All living beings are complex systems with many self-monitoring systems. These self-monitoring systems measure how the organism is, what the acceptable range is for that measure, and turn self-corrective systems on and off to get the levels back in an acceptable range. Some examples: our oxygen level in the blood is measured; if it goes too low, we breathe more deeply and faster; we are tired and our body/mind perceives this and puts us to sleep; it is too cold, we shiver, put on more clothes, etc. More complexly, we have a broken bone, and very complex healing mechanisms to regrow the bone start to function, and the whole organism avoids stressing the bone while it is healing. Healing is the name we give to the processes that bring our functions back to an acceptable range. This can be anything from adjusting the temperature, eating more salt, getting enough rest and exercise, to finding a lover, getting a caretaker when we are disabled, etc.

As we made clear in the last post, all life needs a certain flow, a density of love to survive and thrive. Much of our behavior, from birth to death, is seeking to create the desired density of love in our lives. Many of our social institutions—motherhood, family, tribes, religious groups—are created and maintained to provide enough love.

Humans are the only organisms that have specialized priest healers. Many other species help each other out when wounded, needy, or lonely, but only people have developed priest healers, whose main function is to help other people heal, whether it is physical, psychological, or moral illness that the person is suffering from. Every society has priest healers. The theories they base their practice on vary widely from society to society. But the fundamental commonality is that the initiative for seeking help comes from the patient/seeker, and the structure of the help is dictated by the priest healer. In our society, the priest healer wears many costumes: DOCTOR, NURSE, MASSEUR, PSYCHOTHERAPIST, CHIROPRACTOR, PASTOR, MEDITATION TEACHER, ETC. The essential feature is a loving communion between the healer and the patient. In this communion, the mysterious force we call love is increased in intensity and heals both the patient and, to a certain extent, the healer. If you do not feel this communion with your healer, look and see if you are avoiding being receptive, and ask yourself if this is the right healer for you.

With almost every healing, from surgery to chemotherapy to mental health drugs, there is an enormous placebo effect. If the patient and the healer go through the dance of being patient and healer, from 30-70% of people do as well as those who received the active treatment. Surrendering to healing is not easy. Many of us don’t love ourselves enough to accept letting go of our blocks to allowing the healing energy. Becoming aware of our blocks and letting them go is fundamental to all healing, especially psychological. LOVE IS THE HEALING FORCE.