Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/494122
technique ENERGY WORK The Case for Hope By Cyndi Dale Years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. encouraged his followers to accept disappointment, but to never lose hope. 1 His reasoning, as I understand it, is that a life event has finite bounds. For the moment, we might be defeated. We might feel like we are losing our battle to anxiety, depression, pain, poverty, or another condition. The power of light, however, is such that if we hold true to hope, we open to the infinite. Within the infinite, anything is possible. As healers, we often struggle to place ourselves between the finite and the infinite, between what is happening with a client and what they, or we, might wish would happen. Our heart yearns to assure them that everything is going to be OK, even when our professional integrity, common sense, or experience might anticipate otherwise. While we don't want to tread where angels fear to fly, I believe part of the healer's role is to encourage hope—especially if we're also in the position to inspire what I call "hopeful activities," or behaviors that could create beneficial change. Why ignore the potential of grace when we can make a difference or show the client how to do the same? For many people, hope is the result of faith. I always suggest clients follow the doctrines of their religion, unless that faith system seems dangerous or irresponsible, such as what occurs within a cult or terrorist organization. For instance, I once worked with a client who could have taken care of a precancerous lump with a simple medical procedure. As a member of a 102 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a y / j u n e 2 0 1 5