FORCE OF NATURE Bio energy therapy aims to rebalance the body’s energy field, to unblock and remove any resistance.
A Mayo News reader shares her experience of taking an alternative route to recovery
In my words
Jenna Keane
On a Monday morning in early March I woke up the same way I had for the past six months – drained, tired, anxious and angry at the world. Contracting glandular fever will do that to you. It is a monstrous viral infection that tears through your immune system like a very bad winter storm in the west, hell bent on restricting your daily routine. Truth being told, my immune system had been taking a battering for some time at that point. As such, it was inevitable that the virus would knock me hard. And knock me hard it did.
Glandular fever is infamous for gripping youngsters during their Leaving Cert exams. It’s no secret that this time is a stressful one. But I wasn’t about to sit the LC, I had just turned 25 years old. I was far from my English Paper One.
However, my external circumstances were much the same as those youngsters running around like headless chickens trying to pave their path in life. I had just made a ridiculously sporadic move to the west of Ireland (The Quarter Life Crisis is a real thing). I had moved to the West after securing a nice office position, and I quickly turned this employment into a coping mechanism – a place of utter distraction.
That lasted for about five months. Then the virus hit and I was forced to face my internal circumstance – a stressed and almost non-existent immune system.
Three hospital trips later and I was finally diagnosed. ‘Plenty of rest’ is what the doctor advised. I mean really? Rest? I wasn’t familiar with that concept, much like all of us in this modern world. And of course that was the core problem – the reason my immune system was completely shattered. So I fought it. I then contradicted shingles.
If that wasn’t enough to make me crawl under the covers and cry, I then landed myself with an ear and throat infection. I was prescribed antibiotics, sedatives and anti-depressants.
Over the past two years of my life I had begun turning to holistic remedies at times of ill health. As such, I wasn’t about to start taking a bucket load of medications that came with some seriously worrying side effects.
I started taking herbal supplements, and I finally gave into the concept of rest. (And it’s a good one to be fair). I was committed to my recovery. Patience seemed to be key. As were massive amounts of fruit and veg. The physical symptoms began to decrease, and my energy began to increase. Although, very slowly.
When February arrived, so did my frustration. I was doing everything I could, spending a fortune on herbal supplements and organic food. And it was helping, but there was this hump that was refusing to move – this horrible feeling of unhappiness and anger. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get my energy back.
I had this constant feeling of my body screaming for stress relief. Before I fell ill I had managed my stress with a regular massage from Rose Dennigan – a holistic therapist based in Westport. Rose isn’t one to beat around the bush. If your body needs a deep-tissue massage, you can be sure that Rose will point that out, and then fix it with her very powerful elbows. You will wince and possibly scream but you can be sure that you will leave with a feeling much like you are floating on air. Rose has a powerful way of removing what she calls ‘blocks’ in your body.
Five months into my viral infection and my long-term inflammatory marker refused to decrease in number. In other words, there was something in my blood that was still inflamed. The doctor suggested that we continue with blood tests every six weeks. I was still feeling like something was holding me back and that something was, to use Rose’s own words, ‘a block’. It was then that she suggested I try her bio-energy treatment.
Having had a previous reiki treatment with Rose, I was sure that she was more than capable of balancing whatever it was that needed to be balanced. And that’s the thing with illness – it’s never just physical. It is connected deeply to emotional and mental stress. Which more often than not means we are left with very little solution other than to take the medication route for quick and inexpensive relief. But that was a route I wasn’t willing to take.
On that Monday morning in early March, I dragged myself out of bed and began my four day bio-energy treatment. The aim is to rebalance your energy field, to unblock and remove any resistance in the body.
You enter Rose’s treatment room and are instantly smacked with a feeling of blissful calmness. Your mind wants to continue running and worrying about what bills you haven’t paid that week, but it can’t. Rose’s energy is calm, and you can’t help but feel at ease in her presence. With the Bio Energy Treatment, all you have to do is commit to standing and sitting in that presence. Rose does the rest.
The first treatment saw my body moving back and forward and a little bit to the side. Rose uses her hands to detect and remove the blocks. As such, you may find your body moving without your direction. It’s a feeling that can only be described as uplifting. You can feel the sensation of something being removed and cleansed. For me personally it was my stubborn digestive system that was causing the problems. Rose identified that immediately. During the treatment sessions I experienced pain in my stomach, my side and lower back. These were familiar feelings that I had previously ignored. I knew I had a digestive problem but had stubbornly refused to change my diet.
On day three Rose introduced me to some things I needed to incorporate into my diet, and some things I needed to cut out. During my fourth and last treatment my body barely moved – a long way from my side to side movements on day one. I left feeling lighter, happier and like the block had been removed.
However, that evening after my last treatment I had a severe headache. My body was no longer screaming for stress relief, but it was screaming for rest. I crawled in under the covers at 9pm that night and woke 12 hours later feeling completely rejuvenated. I cannot stress how powerful that feeling was. I felt completely back to myself. My energy had returned, my smile had returned. I was absolutely glowing.
Five days after my bio-energy treatment I returned to my doctor for my then regular blood test. Two weeks later I received the results that my inflammatory marker was back to normal. Bio-energy brought me back to life, and for that I am extremely grateful.
Life, sickness and stress leaves us all unbalanced at times. Bio-energy works to assist us in getting our balance back – something that we all need in order to function. To anyone who is suffering with any form of illness, I would highly and undoubtedly recommend booking yourself a bio-energy treatment. But what I will say is that you have to be willing and ready for it to work. I was close to desperate, and there’s nothing like hitting rock bottom to open your mind and body to change.
For more information on therapist Rose Dennigan, visit www.holistictherapieswestport.com.
