Healing Throughout the Seasons

{By Dr. Flora M. White-Cooper}     

The year’s four divisions (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter) are marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth’s changing position with regard to the Sun.  This article will mainly focus on cold weather seasons.

Seasons enable the cycle of life to happen. For example, plants and animals in Autumn and Winter begin to hibernate. In contrast, plants and animals have new beginnings in the Spring and Summer seasons.

Plants blossom with beautiful flowers, vegetables, and fruits produce new crops. Everything around us begins a new life form. We benefit from paying attention and taking lessons from nature. In order to start new things, we need to release old and tired things in our lives so that new and exciting opportunities will show up. This concept is not new for many of us….. we just have not connected the dots.

What is the lesson of the Winter season? It allows us to slow down. It is cognitively and physically dangerous for us to keep a steady, rapid, and impossible pace that our society dictates. We need periods to slow down so that our Body, Mind, and Soul can rest and rejuvenate. Some may say that sleeping at night is the time to do this…but how many people are averaging 8 hours of sleep a night? And, how many are sleeping during the best times 9pm – 4am? This is the best time to sleep and get optimum repose.

Winter is the season when nature takes a break. It is a relaxing season that represents silence and isolation with animals and plants lying deep in the earth. Plant roots prepare for the Spring season. How do Humans respond to the Winter season? You may find yourself going deeper within, seeking replenishment, resting, reflecting, and being more aware of your senses. In response, this is a time to get plenty of rest, good nutrition, sleep, and spend time with family and friends.

Water is the element for Winter season. The Bladder and Kidneys are important during this time of the year. I highly recommend that people detox and restore these organs for balance. It is best to use specific herbal combinations that target these Winter organs for the best outcome.

The Chinese philosophy refers to Winter as Yin (a cosmic female energy with negative and dark aspects). Winter season is a time to conserve energy and resources. This period is not a time to be wasteful with our active (Yang) energy. The Chinese philosophy correlates well with Winter descriptives mentioned earlier in this article.

The Soul is considered a person’s vital force, energy, and spirit. Signs of loss may represent itself in mental disorders like depression, tiredness, depletion, confusion, a sense of not feeling all there, and other problems. Traditional practices that emphasize Soul retrieval can be a remedy. These practices are customs uniquely designed for the individual by a skilled healer. The healing sessions do not force an outcome. Instead, these sessions are nature based and designed to gently restore the Soul/Spirit self.

Cognition is referred to as the Mind and Emotion of a person. The Mind plays a very important role in one’s perception of self and others. It is needed to reason and make good judgment. Signs of pathology include mental disorders such as psychosis (schizophrenia); memory loss disorders, confusion, fear, worry, and irrational decisions to name a few. Counseling sessions are designed to identify dis-ease and harmonize one’s cognition with Soul and Physical aspects.

Our Physical being is a warehouse for our Mind and Soul in the form of a Body. One’s Physical ailment is an expression of the Mind, Emotion, and Soul. Adjustments are needed to address unwellness. The Healing focus is synchronizing the Physical self with its complements (Soul and Mind) in harmony with nature.

Below is a table that summarizes each distinctive Season and the connections with our Total Being Self.

In Summary, seasons are not just for plants and animals to cycle life. Humans respond to seasonal changes whether cognizant of it or not. Our Total Being is susceptible to emotional changes, allergies, and other diseases due to weather changes. Meaning, we encounter difficulty when we move outside the laws of nature, or resist change. If we learn to live within these laws, then we will know health as our friend. 

Here is a brief focus for this quarter and concentrate on the following:

• Seasonal Nutrition
• Warmth
• Rest

Human correlates of Winter:   Soul- represented by Water;   Thoughts- expressed with fear; and the Physical Body- focuses on Bladder and Kidneys.

“Nature provides lessons for living through seasonal changes. We can better manage our lives when we respect, learn, and work with nature as a healing force.” -Flora M. White-Cooper, Ph.D.

About the Author:     Dr. Flora M. White-Cooper is a Psychologist, Intuitive Counselor, and Traditional Healer. She specializes in assisting individuals to synchronically heal all aspects of self. She uses an Eclectic healing approach that combines Eastern healing practices along with Western psychotherapeutic techniques to develop a uniquely individualized program. You are welcomed to email Dr. White-Cooper at florawc@hotmail.com for more information.