In my work as a Plant Spirit Medicine healer, I have the privilege of observing, facilitating and holding space for people as they come into a state of wellness. I find that this “witness” stance is quite important in my work because at times clients forget how much and how deeply they have healed. I’m sure we can all relate as we sometimes tend to see all that we still have to do (glass half empty) rather than how far we’ve come or how much we have in fact already grown, progressed, improved (glass half full). To some extent, it’s human nature.

Plant Spirit Medicine is a powerful yet subtle form of healing that calls on the spirits of plants to bring physical, mental and spiritual balance and wellness. It is an ancestral medicine, a medicine for our entire life. It is one of the sacred ways in which our ancestors cared for one another and cultivated their relationship with the living breathing world around them. It is a way of life and healing that had been lost to us, but is now coming back into our world.

Our ancestors knew right away when they felt unwell. They received healing whenever something felt off and I’m not talking just physically. Nowadays our very busy technological lives can make it difficult for us to realize immediately when we are unwell. Sometimes we don’t realize until a major symptom has become entrenched and demands that we change. Plant Spirit Medicine restores us to health by restoring our relationship, connection and responsiveness to the Natural world, our environment and our deepest part, our spirit.

A fascinating process, the journey of healing

We generally sense that we are unwell because something is not quite right. It may be that we used to feel more enthusiastic, able to bounce back, to exercise without pain, to breathe more fully, to laugh more readily. For whatever reason, we know something has changed for the worse. This begins to create a disconnect. If unattended this disconnect can move to our relationships by not being as fulfilling, our work by not being as purposeful, and our enjoyment of our life or lack thereof. If still left unattended, this disconnect can in fact then begin to isolate us. We feel nobody understands, feels the same or “gets it.” When we begin to feel isolated, and then we really fall prey to all manner of disempowering thoughts, habits and ways of being.

Seeking help as soon as we know something is off

We may not know how to describe what we are feeling, sensing, but we know something is not well in us. At times other people can point this out, often we just feel it. There is a strong and destructive victim mentality that can prevent us from seeking help. Whereas our ancestors would have gone immediately to the shaman, healer or herbalist in their community, we tend to wait because we are taught to suck it up, keep working, keep going no matter what. Big mistake. In perpetuating that fallacy and ignoring our body and soul’s signals, we are setting ourselves up for more trouble. If instead we ask for help, help will arrive. What I am saying is that in order to heal, we need to give ourselves permission to heal, to be well. Once you have decided you deserve to be well, it is important to cultivate discernment. In looking for a healer, practitioner or even for advice, it is good to observe, meet with people, check references, see how your practitioner’s style and values work with yours. You want to choose wisely.

Is worse before better always true in the process of healing?

Becoming well after years of living in denial, abusing our bodies or ignoring the signs is a process, not a one-time fix. It requires commitment. It is a dazzling journey filled with amazing gifts and blessings. Like anything worth doing or worth having, it requires sacrifice, attention, steadfastness. Yes, of course, there are benefits to be received after 1 or 2 healing sessions, but patterns have their own magnetism and their own power. It takes depth over time to truly heal. Layers of stress, strain and trauma begin to fall away. This is not always easy or pretty, but such a worthwhile endeavor! We begin to reconnect with our true nature, our true joy, our true purpose.

What health and wellness look like

One of the most beautiful things I experience in my healing practice is witnessing the unfoldment of a new life. Not the birth of a baby, but the unfoldment of a new adult life. I know my clients are moving more fully into balance when they begin to want to give back, find their purpose in life, and make a difference for the better. We are all familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The fact that a client is in this state of openness is a great indication of their healing. As they begin to feel well, they begin to feel more generous, expansive, to think more kindly of others. It is a gorgeous and amazing thing.

Here are some telltale signs of health and wellness:

Gratitude. An impetus to give thanks to God, the Divine, Nature, others for everything we are and all we have, all we experience.

Expansiveness. A desire to touch the lives of others for the better. A desire to be more open and affable and less constrained, stressed, or stuck in our ways.

Community. A willingness and wish to connect and share with others, gather, be with and around people. A recognition and celebration of this as one of our

Adrilia V. Pedersen specializes in Plant Spirit Medicine. For more information on Adrilia and her practice, visit her website.