An important point to discuss prior to addressing any type of healing is that the body is a whole being. All parts are woven together. Your body is an intricate bundle of systems from your brain to muscles and bones, to your many organs and their functions.
It’s true that an imbalance in one area can create a chain reaction of sorts. This becomes evident when there are symptoms you experience that can’t be cured or explained. Often it may be that the entire picture is not seen.
Medical professionals do the best they can with what they are presented. Many years of schooling often lead to specialties that are important but only a portion of the whole. Treatment is like completing a jigsaw puzzle that has many pieces while matching it to the picture on the box. The “matching” takes place when a doctor attempts to bring an issue back into balance (within the norm) as they were taught.
Generally, an illness is assumed to be a physical ailment, and sometimes has mental involvement. However, you shouldn’t overlook the power of your spiritual health.
In This Article
General Healing Overview
With the former explanation, it becomes apparent that there are gaps in healthcare and in healing overall. We often discuss the importance of self-advocacy. Your voice is vital in your care. It’s also important to remember your overall baseline, including your spiritual nature.
Forming (and maintaining) an idea of your personal health is a great place to begin an encounter with any professional. Rather than allowing them to fully dictate your needs, take interest in the situation.
Let’s look at an example of a need for healing and the point of advocacy. Patient A was having fears about a situation. The thought of it was causing issues with his sleep, relationships, and even when he tried to take a break.
By his best description, he never felt settled. Patient A assumed that he needed medication for anxiety. Based on an idea from a friend, he decided to visit a life and health coach to see if they had ideas prior to seeing a psychiatrist.
With guidance, he realized that the area causing nervousness was not one he had decided to pursue. He had been nominated by someone else and agreed.
Patient A began using the mindfulness skills he was taught. Through this process, came realization that he had allowed someone to dictate his decisions and actions without assessing the situation. Once he remedied the problem, he was able to sleep better and had much less stress.
This is an example and shouldn’t be used specifically for your medical care. However, it’s important to recognize your body as a whole and seek healing based on the idea.
Next, we’ll look at a few areas where healing is often needed.
Physical
Physical ailments commonly receive attention simply because they are usually the first and most notable when there’s an issue. This could include aches, pains, musculoskeletal disorders, skin situations/wounds, heart and lungs, and joint/tissue inflammation just a name a few. We’ll consider anything that is detectable physically, within your body systems, as a part this category. It may be seen by you, or internally via scan, bloodwork, or test. Check out this article for more information on physical healing.
Mental and Emotional
This category is sometimes more difficult to identify but is of equal importance to your whole being. We’ll consider mental situations as stemming from the brain. This may affect your thinking, mood, and/or behavior. It could include a hormone imbalance, neuropathway interruption, or brain function among other things. Since our emotions stem from thoughts, we will include them here as well. Some terms you may have heard associated with this category are anxiety, depression, personality disorders, dementia, etc. In addition, it is possible to experience degrees of these situations without having a clinical diagnosis. See more in this article on mindset and emotional healing.
Spiritual
The spiritual category is not recognized in traditional medicine but plays an important role. Opinions vary with this idea. However, it’s impossible to leave off the concept of being grounded at your core when addressing whole body health. While a variety of beliefs exist, the point that we are part of a bigger entity is vital when addressing healing. Your spiritual being can be “injured” or “ill” just as the rest of your body. If we only focus on the mind and physical aspects, we miss foundational concepts that exist for clarity and overall wellness. We’ll be covering this category in this article.
What to Recognize for Spiritual Healing
We’ve looked at a few topics to address with healing and the overview of health in your whole body. Here we’ll look at spiritual healing more closely.
In this section, we’ll go over points for attention, how you view them, and action steps to begin taking for healing.
What’s Your Healing Focus
It’s important to understand the need for personal advocacy and the point that there may be gaps in your wellness. It’s also good to remember that you can take control. At any point, rather than float aimlessly, make a choice to change.
In other areas, we’ve talked about a powerful mindset, and it being the driving force for thoughts and emotions. It’s also vital to realize that your foundation should receive attention. This is what we’ll address as spiritual. The idea that you are part of something bigger shows the realization that you were designed with a purpose.
When focusing on your spiritual being, it’s a personal aspect. There are numerous beliefs, but the notion that we operate as part of an entirety allows a greater understanding of the view for wholeness. When you move in the realm of your spiritual being, it helps you remain grounded and peaceful.
Your beliefs and views determine the level of health you focus on spiritually. Just as with physical and mental health, it’s never too late to make a change and increase your overall wellness.
A simple, yet powerful, point to remember is that any area of your whole being that receives time and attention is usually the healthiest. In addition, the parts that are neglected have gaps in wholeness and likely need to be addressed.
Symptoms and Interruptions Before Healing
When you have physical or mental deficits, it’s often more obvious that there is a need for closing gaps. Sometimes, other issues fall into a gray area and don’t seem to have a source or technique for remedy.
This can take place when there’s not full recognition of the actual issue. As in our earlier example, physical symptoms and particular mindsets/emotions can surface from deeper situations. This is especially true with spiritual instances. It’s important to recognize the nature of your deficit which helps with initial steps of healing.
As your best advocate, and with greater understanding of your body, it’s important to stay proactive to movement in all realms. Viewpoints can surface then become muted depending on circumstances. Staying astute to symptoms, thoughts, emotions, physical and spiritual entities create balance.
This may be challenging depending on your comfort level with each, but we all should increase awareness and personal focus to notice these situations.
Waiting or Acting?
This leads to the common question of the need for action or possibility of waiting during issues. Aside from emergencies, it’s important to ensure your focus is correct prior to stepping. It’s also good to weigh out the nature of each circumstance.
When there’s no question that a professional should be involved, lean in, and don’t hesitate. When you gain more understanding of your mental and physical scope, this might change. Whether you use an outside source or not, never ignore the signs. Using correct judgement is important.
When you have a spiritual situation in need of healing, it’s just as vital to focus on renewal.
Steps for Change with Spiritual Healing
We’ve addressed overall mindset for a healthy approach. Now let’s look at action steps that can be used for spiritual healing.
1. Be Proactive
In any realm of health, your intention and action steps can set the stage for greater success. This is also the case in the spiritual realm. It was mentioned that this is a personal area in which your efforts and attention can create power or leave deficits.
During the upcoming discussion of spiritual healing, and the involved steps, we will address our place in the bigger picture as a believer. With a focus on God as our source, it becomes easier to be ready for what may come. With Scripture that was intended to teach, protect, and deliver power, it’s much easier to stay proactive to any gap in your spirituality.
2. Assess Your Spiritual Needs
When you feel ill, you likely pay attention to the symptoms so you can report or treat them. Spiritual illness is no different. When you are aware of your body, and recognize gaps in your wellness, don’t overlook the possibility of a spiritual need.
Because spiritual deficits can present with many symptoms, it’s important to identify your foundation. One focus to consider is the strength that comes from maintaining a strong spirit. Just as staying fit physically is a common topic, it’s vital to strengthen your spiritual being. Assess your thoughts and actions and realize if they align with healthy spiritual steps. If not, it’s never too late to begin taking action for gains in this area. It can help you maintain wellness in numerous areas of your body.
3. Follow Through for Spiritual Healing
Because this healing isn’t always obvious, it is usually more challenging to stay on course. With physical and behavioral changes, there are more immediate rewards when using an Earthly measure. However, when addressing spirituality, there’s no greater view than to focus on eternity.
Every area that we currently see will eventually be gone, but your spiritual being will live forever. With this belief, it’s vital to gain, and maintain, a correct perspective for healing and wholeness. In addition to reading and using Scripture for action and revelation, it’s important to pray. This can be used for continuous growth in a relationship with God. It’s also a great way to encourage spiritual health.
Maintaining a relationship by communication helps increase your understanding of action steps. As mentioned earlier, we all have a purpose. However, it may not yet be evident. Instead of creating stress and turmoil by assuming you know correct steps, rely on God’s faithfulness in this realm.
Goals for Successful Spiritual Healing
We’ve looked at assessment and action steps of spiritual healing, now let’s address ways to increase successful outcomes.
1. Make and Keep a Plan
When attempting to increase spiritual wellness and promote healing, there are a few ways to plan for greater success. One point of focus is an increase in celebrating the graciousness of God. If you still have difficulties, check out this article regarding why we bother believing in God. Worship is a great way to join with God and experience a glorious exchange from your troubles.
As mentioned earlier, another way to increase successful steps in spiritual strength is through prayer. Learning how to pray allows a focus that increases your spiritual views. When this communication continues regularly, we gain the ability to improve insight into our purpose and power. Although it can be more challenging, it’s important to understand that this conversation isn’t one-sided. As you lean in, it becomes possible to hear what God has planned for your life. Promoting this viewpoint allows more peace and takes the pressure from your decisions.
The final point to mention when making a plan for spiritual healing is reading the Bible. This instruction manual is provided to make a way for gaining protection, strength, and wisdom. Even during difficult times, there are Bible verses for your struggles. It’s easy to find verses for all occasions and apply them. It’s important to realize that Scripture is alive and relevant. It has been over the years, and it will continue to be.
2. Assess Your Spiritual Progress
As with any attempt at growth or change, assessment is vital to the intention of spiritual healing. When gaps are identified, and a plan is in place, taking time to assess how things are going is a must. It’s easy to veer off track, especially in the spiritual realm, so this step is a necessary part of success. Nobody is perfect, and slips are expected.
Along with growth in physical, mental, and emotional areas, spiritual healing is individualized although similar. View this article to see my personal spiritual journey. Once you have success that propels you forward, it becomes apparent that you gain understanding in the spiritual realm. Maintaining assessment of your progress in these areas helps measure progression.
3. Allow Others to Motivate Not Enable
Since we were made to be in relationship with others, it’s important to realize when to include them in the journey. Just as in the earlier example with Patient A, we should maintain correct and obedient steps in our purpose rather than allow others to dictate this.
We’re all different. It’s not possible for someone to determine your steps nor is it wise to let them decide your outcomes. However, it’s important to have others on your journey for motivation. Praying and studying the Word creates a successful balance and helps you lean into your inspiration.
Finding a middle ground with others, while increasing growth, promotes healing. Better boundaries in turn create greater social wellness and healthier outcomes. It takes practice, but maintaining this view helps with spiritual health. Once it becomes clear, it’s easier for participation when serving and spreading compassion. These acts also encourage healing.
Final Thoughts About Spiritual Healing
It’s important to remember that along with physical, mental, and emotional healing, there is another part that requires attention. Spiritual healing is especially pertinent when trying to increase foundational strength, power, and peace.
In addition to setting goals, assessing progress, and staying motivated, you can seek spiritual strength. Being proactive when you’re in need of healing is a great first step.
Remember to use worship, prayer, and the Bible as your focus when taking spiritual steps for wellness. This foundational view helps create and maintain greater spiritual health.