Last week I wrote about the strength of acceptance. Accepting you have Parkinson’s disease is the first step in fighting the disease. Acceptance goes something like this: “I accept that I have Parkinson’s Disease…what am I going to do about it to recover?” The “what am I going to do about it to recover” is the difficult part because it presumes something that requires you to discard conventional protocol for Parkinson’s — it presumes that you can do something about it to recover. Oh, yes, it also means that you have to take responsibility to heal yourself.
Acceptance.
“I accept that I have Parkinson’s Disease.”
“I accept that I can do something about it.”
“I accept responsibility to do something about it.”
“I accept that doing the Recipe for Recovery puts me on my path toward recovery.”
“I accept that Howard and two others have fully recovered doing the Recipe for Recovery, and many others are improving their Parkinson’s and writing about it on this blog.”
“I accept that I will do the Recipe for Recovery and stay on my recovery path until I fully recover.”
“I accept that ‘I have the power to heal myself’ and I am.”
“I accept that I have Parkinson’s Disease.
“I accept that I am recovering every day I do something positive in furtherance of my recovery.”
“I accept that I am worth it.”
Denial.
Unhealthy denial.
“I deny that I have Parkinson’s Disease.” This type of denial is unhealthy because if you cannot accept that you have the disease then you will be doing nothing to fight it. This leads to it getting worse.
Healthy denial.
“I deny that Parkinson’s is incurable.”
“I deny there is nothing I can do to recover from Parkinson’s.”
“I deny that unless I am taking medications, I am doing nothing for my Parkinson’s.”
“I deny that the Recipe for Recovery will not work for me.”
“I deny that I am not worth it.”
On the days when symptoms seem worse and fear creeps in, it is more difficult to keep the Acceptance and Denial affirmations stated above in the positive thinking, good attitude areas. Here is something to assist you:
Please remember that the journey you are on is life, not Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is just something happening in the journey called life, so we deal with it while we are living life to its fullest. Every road has bumps…it is how we view the bumps that matters…some people see the bumps as roadblocks to life; I preferred to see the bumps as nuisances that made me slow down and navigate more carefully. And lo and behold, while I was slowing down and navigating my life more carefully with my Parkinson’s bumps, I noticed so many beautiful things I had been missing, so my Parkinson’s bumps in the road became such a blessing. They became mere signs to follow that I needed to pay more attention to healing my life. And, when I finished healing my life, my soul, mind, and body, I did not need any more messages or signs, and they left.
Acceptance. Accept that you have Parkinson’s.
Denial. Deny that you cannot fully recover and be cured.
The Journey. The journey is life. Be alive and live your life to its fullest, despite Parkinson’s.
The Egg. In responding to my post about chipping away at the iceberg and breaking through the surface for recovery, somebody sent me this thought: “When an egg breaks by an outside force, life ends. When an egg breaks by an inside force, life begins.”
Do not let Parkinson’s break your hope and faith from the outside. Instead, you need to break through your Parkinson’s shell from the inside and begin your no-Parkinson’s life.
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
Thank you, Howard.
I needed this perspective today.(and everyday).
I find when I get too tired I try to deny my limitations.
Thank you again, Howard.
Your dedication to others recovery is a gift to all those who have the good fortune to know you.
when howard is with us nothing is difficult.
The egg is a very good example.
pratima
buna dragi prieteni ,buna profesorul meu drag.Ma bucur sa citesc despre voi ca sunteti curajosi si avansati in recuperare Eu am fost foarte slabita si abia mai puteam sta in picioare a trebuit sa ma internez in spital si in urma analizelor s-a stabilit ca am osteoporoza avansata .artroze multiple un total de 10 afectiuni care nu
toate sunt conexe cu PD.Neurologii mi=au spus ca boala nu a avansat(desi iau asa putine pastile) si ca ma simt mai rau din cauza celorlalte boli.Am scris acest lucru pentru ca poate cei ce se simt mai rau sa aiba alte cauze si nu PD. Acum sunt mai bine si reiau reteta,sunt cu voi pe drum.Imbratisari calde Leo
Leo’s translation:
Dear good friends, my dear good teacher. Nice to read about you that you are brave and advanced in recovery. I was very weak and could barely stand I had to go into hospital and after tests it was established that I have advanced osteoporosis. A total of 10 multiple arthrosis disorder not at all associated with PD. Neuroscientists have told me that the PD did not progress (even though I am taking so little pills) and I that my feeling worse was because of the other diseases. I write this for those who may feel worse and that you might have other causes and not the PD making you feel worse. Now I’m better and will resume the recipe. I am back with you on the road. Warm hugs, Leo
Leo,
it’s so great to hear that you are back on track with the recipe! I pray for your full recovery! Your friend on this journey, Teri
Hi Leo, I am also very happy to read this update from you, and send my love and best wishes to you. Marie
If I may be permitted to say:
To help make sense of all the changes occurring in my body, I started to see Parkinson’s as a detour on my journey inward and to soul activation. One that allows and provides me to gain perspective from a different angle, a different point of view. Yes the additional signs on the detour eventually lead to the destination. However not making the destination the vocal point, the detours allow me time to look around and see what that particular route holds. Some are more pleasurable, others travel over tedious not so nice spots until the full realization that these detours are simply what they are, detours, and afford me the more varied, broader perspective of arriving at my destination -an appreciation and trust in my SOULNESS and the potentiation to a full recovery ….
Thank you, Howard, for your continuing guidance and support….your words and reminders continue to inspire me and keep me on track.
It is wonderful, too, to hear from you, Leontina…. I’m so delighted you are feeling better, getting help for your other medical condition, and able to resume the recipe for recovery…. Best of luck and warm hugs from Canada…
Wow everyone that writes has such insight and awareness of life and what parkinson means a growth to spirit body heart mind healing. I will hang in there and pick up the pieces and my recovery. I have had the flu for a week and felt too tired to do much but here I go again recovering. Thank you one and all. Much live /love. Helen
ah, Howard, you always put everything so beautifully. “Slowing down and navigating life more carefully”….that says so much. These changes are so small and so HUGE at the same time. Part of the miracle of it all. It is a small thing to stop in the day and say”right now, right this minute, I feel so good!” or “Look at that! It is so amazing! I am grateful to be alive to see this” Sometimes I think of my healing as a series of those moments of remembering to appreciate my life. Those moments fed and continue to feed, my soul (and my brain). For me slowing down and navigating my life more carefully means a lot of pausing for gratitude. The good and the lovely were always there, but I was in such a hurry that I rarely took the time to really take them in. It was one of the many valuable lessons I found in the Recipe for Recovery. Now I am taking my time.
And Approaching my anniversary of being symptom free!
Thank you so much, Howard, and to all of you in this wonderful community…..
Break your egg! Marie
Va salut TERY,Penny,Maria,Angela,Helen pe toti de aici .Pentru voi simt o prietenie si o dragoste speciala si doresc din toata inima mea sa fiti fericiti. Cu mult drag Tina
Leo’s translation:
Greetings to Teri, Penny, Marie, Angela, Helen, and everybody here. I feel a special friendship and love for you with all my heart and want all of us to be happy. With much love, Leo
What a wonderful community of sojourners – all of us on the road to recovery (or… like Howard, Marie and Pratima – on the road to share their recovery blessings!). I so appreciate all of you that share both your triumphs and challenges – thank you! It really helps to know there are others embracing this “crazy” idea that we can actually be healed from this so-called incurable disease. And how inspiring and affirming it is to connect with the trailblazers that have made it to the mountain top and are letting us know it is indeed possible to get there from here. I am filled with gratitude… hugs to all! (PS – definition of a sojourner is someone who “resides temporarily” – as in temporarily parked in the Parkinson zone!)
This acceptance of the PD scenario is a big deal for me to embrace. I feel I’m slowly getting there. A big thank you to all the friends that write and let me know you are out there. Laurie