Bear's Blog

crooked path

My Crooked Journey

Mar 24, 2022

A lot of people come to healing because they had a personal health crisis, but I never thought of myself in that category. I was, however, born with an extra lumbar vertebrae - and my spine curved to the left, then the right in a big “S” as a result. I noticed one hip was higher than the other when I got my first bikini at age 13, and soon was seeing a specialist. He referred me to Dr. Blount; the man who invented the “Milwaukee Brace” that I spent the next several years wearing.

It was physically restrictive, but I worked and played as much as anyone else - maybe even more! My entire torso was encased in leather and metal, and my neck had a metal circlet with a little plastic shelf for my chin to rest on - and two small headrests at the base of my skull. I got a few hours “out” of it every week to begin with. I adored Dr. Blount, who was elderly but always had a group of young, handsome doctors from around the world studying with him (and observing my appointments while I stood in my underwear - eek!)

In Milwaukee I would also meet with Jane, a fearsome physical therapist who I swear was a giantess. I had to demonstrate progress with my exercises or she was - unhappy. I soon discovered that if I did my exercises religiously, I could cheat a little on my hours out of the brace. She actually got me started on my lifelong habit of moving, stretching, and doing exercises every day.

I was written up in a medical journal because my spine was - complicated. The mechanical pressure of the brace on my lower curvature was a crude intervention, but I would be crippled otherwise. Fortunately, to look at me post-brace you would never know.

During this time I worked at a drugstore and wondered why strangers would come up to me and - out of nowhere - start telling me amazing stories of healing. Stories of shamans, herbs, exotic locations and adventures… and kinda blew the mind of this midwestern girl! It was another clue for me along the way. 

Over the years I discovered many helpful practices for my back, including yoga and Rolfing. My 4yr old daughter looked to be developing a similar curvature; after a few Rolfing sessions, it never manifested in a noticeable way. My abiding interest in healing ultimately led me to a 3-yr training program.

When I started learning about the energy types and Energy Signatures, I realized that the main energetic imbalance of the Priest is left/right - it's evident in the body. You can see the shoulder and hip on one side are higher, and there are other, more subtle manifestations of that imbalance. If you have scoliosis, you definitely have Priest in your Energy Signature!

I continue to do energy work on my spine every day; I’ve also healed my knees from sitting Zazen, yoga injuries, frozen shoulders and other things that come from the wear and tear of living in a physical body.



In a recent poll, people were asked "what is your superpower?" Forty-five percent said healing is their superpower!!! Is it yours? Have you made an effort to develop your healing abilities? It just takes learning a skillset and practicing. If this is your time to make the leap, check out my upcoming (in-person!) class here: CLICK TO LEARN MORE

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