Pet illness –the body’s “preferred” or chosen (as in recurring) ache, pain or illness that signals when one’s beingness is out of balance.
What is your pet illness? Does your gut ache and you have diarrhea or constipation? Do you have an on-and-off little cough? Is there an annoying eye tic that shows up? What about a recurring, pesky kidney infection? Do you get asthma symptoms?
What if it actually started with your head or heart? Let me explain.
In my thirty years as a chiropractor, when I took new patients’ histories, I tried to get a glimpse into their personal life to round out the picture. Invariably, I wasn’t surprised to discover that their physical discomfort or illness reflected physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual matters out of balance in their lives. Even auto accidents happened when their lives were the most stressful.
Our bodies desire to stay healthy, safe, and pain free. It’s their job and, with what you give them in the way of food, rest, and environment, they do the best job they can. They long to talk to us, to tell us when we’re out of balance, but they have no other way than to whine or scream at us with persistent pain or dysfunction. Usually, they choose areas of the body that are weaker or formerly injured as their platform.
When a body is functioning poorly, its distress may be environmental, in that it isn’t being fed properly or is being worked too hard or isn’t getting enough sleep. However, often our body’s malfunctions are due to too much stress or unresolved emotional issues.
We tend to think of stress-related illness as problems such as ulcers and asthma, but the issue is much larger than that. Maybe you’ve heard that those who get bladder cancer or other bladder malfunction tend to be terminally “pissed off”. Folks that frequently say that something is “a pain in the butt” tend to have hemorrhoids or intense hip pain. Those who don’t feel supported often have low back pain. So many of our physical problems are telltale in mimicking our emotional tone.
On the other hand, the pet illness may not mirror the issue that’s bothering us. It is the aggravating, on again/off again symptom that seems to follow us around. It’s the skin eruptions, the backache, the headache, the aforementioned cough or eye tic. It’s the one your doctor can’t pinpoint.
For instance, one of my patients had intense sciatica, a burning pain that ran down her leg. As soon as we cleared her fury with her husband regarding a major argument they had, her pain went away. But the same pain flared up later with an upset about an entirely different matter.
Many folks may have just one pet illness. Personally, I have a variety of them. Sometimes, neck pain shouts, “Way too stressed.” Occasionally, acid reflux screams, “Diet out of balance.” Other times, a headache telegraphs, “Working too hard.”
Our pet illness(es) is a bellwether, guiding us to take a look at our lives, behaviors and bodies. Maybe there’s nothing really big that’s up for us. Perhaps it’s just something small in the moment – the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, pointing to an older, more intense issue.
When we self-medicate, we are ignoring the symptoms and hoping it will go away. When we see a medical doctor, most likely she’ll prescribe something for the pain without addressing the underlying issues. In the short term, that’s the most expedient way to deal with our recurring symptoms. On the surface, that works. However, an untended problem will likely show up in another way.
It may seem threatening to plow up old hurts and aggravations and bring them to the surface for examination and healing. In my experience, however, confronting the deep personal issues is the only way to truly correct the problem.
You may wonder, once the issue is healed, will the pet illness return at a later date for a new issue? Yes, that’s why it’s called “pet”, because it’s there to say, “Heads up! Pay attention.” Like it or not, it’s your friend.
There are a variety of ways to clear these stuck places from the body. Talk therapy can work. Prayer and meditation are useful. However, I have found the newer energy psychology methods I use, such as Emotion Code and EFT to be powerful and quick for many issues.
Contact me for a session if you’d like help with your pet illnesses. Dr.Robin@CompassionateClearing.com