I began my healing journey in 2000. At that point my life looked pretty good from outside. After graduating from universities in Tokyo and NYC, I landed an exciting job at an IT company as a Marketing Manager, living in a beautiful suburb of Vienna, Austria, with lots of opportunities to travel. Although I looked happy and successful on the surface, I was unable to relax, always running after projects. With a huge inner pressure to prove myself to be good enough, I spent most of my awake time in planning, executing and evaluating my professional and private projects. The more successful I became, the more lonely and depressed I felt. I was busy running in the same cycle but arriving nowhere.
I got my first wake-up call when I developed multiple health issues including sleep disorders, anxiety, lack of energy, mild depression, loss of menstrual cycles, eczema, and food allergies. I felt miserable and helpless. Without enough sleep and deep rest, I felt it was not worthwhile living any longer. At the end of 2015, a friend of mine took his life out of the blue. He too looked very successful and happy from outside, so the news of his leaving his life was a big shock for everyone who knew him.
It was a call for me to pursue therapies for myself. After trying out several western healing approaches, I came across an Eastern Taoist approach inspired by an Indian enlightened being/healer, which was most holistic and worked best for my mind and body.
Within 2 months of Taoist practice, all of my dysfunctional symptoms disappeared and my energy level increased dramatically.
I found my new passion to learn and master this Taoist healing art with a goal to become a professional Bodyworker. I invested all my resources into learning, giving and receiving sessions besides my daily work and responsibilities.
At that time, I did not realize that I was just on the old hamster wheel with a new ambition to become a healer, instead of Chief Marketing Officer. One day, I received a shocking medical diagnosis of cancer growing fast in my abdomen. Through this life-threatening event, I learned to really listen to my body and to feel what is there. Intuitively I knew it was important not to treat cancer as an enemy, but as a friend. I talked to the cancer cells everyday with compassion as if I spoke to my own baby. One day, I asked the cancer what message she had for me.
In the deep stillness, I got a message from my body.
‘BE LOVE’.
Facing a realistic chance of death, my priority for life changed dramatically over night. Before the cancer, my priority was becoming someone special, accumulating material wealth, and collecting new experiences. After the cancer, my first priority is to know my true self and to love myself. To connect with nature. To spend more time playing with loved ones. I started living my life more simply in tune with nature for the first time in my adult life.
I am grateful that I have survived that most peculiar cancer. Now I feel my heart wide open with vibrant joyous energy flowing all over my body. Most of the time I feel I am at home everywhere, with anyone, flowing in an ocean of love.
As Dr. Dianne M. Connelly puts it, 'All sickness is Homesickness.'
Any sickness is an invitation in disguise to slow down and come home. Through the process of coming home, we become more compassionate towards ourselves and others.
If you resonate with any part of my journey or long for healing and transformation in your life, please contact me here.
My professional resume (Yu Sakamoto) can be found on LinkedIn.
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