Healing Power of Joy

No one prays for the sake of sickness. Nevertheless, in every corner of life we meet suffering. It is understandable if the World Health Organization predicted that by 2020 mental illness will be much more worrisome.

Dry Leaf of Pain

In the West where science and technology grow such rapidly, many health experts started to realize that the physical pain is like dry leaves on the surface. When the body is sick,  chemical imbalance happens that makes the doctor especially intervene with chemical medicine. Something worthy of respect.

Sadly, the chemical intervention alone is similar to dry leaves that is watered. The stems and roots are rarely touched by healing steps. This explains why  even in countries such as the United States mental illness is such frightening. World happiness report in 2012 showed, the U.S. was not even in the top ten of happy nations.

Even though pharmaceutical companies,  pharmaceutical research, doctors are all abundant there, they can not stop the worrying tendency of mental illness. This material of contemplation presents a challenging home work, we need a deeper knowledge than just leaves in the form of physical pain.

The Dry Stem of Emotion

Once upon a time, biology and psychology were two disciplines that was difficult to reconcile. But lately,  both have a close relationship. Borrowing the discovery of a psychotherapist named Kari Joys of Washington, the tension in body is closely related to one's emotional imbalance.

Tension in the abdomen for example is close to anger and fear. Tension in the chest associated with sadness. Tension in the lower back in touch with a sense of frustration. To make it simple, there are seeds of emotion in physical pain.

Chemical intervention through medication does help.  Like watering the dry leaves, splashed water certainly helps. But it is only on the surface, it never touch the stem and root. What the experienced psychotherapist as Kari Joys tried to do, she began to integrate knowledge and spirituality.  Not only watering the physical pain of leaves, but also cooling the emotional imbalance of stems, healing the root which is spiritual connectedness.

The Root is Spiritual Connectedness

Fritjof Capra in physics, Gregory Bateson in anthropology, Kari Joys in psychology are only small examples of scientists who have walked a long way in integrating science and spirituality. The thesis is similar to one of Fritjof Capra's book which is "The Hidden Connections". There is hidden connection behind everything.

In the context of healing, the hidden connection is joy. Look deeply to our friends who affected by chronic mental illness, they are not connected with healing networks that is available in mother nature. Blaming, complaining, criticizing are the main signs of people who are disconnected. As a result, they are far from joy.  That's why meditation and other spiritual healing approaches, mostly focused on the effort to "connect" people with the hidden connections. When we are well-connected, it is easier to access energy of healing that is available in nature. It is like a cycle, try to be well-connected, then joy arise. The latest joy strengthen our connection. As a result, snow balling effect of healing happened. Many research in neuroscience also support this finding.

In meditation particularly, we emphasize three important steps of healing: "accept, flow, smile". It does help people to be well-connected. People of Zen use gardening as a medium, it also for the reasons of connectedness. Tibetans and Balinese rituals in some parts feed the lower creatures, connectedness also the reason behind. At this level, it is meaningful to understand the simple phrase: "forgiveness is the seed, acceptance is the water we pour into the seed, connectedness through joy perfectly bring us energy of healing".

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Notes:

As further inspiration to use joy as energy of healing, it is worthy to consider the following simple yet deep approach of healing:

1. Since we can not change the past, no matter what happened learn to forgive. Forgiveness certainly does not change the past, but it loosens the grip of bad memories. Then water the seed of forgiveness with acceptance. The beauty of acceptance, it makes us beginning to connect with the healing energy that is available in the present.

2. Spend at least three times in a week walking in garden or open space. Shower yourself with sunshine, learn to see the "smile" of flower, touch mother earth with walking meditation. A certain research concluded, the effect is the same as consuming anti depressant.

3. Wherever you are, keep connecting by using the energy of gratitude. Always try to see the blessing side of life.