Recently I came across cases where clients have had injuries, surgeries or restrictions predominantly on one side of the body. It was remarkable to see the theme of not feeling at home or lacking a sense of belonging in them.
Many of us are taught to be caring. We want to be helpful or provide for others. In prioritizing others’ needs and wants, we often leave certain aspects of ourselves behind. Physical symptoms are often wake-up calls from self-neglect.
When we are not at home with ourselves, we feel something is missing. One strategy is to be helpful so that we can fill the void with others’ approval and love. Over time we let others’ opinions and reactions define us.
In metaphysics, the right side of the body is correlated with giving, and the left side is correlated with receiving. Symptoms on the right side is often correlated with overgiving. Inability to receive is linked to symptoms on the left side.
When people are overgivers, they might see themselves as being loving and kind instead of abandoning themselves. Overgivers tend to struggle with asking for help or receiving care from others. They take pride in being self-sufficient.
Many of our earlier experiences caused us to correlate safety with giving. It helps us feel more in control. Receiving puts us in a more vulnerable position. Our guardedness might cause us to think others have hidden agenda if they are kind to us.
Giving and receiving are connected to our masculine and feminine energy. Regardless of our gender or sexual orientation, both aspects of the energy need to be balanced for us to heal and thrive.
Masculine energy is like the sun, and the feminine energy is like the moon. Both offer unique strength and beauty. Life would not be the same without either.
Our masculine energy allows us to be logical, productive and make things happen, while our feminine energy allows us to be creative, intuitive and go with the flow. It is common to be comfortable with one aspect but not the other.
It is invaluable to develop both aspects so that we can let both our masculine and feminine aspects to shine. Our quality of life is greatly enhanced when we learn how to apply our masculine or feminine qualities in a variety of situations.
When people having physical symptoms predominantly on one side, my sense is they have been burned by being their masculine or feminine aspect. As a result, they swing the pendulum to the other side to avoid getting hurt again.
This protective strategy usually works for a while. At some point in our lives, however, Life has a way to beckon us to embrace both aspects of us so that we can know ourselves fully and create the life we are meant to live.
A woman in her late 60s came to me because her body could not absorb fluids. Her heart and lungs felt like raisins. After trying different modalities and being on IV for a year, she realized she needed to address something deeper.
During our initial consultation, I had the impression that she had been rejecting an aspect of herself. I seldom set conditions before working with clients, but I found myself saying she had to be willing to cry if we were to work together.
She then told me she doesn’t cry. When she was five, her aunt threatened her to stop crying when her mother was ill. The condition I set freed her up in such a profound way that her system became less chaotic before we officially began the healing work.
Despite her complicated history, my client firmly believes she will be well again. This opens her up to many unexpected openings. We addressed her right side, but the focus was on rebuilding her nervous system while re-establishing connections with the forgotten aspects of herself.
It is unfortunate that we were taught it was not safe to be ourselves at a young age. Some of us grew up too fast as we learned to be highly responsible early on. Diseases are opportunities for us to reclaim our wholeness.
The journey to wholeness often requires us to renew our relationships with our bodies. Next time you catch yourself thinking something is wrong with your body, be curious and ask what the body wants you to know.
If you want guidance and support in reclaiming your wholeness or decoding wisdom from your body, contact me and see how I can support you.
With Love,
Carmen
I help clients regain vitality,
transcend limitations, and
rise to their magnificence.