Jill Pasquinelli writes: “In Communion” in The Main Central Jin Shin Jyutsu Newsletter, issue Number 74, Fall 2011:

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I’ve been treating Paula for about twelve years now. She originally came to see me because she was dealing with breast cancer. As her health improved, she continued with a real commitment to the transformation that began with her initial experience with cancer. It has been incredible to see her evolution in becoming more and more herself.

Recently Paula called me and left word on my voicemail that her husband, Frank, who was a prominent surgeon, had been diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma and it had metastasized to his lungs and his brain. They were going for a second opinion but wanted to know if there was anything she could do to alleviate the pain and bloating that he was experiencing. I gave her opposite fingers and toes, Special Body Function 3, and the Special Bloat flow from the Now Know Myself seminar materials.

A few days later she called again to tell me that Frank never made it for the second opinion. The doctors said he had at most a few weeks to live and keeping him comfortable was the most important thing, palliative care, something Frank had been so familiar with from his work with his own patients. And now here he was, one day delivering babies and performing surgery, and the very next day in bed, fast approaching the end of his life. He never returned to work, it accelerated at such a fast pace that there was no time for even a second opinion or any kind of treatment other than a few days of radiation to reduce the swelling in his brain. It was clear that it wasn’t about building, repairing, protecting, or even extending life. Instead the focus was on going with the flow, helping this to be as smooth a transition as possible, surrendering and listening to where life was taking him as he was struggling to let go of everything he knew. Paula called me often and I would give her simple Jin Shin Jyutsu flows for what was arising.

Frank left this world in under four weeks.

After a few weeks Paula came for an appointment. As she came in, she seemed tired and numb. I asked her how she was doing and she replied, “Because it’s you asking, I know you’ll understand when I say in the moment I’m fine. But when I start to look at anything bigger I’m a mess. I’m overwhelmed by the details, anything to do with the future; then I feel anxious and start to panic. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

We were quiet for a while. I finally just said, “It’s a good thing you don’t have to do anything right now. You probably really don’t have to do anything for the next year. It seems like some time to be with what is, what arises, might be the only thing that makes sense now. It has al happened so fast, I imagine you’re in shock.”

To be continued…