Spiritual Undertones to Common Disease States Seen in Primary Care
The mind-body-spirit connection is real!
Hi y’all! Welcome back :) And welcome new subscribers!
Today, we are going to talk about spiritual undertones to common disease states seen in the Primary Care setting. I worked as a clinical pharmacist for 5 years for the VA (Veterans Affairs), then recently quit a couple of weeks ago (story here) to pursue my passion of spirituality.
In my clinical experience, I noticed there were certain underlying spiritual and energetic causes to disease states I commonly saw in practice.
In school, we were taught that pathology of disease is limited to the physical, however, I believe upstream there are traumas and unresolved pain that inform our thought processes and behaviors, cause dis-ease, and eventually cause the physical manifestation of disease.
The stories we tell ourselves either hurt or help us spiritually. I came across a book, You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay, a famous spiritual author and thought leader (now passed). She posited that 90-95% of physical disease is due to negative thinking or negative belief systems. Most dis-ease, in her opinion, is due to unresolved fear or anger.
She has a whole section in her book about common disease states with probable causes. Next to probable causes, she writes new thought patterns to assist.
I’m going to list the ones I used to see in primary care.
Diabetes – Longing for what might have been, deep sorrow, no sweetness left.
Affirmation: “I choose to experience the sweetness of today.”
Hypertension (high blood pressure) – Longstanding emotional problem not solved.
Affirmation: “I joyously release the past. I am at peace.”
Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) – Clogging the channels of joy. Fear of accepting joy.
Affirmation: “I choose to love life. My channels of joy are open. I am safe to receive.”
Stroke – Giving up. Resistance. “Rather die than change.” Rejection of life.
Affirmation: Life is change. I adapt easily to the new.
Addiction – Running from the self. Fear. Not knowing how to love the self.
Affirmation: “I now discover how wonderful I am. I choose to love and enjoy myself.”
*Keep in mind, person-to-person, these “probable causes” may differ*
Story time: I had a patient with diabetes who consistently showed up to my appointments without any blood sugar readings to review. He also took variable doses of insulin, and I could never garner exactly how much (which means I couldn’t help him adjust his doses).
At the end of one of our appointments, he mentioned to me, “I know I need to show up ready with my blood sugar readings at our appointments.” And I said, “Yeah, that would be nice!”
1 week later, the patient had a stroke. 2 months later, when we finally talked on the phone again, he still didn’t have his blood sugar log ready. I went home that day and looked up stroke in Louise Hay’s book.
It’s like he knew he needed to change, and was simply resisting.
Or, perhaps he didn’t believe he could. I’ll never know.
My point is, the way we relate to ourselves, others, and the world matters. When our “truths” (negative beliefs) don’t align with our “Truths” (actual truths), disease can occur.
Here are some physical symptoms from my own life that have afflicted me (and Louise Hay’s interpretation of the spiritual undertones):
Bedwetting (I was a bedwetter until the age of 15!) – Fear of parent, usually the father
Note: I was a very sensitive child, and I was afraid of my parents as a kid! They are not so scary now, but they were back then!
Affirmation: “This child is seen with love, compassion, and understanding. All is well.”
Yeast infections – Denying your own needs. Not supporting yourself.
Note: I was getting these a lot in my early 30s, during a time when I was dating someone who was not quite my match and I did deny my own needs back then!
Affirmation: “I now choose to support myself in loving, joyous ways.”
Fibroids (uterine) – Nursing a hurt from a partner. A blow to the feminine ego.
Affirmation: “I release the pattern in me that attracted this experience. I create only good in my life.”
Hemorrhoids – Fear of deadlines. Anger of the past. Afraid to let go. Feeling burdened.
Affirmation: “I release everything that is unlike love. There is time and space for everything I want to do.”
True health, in my opinion, is spiritual health. It’s taking care of our emotions, our traumas, and our pains, and processing and transmuting them so that we can live more freely and more happily. It’s loving ourselves enough to believe in ourselves and ask for what we want.
It’s taking care of our bodies because we love our bodies.
I also believe that joy is the secret to a healthy life.
Think about it, when we are out of alignment with our souls, at some point, our bodies are gonna give. There are tons of stories of people getting ill with serious and life-threatening disease because they were not living their Truths.
This is why I talk so much about intention living, emotional hygiene, boundaries, and forgiveness. They are good for inner peace, and they are also good for our health!
When we are in a state of joy, we are lit up, happy, energized, and magnetic! That is good for our health!
Our bodies don’t forget the trauma we have experienced. It’s up to us to unpack it (with a trained professional or otherwise).
I am really curious to hear others’ takes on this. Do you feel like energetic dis-ease precedes physical disease? Do you see any truths or commonalities in the archetypes above?
Please write in the comments! Will love to hear from you!
Be well and have a great week!!
Love,
Angeli
Wellness is not a ‘medical fix’ but a way of living – a lifestyle sensitive and responsive to all the dimensions of body, mind, and spirit, an approach to life we each design to achieve our highest potential for well-being now and forever.” -Greg Anderson
References:
Hay, Louise. You Can Heal Your Life. Hay House: 1984.
PS - I have not yet told my parents I quit my job. For the ones who know my parents, if you could all be cool and not say anything to them until I’ve said something first, I’ll really appreciate it!! <3 Thank you!!
Love this. That is definitely an interesting book to read. I don’t know if I believe all physical ailments are solely rooted in the Emotional, but I know with certainty it plays a HUGE role. For me it is very cyclical. Negative emotions feeding into physical illness which perpetuates negative feelings. It’s been a long process to untangle and I continue to struggle with feeling worthy of joy. Joy is a hard practice for me. Great post!
Totally agree and this is why acupuncture has been life-changing for me as it integrates body, mind and spirit in its healing approach.