The Work of Letting Go

An October Series on Release & Consolidation

RELEASE & CONSOLIDATIONHEALING FOUNDATIONSTOOTH–BODY CONNECTIONS

Shannon Korczynski

10/4/20263 min read

Sometimes the hard part is over before we feel as though it is. The health concern has been addressed, the difficult conversation has happened, or the week we thought we would never get through is now behind us. We expected to feel better. There may be relief, but we are still tired or uncomfortable, and we begin wondering what else we need to do. September ended with a question about whether the body was getting the resources and opportunity to complete repair. October’s Release & Consolidation begins there, with what happens when protection has done its job and the body needs to recover.

We hear so much about getting rid of inflammation that it can sound as though inflammation itself is the problem. Yet it is part of how the body responds to injury or irritation. The difficulty is when the cause continues or the response does not come toward completion as it should. The body has a process called resolution, where cells clear damaged material and the messages within the tissues begin supporting recovery. I find this fascinating because we tend to imagine inflammation simply fading away once the problem is gone. The body actually has a lot of work to do to bring it to an end, and that work requires usable energy.

Think about what that means for someone who is already depleted. They need energy to recover from something that has been using their energy. Removing the burden helps, but it does not automatically replace what was used while carrying it. This is why I want to understand more than what we can remove or suppress.

If discomfort decreases, has function improved too?

Is the person eating comfortably, sleeping restoratively and regaining their ability to manage the day?

Or have we eased one part while the rest of the body is still struggling to keep up or move on?

I believe the body can heal itself. That belief makes me interested in the support its healing processes need. Nourishment supplies materials, mitochondria help provide cellular energy, and sleep gives many restorative processes a more favorable opportunity. We spent September looking at those relationships, and now we can consider what they mean when recovery remains unfinished. A person can receive appropriate treatment and still need help with what comes afterward.

In my dental work, removing buildup from irritated gums changes the conditions around the tissue, but the body still does the healing. Those gums belong to a vital person, someone with a digestive system, a nervous system, a sleep history, and a life. I want to care for that person as a whole being, not just a mouth.

The same consideration can be helpful when we feel emotionally worn down, without assuming emotional recovery and tissue repair work in exactly the same way. We may end an exhausting commitment and then fill the free time before we have rested. We may get through a loss and expect ourselves to return to normal because everyone else has taken the next step. Autumn’s Metal season, associated in Traditional Chinese Medicine with the Lung and Large Intestine, gives us room to consider receiving, releasing, and grief together. Letting something go may also mean accepting the care we need afterward. We can be grateful for a change and still feel the cost of what came before it.

Venus has begun its retrograde journey in Scorpio, and I see a fitting reflection in its symbolism of reviewing values and attachments.

What have we accepted as normal that is asking too much of us?

Where have we made giving automatic and receiving uncomfortable?

I include these questions because the way we live influences the room available for care. A nourishing meal or a supplement may help meet a physical need, while easing an unnecessary demand can give us more opportunity to benefit from that support.

If you have addressed a problem and still do not feel well, you are allowed to ask yourself about the unfinished part. Persistent symptoms may mean the cause needs another look, or that recovery needs further support. You do not have to assume you have failed because the first step was not the whole answer. Before adding another task to your routine, consider what has been removed, what still needs attention and what your body has available to finish the work.

Release begins the change.

Consolidation is how we support what follows.

Next we’ll look at what the body may still be holding and how the nervous system can help us understand why recovery sometimes feels unfinished. Until then, give yourself some of the care you so freely offer others, and leave room for something that brings you joy.

The Work of Letting Go

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