479 thoughts on “Removal of Wisdom Teeth Allows for More Wisdom”

1. Jemma, I can relate to the clenching of the teeth and I thought I was the only one who used to do this. But I’ve observed this in others around me and how can I tell? Their face seems relaxed and yet a muscle along their jaw line is twitching and spasming. So if this is tense, what about the rest of the body?

   I loved how you shared that before Universal Medicine, the operation would have been a “nuisance”, it kind of feels that you were underserving of self care and self nurturing. And since Universal Medicine, your perspective has been to bring self-care to the forefront of life. This needs to be bought to children’s awareness from an early age, how would life look then?

2. Our body has a beautiful way of offering us insights into how we are living so that we have the opportunity to be more aware and make different choices.

3. I am currently healing from a fall, where I landed forcefully on my jaw, but thankfully it wasn’t broken. In the last two months of the healing process I too have learnt so much about how often I tighten my jaw and also how I eat. The pain when tightening my jaw has been a great reminder to release the built-up tension and to then ask why I am so tense. It has also been a time to examine what I eat, why I eat and how I eat, while I progressed from soup with a teaspoon, to mashed food and now to ‘normally’ prepared food. It doesn’t take to long to be painfully reminded what I am doing when the pain radiates through my jaw, but I don’t want to have to be reminded, but instead be so consciously present that I don’t set the pain off in the first place. Prevention is definitely more preferable to needing a cure.

   1. Ingrid, it took a stop moment for you to appreciate your jaw and what a marvellous thing it is for us and our bodies.

      The jaw is obedient and responsible for speaking, laughing, chewing, tasting, swallowing, it can show a person they are loved, it can show a person they are sad, it feeds the body, it can speak a universal language – smile and the list could go on. It is a part of the body that needs to be treated with equal love and respect, like the other parts, so why aren’t we appreciating it even more?…

4. Thank you for sharing how you embraced the learning on offer with the removal of your wisdom teeth. It is sad how often we feel we have to mould ourselves into something else to be acceptable to others and revealing how your body showed you this so clearly in your recovery from the procedure. I am finding life becomes simpler the more I am just myself with others and not trying to play roles that are actually exhausting for all concerned.

5. We do let things in life get in the way of pretty much everything and not allow ourselves space to receive and appreciate what we are being shown in full. Life is actually so rich and full of blessings.

6. Universal Medicine has been instrumental in showing me the wisdom of the body and how through building our connection and communication with the body we are able to know so much more about ourselves and through that reconnection we find how much self care supports us and the depth of our own love too.

7. Jemma as I read your blog what was beautiful for me to receive was how events in our lives have such a full implication for each one of us in its own way. I have often asked myself how could I have gotten to the awareness I now have without having to experience a particular medical issue. I love also your self care and how simple things have such a profound impact in our lives.

8. Jemma this is such a lovely read. You’ve highlighted fighting rest as something you would have done years before learning self care, and it’s brought awareness to me that is something I still do. It’s such a good one to let go of and to not judge rest or inactivity as less than activity. I really enjoyed the beautiful honesty of your expression, thank you.

   1. ‘It’s such a good one to let go of and to not judge rest or inactivity as less than activity.’ This is something that I still find challenging especially if it involves taking time off work even though I am aware that I have often pushed my body to keep going and then needed longer to recover.

9. Wow, that’s amazing that having your teeth removed made you realise how much you clench your jaw. It’s actually something I’ve become aware of this week in myself is that at work how much I am clenching my jaw – like you saw its amazing to become aware of things like this so we can begin to address what is actually going on.

10. It’s great to appreciate the care that we give ourselves and to allow that care to deepen every day as we accept ourselves more fully.

11. Its those little changes we sometimes experience in our body that make us aware of some patterns which are affecting us more than we think. Being open to that awareness is what allows us to make the adjustments we need to be more loving with ourselves in the details and the whole picture of our life.

12. Our body and even it’s slightest movements can communicate so much wisdom and intelligence. Yet we value what our minds say.

13. When we become aware of even small habits – and observe them, we can learn so much about ourselves. Applying more self love can sometimes then allow them to dissipate naturally if we need medical or complementary health support we can then embrace a new way of being.

14. It’s amazing how what can be seen as a small habit – like clenching our jaw – can lead to so much self-discovery and unfolding. It just proves that nothing should be overlooked, especially when it comes to our bodies and how we look after ourselves.

15. There is always something for us to learn from an illness, and it really brings our awareness to things we didn’t feel before, and an opportunity to change our choices too.

16. It is very insightful when we observe the nature of our behaviours, where they come from and the effects they have on our body. Are they a natural extension and expression of our connection to our essence where there is an effortlessness and flow to how we move and are, or are our behaviours an expression of the unease of our emotional state as a result of our disconnection and resistance to the responsibility we all hold to live who we are? The beautiful thing is our body will always reflect the truth that which is our true way of being and that which is not, we only need to deepen our awareness and listen.

17. “If I had had this procedure done two years ago (before coming to Universal Medicine) I would have fought needing to rest and probably would have deemed the whole experience a nuisance” – I can so relate to this and it is actually huge when we are able to observe and appreciate every part of life as learning, including the difficult, the uncomfortable and the ugly, we stop fighting, and truth seems to eventually find its way, pushing the right and wrong out of the picture.

18. It is phenomenal, how lovely those first moments in the morning can be. And the fact that, no matter how much jaw clenching protection we can go in to during the day, that loveliness remains and returns day after day, morning after morning.

    1. A beautiful reminder of that which we are in essence, our Soulful light, is ever-present and ever-calling us to deepen our obedience to its Divine quality.

19. “I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.” A beautiful nugget in the midst of your article. We just have to be our natural selves and all else unfolds from there – something I am still working on.

20. That’s fascinating that you found that you clenched your jaw all the time when you were previously unaware of it, it makes me wonder what else we do, or where in our bodies we hold tension everyday without properly realising or releasing it.

21. Being ill or recovering from a operation like that always brings something to learn way more than just waiting till we can be back in ‘action’ again.

22. There is definitely a responsibility with our illnesses and diseases. For sure we need to take care of ourselves which even at this basic level many do not do or at least not enough. There is also a deeper understanding of how the way we have been living up until that point which has caused it that has to been read and understood. When a car is pulling into the pit stop and goes back out again we are eager to know what has caused it so it does not happen again. We have to do the same to ourselves and our body.

23. ‘Ideally self-care should be a natural activity, but we tend to let things in our life get in the way.’ I agree Jemma, when we make self-care part of our daily rhythm even in the simplest of ways, this eventually builds and deepens and supports us in all areas of life.

24. ” My experience has helped me understand how medicine, which includes self-care, can be practised all the time. Ideally self-care should be a natural activity, but we tend to let things in our life get in the way. ”
    This is so true Jemma, self-care should be a natural activity and it can be, it’s just a relearning, because we know how self-care when it comes to the crunch, as you have show, thank you for sharing.

25. Some great advice here for when I have my own wisdom tooth taken out later this year.

26. What great awareness you share here. I relate to the fact that like you I often don’t speak from my truth but modify what I was about to say which is annoying. I have been working on changing this and slowly this is happening.

27. Thanks Jemma, your blog gave me the opportunity to connect to and feel the tightness in my own jaw and to feel and consider what might be the cause of this emotionally, thank you. And I agree, being ourselves is the best thing ever.

28. Some great words of wisdom Jemma, I agree that self-care is part of everyday medicine, when we stop to nurture, and care for ourselves it becomes a natural rhythm in our everyday lives.

29. For the last week I’ve had intense shoulder, neck and upper arm pain. Not being able to work because of it. Those around me shrugged, suggested painkillers and carry on. But I know this was telling me something about how I’ve been living. A huge opportunity to learn not to hold back. Had I just seen it as a nuisance I wouldn’t see the wisdom to be learnt.

30. I love that removing your wisdom teeth opened you up to more wisdom – as you were willing to feel all the learning that this experience offered you. Thank you for sharing your great wake up call and the opportunity to reflect how much you moulded yourself to what you felt others needed from you which I can really relate to and also the resentment that comes with that which I am still working on releasing as I focus on taking loving care of myself.

31. Sometimes does need something like this for us to stop and reflect, and when we do have the opportunity to reflect in this way, such contemplation has such potential to lead to unfolding wisdom that guides us through our life.

32. What a great way to learn about our anger!

33. Occasionally I feel some twinges of arthritis in my fingers…thank you, you have reminded me to check in with the anger I may be harbouring in my body and where this is coming from.

34. Great observation, Jemma. I didn’t even know that I was clenching my jaws until my dentist told me a few years ago. It was so easy to just say ‘Oh, it’s stress’ and brush it off, but from your sharing I can feel there’s much for me to see and feel into. Thank you for the inspiration.

    1. Yes, it can be very surprising or even its little cousin – pressing one’s lips together.

35. “I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.” How many of us don’t even realise we are not being ourselves due to playing all the many and varied roles both expected by ourselves and others. And yet by doing this no-one is getting to feel the real, true us which is beyond comparison to the empty shadowy mask we portray.

36. All anger masks a deep, deep sadness that comes from not living true to the delicate, sensitive, precious and all-seeing being that we each in essence are.

37. Jemma I really enjoyed reading this, I particularly noticed this line “the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it” which I can relate to. There can be quite subtle pressures I place on myself to be a certain way with others and with the focus being outside myself, so I could appreciate the gift you received after the operation to focus on you and just being gentle with you. Such a change halts and exposes momentums we have lived for so long that feel normal, yet they are not great for our wellbeing at all. 

38. I love this, I think illness and problems we experience with our bodies can definitely make us more wiser, the key is whether we take what we’ve learnt or sensed and apply it to the rest of our lives, making all the changes and tweaks we need to support ourselves moving forwards.

39. “If we allow it, it can be so much more.” Thank you for the reminder that when we allow things to be rather than fighting our situation we can actually grow and learn and eventually appreciate what we were initially resisting.

40. I cannot but feel with what you share Jemma the fact that when it comes to quality sometimes less is actually so much more just as you realised in the way that you communicated post wisdom teeth removal. This is a great observation for us all to learn from.

41. Wow, I relate to this on so many levels. I recall many times when I feel like I have to “be something” for people, even if that “something” is a messy bumbling fool. I will often speak before I have totally soaked things in and considered the quality in my response. I have also had/ have a jaw grinding, clenching, gritting thing going on in my sleep but have not been aware of it during the day. This blog feels like it offers me a slow down of sorts, so thank you.

42. What is so wonderful is that the more we care for ourselves the more sensitive and aware we become and when these old behaviours show themselves we get to see how uncaring we have actually been and can appreciate how far we have come.

43. Some great observations here with regards to being angry without realising it, and the tension held in the body. It is interesting as most of us would say that we are not angry people, but recently I could feel the anger I was carrying around at school – which was some thirty years ago. The only time the anger would surface was when I would get challenged or felt cornered, which inevitably ended up in a fight. I would be the last person who would want to be in a confrontation with someone, but if pushed I would not back down and the anger was never very far away. What this has shown me is no matter what the image we have of ourselves i.e. shy or quiet, there can be an undercurrent underneath which lays dormant if not brought to the surface.

44. Yes – self-care should be a natural activity and yet it is often considered a bother or something we need to get done to keep the body going. What is interesting to note here is that when we ‘do’ self-care we fuel the function and when we live self-care we fuel the body.

45. I love how life can provide opportunities to look at and address choices and begin to heal what is unloving or does not serve. Sometimes it takes an illness or incident to expose patterns we had not been prepared to see before, and through loving choices to be aware, learn what is there to grow from and heal… so we can let go of old ways and begin to move through life differently.

46. “Whilst allowing myself time to recover, I noticed that I didn’t need to say as much as I previously did. As my jaw was very tender I tried not to talk as often and to my surprise found I could still communicate effectively, if not better, with fewer words.” It interesting how we feel we have to same more, but in fact the less we say is plenty. We need to communicate with quality and purpose, less but in truth and to the point. Anything else can dilute the communication.

47. If any one part of my body is out of action or injured such as my thumb, rib, toe anything it is amazing to see just how much they have to say and how every other part of my body is affected. I am inspired to tune into different parts and bring awareness to them without needing them to get to that state. For example how are my shoulders as a type this, how am I sitting?

48. There is so much we can learn from our bodies if we listen. It is a lot of fun to have that conversation and very liberating to let go of hurts and tensions.

49. We can choose our own medicine every day by how we move, how we think and how we care for ourselves.

    1. I absolutely agree Heather. It is very empowering to come to the understanding that life, and the way we live it, is medicine. With this understanding in terms of our health, the ball is in our court in the sense that we can take preventative measures by making adjustments to how we move through our day, so that we are not constantly creating ill pockets of movement (thoughts, actions etc. that are not sourced from love) that mean we then have to reach for a plethora of medications to ‘fix’ us. By all means the medications can support us to get back on track, but there is so much we can do to support ourselves to not deviate so disastrously off track in the first place.

50. Well said Jemma… How many things happen to us we just mark off as an inconvenience, when every little thing is something vital being communicated to us.

51. Great observation Jemma, when we slow down our conversation with others, it becomes more honest as it no longer comes from an immediate reaction, we actually take a few seconds to feel first and then engage from the honesty we feel from our body, and the more consistent we become and the deeper we allow ourselves to feel we move from honesty to truth.

52. Thank you for sharing Jemma, you remind me of something important today to take care of my part, to be gentle with myself and to allow the other to just be and that the world will be fine …. even if I am not being something for it. And that is a huge one for me to see and feel today so thank you.

53. You have me thinking about all the parts of our body we just don’t pay attention to! I wonder how many times we do small things like clench our jaw, or hold different muscles taut every day that we are not aware of…?

    1. True Meg and all the movements that are not supporting our body like clenching the jaw, become habits that we no longer notice but are continually wearing down and harming the body, until we get an issue around the area we are misusing, and it is then a choice whether we choose to look deeper into what is really going on with our body and the harm we are causing to ourselves.

54. It is so true Jemma – being ourselves is ‘the best thing ever!’ This is why we are here, and when we do not live in connection to who we are we fall into the entrapments of needing recognition, acceptance or approval in order to seek identification. Yet return to our connection to ourselves, our Soul, and we re-discover a freedom that is far greater than any role that the world of illusion offers.

55. Recently I have noticed how I can feel flat sometimes with a little sadness but mainly flat and began to ponder what that could mean. First I went into comparing myself to feeling not that bad but still I acknowledged that I was feeling flat and that was not who I was. I am coming to the conclusion that every time I hold back my expression the impact is feeling flat. Becoming aware of the moments when I hold back and doing something about it eg. choosing the clothes that support me for that day is helping me to live a life expressing the true me and that is making a big difference to how I am feeling during the day… a work in progress.

56. It is wonderful to discover how we can learn so much about ourselves by the illness which occur in our bodies. Looking at illness and disease in this way helps us enormously to understand how we use the body to get through our life, and something as simple as clenching the jaw can reveal so much.

57. I love this title Jemma, and it is so true! You have given us a great example how a seemingly adverse situation has the seeds of great healing within it, if only we allow ourselves the grace to let such wisdom unfold and blossom. True wisdom is knowing how to accept the lessons that are forever being gifted to us and thus accepting the healing on offer therein.

58. It’s amazing how much our bodies are showing us, all the time, what is truly going on. When we start listening to them and joining up the dots ,so to speak, we can go deeper with our own healing and begin to let go of ‘issues’ that are possibly lifetimes old.

59. ‘My experience has helped me understand how medicine, which includes self-care, can be practised all the time.’ It’s marvellous how, when a recovery or illness forces us to be oh so gentle with ourselves, we have an opportunity to register and deepen our self-care – and thus our self-love. In this way we are our own, loving practitioners of health and well-being. How much your experience will not only enrich your livingness in the ways you’ve described, but will also support the writing of your thesis, and inform your understanding of the subject matter itself!

60. What a brilliant experience your wisdom teeth removal offered you Jemma! And us – your sharing of this gorgeous piece of wisdom has helped me assess and understand my own approach to the day and to people. I particularly loved the line ‘…I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it…’. You’re absolutely right. We are enough, always, just as we are. No personality, perfection, pandering or pleasing required.

61. Each time I go to the dentist I get to appreciate the level of healing that takes place when I am in the hands of a Dentist who makes their health and wellbeing of equal priority.

62. Our body can certainly speak very clearly to us without saying a word.

63. As a child I remember being told to take care of myself but, as I consider that advice to what I now understand self-care to be, that was for protection, to protect me, while today it is in order for me to be all of me in order to share myself and to be of service

64. Being taken out of our comfort zone either triggers us into stress and a survival mode (perhaps the most common response?) or an opportunity to learn and evolve. Your sharing here, Jemma, is a powerful testament to benefit of the latter approach and the more one welcomes the opportunity the more fluid and less stressful the learning is.

65. When we allow ourselves to stop, we can learn so much from every experience in our lives. The body is such an interesting playground because it will always be telling the truth of what our choices have been and will give us lots of opportunities to heal what is in the way of truly being.

66. What people see – our public face is not who we truly are and your blog shows that if we do not look deeper the body suffers symptoms that affect its movement in the world. This blog shows how through a simple procedure our awareness can expose so much that is going on in the body through our everyday interactions without knowing. Self-care is something most of us are not shown in life and it is beautiful to observe how this can still be developed at any age. Thanks Jemma

67. We tend to look forward to outings, holidays, the pub, watching a specific tv program, films, anything which is ‘out there’ to make us feel better or think that they support us but I have come to recognise that these activities are a false sense of contentment which doesn’t last unless the activity supports me to connect or confirm the connection to myself. I am finding what truly supports me is self care, self care that is done in connection to my body and it is through the consistency of self care which is a continuing unfoldment that truly supports me and my body.

68. ‘Whilst allowing myself time to recover, I noticed that I didn’t need to say as much as I previously did. As my jaw was very tender I tried not to talk as often and to my surprise found I could still communicate effectively, if not better, with fewer words.’ I am beginning to find generally that the fewer words I use the better, because I then don’t dilute what I am saying by adding unnecessary words.

69. ‘for I haven’t allowed myself to be me, the best thing ever!’ indeed Jemma, that the thing we entangle ourselves in trying to please others and present a good front and it’s exhausting and we don’t live us, the very thing no one else can bring. It’s great to have things happen in life to remind us that this is what we do as it asks us to come back to living us.

    1. Yes – we try to be something we are not, at great expense to the something we are. This is the game of life we must free ourselves from in order to truly live it.

70. ‘Ideally self-care should be a natural activity, but we tend to let things in our life get in the way.’ Yes Jemma, it is a natural thing to care for ourselves before anything else and to build a relationship with our body and what we feel, is crucial for our health so that we can live in a responsible way taking car for our own health and well being.

71. With the focus directly and consistently brought to your jaw, how beautifully your body could reveal to you about the way you had been living.

72. I have had pain in my jaw lately and I can feel how I have been clenching or tightening it, so this is a great marker to see what is going in my life. I can feel a lot of this tightening comes from me reacting and wanting to control situations and this is neither loving or supportive for my body or anyone else.

73. I found that when I was clearing a garden a few weeks ago and attempting to cut through a particularly tough trunk of ivy I was clenching my jaw. The force was huge, as if doing this would somehow force the trunk itself to give in and let itself be killed by the cutters. I was astonished that I could bring so much force to my body, it felt very uncomfortable. I decided to ask a man to complete the task for me – I hope he was not a jaw clencher too – and have been much kinder to myself on the subsequent visit to this property. The first visit had my body aching the whole of the next day, I had gone into old ways of gardening that were disregarding of myself and not let up. The second time, being much more conscious of how I was treating everything I had no problems at all, no jaw clenching and no aching body the next day.

74. This was the perfect blog to read this morning as I too have been, and still am at times, a jaw ‘clencher’. I have been doing this for years and have not long discovered that this has been a big factor in a breathing issue that I have also had for years. Clenching my jaw has impeded the natural flow of my breath and from there has caused many other issues. The learning for me is that we cannot deny that every part of our body is connected in some way to another, and for all parts to work in harmony we must respect every individual part that makes up the whole that is this precious vessel

75. When we can see everything in our life as a blessing it is given permission to be a blessing by us although it already is one.

76. Beautiful Jemma. Life is quite magical when we embrace opportunities like this instead of fighting them or waiting them out.

77. It is amazing how much we can learn from our bodies if we are willing to stop. I love the fact that having your wisdom teeth out offered you the opportunity to see how much you clenched your jaw during the day and that you could then trace this back to how you got out of bed and started your day.

78. I can relate to being angry from teenage years onwards but had not made the connection that this anger was covering up sadness at how I have chosen to mould myself to what I thought others expected of me and thus everyone, including me, never gets to meet the real me. As I am becoming more open, the anger in my body is dissipating and my jaw is much softer.

79. Thank you for sharing the reflections you embraced as a result of having your wisdom teeth out and how you allowed your body to show you what it needed in the healing process. It is amazing how much energy we can expend trying to be a chameleon and fit in with everyone we meet. What a freedom comes with allowing ‘myself to be me, the best thing ever!’ Awesome inspiration to give myself permission to be me wherever I am.

80. By building a relationship with our bodies we become much more aware of its many messages and communications, to then honour these communications is being loving with ourselves.

81. Thank you, as often happens reading these blogs, I found the reflection of what you describe in me also. Although clenching may be too strong a word I could feel a tension in my jaw and immediately gave it permission to drop and let go of its hardness. I am realising this will be my project with myself for today, that is to keep an eye on how I am holding my jaw, just to clock in every now and again and observe how it is.

82. This simple blog has for me much power, as I knew that anger, hardness and bracing I used to take into my day and agree with Jemma it did start up each day even before I would encounter a situation where I would not be myself. What has been unveiled within me is a deep sensitivity of feeling and thanks to Universal Medicine an ongoing choice to honour myself and come to know that hidden part of who I have always been, which is precious, tender and powerful.

83. Our bodies are the marker in how we have chosen to live. Any feeling or emotion that is there is due to a choice we have made. So, as Jemma so beautifully discovered she focused on choices that evolved her. It is huge as she rightfully expressed and what at an honour to feel the absolute joy this brings to yourself.

84. This is a great example Jemma of how our body is in constant communication with us. If we have ignored this communication then we will develop numb pockets where we will not pick up the signal we are receiving from our body and so it must make that signal louder and louder until we can ignore it no longer. Knowing this helps us to understand that the key to our health and vitality is in our own hands and that our dedicated medical practitioners can then support with the healing process, especially if things have got stuck along the way.

85. A beautiful example of the intelligence of the body. Having your wisdom teeth removed gave you the awareness of how anger and clenched teeth were harming the whole body.

86. Self care can indeed be a living practice… something that is a natural part of our day, and this brings such a deeper connection with ourselves that it is a wonderful investment.

87. As I read, I could feel myself relaxing different body parts so your wisdom becomes our wisdom from your sharing – very cool. Your thesis sounds very interesting as well, hopefully you will write another blog on that!

88. So much wisdom revealed from having wisdom teeth removed. Love it.

89. Thanks Jemma this sharing has so many applications about what we may see as a nuisance in life where as in fact we can view that it is an experience there for us to learn. I have recently started to connect with one or two people in a class I teach who are always wanting to speak and frankly I have been avoiding because of the nature of the comments or questions. However the recent choice to hold a space and truly connect with them has brought a deep and rich appreciation of them and learning for me.

90. Isn’t it strange that we regard having to rest after a procedure as a nuisance or a failure even? It doesn’t make sense at all. It’s relatively easy and the done thing to encourage a friend or family member to rest; but then, do we actually take our own medicine, do we walk the talk or do we sell ourselves short?

91. Jemma, thanks for sharing how your awareness deepened as you had your wisdom teeth taken out, being able to relate your grinding your teeth as a consequence of an underlying anger in the body that had not been dealt with.

92. Oh to be so wise when I was 26 Jemma! I can’t recall at what age I started to grind my teeth and clench my jaw during the night but it never even occurred to me to consider the possibility that there was an underlying cause. Your blog has been very helpful indeed and thank you for sharing your wisdom.

93. Who would have thought the simple ways of self-love and self-care could unfold so much wisdom and love into life? This says an enormous amount about how we try to ‘figure’ life out when in truth its answers lie in the simple ways of how we choose to live.

94. It’s interesting how it can take something like having wisdom teeth removed to bring awareness to how much tension we can be unconsciously holding in our bodies.

95. Isn’t it interesting the opportunities that present themselves in amongst our trials. In this instance how recovery can reveal so much about your approach to the day through gritted teeth!

96. I love what you have shared here Jemma. About 20 years ago I clenched my jaw so severely that it refuse to open further than a certain height just enough to allow me to drink and ingest soft foods. It was a locked jaw and it took months to unlock. It was only when I acknowledge that I gritted my teeth to get through life, as you have described here, that it even began to heal. The next thing was to face how angry and frustrated I was and slowly it released as I started to take responsibility for my part in why things were like they were.

97. This is an important sharing Jemma how the body holds the imprints of our reactions to the way we are living. The responsibility you took and how that supported your healing process was true medicine as it clearly brought about lasting change that will benefit your whole quality of life.

98. Hi Gemma, thank you for sharing your wisdom. Teeth are not the most pleasant things to have removed and I found it took a while to completely heal. Looking at the experience from a distance I can see there was a message or learning in each tooth. It all comes back to the need for nurturing ourselves more and appreciation of who we truly are as you share.

99. Beautiful observations Jemma thank you… it is not an association we generally make that anger can be used to harden the body in an attempt to better deal with certain situations in life, but it is true.

100. You wrote at the start “for I haven’t allowed myself to be me, the best thing ever!” – a simple sentence but there is so much to it. I agree, to truly be ourselves IS the best thing EVER… do we stop and ponder what that really means?… and then if that is the case (and it is) why do we choose to be anything other than who we truly are?

101. It is interesting to hear how you became aware of how often you clenched your jaw and how unaware we can be of what is going on with our body and how we use it. I have often noticed that if I get a sore thumb or big toe or something like that, then suddenly I discover just how much I use that part and had not appreciated it.

102. Seems you removed your wisdom teeth and gained a lot of wisdom 😉

103. “I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.” Bam! What an awesome realisation.

104. Isn’t it wonderful how as we become ever more sensitive to our bodies and their messages, what amazing wisdom we have access to?

105. Recently I had one root of one tooth removed. I was blown away by how different this felt in my mouth and my body. It took a good three weeks for my body to adjust, not just to the surgery but to the whole reconfiguration in my body. Absolutely mind blowing.

106. And the effect that all this jaw clenching has upon our face is very telling… as people start to unravel all the tension stored from the years of clamping down they can be almost disoriented by the different feelings in their body.

107. I love this – particularly how you we able to learn so much about yourself by staying present and un-numbed after your operation – using the pain in your body as a clear reflection and message as to what was being communicated to you. Having this level of awareness to these messages is a huge blessing.

108. Jemma, yes it is amazing what we can feel when we allow it, our bodies serve us very well if we get out of the way and allow ourselves to drop any ideas we have about how we think things should be for us or others and instead allow ourselves to follow our bodies’ lead. And often it’s a stop like you’ve just described with your wisdom teeth which allows us to see very clearly those behaviours which do not support us and to begin to understand how and if we wish unravel them. Our bodies are awesome.

109. Our bodies really are amazing at telling us how and when we should or shouldn’t do things. So it is often not until we aren’t able to use a part of it that we are forced to do things differently. There is so much wisdom at our finger tips when ever we need it, we just have to choose to connect to what is always there within us.

110. There are so many opportunities to listen to what our bodies are showing us of how we are living every day. I could so relate to having my wisdom teeth out Jemma but it was 22 years ago… I did rest but I didn’t see it for the learning I could have and instead saw it as a problem.

111. Great blog Jemma. The fact that our bodies can give us so many signals about our thoughts and behaviours is remarkable. The problem is that we often already have our preconceived ideas so we drown out what our bodies are telling us is going on. When we are forced to stop it can come as a shock that so much has been going on apparently right under our noses and we didn’t even notice. The more we are willing to tune into our bodies the easier it is to hear and read the body’s messages.

112. You could probably write about any part of the body like this …. The delicacy that can be in our fingers, the beauty in eyes, there are so many beautiful aspects to this extraordinary body that we inhabit.

113. ‘My experience has helped me understand how medicine, which includes self-care, can be practised all the time.’ This is so important and so true. To incorporate self-care in with medicine supports us to heal, on a deeper level. But also to carry this level of care throughout our life is the best medicine and support we can offer our body.

114. Allowing more wisdom to come through is a definite bonus with the process of having our wisdom teeth removed.

115. How we hold our jaw can reveal a lot about how we live and what emotions we take on, as it is an area of our body that closely ties in with communication and expression. I have been to sound workshops with Chris James and a healing practitioner in New Zealand and both have exposed so beautifully how there can be a lot of tension held in the jaw, simply from the choice to express with emotion instead of with love.

     1. That is amazing Joshua, we could tell so much about our choices by observing how we use our body, in this case our jaw. We tend to hold a lot of anger and frustration in this part of our body. Your comment makes so much sense.

116. We don’t usually think of teeth extractions as healing but your blog clearly shows Jemma that this is indeed possible. Thank you.

117. What a great revelation Jemma – there are so many ways we can express and communicate with another and discovering that using fewer words brought more simplicity for your wisdom to be shared and heard.
     “As my jaw was very tender I tried not to talk as often and to my surprise found I could still communicate effectively, if not better, with fewer words. I was choosing my words wisely and really taking time (probably only a second longer) to respond, instead of responding in babble something that I think I should say”.

118. Jemma, I have loved reading this blog – what great insights with how tightly clenched your jaw had been prior to having your wisdom teeth removed! It is amazing how much anger is held back in the jaws thus having a detrimental effect on our body (e.g. arthritis). It would be interesting to see how your body responds over time with the new choices and changes you have made. I am constantly in awe of how my body changes as I have been more loving with how I treat it.

119. “Opportunities like having my wisdom teeth removed have been a great chance for me to be more aware of how I go about things in my daily life”.
     This is beautiful Jemma, wonderful that you have taken this opportunity to be more self aware. A lovely reminder for us all to learn from opportunities that come our way.

120. I haven’t had my wisdom teeth out but I can certainly relate to the awareness that can be brought to the body when it experiences some kind of illness or require medical treatment etc. It’s great to be reminded of this, and that we can bring this gentleness and care and attention to our body at ‘all’ times and not just when we have no other choice, but to.

     1. Awesome reminder Angela, it is so true. I used to treat myself with care and gentleness when I was in recovery mode but as soon as I was well I’d go back to disregarding my body again. Now, I don’t switch back and forth so much but learning to be as caring and gentle as possible with myself all the time instead of only restoring to it when I have to.

121. What a wonderful experience, not something we would normally say about pain and suffering but the learning and healing we can do if we look at even the tiniest of events in this different light is enormous.

122. Being open to what the body is telling us is the key. I enjoyed rereading your blog Jemma as I really appreciated the way you took responsibility, listened to your body and self nurtured after the operation. A beautiful example of gently connecting and looking after yourself.

123. Jemma you have highlighted the details in which our body communicates… It’s in the feedback from the body we get the opportunity to heal the deeper buried issues.

124. So true Jemma, there are so many of these experiences that grace our days. We must learn to read the truth presenting within them rather than judge them as good or bad, right or wrong. They often have so much more to reveal when we choose to respond rather than react to them.

125. What a gift Gemma! Being more aware of when you clench your jaw, where you brace yourself in your day, I am going to consider that today. I know I have done it before with my eyes and had no idea how stressed my eyes could get, how I could strain them without knowing I was doing it. The layers we can become aware of as we connect to the body more is an enormous gift that has come through working on our way of living, not to fix problems but to get to know ourselves better and to understand why we do what we do. This is not something I was aware of before studying with Universal Medicine but has been life changing.

126. Jemma it is amazing the difference of experiences before and after knowing about Universal Medicine. I soon have to go for a lengthy test. In the past I would have considered it an imposition on my time, something that had to be squeezed in a busy day and hardly thought about it. But this concerns my body so I will approach the day with as much care and tenderness as I can provide to myself and feel the test as a blessing.

127. Clenching the jaw is such a common phenomenon. I sometimes wake up and can say from the feeling in my jaw muscles that I must have clenched my jaw during sleep. That tells me that I must have done it during the day, too, since the night is a reflection of how I have lived during the day. I then use a simple massage technique with anti-clockwise circles around the jaw that Serge Benhayon has showed us. It releases the hardness and helps me to be more aware during the day.

128. In reading your wonderful blog Jemma, I came to realise that I too have a tendency to tighten my jaw and harden my chest whilst doing certain household chores.
     Thank you for this lovely reminder to stay gentle and connected with myself and feel what lies underneath this behaviour.

129. some of our conditioned reflex reactions are so deep that it does need a ‘stop’ for us to feel where we have ended up…. And when these messages come, it is essential that we do start to listen

130. Thank you Jemma,
     On reading your blog I could feel the same pattern of hardness and holding in my jaw and the sadness and agitation that arises when I do not surrender to simply be and care for me as required. This provides a mark for me to re-assess my choices, and that it is not true to blame others for my discomfort when I can bring a deeper level of care for myself in each moment of the day.

     1. It is true Susan that it is so easy to blame others for the discomfort we encounter in our lives. To what I have experienced in this is if I am open and honest enough to look at my own part of it then I have to admit that it is from me resisting what is presented to me to evolve from. That there have been opportunities for me to live more of the love that I carry within and I have resisted in going there. By allowing this truth to be fully respected within myself I cannot but then choose to connect to that deeper level of care for myself which will build the connection with the love that I already am and to embody this in full.

131. It is not irregular to become ill or need to heal and to ‘fight’ it, ‘override it’ or become a ‘victim to it’, it is great to read of an experience where there is an honouring of it. There was healing and rest to have after recovering from having wisdom teeth removed, and what was learnt through the observation of your behaviours is gold. Being open to what there is to learn rather than fighting what life shows us, brings true wisdom and awareness.

132. Beautiful blog Jemma. Every occurring in life can be a lesson in self care. It took the removal of your wisdom teeth to realise the anger your body carried. This is Universal Medicine at its best when we feel our responsibility and the choices we have to continue with the old pattern or embark on a more responsible and loving way of life.

     1. Patricia it certainly gives a whole new meaning to our understanding of self care and responsibility when we start to read the bodies feed back. Every detail is reflected to us to be considered… if we choose!

133. Amazing Jemma that you took the time to care for yourself and grow from this experience. All too often I find myself just pushing through and not truly caring for myself or gaining the deeper understanding that is on offer.

134. When we have injured any part of ourselves, however small, we see how important even the little things are , and appreciate even more the interconnectedness of all things

135. A lovely blog Jemma, there is so much truth in what you express. It is easy to just dismiss things, but more importantly we need to look at ourselves and listen to our bodies and what they are saying to us and honouring that, we then open the door for a positive outcome and less stress.

136. Jemma I love how you have shared the importance of not fighting the need to rest. We can often go into the drive of “getting better” quickly but not stopping to feel the importance of the time given to rest and rejuvenate the body.

137. What you have written here Jemma is really powerful for me; I resonate with being able to communicate effectively without using words. So often we speak without feeling from our bodies what is being said. Thank you for highlighting this.
     “Whilst allowing myself time to recover, I noticed that I didn’t need to say as much as I previously did. As my jaw was very tender I tried not to talk as often and to my surprise found I could still communicate effectively, if not better, with fewer words. I was choosing my words wisely and really taking time (probably only a second longer) to respond, instead of responding in babble something that I think I should say”.

138. Really awesome to read what you share Jemma as you reveal a great insight into the way we can often live in a state detached from our true self. The self-love and presence your operation brought reveals much, as it shows how hard we can hold ourselves without true awareness. Just reading your words I found myself stopping and feeling the tension I was holding in my body, and instantly with that awareness could let it go. What you share shows we can and do learn from every experience we are offered in life if we just let ourselves see the wisdom we can gain and then share.

139. It’s an amazing revelation for us all that all our daily experiences from our run of the mill and ‘easy’ usual daily activities to anything that challenges us can be seen as an opportunity to learn and grow and not be a ‘nuisance and just something we do or have to get over’ or get through.

140. When you shared about how your communication changed and in a way you were forced to bring more consideration into your communication. To be considerate of what we say and how we say it feels very respectful, both for your self and who you are communicating with.

     1. Awesome reminder to consider how we communicate and the quality in which we do so, taking into consideration of the impact this has on ourselves and others. To be respectful of others when we communicate and express is highly important.

141. What interested me is how we clench our jaws to do simple tasks, like opening a bottle of water, sometimes these are so hard to open and I can feel myself clenching and my hand having to tighten uncomfortably so.
     I have also noticed that if I have had a full on day at work my jaw feels tight the next morning and I have to massage it to release it – so it makes me wonder what exactly do we absorb during the day, and this is only one small part of our body, so what else is affected by these seamless harmless tasks.

142. Thank you Jemma,
     I was unaware of the amount of tension I actually carried in my jaw prior to having treatments by universal medicine practitioners. After the treatments I could really feel my body and this allowed me to be more consciously aware of how I was treating myself and begin to make more loving choices.

143. Recently I have been experiencing a similar awareness of how much I clench my jaw after being told by the dentist that the groves on the sides of my tongue were due to clenching. It happens in so many instances, if not throughout the day. When I relax my jaw it’s like my whole body becomes freer, my movements and my thoughts are not as rigid. But what I noticed this morning was that this tension in my jaw is far deeper than previously believed and reading this blog it makes sense that that sadness is deeper than I’ve given credit or awareness to. But the amazing thing is that with what I know through the teachings and support of Universal Medicine is that that deep sadness is not actually deep at all, it’s only a surface layer and when I take a step back from it that sadness doesn’t have as strong as hold as I once perceived. Thank you Jemma.

144. Thank you Jemma Moses for this beautiful blog. Thanks to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I too am now able to discern the messages I got from my body and to learn and understand these as being moments of healing and evolution in my life, instead of carrying the pain or the discomfort in my body trying to let it pass by or numbing it away by using foods, hard working or other distractions, of which there are many in life.

145. Jemma, I became aware while reading your terrific blog that I do allow anger to creep in and that it is usually at times when I have held back in some way around others and absorbed the emotions at the time, rather than remaining gentle and open. It has been a timely reminder, thank you.

146. Awesome blog Jemma, I can very much relate to the jaw clenching you’ve shared. When I get angry or frustrated I used to clench my jaw too. Your awareness to jaw clenching when you were getting out of bed was amazing. It allowed you to feel and understand why you were doing that. Interesting that sometimes we are so not aware of how much tension we are already holding before we start our day. Building more awareness of our body gives us a huge understanding of what we can do to release tension.

147. Thank you Jemma for this great blog. “My experience has helped me understand how medicine, which includes self-care, can be practised all the time.” Love this line, self-care is our everyday, learning this has helped me immensely with my level of vitality on a day to day basis.

148. What a great blog. I love how you shared how your jaw played a part in the most simply actions in your day. It just goes to show how the whole body is so connected and the responsibility we have in nurturing it.

     1. lt sounds so simple to affirm a greater awareness of our bodies enables a greater awareness of ourselves.

149. Beautifully shared Jemma – I love the way that we get to feel all the little things that we do through the day that we were not originally aware of. This is very powerful as it is only though awareness of things that we can then move on to make a change.
     I would also like to add a realisation that I got this morning regarding when we feel like things are a nuisance or an annoyance to do. Sometimes what happens to me when I have a lot of commitments on, I can feel annoyed by doing some of the basic things that are needed. For example I might find it a nuisance to have to eat or brush my teeth or even sleep when I know how much I have that needs to get done or completed on time for a deadline. But this to me is a big red warning flag – for if we ever see self care as a nuisance, or any of the things in life that need to be done as a pain or annoyance then it is a sure sign that we are on the wrong track. We are not making life about love and respect and care for self and others – we are not making it about people – rather we are making it about things that have to be done, about ticking boxes. This means it is time to stop and regather myself and not let life get in the way of love – for it is when we live love that we really live life. Much to ponder on – and a great thing to keep awareness of: do we feel annoyed by the very things that support us in life? If so then change the energy one is in and come back to what really matters. A humbling experience indeed.

150. Our bodies live with the consequences of how we have been living and clearly reveal to us what needs healing – sometimes in a minor way, and sometimes more major – but all are an opportunity for us to honour and nurture ourselves, to develop a loving relationship with our bodies to bring about a healing not only on the physical but all other levels too.

     1. Yes Paula this is so true. From a minor to the major healing, all are an opportunity to learn and deepen the care we can give ourselves.

151. I had surgery on my throat a couple of years ago that left me with nerve damage to my larynx and unable to speak beyond a hoarse whisper for quite some time. Like yourself I learnt much about economising on communication and choosing what was really needed to be said. I really began to appreciate my voice and my ability to verbally communicate. Through this experience I learnt to accept that which was happening, to let go of any picture of how I expected things to work out and that self care and nurturing play a huge part in our healing, and is as equally important as any other aspect of our healing process.

     1. It is so important to allow the body the time it needs to heal. When we try to rush such things it really just ends up backfiring on us. I have found myself also in situations where I just wished the illness or the situation would be over and gone – but in this we do not stop to appreciate what is being offered, just like Jemma has shared how she stopped to appreciate and develop the awareness so that she can learn from this and really deepen her connection and relationship with self.

     2. Thank you Rosemary – the practical examples you and Jemma have shared here are great reflections of how the body can communicate with us, in order for us to let go of the ideal picture we have created and to appreciate what we already have.

152. Self care is important part of our life and a form of medicine, yet it is to easy to get caught up in life in a doing momentum that we forget to stop and reflect what harm its causing to our body. I had such a momentum of living this way, but since I met Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, I came to understand how important self care was for one’s daily life and health. With this understanding I have been working on changing my momentum, however there are still some days I can get caught up, but it is a lot easier to recognise it and stop and allow myself to be gentle again.

153. That’s beautiful how you developed your awareness of your body and how you went about your day after having your wisdom teeth removed. I love your last line in reference to operations or illnesses or even just ‘niggles’ in our body – “If we allow it, it can be so much more.”

154. You make a great point Jemma when you say that self care should be a natural part of our daily activity, but we let things get in the way. I would put everything as being more important than caring for myself, I would always be at the end of the line, preferring to be busy doing things than being loving and tender with myself. I can still fall back into the drive of doing, but I feel it much sooner now and have to stop as I can feel my body getting hard and I start to become irritable…..trying to hurry to finish what I am doing.

     1. Alison, I experienced something similar because stopping to feel everything that was going on was not exactly my preferred activity unless I was forced to. Jemma beautifully shows the great opportunities of taking stock and learning from such an experience.

     2. I know what you’re talking about Alison, the more we don’t care for ourselves the more we decline into behaviours that we would not dream of doing when we are lovingly taking care of ourselves… or ever consider doing to a baby, family or friend.

155. Thanks Jemma for your sharing, Every time some thing comes up with our health, it gives us an opportunity to delve deeper into our patterns or ways of behaviour and helps us to understand ourselves more.

156. I had all my wisdom teeth out a couple of years ago too, and like you Jemma I had the opportunity to understand through the teachings of Serge Benhayon how taking care of myself is part of medicine. This helped me greatly to heal a lot faster and also to connect to a deeper level of stillness in my body, so overall it was a very profound experience. Thank you.

157. I am always in awe of how we are given opportunities by the body at times, for one reason or another, to slow down and feel the impact of how we usually live and from that are able to really see and feel the difference that being more loving or a little slower or more present, can be. This is a great sharing of the power of reimprinting your life with a wisdom that comes through living in a self-loving way.

     1. So true Samantha. I find that my body is always providing me opportunities to learn, and treat myself with more tenderness and care. I don’t always listen or get the lesson but when I do it is profound.

158. What a brilliant blog Jemma, I love the split-second details your painful jaw revealed to you! It is a great example of how life (in any one moment) is medicine, and that it can be practised all the time.

159. This blog is great, it’s amazing how we think of medicine being pills or potions or operations, but it is so much more. Imagine how much simpler it would be for doctors if we really listened intently to what was going on in our bodies and were able to communicate that. No weight of expectation on them to be the “be all and end all”, as we would be taking more personal responsibility. Self care and self awareness is medicine too.

160. Great reminder of how our patterns are disrupted and we break old habits. And how much we function in automatic mode.

161. This experience sounds a wonderful reflection for you on how you were in your body prior to getting your teeth removed, it’s very true that “…medicine, which includes self-care, can be practiced all the time.”

162. I love how you made the most of the awareness you gained from your post surgery healing phase to see where you were jaw clenching, and you chose to look deeply at your habits and made changes gradually and lovingly. I am sure this helps enormously post surgery for the body to reintegrate.

163. It sounds like the removal of your wisdom teeth was so much more than a painful nuisance – it was a blessing in disguise, offering you the opportunity to feel a deeper awareness of your anger and its effects on your body, and through symbolism you were offered a deeper awareness of the level of anger you carry in your body.

164. Your sharing is profound to me and I feel your words as wise. As you have described yourself waking up and starting to clench your jaw in expectation of you not allowing to be yourself, I felt deeply identified with the same pattern, but never could nail it in the way you did it in this blog. In combination with another sentence: “My experience has helped me understand how medicine, which includes self-care, can be practised all the time.” this makes my day today. Thank you for sharing it here.
     (Funny to remember that the removal of my wisdom teeth was in the same age and also has brought a huge shift to my life back then).

165. I had a similar experience with my colonoscopy Jemma. It exposed for me many things in how my daily life runs and operates. For example how often I mindlessly put things in my mouth to eat them, whilst doing other tasks. While I was doing the preparation for my procedure I couldn’t do this, and it was highlighted to me just how much I do it! I too was able to embrace the experience and learn so much from it. If it was not for Universal Medicine, I would definitely not be as aware of myself as I am today, and be taking the care and love that I do, to ensure I am honoured as much as possible in the process of life.

166. When our attention is called to any part of us that has been ignored, it is usually an eye-opener… People are unaware that they carry so much tension in the jaw, the shoulders, the face, the feet… In fact it seems that almost any part of us can carry unnoticed tension. So when we started into our bodies it is very revealing, however this is a journey that we all have to take if we wish to start to really return to being who we are in truth.

167. What deepens for me every day is how often we have situations come into our lives that we can learn from and learn more about ourselves from. I am finding that the better I know and understand myself, the less affected by life I am, and the more accepting of things I find challenging or hurtful to me. One of the big things for me too is not changing me to be something that someone else needs at a particular moment. For me that is also about quietly listening to another and feeling if there is a response from me that needs to be said. If I do feel there is something, it is not from my head, not something I’ve made up to express and to fill a hole, but something rather wise and simple. And it feels infinitely better to communicate this way!

168. Yes it is so much more Jemma to stop and allow ourselves to deeply learn from an experience rather than letting it get in the way of life. I loved reading your blog, thank you for sharing your deep learning and for the reminder to choose my words wisely by taking the time to feeling what to say rather than saying whatever comes to mind, even if it takes a little longer, it will be worth it for everyone.

169. I know getting 4 teeth out at once would not be a great experience generally, But it was awesome, because of the tenderness in your mouth it showed you your patterns of clenching your jaw and how you only needed to say a few words to communicate. A real awakening for you. Thank you for sharing

170. I loved reading your blog Jemma, thank you. You had so much awareness come in around this procedure, very awesome experience. Clenching your jaw can be very subtle, it is a way of controlling ourselves and not feeling the anger that comes with not allowing ourselves to be ourselves, there is much to ponder on in this great piece of writing.

171. “I didn’t feel I had to be something for them because I was using all my energy to focus on being gentle with myself and in this I realized that the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.” To be forced into being gentler and quieter with yourself Jemma, you have opened up a choice that so many of us have forgotten, for if we choose to live with greater regard and awareness for our bodies, for ourselves, then patterns such as anger can be truly abated.

172. I can feel the lightness and learning in your blog here Gemma, it is beautiful and inspiring.

173. I loved the realisations you have come to, ‘ I am angry before I go to situations or meet people because I know I will not allow myself to be me in that setting.’ This makes so much sense to me as I felt this the other day and wondered why? It feels like I am holding back my true expression and it leads to an inner frustration. As I sit here I am practicing loosening up the whole of my jaw area and I notice it makes the rest of my body less tense – when I speak it tenses up again so I know this is something that I can look at. Thank you.

174. How lovely that you felt this and used it as an opportunity to connect more deeply to your body and your own inner wisdom.

175. It is very inspiring Gemma to read, and to feel, how you have taken this opportunity to self nurture and self love.
     I think it is wonderful how you gave yourself time to rest and recover; time to be with you to develop a deeper understanding and awareness i.e. more wisdom, yes very cool indeed!

176. I want to get my wisdom teeth out !! Your blog is so insightful and amazing in bringing a whole new understanding to the healing aspects of surgery. It is never ‘just’ the surgery that heals us.. it is the whole process just as you have shared with us here!

177. Thank you Jemma. I enjoyed reading this article and how you acknowledged and allowed yourself to surrender and learn from the experience not fight it or numb yourself. I may have to have one wisdom tooth removed – so this was a great read and reminder of how we either be can be fighting, resenting, fearing, and hating medical procedures, and/or being open to learning new things, and to look at how we are living which may not be supportive. I love this opportunity.

178. Thank you Jemma Moses. I agree, medicine can be practised all the time. Building awareness, for example, of how we are in and with our body is a form of medicine. So also is self-care as it supports our body. There is so much that we can learn just by being present with ourselves and noting how our body is responding. We can then take that to the doctor and support them to support us.

     1. Great point Elizabeth, we can help our doctor help us, sharing the understanding of true medicine, esoteric and conventional working together. All of us working together.

179. I love how healing one aspect of us, in this case your wisdom teeth Jemma, always leads to greater awareness and thus more healing.

180. Yes Ariana its amazing when we start to feel tension we begin to realise the extent of how much we tense our bodies and how we tense different parts depending upon what we need to ‘get done’ and/or situations that make us feel uncomfortable etc. There is much to explore here.

181. Yes it’s wonderful how western medicine can work together with our own self-care and awareness to support us.

182. I loved reading this blog. I can feel how tightly I too hold my jaw and often have to release it. I am also allowing myself to feel the depths of sadness which I’ve protected with anger, at not being ‘me’ in most situations. To be aware is key, as you say. I just loved how you observed that by saying less was always more – not going into the babble. Thank you for this blog – super supportive for me right now.

     1. That is so wonderful to hear how this has supported you. It is great to share and to see how our way of doing things (how we get through a day) are similar. We can help each other.

183. While re-reading this blog this morning, I felt how tightly I hold my jaw and the tension in my body just sitting here reading. Conscious presence is so important – it is so important to continually be checking in with ourselves.

184. Thanks Jemma. I appreciate how anything can become a deeper healing and learning if we allow ourselves to see what is actually being offered.

     1. Yes Joel, our body speaks volumes if we make the choice to listen!

185. It is amazing how many of us hold tension in our jaw, and how very few of us are aware of it, for to us it becomes normal. Developing self awareness, especially in relationship to the body, allows us to see life with different eyes, as we slowly become aware of just how sensitive and alive our body truly is.

     1. I agree Adam it is so easy just not to be aware of how my body is feeling at the time, often there is something that my body is communicating through a tension or discomfort but as I don’t want to feel this then it is so easy to shut down from everything that is being communicated. Just recently I noticed how when I was talking my jaw was very tight and protected, by being open to recognising this it was able to completely change the way that I was behaving in a moment within a relationship with someone else

186. We so often see anger in relation to other people and their actions, so its refreshing to read this blog Jemma and see how you have come to understand the origin of this anger, as simply missing you. This diagnosis is so basic yet I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t the root cause of so much illness that we see in our lives today.

187. Hi Jemma, I enjoyed reading your blog – and I had to smile at the revelation garnered – in your own instance it seems as though there was the glory of greater wisdom, following the removal of the wisdom teeth – ironic that!

     1. Ironic Roberta, that we get our ‘wisdom’ teeth in our late teens or early twenties, when most of us have buried the innate wisdom of childhood. I’m curious about what is the true energetic significance of these teeth.

188. Thank you for sharing your experience Jemma. It is so lovely to see this supportive and nurturing approach to one’s own health that I so often see shared by people who have attended Universal Medicine presentations or practitioners. I feel that this is the way of the future for medical treatment – to see ourselves as a whole person and how everything is related and that ultimately, we are responsible for our own health and that we can learn from any experience.

189. Dear Jemma such wisdom 🙂 bringing more awareness to everything in life is so much more fun than just letting it happen.

190. “Previously . . I thought the world needs me to play a different role for different people, to make them feel good about themselves or keep them in their comfort zone”. This is a trick we all fall for as we are raised from young to be rewarded for the roles we play – good child, clever child and so on but rarely are we recognised for just being who we are in truth – the innate ‘me’. As you say Jemma, playing roles “does not work, for it takes a lot of my energy”. Thank you for sharing how a dental procedure allowed you to go deeper in revealing the harm in continuing to play roles rather than honoring who you truly are.

191. Jemma I love how you share that by wisely choosing the words we speak and the way we express ourselves our communication can be so much more efficient, effective and true.

     1. Yes Suse sometimes we need a stop to show us how to communicate more efficiently, effectively and from truth. I had surgery a couple of years ago which left me unable to speak normally and without discomfort for quite some time, this created space for me to become much more aware of what was needed to be said, and the most efficient way to say it. This was a real eye opener for me.

192. I love how you offer that something like this is an opportunity – not a nuisance.
     And also how you mention that we so often speak just so quickly from what we think we should say instead of taking out time and seeing what is really there to be said.

     I do that so much sometimes!

     1. You are right Simplesimon, we often talk fast, but most likely it is all coming from our heads. It is much more powerful when we feel what’s in the body first and express from that place.

     2. So true – I realized in the last days, that when I allow myself to talk slowly, I can feel my body while I’m talking. It feels so much more joyful.

193. So much can be gained when you have the awareness to look deeper when having a procedure like having your wisdom teeth removed or any other medical procedure for that matter. Thanks for highlighting this Jemma

194. I enjoyed reading your blog Jemma and it has helped bring more awareness for me especially around the area of changing myself to fit in with people to allow them to stay comfortable – it is very exhausting and I can relate to the anger that arises from not allowing myself to be me.

     1. I too Deborah & Jemma know the angryness that comes from not being who I am equally with every one. It hurts me deeply when I do this is certain situations, with certain people. Everyone misses out on the gloriousness of me then.

        1. They absolutely do Simone, and it is not fair for the world to miss out on the sweet divine quality that you are.

195. I’m sure that getting your wisdom teeth out was a blessing in disguise as it made time for you to stop and consider things more deeply and come to the understanding outlined in your blog – that the experience is a great opportunity to be more responsible and more aware.

     1. Very true Dean, when I had my wisdom tooth out I felt like it was releasing a lot of anger and frustration held on one side of my jaw. It was a mission to extract the tooth because it took two attempts, once from my dentist and once from the specialist. I felt I was holding on and not willing to let go. After that my body went through a series of healing processes asking me to stop, to love and honour my body.

        1. Yeah it feels like there’s a lot going on in my teeth whenever I go to the dentist. The last time I went, after just half an hour in the chair I felt like I had spent half a day having some kind of healing therapy, it was great but intense!

196. Jemma, I love how you took care of yourself into the details like not over doing the Panadol so you stayed aware of your body needing gentleness to heal.

197. Thank you Gemma for reminding me that the things that challenge us are often the ones that we learn the most from . I have often skimmed over something then later I see that there was a much deeper learning involved and an opportunity lost. I am now more aware that I need to look carefully at all aspects of my life.

     1. I agree Roslyn. We can learn lessons from all aspects of our life if we pay attention. Nothing is too small to look at.

     2. Brilliant Roslyn, it is awesome to view everything that we are presented with as an opportunity to learn and grow. Being more aware and honest definitely helps us to evolve.

198. I can relate totally Gemma, it is beautiful to start and see these things as a moment of learning instead of nuisance.

199. It is lovely how you have shared your different approach to life events since you were introduced to Universal Medicine, Gemma. It is not just about being positive about things and smiling through them, but being honest in how you are feeling in your body and honouring that. Going at your own pace and learning what it needed in each situation. Remembering the importance of self-care and self-love before getting busy with doing and busyness. A beautiful sharing, thank you.

200. It’s amazing how the simplest of symbolism is an opportunity to build new awareness.

201. It’s so awesome that through the removal of your wisdom teeth, you have come to a much deeper awareness of how anger has been dominating you and how this has played out in your body. Very inspiring the way you have embraced this whole process Jemma, thanks for sharing your story.

202. So true any medical procedure has the potential to be a great healing and a deeper awareness

203. Loved the wisdom you have become aware of by having your wisdom teeth removed.
     If I had read this wonderful, inspiring article before I had my wisdom teeth removed I know I would have been more in tune with my body and focused on being more self-nurturing. However, nothing is stopping me from doing this now..

204. The way you have approached what followed after getting your wisdom teeth out is real medicine Jemma.

205. Thank you Jemma for sharing this! The magic of a moment of pause that lead to so basic realisations that invite you to keep incorporating You into your life.
     Beautiful!

206. Thank you, Jemma, for sharing your amazing observation. It’s so inspiring to read how a small thing like just paying attention as you did can be a start of big healing. It so happens that I also have a habit of clenching jaws and often wake up with tension around the area, and the details of your sharing were just so supportive for me to deepen my own awareness. Thank you.

207. As I have been reading your blog Jemma I have become aware that I am holding a lot of stiffness and tension in my jaw so there is plenty in what you have written Jemma for me to reflect on – thank you!

208. I enjoyed reading your examples of when you realised how much your jaw became the focus when attempting to do some small everyday tasks. This got me to feel more deeply with my own jaw and teeth – realising now even if I’m driving and I have tension in my shoulders/arms – my jaw is tight and often my teeth clenched. Interesting! Now to keep being aware when else do I do this. Thank you Jemma.

209. This is absolute gold: “I was using all my energy to focus on being gentle with myself and in this I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.” The pressure we put on ourselves is ginormous and no wonder it leads to stress, anxiety and very tight jaws – and many other symptoms, I am quite sure.

210. Jemma, I have recently just completed a series of three visits to the dentist to have some work done, and I can absolutely second that these events can be true healings, if we but open up to the opportunity instead of resisting them.

211. Hi Jemma, thanks for your contribution. It is facinating that you were able to continue to clench your jaw for so long without really being aware of it. What a blessing to have your wisdom teeth removed for you to become aware of this and therefore begin to resolve the underlying issue. Your story caused me to reflect on the behaviours I may be doing unconsciously as a way to harden myself as a form of protection. I am going to have major surgery soon so may get the chance to see this too!

212. I am revisiting this blog tonight, so very timely for me. There has been much that I am feeling in my body of late, much of it is absolutely the best gift in the world to feel, things I would never have felt if I had not become tender and loving with my body. The greatest understanding that I am experiencing of late is the humbleness that it takes to choose to adjust how I am living to be in line with where my body is at and what it requires to support its natural harmony.

213. Hi Jemma, I totally get it how having to use less words and respond a little slower whilst your teeth were healing actually helped you to communicate just as well if not better than normal. It is a strong reminder that I need to create enough space in everyday situations to be able to observe what’s going before responding.

     1. Dean, this is a great comment, to give myself space to feel the truth of what is there in front of me, so that I can respond from me and not from any reaction to what I felt. Thank you.

        1. I love it Leigh. This makes our lives so much richer.

214. I just love the way we are brought to situations that give us the learning/understanding that we need, whether through our bodies or life’s twists and turns. Like yourself Jemma, prior to Universal Medicine and the teachings presented by Serge Benhayon I would have seen life’s difficult circumstances and illnesses as something to get through or get over, but now I love that my body is communicating to me, showing me the need to care for and nurture myself on a deeper level, and the twists and turns are opportunities to look within and know myself more deeply in each situation.

215. Thank you for this blog Jemma, it shows very clearly that everything happens for a reason in this life, and that we get opportunities to heal ourself through things like getting your wisdom teeth removed, and when we take the opportunity and not override it, life is always changing.

216. Love the honesty in your blog Jem and the true example of healing you have presented here

217. Thanks Jem for sharing this frank blog of yours, it is amazing what an operation such as this can offer, where as in the past I would ignore and numb my body and just get on as best I could, and unaware to what detail the whole process truly offered.

218. Your exercise of having your wisdon teeth removed and you applying a deeper feeling and analysis to the procedure has obviously given you greater awareness. Thank you for a very simple and practical example

219. Clenching your teeth is one of many ways we are less than we are. Feeling miserable is another. Walking not in our fullness is another. Thinking / worrying constantly is another. I found I did all these so I am not in my fullness and don’t have to deal with the resulting jealousy. Simple really – I accept the jealousy without taking it on and I can be all that I am.

220. I find this fascinating, Jemma: “In other words, I am angry before I go to situations or meet people because I know I will not allow myself to be me in that setting.” So the removal of you wisdom teeth allowed you the space to observe how you were anticipating not being able to be yourself in certain situations. That was a gift of learning for sure! I’m amazed how we set ourselves up with the phenomenon of anticipation – it’s quite a self laid trap.

221. Such an interesting blog Jemma, thankyou. The way your communication changed and your focus came back to just being gentle with you, as opposed to focusing on others really was highlighted for me. Communication for me has become so much about the other person, but to truly take responsibility for the energetic integrity of what I say, I need my focus to be firmly on me. Amazing blog.

222. Totally brilliant Jemma, there must be so many things we do that with a little more awareness we would change, like clenching our jaw. I know until recently I could feel myself harden at my computer whenever work got too busy, and it was only with back pain and stopping and feeling what brought it on that I was able to observe the tension I built in my body, as I wasn’t being with me but with the ‘busy-ness’ of doing.

223. I really like the line in your blog Jemma Moses where you say ‘the world will be ok if I am not being something for it’. This is such an important thing to remember and comes at a very relevant time for me currently. So many of us are exhausted trying to be something the world wants us to be when all we have to do is be our gentle, tender selves.

     1. So true, Andrew – including when the world demands we be something for it also, because, at times, it does precisely that. It’s a big learning to refuse to engage with those expectations, from ourselves or from others.

224. Jemma there is a lot of wisdom that you share here. One piece is that you gave yourself a gift of a visit to a Universal Medicine Practitioner the day before you had your operation, in honour of the importance of the next day (“a big day”).I will be more aware when next I have some health event of the importance of recognising the significance of this. Thank You Jemma.

225. Wunderbare Jemma following words got me:” . . . I didn’t feel I had to be something for them because I was using all my energy to focus on being gentle with myself and in this I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.” Your words inspired me also to not be something for others – a great experience I can recommend.

226. Well said Jemma. Serge Benhayon presents a way to understand the messages that our body gives us. I enjoy learning all that my body is showing me and giving me the opportunity to make choices to change many of my harmful habits.

227. I think you hit the nail on the head, Jemma when you said that self-care should be a natural activity but we tend to let things in life get in the way. It seems that we can lose ourselves in getting things done rather than maintaining a natural connection to who we are as we go about our daily life.

     1. Yes I agree Jenny, it seems absurd why we would not be naturally caring for ourselves given how gorgeous we are.

     2. So true Jenny, it can be easy to “lose ourselves in getting things done rather than maintaining a natural connection to who we are as we go about our daily life”…Easy because it is so common, indeed normal, to put everything else before taking care of yourself. I love reading articles like Gemma’s that clearly show that it is possible to turn this around, to start making caring for yourself a priority, and what an awesome difference this makes in the way you live and interact with everyone around you.

228. I love your blog Jemma – I too have found out how life enhancing it can be when I am willing to see my part in the outcome of abusing my body. I grind my teeth – and the consequence was that I split one of my molars and that was removed. The whole process allowed me to see how hard I had been on my jaw – and also how this determination to do things ‘my way’ was not serving me at all. I am now gradually letting go of my need to grind my teeth so hard and gradually letting the muscles in that part of my face become more relaxed. Now I am able to see that this impacts on other parts of my body. It is all a work in process to let go of my need to control life and beginning to feel my body. It feels great to support myself in this way.

229. All moments like these give us a lesson if we’re willing to listen for it.

230. I Love your title Jemma and what great awareness you are sharing and the correlation between anger and your jaw. It certainly makes sense to me.
     I had my wisdom teeth out a long time ago and just reflecting back, I can see now that it was a turning point in my life. I did become wiser and was starting to question life, why we are here and what on earth was this human body all about.

231. Super blog Jemma, which just highlights that whatever comes to us or happens to us in life, and if we are open to the learning that it brings, it can offer us so much growth and understanding about ourselves, and is how we evolve.

232. Jemma this really resonated with me. ” I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it. This was a huge thing for me, for previously (and yes, still working on) .” This is something that I continue to work on. People pleasing was my middle name for a long time. Through my own growing commitment and patience I am changing this age old pattern and feel so much stronger for it. Thank you Jemma for sharing and thank you Universal Medicine.

233. What a beautiful sharing Jemma, this is another excellent example of how Esoteric Medicine can play a very important role in healing, along with conventional Medicine and Dentistry. I love that you came to realize you had been clenching your teeth through life and that the painful jaw taught you to be gentler with yourself. It’s the wisdom of the body giving you exactly what you need, presenting the reason behind the pain is just so beautiful and liberating.

234. Thanks Jemma… just the idea of actually getting a lot out of an operation was something I had never heard of until Universal Medicine presented this to me. It such a radically wonderful experience that turns out to be totally practical, as is everything that Universal Medicine presents.

235. It is so great that what ever comes at us in life can be a real learning experience if we are able to look at things in a more spherical way.

236. Good one Jemma. I’ve both had my wisdom teeth removed and noticed how often I clench my jaw. I gave myself plenty of space and time to heal from the extractions and similarly, found this to be a lovely experience, allowing me to rest deeply. Whilst my jaw clenching had already started to back-off some months before having my wisdom teeth removed, I also realised the significance of what this anger and frustration was all about. It’s giving awareness to these sorts of things that is rewarding, as we’re given an opportunity to heal ourselves, rather than just consider it a ‘nuisance’ as you say.

237. Thank you Jemma – I loved reading this blog and how you allowed yourself to rest after the operation, and to see where you were letting anger block who you truly are.

     This line ‘I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.’ is so true for me too – knowing that we don’t have to be doing to be a part of the world – and that it is enough to just be ourselves.

     1. Yes, seems like ‘doing’ gets all the headlines, yet how different can that doing be if first we are with our ‘being’?

        1. Yes Kathie, being before doing!

238. “I was choosing my words wisely and really taking time (probably only a second longer) to respond, instead of responding in babble something that I think I should say.” I think this is great. Especially….”(probably only a second)”….because that is all it takes. A brief second to catch yourself, be aware, be present and then you immediately see that what you are ‘babbling’ about is not only unnecessary but is also totally dishonest as to what is actually going on. Brilliant how this whole experience has shown you so much. But actually we don’t need a big operation to stop us. More and more I am choosing to check in with one part of my body (btw – have never chosen my jaw – but am now going to!) to see how it feels. 9.99 times out of 10, there is a level of tension there that I am carrying without even knowing.

     1. Yes Otto, it’s like an added bonus, that little pause to check yourself and use carefully chosen words. It is something the whole world could do more of.

        1. And interesting to note Bernie how out of sync we can be from our natural wisdom when we are not in rhythm or in tune with ourselves.

239. Jemma how true that every experience is a chance to observe ourselves, as you did with the clenching of your jaws. What previously would have been a nuisance ended up being an opportunity for self love and caring. This is what Universal Medicine does for us.

240. Jemma isn’t it wonderful how opportunities for healing open up to us in all kinds of moments, if we take the time and care to listen. Thank you for your terrific blog.

241. What a fabulous message from your body. All your life you have tried to be something you are not which has left you feeling angry. Since your wisdom teeth extraction, you get to have feedback as soon as you go into anything that is not a true way of being for you. I can relate to this as I can feel my body harden whenever I try to be something I am not around others. I have found that when I feel underneath this hardness there is a lot of sadness that I have treated myself this way. I love how listening to our body and being in harmony with it is the greatest living form of medicine.

242. This is an awesome article Jemma, so wonderful the way you embraced the opportunity your body gave you to truly stop and be present with yourself. I have resisted this in certain areas of my life and am now finding my body is forcing me to do so, and your story is very inspiring for me.

243. Yes, I totally agree Rachel, if I had read this article prior to getting my wisdom teeth out, in my 30’s I feel I would have approached self care differently, and perhaps have been made aware of my patterns and behaviours, like Jemma so beautifully shared.
     For me it was an inconvenience, and I dreaded getting them out, after hearing other people’s painful experiences. And I was relieved when I could function normally again.

244. This is such a practical story about how surgery or a medical procedure can be a time to stop and deeply feel what is going on in our body. I would have never had done this before Universal Medicine, in fact I would have seen ‘connecting to and feeling my body’ as hippy or spiritual mumbo jumbo.

     1. Spot on Danielle, this is not hippy, or spiritual mumbo jumbo, it is the very real way our bodies operate, whether we like it or not. Many thanks to Universal Medicine for leading the way in this field. Completing the missing element of medicine.

        1. Absolutely Bernard, I love how you say it as it is “it is the very real way our bodies operate, whether we like it or not”. This is what we need to stand for and not hold back from sharing, as in truth everybody is looking for the answers every where, so why hold back the fact that we’ve discovered them.

245. Now this blog should be the information sheet we hand to our clients before they go into wisdom tooth surgery.
     Jemma, the wisdom you extracted from this process (pun intended) is exquisite and so beautifully detailed. How often do we speak when there is nothing to say? How often do we go about our day with our jaw clenched – set hard against the world and the demands we perceive it is placing upon us?
     The discomfort after wisdom tooth removal could be regarded as a hurdle to be passed as quickly as possible, or a great lesson in awareness. You chose the latter in all of your wisdom.

     1. This is so true Rachel.
        Our body is so full of constant wisdom, every movement exposes something more about how we are in life.
        I love the way you share this Jemma, very real and inspiring.

     2. Yes Rachel, Gemma’s article would definitely be an amazing support for anyone about to go into wisdom tooth surgery. You hear so many full-on stories about getting your wisdom teeth removed – it’s great to read an article that cuts through this and makes the recovery process as simple as giving yourself the time and space to heal, no pressure, no pushing through and observing how your body is responding to the process.

     3. Yes this blog would be great in the information sheet for wisdom teeth removal preparation.

246. It is truly amazing when we start listening to what our body has to tell and show us. Our body has a wisdom that has intelligence far greater than our thoughts
     When we start to listen to this, we start to support our bodies in a way that is absolutely awesome.
     Thank you Jemma for sharing the depth of your experience with us all.

     1. Yes I definitely agree Thomas, Jemma’s article is another example of what Serge Benhayon has been presenting for years, that “our body has a wisdom…that is far greater than our thoughts”. There is often such a contrast between the thoughts running around in our head and how we actually feel, if we take a moment to connect!

247. The body will always find a way to bring our attention back to it. Whether we take the opportunity to look deep into ourselves and evaluate the situation on its true merit is up to us. I love your journey back to yourself Jemma.

248. Thank you for sharing your insights on self-care Jemma. It is interesting to note that you were forced to care for yourself following your operation and that this was so supportive for you. I can’t help but marvel at how beneficial caring for ourselves when we are well is.

249. “I was using all my energy to focus on being gentle with myself and in this I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.” I love this sentence Jemma, it is a very inspiring approach to life, which I will apply more to mine.

     1. Yes, this sentence was the stand-out one for me too, very inspiring and dissolves my TRYING to do life, a big change in behaviour.

        1. Oh yes Marian and Judith this sentence is also a good reminder for me because I am a person who is very good in trying and controlling life instead of just allow myself to be and feel that I am enough.

250. I love a blog that I can get my teeth into… But seriously a great blog Jemma because it’s all true and very real. You offer a very practical example about living wisdom on a daily basis.

251. Awesome opportunity having your wisdom teeth out Jemma… No better way to highlight the tension you’re in when you clench your jaw. I find little things like this fantastic and fascinating- little things that your body does that leads to an awareness by pointing out what’s going on for you.

252. No matter what happens in our life there is always the opportunity to learn, understand or become more aware of ourselves in every way and how this then influences how we are with others. Your openness here is super inspiring as most people do see these kinds of experiences as something to rush through to get back to our life, rather that an opportunity to deepen how we care for ourselves or as a point to simply observe ourselves as you have so beautifully done. Thank you Gemma.

253. That you took the opportunity your body gave you to be aware of how you had been clenching your jaw so often is awesome. But that this led you Jemma, to reflect and choose to be more responsible, so that now you are more loving and tender with yourself is even more awesome.

254. I loved your comment which said how you would have not allowed yourself to rest if it had been before ‘Universal Medicine’ and now after, because you were more aware and could hear the quiet, gentle way your body spoke to you and the wisdom it held for you – a whole new and deeper understanding of the way you have been living has made itself known to you. Such a healing experience. Our power to override the wisdom of the body is big, but once we connect to what’s true, the truth becomes ‘bigger’ and the path we can choose to follow. Everyday I observe people around me not listening to their bodies and always having some excuse for why things are as they are. Usually these things are things they believe are out of their control. Responsibility for ourselves and how we live our lives is our choice. Thanks to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for the Ancient Wisdom Teachings. Thanks Gemma.

255. Wow Jemma, you make me want to go back and do my wisdom teeth all over again. Very inspiring to read how you nurtured and observed yourself. I loved how you saw the gifts that were on offer for you, it was a great example how if we open our eyes, gifts can be seen in all that we do.

256. What a great insight Jemma. I have been aware of and working with letting go of tension in my jaw and face for a long time, and still, every morning I find it both useful and necessary to remind myself to let go of any tension holding in my face. It’s like a mask wants to insidiously slip on during the day and it is great to have a continual reference to keep letting go, and to feel what it’s like to not hold on to that tension, and what it’s like to not have a mask on.

257. Thanks Jemma, you clearly show how everything, including teeth that are no longer there, can be used as an opportunity to feel into how present we are being with our body and therefore truth. As you have written, the truth of who we are and not what we think we need to be.

258. A beautiful example of the way forward with true healing. Thank you Jemma

259. I love what you have shared. You took this opportunity to learn, connect and discover things about yourself in such a loving way. It was so beautiful and inspiring to read.

260. I know what you mean Jemma. It’s such a different perspective to feel the blessings in our ailments rather than just thinking them annoying because they interfered with our life. When I broke my foot I also came to experience the opportunity in it to become more consciously present with myself. Every movement had to be executed with the utmost self caring attention to all of my body. This was very revealing as to how disconnected I had normally been whilst getting about life and it also felt so amazing that I intended to keep it up as much as possible. It is another way of living, a much more loving way, that I literally ‘stumbled’ into choosing after many years of listening to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine presenting exactly this same way.

261. Thank you Jemma, I love all you have shared here. With even a second pause for awareness to be before speaking, can make all the difference to not only what is said, but the quality of that which it is spoken with. You have presented much wisdom here.

262. “I was using all my energy to focus on being gentle with myself and in this I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it”. This is HUGE Jemma and thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with us.

263. A lovely realisation Jemma, it’s great to see how you have appreciated getting your wisdom teeth out rather than resenting it, and then taken the opportunity to feel what it has presented to you.

264. Jemma, what great wisdom was born from the removal of your wisdom teeth. What could have been such an uncomfortable procedure, and subsequent healing, was lovingly supported by the care you not only gave yourself , but from those you chose to support you. As you wrote so wisely: “ Ideally self-care should be a natural activity, but we tend to let things in our life get in the way.” It was wonderful to read that you did not allow life to get in the way of your healing; so very inspirational.

     1. I agree Ingrid very well said. I can relate to letting life get in the way of self care. I am very much aware I have a lot to learn and practice regarding Implementating self care and self love to be part of my everyday living.

265. Jemma you chose ‘wisdom’ whilst having your wisdom teeth out. And therefore everything that followed became an opportunity for a healing.
     ‘Opportunities like having my wisdom teeth removed have been a great chance for me to be more aware of how I go about things in my daily life.’
     Your observations are awesome. Thank you for sharing.

266. Jemma, also felt to share that I had my four wisdom teeth out, over a period of time, about 18 months ago. It was with the most amazing dentist and each time offered a different opportunity to connect to myself, as well as the dentist, and later the deep, deep care and nurturing that was required. Yes, there was discomfort afterwards but I really became aware of how I moved my body as well as my mouth, rinsing, etc I would lightheartedly say to others that it was like having a healing session.

267. Jemma your comment ‘I noticed that I didn’t need to say as much as I previously did’ was interesting to read. I recently have been aware of my ‘babbling’ and perhaps less was more. Thank you for sharing.

268. “so much more” indeed can be gained from such an experience Jemma. What an awesome account of truly paying attention to all that was offered as your body healed.
     I had to smile reading about your jaw tightening… When, inspired by Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon’s presentations, I first began to intentionally bring gentleness to my movements several years ago, in simple daily activity, I immediately and repeatedly noticed that upon any so-termed ‘mundane’ task – such as cleaning, washing dishes, dusting, etc – that my jaw would tighten up also. It took a few months of paying attention and allowing moments of letting the tension go, before this really stopped occurring. I also realised that it was tension that had been there since I was a child, frustration taken on in the family home about ‘household chores’.
     I have to say, that today I truly ENJOY these tasks and the way I go about them, AND that do them with a relaxed jaw (and resultant ease in my whole body) – pretty cool paying attention to such things, I’d say!

269. Jemma this is just so cool. I need to have a few wisdom teeth removed and I have been fearing this as I was looking at this as a ‘nuisance’ and also something that would be painful and scary. You show that our healing can be truly amazing if we are willing to see everything that comes up for us when we go through something like this.

270. Great awareness around your removal of your wisdom teeth Jemma.
     Our body is always communicating to us 24/7 but do we stop, feel and listen?

271. This is a great reflection of a healthy attitude towards a medical condition, about understanding how our reactions to things in life and the habits we build around them can take over. Then, we find our bodies providing signs and symptoms of such an unaware way of living and we treat it as a nuisance or as if we are victims. Yet working with the body as it attempts to bring us back to wellbeing, through a condition or illness, is such a great lesson in self responsibility.

272. Was lovely to read your blog Jemma and share all the insights you gained from the removal of your wisdom teeth. I especially like the part where you tried to talk less and found you could still communicate effectively with saying less but taking the time to choose your words wisely… a lovely reminder, thank you.

273. Everything we do and happens to us is an opportunity to look at something else in our lives, this is a very beautiful mechanism in our lives that keeps us conscious of who we really are.

274. Thank you for sharing Jemma it’s great to read and reflect on for myself how I am I living and expressing in the world. What you have shared brings a level of responsibility in how I am affects the all. If I am living angry, then this affects how I am with myself and how I am with others.

275. Thank you for sharing your experience. Your wisdom teeth and their removal are very wise and have also taught me a thing or two!

276. Brilliant Jemma! Since attending Universal Medicine I now look on illness as an opportunity for me to stop and consider what is being brought to my attention. I don’t always get the clarity I am after, but the more I apply this principle to my life, the more of me I am getting to know and appreciate.

277. “My experience has helped me understand how medicine, which includes self-care, can be practised all the time.” I liked this line Jemma, because we don’t look at self care as being medicine, it is not taught anywhere (other than Universal Medicine,) that looking after ourselves is good medicine. It should be a natural part of how we live, but we have ignored or over ridden it to get through our busy days. Learning these skills from an early age would make life so much more enjoyable.

278. Hi Jemma. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. And you have offered a lot in this article through what you have experienced when having your wisdom teeth removed. Something that I am working on for myself at the moment is to take my time in responding, feeling what there is to be felt and when it feels true, respond.
     I have in the past jumped in thinking something had to be said, falling into the trap of thinking that my truth won’t be heard if I don’t speak up. However what I realise it is more serving is to honour what I am feeling and speak when I have felt what is needed to be expressed in that moment. You have highlighted how the modern medicine and esoteric medicine work beautifully together to assist in true healing.

279. “My experience has helped me understand how medicine, which includes self-care, can be practised all the time. Ideally self-care should be a natural activity, but we tend to let things in our life get in the way.” It is the greatest medicine I can imagine and it is natural to us all! Thank you Jemma for sharing your experience with us.

280. Self-care and self-love have the potential to become subjects to be taught at school in times to come. Learning these skills from an early age will prepare people for a much more enjoyable life. Super blog Jemma.

281. Self care is great medicine and incredibly underrated. It unlocks our body and unchains the self induced hold that we have generated throughout our life. You have certainly used your surgical experience to evolve and discovered that medicine is so much more than an operation. A great blog Jemma.

     1. Self care is indeed great medicine. Practising it has literally changed my life.

282. I learnt a lot from your blog Jemma but most notably your statement that ‘the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it’. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

283. What a wonderful way to become aware of the tension that we can hold in the jaw – reading this blog is helping me become so much more aware of how I might be clenching my jaw and at times that I may not ever have thought that I was doing so! Thanks Jemma – wise words indeed.

284. Truly wise!

285. Jemma getting your wisdom teeth removed has been an absolute blessing and healing. Thank you for sharing.

286. This is great Jemma. This is huge! Jemma ‘ the wise’ without her wisdom teeth. Beautiful!

287. Thank you Jemma for a great blog. This is the second blog I have read and commented on this morning connected to clenching the jaw. I take the message that I need to be aware of when I do this and how often and why, because I have been aware that I do this, but not given it the attention it deserves. Your experience of having your wisdom teeth out and the way you handled it with gentleness and self nurturing shows just how different the experience can be when looked at in this light, and not as a situation to get through. Much Wisdom gained.

288. So many insights in this little article, not the least of which is that we can use any situation to gain awareness and wisdom about ourself and how we live. A gem Jemma.

289. Hi Jemma,

     I love what you say here “Ideally self-care should be a natural activity”. This reminded me of a conversation I had this morning with a good friend where she was talking about life skills and we discussed life skills that are necessary to living full and content and healthy lives but are not considered a life skill.

     I feel like self-care is one of those life skills that is not seen for the crucial life skill it is. I know for myself before I came to the work of Universal Medicine my level of self-care was bare minimum and I didn’t really have the self-care life skills to adequately support me in my busy and sometimes stressful day.

     When I had children, I realised that I needed to up skill myself in self-care, because I had barely spent the time in my life to learn how to effectively and naturally take care of myself, which meant that I didn’t have the base to translate this self-care life skill to the ‘care for another’ life skill, very much needed in parenting.

290. Jemma, while you write about your experience with having wisdom teeth removed, this blog reminds us that there are likely a myriad of other events in life that ‘would normally be seen as a painful nuisance’ but which could be seen in such a way that allows an opportunity to be ‘more responsible and aware’. Every moment in life offers an opportunity for deepening our awareness.

291. I love the way you have turned a potentially traumatic event into an awesome opportunity to bring more awareness to what you do and how you do it.

292. Thank you Jemma for showing how any occurrence in our daily life can be a source of wonder when we are self-loving.

293. Thank you Jemma for your insights around our bodies, and how rather than viewing pain or illness as a nuisance or something we have to endure we can see what our body is trying to show us and from that learning make more self loving supportive choices.

294. Jemma, I love the fact that at the age of 26 you have an awareness about yourself to note these changes in your physical body and your state of being. It is inspiring to feel your level of care and responsibility that will no doubt support you throughout your life.

295. Jemma, I love the way you described the change in your expression after surgery, taking time to choose your words with care and not having to be something for others.

296. It’s awesome how the removal of your wisdom teeth brought you the wisdom of how you had been holding your jaw in anger so routinely, Jemma.

297. Even though you had your wisdom teeth removed Jemma, your wisdom did not go with them! I loved the awareness you brought to the process and your insights into the angry clenching of the jaw which up to this time had gone unnoticed. I continue to be amazed at how much tension I hold in my jaw and mouth and it is a constance process to let it go, as I become aware of it.

298. Staying present when we speak and not letting it all tumble out makes a huge difference to how it feels in the body afterwards.

     1. I am really feeling and learning this one at the moment Gabriele. It very much puts the body in a state that is not very good, where my shoulders contract in, my throat tightens and I go from feeling full to feeling less than and very small.

     2. Gabriele that’s very true and something I feel to bring more awareness to during my days. Instead of talking to “get an outcome” simply being present and saying what is needed in that moment. Certainly a work in progress for me but one that I know us worth it.

299. Awesome awareness shared here, Jemma…I’m glad we’ve got people like you in University, coming from the heart to explore and understand why things are as they are for humanity. I particularly loved this revelation, “I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.” Having the opportunity to observe yourself in your interactions through the removal of your wisdom teeth shifted your perspective to a much more self-caring one, and we could all do this in our everyday by just honouring the body we carry with us through all our choices.

300. Our bodies are so amazing and reading the blogs and comments people share I am learning just how incredible the body really is. I have a new level of respect and love for how my body informs me when something is not right and am making extra effort to take the time to listen. So thank you for your shared wisdom Jemma and all those who comment and share their experiences.

301. Thank you Jemma for your wisdom in this blog, a great reminder for us all.

302. Thank you Jemma for relating your experience. I felt expressing with such a sense of realisation and tenderness for your unfolding self – a wonderful revelation. I particularly noticed your sentence “I thought the world needs me to play a different role for different people, to make them feel good about themselves or to keep them in their comfort zone” – I know I used to play this game much more than I do now, but I too am still learning to refine and heal that behaviour/pattern thanks to the presentations of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine.

303. What a wonderful insightful blog, thank you Jemma. I can so relate to being stuck in the belief that the world needed me to play a certain role when I was with people. This is a lot of pressure! This belief and pattern of behaviour began to change for me through listening to Serge Benhayon’s Esoteric Medicine audios. These audios were life changing and supported me to feel that me being ME, not playing a role, out in the world is very needed.

304. Reading this blog made me realise I am clenching my jaw right now! A mild clench is always present. Something I am working with along with you.

305. Agreed! So much wisdom is shared in your story; I love the way you worked with the experience and learned so much about yourself, then used that self awareness to bring in changes to your way of living. Truly a story about the getting of wisdom.

306. When we are physically vulnerable, we tend to focus a lot more on self-care and that reveals a lot of areas where we can be more gentle and loving with ourselves every day, not just when we are unwell, etc. Thank you Jemma for writing this, it is a great reminder for us all.

     1. Ryoko, I agree. What I’ve found in my own experience is that the more I am open to consider what is / has been going on for me when there is something going on with my body (be this a headache, a sore back, feeling tired or something requiring medical attention), the more I have the opportunity to feel this as a blessing, rather than a curse or an inconvenience. Jemma’s blog really is a great reminder of the wisdom in our bodies, not only in our teeth!

307. Jemma, you are very wise to have such a positive attitude towards health and life.

308. Thanks for your blog Jemma ,its a great insight to see what we experience as an opportunity to feel and be aware of where we are at and to call out where we are not ,in our every day life.

309. Thank you for sharing your experience Jemma and showing the awareness that can come from any experience if we allow it.

310. ‘If we allow it, it can be so much more’… Thank you Jemma, I am feeling myself let go more and more just reading this – to stop and feel is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.

311. A great sharing on the importance of self-care and how what happens in life is a reflection from which we can learn to deepen our self-care.

312. It’s great you had (and used so wisely) a stop in trying to be what other people need in each moment. I have learnt that this is so automatic in me, and yet identifying what I need can be more difficult because I have ignored it for so long.

313. Jemma what a great post and with some amazing insights, seems removal of your wisdom teeth has allowed more space for the foundation of great wisdom to be (!)

314. Well said Jemma – and great how you much you have allowed yourself to feel exactly what was happening for you – honouring your own process..

315. Such amazing body awareness felt Jemma. I sometimes talk or put on different roles to please others or say the right thing in certain situations, instead of giving myself the space to express or not express for myself and no one else. Still a loving work in progress.

316. I have always wanted to be what people wanted me to be and was drawn to people who could just be themselves and be comfortable with just being who they are. It is interesting your jaw clenching and wonderful in what it revealed to you, mine seems to be holding my breath, when this happens I become more aware that I am holding me back and it comes as a reminder to let more of my loveliness out and to enjoy being me and bring this joy others also . Thank you Jemma

317. Wow, awesome sharing Jemma. I love how you were ‘made to listen’ to your body and what it needed! And in such a beautiful way that it constellated – who would ever have known that by having your wisdom teeth out, you would then become so much more aware of how to move, how to talk or not talk etc. I love it when that happens – and I love your openness in exploring the possibilities! Very inspiring – thank you!

318. Love this blog Jemma, I can so relate to it in many ways – thank you for sharing your wisdom 🙂

319. I’ve come back to reading your blog again Jemma as I can relate to so much of what you describe particularly about wanting to make others feel good about themselves, I did not realise just how much it zapped me of so much energy. I’ve done it all my adult life and looking back I feel in my childhood too. It’s no surprise my body gave me lots to gently work with bringing me back to me lovingly so.

320. I too am working on how I ” play a different role to different people, keeping them in their comfort zone “.
     Timely for me to read your revealing blog Jemma, thank you.

321. This reminds us how everything that happens can be used to bring us more awareness if we are open to it. Thanks Jemma.

322. The same appreciation here Jemma – living medicine that is universal and always up to us.

323. Thank you Jemma for sharing your experience – It also served for me as a gentle reminder of how in the past, (for years) during the night and still occasionally I’ve clenched my jaws – just a little anger/frustration there I feel !!!!! This does show and give me the opportunity to work gently with myself and as Johanne expressed a time for unlocking patterns that really don’t serve us well.

324. How awesome to recognise how often you clenched your teeth, An unconscious pattern made obvious because you had to be gentle with your gum wounds. It’s such a lovely opportunity when this happens as it brings a greater understanding and awareness about the relationship we have with ourselves and the relationship with have with life too. It goes to show, how being self caring is key to bringing love into our life, and unlocking patterns that really don’t serve us well. Thanks for sharing!

325. I liked how you clearly explained the benefits to feeling how clenching your jaw was related to being frustrated or angry. I believe most people can relate (I know I can).
     And how this translated into noticing these pockets, when before they were not noticed. Gives a great understanding and stop moment for me to see what pockets do I have myself.

326. It is magic to read the shared personal stories and insights of other Universal Medicine students. Thank you Jemma for a light filled blog– there are revelations here worth coming back to again.

327. I am glad I don’t have to experience something as drastic as you did – my wisdom teeth still show up beautifully on each X-ray – but I constantly get such very helpful reminders from my body. All I have to do is listen.

     1. Thank you Jemma and Christoph, I agree, when we listen to our body it is there for us with the answer.

328. Self care is part of our daily medicine but like you say Jemma, we often get caught up in life and over-rule self care in favour of getting things done, and our bodies suffer. It was lovely to read how much you learnt about yourself from having your wisdom teeth out and realising what was self caring and being gentle with yourself and what was not.

329. Self care is much more than we actually think it is and the way you have written about your experience shows that it is very much a part of the ‘medicine’ you are using to support your healing and understanding.Taking a very loving and empowering responsibility for yourself. Lovely to read.

330. Thanks for sharing Jemma, I love the fact that we can look at anything that comes at us as a learning experience no matter what it is and choose to learn from it instead treating it as a nuisance or the old “why is this happening to me?”

331. Jemma its so refreshing to look at a trip to the dentist (wisdom teeth removal at that) as being more than a nuisance you have to deal with. It makes me think about all the things I “have” to do and being reminded that they offer a great opportunity to stop and feel.

332. A wonderful if painful discovery Jemma.
     Through your self care you have shown, if we take up life’s challenges/opportunities they can have beneficial healthy outcomes.

333. Spot on Jemma, I had all my wisdom teeth out a year ago and it was only until then that realized what an amazing opportunity for healing was presented to me and I did just that, I was very still for the few days and could feel the momentum of past choices almost coming to an end, it was a truly healing experience.

334. How wonderful that you chose to be aware during your wisdom teeth extractions and afterwards, of what was happening to you in your body and allowed that to be an exploration, a chance for a deeper connection and a deeper care for yourself. As you say we can learn so much when what would otherwise be considered a nuisance we choose to look upon as a gift.

335. What you say Jemma about true self-care is key to our own well-being “My experience has helped me understand how medicine, which includes self-care, can be practised all the time.” That self-care and a nurturing way with what we choose in those little details in our day, is our part in the equation – the small things that cumulatively make such a huge difference to how we feel.

336. Great observations Gemma – It is so inspiring to read how talking less brought you deeper in connection with yourself rather than the roles we think we ‘should’ play.

337. Yes this is very empowering knowing that each of us can LIVE good medicine and it is our own responsibility and simply our own choice.

     1. Yes very good medicine – the chance to stop, take stock of how the body feels, what it is telling us about how we live, and then making supportive choices to live from there.

338. Who would have thought that having some teeth removed could allow such great observations! Brilliant.

339. Gorgeous Jemma. What a beautiful reminder that if we take time to tune in and connect with ourselves we can communicate more effectively.

340. This makes a lot of sense, if I am not being me that is sad, so then everything I do, say, think, everywhere I go and everyone I meet is not getting the real me because I chose to not be the real me. And because I haven’t chosen to be the real me I then get angry at myself for everything (and I mean everything!) because it is not me doing it and I know it so, a fact that never leaves me. This blog further reconfirms to me that feeling the body and how I am with it is how I get to feel the real me.

341. Thank you for sharing and demonstrating how even the most uncomfortable, and even painful, situations are an opportunity for learning and healing.

342. Thank you Jemma, You really show how much there is to be gained by seeing each situation as an opportunity for growth with honest observation and by paying attention to the body…and that the other choice is to ‘grit our teeth’ and bear through ‘unpleasant’ situations and not learn a thing!

343. This is a great read. I too am learning to be still and listen to my body that has been endeavouring to draw my attention to how I treat myself.

344. Great stuff Jemma, it really feels you have a lovely down to earth natural approach to moving forward as a student of life.

345. Thank you for this blog. As your story unfolds, the list of all the insights you gained from choosing to pay attention to the changes brought on from your operation were offers great revelations. Also you provide a lovely example of how beneficial it is to allow ourself the grace of going with the flow of what our body requires and to pay attention to the insights that come up in the process.

346. A remarkable blog sharing your experience of having wisdom teeth out and what it allowed you to see as you honoured the healing process and the wisdom of it all!

347. Thanks Jemma, as I too can relate to clenching my jaw. Your words were a reminder to feel what’s happening in my jaw which brings focus to the body. It’s really self loving to bring attention to any tension in the body and gently feel what’s going on. With the realisation of what may be going on it becomes a choice as to how to deal with it. I can either lovingly approach my tension and see it for what it is or keep it in its place by dismissing it. I choose to bring love to it.
     Your words have inspired me to connect in this moment to my jaw and really feel what’s being held there. In that I feel the love for me as my body releases what doesn’t belong.

348. Amazing awareness Jemma. Reading your blog has just has really brought me into my body right now , and allowed me to feel how I having been holding my shoulders with some tension. Building awareness of our body is an amazing support for our Wellbeing. Once listened to there are so many lessons to be learned.

     1. it’s one thing for me to realise that there is tension in my shoulders, another to release it and then really important for me to go back and re-check.

        When it’s cold I feel I get a real reminder – my shoulders can shoot up again by my ears so quickly – to question whether what I am wearing is keeping me warm enough or it is just an habitual response.

349. That really is an amazing learning to feel the anger through out your day by the clenching of your jaw, and to be able see that and change it. A massive blessing, and inspiration that we can look to any situation in life to help us learn.

350. What an incredible awareness to have and allow yourself to feel without judgement. Thank you for sharing.

351. A great blog and awareness from having your wisdom teeth out, leading to more understanding of your patterns, a true blessing.

352. Thanks for sharing this with us Jemma. I too am a jaw clencher and am aware of it at times, but this blog has inspired me to look and observe it more closely to see what I find.

353. Great blog Gemma, it’s interesting how our body holds onto anger and how it reflects it out if we do not deal with. The body is amazing, when it shows us what is going on. The key is to connect and feel the body, as the body never lies, it is the marker of truth.

354. Isn’t it amazing how much you don’t notice until forced by your body? I had all 4 wisdom teeth out at 22 but kept on going back to get the rest taken out thinking I had more. When really the pain was from my jaw bone that had been ground down so much from all the clenching and grinding I’d done in my life. I have had much dental work and had mouthguards to support me but by far the best help has been around leaving stimulants like cigarettes, alcohol and caffeine out of my life and having facial release massages by Universal medicine practitioners.. It feels amazing to learn to let my jaw (and anger) go!

355. A beautifully read, thank you for the inspiration.

356. It’s a wonderful opportunity for reflection when we get one of life’s ‘stop moments’. The chance to truly notice the reality of the way we’ve been living and to choose to start over if we wish.

357. It is great when we realize that these moments are blessings for us. There is a lot to be learnt. Even the realization of the importance of choosing the words to say rather than the constant throw away chatter we become accustomed to. There is an importance and value to everything that we do in every moment and when we get to feel that for ourselves it is an amazing learning for us all.

     1. I agree Jenny, and also there is, ‘an importance and value to everything that we do in every moment and when we get to feel that for ourselves it is an amazing learning for us all.’ So true, our every action has an ongoing impact to more than we can imagine.

358. I am another jaw clencher, Gemma, it seems there are so many of us, whereas we can think we are the only ones. The positive thing is that we can feel what we do and make choices when we become conscious of it. I find that when I release my jaw then my whole body relaxes downwards, because I have been holding myself up in tension, my shoulders drop and my hips undo and my feet meet the ground fully. It is almost as though we are hanging ourselves on a hook, and there is the question, what hook are we hanging ourselves on? Mostly likely the tension of holding all that anger in, as you mention. A great blog and reminder to be constantly feeling what is going on inside us through awareness of the body.

359. Thank you Jemma for your blog – I can feel I really needed reminding of how much I clench my jaw!

     I too have been experiencing problems with my back teeth – and like you I have learnt so much about my body and what it is trying to tell me. As you say I realised how much of the time I clench my jaw – even when doing seemingly gently things. It feels as though I have learnt that unless I am stubbornly in control the world will fall apart – and the opposite is the truth! The more I can let go of my jaw the more gentle and loving I can be with myself and those around me. For me it is a process that is ongoing and unfolding and this will support me to appreciate the wonder of my body.

360. Your blog has inspired me to check in with my body in more detail today and to observe more closely what it is telling me. Thank you.

     1. I’m the same Michelle… Not sure if this is a coincidence but my jaw has been so sore since reading this…!

361. Jemma I love the way you appreciate here what many might consider a nuisance and a pain and to instead consider it an event that revealed so much for you – how you had been living quite unaware of the tightness in your jaw and how that related to the anger and arthritis.

     1. Jemma I too love how you appreciate a medical procedure that you’d once have thought a nuisance actually brings revelation about how you were living and is actually a blessing. What a beautiful lesson in seeing which unloving choices created which particular physical ailments and how changing these ways of living heals them.

        I especially liked, ‘I didn’t feel I had to be something for them because I was using all my energy to focus on being gentle with myself and in this I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it.’ What a great opportunity you gave yourself for living this way. Reading this has helped me choose to look at the ways I live that then contribute to my body saying,’ ouch!’ often very loudly!

362. Hi Jemma. I love the realisations you came to about how often you clench your jaw during the day, and how you noticed you didn’t need to speak as much. All from having your wisdom teeth removed, amazing. I notice my jaw being tense during the day, but usually later and not at the time. What a gift to have been able to notice straight away due to the wisdom tooth removal operation.

363. A great sharing Jemma, it is amazing how there can be so much for us to learn from the each situation if we are willing to be aware of what our bodies are telling us. I could benefit so greatly from putting this into practice by checking tensions around the body and feeling into what is underneath those tensions. I also loved your sharing of how the jaw pain made you pause before speaking, then feeling how to say it and huge difference that this made. Thank you.

364. I enjoyed reading your article ….’I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it’….this is a brilliant revelation Jemma, thank you for sharing

365. Such a great blog Gemma, I could relate to much if what you shared. It is so great that through Universal Medicine presentations that life is indeed the greatest teacher. That very seemingly small events or happenings can reflect and teach us so much if we allow ourselves to feel. Your blog illustrates this beautifully. Great sharing thank you.

366. Great blog Jemma, I love how you found that by not speaking as much you could still communicate effectively. It just goes to show that we don’t always need a lot of words to get our message across and that it could also be less complicated.

367. I love how my body supports me in being more careful with myself. In the past I too would have found it annoying but now I can really appreciate it and see it as a blessing to look at how I have been living, and address what ever it is showing me. Our bodies are so intelligent and loving!

368. Hi Jemma, its great to read and reflect on. I’ve had heaps of anger and was always clenching my jaw and according to the dentist “grinding my teeth”. I’m not often aware of when I’m doing this and your article has shown me the importance of taking the time to express what I feel and allow myself to be aware of how my jaw (and rest of body) is – as I write this I can feel the tension in the jaw bone that I had not felt a few moments ago.

369. There is so much that our bodies will convey to us, when we have the inclination to listen. I recently had a bad back from lifting something awkwardly. Although it was painful and I could hardly move, it did make me so much more aware of how I use my body without much care.

370. A super blog Jemma. I too have noticed recently how I can unconsciously tense particular parts of my body, especially my stomach. It s a lovely feeling when you realise and just let the tension go. Reading this blog will make me more aware as I start my day.

371. As I read this I can feel how tight my own jaw is! at the same time how easy it is to just let it go from being held that way. I have felt that the more I choose to feel ‘me’ the less tense I feel. I have also felt that because I have held onto the tension of ‘I need to do this to be me’ thoughts and behaviors that daily self-loving choices need to be re-introduced to replace those old habits. With people like yourself sharing your experiences I feel that this is not a daunting or scary task as there is so much support and inspiration around for us to feel if we choose to.

     1. Yes we can come back to being ourselves again, together.

372. Jemma this is another great expose of how much the teachings of universal medicine can enhance and bring much greater awareness to our day to day life and bring about the real true changes that mean we can live life with out clenching our jaws! As a fellow angry person I can relate very much to what you have shared and particularly like your explanation on the building up of anger due to the lack of truly being you in your interactions.

373. Yes Jemma I so relate to judging ‘malfunctions’ in my body as a nuisance. I wonder how many times have I ignored my body trying to tell me something! Thankfully now, through Universal Medicine, I have the opportunity to accept these as stop and listen moments.. and to realise just how many many of these moments there are in a day.

     1. yes Gemma and Kathie, it has also been a huge change for me through the support of Universal Medicine, from thinking my body ailments are a distraction from life and a nuisance, to stopping and being aware of what is going on and taking appropriate action. Like you, Gemma, my jaw is a real indicator. To my horror I recently dsicovered how much I clench it all the time, something I hadn’t felt before.I don’t feel this is because I wasn’t clenching it, I just didn’t feel it. Now, with more and more conscious connection to my body there are parts of me that are showing me how much hardness, anger and negativity I hold in my body, and so, as you say, live every day with that.

374. Yes Jemma I so relate to judging ‘malfunctions’ in my body as a nuisance. I wonder how many times have I ignored my body trying to tell me something! Thankfully now, though Universal Medicine, I have the opportunity to accept these as stop and listen moments.. and to realise just how many many of these moments there are in a day.

375. This is a great insight Jemma. ” I have come to be aware that this anger comes from not truly being me in many everyday situations and with a range of people in my life.” How often are we not ourselves and so the body hardens – this is something that I am looking at very closely – how much shoulders become tight, my jaw, stomach etc so thank you for expressing as it has brought it more in to my awareness.

     1. Jemma, I knew I had deep anger somewhere in my body, and the revelation that for you, it comes ‘from not truly being me’, came almost as a relief. Simple, now I can deal with it. Thank you.

        1. I’ve just re-read this, and I’m laughing, because the day after I posted this reply I went down with the flu. I knew it was my body giving me a huge clearing of anger and sadness, but felt so poorly I forgot I had asked for it!!! Our body is such a wonderful tool, I won’t be taking mine for granted again.

        2. That is great. It illustrates the power of sharing through these blogs and comments.

376. Thanks Jemma this is great, while reading this I became aware of my own jaw and noticed the tension I am holding in there. I love how you used the experience of getting your wisdom teeth out to learn more about how you lived during the day and how you can make changes to support your growth.

377. Wow Gemma, this is great, very inspiring, I loved reading ‘as my jaw was very tender I tried not to talk as often and to my surprise found that I could still communicate effectively, if not better, with fewer words’.

378. Hi Gemma, great blog, I can really relate to being able to communicate better with fewer words. It is great the level of awareness the removal of your wisdom teeth brought to you and how that allowed you to address your anger.

379. Awesome blog Gemma,thank you for bringing to my awareness the relationship between jaw clenching and anger. Where I have noticed that I clench my teeth is when I am swimming. Now having read you blog, I will check and feel in what other activities I clench my teeth.

380. Dear Jemma you are an inspiration. So simply put and honest and what a beautiful understanding you have shared about why you felt angry. Most often with anger we go at the world more forcefully blaming the world for our woes, when what you have done is taken responsibility for your part in why you felt angry. Brilliant.

381. Well said Ariana, and thank you Jemma for this beautiful article which reminds us to keep reflecting on how, why and in what situations we still tense/clench/curl the various parts of the body – and how much it hurts!

382. Ha! A true meaning of wisdom teeth. Thank you for a great article.

     1. Love the humour Mary… and totally agree.

383. I Love this blog Jemma Moses. You really express from your heart and I can feel that.
     I know many people who would enjoy reading this and learn something as I have done.
     What stopped me was when you said “self care should be a natural activity”. It made me realise how far as a society we have deviated from this natural state and that today we need to introduce self care.
     I had to learn and got a lot of support from Serge Benhayon teachings and workshops together with regular sessions with Universal Medicine Practitioners.
     It has been life changing and today I help others to self care as that is my job and I love it !

     1. Yes Bina, self care should be a natural activity. I too have learnt to self care as a result of attending Universal Medicine workshops. My quality of life has significantly improved as a result. Its great that you are spreading the word and helping other do the same through your work.

     2. Yes Bina, I too have brought self care into my life with support from Segre Benhayon and Universal Medicine and it has transformed my life in many ways. I agree as a society we need to introduce self care.

384. Great blog Jemma, timely reminder and a super revelation that ‘you will be OK in the world even if you are not being something for it’. Thanks for sharing

     1. I did not notice that revelation from the blog, Tim. Yes, it is a super one and feels so relevant.

385. Awesome revelation. Also learning to feel/listen to one’s body and change one’s perspective of ‘inconveniences’ to ones of opportunities to learn, as it has been presented by Universal Medicine is a great gift.

386. Before coming to Universal Medicine I would have been like you Jemma not aware of my body and the messages it was giving me, and I would have seen having my wisdom teeth out as an inconvenience and interruption in my life. Our body speaks very loudly and it was lovely to share your experience of the message you had from having your wisdom teeth out.

387. Hi Jemma, It’s surprising how many parts of the body we tighten and I’m not sure I had really observed the jaw so I will be from this moment on, thanks for the inspiration!

388. Thank you Jemma, I too had the situation where my jaw would lock and I couldn’t yawn and with the help from the Universal Medicine practitioners I am pain free and I am more aware and check my jaw every morning before I start my day. Thank you for the reminder of how important it is to pay attention to the way we are with our bodies.

     1. Thank you for sharing about how you check your jaw every morning. I am going to start doing this. Thanks Julie

389. Amazing Jemma, you easily show how there is always the potential to learn from everything the body shows us and more so with an illness or disease or situation that calls for us to deepen our self care or stop and bring attention to how we are in our everyday movements and behaviours rather than adding to the dilemma with more anger or resentment that the body is restrictive for a short time. Awesome, thank you!

390. Ah wonderful Jemma.
     My heart feels soothed by reading this and again it gives me the opportunity to reflect and feel how I can push and bash myself. I deserve gentleness. I love what you say about believing that you had to be different things for different people and that by focusing on being gentle with you, you could still communicate and even with fewer words. Lovely!

391. Awesome Jemma. I have seen so many patients leave the surgery after having their wisdom teeth extracted, and continue their day like they have just blown their nose! Completely in disregard and not honouring how they are truly feeling and what their bodies may need at that time. What an amazing experience and opportunity for you to go through. Well done.

392. The part where you write about not talking as much but saying more reminded me of something Lady Astor once said which refers to what you are writing and I can relate to a lot: “We women talk too much, but even then we don’t tell half what we know.”

     My first memorable intro to the power of fewer words was one time in my teens when I went out in the evening in my newly given car and didn’t come back home all night. Nothing sinister went on, just hanging around with friends but I did not bother to phone my parents to let them know I was ok so they wouldn’t worry, especially that I might have had an accident being a fairly fresh driver! The next day I dreaded my dad coming back from work (he had left for work before I came back) and ‘an hour lecture’ I was going to get as well as a possibility of the keys to my driving engine being ‘confiscated’! He surprised me by simply saying hello to me and: “this was not ok”. At the time, I wished he had said lot more – because the power of those very few words was far greater and more painful for me to feel the consequence of my behaviour (my parents’ sleepless night and a tremendous worry!). I never repeated this.

     1. Hi Dragana I love your sharing of what Lady Astor once said, it is so true, and your story is a great reminder of the power of a few words.

     2. ‘this was not ok’. its such a powerful statement Dragana. Often When making a statement, even complimentary ones. I find myself trying to qualify it, and as you said, that reduces the impact of those words. What a gem Jemma has given us, to take time before we use words, and not waffle on for ages. Those silent spaces are golden.

     3. Great quote. I will remember that one.
        And great example of how the expression of specific words that are needed of a situation is so powerful. Thank you for this sharing.

393. Hi lovely Jemma,
     I love your blog, i have read it several times now because i feel its really healing for me.
     Thank you for sharing this, it came at the perfect time.

     1. My pleasure Mariette. I loved writing it and love the further sharing that comes of it with the comments.

394. Awesome body work Jemma!

395. Great post. Universal Medicine has certainly supported me to know that medicine is something that occurs every day and is very much linked to how I look after myself.

396. Jemma, your story has really been an eye-opener for me. Or should I say jaw-releaser, as it really brought to the surface the same issue that I knew existed, but not to the extent that I was able to feel into after reading your post. Very inspiring for me, and I look forward to the unfolding that will inevitably follow as I also bring my attention to it more.

     1. That’s awesome. Great that my experience and sharing could help you come to the same awareness.

397. What wondrous insights you have shared and brought to our attention, Jemma. I hadn’t stopped to consider when I clenched my jaw and now know I do from reading your list. Quiet anger is quite insidious if you aren’t aware of where and when it is expressed. I used to grind my teeth in my sleep – there’s something there in that too for me to see now as well.

     1. I too used to grind my teeth. There can be tendency (well for me anyway) to say ‘Great I no longer grind my teeth’ and therefore I must not be angry, agitated, anxiety etc. It is so important to keep going. Although it is more subtle I still hold my jaw in hardness. I have found once I let go of one layer of hardness I am more sensitive to another layer of hardness.
        Yes I agree quiet anger is very insidious. It is very clearly shown in the hardness in my body.
        Brilliant that we can share to help each other reveal this.

398. Thank you Jemma for sharing your experience. Your lines about talking with less words and taking your time to feel what to say and to just be gentle with yourself very inspiring, It would be so wonderfull if everyone could allow themselves to feel before they speak. This post is yet another step in that direction! I am very glad you shared it.

     1. I agree Lieke, how great would it be if we all felt before we opened our mouths and spoke!

399. When I became aware of my jaw clenching I was also amazed at how often I did this, along with curling my toes and shoulders it was present for the majority of my day. It is amazing the difference that came about upon just bringing my attention to these things. Thanks Jemma for your timely contribution.

     1. Hi!
        Wonderful that you mention the curling of your toes because i have the same. For me it feels like holding back but the amazing thing is, since a while i have this feeling that my feet have become bigger and people say its not possible because feet dont grow anymore when you are 40 but i know its because i put my feet AND toes more flat on the ground…..so yes it is possible for feet to grow ( :

        1. Thank you Mariette and Toni, just by bringing awareness to these areas I am able to let go more.

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