When Healing Does Not Work?

You probably already know that there are many doorways to Healing: Energy Healing, Kinesiology, Counselling, Coaching, Acupuncture, Art Therapy, Chiro, Physio, Indigenous healing, Theta Healing, Polarity Healing, Bowen, Russian Cellular Healing and the list goes on… But when all of these healing styles cannot quite nail your problem and you feel completely and utterly stuck, lost and hopeless - what is the answer?

The answer is NOTHING, THE VOID, SHAMANIC DEATH, THE ABYSS. I prefer to call it the VOID. Nobody really can explain the VOID 100% to you, as it is different for each person. However, it is probably one of the most transformational processes you can go through. If you have been in it, or are currently in it – that means you are getting the biggest lessons of your life. It’s probably hard as hell, but learn to enjoy this experience as you’re getting a super-charged evolutionary leap in the story of your life. So, what does this mean?

What is the void? How do I know when I am in it or about to be in it?

When life throws a huge hurdle at you (health burnout/ melt-down, loss of loved one, painful divorce or relationship split,, financial ruin, serious illness, lost in life purpose/career,  abuse or trauma of some kind), you most likely fight and scream the entire way. 

Our logical brains have been programmed to cope and to work around this hurdle to stay balanced. To find rational ways to move forward. To use grit and power to push through. This won’t work with life’s biggies! Sometimes there is no rational response. There is no clear direction and there is no “10 steps to” fix this issue. This requires a complete letting go. You can see the slippery slope down into the VOID in the picture. This is actually the hardest part. The fight not to slip into the pit or void at the bottom layer. Why? Because the pit looks like a black deep scary place. You are not sure where it ends or whether you might climb out again. You fear to lose your attachments. Like the eye of a hurricane, the VOID at the bottom is actually sort of calm and relieving after a mental battle of slipping. It’s like sighing a deep breath and letting it all go. In metaphysical terms (i.e. energy), the VOID is like a death and rebirth of your Spirit; a resetting or sorts. A shaman’s death says you travel through the darkness of your fears and only then can you come out the other side – healed and whole. In physical terms, it means that you make NO actions, NO decisions and NO efforts to resolve or fix what is seemingly broken in your life. You let go of all attempts to rationally understand and you adopt the attitude of “It’s ok not to know”. This is not a victim mode of being, rather it is the willingness to let go of anything no longer serving you, to sit and reflect with your inner self and to honour the cycle that you are in. The idea is that you don’t need to know what’s on the other side. There is a higher purpose or game at play. This is really hard for people that like control and certainty. Nobody experiences the VOID in the same way and the length of time you sit in it varies. Anything from a day to 6 months! Whilst I can speak about the concept, I cannot tell you what furniture exists in your void or what exactly it will feel like for you. Western society teaches us to have all of the answers all of the time. Indigenous cultures show us that sometimes life demands we use a more creative and freeing process to resolve our challenges. 

The VOID is just that. Sit and face your fear and don’t analyze right or wrong, good or bad, which way to turn or what to do. Just “be” with it. Being in the VOID does NOT mean giving up. It’s honouring yourself to get the perspective and time and space – and be “willing” to want a change or better outcome but not controlling how this might come about. Reflection and acceptance is the key. In my experience, everyone I know who has sat in the VOID comes out a richer and wiser person. They find their answers in unexpected ways. And the climb back up on the other side of the pit/void is super sweet. You are armed with inspiration, knowledge and a process for always (always!) being able to cope with life’s hurdles. So, if you are someone you know is teetering on the edge of the VOID, give yourself or them permission to slip in and let go of the mental battle. This is probably one of the most valuable healing tools you have to move past a really hard situation.

Healing truly does come from within your god-self – so find your inner warrior and go surfing the VOID if you are stuck. You are never given a challenge you cannot master!