The 12 Stages of Healing

1. Healing is Wholeness, Distinct from Curing.

Healing has little to do with the removal of symptoms.

Wholeness is the goal. Healing, rooted in the Anglo-Saxon word "hal" meaning "whole," is an intimate, integrative process encompassing physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects, leading to greater wholeness, wellness, and soundness. It's often uncomfortable but always empowering, involving the harmonious alignment of our entire being.

Curing removes symptoms. Curing, conversely, focuses on eliminating disease indicators, often through external means like medication or surgery. While curing has a role in providing comfort and time, it can interfere with the deeper process of realignment and redirection needed for true healing if it becomes an attempt to control experience rather than a stepping stone.

Different outcomes. Healing leaves a sense of accomplishment, fulfillment, and empowerment, honoring our uniqueness and promoting uninhibited expression of natural rhythms and unprovoked forgiveness. Curing, focused on labeling effects and placing blame, does not inherently lead to these deeper states of being.

2. Suffering is the Necessary First Step to Awareness.

Suffering is the result of ignoring, denying, or redirecting the information these aspects wanted to share with us.

Suffering reveals disconnection. Suffering, distinct from mere pain, is a profound awareness that "something is wrong," marking a separation from our Inner Self, often triggered by trauma or loss. It's not shameful but an integral part of the human condition, historically viewed across traditions as a path to deeper understanding and meaning.

Helplessness is the lesson. The core lesson of this initial stage is the acceptance of present helplessness, where nothing seems to work. We feel paralyzed, victimized, and obsessed with escaping the situation, which activates a raw place deep within our being, causing alienated aspects of consciousness to demand attention.

Surrender is key. Avoiding or denying suffering often intensifies it; the path through Stage One involves surrendering to the experience without trying to escape or intellectually understand it. Acknowledgment from others that the situation is critical and you feel violated can be profoundly helpful, confirming the reality that "Nothing is working now. I am helpless."

3. Recognizing Patterns and Seeking External Authority.

We often use outside agents—authority figures, law and order, miracle cures—to substitute for the inner power we have not yet claimed.

Awareness of cycles. Stage Two begins with the awareness that suffering involves cycles, polarities, and patterns, often starting with a search for a "magic genie" – an external authority, procedure, or treatment – to save us from distress. We try to gain power over helplessness through these outside sources.

Polarities and judgment. In this stage, the tendency to judge things as good or bad intensifies, reflecting a developing sense of "I" that makes evaluations about ourselves and the world. We may see parts of our body or health problems as separate entities, reinforcing a perception of separateness rather than wholeness.

The "magic genie" fades. As we progress, we realize the external "genie" isn't so magical; procedures may fail, or solutions don't bring lasting fulfillment. This realization leads to anger and a bifurcation point: either seek a new external solution or begin to see a connection between our life circumstances and our troubles, recognizing our partial responsibility in the pattern.

4. Awareness of Being Stuck in a Fixed Perspective.

This stage of healing involves the recognition that our distress is associated with being stuck in a perspective.

Realizing the pattern's source. Moving from observing patterns (Stage Two) to realizing they stem from being "stuck in a perspective" marks Stage Three. This stuckness can be in concepts, physiology, or how we perceive and adapt to life events, often linked to unresolved past traumas held in the nervous system.

Body and mind are one. The body and mind are inseparable; being stuck in the body (e.g., spinal tension, rigid posture) means being stuck in the mind. The nervous system, which coordinates all body functions and doesn't regenerate like other cells, holds the history of trauma, causing us to react to new situations based on old, fixed patterns.

Responsibility emerges. This stage brings the realization that we are responsible for the results of being stuck, even if the stuckness isn't a conscious choice but a consequence of a fixated nervous system. Recognizing "I am stuck right here" and acknowledging the region is the key, without needing to know why or what to do about it yet.

5. Reclaiming Personal Power and Honoring Self.

I take my power back. I honor my inner being. I reclaim my wholeness.

"I'm not taking this anymore!" Stage Four is a major doorway to reclaiming personal power, often starting with anger and the declaration, "I'm not going to take this anymore!" This reflects the realization that suffering results from a lack of wholeness and disconnection from our inner essence.

Two paths diverge. This stage presents a critical choice: either react by separating from the apparent external cause of suffering (e.g., leave a job, get surgery) or assume greater responsibility for the deeper, less obvious underlying factors. The latter path involves deciding to honor one's self and liberate from the old perspective.

Commitment over action. True movement through Stage Four involves the decision to honor one's self and commit to wholeness, rather than immediately acting on the frustration. The anger gradually transforms into deep self-respect and a desire to honor who we really are, setting the stage to revisit the source of suffering from a place of strength.

6. Merging with the Illusion and Shadow Self.

With merging, the part of our nature we have alienated, disliked, or ignored is integrated into the rest of our being to create more wholeness.

Facing the hidden. Stage Five involves courageously merging with the fears, pains, and illusions behind the suffering, confronting aspects of ourselves (shadow or light) that have been alienated. This is a rite of passage, like facing the "Dweller on the Threshold" in esoteric traditions or the beast in fairy tales.

Revisiting the source. We revisit the place where suffering began, but now with a stronger sense of self, separate from the distress. This allows us to merge with the illusion without taking it personally, looking at what is behind the chaos rather than competing with it.

Beyond the veil. Merging, often spontaneous and not forced, allows us to encounter the stillness within, beyond the fears and pain. It reveals that we've been living an illusion and brings a new sense of empowerment from discovering the truth behind it, integrating fragmented aspects of our being back into the whole.

7. Building Momentum and Flexibility for Release.

I am flexible. I am building momentum. I am ready. It is OK to let go.

Preparation for resolution. Stage Six is a dynamic, transitional stage where the bodymind builds momentum and flexibility, preparing to discharge trapped perspectives, memories, and energy patterns that no longer serve the stronger sense of self. It's the feeling of tension building before a sneeze or orgasm.

A time for change. This stage provides a timely opportunity to make lifestyle modifications, like changing diet or starting exercise, which were previously resisted. Serendipity often appears, bringing opportunities that align with our betterment, as we become more receptive due to increased flexibility.

Impending release. As tension builds, there's an awareness of impending release, which can be uncomfortable but is understood as necessary if the previous stages have been integrated. This discomfort is a sign that the bodymind is getting ready to discharge what is out of harmony, moving towards the resolution of Stage Seven.

8. Resolution Occurs Through Natural Discharge.

Discharge literally means "no charge."

Releasing trapped energy. Stage Seven is the resolution stage, where the tension built in Stage Six is released through discharge. This is a natural, automatic process where the bodymind goes from higher tension to lower tension, eliminating what it no longer needs on physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual levels.

Beyond symptom control. What is often labeled "sickness" (like fever or vomiting) is the body's intelligent discharge process attempting to restore health. Unlike curing, which seeks to control or eliminate discharge, healing in Stage Seven embraces this "out of control" response as necessary for transformation and reconnecting to innate healing power.

Resolution brings peace. When discharge occurs in Stage Seven, it's accompanied by feelings of calm, accomplishment, and peace, signifying integration. This contrasts with discharge in earlier stages, which feels like a loss and increases tension. The key is the internal awareness of alignment and trust in the process, even if it appears chaotic.

9. Emptiness is a Dynamic Space of Possibilities.

I experience the fullness of my emptiness.

The portal to higher states. Stage Eight is the stage of emptiness, vulnerability, and possibilities, serving as a portal to higher awareness after the discharge of Stage Seven. It's not a void of nothingness but a dynamic state of readiness, like the space between trapeze bars or the zero that gives value to numbers.

Room for new connections. The emptiness creates room for new possibilities and connections, both internally (among previously disconnected body parts/feelings) and externally (with the environment and others). We may feel raw or lonely without old distractions, but this vulnerability opens us to subtle rhythms and inner guidance.

Gratitude and serendipity. As we are "filled" from this state of emptiness, we are filled with gratitude. Serendipity, first noticed in Stage Six, is now perceived as the natural order of things, not just luck. We trust our rhythms and expect to be in alignment with the greater rhythms around us, leading to new, often unexpected, positive experiences and relationships.

10. Experiencing the Life Force and Light Within.

I am the bulb and Thou art the light within it.

Beyond the physical form. Stage Nine begins the transcendent stages, where we first experience a higher state of being, perceiving life not just as physical form but as the energy, force, and light behind it. This universal energy, or life force (qi, orgone, kundalini), flows through us and connects us to everything.

Heightened sensitivity. We become acutely aware of this energy as warmth, vitality, tingling, or wave-like pulsations (somatopsychic waves). This heightened sensitivity allows us to perceive energy fields (auras, chakras) and feel a deep, subtle connection to our environment and other living beings.

Awe and gratitude. This experience is accompanied by feelings of peace, simplicity, joy, happiness, childlike naivete, and awe. It's not about manipulating the energy but observing it with wonder and gratitude, realizing we are not fixed products but in a process of unfolding, made of consciousness and connected to a vital force.

11. Ascent to Universal Consciousness and Oneness.

Be still and know that I am God

Merging with the Absolute. Stage Ten is the ascent stage, the most sought-after state of union where our sense of self dissolves completely, merging with Universal Consciousness, Universal Love, and Universal Intelligence. We become the energy, the consciousness, the love, transcending time, space, polarities, and dualities.

Eightfold experience. This state is often experienced as an interpenetration of light, sound, peace, calmness, love, joy, wisdom, and power. There is no distinction between inner and outer; we feel safe, connected, embraced, and embracing, experiencing our oneness with all existence at a cellular level.

Timeless wisdom. In this state, communication is not through words but light, tone, breath, and movement. Information and wisdom from the Universal field are accessible, often perceived as channeling or divine revelation. While blissful, it can also bring powerful, sometimes sad, insights into our existence, establishing a new foundation in our evolution.

12. Descent: Living Wholeness and Community in the World.

It is right in the midst of life that we have to develop and express all that is beautiful and perfect and divine in our souls.

Returning to earthly life. After the grace of Stage Ten, Stage Eleven is the descent, where we return to daily life with new perspectives, energy, and understanding, living from the experience of oneness. We are rooted in the earth while connected to the Source, acting as channels for universal energy.

Relationships transform. Our relationships change; we no longer compete or depend on others for validation but radiate love unconditionally. We become aware of how our thoughts distract from inner reality and embrace "magical thinking," where desires spontaneously manifest, guided by our connection to the network of intelligence.

Community as participation. Stage Twelve is Community, realizing healing involves active participation in life, both within our internal bodymind community and with the external world. True community is a state of consciousness, a deeper reality where we give our gifts of individuality and wholeness, recognizing our interconnectedness with all life and taking responsibility for our impact.

Last updated: May 20, 2025