The Triangle of Health
BY GUEST BLOG WRITER
JENNIFER JEFFERIES, ND APS, Life Balancing Specialist
Einstein had a theory that human beings, are a complex network of energy fields interfaced with physical body systems. He eventually proved to scientists that energy and matter are dual expressions of the same universal substance. The universal substance is the vibration from which we are composed. If the vibrations of our physical and emotional energies are balanced we experience good health.
“Illness is a human condition which indicates that the patient is no longer in order or in harmony at the level of consciousness. The loss of inner balance manifests itself in the body as a symptom. The symptom is at one and the same time a signal and a vehicle for information, for its appearance interrupts our life’s familiar flow and forces us to give the symptom our attention” (1)
Have you ever wondered why you always get two colds every year, or why whenever you do not have time to get sick, you do. Our bodies give us what we need to look at our lives. Now sometimes that is not what we consciously think we need or want, but we get it anyway. Our belief systems and the subconscious patterns we have created mould our lives. Our needs and supply for emotional contact with people can decide the fate of our physical health and presence or lack of illnesses.
Dr John Harrison illustrated the reason people get ill it well when he said “People get ill to get what they want (caring, etcetera)” and “People do not get what they want (caring, etcetera) so they become ill.” (2)
Have you ever reflected on what was happening emotionally in your life when you “caught” an illness, or have you listened to your self-talk and how it seems to reflect your health? You may say frequently that a guy at work is a pain in the neck, and by coincidence you frequently suffer with a pain in the neck. When your emotions are manifesting as physical symptoms you have handed over control of your life.
The best way I have found of explaining this lack of control of life is with the “Triangle of health.”
The Triangle of Health
The effects of emotional and subtle stresses in life on our physical being are profound If you think of your life like a triangle and you are able to keep the three points of the triangle in a positive state you experience that wonderful sense of well being. If the three points of the triangle drift into the negative you experience physical ailments. I believe that life really is that simple. It is the energy it can take to stay in that positive state that sees most people drift off track and be very human at times.
The three points of the equilateral triangle are as follows:
Attitudes & Beliefs
Physical or Circumstance
Emotional State
Attitudes and Beliefs
This is the matter that we have ingested subconsciously over the years, creating our attitudes and our belief systems. These attitudes and beliefs hang around in the subconscious waiting to be used. For instance remember your mother telling you not to go outside in the cold weather without a singlet on, or you would catch a cold? Statements like these were projected onto us in our childhood and adult years - not just from parents, but also from many others of significance in our environment. We took in the material consciously and subconsciously and it is now stored somewhere in our memory banks.
Nowadays, we don’t pay it any conscious attention, but it is still there having an influence on how and why we do the things we do in life. The statements, manifested as a belief on some level, can come alive at any time influencing our physical and emotional health.
My clinic experience has shown me that they influence all areas of our lives. Have you ever heard yourself say something you have not thought of in years, yet remember hearing your parents say the same thing to you? Where did it come from? You do not consciously decide to do it, yet I know that as a child I heard myself saying I was not going to “be like that”, or “act that way when I grow up.” But before I knew it, I was repeating those behaviours. Then I started looking for, and noticing, these patterns. I started to catch myself out and correct these behaviours and attitudes that did not work for me. I regained control of my life.
There is a saying that goes: “What you resist, persists” and this is relevant here. The more you try to not be like your parents, for instance, the more you become like them. Our attitudes and beliefs come from our experiences, consciously and subconsciously, in life.
And if we focus on not doing a particular thing, our bodies only hear to do that thing. We give away so much of our personal power trying not to do it, that it gains the upper hand and wins. So the first thing to do is to recognize the pattern and then not empower it with any unnecessary negative energy or attention. We are all human and have many learning experiences in life. The thing to do is to recognize what they are really about and then manage those life experiences. When you do you can then stay in control of your life instead of allowing it to control you.
Emotional State
The second point of the triangle is that of your present emotional state. Have you ever heard people say they caught a cold or flu, just when they did not have time for it? Or, that they always catch “two colds a year”, or “everyone at work is sick, I bet I catch it too”? It is almost as if they are subconsciously setting themselves up. I am sure they do not really want the cold, but on some level they like the attention that sick people attract. The time that most of us received that extra attention as a child was when we were sick or injured.
Our self talk can be reflecting how we emotionally feel about life and our bodies listen to it. We are more susceptible to “catching” ailments when we are running negative stress and using negative self talk. Personally, I think stress is a catchword for life, and the way we choose to react or respond to what is happening. Again, we can call the experience negative or positive. Stress is what helps keep us alive, it is just that positive stress does not have a negative impact physically and emotionally on our bodies where negative stress does. Everything in life is simply how we want to look at it, we can choose to consciously turn around any negative situation into a positive learning experience. If we refuse to listen to our bodies and keep pushing them beyond their limits something has to crack. If we do not stop and listen to our bodies, it will bestow an ailment upon us. This ailment has manifested to stop us, and make us listen. The secret is to listen to our bodies as we move through life and make corrections to any imbalances that may be happening before they turn into a physical ailment.
“The body itself has no power to generate illness; illness is merely the shadow thrown by the mind. A healthy mind will shadow forth a healthy body; an unhealthy mind will shadow forth an unhealthy body. Every new cell created in the body is either negative or a positive thought in form. In the older days, it was customary to say that cells are “built under the influence” of either negative or positive thought. In reality, the cells are the thought itself. Healthy thoughts mean healthy cells; sick thoughts mean sick cells. (2)
It is the well known story of Norman Cousins (the man who laughed himself well in 1964) that shows how simply changing your mindset and attitude or emotion towards an illness even the nastiest ailments can be reversed. His book Anatomy of an Illness is an inspiring read.
Physical or Circumstance
The third point is that of the physical or circumstance. This is the event or happening that collided with you. Take the not wearing a singlet on a cold day scenario. The circumstance/ physical is the cold weather. You could be out playing golf and having a great time, but it may also be cold and raining. You are not dressed warmly, but you are having such an enjoyable, positive time that you do not have a chance of catching anything negative that day. On the other hand, you could be caught late after work and tired from your day at the office, when the car breaks down in cold and wet weather. You have the emotional “too hards” or the “poor me’s”, and you are running plenty of negative stress. Guaranteed, this is the time you will catch the cold.
With the triangle, consider what patterns or incidents you may be setting up for yourself without actually thinking about it. When you are struck down with an ailment, think about what is coming up or has just happened that could have caused enough stress to manifest, or exacerbate, an ailment.
My passion for aromatherapy comes from the fact that essential oils have the ability to work on all three points of the triangle of health. Because essential oils have the talent to work on both physical ailments and the emotions behind them, they can be used to rebalance a person’s life.
CASE STUDY
Robyn was a woman who presented herself to my clinic suffering with what her doctor had diagnosed was psoriasis. The symptoms covered over 70 percent of her body and had been present for the past three years. The psoriasis would fluctuate between red and inflamed to dry and scaly. Robyn was a 24 year old woman who seemed happy enough in herself. She was engaged and a full time psychology student at university. In the initial consultation she was just concerned with obtaining something to use topically to relieve the burning itch that occurred at night. Being a naturopath as well as an Aromatherapist, I conducted a consultation looking at the effects of her diet on the physical symptoms. What I found was that her diet was balanced 95 percent of the time. The only place I identified she could improve was with the increase of essential fatty acids. Robyn chose to do this with a supplement, the supplement I selected was a balanced Omega 3:6:9 capsule.
I explained the Triangle of Health to Robyn and discussed with her the possibility of her emotions influencing her skin condition. As it turns out, through our conversation we discovered that information she was studying was pushing buttons and mirroring her own childhood and present adult life. I decided to use the Aromatherapy Insight Cards to identify where she was emotionally at this time. I had Robyn think about her skin condition and intuitively select three Insight Cards. The cards she chose were German Chamomile Matricaria chamomilla, Tea Tree Melaleuca alternofolia and Pine Pinus sylvestris.
Now, working as an Aromatherapist and looking at this woman’s skin, the combination of these three essential oils would not usually be chosen to work on the physical symptoms she was experiencing. Robyn chose, Chamomile for letting go, Pine for raising self esteem
and to stop rescuing others so she could start to rescue herself and the Tea Tree to understand why she was reacting the way she was and to release the struggle she was experiencing. The emotions she was experiencing were manifesting because she was holding herself back in negative past experiences which were fulfilling her belief that she was not attractive and reinforced her low self esteem. The skin ailment manifested for Robyn to hide behind, when it was really bad she had the perfect excuse to skip her classes, not having to front the issues.
We set a plan to work on the skin topically and also for Robyn to use those three essential oils in a vaporizer as well. Topically I added the following essential oils to the base as listed:
Essential Oils
Tea Tree Melaleuca alternofolia – 0.5 %
Pine Pinus sylvestris – 0.25 %
German Chamomile Matricaria chamomilla – 1.0 %
Base
Calendula Oil calendula officinalis – 15ml
Jojoba Oil Simmondsia chinensis – 65ml
Rosehip Oil Rose rubiginosa - 20ml
Robyn applied the blend twice daily to affected areas as a regular treatment and as required for any times the irritation was exacerbated. I saw Robyn weekly for an aromatherapy massage using the same blend of oils and by the third visit(two weeks later), the skin had improved where the inflammation had reduced 90% and it was not causing irritation at night. During the first week of treatment she had 3 days off university to settle herself. The remainder of the time she was attending classes and preparing for exams. After the first two weeks we used the Insight Cards to check if there were any additional oils to work with, and the result was to add Palmarosa Cymbopogon martinii. I use Palmarosa for being adaptable to changing circumstances and to release past insecurities and hurts. I added 0.25 percent to the blend and continued with the other ingredients. I used some Aromatic Kinesiology with Robyn, verifying the blend of oils was suitable for her condition and she continued to have weekly massages. At the end of a six week period Robyn was free of psoriasis except for a little in her scalp. Robyn continued treatments at monthly intervals and it is now 12 months since I first saw Robyn. Her skin is now clear and she uses essential oils for their subtle talents helping her to manage and work through emotional issues as they arise. She admits to being very human and still has buttons pushed. But now days she can recognise her body and triangle are getting out of balance, she then focuses on her essential oils and regains control of her life, not allowing it to control her.
“Those people who take great joy in the power they have over their own lives can fulfill their dreams. These people will become successful in what they want for themselves and will have little need for diseases. They may from time to time suffer acute complaints because of environmental hazards which combine with old childhood messages they have chosen to retain, but they will not put themselves at risk for major trauma or serious illnesses” (4)
The bottom line is that we are all responsible for our own health. Yes we all have experienced some pretty interesting physical ailments and learning experiences in the past. But the past is the past, like Anthony Robbins says, “nothing from your past will influence your future unless you let it.” You can decide today to work on balancing the points of your triangle to regain your personal power and excellent state of good health. Utilise the talents of essential oils to support your triangle.
Learn More from Jennifer Jefferies on this topic and others
Podcast: https://jenniferjefferies.com/2020/08/08/2-triangle-of-health/
JENNIFER JEFFERIES
Guest Blog Writer:
Jennifer Jefferies, The Present Day Wise Woman
Jennifer Jefferies ND, “The Present Day Wise Woman” is an accomplished author, international business educator, naturopath and aromatherapist. Jennifer is a past National Council Member of the International Federation of Aromatherapists in Australia and is known for her dynamic, information filled presentations throughout Australia and Internationally. She has written and published eight books on integrating aromatherapy into all areas of life and her Healthy Life Hacks Podcasts ranks in the top 100 Health and Wellness Podcasts.
Jennifer can be contacted at:
Email : jennifer@jenniferjefferies.com
Website : www.jenniferjefferies.com
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.jefferies.10/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepresentdaywisewoman/
References
(1) Dethlefsen T. & Dahlke R. – The Healing Power of Illness – P10 Element Books USA (1991)
(2) Harrison Dr J. – Love Your Disease - P37 Harper Collins Australia (1992)
(3) Bailes F.- Your Mind Can Heal You – P6 DeVorss & Co USA (1971)
(4) Harrison Dr J. – Love Your Disease - P54 Harper Collins Australia (1992)
Bibliography
Bailes F.- Your Mind Can Heal You – DeVorss & Co USA (1971)
Cousins N – Anatomy of an Illness – W.W. Norton & Company Inc. New York (1979)
Dethlefsen T. & Dahlke R. – The Healing Power of Illness – Element Books USA (1991) Harrison Dr J. – Love Your Disease - P37 Harper Collins Australia (1992)
Hay L. – You Can Heal Your Life – Specialist Publications Australia (1984)
Jefferies J. – Scentual Way to Success – Living Energy Australia (1999)
Jefferies J. & Osborn K. – Aromatherapy Insight Cards – Living Energy Australia (2001)
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