by Ruth Ketnor, Frome, UK
At the age of 29 I gave up on having cervical smear tests. I found them so extremely painful and distressing that I decided I wasn’t going there again.
At the age of 50 I had to have a smear test as one of a series of tests (note I said had to). I went to the appointment in dread of what was coming and felt a lot of tension. With a very caring nurse we tried 3 times after which we called it a day, as it was still so painful.
The next year I attended a group in which Natalie Benhayon presented Sacred Movement. When starting this gentle and very subtle movement of my pelvis I felt pain and a real tightness, a hardening I had been holding in my pelvic area, particularly on the right side. As I did the movement in the classes and then daily at home, these symptoms cleared from my body quickly, the movement becoming more flowing, even, and as if my body was naturally doing it rather than me intentionally doing it.
Five months later, I felt it was the right time to have another smear test, this time as a loving choice for myself. I booked the appointment as a loving choice for me, supporting myself in my own health care. I supported myself with further loving choices, nurturing myself before and after the procedure. In the waiting room I focused on staying present with myself. I went through the usual questions with the nurse, who was quite rushed with her busy job.
She then said to get up on the table ready for the test. I wasn’t moving. I said: “Before we go any further, I need to explain something to you”. She sat down, put down her questionnaire and really listened. I briefly told her my history and said: “I need this to go very slowly and very, very gently”. She instantly changed, slowed her pace down and it felt like she was treating me rather than doing her job. I then got on the table and she gave me a blanket to cover myself, which I had not had before.
We took time to make sure I was comfortable and relaxed. We had a dialogue through the whole procedure; the nurse saying what she was going to do in each next step, checking with me all the time that it was ok and me saying how it was for me and if I needed it done differently. There was no rushing and I didn’t feel like I was the next one in. She also gave me time afterwards to sit and recover, which I didn’t need, as things had gone so smoothly and gently.
It was an amazing procedure, the nurse so gentle and caring. All I had was mild discomfort during the procedure and afterwards was able to continue my day as normal, with no discomfort or pain at all. I felt very cared for and nurtured through the whole procedure, being given all the time I needed. I thanked the nurse, telling her she had been amazing.
My loving choices before and during the procedure led it to be a light, supportive experience with an attentive caring nurse.
I was inspired to communicate what would support me during this procedure, and to support myself with loving choices, from the workshops/presentations with Serge Benhayon. Normally I would have gone along with what was asked and had lingering feelings of distress/trauma afterwards. This time I walked out smiling and continued my day. After 21 years the test came back clear.
For me, a profound, deep healing has come as a result of doing the Sacred Movement. This has allowed me to make healing choices for myself, including having a cervical smear as part of caring for my body. I have found that all the presentations of Universal Medicine offer a deep healing and inspire me to make more loving choices.
With deep thanks and appreciation for the presentations, teachings and wisdom from Serge Benhayon and the Benhayon family and for their true and consistent support in my healing process.
Medicine and Serge Benhayon 
Serge Benhayon and the whole Benhayon family have supported me immensely to heal deep wounds, to them I am deeply grateful for they have inspired me to see, feel and claim my own magnificence.
This is a brilliant sharing about smear tests becoming much more comfortable than before. I haven’t had the same experience as you, in that I have reluctantly gone ahead and had the tests, and found them quite painful and at times left feeling violated even though the person hasn’t meant it from that intent.
It is so important with any tests that care and attention is offered to every patient, or client in anything that is performed on them. We are all deserving of this loving attention.
What a difference taking greater care before a procedure can make, Ruth!
It makes a world of difference when a person is asked to slow down and be ultra considerate when doing a procedure that can be extremely painful and distressing. It makes me wonder how many women grit their teeth and bares the pain without saying anything. Well done Ruth for speaking up – by all accounts it sounds like it activated the natural caring side of the nurse that can so easily be forgotten when we are busy or overworked.
Agree Julie, the ‘natural caring side of the nurse can so easily be forgotten when we are busy or overworked’. I feel this statement is relevant in every profession, the ‘caring’ part is crucial in providing a service to everything and everyone.
Amazing domino effect of how taking responsibility for your healing, Ruth, and bringing that healing to your interaction and connection with the nurse allowed her to bring herself back to the truly sensitive, caring woman she is despite being buried under all the chilled formalities of just getting through her day.
I love this about this story. When we are transparent and honest, allowing others to see our fragility the love we invite them to offer supports them too!
Communicating with the nurse was a reminder of her natural caring that brought her into nursing and, how you both were with this procedure, will be for the benefit of all patients she tends.
When we communicate what would be supportive to ourselves we are claiming our self worth.
This is very inspiring and made me ponder on how often I have obliged myself to comply with a protocol simply because it was what I was supposed to do, and I didn’t want to be a ‘trouble’ or ‘too sensitive’ and I can feel how common that is amongst women. I can feel how I could be loved more by me.
I love this blog for it really shows how we can change our relationship with the world just by caring more deeply for ourselves.
Wow this is a great testament both to how much you progressed in looking after yourself and how powerful modalities like sacred movement are in releasing stuck parts of our body. It also proves to me that our approach is everything and we 100 percent govern our approach to life so 100 percent govern the outcome also.
It’s amazing how simple everything becomes when we give ourselves the permission to deeply feel our body, by honouring and making possible the most loving way to treat it anywhere.
It is our connection to ourselves and all others that is deeply healing and the lack of it that hurts us so.
Beautifully said. We hurt our bodies, we hurt our own growth, development and evolution, and our relationships with ourselves and all others when we choose to not connect, be and live who we truly are.
Ruth a great example of how people change when we are up front and honest, and how honouring others can be of our situation. and how through that honesty and change an outcome can be very different.
This is a lovely read, it shows how we can change our experiences in life by trusting how we feel, letting people know what our needs are, and being gentle and loving with ourselves. If we see an experience as something we “have to go through”, we are already bracing for and expecting the discomfort, rather than feeling empowered and working with the person supporting us to provide the gentleness and level of care we need.
A couple of months ago I braved another go at a smear test. This time was so different and like you Ruth I cared for myself before hand, communicated to the nurse before and during. By the end I was laughing because it was so simple when that caring, gentle approach was taken. I hugged the nurse and no longer feel afraid of smear tests because I have the experience that it can be pain free.
Brilliant Leigh. How lovely when we take responsibility for ourselves, stay committed to our own self care and nurturing and communicate to those around us what is going on. I can feel the joy you brought to the treatment room and the lightness and freedom that you allowed.
I can feel how this must have been a very special moment for the nurse as well. It sounds like she had a very different experience from her usual routine – having a woman who has prepared herself so lovingly that she was able to communicate what was needed to support her during the procedure, and for her to be able to offer that support. Very beautiful.
I fînd that also Fumiyo, that wherever I am if I have prepared myself lovingly and feel connected to my stillness people around me begin to shift (and often quite quickly) into their own love and stillness.
Very beautiful, the way that you took the time to connect with the nurse out of respect for yourself. This deeply held inwardly looking / outwardly expressing relationship with the world is something very powerful.
Agreed Shami, regardless of the situation that connection is key and allows the basis for true care and healing, a great reflection.
That nurse was obviously gentle and caring as it was all there for you when you asked for it, but I wonder if she would have been that way if you had not asked for it. Yes, I think some of it, but I don’t think all of it. By you asking for it, you activated more of it in her, you took responsibility for what you wanted and in turn it was there for you, and you brought out more of her as well. Total win win in my books.
This is a great sharing Ruth, it is so important to speak up and know that you are being heard, Cervical smears are a necessity for our health, and when we proceed with love and honesty our body naturally responds.
Asking for what we need, be it in a medical setting or elsewhere is so important. This made all the difference when you had a cervical smear test this time – beautiful. “My loving choices before and during the procedure led it to be a light, supportive experience with an attentive caring nurse.”
‘My loving choices before and during the procedure led it to be a light, supportive experience with an attentive caring nurse.’ By you opening up and telling her exactly what you needed you connected to the nurse and she could stop her usual rush and serve with care for you as a patient.
That is a breakthrough and very simply achieved. Are there others?
I too have avoided smear tests due to the pain, the previous ones were so traumatising. I loved reading the simplicity of your communication with the nurse and I thought to myself ‘I can do that’ as I am comfortable with sharing how I feel to others…I may just book an appointment in, why not.
I am not aware of an equivalent for men but to do something we never managed before can be very liberating and feel like a big expansion.
Wow Ruth, what a great claiming this is. Due to your clear communication she stopped and listened and provided the care that you needed. Just beautiful. A real example of how we can call people back into their loving nature by being in ours. Thank you for sharing.
Rebecca exactly, it’s an amazing lesson for us all in how we can be with ourselves, and therefore with others including medical professionals to support them to understand the quality and care in what the action is they do that is so important and the impact this has.
wow it feels like you really touched the nurse and offered her a big healing as well and therefore the next clients she sees.
This is inspiring Ruth to really ask what you feel you need instead of just letting the procedure come over you because ‘that is just how life is’, as we say way too easily.
This is a beautiful example Ruth of how building relationships with our medical practitioners supports us to feel more empowered and lovingly prepared for any procedure or treatment plan we may need to undergo.
Ruth, thank you for sharing, it was a joy to read. I too had a similar experience where I was to have a pap smear and the nurse came in quite rushed and very functional. I took the time to connect with her as I was more than her 12 o’clock vagina (so to speak!) and we connected as people. Beyond the role of nurse/client – as people. It was only for a moment, but it was enough. I felt much more comfortable and the process was quite easy.
This is very inspiring. It’s just beautiful how the nurse got pulled out of her busy-ness in response to the quality you have established with and for yourself and calling her with.
When we care for ourselves the body gets fed back care and love.
Beautiful Ruth, what comes across from reading your words today is the absolute power our choices have. And how when we ignore parts of our body and who we are, we resist addressing the issues that are there. And this resistance leads to difficulty and pain that seems to confirm it’s right to keep blocking it all out. It’s confirming here to read and see that when we actually go for it and embrace life and all it brings, there is also a way forward that will support us back.
A great testimonial for Sacred Esoteric Movement, and for expression too, when we are able to express with great honesty, we are able to change another’s actions, as you did with the nurse and through that expression there is a greater connection.
Thanks for sharing this Ruth, I have had similar painful experiences when having smear tests and have avoided getting a more recent one. Inspired… I will make similar steps to you in supporting myself for my next test.
When we get to the point where we truly want to change, we will make it happen. The needed tools and modalities will be on hand for us to go forward with what is planned. What you share here Ruth makes it incredibly clear that the way we move is super powerful and when we know our sacredness the future plans and assignments are taken care of – there is no stress when we move in true connection.
As a different point of view, I too have always found cervical smears painful and braced my body in preparation for them. I also generally had to have them once per year because of abnormal cells. This year I had a follow-up, I totally allowed my body to relax, I didn’t brace, and I talked to the nurse about how sensitive I am. The appointment was simple, and as a result, I was totally clear for the first time. It was a confirmation of the way I have been living.
The direct link to how you are to then how the world reflects back to you is becoming more and more clear. It’s not I guess that it wasn’t so clear before it’s more that I avoided it so well that it made it appear ‘it’ was unclear. The movements we make through life bring with it certain lessons or certain reflections and with these we can either change our movements to heal or discard certain patterns, or we can keep choosing them and receive a very similar outcome, over and over. This article is an example of a person changing the way they are, the quality of their movement that then supported what when on to them to also reflect that change, extremely powerful and you could say responsible.
What a beautiful example of being met with a true quality of caring from the nurse of which can be an important part of the healing process along with our own engagement with own treatment.
A beautiful sharing of the power of Sacred Movement and how our commitment to this practise can heal so much in us, contributing to change in behaviour, old held patterns, beliefs and stuck energy, inspiring more loving choices bringing us to a place of freedom, flow, health and appreciation.
To feel like the nurse was treating you in your uniqueness rather than simply doing her job and you being a number in her line-up of patients for the day would undoubtedly have to provide a great foundation for healing.
Thank you for sharing not only how you have embraced medical support but the quality and care in which you approach that, not from fear or concern but with love and care, which as I am understanding is key. I used to think it was about what we do that is most important, but each day I see more and more it’s the quality in which we do what we do that is most key.
One can never underestimate the power of connection. This is a gorgeous blog showing when we allow another to see our vulnerability, support is on offer, we don’t need to do it alone (note to self).
Absolutely incredible, good on you for stating your history and asking the nurse to be gentle, that is actually very brave because in that cold clinical environment sometimes it can be tricky to wear your heart on your sleeve.
It is interesting to note how often we override the feeling to ask for a deeper level of care when we are in need of support. There is a holding back that often stops us from communicating loud and clear what will support the client and ourselves and in time builds a quality in the relationship that is based on openness.
Reading this really brings home the quality of the procedure, as in is the nurse rushed, is this just another smear test on a long list of smears performed that day, is there any true interaction between the nurse and the client, or is it all performed on a functional level. Could it be that we feel more than we are willing to accept when, that often cold metal object is pushed into the most precious, delicate part of our bodies, and that we can feel the disconnection of the person who is inserting the object.
Ruth what you did speaks volumes and clearly changed the energy of the nurse that day, or at least during your procedure.
I love how an invasive medical procedure can end up being a reflection of the loving choices you make for yourself and your choice to express in honesty what is truly needed. The benefits of applying the wisdom of the Universal Medicine teachings truly has no bounds in the many ways that healing can occur in our lives.
A powerful sharing Ruth, there are so many women for whom this blog would support. Taking responsibility for our health and our healing is powerful and very tangible in its flow on effects.
An amazing example of the power of Sacred Movement but also the way in which your preparation for the procedure and expression of your needs to the nurse inspired her to connect to what was needed and drop into her tenderness. Thank you for sharing your transformational and inspiring healing which is a gift for all women.
It is very beautiful to feel through developing a loving relation with ourselves, how we are innately guided to know what is needed to support us to honor our connection to our love, to who we are, to the love we deserve to live.
It’s beautiful to feel the reflection of your loving choices in the way the nurse responded to you. A true confirmation that the quality of energy we emanate to the world is the quality that will come back.
Yes Ruth, like you up until recently, my pap smears were really quite painful, but the last time, I just kept staying with my body and going really gently beforehand and I just let go in my body while on the table and it didn’t hurt at all, which was such a relief.
A willingness to love and be loved will always ensure that one arises above any trust issues they might otherwise have.
It’s great to know exactly what you need for your body and your own personal well-being and be able to convey it with authority to people like you did here, especially when it comes to our health, it feels like a super important aspect of our self-care and our ability to live our lives without bending and swaying all the time to whatever is going on around us.
This is a beautiful confirmation of the benefits of conventional medicine that is there with all the expertise and knowledge combined with esoteric medicine which is our own responsibility in how we care for and prepare ourselves for any procedure in the way we live.
It is interesting to read how much we can feel resistance in our body if we are not with it and give it the care, the nurturing and attention that it deserves because it is divine. Only then when we connect to that reality we can truly appreciate and care for our body and go for any test or support when needed.
I too have found it difficult to have a smear test done, and while speaking with the doctor, we made a plan which was to come back when the doctor was not feeling overwhelmed and pressured by the next appointment and there was plenty of time to prepare without feeling any rush to get it done.
I have had a similar experience Ruth of claiming how smear tests in the past has been traumatic, letting the nurse know this and the nurse being so gentle and caring. We need to claim this gentleness and care for ourselves first – and when we do, the world then responds.
Indeed Katerina, that is the beauty of reflection. When we live to a certain quality that is then reflected through our being and in everything that we do and through that people then have the possibility to respond to that reflection and allow that same quality that also lives in them to come out and live in full again.
This is really amazing Ruth, I can imagine there are many other women out there who have experienced exactly the same thing. We as women do not typically have a connection with our sacredness, I didn’t even know what that meant and am still really working it out to be honest, so to link that you can actually change your experience of something like a smear test, when you do connect more to oneself as a woman, is really quite extraordinary and truly amazing.
What a change from having to have a smear test to having one as a loving choice for yourself, supporting your own health care. And you were treated by a nurse who could open up because you chose to be open and vulnerable and became instantly a true nurturing and caring nurse, a nurse in the true meaning of the word.
We as humans, and particularly as women, can often shut down a part of our body without being consciously aware that we have done so until a situation like this occurs. By reclaiming our body as our own and not simply subjecting it to the ideals and beliefs that seek to impose on us externally, we reclaim our true power as women – a love and a truth to be shared with all.
Cervical smear tests are such an issue for so many women, and many put the tests off because of that. The insights offered here of the significant impact of self caring and self loving choices on our relationship with our body and the effect of that on our experience of these tests is huge. It would be a great support if this information was included on the educational leaflets distributed about such topics.
I love coming back to this blog for it feels so supportive of our own self care and inspires me to up my commitment to this in my own life.
A lovely example of, by taking responsibility for oneself, Ruth has transformed a situation into a process of healing and self realization.
To be given the time and care Ruth came from your willingness to share the self-care levels you had nominated were needed to have this procedure. It is great to witness that when we choose to make more loving choices and openly allow another to feel our fragility and concerns there is always time to provide what is needed. This blog is showing how woman are able to support one another from an understanding that there is no perfection, as we have all carried our own fears over the years.
When we go through life in fear and dread, what we avoid will always come back for us to re-visit and re-learn. What our bodies is asking us to re-imprint is, are we willing to live the love that we are this time around? There is never judgement from our body, just constant love to allow us to truly see, the choices and the movements we make and what they reflect. Recently, I had re-experienced an illness that used to re-occur very often and that I had a judgement on, and that moment instead of falling back into judgement of myself from the past, I felt a clear choice to experiment, what if, I live this day, despite illness or no illness, to live as a Son of God? Returning to expressing myself in truth, cleared most of the symptoms of the illness in one day.
The level of care that you had been living with up until your second smear test must have been obvious to the nurse and your request for deep care during the process only natural. Her giving you a blanket is such a simple and caring gesture in itself. If we all were to start asking for what we really feel we need to support us in these procedures it is possible we could change the way they are conducted from here on in.
The cervix is a chalice, a vessel through which our divinity and sacredness pours into our simple daily movements and tasks. Yet as women we have learnt to withdraw from this expression and in this withdrawal we harden and contract away from this seat of true sacredness. Re-connecting to our bodies and the natural rhythm within them allows us to re-connect to our innate divinity and through bringing the expression of this out into the world we can help inspire others to also re-connect with and express this undying light.
I am realising more and more that the events in our lives are what they are because of how we are in between those events. This is a beautiful example of how your own self care and nurturing supported you wholeheartedly in your procedure the second time round.
Sharing these experiences of asking for support are so important because they support other women to do the same. This changes the culture that is okay and necessary to speak up and express our needs. Thank you Ruth.
Thank you for sharing Ruth, I had a cervical smear test yesterday, so great to read this today, and would have been even more great to read this the day before I had the test. My Doctor asked me how it was, as she knows I can find them uncomfortable, and I replied I’m walking out smiling, and I appreciated the time and care she had given me.
Thank you Ruth, it goes to show what happens when we commit to ourselves in the most loving way,
“My loving choices before and during the procedure led it to be a light, supportive experience with an attentive caring nurse.” My feeling is that nurse may have been inspired to treat other women differently and thus more gently after this Ruth. Who knows how far our ripples go out into the world?
A beautiful example of the very powerful difference our choices can make not only to ourselves but also to others.
How lovely to hear about someone taking responsibility for an aspect of life where dis-empowerment is rife, and feeling the consequent empowerment.
My last smear test was done by a nurse who started off being very hyper and rushed. She was behind schedule because of dealing with a very serious medical emergency that morning and knew patients might be in a mood from having to wait past their appointment time. I assured her that I wasn’t annoyed and appreciated that the time the medical profession takes with each customer sometimes needs to take longer than the allotted time slots. She then relaxed a bit and performed the examination without rushing.
Wow Ruth, your blog shows the importance of expressing how we feel. Your honesty made the nurse come out of her autopilot rushing mode, and simply take care of you, her patient. It was probably great for her to slow down and take her time with you too.
Beautiful Ruth, expressing to the nurse how you felt and asking to be treated as the precious being you are and she responded by dropping the tick-box agenda of ‘next’ and reconnected to the loving care that had brought her to choose nursing as a career.
It’s so simple and so gorgeous isn’t it? The power of our reflection igniting in another the same quality they equally are also – love.
It’s amazing how it only takes a moment for someone to remind us that we are a person too for a connection and relationship to be established. We all crave connection and yet can so easily sacrifice it because of being too busy or any other reason you can think of, so it’s a real stop moment when someone offers us this connection. It’s like our being becomes whole again as we bring our wandering mind back to being present – and then time expands as our connection with each other becomes our focus. It’s our natural way to be.
I too have felt that I am constantly inspired to make more loving choices with every Universal Medicine event I attend. It’s pretty amazing how consistent the presentations are in this respect.
It is amazing what unfolds when we truly claim what is needed to support ourselves. i love the way you just knew what was true for you at that moment and gently and firmly let the nurse know how you felt. I feel you offered both of you a valuable stop moment and an opportunity for the nurse to bring herself back to her true role, and I am sure everyone after you then got a gentle caring experience too. A true healing for everyone.
It is quite extraordinary what is on offer from Universal Medicine in terms of modalities that support us to be more at ease with our bodies. Very inspirational thank you.
Heaven is at our door if we simply leave it open.
Ah the simplicity of an open door policy 🙂
Wow, we all have this capability to make every moment as caring and gentle as the procedure you describe here Ruth. If we consider each movement throughout the day, every one is equally deserving of the tenderness and understanding that we are precious but infinitely strong, delicate and not at all wrong, sweet but vulnerable too. So whether it is typing a letter or cooking a meal, hugging a brother or driving a car, let us take this tender way out to the world, in full.
We only have to be reminded to connect, either verbally or through reflection to remind us we have a choice, as you did with the nurse Ruth. Within us all is a knowing of our tenderness and fragility as women, it’s in our rush we lose our connection, and think efficiency, and procedure, are more important that the relationship with the person.
What a great article… I loved it when you actually stopped and talked to the nurse… a whole new paradigm was opened up… and this is the beauty of communication… it can change so many things in our lives,
I have recently spent a short period in hospital. I recall similar potentially traumatic situations, which for me are having blood taken or any other invasive procedures. I too have been building a greater level of love and tenderness within my body and when the person was rushed, agitated or simply preoccupied with something else, I could feel something was not right. I too found as soon as I would explain to the person how I felt and what my needs where bam I could see the love was back in their eyes and the whole process would be performed with so much tenderness. Not that long ago I too would have just tightened myself in self protection, would have put up with whatever was going on and later would sit with the ‘proof’ that people did not care. But the fact is they do, everyone cares, but we all lose it at times and all it takes is for another to remind us of all that we are, by expressing from all that they are.
Wow – how we approach things can make such a difference. if we hold onto the ‘bad experience’ in our bodies, then it is always there ready to reawaken the next time- but if we are willing to let this go, see each moment as a clean slate where nothing is held onto – then we are open to that experience and chances are it will be completely different because we have no tension in our bodies.
Ruth, this is amazing – I love the fact that you have been able to turn things around by simply choosing to connect to your body through sacred movement, and allowing yourself the space to really honour and respect and care deeply for yourself – in this process it is like the body then trusts us again! Thank you for this amazing sharing!
Trusting ourselves enough to ask for what we need allows others to connect more deeply too. I could feel the partnership you both developed when having the procedure done – true support and understanding.
Deep appreciation for the leadership and love offered by Natalie Benhayon that supported you and supports us all to connect with the amazing and already complete women (and men) that we are. Amazing how we can heal when we love ourselves!
What deeply impressed me was how the nurse wanted to be tender, caring and nurturing and when offered permission and the space, ‘dropped’ into that role, or perhaps beyond any role, then naturally knew how and what to do and performed it brilliantly.
Whichever field of work we are in, when we rush through things we miss out on making true connections with people. When this happens something deeply important is missing. In my experience we can all feel it, but usually we accept it – because we are all busy and in a rush to get things done. My feeling is it is very much worth slowing down and connecting with what we do and the people we are serving – and even as Ruth has shared here, as the patient, client or customer, we can choose this too. Connecting with ourselves and then to others makes a big difference in our lives and in our work, bringing what is at present a rare gift to our days.
Thank you for sharing this Ruth. Obviously as a man, I don’t have to deal with smear tests but it is inspiring to read the way you claimed how you needed the procedure to go – and how the nurse responded. There are similar situations we men have to deal with sometimes and your blog will be a great support in remembering to be self-loving and honour our right to claim how we choose to be treated.
Ruth this is an inspirational sharing. The healing that comes about from Sacred Movement is subtle but deeply reflected in our choices thereafter. Your experiences with the pap smear is a great example of how this can play out … and taking the time to communicate what you needed – that is super inspiring. Sharing our vulnerability is such an intimate and powerful way of connecting with others.
I agree hartanne60, Sacred Movement is a powerful healing modality.
“My loving choices before and during the procedure led it to be a light, supportive experience with an attentive caring nurse”.
There is no doubt about it Ruth if we make loving choices, as you did, we are held and supported. Your blog is a clear example that we have the power to heal ourselves.
I love how you shared with the nurse honouring what you felt. The power of expressing from our bodies along with connecting with our sacredness as women, supports us to lead the way for other women to reclaim themselves.
This is a beautiful reminder Ruth of what lies within every woman, and when we reconnect to this, our sacredness can seriously move mountains… and change the landscape of our experience and others.
What a great sharing. Many women don’t want to take a smear test because it is too painful or they are afraid. I have had many tests and procedures around my uterus and cervix and even though it is not my favorite thing to do, I can now relax. What really helps me is my breathing and like you, it is the choices I make before that supports me when I am lying at my GP.
It’s remarkable to see that the changing factor here in the equation was actually you Ruth. By looking inwardly and shifting within yourself, the entire test and everything around you completely changed. Responsibility changes everything.
Wow Ruth. The way that Sacred Movement deepens our relationship with ourselves is immeasurable – for it touches everything; and this is a gorgeous testament to the fact.
From what I have experienced from the Sacred Movement classes held by Natalie Benhayon I can whole heartedly state that Sacred Movement is a gift from Heaven for it restores the innate divinity that forever resides deep within the body of a woman but that often lies buried beneath the rubble of all that is imposed on us in regard to how we ‘should be’ as women in the world, rather than honour how we naturally ARE as women and the transformational effect our expression of this has on the world in which we live.
I just did a Sacred a Movement session with Natalie Benhayon this evening. What is so beautiful is that it is already all there within us all. We don’t have to dig to find it, we just have to give permission to let it out.
What I love about what you have shared with us here Ruth, is that the power to truly heal lies in our hands and not those who support us with this process. By deeply honouring yourself; your vulnerabilities, sensitivities and hurt, you were able to bring a deeply caring quality to what is otherwise a very routine procedure and in this way affect the manner in which you were treated and the ensuing outcome of what could have been a very traumatic situation. Reading this restores the trust many of us have lost in humanity, for it shows that deep down, and in an instant if the call is there, we each know that we are precious beings that deserve to be handled with complete tenderness and care. By making this call first, you were able to help the nurse arrest the momentum we get so caught up in to ‘get the job done’ and arise to the same level of deep care so that the healing could take place. A gorgeous sharing, thankyou.
Thank you for your beautiful story, you have expressed so clearly how the way we look at situations and the way we go into them has a huge bearing on the experience and the outcome. I so love the nurses response, it feels like you both were blessed by the occassion.
You might think that as a man a blog on this topic may be a bit difficult to respond to. Yet it is not true. What you illustrate so simply Ruth is that every minor or seeming small choice to look after and honour what it is we deserve, is powerful in a way that is beyond words. On the surface, we may see life as a series of unrelated and ‘unfortunate’ events, but what you show is just how much our health and true power lies in our own hands.
It can be very empowering seeing a medical practitioner when one has taken, or started to take, responsibility for one’s own health and well-being… To visit then becomes a proactive interaction with the outcome having much more potential for true healing.
What I really got from this blog is the different way we can experience things (regardless of situation, event, relationship etc.) when we bring our attention and focus back to self-care and the quality of the way we are with ourselves, first. By having this as our focal point, the quality of everything else that follows can then reflect the quality of the connection we have with ourselves, rather than expecting an event, relationship, situation etc. to bring us something that we ourselves are not already feeling or committing to ourselves.
How self honouring to be able to talk to the nurse giving the Pap smear about your experience in the past and what you needed right now to be able to relax and feel nurtured in the moment. I love that you used the Sacred Movement to such great effect on your whole body with a beautiful outcome such as yours, it just shows how we need to speak up and ask for what we (our bodies) need.
Yes I love this story also Ruth, I love the way you have so gently and tenderly honoured yourself (and other people) in the whole process; very inspiring.
I love this story – when we ask clearly for what we need, we give people the chance to be amazing.
Honouring just what you need without an ounce of judgement or apology, and sharing this with others lets everything flow. We think we are not allowed to live this way, but as you show Ruth the simple choices to express our true delicateness provide us with an amazing strength.
When we are loving and gentle with ourselves we offer everyone we meet a reflection that there might be a different way. This means that one person can indeed make a difference.
Thank you Ruth for reminding us that at any given time we can start to make self loving choices and how this can be healing for everyone involved.
Your blog to me reinforces the fact that gentleness has a huge positive impact on everything that we do.
Ruth this is such a powerful piece as it shows how through you expressing your truth and supporting your body, through not only the sacred movement but this procedure, that you were able to have a smear test that honoured you. It shows what is possible when we take the time to honour what we feel and express it to those around us. It was evident that your nurse then felt this, took the time to be present with you and what you received was not only a healing for you but for the nurse. She was shown the true power in being present with her patient and therefore allowed the true loving and caring her to come out. Amazing!
I still find smear tests really painful but what you have shared here is so helpful, in that doing Sacred Movement every day helps and to purposely ask the nurse to go gently. It also shows how in really important jobs we get complacent with the procedure and forget every person is different and although we have done the same job thousands of times it hasn’t been with them each time! It actually feels like you gave the nurse a blessing because by you stopping to be present and connect with her you helped her to come out of head stuff and focus with all of her on taking care of you and what needs to be done. I am sure the person she saw after you received better care and attention than they did if you had not been there and said what you had said.
What you allowed in this interaction Ruth was a ‘stop’ moment for that nurse and a reflection of how this process can actually be. I wonder how she went about the next Pap smear after you? It does not need to be a horrible procedure, and can be very lovingly done. You paved the way for them that day, that is for sure. The impact this is having on many other women thereafter cannot be underestimated too.
This a good point to consider and I have wondered before whether the interaction or approach with other patients thereafter changes. I know in the past when I was going through a series of mammograms and various tests and would make requests for blankets or pillows which to start with seemed like an inconvenience for the nurses, after a couple of visits I would be offered them without asking, so there can be a ripple effect.
I loved the way you listened and committed to your body with the sacred movement, the way you honoured yourself in the lead up to your pap smear, the way you communicated with the nurse and the tenderness you held yourself in afterwards. A beautiful example of how all our movements and choices build to support us where ever we are.
Wow Ruth! This is absolutely amazing. It’s hard to comprehend from the mind how it is possible this change could have happened in such a short space of time, which for me goes to show just how little the mind knows about what the body needs.
Thank you Ruth for a beautiful sharing of how self love and care can bring out that quality in others. It seems we get back what we give out in life.
I have had to have a few surgical procedures in the last few years… It seems like when the medical practitioner feels how proactive I am in my own self and health care, it really seems to bring out the best in them… I feel very met, and supported, and there is a sense of working together so I can remain fully active in this life.
This is a testimony to show the care you give yourself will be the care received by another especially when we express what our needs are. This has been exactly my experience with any tests or visits to the doctors or hospital. Thank you for sharing a personal and intimate experience.
If we all gave ourselves the grace to tenderly ask for care and understanding in life’s procedures, I wonder what the world would be like? What’s notable here is how supported by the Sacred Movement, you gave yourself this care and understanding Ruth. Amazing how then anxiety and nervousness and pain don’t come into the picture.
When you stopped the nurse and told her how gently and slowly you needed the procedure to be conducted and how the nurse changed immediately, actually brought me to tears. You can guarantee that would have been an absolute blessing and an honour for her to work with you in that way and be reminded of the level of tenderness and respect a procedure like that should be conducted in. I am sure that this would have not only supported you enormously as it did, but every other client she had from there in.
It is gorgeous how your dedicated love , care and honouring of yourself resulted in your experience changing from “I had to have it” relationship to the smear test to a “loving choice” and you staying connected with and caring of yourself throughout your session . I also loved how this resulted in a lovely change in the nurse who was met with that reflection, shows how our choices not only have a profound effect on our own life, but also deeply affect others.
After so much pain and trauma with your previous history of pap smears what an amazing experience it was to have your nurse slow down and listen to you so…’it felt like she was treating me rather than doing her job’. Beautiful Ruth.
Thank you for sharing Ruth – not only does this confirm the incredible level of connection offered to all women through sacred movement it also reminds us all how powerful the choice to be self loving is not only when it comes to medical treatments but everyday life too…
I could relate to your experiences Ruth and how painful it was to have a smear test. Because of my experience I decide to take more care on how I booked the next time and asked for the most experienced nurse and we sat down and talked about my worries before we began. It felt so much better and I came away with a different feeling from the previous time, there was no anxiousness or fear but a feeling of completion that I had honoured my feelings and expressed them rather than going along with what I felt I had to do and that I didn’t have a say in what was happening. A great learning and I now no longer avoid having a smear test.
It is very powerful when we express from our bodies honouring what we feel, and what is going to support our bodies more and it is a beautiful reflection to be given to others. Thank you Ruth for sharing your experience.
My last smear test I have had a similar experience because I was connected to me and just like you asked for a gentle and caring procedure the nurse became gentle herself and took the time and was very caring during the test. When I walked out of the door I was celebrating me and the steps I have made towards self love and care. It feels to me Ruth, we, women who are taking care for themselves in a loving way are the start of a more gentle and honouring approach of women in the healthcare. Let other women feel how sacred we are.
What a beautiful story Ruth, I love how you shared with the nurse – it sounded as if she received a healing too. My husband and I have been doing the Sacred Movement opposite each other every evening for well over a year now and it has been humongously beneficial and gorgeous on many levels. Such a wonderful, healing and intimate way to end the day.
Nicola what a joy to feel the healing and intimate way you end your day with your husband doing the Sacred Movement together, thank you for sharing.
Allowing ourselves the space to connect to this Sacred-ness is such a beautiful thing. Thank you for sharing Nicola 🙂
Yes and it is a lot of fun we always end up having a giggle at some point!
This is amazing, Ruth. You connecting with your gentleness and expressing in that quality with clarity inspired the nurse to connect with her own gentleness so that she was able to respond and take care of you where you were at. It’s so simple – yet I can now see how ‘expressing with clarity’ part has been where I often gave up and ended up with judgment.
Ruth, you have shown what a difference it makes when we validate ourselves and feel we are worth every bit of effort we put in to provide ourselves with a lovingly supportive experience. No surprises that the outcome was so positive :).
This is a great example of the power of truly claiming ourselves, and what a gift to the nurse, an opportunity for her to be released from the pattern of just getting the job done, and actually serve in the loving tenderness that she truly is.
What you have written here 1timrobinson is really important as often we can forget that people providing us with services’ are people too and that they can feel pressured to perform and get the job done. Ruth taking her caring presence to her appointment definitely changed the dynamic and allowed the nurse to practice in a different way. This has me thinking about how each patient or customer that we serve is different and how important it is to respond to their needs rather than have a ‘one-size fits all’ approach.
This blog was recommended to me as I have been putting off making a booking for my cervical smear (why isn’t it called something more loving?). Boy am I glad I looked it up. It is so supportive to read how you took responsibility for your body and made sure that it was treated lovingly, rather than accepting what was presented to you. And to read that by doing that you had such an impact on the nurse is truly inspiring – it just goes to show how important it is to take responsibility for the quality in which we live and interact: from ourselves first. Thank you Ruth, I feel much more open to embracing the experience and allowing myself to actually feel what is going on and what I need (before, during and after), rather than just going through the motions. Now, where is that booking phone number?!
I know it’s a great real life story Jenifer of how transformation can happen. Ruth is a testament to the work offered by Universal Medicine.
A beautiful and tender account of your cervical smear. The way in which you prepared and the depth of care that you offered yourself have inspired me to go to a new level, Ruth.
I have begun to approach these procedures with more awareness of the support I need to allow me to connect to what will be the most loving approach. When I meet the person who is about to perform the procedure with an openness, the whole situation opens up and I not only empower myself, but also offer this as a way forward for the procedure to be carried out in a way that lessens the tension in my body. Hence this allows the practitioner a body that is welcoming the help being offered, rather than a body that is tense and rejecting any help to resolve the issue.
It feels as though we can offer our body so much healing by changing our perceptions and approach to life.
The power of claiming oneself and a clear example of how amazing it is.
I love how you have overcome something so challenging for you by simply connecting more deeply with yourself. This is inspiring for others to understand.
Indeed this is a very inspiring reflection, connecting with our own fragility and honouring that can assist us to heal ourselves.
I loved this too Gina and the level of respect you received during the procedure came from your willingness to honour first.
I love this blog Ruth and find it very inspiring. When I read what you have written I have a sense of care and gentleness in the way that you write and imagine this is the same care and gentleness that you took to your appointment. What a blessing for the nurse to have you there and you speak with her in this loving and care tone. The more medical appointments I go to as a patient, the more care and interest I have in the staff and how they are as they are people too. Blogs like these remind me that how I am when I go to my appointments can have a positive or negative impact on staff too and their day.
I love what you share shevonsimon, it shows that we have in every situation an opportunity to be more open, loving and caring towards others. As you share, the medical staff are people too and to treat them as such reflects the fact that we love them for who they are.
Thank you Ruth. This shows how much we can influence everything that happens to us with our presence and care for ourselves. If we take ourselves by the hand others will do so too. This helps us all to get off autopilot and start to connect and care for each other again.
This is so beautifully said Esther and it is such an important point, that we stop and find the time again to connect and care for each other and especially for ourselves.
This is so true Esther. I have found how powerful it is for me to be in my presence. This is not a ‘forceful’ power as I once would have equated the word to be, but a stillness that holds those around me and supports us all so lovingly in the process of whatever we are doing. We all have this capability when we connect and stay with ourselves. It truly is remarkable.
Absolutely spot on Esther, that shows the true power we all have to connect to ourselves and others in every moment.
Thank you for sharing how your choice to deeply honour yourself made such a difference.
How beautiful that you could share how you honestly felt with the nurse and also ask for what you needed, thus initiating a new way of being in your relationships – all part of the self-care and nurturing aspects that you mention.
Your expression is wonderful. It is great to share in how you have learnt to care, nurture and express who you truly are and so also found a way to access appropriate health care. It is great to read of the honesty and connection that you shared with nurse. Thank you.
A beautiful description of self-care and self-nurturing. You will have left a legacy of deeper understanding and care for every woman who underwent this procedure with the nurse.
Awesome Ruth, it is through Esoteric Women’s Health and Sacred Movement that has been the bridge for me also to make the time and space to develop this relationship with myself. To nurture and medically check myself, but also as you say the connection that is possible when we truly connect to who we are as women. Sacred indeed!
A situation never stands alone. It is connected and given direction from what has lead to that certain point. I know when something doesn’t go according to plan, that there wasn’t a lead up to that situation to give me a supportive result. Instead my past choices are dropped in my lap. Simple example. You smoke for 20 years. You decide to go for a bush walk and it takes you an 1 hour longer than everyone else because you constantly become breathless. Even though you are doing a healthy activity, the past event of smoking gave this healthy activity a bad experience. We are never separated from our past choices, they are always with us. In saying this, if we prepare ourselves we can support ourselves to constantly evolve.
It was lovely Ruth to read how you spoke to the nurse about what would support you – the deep level of care and love you hold for yourself is inspiring and an awesome reminder to express like this in all areas of my life.
Thank you Ruth, this is inspiring for me to consider the depth of support we can show ourselves in all areas of our life, in doing so we remind each other also how they too can implement the greatest level of care in all we do.
Thanks Ruth for sharing this experience. It really is a testament to the power of treating yourself with the unconditional love and care that you deserve.
It is really amazing to feel how our mere presence can change a situation around. The way you describe how you were with the nurse – really with yourself and communicating from that steadiness about what it was that you needed in the procedure is testament to this. The fact she was able to stop rushing and really take the care and deliberation needed shows the power of what you brought to that interaction. Thank you for sharing your experience Ruth, I’m sure many others can be inspired by the experience you have had with your own health and the beauty that is Sacred Movement for all women.
What a great example where we just need to get reminded of what care should be about.
Great to read as a nurse also and be reminded to be humble and gentle with patients and take the time and space to connect with them properly first. I know from experience things always go more smoothly and quickly when this is done.
We know the procedures inside out, but our patients don’t have that knowledge. It is up to us to make sure they are truly supported every step of the way. I feel this is empowering, not only for the patient but also for the nurse.
Beautiful Ruth. I loved how you claimed who you are and communicated how you were feeling and what ‘you’ needed to support ‘you’ at that time with your nurse, it felt so powerful and tender. Truly inspiring – thank you for sharing this.
Ruth, I could feel the gentleness you have developed for yourself in your words as I was reading your blog. Your story definitely reflects how big a part our choices play in what we experience when we need to undertake medical procedures.
Thank you Ruth for your blog. I discovered the importance of reflection while at the periodontist. I had to have the impression of my lower jaw taken. The last time this was necessary the specialist waited too long to remove the composite. It ended up being a very bad experience for both of us. I mentioned that I did not want to go through the same experience again. The doctor took extreme care to plug every unevenness from my teeth before applying the composite. The impression was taken without discomfort and in the process I found a very caring medical practitioner. Caring for myself and expressing, a beautiful combination.
It makes total sense that if we express how we would like to be treated that another would do their best to care for us in this way. These simple little choices to express can completely change our experiences.
How awesome to have experienced such healing from the Sacred Movement taught by Natalie Benhayon. Also great to hear that by self nurturing prior to attending your pap smear, and then being super honest with the nurse you were supported throughout the procedure, and following it. Inspiring blog indeed.
On further reflection, I can imagine the sceptics out there dismissing the link Ruth so clearly made between her decision to bring Sacred Movement into her everyday routine and what followed thereafter with her experience with the nurse and her test results. To them I would say 1) medicine, although an amazing and essential support to us, does not know everything and 2) it is impossible to deny Ruth’s experience and the fact A (Sacred Movement) lead to B (very different outcomes). How else can this enormous shift be accounted for?
What a superb article Ruth, thank you. I can really relate to what you shared. Your self-healing choices are inspiring.
Such an eye opener for me, thank you Ruth. Incredible isn’t it – that by holding ourselves in our natural awesomeness, even the mundane and unpleasant parts of being committed to life, such as having a test like this, can transform as an experience.
It’s really awesome Ruth that you are living in a way which allowed you to claim for yourself that you deserve gentle treatment and that is exactly what you received. The power of our way of living and the intention we bring to everything we do.
This is profound – the relationship between Esoteric Sacred Movement and how through practicing this in your own time has made such a difference with not experiencing pain when you had your pap smear procedure performed. To me, it appears that by connecting to the sacredness of this part of a woman’s body, through this modality, has obviously supported a release of tension held in this region. A great reclaiming of the sacredness for all women.
I found this very powerful to read how a healing that occurred through the sacred movement was acted on and became ongoing caring for oneself and being able to speak up and be cared for by another. It felt clear that the healing was more than physical and about true change.
I love the way the nurse instantly responded to your state of being. How when we’re still, present and self-honouring she was able to “…stop doing her job and start treating you”. How different this reflection was from previous ones in which you were in contraction and fear. Ruth It just goes to show the power of your loving choices.
Your blog shows the importance of expression, by you expressing how you felt and not contracting even when the nurse was treating you like just another job, you gave her the opportunity to stop, connect and feel you as a person creating equality between you both. I’m sure the nurse received a great healing as well.
Thank you Ruth for sharing your story of the self care and loving choices you have come to make . Great to honour yourself in speaking up, and asking to be tenderly cared for by the nurse.
Ruth it is amazing what can happen when we are truly in our body and presence. The nurse did feel your commitment to yourself and treated you accordingly. The medical corps always knows best unless challenged, as you did, to reconsider and treat the whole person rather than a part of your body.
Thank you Ruth. I have avoided going for a regular health screening, because of a belief I have about the screening process. Your blog has helped me to see that with right preparation and presence within myself, the experience may be very different to what I imagined.
Re-reading this Ruth was very healing. I could feel in what you are sharing that we sometimes are very quick to dismiss a procedure or experience we have had that has not been so loving or enjoyable for us, by thinking that that is just how that procedure or experience is. Yet if we are open to love and we bring our self-love to it, it can be totally different and often a very enjoyable thing to do.
That’s a really good point Joshua. How we are in any given moment matters – and patterns are just entrenched, repeated moments. If we are holding back on the self-love and love factors, well, we’re pretty much going to find a lot of life difficult – and the really difficult things really hard!
That is an incredible turn around in only 5 months Ruth. Such a testament to the power of sacred movement and your commitment to you. I absolutely love sacred movement and hearing personal accounts such as this continues to inspire and confirm just how ‘sacred’ these movements are.
Wow Ruth I read this in awe at the commitment to being aware and choosing love for you. I have experienced times when I needed to be as clear as you were, yet have not been and have felt that not quite right feeling ebb slowly away over a few days. Not pleasant and easily avoided by expressing so clearly that I deserve this level of love. So simple and so very beautiful.
Dear Ruth, your amazing blog continues to make an impact on my life. As I sat waiting to have my own pap smear today I remembered this blog and how you lovingly spoke up before your procedure and how being honest about how you were feeling supported you to have a very healing experience. Your blog inspired me to bring a deep level of care and love for myself before and during my procedure today and to be very open with my doctor about how I was feeling. It was incredibly beautiful to take responsibility for myself, thank you for the inspiration 🙂
What you pick up here is so important Bianca – the power of expression. Both you and Ruth spoke up and out with honesty, and it changed everything.
How amazing that choosing love for yourself allowed you to express (her to the nurse) what you need, what you want and not want, and you changed the whole situation! This is powerful and I agree Universal Medicine teaches this loving care and powerful responsibility and offers Sacred Movement and other modalities to become more aware of our behaviors, energy and bodies to heal ourselves.
That’s really nicely said Andrea. And you are absolutely right to acknowledge Universal Medicine in this. How many of us, myself included, knew to do all these things – love more, take care of ourselves, express, embrace healing – before Universal Medicine? My deepest thanks to this amazing organisation.
I love too that this platform can help others to discover what many of us writing here are fortunate enough to already know. So an enormous thank you too to the Medicine and Serge Benhayon team – all of you. What you are providing for mankind is enormous.
Thank you Ruth for sharing truthfully your intimate experience.
It was amazing how you sat the Nurse down and explained what you needed rather than, how we normally act in a disempowered way by allowing them to take over. Reading your blog has been a big healing for me and how I can ask for what I need when having medical procedures done. So much so that it has prompted me to have a prostate examination, which is something I’ve felt I needed to do for some time, but out of fear been putting it off, thank you.
— Is it not a great commitment to take time and love for yourself —
Imagine being a snail with all the time in the World. It is going somewhere, but does it really matter how long it takes to get there if you are not feeling good when you arrive. All those things you need to be done for You should be the priority ..
A snail has his house on his back, already prepared to stop at anytime to be preciousness and relax if the road is rugged. A choice – to ask loving of yourself how you want things to go.
So lovely Ruth a great moment to share and such an impact for you moving forward. Just one moment to take the care with how you feel it should be for You, and it is all there when you ask. Thank you for sharing.
I have also experienced this with my kids.
When they have had to get immunisations etc., I have been able to relax knowing that through connecting with the nurses and holding a loving presence, I can support the procedure to go smoothly.
The support of what Serge Benhayon teaches has been immeasurable for me in my relationship and ease with medicine and medical procedures.
To me, this article shows the power of ‘Self-empowerment’. When we connect with the inner knowing that we can make our own choices we naturally gain a confidence that allows us to step forward in our own power and say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ without feeling any pressure, obligation, or guilt. Thank you Ruth for showing us how though feeling Self-empowered you were able to make loving choices for Yourself.
I have always selected female doctors for my pap smears as I am much more comfortable for something so delicate. My recent doctor brought in a new level of care for this procedure by asking if I had given birth before, as my answer was “No” she selected smaller sized equipment, explaining it all to me. After having had many pap smears I had no idea of this factor, so this one was much more comfortable. There are also variations in everyone’s body so asking for smaller equipment if you feel it may make you more comfortable is another empowering choice.
Sacred movement is exactly that, Sacred. It opens us up to be more open and fluid with everyone and everything around us, it is universal. I am exploring this myself and reading your story was such a confirmation of the power that can come from allowing sacred movement into our lives. Thank you for sharing, Ruth, it was a joy to read.
To express in honesty how we are truly feeling to a healthcare practitioner, in this case the nurse administering the pap smear Ruth, is enormously healing on all levels. We claim for ourselves how we wish to be treated and in doing so, we give the practitioner the opportunity to stop and connect to the amazing support that they can give to us. In that expressing what we need and how we feel, practitioner and patient become equal. True care comes into play. I loved reading your blog Ruth, thank you.
Katerina, what you say has also been my experience. By ‘expressing what we need and how we feel, practitioner and patient become equal’ and true care comes into play, which is uplifting for both health practitioner and patient. When we take full responsibility for our own health, it goes without saying that we will ‘express in honesty how we are truly feeling to a healthcare practitioner’ and if expressed lovingly the practitioner, be they medical specialist or technician, always responds to the call.
Sacred moment is extremely powerful and can allow for such a deep healing, thank you Ruth for sharing your experiences.
I can vouch for that Samantha. Sacred Movement is an amazing modality which supports women to reconnect to their bodies in a way that is deep and profound. Any emotions we might have harboured from previous abuse or trauma come up to be cleared through Sacred Movement so that the woman is free from all these impositions allowing her to be her sacred precious self.
I have seen the results of Sacred Movement in my wife and her friends who have also attended. The development in them has been phenomenal, truly transformative and life changing – not just for them but all who know them.
We sometimes feel lost with something seemingly so impossible to master. Along comes Serge Benhayon and his family… and with some simple words and movements they support us to come back on the ground of facts and simplicity and Love. What a support!
Love how this naturally unfolded from a way of living you were already choosing to build. Ahh the power of choice.
I got teary reading this blog – I dread going to have tests, and I really dread having to give blood tests. I feel this is something that is my next step into really caring for myself and my body. Feels scary yet I know that it will feel awesome afterwards.
It is great that you share how the way you met the nurse, and talked to her, helped her stop and listen to you, (probably connect deeper with herself), so she could drop the hastiness, the time pushing, and take more dedication to doing the procedure with that extra gentleness and care. Beautiful, you helped her to help you.
I agree Julia, well said – “Beautiful, you helped her to help you.”
Ruth it is inspiring to continue to be reminded of how valuable the loving wisdom shared by Serge Benhayon and his family members is towards everyone’s healing. I can feel your appreciation for what is really such simple wisdom too.
How inspirational Ruth that you explained to the nurse what it was that you needed to support yourself when having your smear. I recently had a smear myself and didn’t voice what I was feeling (which was pain, discomfort and a sense of disconnection from the doctor) until the very end. I felt disappointed that I hadn’t expressed earlier that I would of appreciated her going slowly and communicating with me what she was doing as I know as you have explained here in your blog, that it could of been a very different experience.
Yes Ruth’s story is very inspirational and is definitely an approach I will adopt going forward. Sometime it can feel like we’re not worth saying how we would like things, for fear of no-one listening or being disappointed, but what I get from Ruth’s sharing is that we are worth saying and expressing what we need and that we don’t have to go through with things if we are not being treated respectfully.
How beautiful to read that by treating yourself with so much care and nurturing you had such a different experience. It is just a miracle really – the best form of medicine is the way we live.
Ruth what I loved to hear was that by being you, you then helped another to be them. In that if you had been ‘the patient’ then the ‘nurse’ would have been just that, instead she became herself doing a nursing role. That is what we need to get back to, doing different things but all of us being our true selves whilst we do what we do.
I love that you said you needed more time and as a result the nurse changed from treating ‘just another patient’ to treating ‘you’. Imagine if we applied this to all aspects of our day! Lovely sharing, thank you.
Ruth, I loved your honesty with the nurse and how you truly supported yourself with this honesty. You created an opportunity for yourself and the nurse to have a gorgeous healing that day.
What a beautiful exchange between two women. Your choice to honour yourself also left space for the nurse to do the same. Gorgeous.
What a difference the simple act of asking for help made.
I am only starting to realise that if I let people know honestly what is going on, more often than not support is instantly there.
Ruth, I have postponed smear tests in the past because I found the procedure too painful to go ahead with but like you when I went back for the repeat test I explained fully my experience and that I needed the nurse to be super gentle and talk me through what was going on. Instantly, once I had connected with the nurse she too stopped rushing me like I was the next in line and treated me. The difference was phenomenal.
Thank you Ruth, you have inspired me further to reconnect with Sacred Movement. Your experiences with your smear tests being painful is not an uncommon one, so hearing you share so beautifully about how it has changed for you is so awesome.
Thank you Ruth, what a beautiful sharing. Pap smears are certainly not the most pleasant of procedures, I have always ‘put up with it’, but your experience has shown me it can be so much more than this. What an amazing healing for you and the nurse. ‘“Before we go any further, I need to explain something to you.” Allowing ourselves to express how we are feeling is so important and something I have really shied away from.
So beautiful Ruth, how your own loving choice through the sacred Movement was able to turn around the whole situation, environment and the outcome of it for yourself, for the nurse and I am sure, also for the next women in the practice!
Your blog rises a lot of themes with my body as a woman for me. I now become aware, that I looked away from the chance to care for myself with the pap smear test, because I disliked so much about it. Not only the procedure but also the impersonal experience in the health care system what I also always have seen as a big financial apparatus. But now I realize, that everything there is a mirror to my own relationship to my body, and that I am able to change the whole (expectation) experience, through self loving choices, as you did. Thank you for this inspiration Ruth!
How you brought the responsibility for yourself back to you to ask for what you need for it to go well, was masterful. How often do we place the responsibility for our well being solely on the service providers we need to engage with? What an enormous pressure for those providers, whether nurses, doctors etc.
Being a nurse I know both sides of the coin and can attest to how easy it can be to dis-empower myself when it comes to requiring treatment myself, falling into that “Doctor or nurse knows best” way of thinking that seems so ingrained in us these days.
I love a patient who takes responsibility for, and is clear about, what they need and expect and I will often ask those who aren’t so aware, what they would like or need for something to go well for them. Most people dont realise they can have an equal part to play in the planning and execution of their care and it is beautiful when they realise they have choices and a voice.
We each live with our body 24/7, so in fact each of us is the first line authority on what it feels like, when it doesn’t feel right, what is right for it and how best to truly support it. Taking our awareness and care of it to deeper levels as you have expressed is key.
Thank you Ruth for your great article – much to ponder on – especially as I have not permitted myself to have either a pap smear nor a mammogram for more than 40 years – thus I am now looking forward to the Sacred Movement classes commencing this week with more awareness about the overall picture of nurturing and caring for that area of the body. The fact of the choice and the affect of that choice to being more present with all of who I am while receiving attention from the medical staff, nurses etc. while in the hospital situation I can totally agree with due to my own recent experiences. I have found that that developing awareness has been as a result of the presentations of Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon – what a gift indeed.
I went through similar experiences as you when having a pap smear Ruth and so I can relate to what you say. Since I have become more caring towards how I look after myself, I have found it easier to speak up and be honest about how I feel with procedures like this, and it has made a big difference to how the nurses are with me and how I am with them. I find saying what I feel supports us both, I don’t tense up as much and the nurse has a much better understanding of what I am feeling and so we are able to work together to get the pap smear.
Isn’t it wonderful how some simple loving communication can totally change an experience? But without you first claiming within your self what you needed and not settling for anything less, this would not have been possible. I can feel it would have been a healing experience for you and the nurse.
I have Pap smears every 2 years and it’s not something I look forward to, but make the commitment as part of my self-care. I have had a variety of different approaches from doctors when having Pap smears…some gentle, and some a bit rough. It’s the mammograms that actually hurt more…not physically, but feeling the roughness of the nurse with my breasts as they are placed on the x-ray stand. Next time I have a mammogram I will be asking for a much more gentle and honouring approach.
Ruth you have shown the importance also of stopping regularly to see how the body is going whether that be through a pap smear or other tests. A timely reminder to care for ourselves once again.
Hi Ruth. I also went for a long time without having a Pap smear. I had studied a lot of natural medicine and felt that I would clearly know if something wasn’t right. This way of thinking was clearly very arrogant and I do know that there are often not symptoms to some gynaecological conditions. I now choose to have Pap smears as part of making more loving choices and taking responsibility for myself and the body that I live in.
In my experience smear tests are not usually a comfortable procedure for a woman, however, I have also found that if I communicate with the nurse, it is a much better experience. Thanks for sharing such intimate details about your experience, it was very helpful to hear what another woman feels on the subject.
This is an amazing example of making loving choices for yourself. I loved the claiming with the nurse before the treatment started which changed everything.
Ruth your experience is incredible and true testament to the healing potential of Sacred Movement.
The Sacred Movement has also had a deep and profound effect on me, it is a true healing modality in its own right.
Ruth I like how you expressed what would support you when having this test and how the nurse stopped and connected with you. What a truly caring exchange with minimal discomfort. A great healing for you both.
What amazing changes you have made Ruth and wonderful confirmation of how doing the Sacred Movement clears all that holding in our pelvic area. I have always been afraid of medical procedures as in the past I felt powerless in these situations. I then avoided having them by becoming anti-medical profession and only using “alternative” medicine. Since attending Universal Medicine I have completely changed and now find wonderful support from my doctor. I love your reminder to lovingly support ourselves first.
I absolutely loved reading this, it feels as though the nurse really appreciated your honesty. Your blog inspires me to ask for what I need as many times I have just accepted what was offered without requesting what I required to support myself. I know I hold back asking for what I need out of fear that others will be annoyed with me but I can feel how arrogant this is now, not even giving others a chance to do what is needed. It seems to me the nurse got as big a healing as you did Ruth and had you held back she would have missed out hugely too. Very inspiring.
What stood out for me is finding your voice when you could feel the nurse was already in a rush, you could have easily given up at that point to avoid annoying her. Yet you didn’t and it offered the nurse a reminder of tenderness and gentleness in this procedure that might be brought to other women and much much more as can be read here.
Yes I agree Deanne, I could feel when I was reading Ruth’s story how the Nurse was offered an opportunity to connect more deeply with herself and her patient…an honouring and a healing all round. And I bet the next pap smear the nurse did would have been also blessed with some tenderness.
What a different approach Ruth and how beautiful that the nurse came with you and honoured you after you shared what you had experienced. Next time I will try the same! No more dreading it or feeling like I am the next one in and out 🙂
Thank you for sharing your story. It is amazing how powerful the sacred movement is, connecting to our femaleness and moving our body with love and care. We are building a relationship with ourselves that is loving and caring, taking responsibility for our body and our health.
I went for an examination a couple of weeks ago and your blog came to mind, where you asked the nurse to be gentle with you; so I did the same and it was a totally different experience. Thank you for the inspiration to speak up.
How beautiful Julie that Ruth’s experience of expressing how she was feeling to a health care practitioner supported you to do the same. The ripple effect of our choices is endless.
Ruth, I was deeply touched by your sharing here. It struck again how truly blessed we are to have the love and care of Serge Benhayon, his family and Universal Medicine practitioners. What you have shared here, like for many of us, is possible for ALL women and men for their respective health concerns. It is proof that self care and self appreciation are the medicine that is required to support us to return our bodies to health and harmony. Your experience showed also how that same love and care impacts directly on the health care providers! Thank you.
This is beautiful Ruth. I recently had my first mammogram where I was left feeling distressed and in pain. I could feel as I walked in to the screening room that the practitioner was rushed and “doing her job” rather than treating me. I wrongly thought being present was enough but later realised if I’d asked her what I wanted, to go really really slowly as you claimed here in our connection together, it would have gone a lot smoother. I allowed the screening to go exactly the way it did and in turn I felt like a piece of meat being moved around. At one point I half heartedly said it hurt as she moved my body, instead of really claiming, this is my body and I can move it, just tell me where you’d like it. It was a hard way to learn the lesson but what was required in order for me to get it. In turn, it graciously gave me a whole new perspective on any similar situation, like having blood taken etc or when my children are in similar situations so I can support them, because I know how I’d like to be treated and if I feel something coming my way that is not inline with this, I have the power to stop it by being me in not holding back. Thank you for sharing your experience. Reading this has brought about more clarity for me. It’s a gift for us all.
Candida…I can so relate to your Mammogram experience as I have experienced the same. But my next one will be different as I will claim the tenderness that I so deserve and as Ruth’s blog so clearly illustrates, an opportunity for it to be a healing experience for all concerned.
Very beautiful Ruth to feel the power of what can happen when we truly honour ourselves, it is very inspiring. By you speaking up It not only transformed the experience for you, but enabled the nurse to connect to that love and care in herself, and this quality would touch all those she would then be working with. True inspiration. Thank you.
Such a beautiful sharing, I love how you took the time to share what you needed from the experience and how as a result the nurse connected to you and offered you exactly what was needed. It feels to me this reflects how important our communication is and that by choosing to approach all things in a loving way there is an opportunity for others to truly connect to us. What a gift you have offered us all.
This to me shows the power of our choices. In the case your choice to do Sacred Movement exercise for yourself on a daily basis and then your loving choice to support yourself with nurturing before and after the procedure and your commitment to being present with yourself. I feel it is no coincidence that the nurse was considerate and caring with you. A very inspiring article. Thank you Ruth.
Thank you for highlighting the level of care you took to care for yourself before and after the procedure. As women we can often override the importance of self care and its part in the healing process.
Beautiful to read and feel the loving care you gave yourself prior to the procedure.
And by clearly and lovingly expressing your needs the nurse was able to stop and feel what you needed from her. She too then responded from love- awesome reflection of the power of love.
Beautiful it’s amazing what can happen when we don’t just go along with.. Inspiring thank you
Ruth, thank you for sharing this. It brought tears to my eyes feeling the way in which you spoke with the nurse and honoured yourself, truly inspiring.
Thank you for sharing this amazing experience of truly loving and caring for yourself. This shows a deep and loving commitment to caring for your health and how we can take responsibility for our own health while relying on the skills of specialist practitioners.
When we speak up and express how we are feeling it is so powerful. I have found it so difficult to speak up when I knew something wasn’t right but this is something I am observing most days and realizing as I connect with myself more it is becoming easier. Very Inspiring Ruth.
This is so beautiful to read Ruth, thank you for sharing. What I love most is that you truly honoured your need to prepare yourself knowing that it was tough for you, and that you expressed this to the nurse. You chose for this procedure to be gentle, and it was.
Not only did you care and honour yourself Ruth but you also offered another an opportunity to stop and slow down and naturally be gentle again.
Before I started to care for myself and make self-loving choices, I always felt procedures like this, I just had to put up with and just do it without saying anything of how I felt. Now, like what you have shared, if I am feeling anxious or uncomfortable I ask for a blanket to keep warm or actually say how I’m feeling, and I’m always met with respect and care. Thank you for sharing your story it is very beautiful.
Yes Ruth I agree, the techniques Universal Medicine offers to support oneself are absolutely amazing. They are so simple, yet so profound in the effects they have, if you apply them with love and consistency they really make a difference.
Dear Ruth, this is a beautiful sharing. I can feel that when you spoke to the nurse that you were doing it in full support of you. Inspiration on a grand level for me.
Ruth thank you for sharing such a personal experience. I also feel it has given me the permission to ask for gentleness in these uncomfortable procedures that I felt I needed to be stoic in the past. I am sure most Nurses would respond as beautifully as the one you spoke to.
And it is a reminder to always take care of me in those situations and not just let it happen. To make it a personal interaction with the doctor or the nurse and express what I need.
Yes, I feel it is particularly true in the medical environment where we may be feeling more vulnerable to what is going on that we express how we feel and what we want to happen.
It is fantastic that how you did not give your power away to the nurse and by choosing to connect to the nurse she realised that she was “met” and the whole situation changed. I can just imagine that you were not imposing at all (to the nurse) but gentle and open with respect. It was very lovely to read. Thank you for writing it.
Through sacred dance and loving choices you have reclaimed and are able to celebrate your body and its healthly status. I am so glad that your nurse, with some encouragement from you, was able to see you as a person in that very intimate exchange and respond accordingly.
Thank you Ruth for a very inspiring blog. It is amazing to see how our choice to be all of us can change a situation from a not very pleasant one at all to one that can enrich not only us but others in the process. You claimed you and the nurse understood the claim and claimed her gentleness to meet you – beautiful.
That is so inspiring that you asked for what you needed, simple, yes, but how many times have we actually claimed that?
I can feel anxieties re certain medical tests in my body when reading this but at the same time I feel supported through what you have shared to ask for the gentleness and care I deserve, thank you
Pernilla, that’s a great point, I have often felt that medical support is something I have felt I had little say in as “they know better” yet there is definitely room to work hand in hand with our medical professionals by asking questions, making requests, and expressing how we feel.
An incredible experience, for you and your nurse. Asking her to slow down and care for you, and the way you worked together would have been just as touching for her as it was important to you. Similar to you, I have found I am much more responsible with my health care since attending universal medicine presentations.
When we realise that all medical procedures are in fact loving self caring choices, it makes it much easier to handle. Many tests are painful, so no wonder we resist them, even simple blood tests. I have found that if I meet the person performing the procedure, connect with them and simply share how I feel, they do their best to be as careful as possible.
Yes Matthew, since meeting Serge Benhayon and being inspired by his presentation to make changes in my life, my whole approach to a medical procedure or hospitalisation has completely changed. By seeing these events as ‘loving self care’ choices, and by meeting and connecting with medical professionals, nurses, technicians etc, these events are joy-full experiences and now without fail if I am ever in a hospital so many I meet ask ‘what is your secret. . . you look and feel amazing!’
I too, Ruth, like Elizabeth felt the power in the expression of exactly what you needed and in doing so the deeper connection made with the nurse. What a gift, changing a cold, isolating procedure into an intimate sharing between two people. The true magic in this is the possible ‘ripple effect’, for you the strength to make more and more loving choices and express more and for the nurse an invitation to meet and more deeply consider and connect with the people she tends each day. Wow the power of truth in expression.
Beautiful blog Ruth. I agree Elizabeth and Barbara the power of expression is amazing.
What a confirmation of the amazing power of sacred movement and the simple choices we can make to support ourselves as women. We have so much energy from past experiences stored in our pelvis that we are unaware of. As you and many other women have experienced, sacred movement and starting to connect with and deeply care for this part of our body, can start to clear this out and allow the real woman to be felt.
Beautifully said Fiona. I have just recently began incorporating sacred movement into my morning ritual. It is such a simple and nurturing way to stop and bring myself back to my body and every time I do it I can feel the healing support it provides.
This is also one of the things that struck me too, Ruth, the fact that you being you allowed the nurse to connect, slow down and do the procedure in a different and so much more loving way. And who knows where that might lead and all from you expressing truly. Thank you.
I was taken with this too Josephine – thank you Ruth – it is so powerful to feel the ripple affect of love – your love for you and the nurse and the love she felt for herself to be able to change her usual way – that will be with her for so many other others too.
Yes, incredibly inspiring how the Love and connection you initiated with the nurse will make such a difference and give so many others a positive and valuable experience.
What struck me Ruth was how your loving choices helped your nurse to make loving choices themselves. The nurse in question obviously connected with you and this allowed them to slow down and just be with you. This is the true power of love.
This is an amazing blog Ruth. The love and support you gave yourself and how you expressed to the nurse was beautiful. An inspiration to all of us.
Very beautiful sharing and confirmation that we don’t need to endure unnecessary pain during medical procedures e.g. pap smears by being very connected to our body and needs and lovingly expressing that to the medical staff as they carry out the procedure.
I recently went for a breast scan – a procedure I didn’t particularly enjoy 2 yrs ago.
But this time I decided to prepare myself beforehand; on the day I made a point to be consciously present – in the past I was not in my body – and I openly expressed how I felt and how she was with me. We also shared how breast scans were perceived and therefore experienced.
The procedure was done without much discomfort and I thanked the radiographer.
A beautiful sharing Ruth that I know will help so many women, me included, not just when it is time for a smear test, but also through other medical procedures. To be truly connected to yourself and from there express what is happening for you, as you did to the nurse, was such a healing moment for you and in turn for her, which was shown by the fact that she listened to you and responded with so much care. You honoured you, and in turn you were honoured back.
Great comment Ingrid. ‘You honored you, and in turn you were honoured back’ because everything is energy and that is very true. I now regard mammograms and smear tests as a loving choice for my body and I go there very present and connected and it all goes very well and I am not dreading it any longer.
Ruth, this brought tiers to my eyes…”She then said to get up on the table ready for the test. I wasn’t moving. I said: “Before we go any further, I need to explain something to you” I can feel so strongly here you, claiming the situation as a moment of love and care. And the energy did shift from a busy, normal, I-have-to-finish-that situation to a moment of connection and relationship. You connected and cared for you, you respected and honored yourself, and you offered a relationship to the other woman. You gave both of you a chance – and love did take place. LOVELY! And a wonderful example of how Western- and Universal- Medicine work hand in hand.
This claiming of the importance of deeply caring for yourself in each moment is huge – not only for yourself, but as you have shown, for others around you too.
A beautiful blog, thank you Ruth. I love that you took responsibility for yourself and spoke to the nurse openly before the procedure. How beautiful the ripple effect of this self-loving choice and that your nurse accepted the stop and connected with you as a person. We all deserve this level of connection in our health care and I am learning that I don’t have to wait for this from my practitioner…I can be the one that brings this quality of connection to all my interactions.
How incredible and great that the nurse responded instantly and so lovingly with you Ruth, even as you wrote those words, I was stopped in my tracks too. Just demonstrates that when we start to deeply care and love ourselves that this is felt and responded by others too as your story affirms.
I have always dreaded having a pap smear test and when I would get a reminder letter to go for this test I would put it off and eventually when I did go I would just want to get it over and done with and get out of there. Thank-you to Natalie Benhayon for introducing the Sacred Movement which has shown me a way of feeling my own sacredness and to you Ruth for showing how there is another way of being before and after the test which is honouring of that sacredness.
Thank you Ruth. I love how you have shared another level of how we can support ourselves before, during and after such procedures to ensure our experience is truly honouring. And to embrace pap smears as part of a regular self care routine that has us actively involved and participating in our health and well-being as women.
Wow, shows the power of Sacred movement – I too have struggled with smear tests, but this might just offer me another way of going about it…thanks for the inspiration Ruth!
It’s amazing that through your expression the nurse was able to deepen her level of care to support you.
Your account of the process you went through to truly honour and look after yourself is very inspiring. How often do we ‘make do’ with the way things are done just because we don’t want to ‘make a fuss’ or truly stop and feel that we are worth it? I don’t know many who do, and I am also still learning myself to make more loving choices. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Ruth, I had forgotten I had read this blog and recently had my first smear test in a while but somewhere your words had lodged with me because as I was preparing for the test with the nurse, I could feel her going a bit into ‘auto pilot’ mode so I made a conscious decision to connect with her first and asked how her day was and we started chatting and I shared that I was a bit nervous and we chatted some more as we both got ready. It made it much more personal and I could feel the loving attention that she gave me and it was a far better experience than I had thought it was going to be. And re-reading this blog, I can see that I had taken some of what you had shared with me into the room. Thank you.
Having just been sent my reminder letter for an overdue smear test, reading this was very inspiring. I loved hearing that you sat still when the nurse made ready to go and gently explained what you felt to….the transformation of the nurse is a great marker for me in remembering how we can truly connect with others in united purpose and that it isn’t hard to do once we choose to be self-loving. When you wrote, “…it felt like she was treating me rather than doing her job”, it felt to me to be a wonderful confirmation of you and the loving care you had taken of yourself leading up to the test. Brava!
What a truly lovely sharing, thank you Ruth. As I read what you wrote about how you cared for yourself prior to the examination, and explained to the nurse your history and asked for what you needed to make this healing experience possible, an emotion welled up in me; I feel it was sadness at the fact that often we as women don’t take time to nurture and deeply care for ourselves, or take the time to express our fears, asking to have our needs lovingly met. But how truly beautiful that in sharing I can feel your healing also extended to the nurse, possibly changing her attitude to future patients; therefore changing the experiences of countless women…..as Serge Benhayon says: “Expression is everything”.
Thank you Ruth, it was amazing when you asked the nurse to listen to what you had to say and slow down. Great reflection for me to also express my feelings and ask for support in a loving way when it’s needed.
Thank you for this article Ruth – amazing what a difference is made in a usually uncomfortable and awkward procedure, when you connect with the nurse and speaking lovingly in support of yourself and your body…
Thank you Ruth, it really demonstrates the power in expression and how we don’t need to be victims of an overly burdened medical system.
Many thanks, Ruth, for sharing these experiences … the last few pap smear tests I’ve had have been uncomfortable and it is becoming a test to avoid because of the pain … your sharing has encouraged me to now approach it in a different way, thank you.
How true that the process of a pap smear can feel like a dreaded necessity in a woman’s life – yet actually it is a truly supportive procedure if we honour ourselves first. By preparing yourself lovingly prior to your appointment, you also offered the nurse a beautiful still moment – she had time to connect with you and offer her true self – a nurturing woman able to take you gently through the procedure. This is ground breaking because most woman would walk it wanting it to be over. A wonderful experience for you, for her and for us because you chose to share it. Thank you Ruth.
Thanks Ruth for sharing your story, I have always cringed at some of the procedures and examinations women are expected to have for their own well being, you have brought new light and awareness to a tenseness I have carried as a man. And I too in the past have left finger impressions in the dental chair.
I agree Jane, this is definitely waiting room material if not attached to our reminder letter. For me in the past (and present) my trepidation with these types of procedures comes from the knowing of how truly sacred this area of my body is. Yet as Ruth’s story has shown, if we honour our fragility as women, and express how we are feeling with our doctors and nurses anything can happen. I have had similar experiences to Ruth and I know it has come from my willingness to let down my guard and allow myself to be vulnerable. Sometimes it is not so accepted and that too is a learning and acceptance to be had in itself, but what Ruth has shared here ultimately is how powerful it is to share our fragility and tenderness with others.
Thankyou so much for sharing. It was beautiful to read. I am inspired by the way you voiced your concerns about the procedure and shared with the doctor your past experience and how this made the proceedure go so much better. It is easy to get caught up in our job about what we need to do and forget about people, so by voicing your concern, your doctor also got a healing as she was reminded the job revolves around people also 😊
This is so empowering for any person to hear Ruth. There are many medical procedures we “need” to take care of ourselves. When we are not delicate with our bodies, and when practitioners are rough or abrupt with us it creates a cycle of tension – as though the health care practitioner and client are a war with each other. Our bodies harden and these important processes become painful and torturous, and often end up being avoided.
Funny to make this comparison, but the same happens in my dental practice. New clients lie in the chair stiff as boards, their mouths hard and tense in anticipation of horror and pain. I offer them guidance in how to let go, and then I do everything tenderly and with discussion about what is coming and how it may feel, and with clear instructions on how they can stop me if they need that. They let go and the things that they dreaded are no longer dreadful, and sometimes even enjoyable!
I am inspired by you in my approach to my next cervical exam, as this is something I have struggled with.
The body knows what is true. Choices can involve contracting, shutting down, blocking. Choices can also involve opening, acknowledging, supporting and speaking what is true. Your body, Ruth, could feel what was most healing and loving for it in your choices to allow, to participate in True Movement, to speak-up to say what is needed in attending for tests. The wisdom of the body is a blessing and so are the workshops, presentations and programs available through Universal Medicine which have created the environments in which we can learn to and listen to our own bodies.
What a huge turnaround Ruth and how caring and kind you have become towards yourself. This is true power.
Sacred Movement as introduced by Natalie Behayon and Universal Medicine is certainly working miracles for many women. Some might say that being able to adjust to a pap smear is not a miracle, but for the many women who suffer with this important procedure, it can be a nightmare. This seems like a miracle to me…
I have recently started doing Sacred Movement on a daily basis too and like you, I am starting to feel something very different in my body, more fluidity, and it’s like I am ‘unclenching’ from the inside out. I am also impulsed to honour myself and my body more deeply It really is a wonderful thing. It is hard to fathom how such simple movements have profound effects, but with so many women experiencing the same thing we’ve got to ask – do all our movements have the potential to affect us more deeply than we have considered? Does every single one of our movements either help us “unclench” or harden, do they love us or harm us?
This inspires me to speak up next time I have a Pap smear.
An amazing sharing Ruth – by allowing ourselves to communicate with honesty in the way that we feel – and how necessary at such delicate times as when having a smear test. Your clarity and the gentleness and honesty that you approached your smear test with, can only help but serve those who dread this procedure.
Thankyou Ruth for this super healing blog that you have shared. Going to health appointments has always felt like a chore for me and I just want to get them over and done with. But if we truly shared what was going on for us at the time with our health practioners and didn’t shy away, it would be a loving and gentle process for ourselves and practioners too.
I can totally relate to what you are saying Ruth, my last smear test, at 56 years old, was a loving procedure that was deeply healing for me to receive with no pain or discomfort. Totally different from the previous ones I have had. I know this is the direct result of practising Sacred Movement and deepening my relationship with myself as a woman.
Since my wife started attending Sacred Movement classes I have seen a profound change in her both after her classes and in her life in general. She is way more honouring of her body and much more sensitive to the way she treats herself than she has ever been before and as her husband this is all I ever really wanted for her.
I have had many experiences with smear tests and because i have had fertility treatments, i know all about what it is like to go to hospital and have examinations of the cervix. For me this has been a huge process. I have experienced doctors who just entered my vagina with the instrument they use for this, and I could feel how my body all tensed up and how I became anxious. At some point I had a gynecologist that I felt really safe with and I explained to her what it was like to be there every month and having these tests done. It was so wonderful to express and to really tell, not as a patient, but as the woman that I am, what I needed from her to have a good experience. Now I don’t have any judgments toward male doctors, but what I could feel, that because she was a woman as well, she could relate to what I was talking about. I started building a relationship with her and also asked that I wanted to be treated by her. For me for instance it was always really important that she would tell exactly what she was going to do, even though I knew. This helped me a lot. More and more I could relax and for me making the choice to become open with her and express what was going on for me, made a huge difference.
Ruth I can totally relate to your willingness to express your needs prior to your pap smear. My relationship with my doctor and myself allow me to be able to express exactly what I need to support me during my pap smears also. This has dramatically changed how I feel about pap smears and how I experience them. They are now something I readily embrace as part of my regular health care rather than something to dread every 2 years.
Wow, you took the time to express your anxiety around the test and just that changed the whole experience and interaction during your appointment. It’s like the nurse also relaxed and could actually express a part of herself that she doesn’t get an opportunity to at work – she could do her job with her care and gentleness rather than just doing her job. I’ve noticed when having Pap smears that it does seem like the doctor is just ‘doing’ her job, wanting to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. In reading your blog I wonder if that’s because most women want the very same thing – they don’t like the process, they don’t discuss it with their doctor or nurse, and they want it to be over quickly. What is presented in your story is that it’s up to us as women to be very in touch with what we need and to express that to our medical professionals. The power is with us.
Thank you Ruth. I too have found the way I am with myself before, during and after having a smear test makes all the difference when I have the procedure. It is not something being ‘done’ to me but me taking care of myself with the support of an experienced practitioner.
Beautiful to read how you expressing your truth opened the way for real communication and a gentler way forward,
Wow, what a beautiful sharing. Thank you Ruth. I can relate so much to what you speak about in the way of not just going along with situations but rather expressing how you feel and really connecting to the other/s involved, and how this can change everything – not just the outcome, but the whole process along the way. We hear from the teachings of Universal Medicine that ‘Expression is Everything’ and your blog is indeed a testament to that. Reading this has inspired me to commit more to expressing all that I am and all that is there to be expressed.
Ruth, what a great blog which shows what is possible when it comes to supporting ourselves when visiting doctors or having medical tests etc.I personally haven’t had the same experience as in avoiding pap smears because they were painful (not the most pleasant experience, so sometimes uncomfortable but not painful), but simply because I considered that I didn’t need any external help when it came to supporting my health. The more I have come to care for myself, the more I have realised that many such check-ups like this can simply support, and be part of, a self-care routine. I had my first pap smear in just under 20 years when I connected to more self-care, and realised that this didn’t have to be a ‘have’ to or an experience to dread, but rather another way to look after myself.
Thank you Ruth for sharing this miracle with us all. “For me, a profound, deep healing has come as a result of doing the Sacred Movement. This has allowed me to make healing choices for myself, including having a cervical smear as part of caring for my body.”
This is another great example Ruth how self love is not selfish but love for all. And it confirms the power of Sacred Movement and your commitment, beautiful Ruth!
No one likes the idea of having a smear test done, however your blog has reminded us all of the power of being present in the moment to share your feelings to your nurse.
One suggestion I would like to share is to include the gentle breath, through the nose as suggested by Serge Benhayon of Universal Medicine, as this relaxes your body and allows the procedure to flow quickly and much more comfortably.
I am going through a similar experience, first pap smear after 12 years and at the same time having just started the sacred movement exercise. I am menopausal since 8 years, and the first attempt of the doctor was too painful to proceed. I have two weeks to prepare myself for the next attempt, with hormone cream and massage. Now, thanks to your loving and self caring blog, I am inspired to do more. To consciously take care of my pelvic area, do the massage with love and be really with myself not only when the time for the test comes, but right now and until then.
Wow! I love this. One thing that stood out for me was how WE can change the experience. The nurse was rushed and you exposing you’re vulnerability and not hardening allowed for her to stop and change the way she was doing things. What a healing for her also!
Great to read of the support that Sacred Movement brought to your gulp moment with the nurse. I too have had near-on miraculous results from doing the Sacred Movement daily. For the past 3 weeks it’s been a part of my routine and I began to notice that some of the clunkiness in my right hip was softening and that my shoulder movements were more fluid and natural. That was nothing. A couple of days ago, so two and a half weeks in, I was walking gently, calm and alert and I came to realise that something in my gait was markedly different. It was as if something in the hip had melted that enabled the leg to have a longer, more definite stride than usual. Almost so imperceptible that I nearly didn’t clock it. But once I did, the awareness stayed and I luxuriated in the new sensation. My walk continues to be more expansive on that side. I’m wowed by the beneficial physical impact that such gentle movement can have on the body, on our bio-mechanics and natural flow – and in such a short time. I say this after several long-term injuries resulting from years of working out at the gym. Keep it simple, stupid springs to mind.
I feel very inspired to make this commitment for myself as your changes are palpable and a joy to behold.
I totally agree Cathy. Sacred movement has brought me so much more awareness of my hips and pelvic area and the subtle yet obvious changes that such a simple and gentle movement has allowed in my body. Very sacred indeed!
Thank you Dean for your comments regarding the sacred movement and how it has changed your wife. It is so nice to hear a male opinion of what is observed when a different modality is used for body awareness. Sometimes we can’t see a difference but others can.
Great realisation Cathy. The Sacred Movement is an absolute gem just like the True Movement modality is. By practicing the two my body is able to express more who I am and to get more fluid. It helps to release deeply ingrained ill movements and therefore healing takes place. I really recommend it.
The transformative opportunities of our choices and willingness to take care of ourselves, beautifully and openly shared, thank you, Ruth.
What an amazing suggestion Jane – ground breaking in fact – as why not. This would be very supportive for all women and the medical practitioners carrying out the procedures bringing a respectful love and care back into our health service. I would love to receive letters like this through my door.
Ruth, thank you for sharing your experience in this blog. I feel it is of support for both women and men to read this. What points out for me in your story is that we do build a tension in our bodies as a reaction to an unpleasant experience we have had in the past that we did not acknowledged and honoured at that time. And as you say, by becoming more loving to yourself you where able to release this tension and also you were able to lovingly take care of yourself during the examination. This is a great teaching for all of us.
It is so great to have a space to share about such things. We don’t find such conversations nearly enough. I have had uncomfortable tests and checks in the past and never even occurred to me that it could be any different. It is such a wonderful inspiration and support to read a blog such as this.
This is a great blog, Ruth, to share with all woman. A great inspiration how you communicated what you needed and how we are able to do this all the time. Thank you.
Wow Ruth! So lovely to hear the change in your experience when you asked for the support you needed. And what a deep healing for the nurse too. I recently had a smear test and found the whole procedure so rushed – conveyor belt style. I know the nurses have little time but I do wonder if there is a push to get it all over with quickly because it is all seen as something negative that has to be done, rather than something that could involve loving support.
That is so true Jane. I often have had communications akin to “oh well we might as well get on with it then” rather than the acknowledgement and appreciation of the loving support that can be provided by what we are taking part in. Shows even more how important and valuable is when any of us take the care to be loving with ourself and everyone else in these situations and allow others to see, feel and find a different way for themselves.
Yes Natalie. This blog has really inspired me to ‘up my game’ and truly honour myself with medical appointments these days and I find it supporting to myself and the consultant.
Ruth this is a super supportive blog and would be fantastic for all women to read it … Like Gill I have got much out of this – how to look after myself through any medical check ups is a loving and caring way to be with myself. Thank you
Beautiful sharing Ruth and all the comments adding to all you say. How powerful is loving communication and tenderness with ourselves and everyone we connect with and how life changing and inspirational this is.
Thank you Ruth for this example of self nurturing and tenderness.
I will definitely take a tip out of your experience and approach this procedure differently, instead of just wanting it over and done with.
The tenderness and very clear choice to truly honour yourself that day are an example of the power we are to make change when we feel what is truly needed.
Re-visiting this blog I am re-inspired by the power of tenderness and that when we take ourselves into life with tenderness everything changes, not just for us but all those we interact with. Thank you, Ruth.
I re-read this blog today Ruth and I could really feel the choices you made which have brought you an experience so very different from previously. Taking responsibility for how we approach something and actually asking for support is a big step when we are told so often to look after others but never to care for ourselves. Thanks for sharing this message.
well said Judy, in the past, I always felt I had to ‘grit my teeth and get on with it’ even if I was in pain, then I would look after myself later once the situation was over. But the lead up to something like this is very important and was often the part I would miss. I have found just expressing how we feel is a huge step in making sure we are supporting ourselves, from there our approach has the possibility to open up further to be a more loving one. Thanks Ruth for sharing.
Thank you Judy. Yes I took responsibility for the procedure from the moment I got up really nurturing myself during my morning routine of getting up through to the appointment and after. It was so supportive together with clearly talking with the nurse.
I agree Ruth, I find doing Sacred Movement each morning helps me to start the day with a much more aligned, flowing, and energetic body, and it also gives me more confidence and sense of my own presence. To remember to connect with that during the day, especially when going into some challenging situation, is immensely powerful and confirming.
Yes Joan, Sacred Movement is so beautifully subtle yet so powerful and a great support for the day.
Joan thank you for the reminder how powerful it is to connect to the scared movement, and how much it supports our body energetically.
Hi Ruth, I can feel the power you claimed in making the experience what was truly right for you. It makes such a difference when we do this and don’t allow life’s events to just happen to us. As Kevin commented earlier, perhaps this gave the nurse the opportunity to reflect as well on how to best treat each patient that followed you.
This is so great to read. What a great inspiration to us all to share what we are truly feeling in every moment with those around us. Had you not been clear and said “I need this to go very slowly and very, very gently”, things may have turned out very differently, and as you noted the nurse immediately changed and treated you rather than just fly through her job description with you as another patient. It is wonderful when we are able to bring the world back to ‘people’, we are all deserved of this kind of love and attention, and it’s all that we cry out for, wether in secret or not.
This is absolutely awesome to have read your blog Ruth and how openly you have shared what is a very sensitive topic. There is so much for us all to learn by taking responsibly of our own health and putting it into our own hands. But what I really got out of your blog is how when we honour and communicate what we feel and appreciate what others are doing it is a completely different experience.
This is a good point Natalie. We can honour and communicate what we feel, but there is also a huge gift for the person offering the service when we appreciate them for what they are doing/offering.
Ruth, I can see how asking to be treated super gently during your procedure was healing for both you and the nurse who had the chance then to pause from her busy day and really connect with you instead of just ‘completing another task’. That in itself is great to see and I know many times at work I need to just take a moment to stop, feel my body and breathe gently if I have been racing around too much. It feels like a re- boot after I do this every time.
Hi Ruth, thank you for sharing this – today I had a smear test after 4 years and it was painful so we stopped – the nurse I worked with was lovely but it’s interesting to feel how I approached it as something to be done, a tick box rather than with true care. Since I’ve been considering how I support myself in this in future, and your blog is very helpful and a great reminder to take time and space with me and my body and most of all to be tender.
I never used to speak up at the time when I wanted or needed something to be done differently, it seemed that once something had started, it may as well continue, even if I wasn’t happy with it. It was like I had made that choice to go there and couldn’t stop it, even if I was uncomfortable with it. Now I know I have a choice all the time, even if my initial decision was incorrect, to stop something at any time, if I am uncomfortable with it. It’s a deep honouring and nurturing of myself that is so lovely. By nurturing yourself, Ruth, it gave a great reflection to the nurse too.
No Jane, you weren’t the only child who was told to be ‘seen and not heard’. A message I suspect my parents were just repeating from their childhood. What a blessing to be able to address that in ourselves and in our relationships with others.
A great confirmation of how the way we are living with ourself reflects in our experience of life. I too have had very different experiences from years ago when the only time I was conscious of my body was when there was pain or a problem with function, to now that I am more aware of how I am feeling, how my body is feeling and I am far more honouring of myself. After a period of focusing on that, it seems that the honouring has also naturally spread toward other people and when I am been in similar situations if I stay with this way of being, everyone blossoms and an atmosphere of love and care is created.
This blog is a confirmation that when we remain true to ourselves it serves as an opportunity for others to make the choice to live their truth too.
Great to re- read before my next smear test. Thankyou Ruth. I shall certainly make a relationship with the nurse and express what I feel before the procedure occurs. “Expression is everything”, Serge Benhayon.
‘Deep thanks and appreciation’ for the tender, loving way that you have written about an intimate and what had previously been a traumatic experience. It is so beautiful when we can share these very personal moments with other women and at the same time offer a healing to humanity.
Absolutely Sue, such an intimate subject. Thank you Ruth for sharing such a personal story and offering much healing to others around this.
Thankyou for writing so openly here Ruth about your experience and how different an experience can be when we choose to speak up and ask another to listen and honour what we are feeling. It is so important for us to not accept anything that is not loving towards us or to another, and the benefits and inspiration this can bring to both.
Not that long ago it would not have even occurred to me that there was a possibility to tell myself, let alone tell another person that some procedure did not feel okay. Life was seen as a “you have to grit your teeth and bear it” scenario. It has been through loving examples shown by some women and through discussions such as this one that I have slowly turned that round.
When we stand up and lovingly ask for a more caring and more loving experience, we turn things round not just for our self, but for everyone.
That is amazing to read, Ruth.
What a transformation you went through – to really appreciate yourself, how you asked to be treated, and as a result, how supportive the procedure felt.
It feels very supportive to hear this.
Smears can be uncomfortable. I was once told by a woman to paint my toenails red so that when I had it done, the nurse would be distracted by my toes and get it over with. I’m coming up to my next one – and it is inspiring to hear how you formed a relationship with the nurse to support you – so you didn’t feel like the next client.
It shows me that I have a responsibility to speak up for once when I have my next smear – so that it can feel totally supportive, and not just another quick procedure.
Thank you!
It is inspiring to read/see the opportunities that are always there when we accept that every moment the choice is in our hands. Thank you.
Ruth this is a beautiful sharing. It shows that if we express how we are feeling that people can connect to you as another human being and not go through the motions of the procedure they are performing with now care or understanding for the person receiving it. This of course does not just apply to having medical procedures, I expressed to my hairdresser that he was washing my hair too vigorously and actually squashing my scalp and that it was not an enjoyable experience, it felt like he was taking his frustrations of the day out on my head. I told him I was delicate and preferred a gentle touch and to wash my hair as he would a baby. He understood what I meant straight away and I have found my experience at the hairdresser since then has become gentler with each visit.
Dear Ruth
I had this deeply inspiring blog you wrote recently at the hairdressers when my hair was being washed agressively. I asked them to stop and be gentle and the comment back was that I was sensitive. Yes I agree was my response but I then said the way they were washing had a hard feel to it and they got it.
What I realised is that your blog applies to every experience that we may have and the outcome can be different if we are willing to say “no” to something we know does not feel gently, loving and caring for us.
So true Bina, I am enjoying this realisation daily – ‘every experience that we may have and the outcome can be different if we are willing to say “no” to something we know does not feel gently, loving and caring for us’.
That’s a great point Bina, not just medical procedures but every experience. Thank you.
Sounds like a completely different experience when you honoured yourself and your body. I couldn’t help feeling the nurse had a treatment that day too! Great example of how the usual rushed health practitioner – disempowered patient relationship can be changed very simply.
Lovely example of how honouring how you feel and looking at the pain and hardness that comes up in our bodies can really make a change and enable us to shift it. Reclaiming your own movement in your hips and a gentleness through the movements practised with Natalie Benhayon and how this opened up the opportunity to seek self care through a smear test is really very special. Thank you
Well done Ruth. And maybe you inspired, or reminded the nurse to not be so rushed and be more loving and gentle for the next woman that came along.
Thank you for sharing so openly and clearly about such an intimate procedure Ruth.
I feel your blog will be a big support to many women who are going for a smear test.
Absolutely Elizabeth – I know for myself that if I ever have this procedure I will take a similar approach to what Ruth has presented here – staying present, not stressing/becoming tense, and talking to the nurse about any concerns
Yes Michael I agree – speaking what we truly feel offering others an opportunity to respond in kind.
Such an awesome reminder of how we live, how we nurture ourselves and how we reflect to others the love that we have – so that they respond in kind.
Yes Michael , how we live and nurture ourselves is what we take out into the world as a reflection.
I had to go to the doctor recently and I thought of this blog so that I honoured me. The doctor was running 20 mins late, I was on the last on his list, and could see that he was tired. But I chose to stay with me, and calmly discussed my problem, stayed focussed and walked out 5 minutes later. Previously, I could have wasted 10 mins with inane chit chat, apologising for having a problem, and keeping him later when he’d obviously had a busy day, and another 5 mins talking about the weather, the weekend, and his daughter, he has a lovely picture of her on his wall. Instead I stayed with myself. I’m working on gentle steps to re-imprint how I behave at home and work. Thank you Ruth for this reflection.
Ruth, This is a necessary and as you say important self-care procedure for all women. Its awesome to behold the inspiration your writing has had on both women & men. Thank-you for taking the gentle steps to re-imprint your smear test and share its unfolding with us. The time pressures placed on the nurses within the NHS often dominates the sensitivity and invasiveness of this procedure.
Great point Jane, a different approach from both sides, women having the test and doing the test, could really change the perception of this important test to be a supportive self care programme for all women.
Jane you have reminded me of how these tests were first introduced to me through friends as a ‘grin and bear it’ situation some years ago. Fortunately over the years, I have had pretty good experiences of these examinations with supportive doctors and nurses. But I used to see it as something I had to do to avoid cancer, whereas now I see it as part of how I care for myself which feels very empowering and no longer the ‘fear’ of cancer overrides the experience.
Great blog Ruth – I love how you took responsibility with how you needed to support yourself with your smear test and how you allowed yourself to take the time to come to it in your own way.
Expressing what we are feeling at the time and not just going along with it has made so much difference to me also with medical procedures. I find treating myself with a loving care, and having awareness of this and honouring myself with attention to this before hand really makes a difference. I feel so much more care and love and meetings with others can be so joyful as a result no matter what the circumstances.
Thank you Ruth for all you shared.
It is so inspiring that you didn’t feel rushed with the nurse and actually stopped and told her what had been happening for you, giving you a completely different experience .. probably the nurse as well. I am still waiting for it to be changed how we have smear tests. We have all this amazing new technology yet a process that seems it is from the dark ages for smear tests, it would be really good for this to be changed.
Thank you for sharing your experience here Ruth. One of the things that really stands out for me after reading how you describe it, is the appreciation of your self caring and loving choices and the affect of which way out-spanned anything that ordinarily might have been expected. It’s a lovely confirmation for me that these small choices over time have a far reaching and profound affects to how we experience things.
Thank you for sharing everyone, as it shows how much difference we can make to ourselves just by being present, gentle and expressing our choices.
After having experienced my very first test a couple of months ago, feeling awful and very hurt the last thing I wanted was to go through that process again when I got a letter saying I needed another one. However from reading this blog I can see that it does not have to be that way if we speak up to support ourselves. I feel less anxious now about having to book another test as I feel that I can change the experience. Thank you
This was inspiring for me because – although I’ve never had a smear test – I know ladies who have shared bad experiences with me. So one, I know that it doesn’t have to be a bad experience for me, and two, I can share this blog with them.
Thanks for sharing Ruth
Amazing to share this Ruth, it is such a testament to taking responsibility for yourself, firstly by doing the sacred movement then booking the appointment and saying what you needed. I felt very touched by the actions of the nurse who given the opportunity to take deeper care did so with such grace and love. It is very heart warming!
Yes, it makes so much difference if we voice how we want to be treated. A couple of years ago I had to go on warfarin for a few months prior to a medical procedure and this entailed blood tests at least once every week, because my levels never managed to settle down. The various nurses that took the blood all did it differently and some were gentle but others made it very painful. I decided to ask them to do it gently and it not only changed the way that they did it, it changed our relationship from one where I was just another arm to me being a person that they were in a relationship with.
Exactly Doug how we express how we feel is so important and makes all the difference.
Beautiful Doug. Yes we can honour ourselves as human beings and remind people of this rather than settle for being just another person on their list that is treated in robotic style.
What you have shared is really amazing. Although I haven’t yet had a cervical smear, I have heard many stories of how uncomfortable they can be. I think what is amazing about your story is how when you spoke to the nurse about how painful the procedure has been for you in the past and that you need her to go slowly and gently, it gave her the opportunity to slow down and take her time. And she may take that same care she had with you to her next clients. Thank you for sharing Ruth.
I’ve heard some horror stories about smear tests, not having had one yet myself – having read this blog however I don’t feel as “put off” by the stories as I know if this one woman can have a smear test that isn’t horrific – I don’t need to go through that either.
I agree, mammograms and smear tests have always sounded so scary and painful, I was not looking forward to having to have them. However the idea presented by this blog, that listening to your body first and communicating to the nurse or practitioner could really make a difference to a otherwise not so nice experience has made me less apprehensive.
Thank you Ruth for sharing about how the power of Sacred Movement and your loving choice to honour yourself completely changed your experience of having a smear in such a short time. I recently had a smear and took the time to talk to the nurse before and during and express how I was feeling. I feel inspired by your blog to take even more care of how I prepare myself for such appointments and to speak up about what would support me.
Thanks for your article Ruth, reading this took me back to having my first Prostate exam. A similarly uncomfortable experience if conducted in a brash manner, and in many cases it’s a guy on guy thing. Boy can that be an awkward series of moments. The truth is (and beautifully shared here) if you are open and honest about how you want to be treated the health care professionals can help. It’s so often we assume they will be able to read our minds and perform exactly what we want even in the most intimate of cases. I am going to take a lot away from this in the feeling that it’s my body, I know what it likes, and medical attention is in tandem with this.
I second that Phil it is so important to be open and honest to the medical professionals to let them know how we are feeling. When we are we are able to express what is going on for us we also offer the medical professional a stop. We are then able to communicate together from a real and compassionate place not just the superficial conversation and instruction that can take place.
I agree Phill, it’s something that both men and women can do, listen to there bodies and what they are telling them, not what we think we should do, or because it would be awkward. I know that it has taken me forever to ask my hairdresser to massage my head gently because I felt like it was embarrassing or awkward to ask for someone to do something differently because it was actually better for me. But having read this article it shows me it is worth speaking up when something doesn’t feel right, not just physically but in other areas of life to.
A great point Phil. After all these tests are awkward – as much for us as the person performing them and there is generally the feeling of “well lets get this over and done with as quickly as possible” hence the brash manner. I have been shocked by the speed and brashness of some tests I have had and it never occurred to me to actually have a discussion about the quality in which they are conducted prior to having them. Warming some of the instruments up would be a great start! Ruth, you have given us all a beautiful opportunity to communicate lovingly to the person who is about to perform these tests to us and thereby demonstrate that there is a gentle and loving way to go about these intimate examinations. Thank you.
What great sharing Phil. You’ve made me appreciate that these medical procedures are actually quite personal and there can be a great element of let’s just get them over and done with and pretend nothing happened. But actually I feel there is a shying away of what is an unusual physically intimate procedure – we don’t let ourselves get examined by strangers anywhere else. So next time I have one of these procedures I feel I need to accept what is going on before I even walk through the door, it’s a normal procedure after all, and stay present and not be embarrassed. From a place of this is all normal and not embarrassing, I feel I can better express anything I need to in terms of how I am feeling etc.
Very well said, Phil – “if you are open and honest about how you want to be treated the health care professionals can help”. It is up to us to communicate and be clear about what feels right for us during vulnerable procedures, and I have generally found that the health professionals are happy to listen.
Beyond the amazing turn around for you Ruth, is the inspiring ripple effect of taking loving care of yourself, expressing this tenderness with your practitioner and in so doing holding her and the people who came to see her after you, in that care. Thank you.
Beautifully said Matilda. For the nurse to be reminded of her loving tenderness and express that with others in her care; for them to be similarly inspired and be tender with whoever they come into contact with is wonderful. One appointment but many lives.
Beautiful post Ruth. I have just booked for a smear test and will discuss how I feel with the practice nurse beforehand this time. Loving choices at every opportunity enable me to feel who I truly am and express from this place.
It’s so lovely Laura, how the same experience in a different situation is so confirming, that honouring ourselves is the only way.
Hi Ruth, I love the way that when you stopped and explained to the nurse what was going on with you everything changed. Very beautiful and simple. I have experienced a very similar situation when having a blood test, I would always pass out as a child, and just expressing how I felt to the nurse before the process made a difference to the way the she treated me -as with you, taking a little more care and to check how I was, and allow me time after. If I had held back what I was feeling, and been very nervous and tense, it could not have gone so smoothly.
I was recently in for a blood test and shared with the nurse that her tenderness would be appreciated as there has been a history of the blood being impossible to collect if the nurse was hard or uncaring. We enjoyed the most beautiful 10 minutes together and my blood flowed freely!
Laura, I can relate to that. It is very hard for nurses to find any veins on my arms for blood test as they are so thin or small. Before I used to think they know what they are doing and would not say anything, to then later walk out with loads of bruises. Now I tell them that they have to use a butterfly needle that’s the only way it will work, and it’s spot on all the time, no bruise and no pain.
It’s all about responsibility, and in taking responsibility, we are supporting another too. I know that when there have been tricky situations like passing out or difficulty in taking blood tests, then the nurse becomes stressed out too, which then makes it even harder for her to take a blood test.
Fiona, thank you for this sharing. As I read I can feel the gentleness and sacredness in what you express. The healing offered in sacred movement is profound and life changing. It is beautiful to here how you experienced the same situation in two totally different ways due to the level of self regard and self love you had for yourself. Inspiring, thank you.
Thanks Ruth. I remember when I first started having smear tests, there was a lovely nurse at our practice who used a different technique to most and would ask clients to lay on our side and approach from that angle. It felt so much nicer (if I can use nice and smear test in the same sentence). You have inspired me to ask why other nurses don’t use that position.
Great points raised Natalie and Jane, I have so many times just accepted the procedures that felt terrible by just telling myself “this is just how it is, you have to go with it” or “the professionals know better” or even at times “no one else is complaining so why are you making a fuss”. It is only recently that by listening to other women express as Ruth has done here that it has even occurred to me that there may be a different approach to being resigned, that I could take responsibility for my experience and my expression, and that I could lovingly communicate with the nurses or doctors and make sure the experience is an honouring one for both of us.
Thank you Ruth – and everyone for your comments.
Thank you for sharing that experience Natalie, when I start having my first smear tests I will ask the nurse that question as well.
yes I will too, thank you Natalie. If the nurse is surprised and it’s not something that is normal procedure, my asking is asking the nurse to consider whether how things are done could be done with differently greater care.
That’s really interesting Natalie, I’ve not heard of laying on your side before, next time I’m going to ask about this. Thank you.
Good question Jane and it makes me think and ask myself why don’t I ask “is there another way” as well. I did question/ask a girl at the opticians why it was necessary to puff air onto the eyeball for an eye test as this felt so unnatural. She explained to me it was needed to test for glaucoma. The fact that I asked if it was necessary and why is it needed is a big step for me as normally I would just accept procedures that were done and not ask.
Good for you Vicky…and maybe good for others too …perhaps that optician now explains the reason for the procedure to others.
Thank you for sharing your experience Jane, honouring yourself during this procedure. That’s a fantastic conversation you had with the nurse, showing how she felt she ‘ had to treat all women the same way ‘ . In expressing ourselves in these situations it allows the nurses/doctor to treat in a different way.
So true Susan, Thank you.
By lovingly paying attention to yourself, honouring how you felt and by expressing openly to others everything changed. Inspiring, thank you, Ruth.
Yes, Matilda, and as well as changing everything at the time I can feel how the nurse who Ruth communicated truthfully with may carry that with her into her work with all other patients. This will bring them and herself to a more human and loving exchange and be of benefit to all.
I felt that too Joan, In honouring herself Ruth enabled the nurse to express her own caring nature. How enriching is that. For Ruth, the nurse and her other patients too
Exactly Matilda, expressing to others openly what we feel is indeed very supportive.
Yes indeed Matilda and I have found the more I express myself truthfully the more it offers the opportunity for others to.
Honouring how you feel is a profound statement that Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon have brought beautifully to our attention.
Yes this is true Amina. It is from the presentations of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine that I am inspired to honour how I feel.
True Amina. Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon have certainly been the ones that have supported a profound turn around in me honouring how I feel. Before that I did not consider what I felt mattered, let alone it being worthwhile communicating it. Now I know the immense loving and healing impact this has for myself and everyone around.
it’s a reminder to us all in the future for any medical procedure to express what we need to the staff. It makes it such a positive experience when we honour ourselves.
Great reminder.
Absolutely Gill, how important it is to honour and care for ourselves, there is so much love care and support out there for us if we only let in.
Great point Samantha – there is so much support out there
Yes this is my experience too Jane. Just by seeing others as just like me and going into appointments with that attitude it can really make a difference to that interaction. Previously it used to only be about me but what I find now through having made changes in my life through the support of Universal Medicine that there is at least a moment where something in me stops to actually see and connect with the person across from me including health care professionals, to care and consider how they are feeling.
It’s so true what you’re saying Jane – I have been experimenting in shops lately asking cashiers and sales staff “How are you today?” – just to engage in the person a little bit. It’s amazing the differences I see in the person – they open up and seem more relaxed and the grumpiness subsides. It’s just as much the patient or customer’s responsibility to engage with the doctor/nurse/service provider as it is the other way around. Being with people is a two way street and if both parties are willing to be open with one another, the end result can be amazing. 🙂
Yes I agree Gill, I just went to the dentist and expressed to her how I needed her to be very gentle with her tools with me. She showed me each tool talked through what she was going to use it for and where. I then had the gentlest check up I have ever had. Amazing ! When I thanked her she said she likes to treat people the way she likes to be treated.
This is such a great point. Until we express how we feel, others around us do not know and then the cycle continues. Often when we speak with such truth and honesty we receive far more than we would have expected and as has been shown, others benefit too.
Very true Gill. On the strength of reading Ruth’s post here I had to have some blood tests and was very forth coming about how I felt about them. As a consequence I was treated with the utmost care and sensitivity for which I was truly appreciative. Communication can work wonders!
Thanks Jane, Shevon and Cheryl. Of course. What a powerful moment is provided for me and the other person if I truly express with love, care and honouring for myself and that person. Everyone craves witnessing this level of expression and especially having someone engage with them in that way. Most people receive the opposite to this many many times in their day. By me taking responsibility for my communication I am supporting them to rise out of any spin they might be in due to other events in their day. How beautiful that it is a win win. We both get a great experience.
These are great points you make here Jane and something that I can see there to be great importance in understanding.
Awesome point Jane, it is about us communicating with care and respect for each other and from their we can work together to support the condition and possibly change to arrest what it is that we have created in our lives.
A great point Jane, I know in the past I may have been nervous and a bit grumpy on having a treatment. I now take time to interact with the person and even ask how they are too, not so they can unload but as a recognition of the fact that we are all human beings and able to connect beyond the treatment in hand.
In the UK I feel we are quite renowned for not wanting to make a fuss, or cause a problem or feel we can even express what we want to say/feel regarding our healthcare (among other things!) I include myself in this category from personal experiences where I felt if I asked questions I would be stupid or felt rushed by the other person so I couldn’t take my time and ask questions. Here you provide a simple solution. Look after and care for ourselves everyday first and then when it comes to any healthcare appointments we have we will them feel comfortable and confident in asking for the same level of care.
Hi Ruth, thank you – I’m off for a medical check today – not so invasive – but nevertheless a reminder that I have a choice to express what I need and how I feel to the medical staff.
Wow. What an amazing blog Ruth. Thank you for sharing your awesome story. But even more so, thank you for sharing you amazingness. So inspiring to see the power of commitment and expression.
Thank you for sharing Michelle.
So beautiful Ruth thank you for sharing. The healing that you and the nurse have experienced by you lovingly expressing what you felt and needed to support you is beautiful. I too have a fear of cervical smear tests. So much so that I have only ever had one. Your choice to honour and express your feeling to the nurse is deeply inspiring. Thank you.
I feel this too Anne-Marie, that ‘the healing that you and the nurse have experienced by you lovingly expressing what you felt and needed to support you is beautiful’.
So true and so very beautifully expressed Ariana. Yes Ruth reading this blog has been a gift for all of us. Thank you for writing it.
I agree Ariana, with the power of expression, why hold back!
Thank you Ruth for sharing your experience. I have always found smear tests to be uncomfortable, painful and rather embarrassing, It feels lovely that you explained to the nurse how you were feeling and asked her to be gentle and that she responded so beautifully. I feel inspired to ask for this gentle support next time I have a smear test.
Thank you, Jane. To honour the preciousness of your body, to express that with your nurse, and to cry because it was painful shows clearly the power of fragility and how your interaction with the nurse that day will have set a new standard for her and therefore her future patients. That is inspiring.
It’s really amazing to see how nurses and doctors can respond when we say what’s going on instead of going in pretending we’re ok. I went to have some bloods taken a few weeks back and in a similar experience as soon as I expressed how I was feeling the Nurse allowed all the time needed and it felt deeply supportive.
So true David. I feel it is so revealing of the fact of how we have given up on people, expecting things to just be how they are; that they will not change. Whereas, a simply dose of honesty helps ‘the medicine go down’ so much more easily.
That’s great David, thank you for sharing. The more we express what we are feeling the greater this will bring about change.
This is a deepy healing blog, your sharing of taking control of a situation was hugely powerful and shows how we can change any situation by how we choose to be. You truly honoured yourself and the nurse responded in kind, I find that very inspiring. thank you Ruth
Thank you Stephen, it’s amazing the power of choice and the effect it has on others as well as ourselves.
So true Stephen that this is a deeply healing blog…on many levels.
Thank you for sharing. It proves that when we really want to make the loving choices possible for it to happen, it happens.
Agreed Jane, lovely simplicity of your comment Ben. Thank you.
I can so relate to how when we treat ourselves with respect and communicate what we need how beautifully others can respond. I recall a time when I had a blood test and the nurse struggled to find my veins, which is often the case. I’ve also noticed that small needles/fine needles work best but I didn’t communicate this. As a result I ended up with a bruise and a sore arm for days! In the past I would have vowed never to go for a blood test again, but living with more responsibility now and being inspired by Serge Benhayon, the next time I had a blood test I explained that it’s often difficult to find my veins and that small needles are needed and that I need to be treated gently and sensitively. To be honest I didn’t expect the nurse to respond I just knew I wasn’t going through that again and decided to raise the bar with my communication. Well I was blown away like Ruth shares here as the nurse asked me to lay on the couch and she placed a cushion under my arm. We were talking away and even though she had lots of vials to take I hardly felt a thing! So loving choices can definitely equal more loving interactions :0)
Shevon this is a lovely example of how the power of loving choices and expressing ourselves brings a different outcome. Thank you for sharing.
Interestingly a letter arrived this morning inviting me to come for a smear test. Ten years ago I had several painful sessions at my health centre (with a different practitioner each time) whilst they tried unsuccessfully to take a adequate sample and I too decided I simply could not face returning. Your post has shown me a different way to be with this. Thank you Ruth
That’s really great Jacky, thank you.
Ruth’s blog has also shown me a different way to be with this and that by expressing we are giving another the opportunity to respond and be another way in their job. Win Win!
This is such a powerful blog Ruth. Its amazing how even before we do something, the way in which we approach it has an affect on how things pan out. The way you booked your appointment and the lead up to it all showed how you were honouring and caring for yourself throughout the whole process. Well done for sharing with the nurse what you needed, despite noticing she was very busy and rushed. Speaking up like that is something I know I don’t always do.
Thank you Debra.
This is so wonderful Ruth, that you cared for yourself and honoured yourself with this procedure. It’s a great example for us all to follow, in lots of similar situations, that when we claim ourselves and express, it changes everyone around us.
Yes Gill, as you say it can be for many situations, ‘ it changes everyone around us’ so true.
What an inspiring article Ruth. I am due to have a cervical smear test soon and your article inspired me to approach it in a different way.
Thank you Priscila.
What a beautiful sharing, Ruth. I have always hated having smear tests because I have also found them painful and have often been teary. I feel inspired to really nurture myself through the next one and to take my time in explaining how I feel to the nurse.
That’s great Rachel, it makes such a difference.
Thank you for sharing this experience Ruth, it definitely has inspired me to look at having a smear test in a different way. Instead of the usual dread and lets get this over and done with attitude.
Thank you Julie.
Such a beautiful sharing Ruth. Isn’t it amazing how your choice to honour yourself was able to stop the practitioner in her tracks and bring her back to treating you instead of her just doing her job. This is so very powerful.
How often do we get lost in the functionality of what we do and forget about how to treat ourselves and each other?
This is a great example of universal medicine at play and what is on offer to us all from every modality and presentation offered by Universal Medicine.
So true Suzanne. I used to dread having a mammogram and found it very painful. After listening to presentations by Universal Medicine I changed how I took myself for the appointment and how I spoke to the nurse and it was a completely different experience. Slightly uncomfortable but no pain.
From Universal Medicine and the presentations by Serge Benhayon and Natalie Benhayon I went from complete avoidance and fear of cervical smears and breast examinations to embracing them as a loving choice to deeply care and nurture myself. Once I did this I was astounded at the change in attitude in the staff who carry these examinations out. Once I let them in and allowed them to support me, the staff have all been deeply caring to a degree I had never witnessed before. I have now got to the point where I would actually say the examinations can be a joyful experience. Who would have imagined that was ever possible!
It’s amazing the power of choice and the ripple effect it has. I agree Suzanne these examinations can be a joyful experience. Thank you for sharing your experience, a joy to read.
Thanks for sharing this Ruth, it’s really inspiring.
Thank you Fiona.
I can really feel your deep appreciation for Serge Benhayon and the Benhayon family. What you describe here is absolutely a miracle. Love it!
Yes Shevon deep appreciation for Serge Benhayon and the Benhayon family. Totally … a miracle !
Great article, Ruth. What stands out is the moment you decided to change the course of events by asserting your needs to the nurse and just how much that single choice had a positive effect not just on both of you but on the procedure itself. An inspiration to those many women who shy away from an intervention they know has a key role to play in their preventative care, for fear of the discomfort and distress it can too often bring.
Thank you Cathy.
Thank you Ruth. This is a beautiful sharing. Only yesterday, in talking to a friend, I was reminding myself of how profoundly healing I felt the Sacred Movement to be. How supportive of my own healing process it had been and why I had left it out of my life for the last month or so. How lovely to feel that it is now making it’s presence felt again, inspired by your loving choice to write this blog.
Beautifully open and honest Elaine. Thank you. I have had an on / off relationship with the Sacred Movement, time to ask myself why???
Thank you Elaine. thank you for sharing your experience of Sacred Movement, such a deeply healing movement.
Thank you Ruth for sharing your experiences. Obviously by claiming what was happening to your body, a lovely gift to yourself, but I wonder how that nurse then went on to treat other patients.
Yes indeed Kathie.
Hi Ruth, what an awesome example of asking for what your body wanted and not let yourself be treated as someone on the ‘conveyor belt’. By being expressive you then received a totally different care and approach from the nurse which she then would have had a choice to take that to the next patient. Very inspiring, thank you.
Thank you Tim, yes the power of expression …
Thank you Ruth for your inspiring blog.
I see the evidence of your loving, healing choices shining through you.
Thank you Wendy.
This has inspired me to take more time for myself when dealing with health practitioners, not see myself as someone who has to be rushed through in 10 minutes.
Lovely you have made this choice.
Thank you for sharing your experiences Ruth. So beautiful and empowering.
Thank you Heather.
Thank you Ruth. Having a cervical smear test can be quite traumatic for many. It is lovely to read and feel the difference in your approaches to this, it is like a before and after. The before being filled with fear and at the mercy of the test and the after with you feeling empowered and self-honouring, expressing to the nurse how you felt and how it needed to be. A true inspiration Ruth.
Thank you Beverly, yes a huge contrast between the two experiences.
Ruth, it is so lovely to read of your experience. How amazing that you have been able to turn this around and joyfully care for yourself in this way. True movement has obviously enabled you do to some true healing. I love that you stopped the nurse in her busy tracks to explain your story to her. You honoured yourself in this which led to her honouring you. Just beautiful x
Thank you Rebecca, it felt so lovely to honour myself in this way.
Thank you Ruth. I have let having my tests slip as I too had begun to find the procedure challenging. Having read your blog I am going to make an appointment, and take extra care to support myself in the process.
Marvelous Catherine, thank you.
Thank you for sharing Ruth – it is amazing how when we give ourselves the time and space others respond.
Thank you James, I like how you say this, simply.
A beautiful lesson in self-care.
Thank you Mary.
Thank you Ruth for writing so beautifully about your experiences with pap smears and the difference it can make if we lovingly prepare which I have also found for all doctors appointments and anything we do.
This was an amazing honouring and healing experience for you – how lovely to share .
The sacred movement has had profound effects on myself also in connection to my body and releasing so much from that sacred area held for so long.
After a lot of pain in that area for several months before the movement was released, after starting the movement the pains went away and I feel the area is so much more part of my body now in awareness. When I get pains I know that I need to be much more loving and gentle and tender with myself.
Another great reflection from everything brought by Universal Medicine for humanity
This is lovely Tricia, thank you for sharing.
Ruth this is a beautiful example of how we create our own experiences. Sacred movement proved to be, by your own tangible experience, a way to pay attention to and nurture a part of our body that perhaps normally a woman would not consider possible.
It’s lovely to see how the same test done 5 months later was totally different for you once the muscles and tissue were able to release supported by your own understanding of yourself as a delicate woman, to say what feels right. This blog will help so many women who have experienced pain or even discomfort with their smear tests. Thank you
Thank you Rosanna.
Thank you Ruth, this piece feels so important and profound. I especially like how the way that you were caring for your body gave the nurse an opportunity to do things differently in her job.
Thank you Shami.
Thank you for sharing Ruth. Amazing how our self- loving choices make SO much difference.
Yes Sue, so much difference.
Thank you Ruth for sharing your journey with cervical smears. I have had similar experiences as the nurses find it difficult to find my cervix. It is so much more loving to claim what we feel and express it rather than keeping it to ourselves and hoping that it will somehow be alright, or just grin and bare it until it is over. From your loving choices you were able slow down the procedure and the nurse was able to feel that there was another way and this was reflected in how she became more attentive and gave you the space to recover.
Thank you Alison.
Beautiful Ruth, the deep honouring and cherishing of yourself, your body and your health can be felt in every word. You have shown us all how to simply take charge of what happens to us, how to break the ‘conveyor belt’ consciousness we get into with our work and fail to treat people for who they truly are, delicate divine beings. You have inspired me to honour myself through these types of procedures, where it is necessary to undergo intrusive and uncomfortable tests by enlisting the support of the nurse or doctor to treat me with the tenderness me and my body truly deserve. The more we do this in the world, the more others will begin to treat all their patients and clients with the same care. Thank you for sharing such a personal experience so lovingly.
Thank you Rowena. So true…” the more we do this the more others will begin to treat all their patients and clients with the same care.”
Beautiful blog, Ruth. How amazing to feel that actually, we do have a choice in how and what we feel during what we anticipate will be stressful experiences – and that by taking responsibility, supporting ourselves and asking for what we need, we can have a totally different experience. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome said Bryony. Thank you for the reminder that it is always a choice about how and what we feel in all situations.
I agree Bryony and Priscila and thank you Ruth for sharing such a personal and profound experience. To remember we have a choice is the key when stressful situations arise, knowing that by taking responsibility we can have a different experience. Great blog.
Absolutely on the mark and a timely reminder thanks Bryony.
Spot on Bryony – we always have a choice – thank you for the reminder.
Precisely Bryony, we do have a choice always. Thank you.
Awesome, Ruth. What a great experience to highlight the power and ripple effect of caring for ourself and how you honoured yourself when it was time for a smear test and claimed with the nurse what would support you. Thank you!
Thank you Julie, yes the ripple effect of self care, amazing.
Really inspiring Ruth, thank you for sharing. Your story demonstrates so powerfully the power we all have: the power of love, if we only express it.
So true Jonathan, thank you.
‘She instantly changed, slowed her pace down and it felt like she was treating me rather than doing her job.’ This is huge. The simple fact that you expressed and claimed who you were changed everything, and what an amazing opportunity for your nurse. Her day would have been totally different after your appointment and every patient she saw would have been touched by your openness and honesty. Thank you, Ruth.
Thank you Matilda.
Well said Matilda, and I think it applies to so many things in life… people are busy rushing around in their busy-ness but if we simply connect with them as people then suddenly they return to the here and now, and there is opportunity for them to really connect with the person in front of them again.
Thank you for your sharing your story as it has stopped me in my tracks to look at how long I have ignored this part of my body due to very painful experiences.
My last check the doctor was so careless and rough I felt I had no right to say anything, after all the doctor new best?
At the end it was so painful I yelled that it was really hurting me and the doctor did not back off.
I remember clearly saying to the doctor after the procedure I would have kicked you if it was possible for me to do so as I scraped myself of the ceiling.
Your blog has supported me to look at where was I in all of this and has clearly reflected the level of care and disregard that I was choosing to live in. I would be so checked out on the table each and every time – no wonder I was getting the same level of care back!
It is beautiful that through Sacred Movement you have been able to clear the symptoms.
The experience you had with the nurse clearly reflects the level of love and care you held yourself in.
I feel I can no longer ignore this part of my body and have much to look at here.
Much appreciation Ruth as you have also inspired me to include the Sacred Movement as part of my daily self care to nurture this part of my body that has been so long neglected!
So true Kim, if we are not caring for ourselves and asking for all that we need to support us, (which is actually a loving way to treat every patient), how can we automatically expect a caring response from the practitioner? I am aware from all the comments how many of us have been through painful and traumatic experiences during investigations of this most sacred and tender part of our bodies, because we were not able to express our feelings, and how beautiful it is Ruth to approach it in this way. Thank you for sharing your experience, it is an inspiration and support for us all.
Thank you for sharing Kim. Yes the whole procedure went so smoothly and with so much care, as you say the love and care I held myself in.
Thank you Kim as your comment reminds me of the pain I went through after my 4th miscarriage. I was done with these internal examinations and they were so painfull that after eight in 2 days I refused, as I really could not take any more abuse. It really did feel like utter abuse.
What you have said is so True – “where was I in all of this” and yes the level of disregard I had for the way I was choosing to live and ignore my body was very clear. No surprise I was diagnosed with a tumour at that time which led to a hysterectomy.
This powerful blog from Ruth and all the comments I have read has supported me enough to know that my choices can change the whole experience at my next test whenever that may be.
After reading your comments Bina, Amina, Ruth and Joan I would like to add…
After another recent visit at the doctors what I have avoided for so long, I was asked the question that made my eyes squint as have not been asked for many years ‘how long has it been since your last cervix test’ my reply there were plenty of ums and arhs and stalled how I was going to get out if it. Deciding to make the simple choice of telling the truth, feeling very vulnerable and fragile, I told her how long it has been and why and expressed my feelings how awful it feels to be pushed through so quickly on other visits that my bottom has not even had time to warm up the chair.
The doctor responded amazingly and assured me she would book me in for a whole hour for the cervic procedure so that we can take all the time we need. It felt amazing and the level of care I got after that in the same visit was the most amazing experience – the doctor had slowed right down and did not look at her watch this time.
I am actually looking forward going next week and have set up to have the day off to support myself before and after the procedure.
Yes I agree Bina, this is such a powerful blog to open such a sensative topic for discussion.
Reading this article I felt that developing a deeper care with myself, and talking with others openly about this, asking them to also be caring with me can change life around me. Normally I would get off the treatment table after a bad pap smear and blame the nurse who did it, saying she was rough or rushed. This article shows me that it’s my responsibility as a woman to bring the care and gentleness that I want, connecting to this and developing this for myself first then inspiring others to be this with me. Very beautiful and very amazing that a gentle and simple movement such as sacred movement can support all women to develop this level of care and relationship with ourselves. I too have been deepening my connection with myself with sacred movement and am even more inspired to bring this connection into every area of my life!
Hi Danielle I love your response and it is so true how we somehow leave our responsibility at the door of the surgery and become the patient when actually its about our own choices including asking for gentle treatment. Great blog Ruth.
This is great Danielle, sacred movement is so supportive and powerful.
I agree Danielle. I have brought this realisation to when I have to have injections or have my blood taken. I HATE needles, and I have gotten very stressed and upset by the whole process in the past. But now I book my appointment on a day where I have time to rest afterwards, I take a friend with me and I talk to the nurse, explaining my fear and asking them to be gentle, and as caring as possible. This approach has allowed me to have my vaccination boosters with very little disturbance, and I have booked myself in to have my blood tested, and I feel a lot less anxious about it.
Very true Danielle, it brings to mind that old adage of “treat people how you want to be treated”, but if we don’t treat ourselves how we want others to treat us, we then can’t expect them to treat us the way we want.
Ruth, Your experience is so inspiring. For years I have been aware of a lack of fluidity in the movement of my whole pelvic area and have had some unpleasant gynecological procedures myself. I am ready to deeply care for myself by addressing this in a gentle loving way. Reading your story is perfect timing as I’ve just decided to offer myself the gift of True Movement. You shine a light on a beautiful way to approach my own healing and care with my Doctors and myself!
A very loving gift for yourself Jo.
Very powerful words, thank you so much for sharing this. We are so responsible for our own healing and our experiences. Thank you. I have been putting off this decision to have the test but you have inspired me of a another way to be with it.
Yes Sarah, it’s amazing how loving choices change our experiences.
Thank you Ruth for a beautiful sharing of the difference it makes to choose gentleness, love and caring for our bodies and how everything responds to that choice.
Thank you Susan.