I saw a patient recently in the office who had a complaint of heavy bleeding. She is a lady who has been treated with a procedure to burn away the lining of the womb. This has not been successful and she continues to have heavy bleeding. She comes in now as she decides to have it abolished. She has had an ultrasound previously and this show a uterus that appears normal and which does not seem to have an unusually thickened lining nor does it show any evidence of tumors.

I use this opportunity to point out that all things are related. I give her the example of looking at the body as a black box solely in terms of input that creates output. I present the idea of modifying output not by altering what is in the black box but by altering the input. I use analogies showing the computer and automobile as black boxes. I point out that medical treatments assume the black box is broken and try to change within the black box. I point out the equivalence of changing the computer chips to modify the output versus modifying the software.

I point out that it is the emotional output which acts upon the body that allows the body to change itself. At this point she says to me she has changed her life as she got rid of a husband with whom she had a bad relationship. She has lost a hundred pounds plus. She states that despite this everything from the perspective of her bleeding is getting worse. I tell her the story of the knee and self sabotage (see Knee I). She replies to me that I am telling her that it is in her head. She says to me that there has to be something causing this that can be fixed medically. I point out to her that this has been going on for well over fifteen years and all the trips to the physicians during this time have not changed anything. I point out that preceding physical change is emotional change. I point out that frequently patients come in with pelvic pain. On examination it will appear to be connected to the sex organs. Frequently these patients will have surgery and the pain will go away, only to return in a few years. Upon return the pain is usually exactly the same as before except now there are no organs to remove.

I ask her to go back into time and tell me when she started to put on weight. She tells me this was around the time of her puberty. She told me she was harassed because of her religion “Jehovah’s Witnesses” and because of her size. Her response at that time was to eat for it made her feel better. I point out this is still an issue she will have to deal with. She will have to be able to see that she is perfect. As I say this I can literally see her close down because she does not believe this. I point out that as a piece of the universe she is perfect and has perfect contact with everything else and because of that contact she can change any experience but she will have to become responsible for this. I can tell she is presently unwilling to be in this place of responsibility. I point out that I am there to support her and that there is enough medical indication to remove her uterus. But, I point out, it will not take care of the other problems and symptoms, beyond making her cease the bleeding. I point out that if she desires hysterectomy, it can be performed, but this has to be seen as a temporary respite from the other symptoms, while she learns to change her perspective in seeing her relationship with everything else.

Insight: The insight here is that some people are ready, only to assume partial responsibility for themselves, in the same situation that others are willing to take full responsibility. The degree of success to which one is able to have and experience a different reality depends on their ability to assume full responsibility.