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Journal
of an Herbalist
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By
Karima Burns. MH, ND
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11/04/2002
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Case:
Suriya came to me because she had recently been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia but
was not sure she really suffered from the condition. She had a long history of
health problems, had been to see many different doctors and practitioners but no
one had been able to tell her exactly what was happening or to help her
completely. She had had some success with a homeopath and another successful
relationship with a Chiropractic Energy Healer. However, she had never managed
to completely rid herself of the pain she suffered.
Suriya’s
case was baffling. She appeared to be healthy and her way of eating and living
were extremely healthy as well. She had been eating a well-balanced whole foods
diet for the past ten years, had a positive attitude in life and had a strong
spiritual life. She was doing everything right.
I
did an iridology reading on Suriya, and found that her healthy lifestyle was
confirmed in her eye reading. There were no markings of any sort in the eye that
indicated any of her body systems were stressed. Her iridology reading showed a
slight circulation problem but other than that even her digestive system, a
common downfall in modern humans, was functioning quite well.
I
performed a reflexology treatment on Suriya and found that she was so sensitive
that I could hardly finish the treatment. She then started to tell me a number
of stories about how sensitive she was in general. These stories led to her
sharing with me a recent conversation she had with her sister and a childhood
memory she felt may be linked to her condition. She had been unable to share
this information with any of her doctors or health care practitioners because
once when she did mention it she was laughed at. So she remained skeptical of
the situation.
Suriya
related to me that as a child of four, her and her twin sister had been exposed
to Polio. She contracted the virus but never developed any symptoms while her
sister developed full-blown and painful Polio. She lived the rest of her
childhood watching her sister suffer and struggle as she crawled, rather than
walk, across the floors and struggle even as she ate her cereal for breakfast.
She remembers quite vividly one day praying to Allah and asking him to take her
sisters pain and give it to her. She prayed quite often for this but never saw
any results so she forgot about the prayer.
As
her sister grew older the pain and the struggle grew worse, but somehow her
sister was able to cope and eventually became independent with the help of a
wheelchair. She also found a practitioner to treat her for free and alleviate
her pain to a great degree.
However,
in a recent conversation with her sister, Suriya found that the pain she had
been experiencing for the past eight years was directly related to her sisters
experiences, although they had been living miles apart and had not spoken very
frequently. The day she came to see me she said that she had confirmed with her
sister that the exact points of pain she had this morning were the same as her
sisters.
Due
to the fact that there was no other noticeable physical problem with Suriya and
there was nothing I could say to her to improve her already impeccable
lifestyle, we decided to work with her in the spiritual realm to try to release
some of the painful energy she was receiving.
In
the psychological world, Suriya's pain could be seen as self-induced from a
childhood trauma:
P.G
White, PhD says that in clinical work she sees many problems related to survival
guilt. In many cases this can be guilt that a sibling has died, but survival
guilt can also happen when a sibling becomes ill and the other one does not.
Survival guilt comes from what she calls a basic belief that life is fair. When
this belief is shattered oftentimes siblings will punish themselves so as not to
feel they are betraying the sibling (White).
From
a religious point of view, her pain could be seen as being directed at her by a
sister who was envious of her healthy condition (e.g. the evil eye).
Ibn
Abbass narrates in the Hadith (teachings of the Prophet Mohammad) collected by
Imam Muslim that the Prophet said,” The malevolent evil eye is a fact. If
there were anything faster than fate, the malevolent evil eye would lead it (Hadith
Muslim).
In
the world of science, her condition could be seen simply as sympathy pains, a
phenomenon scientifically documented in siblings, especially twins (Cassill).
However,
although neither of us was qualified to discover the reason behind this
phenomenon, the Prophet Muhammad and the teachings of energy healing have given
us guidelines in how to deal with conditions of this sort. Suriya’s main
problem was that she needed to learn how to release the pain from her body. It
did not ultimately matter why it was there. What mattered to us was that
Suriya’s pain did not have had any physical basis so I wanted to teach her how
to release the pain. I also wanted to be sensitive to any energy connections or
psychological issues that Suriya may have with her sister and teach her how to
release the pain she had without blocking the outside source. This took into
account the fact that Suriya still believed in the back of her mind she was
helping her sister by having this pain. By teaching her how to release it I
hoped to help her not feel as though she had abandoned her sister by refusing to
accept the pain. Our goal was to teach her to accept it and then release it,
from wherever it was coming.
Many
scientific studies show that the mind is one of the most powerful, if not the
most powerful healing tool. I have had many cases where people were healed just
by using the power of their thoughts and nothing else. Studies show that by
providing positive pictures (creative imagery) and self-suggestion,
visualization can change emotions that subsequently have a physical effect on
the body (Mackenzie).
We
used two traditional recitations that the Prophet Muhammad used in his spiritual
healing practices (Jawziyya, p.124). They were:
“I
seek refuge in Allah’s perfect words against any Satan, disturbances, or
worries, and against any censuring eye [evil eye]” (Hadith).
Say:
“I seek the protection of the Creator and Sustainer of humankind, from the
Sovereign King of Humankind, the only God of Humankind, from the insinuator of
devilish thoughts, who withdraws and shrivels when Gods name is mentioned and
who spreads evil whispers in peoples hearts, whether he comes from among the
humans or Jinn” (Qur'an: Chapter 114).
We
also added a third verse taken from the Hadith:
It
is narrated in Sahih Muslim that Uthman bin Abil As once complained to God’s
Messenger about some chronic pain he suffered since the early days of his Islam.
God’s Messenger said, “Put your right hand on the area of the body that
hurts and then pray Bisimillah three times and then seven times say, I seek
refuge in the might of Allah and his supreme dominion over everything against
what I am experiencing and the fatigue that is wearing me out [Aouthu bi-Izzatillahi
wa Qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa ma uhathir].”
As
we recited these verses together over her areas of pain, Suriya imagined that
she was taking the pain and placing it in the hands of Allah who could help her
manage it. She imagined that she was accepting the pain from whatever source, as
her destiny and lot in life, but at the same time imagined that Allah had also
given her a bucket with no bottom to pour the pain into as it came. She used
this imagery intensely as I recited the verses for her and held my hands over
the areas of pain. As I did so I imagined drawing the pain out of her body and
into the same bucket. I imagined a source where the pain was entering and
another source where it was exiting as an open circuit that did not shut. I
imagined her as simply a conduit rather than the receptor of all the pain.
Suriya
and I worked together for three weeks. After three weeks her pain vanished and
she was able to return to work.
Sources:
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