Healing is a spiral
I had a really interested conversation with a client this week that prompted the discussion around a non-linear healing journey. I explained to the human sitting before me that sometimes healing looks like a few steps forward and a few steps back; that in the greater scheme of your life, your healing appears more spiral than forever linear and ever forward. Though this might seem initially counter-intuitive, this gentle explanation made this person hopeful and optimistic about his journey. In essence, the knowledge that healing would unfold in a larger, yet still coherent way provided a container for him to relax. I’ve seen this phenomena occur several times throughout my work as a provider, and of course in my own journey to wholeness, so it felt like time to write it out.
In the journey of healing, there are few “things” that brought me as much comfort as the perhaps cliché phrase, “healing is a spiral.” There is nothing as discouraging as feeling like all your progress is lost, or all your effort is meaningless, after a so-called backslide. Life happens. In fact, to be human is to continually change and evolve. What initially might look like a regression may eventually materialize as an intentional and vital stepping-stone from a higher lens of awareness.
Especially when focused on healing your mind and body (Bodymind), new insight and attention create a foundational bed of curiosity from which you perceive your experience. It would be virtually impossible to predict the entirety of your journey from your starting place. This is quite beneficial because for many of us, the starting place is usually one of survival, not creation.
Nature has ample examples of spirals. In fact, in mathematics, the Fibonacci sequence (in which each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers) creates itself a spiral that can be seen throughout nature. You can find examples in shells, leaves, pinecones, hurricanes, flowers, and the larger galaxy/cosmos. Even our inner ears are spirals!
It makes sense then, that in the journey of coming home to your Self (the you that is underneath all the things culture and society tell you you are), you experience a non-linear trajectory. And this my friends, is the True beauty in it all. Your spiral is your own uniquely perfectly flawed journey into wholeness. May you fall in love with all the curves and twists!
And as always, if you’re interested in how a mindset medicine shift could support you in your journey, I’m here for you!