Healing from Eczema: A True Story of Transformation

My daughter—one of my greatest teachers

Today I’m here to share my own healing story about how I went from being an exhausted new mom to a mother that prioritizes my well-being and passions as a way to help others, including my family.

My Journey with Eczema

Tell us about the diagnosis and symptoms.

In 2017, a year after having my daughter, I decided to eat healthier. Very shortly after I started to develop a rash on my wrists and hands that didn’t go away with creams or elimination diets. I found it very bizarre that it started after an attempt to take care of myself and I felt angry at my body. This isn’t me. I don’t get this kind of stuff, I thought.

What was happening in your life when the symptoms started?

The eczema started shortly after I returned from maternity leave, juggling motherhood and my career. I was exhausted, overwhelmed and felt like I didn’t know who I was anymore. Life seemed heavy with responsibility and void of satisfaction. I felt bored and frustrated at work. After my daughter fell asleep, I’d binge Netflix and surf my phone aimlessly. I felt like I was searching for something but I couldn’t figure out what that was.

What modalities or practices had the biggest impact on your healing journey?

The catalyst for my transformation was Bio-energy Healing. It helped me acknowledge long suppressed childhood trauma and made me realize how limiting I saw the world because of it. Having kids only magnified issues that were present all along for me.

I found like-minded people who were also on their spiritual journey and this was so helpful because I didn’t have anyone in my personal life who could understand what I was going through. In truth I didn’t have to search them out—they seemed to pop into my life at just the right time.

I also discovered breath work and muscle testing for the mind and emotions. I learned to accept that it was okay to feel the whole range of emotions and there was no shame in that. Over time I learned to feel where in my body those feelings were sitting and let them go, one by one. And of course, this is a life-long process.

What lesson(s) do you think your body was teaching you?

I had many realizations during the 2 years living with eczema. There was always a background feeling of helplessness and anxiety that I believe started way before me and that it was a combination of my own childhood and inherited trauma.

The eczema showed up on my wrists exactly where I was strapped to a gurney as a toddler going in for heart surgery.

And finally, my body was teaching me that it held all my memories—even the ones I was trying to run from. The day I finally opened up about sexual trauma and shared with the one person I was afraid of telling—my mom—I felt an enormous weight lift and the eczema vanished overnight. You can read the full story here.

Now I have only reverence and appreciation for how wise my body is and how every symptom comes with a message that only wants us to heal on the inside.

How has life changed since?

Life is completely different now. My health journey helped me discover my passion for holistic healing and I share that through my blog and career. I’m closer to my husband and kids and have found a healthy work/life balance. I prioritize myself more and have rediscovered the wonder and creativity that was missing since being a kid. I’ve been eczema-free since that day and although my body still has aches and pains from time to time, I’m quick to listen to the message so it never tends to linger. This is my favourite part of my work—discovering messages!