Healing vs. Cure

“When am I going to feel better?” “When are things going to change?” These are questions most of us ask when we are uncomfortable or when life presents us with an illness, disability, or loss – some sort of crisis that we did not ask for that for but came our way. There are times in life when we want change and often need change to happen in order to establish or restore well-being. However, as adults who have been around a while, perhaps we know that change is a process not an event. That there is no real “cure” to our problems or conditions – But, our desire for things to be fixed can keep us searching for immediate solutions and attached to false expectations, reinforcing and prolonging our discomfort.

Although “cure” is intermingled in the definition of healing, healing means something very different than merely “curing” or eradicating illness or disease, but restoring to balance, repairing, and returning to soundness. Healing often has more to do with emotions and a sense of safety; fostered by self- respect and control, and having positive people and conditions in one’s life. Healing requires the deeper work of change involving reflection, self-examination and acceptance of what was and is. This type of settlement prepares the foreground for health and life-long well-being, the type of inner comfort and satisfaction that most of us long for and see in others who we deem “enlightened,” but often do not know how to attain for ourselves. Healing is necessary for any lasting change to take place.

Image by Demion (CC BY 2.0) via flickr