HEALING IN PROGRESS

Grumpy Grinch!”, the Mater muttered under her breath, as we stepped out of the doctor’s room. I nodded in assent, with an attempt to mollify her frayed nerves(I did not have smelling salts or fire extinguishers ready to contain unexpected outbursts, so I did not opine). I tut-tutted resonating with her anguish and laments about the doctor, who had happened to dismiss her questionnaire way too quickly(like flicking a bug hovering over a sterile surface)This was a decade and a half ago when the Mater was a regular patient and I, the dutiful daughter to accompany her for every visit.

Fifteen years thence…

I felt shaken ‘n’ stirred much like James Bond’s vodka. No, I had not gone tipsy but a ‘sincere’ attempt to perform a yoga asana, while breathing rhythmically(Now, that is a challenge,  because we are ever in the ‘breathless’ mode, in view of the racing tracks we take to) had left me kind of upside down. Topping it all, were the juicy remarks from the doctor about my overreaction to the pain and stretch. It could not have gotten more dramatic than that! Through all this drama, Mater was a spectator and the occassional glimpses told me that she was in a state of convulsed giggles. Well, i could only grit my teeth through the whimpering and whining to voice the pain. I quaked in my shoes and chattered like a frost-bitten birdie. And the glassy, disapproving look from my healer did not help my cause much. At that moment, If someone had suggested a getaway in the summer of Sahara, I would have gladly accepted!!! So, it was with a sigh of relief I took leave of the doc and the therapist. when I stepped out, I muttered to the mater that I had just faced a blizzard and the doc, was no less than Mr freeze!!!

I would have continued to wallow in self-pity about unfriendly docs  with glassy looks, had not I skimmed through the precious video clips of the healing sessions. I was equally jostled up into laughs looking at those( you kind of detach yourself from being the main cast to a mere spectator, when you look in retrospect)recorded video streams showcased the patient at her uncooperative worst.  Every instruction by the healer was repeated twice (as if attracting the attention of a deaf adder). That was not all. Every movement of my body pictured a retro movie show, in slow motion.Stiff and sore-  It was as if my body had been brought out from the morgue and I was grappling with my sudden revival. Now, that can be stalling even for the most ingenious of healers who are reputed for their miracle touch(you don't expect alchemy to happen when the cauldron you are churning simply turns into the glacial river!). And healing is no less than an alchemy, where your body regenerates, while taking up a major spring cleaning task-shedding the old, repairing and replenishing.  And the healer is like that wise old man who churns those elements within you for the spring cleaning to happen. But mind you, your mind has to open its doors and windows to let in the wise old man (the healer) and follow his light! 

Golden wisdom huh? I decided to apply it to myself as the 5 amendments to constitute my "Healing in progress" on a redefined doc-patient rapport!
1) Sick not sickly : I was ailing but did not mean I staged a Shakespearen tragedy. So, I revised my outlook on clinics (a) healing centres. I reassured myself that I was not going to be dropped in a witch's broth. And a bit of brush up on my careworn looks - was in order. I would not let the spirit sag.

2) Curative seat not the electric chair: I wanted to shake off my fear about the diagnosis and the mode of treatment. I will not be haunted by the shadow of my karma that would strap me to the electric chair on the form of a patient's seat.So, I would learn to ease into that while facing my doc.

3) Patience not just a patient: that great human virtue works wonders especially while recuperating. The doctor is not Midas to turn every rotting matter of the human body to 'gold' just by his touch. Everything takes time and there is no better catalyst than you to kick-start the healing and ensure it is in progress.

4) Cheerio not the chills : A smile can be an ice-breaker and a cheerful disposition can render the warmth of a crackling fire. Well, who would not warm up to that? The sternest of docs and the spine-chilled patient ease into a middle path with just one heart warming smile!

5) Receptive not reactive : It is not easy to control our reflexes. For instance, whenever I am asked to lie down for a physical examination, I squirm even with a mild touch(it tickles me to the core). So it was with the yoga therapy that i was practising - to squirm in pain during every stretch. But then I figured out that relaxing the mind controlled the spasm to a large extent.I would listen to my healer with an open mind. In short, learn to be receptive and responsive. 
After all healing begins within. The placebos, therapies and a zillion other relievers only follow the channel, your body (with a mind right in place)opens itself to - let that be to a universe of wellness and goodness!