A long term patient of mine that consulted me regularly for acupuncture little snippet you sent me, entitled “Touched by an Angel”. I not sure where it came from but feel it may have been an article from the Mail on Sunday. It read as follows:
“To carry on from last week’s column about facialist Vaishaly Patel, I am so excited to tell you all about John Tsagaris who works at the Vaishaly salon and is one of the most profound healers I have ever encountered. John spent many years training in the art of traditional Chinese medicine in both the UK and the Far East His treatments incorporate reiki, Zen shiatsu (a more dynamic, vigorous form of the ancient acupressure massage) and acupuncture, along with psychotherapy, and believe me, with these skills he can transform your life and consciousness.
On meeting John one can feel overwhelmed. His presence is one of purity and light. His gaze feels as though he is looking right into your soul. I believe that this angel truly cares about who you are and how you feel. How refreshing! As he guided me into his tranquil white room I felt a sense of safety. The session began with us going over my medical history. John then checked my pulse and examined my tongue which, in China, are both benchmarks of health. More notes were gathered, including details of my diet, menstrual cycle and energy levels.
Then the massage began. Now this is no wishy-washy feather touch, but a firm, sometimes painful acupressure. The back, particularly, is given a thorough going-over — pressure points are stimulated and muscles are eased. The massage is another of John’s diagnostic tools, as the way the body reacts to touch gives signals to internal health. All the while his gentle, reassuring voice talked me through the blockages he felt in my body and explained his intention to release them and free me from the years of feeling pent-up. I felt a true shift as he worked on my neck and back, as if I was stretching my wings and my head was becoming unglued from my shoulders. Space was being created.
Then it was time for acupuncture. Needles were inserted painlessly into my skin to stimulate liver and kidney function and to detoxify and strengthen my blood. Warming cups were placed over the needles to aid the process (this also feels very comforting). While the needles did their job, John began his reiki healing, placing his hand on my heart chakra. All became still and I felt a rare moment of total ease in my own skin. Then he said, ‘I need to tell you something. You are not alone. I feel a man is walking with you throughout everything.’ Immediately, thoughts of my dear daddy who passed away seven years ago filled my head. John continued, This man has been through lots of grief in his life and knows what you go through… He passed away at 42.’ All of a sudden the floodgates opened. My brother died of cancer at 42 and we had never been close in life, which is something I have always felt guilty about because I feel I was not there for him. In my mind I was not the best sister in the world but the fact that my brother was still looking out for me released a surge of emotion. I had not told John anything about my family history, so there was no way he could have known about my brother. I was happy but in floods of tears when John explained that, occasionally, he has a deep intuition that presents itself when the release of the emotion related to it will help his patient.
Angels come into your life to reveal, surprise and amaze, and I’m so thankful to have met one.”
As you might imagine I was very flattered that she thought highly of me. However, I felt the need to a couple of things in response.
I make great efforts to convince folk of their ability to heal themselves and give them the tools, rather than allowing them to fall under the illusion that it is me doing the healing for them. This way, they become self-sufficient and self-empowered; able to continue themselves without a reliance on a third party. Nowadays, I do this primarily though teaching the ancient art of T’ai Chi.
In many ways, the situation referred to in the article is the antithesis of my healing philosophy. In this case example, there is a high risk that the client becomes co-dependent. In my opinion, this is the worst possible outcome for all concerned. I am sure that Derren Brown might have a thing or two to say about the article as well!
What I have found in my years as a clinician is that modern humans under-perform their potential massively due to self-limiting beliefs and their image of self. I believe, based upon personal experience, research and watching others, that by changing one’s image of self this massive potential can be unleashed.
The trouble is, most want a quick and easy route. Many quick-fix methods are proclaimed but I believe they achieve more commercial success than any healing of significance. I think the secret to releasing this potential involves some or all of the following:
• A desire for better and a clear mental construct of what this actually entails
• Self-analysis to achieve self-understanding
• Smart thinking
• A clear plan with specific and achievable milestones
• A belief that the ultimate goal can be achieved or, at the very least, moved towards
• Determination and single-mindedness and the willingness to suffer in the short-term in order to reach long-term goals
• Hard, hard work
…I am sure there are probably other useful components.
Anyone who feels that the path to healing is easy is deluded, in my opinion. Having said that, the path I propose above can be extremely rewarding both in the outcome and the process. It’s a bit like the feeling of a hard work out: it burns and its tough…but there is something quite delicious about it!
Anyway, thank you to my loyal patient for thinking about me.