If you read my blog post on Letting Go of Revenge & Moving into Love/Acceptance, you were introduced to an awesome video by Iyanla Vanzant being interviewed by Jessica Ortner.

I wanted to dive a bit further into the awesome insight Iyanla offered, as putting these points into practice (especially for IBD patients) can be HUGE in healing.

Speaking on my own healing journey, it wasn’t until I addressed and healed the emotional component that I got LONG LASTING results. Otherwise, I would just take a new supplement that would work for a while and then stop working – leaving me with another flare. Once I became aware of my negative beliefs and patterns, however, is when my deeper healing actually occurred.

Beliefs and Patterns

Iylanya states that “we accommodate our own beliefs,” probably because it’s comfortable. However, if you don’t “clear negative beliefs,” – any beliefs that leave you feeling bad or are in contrast to what you want in life – these beliefs will just continue to “RE-CREATE that situation.”

So basically, holding onto the same beliefs will create the same outcome, and that situation you don’t want anymore will continue to re-create itself over and over.

This leads us into patterns.

When you see a pattern. PAUSE.

This can be any pattern, but I like the example Iyanla used in her video. She talked about going through a break-up, and how many of us deal with a relationship ending by jumping right back into another one. It temporarily can help ease the pain of the break-up, yes, but we all know rebounds are usually no good long-term!

Here was her point: When we get out of something big, especially traumatic, or even something small – why don’t we take time to PAUSE and reflect? Taking a PAUSE is so underestimated and underrated. This reflection can help us figure out what happened and how not to repeat it again!

Jini has always believed in the power of a pause and being in stillness. It helped her with her healing journey tremendously, and it has helped my healing as well. Stepping away gives you clarity, and SO many other things. A pause gives you the ability to refocus on what you DO want – and not that bad thing that happened that’s been sitting in front of you all day long. It’s like a recess, a mini-vacation for your mind and body, as they work so hard everyday for you.

Iyanla states that she had a lightbulb moment regarding patterns when she was on an airplane. She noticed the airplane has to circle the control tower and the airway landing strip, and right before it takes off it stops dead in its tracks and pauses. Her profound insight came at this moment:

“In order to take up and fly, you gotta pause. Ask yourself what did I experience? What did I learn?”

Take a step back to reflect on what occurred and the pattern involved. That way you can be aware of it, change it, and change the results!

Iyanla states that “the things that frighten us the most, bring us the greatest power.”

We may be patterned in such a way that even positive, happy feelings seem strange to us and are just as scary. Especially when we are so used to guilt, self-blame, and negative things that we are unfamiliar with these “feel-good vibes and emotions.”

But once you do, it’s so FREEING.

How can all of this help IBD?

Because of our past experiences with chronic illness, we can have the belief that we aren’t going to HEAL. You weren’t able to heal in the past, so it won’t happen now…but, we are living in the past when we think this way.

Based on logic, it may not make sense what I’m saying here. If you are sick and dying from Crohn’s, for example, you may be saying, “yeah –  but this is my current reality. I AM sick.”

Which leads me to another point: our body hears what we say about it. So, if we continue to put on the “I am unhealthy” identity, it hears that – and will continue to be sick!

I learned this technique on my own death bed when suffering from extreme Ulcerative Colitis, and I put it into practice every day. I saw myself healthy. I made myself envision myself as a healthy woman.

What did that look like?

What did it FEEL like?

I would put myself in THAT reality, seeing and feeling what my life would look like. While you’re doing this, you will not only feel awesome, but you are putting in place a focus on the future, YOUR future, and not remaining stuck in the past.

This also applies to unhealthy habits and patterns which may be affecting your overall healing. These bad habits may be emotional, food-related, negative patterns in relationships and/or jobs. Anything that you cling to or default to, but want to change.

Breaking these patterns…

If you wonder why you keep engaging in the same destructive patterns, or relationships, or thoughts, over and over again…

If you ask yourself:

Why do I keep choosing the same partner – different face?
Why do I not have enough money?
Why am I still sick?

I encourage you to check out this game-changing, healing course Jini created for LTYG readers and others who are struggling with chronic health issues, disempowerment, lack of abundance, unsupportive relationships and boring in-a-rut lives. Because our unresolved/unhealed crap holds us back!

And so, I leave you with this:

Remember the words of Joe Dipenza: “If you want something to change, you have to STOP doing all the same things. You can’t expect change by thinking the same thoughts, same beliefs, having the same job, keeping the same relationships, eating the same food, and expect change to come. Something has to give, and this starts with you taking that first step by changing what you are doing – to change your reality into what you want.”

I hope all of this was helpful to you! Addressing the emotional aspect of healing can be intense, but it is SO worth it. What are your go-to exercises to help heal the underlying, emotional components of IBD? I would love to hear your thoughts!