Addiction seems such a strong word doesn’t it? Although, the feelings of wellbeing, pure energy, not to mention improved health which can result in feelings of superiority and self-righteous are very real. Being addicted to something that makes you feel better can still be an addiction and can stress the body at a cellular level, just as much a psychological dependency on such things as: comfort food, gambling, drink, computer games, shopping, work, exercise and TV shows which get us through the day.
All these behaviours count and are recognized as addictions that can cause symptoms that are associated with them such as: guilt, shame, fear, failure and rejection. All dependencies that tax the body, Yes! even excessive good habits can result in common complaints such as stress, physical aches and pains and medical conditions that can end up in emotional turmoil, depression and real ill health.
My story is …and I must make a confession here “I am addicted to detoxing”. I enjoy that feeling of living a pure clean body, putting onto and into my body and mind only pure foods, products and thoughts that serve me well. I love the extra energy and the feelings of being more connected to mother earth.
So we may have considered an addiction as just being a bad thing that harms us, but how can one that we can regards as healthy cause stress on our body and cellular structure? Being strict with ourselves to a point where we feel we are right and others are wrong, or judge ourselves and others for their choices, is not very loving or even human. We are all human and not so perfect as we like to make out all the time. Here is an interesting excerpt from an article naming a diet and lifestyle of pure healthy foods as Orthorexia.
“Orthorexia begins, innocently enough, as a desire to overcome chronic illness or to improve general health. But because it requires considerable willpower to adopt a diet that differs radically from the food habits of childhood and the surrounding culture, few accomplish the change gracefully. Most must resort to an iron self-discipline bolstered by a hefty dose of superiority over those who eat junk food. Over time, what to eat, how much, and the consequences of dietary indiscretion come to occupy a greater and greater proportion of the orthorexic’s day.
The act of eating pure food begins to carry pseudospiritual connotations. As orthorexia progresses, a day filled with sprouts, umeboshi plums, and amaranth biscuits comes to feel as holy as one spent serving the poor and homeless. When an orthorexic slips up (which may involve anything from devouring a single raisin to consuming a gallon of Haagen Dazs ice cream and a large pizza), he experiences a fall from grace and must perform numerous acts of penitence. These usually involve ever-stricter diets and fasts.”
Health Food Junkie. Obsession with dietary perfection can sometimes do more harm than good, says one who has been there. by Steven Bratman, M.D.
I am as I confessed a detox addict, I would also point out that I do have an otherside desperate to break free to my healthy, calm goody two shoes lifestyle. That is that I am by character a spirited, cheeky, rebellious girl and I like to be naughty. So by nature all this clean living and seemingly conforming to the clean good life is far too far away form life on the edge, where adrenalin flows and all the rules are there to be broken. Too much clean pure eating and being good every moment of the day are pushing me to be more rebellious and I will always find ways to sabotage and spice up every good effort. There is an underlying attitude therefore that I deserve something special and even naughty for all this good. A need for a feeling of adrenalin rushing through my body. I now recognise this and I am seeking my balance by adding in some non food related spice for life like horse riding and long hours of dancing to bring back the adrenalin feeling and other special treats for my emotional being, to pander to that feeling that I deserve something special which are far better for me than opening the regular packet of crisps.
I am seeking my balance in all of this and as much as I am addicted to detoxing as I ever was. I am now discovering through my love of the detox feeling, that there are new depths about myself that I can recognise with a new clarity and acceptance. A cleansed body brings about openness and a new understanding to what cellular cleansing can do for you. I can now dive deep into my cellular consciousness and rid myself of hurts and pain at a deeper level that has lain hidden and that I have blocked for years. I was just not really willing or ready to confront the real truth before. Thanks to opening up and clearing away much of the rubbish (literally) that has kept me closed I can now in all honesty face my demons face on.
Why a cleansed colon brings about mental and emotional clarity.
The colon has been mapped out into 72 reflex areas by Dr Bernard Jensen, each corresponding to specific organs as well as areas that correspond to mental ability, memory, animation and ego. He theorized that old waste that has become toxic and stagnant in the colon will affect the tissue of corresponding organs and body parts. I believe that this stagnant waste is also affecting our mental and emotional clarity. Our bodies are communicating to us constantly and when the pathways are clear we are able to hear, and pay attention to what it needs.
When we understand the meridian concept this becomes even clearer. Meridians are after all the basis for many ancient therapies such as acupuncture, shiatsu and reflexology, they use the meridians which are energy pathways running through the body like tiny harp strings. These pathways carry energy and oxygen throughout your body and cross over and through the colon.
The therapist will use specific points to remove the blockages and clogs on your meridians.
Then try and dissolve the blockage so that it will pass through the blood, and out of the bowel, the bladder and the skin.
In ancient times this worked, because there were far less waste available for the body to wade through, we were more active as a rule and there were far fewer toxins for us to absorb, nowadays because of the size and the depth of the blockage, the subtly of acupuncture and shiatsu will not remove the matter on their own.
This is where caring for the colon comes in. The meridians pass throughout the body and through the colon. The colon in one of the first organs to grow and can be seen on the scan as an embryo and can be traced in the iris of the eye. I tell you this so that you know that the colon is more than a dumping ground for waste, but a major integral part of you and your physical and emotional health.
The colon is closely connected with the main meridian passages. This means that when we are clogged in the bowel area we are stopping the flow of energy through these meridians. When the meridian is blocked and the therapist plucks that string, and the string does not vibrate then the whole meridian from it’s start to finish is rendered useless.
When we empty specific areas of the bowel, the meridians that connect to that part have been freed up and now are capable of making sound and vibrations again. This is why when people cleanse they can feel their neck, back and knee pains go away as well as their ability to concentrate for longer and have clear thoughts and cope better with their emotions.*****
Just recently, I found my self incredibly emotional and in serious need of balancing my emotions. How did I know I needed help? Well once I recognized it, it was easy. I was in tears during my days at the slightest thing, My weekly French lessons were an internal battle where I struggled to control myself from another tearful bath and I was beating my self up constantly for not doing well enough in so many areas of my life: motherhood, business, relationships, raw food and health journey, etc, etc.
I heard myself being called a perfectionist, which I rejected and forcefully denied, (naturally) however the evidence was in my face. My next step was to start to care and listen to myself. I listened to where my body was speaking to me where it held the hurt. I allowed myself to feel the pain and fill my entire body. I did not run or cover it up with food or shopping or try distract myself.
I felt all the way’s I had been acting with myself and deep down I discovered where I had been holding on to this emotion. To help with the emotional side I dowsed for Bach Flower remedies to help my emotional state. These immediately calmed the waters and my thoughts I had about my accomplishments. (or lack of)
At the same time I read this description that opened my eyes to myself:
Here is an excerpt form my Bach Remedy book *****………that hit the nail on the head
” She holds herself upright, she holds herself in, and tries all the time to be a good example and to influence others around her through her attitude and example”
Here was another example:
“I study and I am strict with myself in my diet. I don’t eat meat, but I eat plenty of fruit. I don’t drink tea or coffee. Neither do I eat white bread or pastries. I live a clean life. I do not smoke or drink alcohol”
But let it me remarked that this rigidity or out look caused more suffering and emotional damage ( at a cellular level ) that any piece of white bread would ever have caused.
The remedies that came up for me were:
- Rock water for being tough on myself
- Elm for perfectionism
- Agramony for putting on a brave face when underneath the emotions are ready to erupt.
I only NOW saw with such clarity that the strict path I had put myself on to achieve to my high expectations in all areas of my life were now serving me up a discontented rather than a perfect life.
I was being so hard on myself that I was punishing myself into a pit of dispair. When really I was doing rather well, if only I could see it. Old patterns were emerging of setting high goals and strict regimes either from myself or others.
I openly admit that I can now see…..
One month on and the first stage over with. I hit a new crisis in my body. It was demonstrating to me what it’s needed to be dealt with next. Far from being tired I have the energy I want, but my belly is huge like I am pregnant. I have noticed this over time off and on, except now I can feel the pushing form the inside and the desire to deal with something much deeper.
Well I discover it is a subject I have been putting off and my body knows just how to get my attention. I am still going through the experience and results so It is hard to say how it will all work out. But given the time during the summer to work on myself my body wasted no time in telling me what it wanted.
Needless to say I have dug deep into the depths that I would rather have not gone to. It was for me to recognize the healing gift in these emotional times from the past, that now needed to be dealt with, to be revealed, loved for what they were and released. Each area that needed looked at had a similar theme and I recognized the gift that was being presented to me by me and in seeing a new way to deal with my emotions in the future.
I have held down and swallowed great hurts that have caused my body emotional stress on my cellular structure. I am trusting the process and seeking help from a local healer and shaman Manech Ibar as well as my great friend and fabulous transformational healer Kim Hutchinson in Germany. Both have helped me enormously. No one is alone and we all need to get help when we come to such points in our personal development.
As you detox and lighten up your diet, anything that does not serve you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually will come up for healing, change, transforming and releasing. Anything that does not serve you can be let go of once it is given something to replace it that is of a higher vibration and nature.
I tell you this as a positive example of the results from regular detoxing which are not just physical. Although this is what draws us all to cleanse and detox in the first place, but there is something that can make us happier and more fulfilled on a much deeper level.
Emotions can be released in a number of ways but it is best to stop making so many emotions in the first place. They are after not a state of reality and are all just in the head. I have discovered that they are in fact a healing gift. What is it that is being presented to me? and what is the universe showing me about myself?
We have many therapists here at Retreat Biarritz who will help you learn how release these mental emotions. Christophe is an NLP instructor and teacher who will help you understand where your beliefs originated. Or with Manech Ibar our local shaman who will use many ancient methods of healing and mystical discovery to tap into your soul for healing. Bernedette can help you through her past life regression sessions where you discover many deeper reasons for why things happen the way the do.
The reason for getting to a better place when we detox is because we lighten our load that we carry in the colon in particular.
