By Barbara Sinclair, www.barbarasinclair.com

I remember when I HAD fibromyalgia how confused I was by what I should try, what I shouldn’t try, who I should trust, and who I shouldn’t trust on this healing journey I’d been suddenly thrust into.

Something (luckily) triggered a change in me from being mostly Western medicine-minded to intuiting that alternative medicine was the key to my healing.

But it was a new world for me and I mostly floundered about, reading book after book, and trying different modalities. I visited a number of acupuncturists who sort of helped, but I eventually parted ways with most of them. They just didn’t feel right.

At some point, I found my way to an amazing healer named Carrie – an acupuncturist, massage and craniosacral therapist. She was my angel. Carrie believed in me and kept me from sinking into self-pity or hopelessness. She gave me strategies to lead my body towards repairing itself.

The irony was that Carrie worked at a physical therapy center and my (then) stellar health insurance would pay in full every physical therapy modality except acupuncture – the only thing that was giving me some relief from the pain. Or rather – it would only pay if it was administered by a medical doctor (who had basically done a crash course in acupuncture).

Believe me, I got a hard look at just how insanely stupid the health care system is. Looking back, every single healer, herb, or modality that helped me heal was paid for out of my own pocket.

So, who to trust on your healing journey? Well, I got pretty good at using my intuition.

Because, in the end, you’re the person you need to trust first and foremost.

Personally, I don’t want someone working on/with me who isn’t gentle and full of light.

There are just as many holistic healers with poor bedside manners as there are MD’s. I remember thinking “I don’t need that negative energy around me” when I’m desperately trying to mend my body, mind, and spirit.

Trust your gut. Does this person make you feel better in their presence? Does what they’re saying resonate with you?

When I was at the tail end of my own healing journey, I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Every day we would listen to a new speaker and learn a new theory. Most of them made perfect sense to me. Some, not so much.

In the end, we had to draw our own conclusions and the basic truth that I came away with was that we are all different with different dietary needs, different emotional needs, etc. And that these needs change throughout our lifetime.

It’s a simple truth that we all tend to forget when we learn new information or seek out someone’s help.

I admit to being a bit of a human guinea pig and will try just about anything to heal naturally, rather than look to Western medicine and pharmaceuticals. Of course (knock on wood) I wouldn’t visit an acupuncturist for a broken leg. But you get my drift.

Trust yourself on your healing journey.

Educate yourself. Connect with people who resonate with your own beliefs and in whose presence you feel good. And safe.

I never stop learning or opening myself up to new ways of looking at things. Ayurveda always made the most sense to me when I was in school and it was an integral part of my own healing. But I am not so rigid that I won’t consider healing modalities that might go against Ayurvedic tenets.

Over the years, I have accumulated a go-to list of healers whose information I know I can trust. In most cases I have studied with or consulted with most of them, either as student or client.

The same goes for the herbs I personally use and recommend to family, friends, and clients. They are not part of the huge pharmaceutical industry takeover of herbal products. They’re organic and sustainably grown. They’re like family.

I wish you all the best if you’re in the throes of a healing journey like the one I experienced. Never give up. If you’re anything like me, you will look back one day in wonder at how so much pain can lead you to a place of good health and a life filled with Joy.

Much love,
Barbara

Barbara Sinclair is an artist and holistic health practitioner with a passion for Ayurveda, the ancient mind/body system of healing and longevity. Barbara was able to heal herself from years of fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, by adopting an Ayurvedic lifestyle. She is now pain-free and joyfully shares these methods with her readers and clients. Barbara received her Ayurveda training from Wise Earth Ayurveda, the first school of Ayurveda teachings in the US. She is also a certified holistic health counselor and energy healer.

You can contact Barbara HERE for an Ayurvedic consultation or energy healing session. To receive her monthly newsletters as well as weekly practical Ayurvedic tips click HERE.

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Barbara posts a new article on CLN every Wednesday.  To view her articles, clickHERE.