa felt well. The impact of his lifestyle choices, environment and circumstances were not manifesting negatively outwardly but were, he feels, slowly adding up and approaching the threshold of what his body could handle.
2. Dawa with allergies/health issues – threshold is reached and this manifests itself in allergies, sinus issues and other symptoms. This is summed up nicely with the simple equation EXCESS INPUT or DYSFUNCTIONAL OUTPUT = DISEASE. When we consume to much of anything and our body is unable to process and excrete it effectively it remains stuck until the excess input or dysfunctional output is addressed. It’s worth mentioning here that INPUT could be any number of things of a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual nature.
3. Dawa’s healing crisis – severe flu and allergy like symptoms. Conditions have finally been created in which body/mind are able to efficiently and effectively process what is being put in. Any extra energy can then be used to start dealing with previous “unprocessed inputs”. This manifests as unpleasant symptoms.
4. Life after healing crisis – Dawa no longer experiences allergies or previous recurring illnesses. Hopefully the lessons are learned and Dawa no longer creates the conditions for these symptoms to reappear.
These four stages can easily be applied to all chronic illnesses. We can even apply them in lesser and greater degrees to many seemingly acute illnesses. For example a heart attack brought on by possibly unidentified heart disease and neglect of health, a seizure brought on by chronic stress, or even a car accident brought on by a neglected anger issue that suddenly erupts in an argument.
Understanding these four stages can help us differentiate between symptoms of an unhealthy lifestyle and symptoms of a healing crisis. The first is a warning bell that you need to make some changes while the latter is a confirmation that some change in approach or circumstance in your life is having a positive effect.
The body has an immense capacity to self-heal. If we accidentally cut ourselves, the body knows how to stop the bleeding and start the process of repairing itself. All we have to do is be mindful and not get in the way of the process. If we have a little wisdom we can also choose to help the body in its task. We can make sure it’s clean and that it has a safe environment within which to work. Too much interference however (scratching, over disinfecting, bandaging too tightly, over medicating, etc.) and we hinder, stop or at times even work against the process. It only takes a glimpse at the state of world to see the results of this over active, interfering and anxious monkey mind approach that has become the norm in our culture. This is when having some tools, wisdom and understanding become invaluable, which brings us to qigong.
One way to develop wisdom and discernment is through a holistic qigong practice that combines learning with application and training. The practice of standing meditation for example, brings us face to face with discomfort… a sure way to send the monkey mind into its usual antics and the perfect opportunity for self observation. The wisdom gained through this practice can then be directly applied to when we are experiencing symptoms. Another benefit of a practice such as qigong is that it builds the much needed energy for dealing with blockages and “unprocessed inputs”. Last but by no means least, practices such as standing meditation work on what the Chinese call our ability to 吃苦 Chiku – “Eat bitter”. “Eating bitter” is essentially the art of joyfully enduring and persisting. Without this we can easily become trapped in a never ending cycle of looking for relief through symptom management/suppression instead of dealing with the root cause (more on this in our next article: Symptom Treatments Versus Root Cause Treatments).
Healing is essentially a process of walking backwards in time, putting down old baggage and integrating the lessons of our journey. So next time you experience symptoms of a flu, cold, allergy or chronic illness, stop for a moment to ask yourself “What conditions have I been creating up till now? Conditions for disease or conditions for healing?” Last of all, we highly recommend seeking out expert advice and the wisdom of others with experience. In the long run this will save you time and help you form a fuller and deeper understanding yourself.
Please don’t hesitate to be in touch and may you enjoy the journey… perhaps even the less comfortable parts!
With love & gratitude,
Dawa & No Mi
* “Although the water fast didn’t give the immediate results I was hoping for, my body clearly got rid of a huge amount of built up waste. I feel this helped pave the way for the healing that followed.”
