Healing is a process that happens over time. We often wish it were quicker! It is uncomfortable to be in distress or discomfort, and it can be uncomfortable to engage in the level of transformative healing that really addresses the root of the issue. However, creating health is well worth the time and effort. The process of creating health is not instant because we are not mechanical or fragmented bodies. It is not a matter of flipping switches or reinstalling parts. Instead, creating health is about retraining the nervous system. The nervous system is directly linked to physical, emotional, and mental pain sensations. It is foundational to all of our distress and discomfort! It is a very complex system, wound through the deepest parts of our bodies and minds. It is also highly responsive! When in pain, it creates feedback loops that turn the volume up on the alarms so that we know something is wrong. This also means that we can adjust that volume back down again. Effective integrative treatment could be defined by its ability to do just that. It takes time to reset and retrain the nervous system. It has to learn the new ways of being not in pain, just as it had to learn the feedback loops that felt the pain in the first place. Generally speaking, 8-12 weeks of active treatment and practice effectively changes the nervous system and pain response to create a new baseline. Effective treatment is treatment that both relieves pain and creates health. This means that it has to work with the nervous system, and the nervous system changes on a specific time frame. When treatment strategies understand these relationships, they are better able to support you and your health goals.
