Difference Between Healing and Curing

I appreciate Dr. Lerner communicating, “Curing is what a physician seeks to offer you. Healing, however, comes from within us. It's what *we* bring to the table. Healing can be described as a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual process of coming home.” This coming home to me has had many dark nights. It feels like coming home to my soul rather than my egoic mind. This coming home has involved lots of metanio (change of heart).

In my soul healing, forty years, there has been lots of metanio where everything has been turned around. I started my first ten years with the sewer running out of my mouth, then ten years later snakes were curling in my stomach, another ten years of depression and alienation from myself and others, and then another ten years feeling like a bum on the street. It came to the point I thought I had no ability to function and I was doomed. I gradually let go of my tormented consciousness by releasing myself from my depression and despair, feeling inadequate and defective, even letting go of my fear that I was unimportant and undesirable. This brought me home to where I felt this deep peace, self-respect and this enormous dignity. For some unknown reason, though, I had to leave this peaceful home.

 A few years later my cells stop producing energy for my muscles and I had to leave work. I had no questions asking “why me.” I just felt confused and unanchored to anything permanent within myself. Because I had no purpose from work it felt like my house burned to the ground. Then a few years later I came to a crossroad, which started placing my experiences behind me. Gradually I moved into a new home, only this house is completely empty and is a house with no doors. It feels like faith and serenity is all I have to counteract the terror and the despair.

Just lately I have felt this need to be quiet. It feels like in this place of stillness is this realization of my own value is without reference to anything or anyone. This appears to be real faith and trust. This place of quiet and stillness appears to express I am entering into non-attachment. Non-attachment is this quality where I do not cling to anything, inner or outer. Everything still touches me, yet I am beginning to feel transformed by my empty house.

The key I have found in my empty homes is learning to live by faith or trust. This offers a recognition of support and serenity, where I feel no need for effort or striving. There is this unshakable confidence to allow myself to rest. The spiritual healing of my soul is learning to be still and quiet. It offers this rest, which allows everything to arise and disappear in a state of stillness and peace.

Curing not only implies that something is being done to me from outside, it also implies that whatever was wrong is completely gone and done, while healing means the process of becoming more whole is from inside and is an ongoing process.  For me, reconciling equanimity with allowing feelings to come up means to allow and accept feelings that are occurring without being dominated or controlled by them.  I can see over the top of them and maintain equanimity, which is sometimes very difficult to do.  I haven't had life threatening illness, but a day or two after having a knee replacement, I was laying in my bed in great pain and feeling very sick, and I could hear people downstairs talking and laughing, and though I knew what I was going through was temporary, I had thoughts and fantasies of this is what it would be like to be dying, alone on my death bed, which fantasies were actually insightful and helped nurture a sense of rebirth and gratitude as I began to feel better.  What helps me live with the ongoing stresses in a way that I continue to feel whole is for me to know that I am bigger than my stresses.  I can have a detachment from them.  It helps me to remind myself that I don't have to be taken over by the stresses and I can learn and grow and become more whole from them.

 Curing comes from outside such as the physician treats the patient to cure. Healing comes from inside. It is an inner work. In curing, a part of the body is treated. In healing , the whole person is involved. Curing is physical. Healing is holistic-physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Healing is an integrated process.

I have had  prostate cancer for the last four years. When I discovered that I had tumor, I went to my physician friend who confirmed that I had the disease. My first reaction was oh my goodness! Why me? The good doctor advised me to consult an oncologist and get help from him. I followed his advice.I read about cancer, about alternative medicine,and made significant changes in my life style. 

I did not stop there. Having cancer has showed me the value of living my life as mindfully and fully as possible.Each day is a blessing to count knowing well that one day, some day will be the last day. I have been practicing mindfulness mediation daily. I become aware of whatever arises in me physically, mentally, and emotionally: Painful sensations, worry some thoughts, sadness and concerns. I breathe in fully. I let whatever arises in myself come, I breathe out  fully and let it go.I accept my humanness compassionately surrendering myself in the loving hands of my being. This is a profoundly healing experience for me.Yesterday, I spent one hour with a gentleman who has bone marrow cancer.I shared my journey with him. We did mindfulness mediation together. He felt grounded, at ease. and peaceful.When he left, I saw change on his face- a glow of acceptance. He realized that his energy was consumed  by dwelling on and being obsessed with awful thoughts and feelings.. He learned a lesson of healing.We are going to meet once a week to continue our work of self healing.

It is my conviction that life offers great opportunities to learn and to serve.How we perceive it and how we take it is up to us.

Namaste.

Jagdish P Dave