Often my mental health patients or Adventure Mastermind clients will ask me if they can be cured of their depression, anxiety, or complex emotional experiences.
I’ve also noticed that many of us use “healing” and “curing” interchangeably, which doesn’t really work since they’re actually quite different.
Looking for a cure often means we want to be rid of something, right? It implies not being ok with reality as it is. Wanting things to be different. To return the body, mind, or spirit to its previous state
This makes a lot of sense, because we are often deeply suffering from what we are trying to get rid of.
With physical ailments, a cure is more likely: like when we break a bone or get an infection. Or even in my case, when I had cancer twice. Fortunately, both happened to be cured.
But even with physical issues, cure isn’t always possible. I was lucky to not need ongoing management for my cancers. Other ailments like chronic pain, some cancers, or paralysis are incurable.
Healing is not the same as curing. It is a return to – a moving toward – wholeness. And this wholeness can be even better than what we experienced before our dis-ease ever arrived.
It’s not about removing or stopping something. It’s about integration. Finding physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness.
With healing, there is a journey that provides you with intelligence from your experience. It may involve change and acceptance of that change.
While a healthcare provider may be involved in healing, it might require more involvement and self-awareness of the person being treated as they use their own resources to grow and gain sight.
It’s also important to keep in mind that even though healing and curing are different, they can be intertwined for different conditions.
For mental health conditions, it may not be as obvious if healing or a cure has happened, because the conditions look different person to person. They manifest differently depending on people’s experiences, backgrounds… myriad factors.
Plus, when looking to mainstream psychology, there aren’t many models that focus on healing the mind. It isn’t the main goal.
So, while treatment in the form of medication or therapy can help a person manage their mental health condition, healing – acceptance of change – can happen at the same time. The complex symptoms may subside as they’re integrated into a newer and healthier version of the individual.
Remember, not everyone has the option to cure whatever dis-ease or ailment they have. So, it’s important to not just live for a future cure, but to also be fully present with the healing that’s possible right now in the present moment.
If there is no cure immediately available to us, if we accept what is, what does healing look for us? For you?
Do you find resistance there? Why? What beliefs could be holding us back from healing while we also look for new possibilities for cures as well?
You will learn:
// The difference between healing and curing
// How healing and curing can be used together
// Why defining healing or curing is difficult with mental health conditions
// How to be present with the healing that’s possible right now
Resources:
// Episode 82: How to Live in Polarity
// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
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