“CHANGE IN ACTION” by Christine Lavoie, M.Ed., C.Hyp.

Hello friends and fellow Seekers!

‘Nothing changes until something changes’ or so the saying goes. What does this mean? It has to do with taking a step, taking an action. It means that nothing changes until we do something differently-not just think about it, do it!

This idea is important in many areas of life. The field of counselling and psychology is no exception. When people ask me what I do, I say, “I’m a change agent”. As a psychology prof and counselor for the last 30 years I have helped others learn, grow, and risk taking a step toward change! I’ve learned that sometimes this means persisting, even through repeated setbacks. Sometimes it means not giving up on ourselves until we find a solution to the imbalance in our health and well-being.

One mistake often made is the belief that illness, or pain, or ‘dis-ease’ exists only in the body, when the truth is that most illness has an emotional, psychological, and spiritual component, not just a physical one. Even an obviously physical injury, like cutting yourself accidentally with a knife while slicing an apple, has emotional and psychological aspects that will impact healing. Inflammation of tissues can affect the speed of healing and research shows that amount of inflammation is directly related to the amount of stress one is experiencing. Higher blood pressure will pump more blood out of that tiny cut, too. And it can become oh-so-painful if we don’t tend to it right away. But what if we are preoccupied by the stresses of life and don’t attend to the cut? Or what if we have learned to neglect our own needs only to care for others? No time to clean it and dab on antibacterial agent? Infection can set in, bringing with it more pain and longer healing time. And science knows now that stress directly impacts the functioning of the immune system and this is a factor in the healing of everything from small cuts to cancer.

If these ideas interest you, fellow Seekers, and you’d like to know about the different mind-body aspects of healing, you’ve come to the right place! I have launched this monthly column and invite you to submit your health-related questions (physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual health) to me at: [email protected] No need to include your name; all published questions will be anonymous.

I’d love to hear from you!

Christine