In my years as a Naturopath, Nutritionist and Energetic Healer (alongside my somewhat crazy and always adventurous personal healing journey) there is one simple truth that I have come to know and deeply resonate alongside with every single fiber of my being.  It is the main thing that I teach on retreats, that I tell all my personal clients, that I write continuously about, that I live by intimiately within my own life, that I have written a whole 60,000 page book about and that I so deeply believe with every cell in my body…

If you really want to heal…

(pause – I mean deeply, wholeheartedly and undeniably heal yourself on every level of your being not just get better, feel better, eradicate symptoms or get on with things I mean deep, core, tranformational healing)

then you MUST work on all levels of who you are; MIND, BODY, SPIRIT.

It is the only way.  Period.

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My own personal journey for mind, body and soul awareness began when I was 15 years old. I was diagnosed with aggressive glandular fever, Ross river fever (a nasty virus caught by pesky little mosquitos) and had my appendix rupture as they were taking it out of me during surgery. My immune system was completely shattered, I was experiencing an extreme amount of pain and completely exhausted.

There was simply no gas left in the tank.

I was in hospital on a drip because my glands were so swollen in my neck that I literally couldn’t swallow and my body was rejecting all food. I had no appetite, no energy and weight was dropping off my body rapidly as the days went on. I looked pale and emanciated. My eyes were heavy and black, it looked like someone has sucked the life out of me, and I was merely a former shadow of my vibrant self. All I did was sleep. As my grandfather would say I was pretty much “buggered”.

This was the first time in my life that modern medicine could not help me. There was absolutely nothing any of the Doctor’s could do to help me get ‘well’. They told my parents to take me home, let me rest, give me strong pain medication and feed me ice cream and then eventually I will come around to my usual self.

ICECREAM! Seriously!

In hindsight I understand that is the worst thing I could have possibly had at the time thanks to an already existent dairy allergy and the fact that its high sugar content would contribute to the depletion of my already compromised immune system.

Yet I followed Doctors orders because;

A) I didn’t know any better at the time and

B) I was so desperate (like “I will do absoultely anything you say desperate”) to feel better.

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After whole 2 months in bed I had made very little improvement. I still didn’t have enough energy to stand up in the shower, go back to school or stay awake for more then a couple of hours at a time. For me it was like being in my own personal hell because I was so used to being an active kid. I was playing team sports, studying ballet, surfing after school and had whole bunch of extra circular activities that used to take up most of my time outside of school. I really loved being active, healthy and fit.  Naturally when my energy levels were poor and the life force was sucked out of me because I was too sick to do anything my mood became flat, dull and melancholic leaving me feeling helpless and worthless.  These were not fun times in my teenage youth I can guarantee you that!

Mum was desperate to get me well and healthy again she decided to take me to see a homeopath. This was my first experience with alternative and holistic health care and actually now looking back a hugely pivotal point in my life. I liked this woman instantly. She was asking me questions that I actually had to think about. What excites me? What inspires me? Do I prefer cold or hot? What do I dream about? What do I hope to be when I am older? What is my favourite colour? What were my favourite foods?

WOW, this was exciting.

She wanted to know all about me, who I was, beyond my signs and symptoms of my body by delving deeply into the cause of why I ended up getting so sick in the first place. She explained to me what ‘life force’ is and told me that this inner vital energy was low within me and I needed to help it thrive by exploring the emotional and spiritual sides of myself. She explained how the physical body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health. The healing process is ordered and intelligent; nature heals through the response of the ‘life force’. She gave me some journaling homework to do and told me to meditate.

I had never even heard of journaling, meditation or life force and thinking that my emotions could be affecting my physical state just couldn’t be true; could it? To say I was confused and overwhelmed would be a severe understatement. I mean I was 15 and “self discovery” of this depth was not on my radar at all.  Yet amongst this overloaded influx of new words, concepts and ideas she presented I knew she was right. Something deep inside of me awakened and I knew what she was telling me was going to help me get healthy again.

I was grateful. At 15 years old I had learnt the most powerful lesson that getting well was not about taking medication and eating ice cream. It was about honoring all parts of who I was and bringing them back into balance. After I had integrated the advice of this homeopath and connected back into my heart through meditation and inner self-exploration I discovered something very powerful within myself that would change the course of my life forever.

I discovered that my six sense was very strong, my intuition crystal clear and I could see, feel and know things that no one else could. I had opened up a part of myself that needed revealing and through that enormous healing occurred for me on many levels.

My physical body recovered quickly, my energy started to increase and I felt stronger than I ever had before.

I discovered that I had the power to change the state of my mind and body and that my ‘life force’ was a precious presence within me that I must nourish and nurture always.

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This early development of mind, body and soul awareness and trust in my own intuitive sense has governed my whole life and led me into a career and adventure that has been beyond my wildest dreams.

[Tweet “True healing only occurs when we look at all parts of who we are; mind, body and soul”]

When we only focus on the physical signs and symptoms of our bodies we never truly heal because we are more then the muscle and bones of our bodies. Furthermore when we only look at the problems and emotions we face within our minds and neglect our bodies and spirits we never truly get well either because we are more then the thousands of thoughts that continually run through our minds.

True healing lies in our capacity to honor, appreciate and explore all parts of ourselves; our physical bodies, our beautiful minds and our sacred souls in our quest for health.

In my experience this is the true fundamental difference between being well and absolutely thriving to your fullest potential.

If you want to experience the purist, most amazing and miraculous version of yourself not only in your health but also in every aspect of your life the key is to explore your mind, body and spirit in your quest for happiness, health and bliss.

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Here are some questions to evoke deep insight about yourself and your current situation. Answer these honestly through the eyes of the observer with an open mind to help you set clear mind, body and soul intentions to bring yourself into balance and honor all parts of who you are.

Body

Q1. Where do I let myself down when it comes to my physical health? As example; I don’t drink enough water, I don’t exercise, I eat foods that I know aggravate my system, I don’t rest when I need to.

Q2. What are 3 changes I can make to support a healthy change in my physical body?

Q3. What commitments am I willing to make right now to bring myself to a greater state of health? As example; drink 2L of water per day, buy organic produce from the local farmers market, try one new recipe a week, attend one yoga class per week.

Mind

Q4. What are the top things I usually spend time thinking and worrying about? As example; work, my ex partner, money problems, family members, conflict, not being good enough etc.

Q5. What do these worrying thoughts usually deprive me of? As example; being fully present to the moment, spending quality time with my family, gratitude for all the things I do have, feeling happiness and peace.

Q6. What one or more activities do I partake in that I know help pull me out of the overthinking ‘head space’ and invite in peace and reprieve? As example; meditation, yoga, surfing, cooking, gardening, going for a run, taking the dog for a walk etc.

Q7. What are 3 changes I can implement in my life to bring my mind in to a more balanced and centered state?

Soul

Q8. On a scale of 1(low) -10 (high) How close do I feel to living the life I have dreamed of?

Q9. If I had an infinite amount of time and unlimited resources what would I change about my current situation? What changes would I make? (Let your imagination run wild here)

Q10. If I am completely honest with myself, what does my soul and heart truly long for?

Q11. What are the things that are blocking this from happening?

Q12. What steps can I make right now to eradicate these blockages? (Hint – think outside the box and be open to the possibility of miracles).

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Allow these questions to gently guide you towards your own insight and awareness by helping you to gravitate towards a balanced, soul quenching, heart exploding, healthy, exciting and peaceful journey of the mind, body and spirit.

And in this quest remember that action is key!

[Tweet “Without action we have only thoughts and words”]

An important factor in action is accountability, so I ask you, how are you going to hold yourself accountable for making these changes?

Wishing you so much love, laughter and light on your own healing journey