Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can takes us on a journey towards healing. In this book Carolyn Myss looks at the underlying causes of illness, the blocks which stand in the way of healing and how to overcome those blocks to allow the healing forces within us to be awakened.
The two main sections of Why People Don\’t Heal and How They Can are simple enough. Part one: “Why People Don\’t Heal” and as you can probably guess Part two is “and How They Can”.
One of the things which has always intrigued me about health and the process of healing is how we build an identity for ourselves which may work for a time, but after a while becomes too limiting, too restrictive or may have us moving what is now completely the wrong direction. If we carry on with that sense of identity illness or crises is likely to be the result as our life force looks for expression.
An example might be a macho guy who then is called upon by his own nature to develop a sensitive side. If he resists due to his sense of identity limiting his behaviour, so that he is not “allowed” to behave in any way other than macho, conflict will get set up within him which it its intense enough could result in disease. Similarly if a soft male types is called upon by his inner nature to develop his bold and assertive side and he resists it (perhaps he has rejected that aspect of his maleness) then again a conflict will be setup which can impact his physical and psychological health.
The aspect of this dynamic which Carolyn Myss focuses on in Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can is what she calls Woundology. Woundology is where a person so closely identified with their wounds that they think of themselves purely in those terms and find it impossible think of themselves in any other way. For example someone may describe themselves as, “I am a _______(fill the blank abuse/neglect/etc) survivor”. Definition ourselves like that may be useful in the short term to help us face things we would rather avoid. In the long term giving too much attention to the way life has hurt us rather than to our capacity to overcome the past is a dangerous choice. We can end up building our relationships and connections with others around a wound. This can make change and healing harder is we have more and more to lose the longer we stay in that pattern.
In the next section of Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can, Carolyn Myss then takes us into some of the ways where natural healing capacities can be liberated. She starts by encouraging us to ask some basic questions about where our life energy is directed. Particularly we need to ask ourselves, “Who are the most important people in life?” and “What really matters to me?”
If the answers to those questions are not where our energy and attention is going then it is probably time for a major change in direction as we are not living our own life.
Carolyn also recommends taking practical steps as soon as possible. Even small steps made with the intention of living life more aligned with what is right for us can be effective. whiter starting with regular exercise, doing yoga, relaxation methods, buying healthier food, or whatever. Carolyn suggests that taking obvious immediate steps is more effective than spending a long time researching for THE RIGHT answer.
In Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can, Carolyn Myss gives many insights and practical suggestions about how to heal ourselves from what ails us. You might want to check it out if you or someone you care about is struggling with a health issue.
in the wrong direction.