Nurse Jan's Story
Jan is an incredible nurse. Just ask anybody who has experienced her expertise. She has worked in the innovative, multidisciplinary pain management program and the birthing center at one of Santa Barbara's hospitals. Or you could ask the hundreds of people she has served through the parish nursing program or through her years as a massage therapist and Yoga instructor. Jan believes that the greatest source of healing is "God and a good laugh." She feels that the most important health care consists of the selfhealing practices. She is particularly skilled at modifying and adapting the practices for herself and others in order to keep the process interesting and fun. Here is her story:

I have a tremendous respect for medicine. It pulled me through a difficult string of accidents. I was always super-healthy. Then I had a car accident where I was thrown out of the car at sixty miles an hour and then hit by a truck. At first there was no alternative to the medical treatment, which patched me up and probably saved my life. Then, during an emergency delivery at the birth center I had a second strain to my back, which complicated my case. There was a point in my treatment where it was obvious that medicine had reached its limit.

I could have been paralyzed. I guess I'm a little like a stuntwoman. Massage and chiropractic have been helpful, but you can't have treatment every day and that's what I needed. I am averse to using pain medication after having so many experiences with people in the pain center who not only had the torment of the pain itself but also dependence on pain medication. So I had to figure out how to treat myself. I've tried thousands of techniques.

I have symptoms, particularly pain and discomfort, but they don't undermine my joy. I am not interested in being disabled. I am constantly participating and enjoying. I do lots of walking. Variety is my key. Variety in work, variety in play, and variety in my self-healing practice. After years of doing and teaching Yoga I had to modify it because of my condition. Special breathing exercises are my first line of defense because I can do them anywhere.

Because of my nature, I have to adapt my personal practice so that it fits into my life and has lots of variety. I don't set aside a single chunk of time to practice. I prefer to incorporate self-healing throughout the day. With walks, the deep breathing, numerous brief stops for some gentle movements or the Gathering Breath, occasional momentary checkins, lots of selfmassage (I move around on a carpeted area and position tennis balls to apply pressure), and some deep relaxation to music I probably end up doing nearly an hour of practice integrated throughout my day.

Remembering Breath (page 89)
Flowing Motion (page 37)
Gathering Breath (page 96)
Momentary Method (page 122)

Jan goes on: "Two major themes in my self-healing are fait and humor. Since I was a child I have had a very personal relationship with God, nature, and the universe. Along with m health enhancement practices I am prayerful and grateful. Plus laughter always reduces my discomfort. I understand through the medical literature that laughing triggers the production of pain reducing brain chemicals. I may actually be experiencing symptoms, but it's almost like I have a protective shield of faith and laughter."

Jan has led our Wednesday SelfHealing Practice Session many times. Participants are pleased with her focus on humor, spirit, variety, and selfacceptance. She tells them, "Don't ever compare yourself with anyone; it can only lead to useless pride or painful shame. Don't compare your health enhancement program to anyone else's; it is a good sign that yours is different, since everyone has different needs. Don't even compare yourself to yourself. Every day you are different; allow for that, celebrate that."

Jan's set of practices for the Wednesday sessions is similar to her usual routine. However, she is always changing it, adding music and stimulating laughter. She has found that the same practices have been useful in her work with the church parishes as well. Here's how she describes these sessions:

First, we do a momentary, full-body check-in. I call it a freeze-frame. It takes just a moment. We begin with a deep, slow breath. On the exhalation we scan the whole body for tension. The goal is to learn how to notice now and then, using the freeze-frame, where we accumulate tension. Is your stress location always the same, or is it different? You can learn from this.

Then we do several gentle body practices. I particularly like the Flowing Motion because you can do it anywhere. You can do it sitting, or you can modify it so you can do it in public. Shrink it, so you raise up just a little on your toes and just barely move your hands and then just slightly lift your toes. It's fun to do, it's like your little secret, and you can visualize that you are doing big extravagant movements even though you are hardly moving at all. Watch how turning your attention to this practice changes your posture and your breathing it's great.

I also like the Gathering Breath because it combines the breathing and movement. It is like gathering in light or heavenly essence; it has a spiritual feel to me. Then we do self-massage and I always demonstrate using tennis balls. You just lie down, usually on a carpeted area. Using a tennis ball you can work on spots in the back or hips that otherwise you would have to pay fifty or seventy-five dollars to have a massage practitioner work on for you. We usually do hand and ear and shoulder self-massage as well.

We end with relaxation to soothing music and guided imagery. The music helps the mind to move out of the thought realm. We visualize that our legs are like straws dipped into earth, the top of our heads are like a radio-wave antenna. On the inhalations we pull in healing resources, and on the exhalations we circulate those resources to the organs. Before we end, we send energy to others. It's kind of like praying but also like sending love or gratitude. The design of the practice always changes because I like variety. If it varies, then it's fun for me, and if it's fun for me, then I'm humorous and enthusiastic. Laughter and enthusiasm are contagious; they cause people to want to continue the practices.

"I love the work of teaching and empowering people," Jan concludes, Especially the elders and those who are unwell. There is so much wisdom in our elders; it's sorrowful that we don't honor and respect the elders now like we did in ancient cultures. I am delighted to participate in motivating and empowering people. Because of my own pain I am very suited to teach people with pain and disease. When I tell my story, they wonder how I am even alive. The fact that I am active and laughing allows them to believe that they can be too.

"Funny thing, it has become obvious to me that my medical degree and training give me license to do this work. But it is my personal history and my personal self-healing practice that are the real credentials that help people to heal."

Jan's usual routine with the Wednesday group, with page numbers from THE HEALER WITHIN:

Momentary Method (page 122) Flowing Motion (page 37)
Gathering Breath (page 96) Massage with tennis balls
Massaging the Hands (page 61) Massaging the Ears (page 65)
Massaging the Shoulders (page 68)
One of the relaxation and meditation methods (page 99)