Health is the beginning of the proper perspective of life under the guidance of the one Teacher Who knows what life is, being the Voice for Life Itself.
ACIM (Chapter 8: IX: 9: 9-10)

Let's talk a little bit about limitation and disability from the views of A Couse in Miracles.  Disability, according to Travis (1988)  sits at the far end of the health-illness continuum before premature death.  It is what happens when we expand the term illness  to  a lack of ability to function because of it.  Disability is a label one must be proven worthy to wear if help and support from society and its social systems is required during states of perceived illness.  Our world promotes and sanctions the use of this term. 
As I have said a hundred times before, I hate those words: illness, sickness, limitation and disability,  and fear that the more we use them, the more limited and disabled we will become to our minds; the further away from who we really are  we will believe we are.

How Does the Course View Disability?



When we get  lost in this  notion of limitation due to illness we are giving the ego exactly what it wants.  It wants us to over identify with the body.  It wants us to separate the mind from the body to weaken it as well.  It wants us to feel vulnerable.  It wants us to feel weak.  It wants us to depend on external guidance. It wants us to depend on it rather than the Source of Life that flows through us.  It wants to be the boss instead of God! When we give in to this notion of illness and disability, we unknowingly  make ego the boss. So by accepting an other approved and sanctioned  disability label are we  choosing ego over God?

The body is simply a vessel  in  which we travel on this earth.  Its  purpose  is to help us carry on this purpose we were born for...to wake up and wake others up to the truth.  What truth? The truth of  who we really are beneath these bodies, our personalities ( egos)  and all the trappings of the physical world, the truth of from Whom we came.  This truth  is what flows through us and out of us. It is our life force.  Ego...that fear-based entity we identify with as our "outer self" ...is afraid of the truth. Ego does not want this truth out there because it knows if the truth is known...it will no longer be needed...it wants to be in charge. It wants us focusing outwardly instead of inwardly.  It's domain is outward...Spirit's domain...the only true domain... is inward. We wake up when we direct ourselves inward.  Ego wants to stop us from waking up.  It uses the body unlovingly through illness to do so, keeping our focus outward.  As long as we are ill...we are limited...and as long as we are believing we are limited...we are not expressing the truth of our unlimited potential. ...we have yet to wake up. The Course says, "All forms of sickness, even onto death, are physical expressions of the fear of awakening." (Chapter 8: IX: 3: 2)

Healing and Waking up

So how do we heal if we perceive illness, and Heaven forbid...disability in our lives? We wake up to the truth.  It is never the body that needs fixing.  It is the mind.  We just need to get past this fear of waking up and be willing to do so.  We just have to make the decision to love instead of fear...to accept God's will over ego's. How do we do that?  By knowing what the function of the body really is and that it is the source of its own health.  Mind and body need to work together. "You are not limited by the body, and thought cannot be made flesh.  Yet mind can be manifested through the body if it goes beyond it and does not interpret it as a limitation." (ACIM  8: VII: 14: 1-2.)

 

We simply need to change the way we think of the mind, the body and the spirit to regain or maintain "health".  We need to stop thinking we are limited. It is all about changing our thoughts and beliefs.  (Are you sick of me saying that yet? :)) The mind is a powerful, powerful tool that we can use to ensure healthy, happy lives or to ensure the opposite. Use it correctly and it can help us be well. If we want high levels of wellness, we need to use the mind to realize who we really are.  The body is not who we are.  It is just a transport vehicle and  the spirit, soul, energy force, life flow...whatever you want to describe it as...is who we are!   We are not human beings who have the odd spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having the odd human one.  :) Spirit can be found when we turn within...away from external trappings, body and thought focus.The body is only a part of that human experience..an outward expression of it.   The personality or ego that we explain ourselves with as a human being is also only an external  part of that experience as well...but we have given it so much power and confuse ourselves with it.  It now has its own agenda which differs from that that comes from spirit. Spirit tells us the answers are inside us...ego tells us the only hope for survival is outside us.  We just have to be aware of that. When we get sick (perceive the body or mind breaking down) , it is ego interfering with God's plan for unlimited wellness for us. Oh the body will break down when ego is in charge...and ego is in charge in most of us.  Few of us have that faith that moves mountains and cures leprosy with a simple touch ...yet!  Doesn't mean it  isn't possible ...it just means many of us have not realized our full potential yet. Think it is possible and maybe someday it will be for you.

I obviously have not realized it yet. I perceive disability in my life right now....even though I resist that thought.  Truth is, I have been getting increasingly fatigued and I am doing less and less physically as a result.  My house is in desperate, desperate need of a thorough cleaning and just the thought of undertaking that massive job is exhausting. I think...okay...one small task at a time...I picked up the broom yesterday to clean under the couch...symptoms!  Had to stop.  Tried to get the darn dog tie-out out of the snow...symptoms.  Had to stop!  Go for a walk...exhausted when I get back.  I feel so lazy for not doing what needs to be done.  I feel so selfish and "wimpy" for allowing this...whatever it is... to stop me from doing what "should" be done.   Yet the less I do, the more there is to do.  The state of my house is really not acceptable.  It is embarrassing and brings shame. I want to be "able" to clean it.

I am working on changing my beliefs and dismantling the power ego has over my life by choosing a better way.  My mind seems strong.  My faith is growing...but...I still feel sick.  What do I need to do to get better?  Pretend that I do not feel illness?  No. Stop relying on all external remedies  and support systems at this point?  No...I am not ready to do that yet either.  Spend 12 hours a day meditating?  No...I am still living in this physical realm. So what do I do?   This is what I propose for healing in this step by step process of resuming the wellness I am destined for...that we are all destined for.

10 Steps to Healing from Disability

 

 

1. Accept where you are right now.  See how your perceived illness and disability  manifests in your present reality in the physical world.  Accept those limitations and challenges. Resistance will only hold us back. I accept where I am right now in my perceptions and beliefs about illness and disability.  I accept the signs and symptoms I see as a part of my learning and I go from there. 
2. Take Accountability for where you are.  This is a tough one for many people.  "What do you mean...I am to blame for this cancer or heart disease or depression that I have?" Being accountable has nothing to do with judging or blaming.  It just means accepting that our thinking  and choice of belief is manifesting through our bodies when we get sick.  We are not to blame for it...it happened at some level way below our conscious awareness.  Accepting accountability also means accepting that we have the power to make changes. If we accept ego's version of reality...that we are vulnerable victims to random outside forces...we have no power.  We are forced to live in fear. God did not make us powerless.  He made us powerful.  Be accountable for your power by being accountable for where you are this present moment. Blaming outside forces, God, Life for being where you are will strip you of your power as well.
3. Forgive yourself for being where you are.  That is a big one for me.  I feel so much shame and guilt  for allowing myself to get to this point of perceived disability.  Part of me still thinks I should be able to just snap out of it with a click of the fingers.  I am more than aware of my accountability.  My sense of responsibility borders on neurosis. I need to see this as a very necessary part of my journey...something there for all the right reasons...something I chose on some level...yes...but something I chose for the highest good.
4. Remind self daily that: This too shall pass.  I do not care what type of illness you are dealing with.  The experience you have right now with it...will pass.  If we think of our experiences as fixed and unchangeable ...we will not move forward.  We are all meant to move forward toward our highest wellness. 
5. Remind self frequently throughout the day what the body really is.  It is simply a tool you...the real you...uses to establish your  purpose here. It is here to serve you, you are not here to serve it. You are simply using this amazing body as an instrument to help you be what you are here to be. Don't fret when it runs out of gas every now and again.  Don't be afraid to take it to a mechanic etc. etc.  Its wear and tear does not mean that you, the driver,  are wearing and tearing.  :) But know...that the more you perfect your driving...the less wear and tear your vehicle will endure.
6. Honor your body for all it can do. Praise and show gratitude for what you can do, no matter how limited you perceive yourself to be.  If you can lift a finger and blink an eye in response to someone...you have ability.  If you can breathe...you have ability. These bodies are amazing and "able"  things and are worthy of our praise and gratitude.  Just as you would thank your car for getting you even a small distance toward your destination...thank your body for every step it takes you toward your purpose.  Look after it and take care of it especially when it starts to chug along the road....just don't be consumed by every little rattle.  
7. Harness the power of the mind in your healing.  Know how powerful thought and belief are and how they determine the quality of your life.  Healing...true healing which goes beyond our understanding... is your purpose and you have what you need to do it.
8. Change your thoughts. If you are ill ...know that thoughts and belief systems within you need examining and readjusting.  Stop thinking "illness, disability, limitation" and start thinking wellness and unlimited potential.
9. Reaffirm who you really are and from where you came. You are of God.  How can you be anything but well? If you want to hear this and know this fully...seek silence and stillness, get beyond thinking, to feeling.  Meditate. Pray.  Be mindful
10. Choose to Wake up! Say no to ego and say yes to God.  If there is illness, fear, suffering...know that ego is in charge of your life.  Simply say no...and ask God to take over.  Truth is...God is always in charge.  Ego has just convinced you that it was. You will know it is God by the awareness of Love that pours through you where illness and disability once blocked you.  Waking up is a slow process for most of us.  It may not happen instantaneously...but being willing to wake up is the first and most crucial step.

 

 

All is well in my world!

References:


A Course in Miracles


Travis, J. (1988) The Wellness Inventory. Wellness Association