What Is the First Step In Healing?
The first step to take is to listen. Who or what, then, should you be listening to? When you have a scratchy throat, what let you know that? Your body is communicating with you. It’s sending the sensations that you are feeling in your throat. Your mind may come in and make a judgment about what those sensations indicate, but this is not part of listening. Listening is simply taking in the information being shared to you by your body. Nothing more or less than that.
The problem is that most of us skip this step and jump right into thinking of what to do. You may think that you are going to be in for a rough few days because your throat is sore. If you had stopped to listen at that moment, you may have become aware of what to do to assist the body in healing. You may have noticed the taste of lemon when you really listened to the sensations. There was nothing to think about until ALL of the information is gathered. If you did listen and chose to follow this guidance and consume lemons you would have discovered that you didn’t have to experience a miserable couple of days.
I hope you can see the importance of this first step. It really is the first step in everything, but we’re talking specifically about healing today. With all of the doctors and specialists needed in the healthcare industry, you can imagine that most of us are skipping this step. Not just skipping it once, but on almost every occasion it is missed. When we miss what our body is telling us, we are left to rely on our beliefs and assumptions. These beliefs may lead us to an authority that we are going to blindly follow (unless the advice goes against a deeply held belief). Sometimes this advice may actually match with what the body is telling you, but most of the time it is not. When it doesn’t match up, it often is going to lead to further complications.
We ignore what the body is telling us about the sore throat. We believe it is the start of a cold that’s going to last for 3 days. Day 4 comes and you feel even worse, so you head to the doctor. They give you a prescription and tell you it should run its course in a week. You take it and a week later you finally feel that it’s over. You experienced that discomfort for the past 10 days. Contrast that with immediately drinking lemon juice and not experiencing any illness beyond the sore throat. The body asked for elements that it required to heal itself and used it when you gave it to it.
Our bodies are far more capable than we give them credit for in our beliefs. They can heal anything and it knows exactly what to do. If it requires any elements that it doesn’t currently have, it will let you know. When you are listening, you will discover what it’s telling you.
Since we’ve already agreed that we aren’t actually listening to our bodies, we can also accept that our listening skills are not anywhere near mastery. If you expect to be able to listen to your body without having done so since you were a very young child, then you are going to be disappointed. It is going to take practice to improve this skill. It’s not a habit, so it’s also going to mean to consciously be aware that you require this practice, otherwise you are going to forget to do it.
This is an important aspect to accept as true. Be aware and determine that you are going to master the skill of listening. Know that you aren’t going to be great at it when you begin. Also know that with practice you will master it. It doesn’t have to take years, either. The more you listen, the better you become at it. Practice everywhere, not just with your body. Listen intently when someone is speaking to you. Do not think about what you are going to say next. Really listen to what they are saying and feel what they are telling you. They will appreciate it and your relationships will improve with everyone.
Practice listening to your thoughts. What are they really telling you? When you are listening you will begin to start asking questions because they aren’t going to make sense. Listening will help you remove all fears, unpleasant emotions, doubts, false beliefs, and any thoughts that don’t serve you.
Listening is the first step and it is a necessary step if you are going to heal. Skipping this step will cause you to get results that aren’t healing. Practice makes perfect.
If you are interested in practicing your listening in a group setting, we offer an accountability partner program. This is an amazing setting to practice our listening skills as we come together to support and encourage each other as we strive to become our best versions. Click the button below to learn more.
