When Healing is a Slap in the Face

When I was in Beijing, China studying medical Qi Gong (energy work), I heard an amusing story from one of the translators. She said she once was working with a Qi Gong master who had people line up and stand in front of him, one at a time, to receive a healing. When one man stood before him, the master slapped the man as hard as he could across his face. Needless to say, the man was stunned. For reasons that I can only imagine, the master felt that was the medicine that the man needed to get better. And I have this strange hunch that he was right.

 

Someone recently gave me feedback about my book, saying that I come across as “mean” and that my direct approach was contrary to the “kind and loving person” that she perceives me to be in person. I knew that my bold and direct approach would be taken this way by some; I also knew that this was my true voice and I had no intention of watering it down so as not to shock or offend anyone. We are all so entranced by our stories of limitations and our fantasies of being saved by someone or some quick fix, that what I have to say may feel like a slap in the face. But, just like the Qi Gong master, my intent is to heal, not hurt.

 

I now begin every Lit from Within class with this piece of news: “I have deep compassion and reverence for all of the things that have happened in your life that helped to create you as you are right now. But that compassion does NOT agree with your self-imposed limitations, nor does it give you permission to continue your self-sabotaging behavior.”

 

To break free from the illusions that keep us stuck, sometimes what we need is medicine that stings temporarily. But if that momentary discomfort opens the door to your freedom, how could the source be anything but love?

 

 

To read Amy’s book, Lit from Within: The Sacred Path to Healthy Self-Esteem and Permanent Weight Loss, please go to her website for more details: www.litfromwithin.net