The Wisdom Of Pain And Illness

From acute and chronic pain to illnesses of all kinds, the human organism is responding intelligently to unhealthy environments both internal and external.

Dear friends,

Do you believe that nature - and the orchestrating intelligence behind all of life - makes mistakes?

Does your body make mistakes?

How you answer these questions will determine how you relate to your body and everything that happens within the boundaries of your skin, and it will directly inform the choices you make when it comes to remedies and solutions for pain and illness, and who you turn to for help.

If there was only one message I was allowed to share with the world, it would be this:

Everything the body does is wise.

During this tumultuous time in human history, when health issues - for people and planet alike - are being weaponized by corrupt corporatocracies to amass wealth and power by manipulating people through fear of pain, illness and death, I urge you to consider how this philosophy would (re)shape your relationship to all of life if you knew - with unshakeable conviction - that everything the human body does (and everything that nature does) is WISE.

There is no more important undertaking during our time on this planet, in my opinion, than seeking a true understanding of the whole human organism in the context of its whole environment.

Imagine the miraculous intelligence required by the formative forces of life to take what was once a tiny embryo in your mother’s womb and develop it into a fully formed human being - YOU - without any assistance from modern technology or the human intellect!

Imagine the divine intelligence required to develop a planet - out of all the planets in our galaxy! - into one that is as uniquely suited to life as ours?

Encoded into the fabric of nature is a divine intelligence that we can learn so much from if we’re willing to trade hubris for humility, and the insatiable drive to seek power over nature for the very real super powers available to us when we apply human intelligence to the wisdom of the cosmos.

Instead of growing up in a culture that celebrates how brilliantly designed we truly are, we have been conditioned to believe that pain and illness are abnormal and to be feared; that the human body is prone to all kinds of random defections, dysfunctions and debilities that torture us for no good reason; that we are victims of nature and genetics and a nonsensical planet intent on self destruction who is herself a hapless victim of our own errant ways; and that we should put our trust in modern technologies and people in positions of socially approved power that promise to “keep us safe.”

Without knowledge of our own organism - which is inseparable from the Earth and the cosmos we are embedded within - we are increasingly susceptible to outside manipulation by forces that will continue to use fear and guilt to control our behavior towards ourselves, towards each other, and towards this planet.

Looking to so-called authorities to tell us what is true and what is untrue about our very own nature corrodes the self trust necessary to source authority from within, which would lead us towards spiritual and physical freedom rather than impoverishment and slavery.

Relying on these same authorities to “keep us safe” is an eggregious abdication of personal responsibility - towards ourselves, towards each other, and towards this planet we call home.

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Safe is a prison created by fear.

After two decades of contemplation, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as safety; that the closest we can come to feeling ‘safe’ within our own bodies, within our relationships and society, and within the world at large, is to know - from the kind of direct, lived experience that builds capacity and competence - that we can tackle whatever social, physical and economic obstacles are thrown our way (for example); face our fears with courage; step into the unknown to learn and grow; defend ourselves when necessary; and trust ourselves to take appropriate action in each moment of life.

To develop the competence to wield such capacities with self trust and conviction, we have to take meaningful risks; mess up (A LOT); learn what we don’t know how to do (yet) by doing it; to confront ourselves honestly, and welcome conflicts as the very real opportunities they are to grow. By choosing to grapple with the unique obstacles that life presents us, we develop our innate powers for evolving human consciousness, developing spiritual freedom, and gaining real competency in practical matters of everyday life.

Any alternative to the above is an illusion; a false sense of safety created by avoidance.

True vitality, in my experience, is found in the mediating balance between degeneration and regeneration; expansion and contraction; stress and play; movement and rest…

To live fully is to risk much.

To be a free human being is to risk everything we fear most for the possibility of becoming a fully embodied Self living out a fully realized existence.

In our pursuit of cultivating health, we must (I believe) consciously come to understand - and welcome - processes of pain and illness that are as natural and necessary for a vital human ecology as thunderstorms and fires are for the planet’s.

Fear of pain in all its manifestations - from emotional to physical to social and political - keeps us divided, dis-empowered, fighting ourselves and fighting each other in unwinnable battles of tyranny that manifest both internally and externally.

Fear of freedom has many among us willing to outsource authority and responsibility to the ever changing ideologies of scientists, doctors, politicians, and - especially and most insidiously - our social tribe’s “group think”, or the adopted beliefs, values and behaviors of our peers.

All it takes is a basic understanding of human biology to know:

Social belonging is the most deeply ingrained physiologically driver of survival biology.

As social animals who have depended on each other for eons to survive, we are compelled by our own biology - starting in early childhood - to suppress our natural impulses and intuitions, and to modulate our personality, moral character, and habitual behaviors in order to adapt to the unique social, political, economic and physical environments in which we find ourselves.

As spiritual beings, we long for freedom of creative self expression; for self actualization; for a life of meaning and purpose in the context of our world; and to know that we belong - as we are and as we are becoming - among our fellows; to be seen, loved and valued for our unique contributions during our short time on earth.

Constrained by unconscious drivers, we are all prone to shrinking our world in an attempt to avoid whatever it is we fear most; it is the few among us who chose to move towards fear; towards pain and illness; towards the constraining forces of life that afford us the greatest opportunity for the kind of play that leads to spiritual growth and embodied self realization.

Throughout my own life and in my career working with thousands of people in pain, I have learned that the pain we feel is always - ALWAYS - a wise response from the formative forces of our own organism made of body, soul and spirit. Pain and illness get our attention when we would otherwise be content to stay as we are. Uncomfortable feelings get our attention so that we will (ideally) actively participate in co-creating a healthier body, a healthier social life, and a healthier planet to call home.

Freedom - for all of us - lives on the other side of whatever we fear most: pain and injury, illness and death, speaking and living our truth, even if it leads to rejection, abandonment, humiliation or shame; the loss of specific self identities: I am strong, I am able bodied, I am capable, I belong…

To be truly healthy, we must be willing to live within the ever swinging balance between degeneration and regeneration; illness and healing; fear and courage; pain and joy; constraint and freedom.

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What is your body trying to communicate to you?

If you are currently suffering with any kind of pain, injury or illness, before trying to do anything about it…

What if you welcomed the symptoms as helpful messengers from a wise body?

What if you got curious instead of reactive?

What if you resisted the temptation to “heal” or “fix” it until you understand - fully - the true root cause(s), which will instantly reveal the solution(s)?

Bodies communicate messages about our unique individual needs for physical and social and boundaries; for self expression and silence; for touch and physical space; for different foods and different climates; for activity and rest…

Bodies communicate messages about the quality of light, electromagnetism, air, soil and water out there in the world - as they enter our organism.

Bodies can express pain for social, physical, psychological and environmental reasons.

Bodies can become sick for social, physical, psychological and environmental reasons.

The human body - YOUR body! - is a highly attuned sensing organism that can detect truth from untruth, poison from nourishment, kindness from malevolence, false belonging for real love…and so much more.

It is my philosophy that all pain, all injuries, and all illnesses are wise responses from a brilliantly designed body to an ecology that is in disharmony, out of balance, or poisoned in some way.

There is the internal ecology of the organism - made of body, soul and spirit; and there is the external ecology of social life, planet and cosmos. These ecologies - the inner and outer - interpenetrate and always impact each another.

While we share the same basic makeup as human beings, you are a unique individual with unique physical, social and spiritual needs. There is no single diet, modality, protocol, pill, supplement or process that will “work” for everyone.

Instead of seeking solutions, I suggest we seek self knowledge.

My mission in life is to continually carve out paths we can travel that lead to an understanding of the whole human organism in the context of its whole environment: human society, planet and cosmos.

One such path is my course Mind Body Breakthrough (MBB).

MBB has helped hundreds of people discover root causes of stubborn chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, the physical impacts of trauma, the psychological impacts of injury, and the self sabotaging behaviors that keep us stuck.

This course takes you on a journey of untangling emotions from sensations, and subjective stories, beliefs and meanings from the objective reality of your physical body. MBB has helped far more people find freedom than my fascia release courses, because it helps you put things in their rightful place.

Before you try to use a remedy or solution to help yourself and your body, it would be wise to first seek understanding so you know why and when and how to use certain remedies or solutions; and when not to. This goes for fascia release, cold therapy, breath work, dietary changes, supplements, fasting etc. If your pain is happening for social or environmental reasons, for example, then no amount of fascia release will address the root cause.

All remedies can be helpful, harmful or neutral in their impact.

All remedies work - for some people, some of the time.

Knowing yourself and your body in the context of your whole environment is the master key that will allow you to know what your own needs are in any given moment of life.

Click the pic below if you’d like to join me inside Mind Body Breakthrough.

And if you’re a practitioner or professional looking for a deep dive into fascia science, neuroscience, and the mind-body connection that will help you decode your client’s symptoms, discover root cause(s), and know which solutions and remedies are appropriate in each unique situation, I believe you will love this course.

MBB is hosted on a member platform where you can comment under videos, tag me, talk to other course members OR - do it all solo. There is no start or end date. This is a self paced course.

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Now - let me know in the comments below:

Do you believe that everything the body does is wise?

Do you think nature makes mistakes?

Don’t say YES just because that’s my conviction!

What does the still small voice inside of you say?

Always follow your own inner compass.

With love from Colorado,
Elisha