An Incurable Diagnosis
When I was first diagnosed with endometriosis I was told by both my gynecologist and the surgeon who did my laparoscopy that endometriosis is incurable. That it is a chronic condition that would only continue to get worse.
At this time I was experiencing chronic pain that escalated up until ovulation, growing steadily worse until the finale of unbearable pain with my periods. I couldn’t imagine the pain getting worse. The possibility of this created a sense of hopelessness and sadness in me.
The surgeon told me that I should get back on birth control or get pregnant as soon as possible. Nearly two and a half years later…. no baby. Who can forget the dire message about this too. Endometriosis is the leading cause of infertility.
Was I just destined for a life of pain? Would I never be a mother? Or was this just a believable message delivered to me by medical professionals?
Power of Belief in Healing
I finished reading an awesome book recently called Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself by Dr. Lissa Rankin.
She writes about the impact of incurable diagnoses. The doctor’s authority conditions patients to believe that certain illnesses (like endometriosis) are incurable, terminal or chronic. When labeled this way, the mind is subconsciously programmed with negative beliefs that activate stress responses in the body.
My official diagnosis sprung feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, frustration, resentment and other negative emotions, which surely triggered consistent stress responses in my body, making it really hard to heal — actually making things worse.
Dr. Rankin believes that the body is a self-healing organism, constantly striving to return to homeostasis. She provides a book full of scientific poof that we can alter the body’s physiology just by changing the mind.
Changing thoughts to those that are hopeful and optimistic can change how the brain communicates with the rest of the body and alters the body’s biochemistry, setting the stage for the body to heal itself.
When we shift the mind’s interpretation of illness from fear and danger to positive belief, the brain responds biochemically, the blood changes the body’s cell culture and the cells change on a biological level.
– Dr. Lissa Rankin
In her personal practice Dr. Rankin notes many of her patient’s health conditions were cured by reducing stress, relaxing the body and mind, following a dream and/or finding love. This positive flow induced physical, physiological changes. Many overcame the “incurable”.
Finding The Way Within
In her book Dr. Rankin writes a lot about following our “inner pilot” — our internal guiding system. By re-aligning ourselves spiritually and reconnecting to our inner pilots, we can make our bodies ripe for miracles.
Instead of believing our doctors know what’s best for the body, we can diagnose our own root causes and write our own prescriptions to change our lives 🙂
When you learn to listen to the wisdom your body is sharing with you, you will find all the answers you need in order to know how to navigate your self healing journey.
– Dr. Lissa Rankin
When we shift our minds about the dismal diagnosis of an incurable diagnosis of endometriosis and a life riddled with chronic pain to the fact that the body is screaming at us to pay attention to a curable imbalance within — then take action against it — then healing really does happen.
Dr. Rankin expresses this beautifully with her own experience of healing. She depicts her illness as a precious opportunity to investigate life, without judgement. It takes digging to find the root cause of what may be contributing to an illness.
For more on this, then I encourage you to pick up Dr Rankin’s book as she provides a step by step plan to self-healing.
On the Positive Side?
I believe that my own healing journey truly began when I shifted my mind from the negatives about endometriosis to the positives. It has made me dig deeper to find causative factors behind the pain and imbalance in my body.
I do believe that I can heal from this disease. While I may not be able to fully cure it, I do believe I can heal and am well on my way. Those days of chronic pain are behind me, and each period that I have gets better.
This has come with a lot of dedication and belief that I can feel better, and stepping outside the box to try new things. Above all else, a key part has been making time for self care and work on the inner 🙂
I leave you with the dictionary definition of the word “heal” which is “to become whole”.
