YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY
One special day in September 2014 my mom was talking to an acquaintance at the gym about my health. The woman gave my mom the name and number of a doctor she thought could help me. We made an appointment, and down south we drove. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the beginning of a beautiful and unexpected passion for holistic approaches, naturopath work, and for functional medicine. It was also the beginning of an enduring, loving friendship with one of the most incredible, angelic, kind souls I have ever met.
Serena Bordes, a naturopathic doctor (N.D.) and acupuncturist sat down with my mother and me.
She listened to my story with eagerness and quickly handed me some supplements to start taking. She talked to me about my diet, about “energy” and “vibration.” She talked to me about needing to “let go of things.” Although at that time I didn’t know what I needed to “let go of,” somewhere deep down I felt very connected to her words. I can see plainly now, as I look back, that I had to let go of regrets, burdens, fears, and resentments that I had kept bottled up. I needed to forgive myself for all of those little “we are only human” mistakes and choices that so many of us hold onto for so long.
The things I wish I had said, had done, and they could’ve, should’ve, would’ve plagued me, and I didn’t even realize it.
I needed to release my fear of the unknown and my fear of what people thought of me. I also needed to let go of my impatience in this healing process. In addition to her suggestion of “letting go,” she also sensed that I had some form of pathogen or infection in my system that was complicating matters, such as a bacterial infection, virus, or parasite. I learned a great deal from her, and she opened up the floodgates for similar types of doctors and healers to enter my life. This was my start to letting go of things that did not help me and moving toward the things that resonated deeply with me. This is when I began following my own path.
The doctors I met during this time each had their own training and specialties and taught me unique things.
I am happy to be able to share their knowledge, ideas, and understanding with you. Each chapter in this book is filled with the ideas and strategies taught to me by chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, coaches, healers, and many others. I have also included things I learned for myself through observation, personal experience, and in school. I mentioned in the introduction that during the most difficult parts of my health journey, including my mental health journey, I was trying to begin a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling (so you can bet that I learned a great deal about mental health from my professors, internships, and spending time with clients).
I spent five years searching, learning, meeting incredibly brilliant people, discovering, researching, and collecting (my own) data.
And when I dug deep enough, I learned that it wasn’t just ONE answer. God wanted me to learn all of the answers about what keeps the human body well, what keeps it radiant, resilient, and firing on all cylinders. I learned so many techniques that built me back up, that helped me find myself again and yet also for the first time.
When I look back at it all, I wonder whether my journey would have been shorter if I had found a more holistic approach to healing at the very beginning.
Would I have healed more swiftly with less suffering? While the simple answer is yes, or probably, for healing to occur I would have needed to have complete commitment and buy-in regarding the big things that ultimately led me to the best emotional and physical health of my life. At twenty-one, I was looking for a quick fix. I was looking for that one-and-done, let’s move on. I figured, Just a couple months of this and I’ll be back to my old self. My OLD self. Looking back, I can say with certainty that I needed transformation. I did not need my old ways of thinking, the old ways that I had treated myself, the old habits and patterns, to heal. They would have done nothing to bring me deep and lasting healing.
Do you daydream of a quick fix too?
I don’t blame you one bit. I was on that train, first in line, ticket in hand. We’re only human! We just want to get on with it, right? Do less work and get the most in return? The problem with these old ways of thinking and quick solutions is that they will never give you the enormous growth and personal healing that you so deeply deserve. You deserve a profound healing that makes you feel better and more joyful than you ever have in your entire life. YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.
Healing that makes you love yourself to your very core.
You will break patterns never before contemplated, and you will choose very different ways of being in the world through transformative healing. This change takes TIME. It is not an overnight transformation, although some people certainly wake up with a renewed sense of self, brimming with motivation and readiness after doing the work. When you take an all-in approach to healing, know that it can take time and it can take patience. Sometimes successive waves of healing create a shift in attitude, and you realize that healing is a journey that will transform you in mind and body. It builds character, perseverance, motivation, and self-esteem. Is it painful sometimes? ABSOLUTELY.
Each discovery—finding a new doctor, a new therapy, a new diet, a new supplement, a new book, et cetera—brought with it renewed hope, excitement, and joy.
That joy would soon wear off when the approach didn’t completely heal me, and I was left with painful disappointment, frustration, and hopelessness. I was desperate and discouraged, and it dragged me down until I found the next thing that piqued my interest. Then the cycle would occur, again and again. I never recognized that each step along the way helped me—I gained additional knowledge (whether scientific or spiritual) and was propelled in the right direction. Sometimes it could be 5% better, or 10% better. I never noticed because I was so caught up in wanting to go from 0% to 100%.
How many times have you attempted to feel better, only to notice little change from whatever you tried?
I have so much compassion for you, and I hold space for your disappointment, confusion, and frustration. What I want you to know is that if you don’t give up, you will find it. If you don’t give up, you will one day witness the miraculous capacity of the body and mind for healing. Things you have tried along the way have probably pushed you in a positive direction, even if you simply learned something, acquired information, conducted research, or achieved a real improvement in your mental and physical health. Have you ever felt worse from trying something? My hand is fully raised right now because I tried so many things that left me in bad shape.
It is my deepest and most sincere hope that this book helps you see things differently than you once did, that you become able to love others and yourself more deeply, with more compassion and less judgment, and that you develop a profound grace for humanity and all the mental and physical health issues that can arise.
Every single person on this planet has a story and a unique series of events that have brought them to this point in their life. YOU have a unique series of events that have brought you to this present day. These things have shaped you, changed you, taught you lessons, and opened your mind to greater awareness, if you allowed it to. There is so much suffering in silence, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Information can be shared, changes can be made, and health can improve. It begins with each of us and what we choose to do about it.
Remember that growth and healing, whether physical or emotional, is not a linear process.
It is an everyday process, a process that lasts a lifetime. As you learn and heal, things may arise that don’t feel good and could bring you down momentarily. But by working through this struggle and healing whatever issues you face, you can reach newer and better levels of health than you thought possible. I hope you arrive at the best mental and physical health of your life because you deserve it. Keep striving for more.
About the Author
Katy Bosso is a professor of counseling and a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida in private practice. She holds a doctorate in counselor education and works with clients to overcome anxiety, depression, and relationship issues by helping them connect to their most authentic selves. Katy specializes in wellness, the mind-body connection, and how both help individuals thrive.