From the Table is a series of conversational articles which have been birthed from the weeks treatments with Jacquie McIntyre- showcasing some interesting concepts and issues that people face in their journey to body-mind health and deep happiness. (all names have been changed)
GRAB A CUPPA!
Did I ever introduce you to "Amanda"?
Amanda?....What about Bob?....
I will tell you about Bob at the end.
Amanda came to see me for BodyTalk sessions and directional coaching years ago, she was in her late 20's. She'd had several autoimmune conditions for a few years, Chronic Fatigue (CFS), Hashimoto's (Thyroid disease) and had just been diagnosed with Arthritis. She filled in my intake forms back and front with her symptoms, it was a lot.
She had followed all the guidelines and instructions set out by her doctors, specialists, dieticians etc. Some bought a little relief but mostly that was short lived. The severity of the symptoms flared up again and again. She was told her current state was permanent, no cure or recovery, just ways to cope.
Amanda refused to settle for that but at the same time,
was absolutely lost as to what to do.
She embarked on nearly 2 years of 4 to 6 weekly BodyTalk sessions with me (some in person, some via distance- she had to travel to get to my clinic) and actioned absolutely everything that came up as a suggestion from her Innate Wisdom to implement into her life.
A bit on that....Sometimes in a session your innate wisdom will offer a suggestion, something you can do/ get/ start doing etc. It's something that is designed to work in conjunction with your healing process from your BT session and compliment it, but it will also support you in moving forward into a better version of yourself.
It can be anything from taking your 1 litre of water a day that you consume and boosting it up to 2.5 litres for the next 6 weeks. OR it could be implementing a specific breathing technique to be done once a day for the next 6 months.
I love two things about her.
Her tenacity! She was not willing to settle. Amanda said "I know they tell me I'll have this forever, but I don't want this as my life, and I believe I can get better" Rightio! I said, I knew she would stretch herself further than most.
She followed through...She wanted it bad. Every little thing that came up as a suggestion from her session, she did it and it showed. Every time I saw her she had made massive in roads.
Why am I telling you about her?
Because one of her biggest disasters that was unfolding within her body-mind was something that is so common in many people today...the state of her nervous system, lungs and respiratory system and immune system was in utter chaos.
Amanda's own birth was quiet traumatic, she was born a very shocked baby to very stressed parents. She grew up in a family of domestic violence, feeling afraid, little inside and uncertain about herself and the world around her...she was bullied in high school very badly and this is where depression, forms of self harm and self poisoning found her.
After high school she went in and out of relationships quickly. She longed for a long lasting, permanent healthy relationship but struggled to have it. She finally decided not to be in a relationship at all. And so when she came to me for help, she had been "single" for 3 years.
All of these experiences in her life had a mind boggling profound effect on her body, mind, spirit...the whole lot.
The biggest thing that kept coming up as a priority to focus on and repair was the combination of Brain, Nervous system, Lungs, Immune and Respiratory systems.
Why? Because they were the ones impacted the most from these experiences in her life and they were also the ones responding to mental and emotional, triggers/ stressors the most.
Instead of her Nervous system mostly being in a state of Parasympathetic mode (rest/ relax), it was nearly at all times in some form of reactive Sympathetic mode (fight/ flight/ freeze).
Sympathetic mode is active when some kind of stress has been triggered. We used to use it to run from tigers or mad villagers. But now it's an everyday experience for a lot of people.
The nervous system gets hijacked, lungs and respiratory systems in chaos and the immune system gets worn down by this constant barrage of stress responses and hormones flooding the body.
Humans and animals are designed to switch easily between the two modes- but sometimes they get persistently stuck.
Parasympathetic state is when the body is at rest, it's calm chilled and loving life. It is also in this state that the body is able to heal and repair constructively and deeply.
It's so important to know: If your body is always in some state of stress (Sympathetic mode) then there is very little to no healing process being effectively done and left too long you start to see chaos happening in the immune system, to the hormones and overall chemistry of the brain and body.
Hello autoimmune diseases. You can change this.
A 'suggestion' that kept coming up from her sessions was to deliberately surround herself with things that she loves the sound of (music/ laughter/ waves crashing on the beach). Things that she loves the look of (colours that make her feel at peace etc) things that she loves the feel of (laying on the soft grass in the backyard at the end of the day) ...you get the drift?
One thing that made a huge difference were several breathing techniques. Over the 2 years, 3 specific Breathing techniques were learnt and adapted into her everyday life.
They were instrumental in helping her restart a healing process that ultimately saw her make a complete recovery. They were the Pelvic Breathing technique, the 4-7-8 technique and the Calming breath technique. I also taught her a simple Tip of the Nose breathing technique that induces meditation easily and very quickly which allows the body to do some kick butt healing.
These breathing techniques and a few others such as...Belly Breathing and Stimulating Breathing etc, have factored into SO many sessions over the years with absolutely outstanding results that I decided to bring them all together for you into a very powerful eCourse which is now available in the Course Library.
Learn to use your breath in a deliberate way but harnessing the psychology of your body for CONFIDENCE - ENERGY - FREEDOM
To find out more go here >>> www.jacquiemcintyre.com/courselibrary
I recognise the signals and warning signs, I understand the pathology behind them and how to recover from it. I guess it's why so many people come to me who have been through their own journey of burnout, or sever body-system compromise.
Bob's voice is like angels singing from the highest heavens to me. He has the COOLEST sayings that bring a smile to my face and a laugh to my belly.
Like when you run the paint brush back and forth over the metal bar to get the water out of it, he says "Go on there, just beat the devil outta it" and another "We don't make mistakes, we just make happy little accidents"
How flippin cool is that!
He says "thanks for joining me" and he darn well means it. When I was introduced to Bob late last year I was so SO grateful to have come across this human being. I was a little sad to hear he is now passed, but had so much gratitude that I did not go a day longer without knowing him. My life feels richer having him in it now.
So when I feel that my immune system is struggling, I'm pushing harder than I need, my reserves are being maxed out, my nervous system is starting to show me more Sympathetic mode than what is healthy....I know what to do to bring me back into balance really quickly.
I extensively use all of those breathing techniques in different situations. And because of the wonderful response my body goes into when Bob's on, I put him on play a lot.
I watch him at the end of a day (his series is big, I'm still watching them all) and I play his videos on my phone as I drift off to sleep on any day where I see that I've stretched too far and needing to re-centre myself.
Bob is my meditation
Maybe you would like Bob too? >> Youtube
Thanks for joining me again for another edition of From the Table, see you next week.
Jacquie xx
About Jacquie...
Knowledge sharer, wisdom bringer, light shiner and fierce supporter of you and your journey.
Jacquie advocates for people's potential, and the return journey to Self- she shares her knowledge in all things healthcare, consciousness and body psychology whilst inspiring people to be the most exceptional version of themselves that they can possibly be.
Through private treatment sessions, seminars, workshops based in integrated consciousness healthcare and founder of the My Incredible Orbit community that gets you the powerful results you so deeply desire.
Consciousness based healthcare, where the best version of you and your journey towards a sensational life awaits you.