|
Biography
FAQ
School
Info
Class Schedule
Location
Video/Photo
Events
Student
of the Month
Curriculum
Contact
Us
Terminology
Principles
 
| |
The Healing Power of Hapkido
In 2001, Jim was involved in a serious car accident that left him with 5
herniated discs in his spine. In the aftermath, he was faced with a difficult
decision: either to undergo major surgery with serious risks and no guarantee
of success, or to attempt physical rehabilitation without surgery. Considering
the permanency of surgery, and its potential negative outcomes, Jim declined to
go under the knife.
Prior to the accident, Jim had been a very active individual. He is a former military serviceman
, and used to ski and rollerblade. He also used to study various martial
arts, including Shotokan karate, Wushu, and Judo. However, after the accident,
the pain and stiffness in his body were so debilitating that he could not
continue to work and moved in with his sister. He spent the
majority of the next 6 years on numerous pain medications, requiring two canes to walk to the
bathroom. Nerve damage left his left side especially weak, with a tremor in his
left leg.
In the time following the accident, Jim sought the help of skilled medical
practitioners, including a physical therapist, a chiropractor, and a
neurosurgeon. He was prescribed a total of 25 medications for pain over the
course of his treatment. However, his medical treatments represented little
more than a "quick fix" for the pain and stiffness. After physical therapy,
or a chiropractic adjustment, Jim would feel better for a day or two, and his
symptoms would return. Pain medications did little more than keep him
?zoned,? and he suffered from many of their side effects. Worse, the pain
from his injuries was not just physical. The debilitation he suffered cast him
into a deep depression. He explains, matter-of-factly, that when you are that
beaten down, "no drug in the world will help," adding that "you just
don't want to face reality."
But Jim was not ready to give up. One day, driving by Master Seng?s dojo, Jim
decided to go in and see what it was all about. Inspired by the Master's
story of escape from Pol Pot's regime in Khmer Rouge-era Cambodia, Jim
decided to try out the wellness programs at the dojo. However, because of his
injuries, Jim wasn?t sure he would be able to keep up his training. Yet,
Master Seng simply encouraged him to try it out, assuring Jim that he need not
pay to sign up until he was sure that he would benefit from it.
Jim was very interested, and soon Master Seng had him begin a regimen of
breathing and meditation. Encouraging him all the way, Master Seng gave words
to what Jim knew intuitively when he decided to get off his couch: "You have
to create yourself." Whereas some people feel that their fate decides their
limitations, the Master assured Jim that we set our own limitations on
ourselves, explaining that "Winning is a choice." Jim began to discipline
his mind and his body, making a little progress each day and always telling
himself "I am not going to lie down." And soon Jim realized that moving was
getting easier and easier each day.
That was about a year ago. Within a month, Jim began to see significant positive
improvements. He was moving better and felt less pain. Breathing exercises and
meditation, along with the physical discipline of Hapkido helped him to master
his physical and emotional pains. Within two months, Jim was up and moving
normally after six years of life on a couch and walking with canes. He has
regained almost all of his mobility and his leg tremor has gone away. After six
years of palliative treatments, he has found something that gives him lasting
relief for his pain and stiffness. Jim will be 49 in October. Today, he
doesn?t look a day over 30.
|
