Healing is Like a Fart in the Hot Tub

by | Jun 1, 2020

Oh, that’s a good one. How, do you say?

It’s erratic, inconsistent and unpredictable.

You never know when it’s going to bubble up.

Or where.

You cannot predict the timing or location of this fart bubble, or the course it will take to get to the surface from its sometimes trapped place in your shorts.

grinning boy in hot tub

There is a waiting period. Time has to pass between when the fart leaves your body, and when it emerges to the surface.

Similarly, often healing has already occurred in your physiological and biological processes, but hasn’t emerged to the surface of consciousness where you can see, feel or believe it.

winding road with light at the end

Farts follow a non-linear path as they emerge to the surface. That is, they don’t pop up directly above where they leave your body… farts will meander about as they head north and can pop up anywhere within a small sphere around you.

Similarly, pain doesn’t follow a straight line during recovery. The three dimensions of pain (physical, emotional, social) during a recovery process don’t always make rational sense, don’t follow logical rules, and certainly frustrate many of us because the journey can be so unpredictable.

These challenging circumstances of healing, deprive us of a sense of control, security, and predictability that we so desperately need in the world.

But, fear not. There is a guarantee here.
If you fart in a hot tub, the bubble will eventually rise to the surface.
If you are hurting, the healing will eventually rise to your vision and conscious awareness.

We are, after all, designed to heal.

There is a promise of healing. 

Don’t lose hope, friends, for whatever it is you’re wanting. What you can lean into then, is that even though you might not understand your recovery journey, there is a guarantee that healing will happen. Maybe not (who am I kidding… probably not!) on your timeline, or how you thought, but…

IT WILL HAPPEN.

And that promise of healing, if you let it, can sink in, become absorbed by the reality of your body and mind, and facilitate that stubborn fart that got trapped in your shorts, to emerge and rise up again.

Movement often shakes farts loose. Try this Tiny Movement Habit for shaking up sitting today!

Looking for a Guide to help you through this process?

We are here to help you shift into Green Tree living. Schedule your FREE consultation today…

Written By Renee Ostertag

Clinical Scientist. Body Intelligence Speaker. Physical Therapist. Renee is obsessed with the nervous system and how it affects pain, healing, and quality of life. She strikes a balance with work & life by playing with her Bernedoodle puppy and Improv Theater.

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