Do we Manifest Illness?

My mother-in-law passed away at the young age of 54. The same age her own father passed away and from the same disease. It was not a genetic trait. It was from something they both did to themselves.

When a parent tells you, "I had ( insert symptom or illness) you probably will too." . What do you think that does to your psyche? Is this a piece of generational trauma at work? Passing on fear and disease because if it was good enough for your parents it is good enough for you?

Practices concerning pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum wellness have changed a lot over the years. The information is there but each mother chooses to cling to what makes her feel the safest. As a birth doula I have observed brave defiant women shield themselves from mother wounds passed on to them and witnessed their successful healthy/healing births. I have also seen apprehensive women cling to their mothers fears and misinformation who then have difficult births. The term "See, I told you so." Cuts like a knife whether or not it is spoken and soars through future generations as we choose to perpetuate trauma bonds.

So when a physician says "Your eyesight will start going down hill in your late 40's.", should you cling to the statistics? The idea has been planted so what will you choose:

Will you educate yourself about how to support your eyes with food, herbs, and movement, or will you sit idle and wait for your body to do exactly what you were told it would do?

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. This is the dumbest thing we could teach our children. We now know that stress can kill, and what is more stressful than hurtful words spoken by the people we respect and love.

If you really want to feel good and age gracefully maybe consider that we are so much more than just our physical bodies. We deserve so much more than what we are told to expect. Being misdiagnosed as a child and having an impertinent mother who chose to seek 2nd, 3rd, and 4th opinions probably saved my life. It is why I am always learning and seeking the truth about the root causes of symptoms. I am not special, I am curious. I am on my own path of learning how to talk to myself just as kindly as I speak to my children. Sometimes I roll my eyes when people talk about manifesting things into their lives. But I think that if we choose to open our eyes to the trauma that binds us and learn how to change the narrative, we may have fighting chance. Not just for ourselves but for future generations.

A disclaimer: I am not saying that positive thinking can heal people above all else. That is not my point. Health and healing is complicated and everyone has their own path. These are thoughts that are ruminating while on my own healing journey and I believe it's worth sharing.

love and kindness has healing power