BodyMindSpirit
We are each whole beings; combinations of Body, Mind, and Spirit. To truly heal, we must heal each of these parts of the self. If any of the three is stronger or weaker than the others, it will pull us out of balance.
We are born with the same basic equipment: a physical body. How we build our bodies depends on how we manage our spirits, minds and emotions. Genetics determines things like height and hair color, but how we treat and use our bodies determines how well the bodies function.
Poor eating habits can result in digestive ailments, nutritional deficiencies, poor assimilation and elimination, and excess or deficient weight.
Activity, whether too much or not enough, also dictates how we build our bodies. Flacid muscle has no strength, but is flexible. Hard muscle has strength but no flexibility. Hard muscles are developed through tension; some intentional, as in althletic training, and some unintentional, as in an emotional reflex. When we are under emotional stress, part of the fight-or-flight response shuts down the digestive system and tenses the muscles.
Research has shown that while thoughts are stored in the brain, emotions are stored in every cell in the body. Your brain knows the facts, the rest of you knows the emotions connected with the facts. Other research has determined that classes of memories are stored in specific areas of the body. For instance, fear of change is held in the knees.
Whether the toxins stored in stiff muscles are left over from exercise, or from constant emotional tension, the release of the muscle tension will release the trapped toxins into the lymphatic system, then into the blood, to be processed in the various organs. This release can tax the heart and other organs by causing them to work harder. Too much toxin released at once can actually make you sick. This backlash is called a "healing crisis." Bodyworkers attempt to balance the client's need for relief of pain or stiffness with the probable degree of healing crisis, giving as much relief as possible without making the client ill in the process.
Your spirit is the spark that allows you to live. Those with much spirit lead their own lives. Those whose spirits have been crushed allow others to dictate their lives. Weak spirits often give way to addictions.
When we attempt to heal an issue, we need to heal the Body, the Mind/Emotions, and the Spirit. It is impossible to heal the body if the mind/emotion keeps the wound open. And to heal an issue, the cells must release the stored emotions relating to that issue. If the Spirit does not wish to release (forgive), it can prevent the body from releasing the emotional toxins.
The BodyMindSpirit need not be injured or broken to be treated. We do not wait until we are starving to eat, nor until we are filth-encrusted to bathe. We need not wait until we are weary or in pain to seek relief. We change the oil in our cars before it causes problems, why should we not release toxins from our system before they become noticable? We should sometimes treat ourselves simply for pleasure.