
What does the emotional body have to do with releasing waste from our colon? More than you might think, actually. After years of clinical experience, I created a style of metaphysical colon hydrotherapy that I have named Iyasu.
Iyasu translated from Japanese means “to heal.” Since 1996, I have worked with many clients who expressed a desire to heal a vast array of diseases, physical dysfunction, and/or discomfort. Since that time, I have focused much of my life and energy on healing my own physical issues. Iyasu was born out of these experiences. As I learned to sit in the discomfort of my feelings and not avoid them or distract myself from feeling them, I discovered that doing so helped me to develop self-compassion and self-love. Two things happened as a result: I realized that I could help others by sharing my experiences, and I became a more effective, intuitive bodyworker.
My experiences always brought me back to the same place – In order for permanent healing to occur, the following is imperative:
I didn’t create these concepts but it seems to be one we tend to stumble upon when searching for our higher truth. There are many healers who understand and believe that our physical bodies communicate with us all the time. I personally believe that most of our physical issues originate from an emotional/energetic block. (For an understanding of the energetic block, please refer to the section “Spiritual Perspective.”) This emotional block can stem from a belief, thought, perspective, and/or emotional trauma. There are many forms of healing that address physical and emotional blocks, such as acupuncture, massage, myofascial release, psychotherapy, and colon hydrotherapy – to name but a few.
My intention in creating this style of colon hydrotherapy is to consciously bring awareness to the client about the mental and emotional blocks they might be carrying in their physical body. I believe in the wisdom of the body and can see that our body loves us. Our body wants us to heal, and I believe it lovingly creates physical dysfunction as a way for us to become aware and heal on an emotional level. It has been my observation that if the physical body didn’t manifest dysfunction, we might never look at the emotional blocks we carry within that create our suffering.
Let’s say a female client comes in who has been suffering with constipation since birth. Constipation can be very uncomfortable as it can cause us to feel full, sluggish, and creates gas and bloating. Do you know the wonderful feeling of releasing your bowels fully? Imagine if your body didn’t let go in this way for a few to several days. Can you imagine how you would feel? You probably wouldn’t feel very well. Now, let’s go back to the client who has constipation. Since she has been experiencing this since birth, she doesn’t know any other way to feel. In an Iyasu session we would look at the emotional reasons why her body is constipating. Of course, I would ask about dietary and lifestyle choices to see where she could make some changes, but let’s say that her diet is healthy and she takes care of her body. If she wanted to move forward into the emotional aspect of constipation, I would listen to what her body is revealing and we would explore her belief systems and perspectives that might be contributing to her physical issue. For example, since the physical dysfunction has been present since birth, we might look at the mother piece to see if she had absorbed any of her mother’s emotional state in utero, which has now become an unconscious reaction to life experiences. I am very careful not to blame the mother. Rather, we would see if any belief systems are no longer serving my client and possibly creating an emotional block, which directly relates to the physical dysfunction.
Often, clients who come to see me are focusing on the physical dysfunction and haven’t really looked at the emotional origin. The reasons vary, but for most people it simply doesn’t occur to them. When we shift the focus from the physical issue to looking at the emotional cause, I observe that the client’s body lets go. As a result, the client feels relief both physically and emotionally.
There are many ways to connect the emotional and physical body and I don’t always know what will show up until we are in session. When the client is open to seeing what their body wants to communicate with them, and they trust that I will help them hear what it is saying, amazing revelations have appeared for their benefit.
I offer respect and sensitivity for those I work with in this way. I understand how difficult it may be for a client to talk about emotional issues that are personal and many times, hurtful to them. I create a safe space for each client to release on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level, honoring the sacredness of this type of internal work.
Disclaimer: I am not a trained psychotherapist and my sessions are not intended to replace professional psychotherapy. I do not diagnose or prescribe and I am not a medical doctor. I will encourage clients to seek professional psychotherapy when indicated.
Let’s look at the possibilities of healing through colon hydrotherapy and bio electric lymphatic drainage from the perspective of the emotional body:
Emotional perspective: The emotional body is intrinsically linked to the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of us. I believe that when we don’t deal with our emotional body, it directly affects our physical body. The great news is we can heal our physical body by listening to the dysfunction or illness that it is presenting. We can take that information and resolve emotional issues that we may have repressed as a way to avoid feeling hurt. By doing so, we honor the wisdom of our body and the physical body responds with health.
An example of potential healing through colon hydrotherapy and bio electric lymphatic drainage as it relates to swollen lymph glands, gas, and constipation is as follows:
How does the emotional body contribute to lymphatic congestion? Let’s say we are angry with or feel regret regarding certain people in our lives. If we cannot communicate what we are feeling, we will hold that emotion within. Over time the anger and/or regret builds up within us and manifests in our physical body. The feelings don’t go away, we just suppress them so we don’t feel the emotional pain of our blocked relationship. Consequently, our lymph nodes become congested and swollen. Our body can’t take holding the painful feelings in anymore, and it cries out with inflammation.
We can also get out of balance when we expend our energy on another person in a people-pleasing manner. We do this simply because we are wanting love. When we are taking care of another’s needs instead our own, we may be affirming a belief that we must do something in order to be worthy. The lesson, in this case, may be for us to learn that we are worthy simply because we exist.
The good news is we can look at regrets and anger toward the people in our lives and learn to communicate honestly and effectively to allow the flow in the relationship. As a result, our lymphatic system can begin to flow and the congestion can dissipate.
When we are balanced within ourselves, we feel safe to communicate our feelings and our needs. What this means is we know who we are, feel worthy of our existence, and can hold healthy boundaries with others.
Gas is such a common complaint that it really deserves to be looked at. For some people, they eat unhealthy, comfort-type foods that create gas. Why would people do this? I believe that most people do this unconsciously as a way to comfort themselves emotionally and simultaneously punish themselves for things they feel guilty about. For some the gas is used as protection. They might also be using food as a way to hurt themselves as a result of anger turned inward. Let’s take a more detailed look below:
The next time you have gas, notice what is happening to your body physically. For many people, their bodies bloat and distend out. Or they release it and need to be away from others. (Although a few don’t mind and just let it rip!). Either way, gas says the same thing emotionally: “stay away.” When we distend out, we may be creating distance between us and the outside world and the people in it, thus protecting ourselves. When we release the gas, we tend to do so in a private space, away from others. I notice that when we have gas, we may be feeling unsafe within ourselves, in relationships (past or present), or in the world in general. Gas also can be seen in people with control issues. When we need to control ourselves, those around us, or situations in our lives, we create a lot of tension within. This creates a lot of stress – and stress has many repercussions linked to physical dysfunction and disease, including gas.
When our bodies speak to us in this way, we have the most exquisite opportunity to grow within ourselves and change the way we see things. I have had times in my life when I realized that a particular perspective was keeping me in physical pain. Having gas was one of these experiences, since I was afraid for a good majority of my life. I felt like I needed to protect myself emotionally and physically and it showed up as extra weight, gas, and bloating. I was able to shift my perspective from one of fear to one of trust. When I did this, I naturally started shedding weight and bloat, and my gas issues disappeared. Because I listened to what my body was trying to tell me, the physical issues created by my body to help me heal could release.
Some of my constipated clients have shared with me, during a metaphysical colonic, that they feel stuck in a particular situation in their lives. Others expressed feeling vulnerable about a new relationship and feel afraid because of this. Some clients have issues around money and it affects the quality of their lives. In each of these cases, the client experienced constipation.
I believe that our physical body has no choice but to follow our emotional state. If we are afraid, this will cause our body to contract and this can disrupt the flow of energy to our colon. If we feel that there is stagnation in our lives, our colons can reflect sluggish bowel movements. The great news is – we can find a different way to live. By participating in a metaphysical colon hydrotherapy session, we can shift our perspective to embrace the complexities of being human. When we do so, our physical body can shift as well and we end up with more health and physical movement.
For us to experience optimum health, we must maintain a flow – specifically a flow in the energy of the body. Let me break this perspective down to clearly explain what I mean:
As outlined above, our flow can become obstructed, which (I believe) results in physical, emotional, spiritual, and/or mental illness. A break in the flow can occur on any of these levels and one can affect the others. The concept of this break in flow is important, as it can help us to achieve health when seen from this perspective. Let’s look at some examples of the flow being blocked:
This affects our emotional body, and depending on how we handle our emotions, can move into the physical and spiritual bodies.
Let’s look at depression: If a person is currently experiencing or has experienced strong feelings that they have suppressed, it can turn into depression. If a person overeats as a way to suppress these feelings, it can create a disturbance of the flow in the physical body, which can result in lymphatic and digestive congestion. In this example, the block was initially created by the suppression of our feelings, which created physical problems.
Some other examples of the physical issues one might experience by suppressing their feelings are:
I know that the above examples are quite simplified. I use these for the purpose of giving a general idea of how impeding the flow of energy can affect the totality of us as human beings. When working with a client, it is never cut and dried, as each of us is unique and we all have specific experiences in our histories. I never work with any sort of cookie cutter template that my clients must fit into. I don’t go into a session with any preconceived ideas or notions. I use whatever shows up as a guide to what the client may or may not need. Each client and each session can vary greatly and I have the utmost respect for and will honor each individual’s process and belief systems.
“If you’re looking to go deep on many levels, this colonic spot incorporates energy work, essential oils, crystals and aromatherapy.”