Understanding the Healing Crisis

1. Clients frequently experience healing reactions and previously suppressed symptoms as their overall Health and Vitality grows slowly over time. This has been well understood for many years by practitioners of a wide range of natural healing therapies including old-style Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Herbalism, Naturopathy, Nature Cure, Homeopathy, Nutritional Medicine, Iridology, Reflexology, Hydrotherapy, Sustained Acupressure and others.

2. These experiences are called healing crises. These frequently occur after a person begins on a good health-building lifestyle, including such things as improved diet and intensive nutrition (health supplements), enough good water, exercise, stretching, breathing exercises, sunbaths, bodywork (including massage, soft tissue therapy, bowen therapy), meditation, holistic dental care with the removal of toxic mercury amalgam fillings and toxic root canals, hydrotherapy, and even some forms of emotional and mental healing. 
 
3. Basically anything that improves the overall Health and Vitality of a person can appear to cause a healing crisis. I write appear to cause, because in truth, it is the person's own increased Health and Vitality which initiates the healing crisis. The real cause is inside us, not outside us.
 
4. The healing crisis can take many different forms, and can include runny nose, fever, sweats, colds, pimples, boils, skin rashes, bloating, diarrhoea, vaginal discharge, headaches, numbness, local inflammations in parts of the body, the return of old pains, tiredness, mood swings, vagueness, and many other symptoms (often highly specific) from the person's history.
Quite often, a person may not initially remember having had a symptom before.
 
5. Even the original symptom pattern the person wishes to heal may intensify for some time before fading away. Some pains actually become stronger before they disappear.
 
6. Associated memories, including old dreams, can return, and people often feel quite emotional during this time. It is very important to maintain a positive mental attitude and to rest adequately, with enough healthy water, and, if hungry, a good diet. Getting support from your health professional may be necessary to reinforce a feeling of confidence during the process. If a certain type of treatment or lifestyle modification has assisted your body in beginning a crisis, then the same treatment or lifestyle modification will often help it finish its cycle completely.
 
7. If these healing crisis symptoms are suppressed once again, instead of being allowed to run their course, the good healing effects of the overall health-building program the person has incorporated into their lifestyle are ruined, and progress is lost.
 
8. So it is important to understand the healing crisis concept and work with the body during this time, rather than suppressing the symptoms and working against what the body is trying to achieve for its own healing. Patience is required as the body slowly repairs itself.
 
9. It is sometimes important to differentiate a healing crisis from a worsening of the original condition. Some fevers and other symptoms can obviously be severe, dangerous, and life-threatening disease processes so intervention may be necessary.
 
10. The healing crisis concept is not usually acknowledged by conventional orthodox medical practitioners and is not a part of their training, but if in doubt, consult your doctor!​