Several years ago, Lars came to see me for consultation. He had discovered Healthy Healing on the Internet and was visiting Goa for three weeks. He said he had come here, “Because the darkness of winter in northern Europe was depressing him more than ever. He had thus felt the urge to get away from the snow and the cold to where the sun was shining and that, in addition he wanted to do something for his health.” There was a specific problem that he needed to address.Lars was in his early thirties, on first glance, at least physically fit as a fiddle; over six feet tall, with a strong frame and muscles well toned. Yet, he sat in the chair in my office slouching and hunched over, obviously uncomfortable in his own body. Then he started describing his symptoms. For the last two years he had been suffering from constant nausea and bad headaches, ever since it became clear to him that he was not interested in pursuing his present career although it afforded him a highly paid job. The work had something to do with insurance and computers, which he apparently despised for not being creative enough. At present Lars said he had no girl friend and mostly stayed by himself except for the odd short-lived and therefore unsatisfactory encounter. As a hobby, he played the guitar and even composed and wrote the lyrics to some of his own songs.
His physician at home had first done some tests to determine if Lars was suffering from brain tumor or any other organ dysfunction, and when no serious pathology was detected, started the treatment by prescribing various painkillers. When none of these changed the situation he had handed Lars a life-long prescription for morphine patches. These finally were keeping the problem under control, the nausea had decreased and the headaches were dulled down. Unfortunately, the patches also made him sluggish, which Lars resented.
Furthermore, Lars had observed, that he could not stop using them. Whenever he tried to do so the original symptoms returned with a vengeance, i.e. worse than before. He asked if I could help wean him off the addiction to his medication. My answer was that I probably could but that the underlying low-level depression would probably take a longer time to heal and also a more integrative approach than ozone and chelation drips alone. Therefore, I suggested that since Lars wanted to do something for his health that not only should he take a course of detox treatments with me, but in addition should join one of the local yoga centers for regular classes during his time in Goa. He agreed.
He then came to me regularly receiving four ozone ifusions and two EDTA chelation treatments per week. With this, I put him on anti-oxidants and some other nutritional supplements that are required during and especially after a series of chelation treatments. He also practiced yoga in a group setting every day. After three weeks, he felt much energized, very positive – and had not used his morphine patches even once during the last week of his stay. He left elated.
But this was not the end of the story, and could not have been as the underlying problem was running too deep to be done away with in only three weeks. Two months later Lars wrote me from Europe that at home he could not cope without his patches even though he had continued with taking regular yoga classes. He remained grateful for at least this little success that he was able to keep building on.
He had left Goa in January and came back the same year in November, this time to stay for four months. The long sojourn had become possible because Lars had decided to quit the job that he hated. He was planning on a clean break and fresh start.
We resumed a regular treatment schedule at Healthy Healing, due to his long-term commitment with longer intervals between sessions. In addition, Lars had signed up for a yoga teacher training and brought his guitar. I encouraged him to go on stage in a few local restaurants that have live music. He enjoyed that. It felt good to get out of his shell and share his talents. The positive feedback proved to be a great ‘upper’, boosting his self-esteem as well.
After four weeks of treatment, including the kind of counseling that I can give and regular training at the yoga center, I could not help feeling that we were hitting a plateau. I shared my views the moment they became undeniably clear to me. My intuition told me that by so far not addressing the emotional aspect, we were missing a vital link. If we failed to do so in the future, the four months of treatment and yoga this time around would eventually not produce any better results than three weeks of treatment and yoga had produced previously.
I therefore suggested that Lars also work with an experienced bodyworker who is affiliated with Healthy Healing. She is a mature therapist and very experienced in working with trigger points and emotional release points. With this addition Lars’ treatment had finally become fully integrated. He did five two-hour sessions of emotional release work and received several Siddha Ayurveda massages, involving marma points, which likewise release much pent-up frustration when pressed skillfully.
After four months of intense work Lars looked positively radiant. However, such appearances can quickly fade in everyday life. The proof of the success of any integrative therapy is always in what happens next. Can the newly won physical and emotional health be maintained? Interestingly enough, this time I did not hear from Lars after he had left Goa. And as there are always many other current patients to think of, I did not think of him either. He had totally disappeared from my mind.
But Lars did indeed come back one more time, twenty-four months later. He entered the Center without giving any prior notice in the company of his girl friend. No, he said, he did not really need any more serious treatments but would take a few ozone drips and some ozone steam baths for old times sake, and may be his girl friend would want enjoy some treatments as well, just to relax and feel good, like a massage or two. The main purpose of their visit was that he wanted to see Goa one more time and show his partner the place where so much good had happened to him. When the three of us sat down in my consultation room he told me how his life had unfolded after the completion of his four-month visit.
Back then he had flown to Europe, his mind firmly set on fully achieving his health, emotional as well as professional goals. Very early on, to make sure that there will be no relapse, he gave back to his physician his life long prescription for morphine patches. He then joined a support group for ex addicts. Not much later he found and applied for a new job in computers that was more creative and challenging than his previous position but also afforded him enough time off so that he could start teaching yoga in different centers in Scandinavia. He now enjoyed both his new job as well the joy that teaching can bring. Finally, he had found the woman that he loved. Lars had become a happy man.
More than on the right combination of treatments at the right time, however, his success was based on his willingness to take responsibility for his own health and wellbeing – and do the needful to bring it about.