Lately I’ve been feeling out of sorts and
not well organized meeting responsibilities. It is mixed with a
layer of disappointment and sadness that a 24-year long problem with
my right hip and leg is again rearing its annoying head. I attribute
this condition with my last pregnancy since it seems that’s when I
noticed that I could no longer sit cross-legged without my folded
right knee extending higher in the air than my left. Later in life,
when I ran for exercise, my right foot would grow numb and soon my
right hip began its complaining. I want to age with grace, and achy
joints do not fit the picture. They only fuel my anxiety and
feelings of unease. Thinking about the various treatments I’ve tried
to ease the discomfort, traditional and alternative, I wonder who I
turn to now.
My husband and I travel to Seattle to
spend the weekend with friends; sleeping on a foreign mattress has
my hip in loud protest. Once home, pain prompts me to clear my inner
space and go inside, seeking relief. I put out the call for an
honest-to-goodness healer who can help me once and for all. I pray
quietly and sometimes aloud out of frustration. I think about my
former meditation teacher Leong who channels the wisdom of Wong Loh
Sin See. I have not seen him since moving far away to Alaska 17
years ago. I imagine he can hear me and I ask him to advocate on my
behalf in my bid to age gracefully. I also make the declarative
statement of truth: “I am ready to be healed.”
I happened to mention this desire for a
healer to my son Geoff. A few weeks later I am surprised when he
walks in the house and declares, “I found a healer! He is Taiwanese
and is considered a master and he’s even healed people of cancer!”
My heart pings with excitement. Imagine a healer such as that almost
right around the corner. I urge him to bring me this healer’s phone
number.
Two weeks later Geoff walks in the
house and calls out to me. I note a gleam in his eyes and a smile on
his face that tells me he knows he has something I will greatly
appreciate. He hands me a card that reads Sifu Chin Tsou, Eastern
Medicine Scholar, along with his phone number and address. I hug him
in thanks and pick up the phone.
The very next day when I drive to his
location, Sifu Chin Tsou answers the door with a bow and a smile. I
enter his simply appointed abode. I notice kitchen stools made out
of sections of trees with bark and a cushion on top. We sit in the
living room and talk as I share my concerns. I learn that he has
extensive knowledge of herbs and applies ancient Taoist practices to
help people reach and maintain optimal wellness. Next I am escorted
into his treatment room. His first approach is to educate about
methods that bring circulation back to affected areas. After his
healing work is done, we talk more and I see that we have a meeting
of the minds in the way we look at life and healing — a
comprehensive process involving body, mind, spirit with the goal of
achieving balance.
I sense a feeling of relief in my right
hip as I am assisted off the table. He asks me to move my leg up and
down and all around, and I chuckle with some admission that things
feel better. We make plans for me to return the next day. At home I
feel pressure on my right side and some soreness. My mental attitude
contains some skepticism that this procedure will work and be
sustainable, though I am more curious and hopeful as well. After two
hours the next day of healing, therapeutic movement and
consultation, I convey thanks and leave.
Two days later I wake up after a
night’s sleep realizing with excitement that I can turn over in bed
without any pain. Even with crossing my legs, I could meditate for
20 minutes sustaining that position for the first time in 24 years
without pain!
By going within to a heartfelt and
soulful level many benefits were realized. Beyond the obvious relief
of pain, Sifu also reminded me about the need to “become more
attentive to lifestyle” in a process that is preventive in nature.
By example, he reminded me of the importance of daily meditation and
of particular body movements that enhances the healing process,
tailor made for each individual.
The bottom line, I realized, was that
by going within and deepening my relationship with myself I was more
open to receiving the kind of guidance that Sifu teaches.
Stephanie McMillian is a
Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice who assists her
clients in accessing tools that they can use to help themselves. You
can reach her at 229-9926.
