A Few Words to Help the Healing

A Lexicon and Lyrics for Healthy Restoration

Calming Words

Since many of the symptoms experienced by many folks suffering from chronic illnesses and trauma have one-to-one correspondences with ingrained stress symptoms, all my studies point to the key for reducing these symptoms is in the ability and willingness to put the brain and body in to states of calm for prolonged periods.

Indeed, these states of calm are known to be the conditions under which the body can self-repair, detoxify and address inflammation. Being under chronic stress, psychological stress, or chronic fear effectively exiles us from these states, and hence necessarily results in increasing toxification and inflammation of the brain and body.

Here are a just of few of the very many conditions we have found there is good scientific literature for which supports the case that chronic stress is causal, triggering, and/or exacerbating, and hence for which stress reduction will be vital for recovery:

• disrupts immune function;

• slows wound healing;

• lung, colon, rectal, and stomach cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma;

• glaucoma;

• osteoporosis;

• downregulation or loss of receptors in the endocannabinoid system;

• Parkinson’s Disease;

• anaemia and iron dysregulation;

• sepsis, endocarditis, and meningitis and other central nervous system infections.

Here are a few words and definitions which I felt may help folks feel into the states of being required for health and restoration, detoxification and anti-inflammation:

• placid – not easily upset;

• tranquil – free from disturbance;

• serene – untroubled;

• restful – having a quiet and soothing quality;

• pacific – peaceful in character or intent;

• at ease – free from worries or awkwardness;

• content – in a state of peaceful happiness;

• comfortable – physically relaxed and free from constraint;

• resilient – able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions;

• equanimity – calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation;

• respiring – recovering hope, courage, or strength after a time of difficulty;

• contemplative – looking thoughtfully at something for a long time.

Tending the Garden

Love, courage, kindness, giving benefit of the doubt, receiving gratitude, humour, the natural world, simple pleasures, social groups, metaphor, dancing, music – these are the flowers of healing – water them, fertilize them, and make room for them.

Hate, chronic fear, othering, dehumanising, lack of frivolity, anhedonia, staying indoors, addiction, isolation, loneliness, literal mindedness, immobility, discord – the weeds of dis-ease – don’t cultivate these, mind they don’t flourish.

A Song of Hope

Lyrics from the adopted theme song for this substack, by The Bengsons.

“Hope comes from the place where the hurt comes.

The part of you that is not alright,

Is also the part that loves the light,

And the part of you that is suffering,

Is the part that calls in change,

You don't have to feel ashamed,

There is nothing to forgive,

The part of you that is crying out,

Is the part that wants to live,

When your world is burning down,

Getting hot is a sane reaction,

But one in need of action,

Because your spirit needs protection,

So gather up your sinew,

Gather up your faction,

Hope is not a feeling,

Hope is an action.

We are not alright,

I'm gonna fall down on my knees,

That's an act of living,

I'm gonna say will you help please,

That's an act of living,

I'm gonna say I'm not alright,

That's an act of living,

I'm just trying to get through the night,

That's an act of living,

We can say we are not alright,

We can help each, help each other,

Get through the night.

Hope comes from the center of the hurt,

In the middle of the dirt,

We'll plant a seed and watch it grow,

In to something we don't already know.”