What do you do when your body changes and you know that something isn’t right. You know that something inside you is “off” but you don’t know how long it will take to get “the answer?” What are you programmed to do? How were you taught to behave? How do you view your behaviors around getting sick? This is more than a cold, or the flu, this is a chronic condition. Something that lasts longer than it should typically more than two months. What behaviors do you automatically do when your body changes? Do you track it in your calendar to see if maybe there is a cycle to these symptoms? Do you contact your family to see if they are or have experienced the same thing, or if there is a history of these symptoms in your family tree? Maybe you talk with your friends or maybe you go straight to the medical doctor, for testing.
You know something is not “right,” but you don’t what is wrong. What if this change takes weeks, to months, to years to get a diagnosis. Traditionally Americans were conditioned when it comes to their health to not talk about what they are going through until after all of the testing, all of the differential diagnoses are ruled out, and one confirmed diagnosis remains. It might even be a diagnosis of exclusion. Sometimes that can take years to find that health care practitioner that can help you get the correct testing and finally a diagnosis that is accurate. When you are suffering, that can be very isolating.
But what do people do while they are on this journey of uncertainty? In my experience, there are still a large number of people who while they are on their journey suffer alone. Only recently has social media allowed a platform to talk about health conditions with others at any time of the day, about any questions that they might be afraid to ask someone close. They can join support groups or just friend groups. They can deep dive their symptoms and come up with their own diagnosis. We are conditioned to not discuss what “might be wrong with you,” incase the health care professionals find out in a few months that all of the testing that was done that they still aren’t sure of why you feel the way you do.
However, I am noticing a shift in this approach to healing, people seem to be done with suffering along in isolation. There is a shift in the air, something that was very interesting that I am so excited to see in the community. When I was working for companies as a physical therapist and I had to honor insurance guidelines people had to be treated alone. We were educated that having one on one attention and sessions was what was best for our clients. But is that what is best for our clients? There was a brief period when I was in nursing homes that on Fridays we could work with the residents in groups. They loved it, we had all of our exercising, balance, and strength activities done in small groups. They loved it! They were themed like a 50’s dance hall, or a day at the beach. They looked forward to those Friday sessions. Then insurance companies stopped paying for those sessions. When you take insurance out of the equation, the possibilities that open up about how to help your clients heal are nothing short of amazing!
Now a lot of the people that I am working with want community. They want the healing that can be had with friends, family, and even supportive participants in group healing opportunities. Healing as a community was one of the oldest ways that healing was experienced. From drum circles, to ceremonies that take place by the fire, to chanting in places of worship. Healing used to be a supportive journey, and I am noticing that people want and need that connection to heal. When you address the community, you are taking on a certain ownership of your dis-ease and working with others to help you heal. That can be a beautiful and amazing journey; probably a shorter one when you bring your tribe with you to heal.
At A Total Healing Solution, we offer group sessions to help you heal with your friends and family. Whether is a group of running friends looking to prevent and treat foot and ankle conditions, or a group of migraine sufferers, some friends who have TMJ, to just a couple that want to be treated together. Contact me to find out how I can make your healing journey as supportive as I can.
Dr. Heather Setzenfand is a dry needling specialist physical therapist along with being an herbalist. She is the owner of A Total Healing Solution, LLC and her appointments and classes take place on the Healing Homestead in Valencia. She is also a Reiki Master, Dental Hygienist, and Yoga instructor. All of her herbal remedies are made by her, and she tries to grow as much as she can with her new location.