Earth to Society: Women Scientists Exist!!!
Do we actually want to Transform?
Are we sure we wish to transform? Self-transformation is not for the faint hearted. It’s not necessarily easy.
As I reflect on this topic, I will focus on the domain of healing, since healing my body has been a point of attention for a while now.
As a few years ago I decided to reverse my auto immune condition in a holistic manner, I held a romanticized view of how that would happen: quickly, effectively, and leading to a positive life smoothly. Little did I know about the surprises of the journey I was going to embark on.
I assumed that I could work on manageable, time-bound goals around my health (like fixing a specific limb, or healing a gland, for example) and then move on with life. But instead my world turned upside down.
I realized that would no longer be able to do more (or less) of what I used to do. I had to step into a new territory. And think and act in new ways. Although the process feels painful and demanding to me at times, I can now experience the joy of having stepped into possibilities I had never seen before.
Coach Sharon Knoll describes this experience of transformation very well for me. She writes:
‘Transformation in its simplest form would fall under the heading ‘change’. It is a kind of change that we call a breakthrough. It is not simply adding to what is already there, doing a little better, doing a little bit more, or doing some variation on it. What distinguishes transformation is that instead of it being an exchange of one option for another option, it is an exchange of one realm of possibility for a whole new realm of possibility, a new range of ways of working.
Another way of looking at transformation is that it alters that which constrains or limits you, to become, instead, that which frees your actions. You create a new clearing in which what is there can exist.’
In more detail, how did I experience this self-transformation?
What Transformation has meant to me
Through my process of change, I have been willingly or unwillingly peeling off beliefs, about myself, my role in my family, community, and priorities in life. When in our social context being dedicated to one’s family is of paramount importance, being committed to the self can feel unnatural and uncomfortable. (Do us women operate within a certain box of expectations when we wish to heal, or not tapping into the whole range of possibilities? Do we need to walk past these expectations?).
I am even seeing my healing organs from a different angle, learning that the liver stores anger, the kidneys fear, the lungs sadness and depression, and the thyroid a yearning for self-expression. As they heal, one goes through a roller coaster of such emotions staring one in one’s face. Unless one addresses one’s old emotions, the body will continue holding onto them and repeat old patterns of behaviour. Welcoming them, one by one, is a unique experience, and this requires that we listen to our body. To heal our thyroid, for instance, may require the exercise of reclaiming our voice. So healing, in a way, demands that we change entirely, with discipline. It asks us to move into a deeper dimension of healing to address one’s way of BEING, one’s consciousness, to source our values from deep within ourselves, to act from an open heart, and not just the mind.
What my Experience has been like so far
During my time of living this experience, the biggest challenge I have faced has been to give priority to the process of getting better when external problems become a distraction. I then remember to stay focused and conserve my energy. So now I ask myself: ‘Where is it that I can prioritize? Where is it that I can ask for help?’
As I feel I am getting a second chance in life, I am learning to pay attention to every aspect of my experience and to celebrate the progress of getting better and the gift of every day. One becomes good at what one practices daily, and in this way, one is fueled by positive emotions.
So healing is no longer about going through the simple notions of minding what one eats, drinks, or how one exercises, but guarding one’s mindset and the quality of one’s thoughts. I am training myself to focus on what is working every day, and what progress I notice, however small.
What is emerging from it all?
After having spent so much time at home to get better, I expect that when I come out the other end, I will be different (more authentic and fearless, hopefully), and the city welcoming me will be different too.
Transformation: will it have been all worth it?
As I ask myself this question, envisioning the reversal of my autoimmune disease, I sense that I have no choice but to move along this challenging experience. Transformation here is not easy, but necessary.
But the delight of knowing that the physical inflammation and pain are leaving give me energy and a sense of anticipation.
As I let go of all that is no longer necessary, I am ready to receive the good and the blessings. The lesson here is: ‘Grow your light. Don’t dim it.’
I am curious: where in your life is it that you need to take the leap and transform?
Many thanks to Wellness and Mindset Coach Hilde Larson and Leadership Development Coach Sharon Knoll for having inspired the writing of this blog and having invited me to see and live things differently.