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| Living largely isolated and among nature in St. Croix can reap profound healing . |
I did it! I healed myself at the Yoga Farm St. Croix. It’s the culmination of many healing things during the 3-year journey I took with my children to live abroad.
One of the most significant healings I experienced, in
which I wrote about during this blog, was to cure myself of cervical dysplasia.
I’ve had nearly four years of irregular pap tests, which I had about
every six months, caused by high-risk
HPV in my system. I had a colcoscopy that tested with disease in
September 2012. I elected to do a Yoga Farm St. Croix natural healing
treatment and see what happens in six months.
I had been avoiding the test that was due this March. Only after I saw the nurse midwife at my kids’ school play mid April did I
finally make the appointment. I had dread that I’d have to have another
colcoscopy followed by her suggestion of medical treatment of some sort if I still had a problem. I had googled treatments over cervical dysplasia and learned about natural healing, but also heard
horrible, painful
expensive outcomes.
I didn’t get health insurance in the U.S. Virgin Islands at all as a
single,
self-employed person, (Obama care DENIED to adult U.S. Citizens here for
pre-existing conditions! Argentina had GREAT, cheap health care!) I
started dreaming of a medical tourism trip to Thailand to visit a friend
and afford to have the procedure done
cheaply.
I opened a letter in in the mail last week with the results that said, Pap test NORMAL.
High-Risk HPV NEGATIVE. It was a joyous day, and I walked along the
Frederiksted pier, giving
thanks, watching the local fisherman that glorious early morning.
I
attribute my healing to several factors, of which I will
go into more depth of each in subsequent posts. I believe that people
can heal themselves. The trick is that you have to BELIEVE you can heal.
(That's why they call it Make-Believe!) It is not an easy task. It
requires discipline and deep work to tell the truth about ourselves and
let go of attachments. But I do believe women can work with cervical dysplasia using alternative healing
with confidence and trust in themselves and bodies for a positive
outcome. The process is actually part of the empowerment factor, and
gaining trust in one's self as a woman and her powers to be
self-determined and healed.
Here is an outline of 10 curing factors:
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| "Van Gogh's Dream" 2010 by Sydney Solis |
1)
Moving to a new place. I left Colorado and moved to Buenos Aires and ended up in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I got away from
the stress of U.S. Mainland culture to live a simpler life. I also lived out a life-long dream to live abroad with my children. I loved the diversity and culture of St. Croix.
2)
Slowing down my pace of work. Putting my
business mostly on sabbatical and focusing on being a mother and taking
care of
myself and children first. I returned to the place before the wounding,
before my husband died, leaving me a young widow with two small
children.
3)
Giving up alcohol. I stopped six months to cleanse the liver and boost my immune system. I could not, however, resist Tonio's hand-grated coconut Coquito drink at Christmastime. I did drink occasionally afterwards, but I do abstain from alcohol for long periods.
4)
Taking lots of vitamins and consulting with an
ayurvedic physician (something I had been doing continually for seven years.)
5) Connecting to, growing and cooking
my own healthy food from my backyard garden and connecting with
nature. I frequented the local farmer's markets with joy for fresh,
seasonal local food and aligned my body with the rhythm of nature.
6)
Yoga, meditation and breathing. Something I’ve
been doing for more than 20 years. This time it was more restorative and gentle yoga and deeper breathing. I practiced my Mythic Yoga work and I worked especially with the root chakra and noting mis-alignments in my body, including spinal issues and scoliosis.
7) Expressing
myself and letting go of grief and fear. I finished a memoir about my late
husband’s death that happened more than ten years ago. I also did a lot of artwork and had a one-woman show
at the Maria Henle Studio in Christiansted. I told stories
about my body and what happened to it, especially the lower half.
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| Labyrinth at the ruins of Mt. Washington, St. Croix, USVI. |
8) Dream work and Ritual. A life-long lover of dreams, I had an incredible twelve weeks of dream work with Nancy Ayer at Mt. Washington and its Chartes style
labyrinth. I have always been guided by dreams, including a voice that
said, "Spanish vegetables will heal you." I took that as my favorite
soup, gazpacho I drank lots of! I do other personal rituals as well.
9) Having a good support group of friends and attending the Christiansted noon Adult Children of Alcoholics meetings.
My parents never drank a drop, but the dysfunction caused by mental
illness and the scars of war influenced my early life and haunted my
adult life.
10) Resolving long-term emotional issues around sex, men and self-esteem.
I had been displacing my power and projecting my animus on men of
certain character.
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| Pompeii, 2011 by Sydney Solis |
My son discovered himself in theatre and
filmmaking. The rote barren educational landscape of our past living in the
U.S. was erased with living abroad and attending a good school. Among other
things!
I
do have a
happy, healthy and very close little family of 3! Now we say goodbye to
our
wonderful life here and return. Moving to DeLand, Florida June 5. I hope
to continue doing what I used to do in Colorado, Storytime Yoga for
children and families. They will be introduced to the Queen of Bohemia
now. The Mythic Yoga work continues with my continual deep reflection of
my life through contemplation of myths and the body, to bring awareness
of my issues intuitively by listening to the body and my personal
stories, choices and perceptions.
St.
Croix has been difficult to do business
in and raise children, and the loneliness and isolation of not being
around old friends or family is difficult. So I forewent business and
mostly focused on relishing in being a mother and raising my kids. I
gave time to myself to write, make art and heal, all the while enjoying
the nature,
quiet and rediscovering myself through art and yoga and all the
wonderful things living in the Caribbean had to offer. All that can be
healed has been healed.
I
can feel the completion of the cycle.
A new beginning awaits. My kids are older now and it’s imperative that
they be
more independent. Living in St. Croix served its purpose for healing and
the
Mythic Journey, but it is difficult for kids to be independent here. In
DeLand
they will be able to walk out the door to an old-fashioned downtown,
farmers markets and more. The library
is a block away from the house, as is a skateboard park and other
niceties.
They will be able to ride their bike to school. It's back to the madness
of gun-crazed U.S. and violence and bullying... but they are prepared
and confident in self with the stamp of experience and self growth
during our journey.
Yes, our mythical journey abroad is finished. We descended into ourselves, confronted hell and rooted ourselves in an identity deep beyond the temporal world, which enabled us to bloom again on the surface. It’s
time for the return. Share the gifts. I’ve started to pack I do expect to return and live
here half the year in time and offer healing retreats. I have so many wonderful friends and have a special
place in my heart for the nature, farmers and other people in the beautiful
island of St. Croix. It is a Healing Place! DO VISIT!
Visit the resurrected MythicYoga website too!
