I often feel like an imposter Doctor. The “practice” part of what I do reflects how uncertain most of our accepted procedures can be. Built into every Human
Being is the magic of being alive, growing and healing. We all grow, heal and create to our hearts desire and sometimes we don’t. When we don’t heal it is the Doctor, me, who is expected, hopefully, to do the manipulation or prescribe the proper procedure to restore the healing. Sometimes it seems like the manipulation, potion or surgery does the trick. Sure, the knee or hip replacement restores mobility and yet the process requires the inborn ability of the body to grow new tissue for any surgery or medication to work. I believe, and beliefs are not facts, that we all have equal ability to create our lives, our healing and our ways of being. People do, for reasons we do not know, die of cancer, heart disease, auto immune disorders, old age or whatever. Maybe, just maybe, we create all those so called negative experiences as well. For reasons we do not know.
Maybe for obscure hidden reasons we do not know we bring on our own difficulties. Maybe I broke both of my ankles to avoid relationship issues at different times. Maybe I was so obsessed with looking younger that I did enough pull ups to open a hernia that needed surgery to repair. Maybe I tore my bicep, dislocated my collar bone to express something that I really do not know about still. When I went to the Doctor for my shoulder injury he asked me how I did it. I told him:
“I’ve been doing push-ups, sets of 50 each. I got to the point of doing 5 sets a day”.
He said, “You’ve been doing 250 push-ups a day and how old are you?”
I replied, “71”
Without looking up he said, “I don’t have a diagnosis code for ‘stupid’ Jim. Sorry”.
There is not a diagnosis code for obsessive exercising either.
Maybe all our troubles are all of our own making. We simply do not know yet, what our motivations may be. Beliefs have no proof and what I am suggesting is merely a belief of mine. I know that all people create things, habits and experiences all the time. So I look for how I may have created my own difficulties all the time.
This belief gives me a slight edge in exercising, eating right and doing what I can to be positive and healthy. This little edge of intentionality on my part eliminates some of the “poor me’s” and victimhood from me. I still reserve the right to complain and blame but when push comes to shove I look for my part in everything.
When my skin cancer was getting serious on my face, I told myself that I was “cancering”, that is, unconsciously and intentionally growing cancer on my face. And I went to the dermatologist for help. The Dermatologist sent me to a plastic surgeon. I wound up looking better than I did before and got an education in sunblock and hats. That’s obviously not true for everyone with cancer of any kind and in no way would I diminish the heart break, sorrow and grief we feel when we are sick or injured, however there is a certain amount of deep respect to consider that Human Beings create their own life and death. This must be cushioned with compassion; a lot of it and yet there is respect and appreciation for the power of being a living Human Being who agrees to beginnings and endings of all things, including ourselves.
This approach works best when applied to myself, not others. For others I look for how whoever or whatever created us all is expressing this creative energy in them. Discovering how we, with our creative power, may be doing it to ourselves is a very private notion that cannot be taught or forced upon anyone. It is a personal discovery that provides for some power and peace of mind. It is most difficult when someone else hits us on the toe with a ball peen hammer. After loudly yelling “Ouch, you nasty person”, the powerful place to look is how did I get into this? Healing is quicker when we accept some power in the matter and are willing to learn.
Who or Whatever created us all gets the credit…….the more I know that the less I am an Imposter.
Dr. Jim Dohn
