Did you guys read this Mothering.com article?

[changingseasons]

http://www.mothering.com/articles/gr...rgiveness.html

Got this in my Mothering email this morning. The first part made me cry:

He is the physical manifestation of my own toxicity. I am leaking poison, draining it straight into him. He is me. I am him.

Thought the rest was interesting, and curious if anyone has seen the connection between forgiveness (or anger I guess) and skin issues. Give me your thoughts.

[kjbrown92]

I didn't read it when it came into my emailbox. But I read it when you posted it. How absolutely... bizarre. But once they aren't breastfeeding anymore and they're still reacting, then what? Have you already transferred all the "poison" and you can't get it out? And if that's true, then DD1 would have been affected too, instead of just DS and DD2. I love all these theories. But for some reason none of them fit just right with our family and I still want to know THE ANSWER.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

But once they aren't breastfeeding anymore and they're still reacting, then what? Have you already transferred all the "poison" and you can't get it out?

Yeah, that's a good question. Maybe by then it's done enough damage that their own bodies have to heal.

[preemiemamarach]

I laughed out loud.

ETA- that wasn't clear, sorry. I laughed because I *wish* my son's issues could be cured by me writing letters. If the solution were only that simple! The hundreds of thousands in insurance charges for hospitalizations, surgeries, blah blah blah....endless therapies and specialist appointments.....if I could get rid of all that by writing a letter, that would be AWESOME.

[changingseasons]

I agree that there are many factors that are involved in DD's allergies, and writing letters surely wouldn't cure her.

But I am inclined to think that there might be at least a sliver of it that's emotionally based. I know that for myself, stress manifests itself physically- I get stomach aches, headaches, back aches, etc. So I could see how stress/anger/anxiety/whatever in mom can contribute to a bad gut, which in turn aggravates (and/or causes) a babe's allergies.

So I agree- it sounds crazy... but who knows? I guess my point is that you can't say that it doesn't work until you try it, right?

[changingseasons]

Panserbjorne, where are you?

I know you will have some thoughts about this.

[LBMarie9]

hmm interesting--

I definately think that after all you can do--sometimes there is emotion things that we hold onto physically.

i too wish letter could cure this all--but not for us.

[WuWei]

I totally have come to believe that there is no separate "body" from the mind and spirit. We are one mind/body/spirit.

I found the article spot on, insightful, and challenging to our assumptions.


Pat

[tanyalynn]

I think it's really interesting. I've seen some interesting things this year in us, in terms of how we feel (anger/frustration-type stuff) and how our health is coming. At the end of August I realized I'd hit a turning point and I felt happy. Still have fatigue and I can see that lots of things are still off, hormones, thyroid, various things, but separate from that, I feel happy. And I think it has really affected the kids this fall, I think we're only now getting to a new equilibrium point.

In terms of physical manifestations in me, I've been having intermittent days when I smell like smoke and have had some borderline diarrhea (had both every day for the first month after I got my fillings out back in April), so I think a balance has shifted in me. And the kids--it's harder to explain with them, but I think my joy (which has been a bit lacking the past 3 years has spread to them and has almost unwound something in them. I think at some level they are less stressed, and I think their bodies are working better for it. One thing that struck me--near the beginning of this (September-ish, I think) my son started being defiant. Now, he's 2.5, so that should be normal, but he's a very compliant kid, really wants to please people, so it was a shocker one day when he ran away at the playground TWICE and I had to chase after him! I think he's free to act more like a 2-year old because I'm more able to parent.

Anyway, it's not all of our problem, but it's interesting to read about an experience that was so strongly influenced by emotional state. I'd think most people would have more of a mix, concrete steps toward healing as well as mental/emotional. I know I've focused very narrowly on the concrete and the tangible until recently, but I've been trying to branch out.

[preemiemamarach]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

I agree that there are many factors that are involved in DD's allergies, and writing letters surely wouldn't cure her.

But I am inclined to think that there might be at least a sliver of it that's emotionally based. I know that for myself, stress manifests itself physically- I get stomach aches, headaches, back aches, etc. So I could see how stress/anger/anxiety/whatever in mom can contribute to a bad gut, which in turn aggravates (and/or causes) a babe's allergies.

So I agree- it sounds crazy... but who knows? I guess my point is that you can't say that it doesn't work until you try it, right?

I guess, in retrospect, the reason the article doesn't ring true for me is that my son's problems started *after* he was given something other than EBM. Granted, I was on a pretty restricted ED while he was ok, but he was growing and happy. He may actually have a rare metabolic disorder that is staved off by breastmilk, and only becomes symptomatic when other foods are introduced.

I would totally be in therapy if I had time between work and his doctor's appointments.

[pokeymama]

I happened upon this article because we got a new laptop and I was navigating from the MDC home page. Since I don't believe in coincidences, I can only put it down to God/the Universe trying to get my attention. The first chiro I saw about DS's eczema told us that all cases she has seen have an emotional component. Using applied kinesiology, she determined DS needed the Bach flower essence mustard (unexplained depression). He has been taking it for 6 months and is a different baby, he never laughed and smiled like he does now. She also did a fair amount of eliminating fears through EFT. She did that to me too, and later told me that the mustard would help me as well. And I believe it has.

And on top of this, I found PB's thread on flower essences in Spirituality at around the same time. Talk about trying to get my attention!

Suffice it to say, I have a lot more respect for emotions now.