– Dr. Natwar Sharma
Shift in the modality or process, in any existing system, is very A much in response to changing times. What is interesting to observe and note is whether these radical changes follow a linear or circular pattern in time. Consider the medical scenario five decades ago. Specialists and super specialists in the field were almost unheard of, and we were likely to come across ‘family doctors’ who were well-versed in playing the role of agony aunts more than anything else. A patient listening to the patient’s woes was very much a part of the treatment meted out, the medicine probably acting just as a placebo. So, did people not heal and recover then? In the last few decades, there has been a paradigm shift in the way we approach the idea of healing. Justifiably replaced with the word ‘treatment, I regret to state that healing today is not as holistic as it used to be and should be. As a physician, the more you specialise in one aspect of a disease, the more is your worth and credibility among both the fraternity as well as the community of patients. Instead of viewing the disease as a whole, we are specialists at dissecting it into several parts, each calling for a different channel of treatment.
Take the case of a person suffering from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. In today’s age, she would be ideally guided to consult a nephrologist for the functioning of her kidney; a rheumatologist to examine her joints; a gastroenterologist to eliminate the possibility of a disorder with her stomach; a neurologist for psychosis; a haematologist for treating low blood count, and last but not the least, a general physician to advise her on whatever may be left out, if at all anything. Being caught in this web of specialisation myself, I would without any qualms assert that psychologists do a better job in trying to find out what has actually been going wrong with their client’s life, or lifestyle, for the manifestation of the physical disorder. They give the patients a patient hearing and that helps at least to some extent depending on various factors.
Added to these internal woes of medical and health services, mass conditioning today plays a very big role in magnifying the fear associated with any disease and its impact on peoples’ minds. During my interaction with clients and patients, I have observed that the ones who respond speedily and positively to any kind of treatment, leave alone regression, are the ones who have the toughest minds. They have the will to heal, so they heal.
The dire need for doctors and healthcare providers today, as well as for the future, as I see it, is to view the patient and their disease as one whole. And alternative therapies, such as regression, are of great help to bring about this kind of integration in the approach. We need to open up to the idea of using these indigenous sciences as an adjuvant or an auxiliary to work synergistically with allopathy in healing patients, especially in the case of chronic diseases. For example, conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis can be very effectively dealt with through this combined approach. Allopathic medicines can be administered to the patient to momentarily relieve the terrible pain in their joints, and at the same time we can address the root cause of the problem through regression so that permanent healing and recovery is successfully facilitated. Come to think of it. alternative therapies are not unheard of in allopathy, especially now with more and more medical centres and hospitals opening their doors to such ideas and concepts as part of their units.
Very valid question at this juncture would be: Is regression the only science that can be integrated in this manner with conventional treatment for holistic healing? I really cannot answer that: however, what I can empirically state is that any practice or modality which has the potential of using and stimulating the mind to heal is worthy of consideration. I’d like to refer to them as the science of mind over matter!
When a person goes through regression, and understands the cause of their present suffering, they are faced with the real task of participating in the healing process by forgiving or making peace with their past and learning from it. Contrary to what some of us may perceive it as, regression is not mumbo-jumbo where transformation occurs at the wave of a wand, but it is a very potent science in which we use the very instrument which sets us apart from all other species of life: the mind. It requires the patient or the client to consciously work with their minds to heal themselves, with the assistance of the therapist as a facilitator.
For the same reason, many go through regression but do not apply the wisdom gained out of it in their present lives, and they fall short of holistic healing or total recovery. In some cases, the physical symptoms manifest again, and the cause for these is contained in the science that backs this modality of healing.
When we go through regression, we gain an understanding in our mind of the cause of our troubles in our current state and time, so that we are aware and alert when the same pattern of the past presents itself again in the present. We now not only have an understanding but every part of our body has a feel of the past memory and experience. We can then heal ourselves by creating new neural pathways in our mind, of understanding, approaching and dealing with our past in the present and the present through our past.
Forming new neural pathways is like opening a new chapter or page in life, which gives us the opportunity to refill ourselves with hope, faith and enthusiasm that add a fresh lease of life to our existence. One of my clients revealed, ‘I find that when I forget to follow the new neural pathway and lapse into my old ways of thinking, even after I have gone through regression and made peace with my past, the body symptoms come back. I have to remind myself that I need to use this new pathway in my mind and help it integrate into my body.
My greatest challenge so far has been to overcome the solid barrier of the notion that allopathy is the supreme science in medicine. I don’t deny that it is the best for acute conditions and emergencies; it very much is. But when it comes to chronic conditions, we need to understand that an alternative therapy like regression definitely helps explore the mind to find out the root cause of the disease or disorder. We need to look beyond what is visible or apparent. Look beyond what is manifested, not just go by symptoms, and try to locate the fire that is emitting the smoke. What is the use of clearing the smoke when its source has been left unattended, un-extinguished? And that is also the biggest take away from my time spent in the field of medicine: delve into the root cause of the disease instead of superficially treating it just on the basis of the symptoms or diagnosis.
I urge you all to consider regression therapy as a new science or modality that helps us heal with no side-effects. The most important quality for all those who wish to heal-and for the healers themselves-is to have an open mind, for, then comes the opportunities to learn and unlearn. Each day carries the potential to grant us new experiences and lessons. Regression is an alchemical science, helping us to evolve from surviving to living and to loving. Its success depends on how much we are willing to let go.
Excerpted from the latest book Metaphors of Memory: Healing Through Past and Current Life Regression A Doctor’s Perspective. Please click to purchase such a wonderful book by an Honest Paediatrician.