If I told you that you had to be completely silent for a week, how would you react? 
A few years ago, I did just that … with several hundred other people equally committed to silence.
I LOVED the experience. Silence IS golden! 
But it was odd to share meals with strangers without making small talk. And, I had a roommate that I never spoke to.
Being an introvert helped. I imagine the extroverts opted for a different retreat.
The retreat leader was Adyashanti (Adya). He is a buddhist spiritual leader.
Adya announced that he was taking a year long sabbatical. He stepped away for the entire year of 2022. I was intrigued to hear about his experience when he returned a couple of months ago … in January.
He shared a video with his community that was SHOCKING. 
Many years of debilitating nerve pain ended when he discontinued using 
over-the-counter allergy relief medication. He shared that the pain would flare up at times making life unbearable … even for someone with his spiritual conviction.
The nerve pain was in the rear view mirror, but he found it difficult to overcome the trauma he had experienced during those chronically painful years.
His solution was to take a long sabbatical. Fortunately, the time away to focus on his mental healing worked.
You may have heard me encouraging (
warning) anyone who is paying attention to avoid suppressing symptoms.
Next time you reach for the pain reliever … of any sort … I hope you’ll remember this cautionary tale. You need to build strength in your body and immune system to deal with what is causing the symptom.
Just because the symptom stopped “barking” at you 
doesn’t mean it’s resolved. And, the cause is likely to escalate.
Listen closely to what your body is telling you when a symptom appears. Symptoms are clues!
