Healing Crisis

I'll start this page by using parts from another one I wrote earlier. Please excuse the duplication but, I think it's already explained well:

Introduction to Nature Cure and the Healing Crisis

Body Electronics is a major extention of Nature Cure. The philosophy of Nature Cure formed the basis of modern naturopathy from the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Nature Cure denotes the use of therapeutic inteventions which are available in nature, and do not suppress body physiology in any way. For example: cessation of suppressive lifestyle habits; fresh air, sunshine and exercise; eating fresh and raw food in season; hydrotherapy (using cold, warm or hot water therapeutically); most herbal and homeopathic remedies. Further reading: the book by Henry Lindlahr, M.D., a classic.

With non-suppressive remedies, the body begins to cleanse itself of toxic materials that have built up over time. These may be foreign to the body, like pollutants, or metabolic wastes that have remained as a result of poor circulation, for example. This cleansing is a "healing crisis".

Symptoms of healing crises may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Dehydration is possible if attention is not given to drinking more water during a healing crisis. A lot of water is used in cleansing the body, so it needs to be replaced.

With continual application of nature cure principles, the healing process follows Hering's Law of Cure. Dr. Hering was a physician and homeopath, who made many discoveries upon which homeopathy is now based. His Law of Cure, which is relevant to all nature cure methods, states in summary that:

all healing starts from within out, from the head down, from more vital to less vital organs and in reverse chronological order as the symptoms first appeared.

This can help understand, what may be expected for people involved in nature cure methods. Participants' symptoms of earlier problems, return to a relatively subtle degree, in order for the body to heal properly.

Please see also Dr. John Ray's "Law of Healing Crisis" in his "12 Points on Body Electronics; Introduction for Beginners".

Body Electronics Healing Crises

With the Body Electronics program, there are many more high quality, non-suppressive nutrients used, than with most other supplemented dietry programs. These work together synegistically to have a strong cleansing effect, when participants first begin. Participants are educated about this ahead of time, so they know what to expect and are prepared. Some may choose to start the program more gradually.

Symptoms of healing crises vary markedly from person to person. These may initially include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea with associated aches and pains thoughout the body. Any way the body has available to it, to most efficiently eliminate the toxins within, will be utilized by it. Sometimes the body will reject aberant tissue from the gut, using whichever 'exit' is closest. The body may also produce sores or rashes on the skin, which pass as mysteriously as they appear.

There are so many individual variables, it is difficult to predict this process. The above symptoms may not occur all at once, or even much at all. For example, I have been on the program for some years and never vomited... I had all the other symptoms but, not always all at once.

If the participant has a history of alcohol or drug abuse, there could be some sensations which return to be re-experienced as these toxic substances are finally removed. Hence the need for good support! Feelings of emotional discomfort may come and go (e.g. apathy, grief, fear, anger, pain) as the layers of residual drugs are gradually reduced from body tissues. Normally, such re-experiencing occurs much faster than the original drug taking episodes.

With Body Electronics, the main healing crises take place during the pointholding sessions, in a controlled and safe environment, amongst supportive peers and, with at least an experienced facilitator present. [Please see "An Illustration of a Body Electronics Pointholding Session"] In some instances however, emotions or odd aches and pains could arise at other times. The participant learns how to handle these, with love, patience and good humour.

An important principle to observe with healing crises, is:

What gets a person into a healing crisis, gets them out of it... and:

The way out of a healing crisis is the way through it.

During a major healing crisis, it might appear to onlookers and health professionals, as though the participant's condition is deteriorating. The reverse however, is normally true. This is because Hering's Law of Cure explained above, is operating freely. The body can cleanse itself of toxins together with any associated toxic thoughts, feelings and beliefs, so the illness can gradually be healed.

It may be seen that symptoms from long ago illnesses return to some degree, as the next appropriate 'layer of the onion' is revealed to be healed. Even blood tests may support the symptomatic findings in these instances. Therefore, care must be taken by health professionals, not to react until all the facts of the case are known.

In some infrequent cases, other factors can enter in, which are unrelated to that particular healing crisis. A qualified Body Electronics practitioner is trained to assess the difference between a healing crisis and a 'disease crisis'. If there is any doubt, a Body Electronics practitioner must be consulted first to determine this.

Enjoying the Healing Crises

As a participant of Body Electronics, one learns the overriding principle of accepting and enthusiastically 'loving' the discomfort of healing crises, with the understanding that: "This too, shall pass".

If discomfort or pain of a healing crisis ever becomes too much for a participant to bare, there are simple ways to take the edge off this. For example, lots of TLC (tender loving care) and empathy, good humour, a cooked meal or two. The choice might also be made to "double up" on the nutritional program, in order to get through it as efficiently as possible; the latter does take a bit of courage :-)

Funny thing about loving or enjoyment of discomfort during healing crises: the more a person 'loves' a discomfort, the more comfortable they become with it. They make it "OK" to be uncomfortable. In this way, the discomfort is gradually transmuted and ideally, may simply vanish. This is one use of the Law of Love.

One key to applying the Law of Love in a healing crisis either during a Body Electronics session or other times, is to allow oneself to experience all the emotions, thoughts and memories fully as they arise without evaluation, while maintaining control over the body. For example, the idea is not to vent emotions, but to really feel them enthusiastically.

Free transcript of Dr. John Ray's Healing Crisis Tapes:

I have been priviledged to have known Dr. John Ray for a few years and to study and learn with him, his partner Dr. Anita Savatski-Ray and Dr. Douglas Morison.

John Ray always made sure that people had access to information about all aspects of Body Electronics. To this end, he produced a few sets of audio and video tapes by way of introduction to these concepts, so people could learn to understand them and prepare themselves for their own healing.

When I was a facilitator of a small group of people on the Gold Coast in 1997-98, I found that although most of them listened to John Ray's healing crisis tapes once, they were often not listened to again. This occurred with myself as well. I found that the material was therefore not very well understood once people began to experience their own healing crises.

So I transcribed the tapes. In early 1998, I presented the transcript to John Ray, who asked me to type it up for him so he could edit it. His desire was to republish it as a booklet with both our names on it.

During October 2000, John reinforced his desire for this republishing to be completed, stating that it was still on his list. Unfortunately his unexpected death the following year put an end to that.

For Body Electronics seminar attendees, participants and other serious learners, I have decided to give it away. It is not meant to be a masterpiece of formatting, as a pdf file. However, all the information is there.

I would still recommend that you get a copy of the tapes from Enzymes International (see links page), because they will bring it to life for you. Now you have the transcript to refer to, whenever you need to clarify certain topics:

Download the Healing Crisis Tapes Transcript here
(right-click --> "save target/link as...")

Although it is only 41 pages long, it is PACKED with useful information. I learned so much more about Body Electronics when I transcribed it, even after attending the instructors seminar! Things started becoming clearer for me. I hope you find it as beneficial.