Why Some Bodies May Appear to Reject Healing
Healing is often seen as a linear process. We progressively get better with the right interventions.
But what happens when your body resists healing? When the very things meant to help you, supplements, relaxation techniques, even gentle touch, start to trigger discomfort, distress, or even worsening symptoms?
This has been my reality for years. At first, my body would accept treatments, and I would feel hopeful. But soon after, something would shift. What had once felt beneficial would suddenly make me feel sick, overstimulated, or depleted. This pattern repeated itself with various healing modalities, from B12 supplements to sound healing, from breathing exercises to IV therapy. Even relaxation, something most people crave, could set off a cascade of physical and emotional turmoil in me.
The autonomic nervous system controls our body’s automatic functions, regulating our fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses. For those with chronic dysregulation, the system can become hypersensitive. This means that even positive change can be felt as a threat. This happens because the body has been operating in a state of survival for so long that it has learned to equate safety with familiarity, even if that familiarity includes pain or dysfunction. It took me a long time to come to this realization.
This explains why my body often reacts strongly to any and all healing attempts that I tried. It’s not that the treatment itself is harmful. It’s my nervous system perceiving change as unpredictable and unsafe. The same way an abused dog may flinch, AT FIRST, to a loving hand. Somewhat similarly, my body flinches at healing. This took me a long time to understand.
Gaining More Understanding
Understanding this has shifted my perspective. I now recognize my reactions as signals. My body is not rejecting healing, it’s protecting me from the unknown. Healing, in my case, must happen at a pace my nervous system can tolerate.
So, this meant, instead of jumping into a new supplement or therapy full-force, I now start with microdoses and build up slowly. If something feels too intense, I pause or adjust. I don’t push through the discomfort anymore. I now work on establishing a sense of safety in my body. This includes grounding techniques, gentle movement, and self-compassion.
It used to be that any time I was in a state of overwhelm, I was ONLY adding new stressors that I didn’t realize were even “stressors” (like new therapies, treatments, etc.). I did this because I wanted everything to stop. But I realize now that what needed to happen is I needed to STOP EVERYTHING and let my body find its own way. I didn’t trust that it could do that. But it can and it has!! It’s slow, but it is happening. It took me a awhile to get here but I am finally here.
Looking Back
Looking back on how I have been handling things, I was in a constant mode of ‘fix it’. This is anxiety and I have suffered from it for most of my life. Eventually, the emotions switch to depression, another emotion I have suffered with for most of my life. Depression was the point in which it seemed that the path to wellness seemed hopeless and a waste of time. It makes sense to me now why my body may have appeared to be rejecting healing. I think it was actually trying to guide me. Unfortunately for a long while I kept reacting in fear.
If you’ve ever felt like your body is completely rejecting healing, you are certainly not alone. Believe it or not, your body is trying to protect you. Healing can happen but it’s very different for people suffering from these types of issues.
Interesting regarding delayed wound healing: The impact of psychological factors on wound healing – Wounds International
