Detox Process
For anyone struggling with retoxification and what we can learn from the detox process from a holistic point of view.
Detoxification is quickly becoming a household term in circles and communities related to health, lifestyle, and spirituality. Almost everyone has tried or at least know someone who has tried some form of detoxification process. The more experienced in this field swear by it and praise it’s short- and long-term benefits. With more studies, anecdotal, and observable results, it is now becoming easier and easier to see the benefits of detoxification as part of our modern lifestyle. At the same time it is also becoming clearer when and how detox is improperly used and not really serving its purpose.
Let’s have a look at the basics of the detoxification process so as to get some more awareness around what to do, and what to not do, when we are trying to get back to health. This is something that detox certainly has the power to do if used correctly. In this article we will not focus on the different types of detox like for example; water fasting, juice fasting, or the master cleanse. But at the process itself and how it fits into our lives.
It does not matter whether we are trying to clean up our body, mind, or spirit. Different forms of detox, with the same underlying process, can address any condition or ailment we might be facing.
Detoxification, healing, and restoration.
The main point of detoxification is to remove or at least reduce your regular intake of food. Most often this is combined with focusing on consuming some form of liquid. The form of liquid can be water, any form of fruit or vegetable juice depending on what we are trying to address in the body. There are also variations of the water fast, a good example is the “Master Cleanse” which combines water, lemon juice, maple syrup/honey, with cayenne pepper.
Worth mentioning is also the variation of “dry fasting” where you consume no liquids or food as an option or tool in your detox program. But the main thing to realize is that we in most cases reduce food intake and increase liquid intake.. When this is done it makes for two main benefits of detoxification. The liquid you consume and the food you don’t consume. So what does this really accomplish?
When we remove the food intake what happens is that the body can stop using energy normally used for digestion and instead redirect all that energy for healing and restoration. This second part is often overlooked or its potency and power to heal is underestimated. From our experience an easy way to change your perspective to understand just how much energy that is freed up, you only have to imagine that digestion take about 10x more energy than you previously thought.
It is easy to have the misconception that because our food intake goes down then so will our energy because we aren’t consuming calories. That is a black and white way to look at this because it fails to take some important point into account. It is not about restriction of food, it is about directing the body to start to heal itself. When it comes to restoration of cells, damaged tissue, and any bodily imbalance then the freed up energy will go towards restoring the previous state of health. This is why many people are now talking about “restorative detoxification”. It is not just that we need to detox the body’s contained toxins, we also need the heal and restore the damage we’ve done.
Our modern day lifestyle is far from what the body has been designed for thousands and millions of years. Our dietary changes, informational input, the introduction of pharmaceuticals, and overall stress levels have reached levels that would be incomprehensible for someone living only 100 years ago. This means that for the vast majority of people the focus should be not only on removing toxins but also on healing and restoration. So depending on what your body needs the best form of detox will be something specific to you.
You can say that somewhere out there is one particular form of detox that is perfect for you. All you need to do is figure out which on your perfect one is.
The hard truth is that most of us need to detox, change our diet, and lifestyle all together to heal the damage that has been done by living a modern “normal” lifestyle. A lifestyle that is anything but normal, historically speaking, but is really only today’s common one. Common in the sense that it is how most people live today. Though today’s way of living is sub-par to what is optimal for health, happiness , and high energy.
Lifestyle Awareness
One practical contextual way to look at ourselves and our detox is through the window of our current lifestyles. Lifestyle awareness is a good term because it allows us to look at everything we do in one glance and assess how the many different areas we involve ourselves with impact our current state of health. Since the connection of mind, body, and spirit (here we mean your personal higher connection) are all linked together, they will naturally express themselves through the way we live.
Though it might not be apparent when we first start out, it is something we do want to take notice of and learn as we go along. The more we know about ourselves before we start the better, the rest will come through experience and increased self awareness through observation. To understand that this is how the process works is like a key to unlocking future improvement, it is easy to feel like we are stuck and things are not getting any better.
Before we start we can ask ourselves easy questions to find the right form of detox for us. We either ask a professional or we do our own research once we have a better understanding of what we need.
-Do I have physical issues I would like to address?
-Am I struggling with moods, emotions, and attitudes?
-What are the state of my organs?
-Am I lacking a higher or deeper connection to people and the world around me?
-What is my metabolic age?
-What is my ability for concentration and focus?
Even if some of these questions are new to you and you have no idea how to answer them it is still a big step in the right direction. This only means that there are topics and areas where you might need to do more research into that will open up new areas of exploration for you.
We want detox symptoms!
These are all vast areas which different types of detoxification can address, and if not completely cure, then at least greatly help us on our way to healing. Knowing before we start that we can pinpoint multiple areas with detox is good and that we can also choose what to focus on. Doing some research and more in depth preparation before also fortifies us mentally for any uncomfortable detox symptoms that hopefully appears.
-Hopefully?
Yes hopefully!
We say hopefully because this is really what you are going for. To detox so well that you have noticeable symptoms. These symptoms will be unique to you depending on what your ailments are and what you are trying to address. But no matter how you detox you want to produce symptoms. Symptoms that indicate to you that there is something leaving the body that you do not want in there. Here you will have to be your own doctor to feel what is the right detox pace and intensity for you.
Of course it is not a good idea to overdo the detox and knocking yourself out. But there is much to be said for the combinations of discomfort and growth, and the link between comfort and stagnation. Usually we need the former but are stuck in the latter. As long as there are no health risks or reduction in results it is well advised to dig into your detox with as much discomfort you can handle. if you are gonna dig, make sure you get all the way down to the treasure!
That being said knowing that a one time detox process will most likely not be a quick fix solution to our issues is also important. But that it can be a great teacher to how we need to change our lifestyle in the long run if we are willing to listen to the message. A well executed detox can give us a tremendous life boost. This brings us naturally to what really is the first part of detoxification. The initial toxification of our body, mind, and spirit.
Toxification and retoxification
No matter if we are doing our first detox program or the 100th we can always look at our current lifestyle as it stands today and realize that if we need a detox of any kind, then our lifestyle has not really supported us up to this point. If it really did then we would not need a detox in the first place. That might sound a bit harsh or negative but it really is not. It only goes to show and highlights areas in our lives that we most likely already know we are overlooking.
This means that if we don’t put as much juice (pun intended) into cleaning up all our lifestyle habits that toxify us then detoxification will be nothing more that a short term fling. If we need to detox because we overeat due to underlying anxiety and stress, not addressing the undercurrent of emotions will guarantee we will revert back to our toxic ways. In this example we can see the emotional instability and that the habit of poor dietary choices stand on are intimately linked. This is where a holistic perspective can make all the difference.
If we don’t dig deep enough as in the previous example, then we are merely applying, wittingly or unwittingly, and approach that gives us a type of short term gratification. The same type of gratification that is part of the initial underlying factor to why we are overlooking or ignoring habits that we know are not healthy for us. When we continuously detox and then retox our system we aren’t into making ourselves healthier, we are caught in a strange loop.
Being caught in this loop is not where we want to be as we want to be steadily improving with more energy, increased motivation, and general sense of well being. This is where only a bit of extra research and looking inwards can really make your detox journey into a real powerhouse of positive change!
If one is caught in a of loop of this kind then becoming aware of its different parts, by looking at the entire lifestyle, is a big step towards resolving the issue. Without increased self-awareness there is no real chance of self-improvement, they go hand in hand. We need to take a deeper look at what’s going on. So there is no real point in being hard on oneself or beating oneself up for becoming aware of shortcomings. If you couldn’t find them your would be stuck in the loop.
It can be hard work to achieve this form of awareness and is better seen as a newly found diamond in the rough than a flaw. We do need to take responsibility for how we got to where we find ourselves, but beating ourselves up doesn’t serve any practical purpose.
So when you realize and decide to start any detox program, take the time to be clear with yourself about what made you need the detox in the first place. So that you are more aware and prepared to avoid those habits and patterns when you are finished with your program. And perhaps we need to go a bit deeper than “stay away from pizza” as advice to ourselves on what to do and how to change, using foods as an example.
Looking at the emotional impact of what we put into our bodies is as important as the taste of it.
Food relationship
The relationship we have to food is dictated by how we feel about ourselves. In the same way as how our relationship to people is dictated by how we feel about ourselves. We can see the same dynamic comes up in our relationship to technology/information and how we think about the world. All these areas are subject to the same underlying process of toxification, detoxification, and retoxification if we take a closer look. And can all be addressed with more or less the same formula.
If we look at things from this perspective it greatly increases what, how, and to what degree we can purify any area we feel needs our attention. All of us certainly have the capacity to do so if we decide to bring all things into honest consideration. If we realize that if we, instead of thinking of the detoxification part as an isolated tool, use it as one part of of our entire lifestyle. Then we can with greater ease learn to function in better harmony and with more energy in all our relationships.
So much can be stirred in our detox process and journey and there is so much information to be found out about ourselves in that process, information that can be used for deep lasting healing. All we need to do is to prepare some, observe ourselves, and sit back and (try) to enjoy the ride!
Watch this short information movie on how you use detox to heal your kidneys.
Our Wellness Retreat
In both our Holistic Detox Program & Holistic Lifestyle Coaching we take all areas into consideration when we design a program for you. If you are looking for a change of pace or a new way of life then don’t hesitate to get in contact with us for a consultation. We are here to support you on your journey.
Heart work pays off!
//Sara and Simba
