From Hell to Holistic Heaven

One man’s journey from rags to riches or famine to feast. Not a tale of monetary or material accumulation but one of healing, inner growth and finding oneself.

Firstly what is Holistic Health — it is often defined as a form of healing that looks at the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.

This from someone who was unhealthy and unhappy seemed like an ideal starting point. An approach that seemed foreign but shone like a beacon in the night, calling my name.

“What goes up must come down” — Issac Newton

And down I did after those big drug and alcohol-fuelled weekends. Week in week out, it took its toll on me and left me completely depleted. Accompany that with self-medicating with the likes of valium, a hideous junk food diet, and constantly being in sleep deficit as a result of those late-night parties.

I thought to myself one day, “You don’t trash your own house so why do it to your own body and mind”? Fair to say I wouldn’t get my bond back if I was paying rent on myself. My apartment where I was living was clean but my mind was living in filth and squalor. At the time I accepted it and learned to live with the mess until one day it became too much.

In hindsight, there was one direction I was going unbeknown to me at the time. Eventually finding myself at rock bottom lying on the floor in a heap mentally and physically exhausted, depressed, and riddled with anxiety.

I had an epiphany — something seriously had to be done

“The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with One Step” — Lao Tzu

I wanted to change, I yearned to be better, healthier, and stronger. I found that my emotional baggage was holding me back from being the best version of me. In my case, I was living in the past and or future. Worst yet comparing myself to other people and their journeys. Don’t make that mistake, albeit easier said than done in a world full of social media and keeping up with Joneses. I now know the only person you can compare yourself to is yourself, yesterday.

I felt my soul wanted to do some searching. So I let it search. It wanted a natural approach, it wanted nothing to do with G.Ps in white coats or prescription pills.

So down the holistic path, I went, to find the more I explored the more I discovered. Delving into the unknown and immersing myself in a world unfamiliar than the one I was accustomed to.

I met and am still meeting like-minded folk who are beneficial to my well-being and more aligned to my core values. I am truly grateful for the humans in the Holistic community who have helped me understand my deep-rooted issues and continue to make me more comfortable in my skin.

The list of other therapies/treatments I have done thus far. I chose the order in treatments/therapies instinctively by gut feel and using my intuition.

• Float therapy — (A sensory deprivation tank)
• Reiki — (energy work)
• Access bars — (energy work)
• Healy device (a wearable device used to balance the body’s energetic field)
• Ear seeds (tiny beads placed on one of your ear’s acupressure points)
• Acupuncture — (puncturing the skin with needles at certain anatomical points in the body)
• Infrared sauna — (a type of sauna that uses light to create heat)
• Ion foot detox — (pulls the toxins out of your body through your feet)
• Reflexology — (pressure is applied to specific reflex points on the feet)
• The BioMat — (a mattress filled with pockets of smooth amethyst stones)
• Kinesiology (using Emotional Freedom Technique)
• Remedial massage — (is used to locate and repair damaged areas of the body and speed up the body’s healing processes)
• Salt Therapy/Halotherapy — (a treatment that involves breathing salty air)
• Meditation (guided, breathwork, inner child, sound bath/crystal bowls)
• Yoga

Each one of these was as good for my soul as the next. The vibes after some of these sessions left me feeling whole, thinking with more clarity, more energy, closer to nature, a care-free attitude, connectedness to a higher power, full of gratitude just to name a few.

“Be more, do more, have more” — Robert C Brown

• Meditation — is the big one, the one I still do every day, and is by far the most important in my recovery. Guided meditation was key — especially in the beginning, which will teach you the basics like breathing techniques. This is how I get out of my head and more into my heart space to then rest in awareness. Awareness of the current moment and the peace that cultivates because that at the essence is all there ever is.
• Sleep — is essential in this story also. I kept a sleep journal to see how much sleep I was getting. Making sure I wasn’t selling myself short in any way. Getting to bed earlier than I would normally to allow time to extra sleep and unwind. Limiting screen time on phones or TV in the hours before bed and using the Nightshift/Blue light filter option on my smartphone. Binaural beats help to get into a deep sleep and wake up feeling well-rested. Herbal teas to promote sleep help — the likes of chamomile mixed valerian and lavender.
• Food — is your fuel food is your medicine. So I had to step up my Nutrition in every aspect. Firstly I cut out alcohol completely; which in turn made me eat way less greasy fatty foods. I incorporated vegetarian meals and even whole days of only eating vegetarian meals into my week. Getting in tune with what worked and what didn’t in my diet. Looking up my blood type diet gave me great insight into where to start. I doubled my water intake and always drink it filtered. I was told to cut down my coffee consumption by my acupuncturist — so I did. This resulted in me being more hydrated and sustaining a more even mood throughout my day.
• Exercise — I like long walks along the beach as much as the next person. Walking barefoot was the game-changer in my exercise routine. Also known as ‘grounding’ works because the Earth has an infinite supply of free electrons, so when a person is connected to it and grounded, those electrons naturally flow between the Earth and the human body, reducing free radicals. Aim to move your body for 30 minutes each day.

After taking the steps needed to be more; I was able to do more. Doing more enabled me to have more. More inner peace, more time, more love, and gratitude for the world around me. This opened up and is still opening my eyes. Seeing limitless opportunities for growth and abundance in all facets of my life. Listening to my heart instead of my head (ego) this helped to dissolve the depression and anxiety. It also helped me get in touch and in tune with what I truly desire. Which in turn is helping manifest my truth.

To summarise Life is for living so why not live it at your peak mental and physical abilities. This approach has worked for me. I dare you to give some of these ideas, treatments, and therapies a go. Giving back to yourself instead of taking. A new you awaits and I can’t wait to see the transformation. Peace.