Part II Recovery
Self-Awareness comes in different ways. As a young woman, I knew I wanted to work in education. I also had a great desire to become a filmmaker. Inspired by my work with students in my school’s TV studio, I realized that I needed more training. I began studying Method acting with a teacher trained by the “father of Method Acting”, Lee Strasberg. This is one of the benefits of living in NYC. The basis of Method acting teaches the practioner to develop a very deep level of self-awareness. We were taught to use our imagination to invoke the emotional state of the characterwe would become. For example, one connects to a particular emotional state in one’s life that resembles the character’s emotional state and uses it to become the character. It is a different and potent pathway to the felt sense.
Self-Awareness
Method Acting helped me learn how to access emotions, and their physical manifestations (change in heart rate, sweating, etc) and. For a focuser one can access the emotional state of a part of the body. The Method practice can help a focuser to become aware of one’s capacity to connect to any part of one’s body that needs your attention. When I began studying Focusing, these method skills were very valuable. Only this time I was connecting to my body parts’ experienceto learn more about them instead of using them to become somone else.
Recovery Self-Awareness
Kevin and I continued to work together helping me to hold space for the suffering of the parts of my body that would need to be removed. As we continued our investigation into my body’s experience of itself I learned to be more compassionate of the effected parts of my body and less anxious about “future scenarios” that had been occupying my thoughts since the decision to go forward with the surgery to remove the right salivary gland.
Time to create a plan of action to get me through this experience began to take form. Living in NYC gives you access to high quality medical care but, it makes getting family and friends together to coordinate care needs from their vastly differing locations. I created a system on my cell phone that would support everyone wanting information about the progress of the surgery and the recovery. I taught a friend who would be at the hospital with me to be in charge of the cell phone. It was a simple system to able to communicate with me and family and friends on the day of the surgery and notify various groups who wanted to be part of my support community support.
Missing Parts Self-Awareness
When I returned home, had nerve damage that limited the functioning of my mouth, I was in the state of shock. I had very little control food in my mouth and I kept biting my numb lip. There also was massive swelling. It felt like I had been beaten up.. My first salivary gland extraction had none of the symptoms. Rage was my main emotion. I wondered if I had had an incompetent surgeon. With the help of Chinese herbs, Acupuncture and homeopathis remedies for pain and nerve damage, the new changes in my body started to more closely function in ways that helped me function.
Making space for the missing parts helped me to have room to remember that I am not alone and that I have access to an a vast network of alternative options to help my recover. I began to take advantage of those resources. This put the control of my outcomes back in my hands
Recovery
Each time I treated my suffering part as an entity unto itself, I created room to manage my medical experience. It helped reduce my worry and fear. Recovery Self-Awareness helped me remember that even I had no viable alternative to the surgery. I did have the resources to manage the effects of the surgery. In addition, I had to wait more than three weeks to get the final “no cancer” results. The lesion I had was rare, which made the process longer than usual. I asked the affected area if there was any cancer. It told me, “No!” It helped me let go of the importance of the biopsy report. I eventually received the report ‘no further treatment was needed.’ It was essential to get the medical results, but my connection with the surgical site helped me to get through the waiting.
WFB allows us to short circut the negative throughts that can overwhelm us as we go through necessary medical procedures. We can fill that space with a connection to the part of us that needs treatment, will be removed, or will take curative medications that can have strong side effects. By becoming aware of its suffering, acknowledge the ill part’s existance, show it compassion and kindness, we can have a direct experience of healing.
Loving Kindness Changes the World
Disclaimer: This article is a guide to using Wholebody Focusing as a guide to emotional, and spiritual support when one is experiencing a medical condition. It does not claim to have curative powers.