Heal Documentary: A Body & Mind Connection to Heal Trauma & Chronic Pain
Last week, I watched the Netflix documentary, Heal. It had a profound message with such educational content to build awareness about the correlation between physical illnesses, autoimmune disorders, chronic pain, mental health, and trauma. Two of the biggest takeaways for me were this: 1. It is estimated in statistics that 90% of medical conditions, chronic pain, and illnesses are directly linked to the brain; mental health. It is not genetic. Instead, it is unhealed trauma.
2. "Your body's ability to heal is greater than anyone has permitted you to believe." ~ Heal Documentary The Heal Documentary featured a wide variety of medical, holistic, psychological, and trauma-informed experts, including Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Bruce Lipton, Michael Beckwith, Anita Moorjani, Gregg Braden, and more.
Director Kelly Noonan Gores' documentary takes us on a scientific and spiritual journey
where we discover that our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have a huge impact on our health and ability to heal. The latest science reveals that we are not victims of unchangeable genes, nor should we buy into a scary prognosis.
The fact is we have more control over our health and life than we have been taught to believe. We can heal. Safely. Gently. Naturally. This film will empower you with a new understanding of the miraculous nature of the human body and the extraordinary healer within us all.
What hit home for me were the countless survivors who were diagnosed with chronic pain and fibromyalgia. In March 2008, I had been officially diagnosed twice by two medical specialists with primary fibromyalgia, herniated discs, thyroid imbalances, degenerative disc disease, plus other ongoing conditions. In 2008, my Aunt Joan who had also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia discussed with me the mind-body connection. She disclosed to me that she had been sexually abused by her dad when she was a young girl. She believed her fibromyalgia was a manifestation of child sexual abuse. (Name changed for confidentiality.) My Aunt Joan discussed her concerns about my fibromyalgia and my past abuse. She urged me to understand how trauma impacts our brain, our body, and our emotional wellness. This was the start of my healing journey. It was when I consciously became aware of the direct correlation between my being neglected and abused as a child and as an adult. It helped me to connect the dots to my sexual assaults, narcissistic abuse, and spending a lifetime being manipulated, silenced, and gaslit by my dysfunctional family.
For over 13 years, I have been learning valuable life lessons. The most important one for me is that silence didn't save me. Being silenced didn't help me in my trauma recovery. Silence didn't promote my physical, mental, nor spiritual health. Rather, being silenced for most of my life prevented me from healing. It sabotaged my health; body, mind, and soul.
My turning point was in 2017 when the Harvey Weinstein sexual scandal went viral. It was like wildfire and exploded on social media. Out of nowhere, I was triggered. I had horrible flashbacks, insomnia, and nightmares.
I was slammed with fight, flight, freeze, and fawn response. My fibromyalgia flared up. My entire body felt as if it were on fire. And I became desperate to heal my own self. In my healing journey, I had to become my own doctor. I had to become my own therapist. I had to become my own healer. Was it easy? Absolutely not. It was a hellish ordeal! For the longer version of my trauma healing journey, check out my new book, Soul Rescue: How to Break Free from Narcissistic Abuse & Heal Trauma. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M2DFM98 After I had been free from toxic medications, cleaned up my diet, sought holistic modalities, and I began facing my past pain, I gradually noticed improvements in my overall life. Year by year, I noticed much less physical pain, better sleep, more clarity and focus, improved gut health, and my depression vanished. For me, healing chronic pain involved processing, facing, and addressing my past abuse, my compounded trauma, and my Complex PTSD. To my surprise, traditional therapy was not effective for me. Due to my therapists not being trauma-informed, nor educated about narcissistic personality disorder, and not being experienced in narcissistic abuse, therapy was far more harmful than helpful to me.
I learned the hard way that just because someone has a license in counseling, psychology, psychiatry, or therapy, it doesn't mean they are automatically trauma-informed or a good fit for us. This has been a major learning curve for me. And it ultimately led to my becoming a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach in 2021.
I can only speak for myself. Where therapy had failed, Certified Trauma Recovery Coaching has been a breath of fresh air. During my educational program with the International Association of Trauma Recovery Coaching, for over six months, I did receive coaching from other students in the same program. In addition, I also had the opportunity in my six months of training to coach supervisor's and students. For the first time in my life, I felt heard, seen, validated, and understood. For the first time in my life, I was respected, offered compassion, and empathy. It was a positive life-changing experience for me. If felt incredible to work with other coaches and trauma survivors who were kind, caring, and who attuned to me. Here's a list of some of the most therapeutic holistic modalities that's working wonders for me to heal my fibromyalgia, CPTSD, and compounded trauma:
Professional massage therapy
Gentle stretching
Aqua therapy
Pure essential oils
Energy healing
Sensory Deprivation Floating Tank Therapy
CBD oil and topical cream
Turmeric Herb supplements
Magnesium and malic acid
Ginger root herb
Spending time in nature
Journaling
Working with a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach
Daily positive affirmations
Building awareness about the subconscious mind & health
Speaking life, health, abundance, and healing out loud
Somatic embodiment & healing
One powerful quote that stood out in the Netflix documentary Heal, stated, "Without a shadow of doubt, there is such thing as a mind-body connection. Thinking, believing, emotions, all cause substantial chemical, physiological, and biological changes throughout the body." ~ Dr. David Hamilton, Heal Documentary
For those who are interested in learning more about the power of the subconscious mind, I highly recommend you read the book, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, by Dr. Joseph Murphy. I also highly recommend checking out Neville Goddard who's the author of countless books about the subconscious mind, the power of our thoughts and beliefs, plus more. "Thinking you are your tiny little powerless body – makes your life – powerless and tiny. On the other hand, when you get that you are massive and powerful, you are consciousness, the animating spark, how you experience and how you heal from sickness and injury changes big time. Not only is it faster, but also you remain at peace." ~ Neville Goddard The Heal documentary not only taps into the brilliant minds of leading scientists and spiritual teachers, but it follows three people on their actual healing journey. The one survivor whose trauma story resonated with mine was estranged from her mother. Apparently, when this particular survivor was a child, she had to take care of her mother. Her own mother neglected to provide an appropriate, nurturing, safe environment.
As I watched the adult survivor receive Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and speak the phrases out loud during the tapping sessions, I cried right along with her. As my own tears flowed, I realized that I had a similar experience with my own mother.
My childhood was stolen from me. As a daughter of a narcissistic mother, I have been through hell and high waters. I have been ostracized, victim-shamed, blamed, and betrayed by my own family of origin. I believe that EFT and other holistic approaches are an effective way to process my trauma and release my pain.
Healing can be extremely complex and deeply personal, but it can also happen spontaneously in a moment. Through these inspiring and emotional stories, we can discover countless holistic modalities that work, what doesn't work, and why. Essentially, we can take what works good for us and leave the rest behind. If you are battling depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, or medical conditions, viewing the Heal documentary is enlightening, educational, and cathartic. While there is a time and place for Western Medicine, it shouldn't be the first choice or only option. Our bodies do have the innate ability to heal when given the right environment, lifestyle, and mindset. To learn more about the Netflix Documentary, Heal: https://www.healdocumentary.com/