11.10.09
toxifying my detox process
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of detoxification. So I thought I’d write about it.
Basically, I view “detox” as almost more metaphysical than physical, although toxicity definitely manifests in the physical realm.
In reading a book called “Raw Emotions,” the extraordinary claim is made that one cannot simultaneously process heavy emotions, AND digest a full stomachload of cooked or processed food. The argument is that it takes so much energy for the body to deal with something like a steak dinner, to convert it to liquid so that the body can absorb some nutrients, that there is nothing left to deal with any wayward emotions we might be feeling.
Therefore, some of us get into the habit of stuffing our faces to avoid dealing with emotional issues we might be experiencing. Those of us who get caught up in this habit binge eat to numb ourselves out. I encourage you to sit with this concept for a bit, particularly if you yourself have a history of emotional eating. Even if you don’t have such a history, sitting with this issue will give you more understanding of JWL and his behavior patterns than almost anything else.
So dig deeper: what happens when we store fat? This is energy being converted from one form to another; the body takes excess available energy (when we eat more than we burn) and converts it into stored fat, where it remains potential energy, waiting to be used by the body. But during this process, another form of energy conversion entrains with this process: the emotional energy we are reluctant to deal with in the moment is also stored in the fat cells.
In addition, any fat-soluble toxins in the body are also stored in the fat cells. These toxins are countless, from plastics in our environment, to medications or other chemicals we are ingesting, to growth hormones in our food, to fluoride or chlorine in our water, etc etc.
So if we view weight loss as a detox process, which I very much do, it follows that the different entrained energy patterns that “went in” to fat storage together will also release together. So as the weight reduces and the fat is released, so are the old toxins, so are the old emotions.
I’ve been absorbing these toxins for more than 35 years, including countless gallons of asthma inhalers (and the propellants necessary to breathe them in). Now that I am in a profound cleansing process, I have no doubt that the asthma I experience now is also a detox process.
For 35 years, at the first sign of an asthma attack I have squelched it immediately with a blast of the inhaler. Now that it is clear that an asthma episode is a detox problem, the question arises: why would I want to toxify my detox process?
Better than the inhaler blast is to get up, breathe deeply, and build my lung strength and endurance. Relaxation. Perhaps some herbs. Deal with my healing and detox in a way that promotes healing and detox, so that I can move through it sooner.
The theory here is rock-solid in my mind. The practice, on the other hand, is a challenge because I no longer have the immediate relief the inhaler provides. I am resorting to other coping strategies with mixed results.
I keep thinking that the longer I can endure the asthma without the inhaler, the more quickly I’ll move through my detox and healing process. It’s difficult to remember this while experiencing breathing difficulties.
I was chatting with a friend the other day, and she emphasized that the sooner I can change the way I think about this issue, the sooner I will heal. I agree with this, and am presently searching for new words and new concepts to make habit.