According to the dictionary, "to heal" means to become whole, sound. We are familiar with healing of the body, for example, from an illness or broken bone. Healing can also happen when we reconcile a conflict with another person.
In addition, one can experience healing from grief. I do not believe the adage, "Time will heal all wounds" but rather, over time, it takes courage to face the reality as well as experience the feelings and emotions related to a death or traumatic event. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy shared from her experiences, "The wounds remain. In time the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone." It has been similar as I heal a broken bone.
This past weekend i experienced a 3 1/2 day "training immersion" facilitated by Michael Verde, founder of Memory Bridge. I, along with others, experienced an effective way to communicate with people with dementia. I conversed with a woman, diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, while looking into her eyes, touching her hand and responding to her "words" with respect, attention and caring. This empathic approach will help a person with dementia feel connected, valued and loved. That too is healing as we "feed" the basic human need for love and connectedness to others.
I love this quote by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, "Healing may not be so much about getting better as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all the expectations, all the beliefs, and becoming who you are."
Reach out to another human being today. Greet a stranger with "Hello", "Good morning","Thank you", pay a compliment or merely smile as you pass. You may be a catalyst for healing someone's heart. That's awesome!
-Harriet