Ayurvedic Healing and the Power of Self-Talk: A Real-Life Case Study
We often hear how talking to plants can help them flourish. But what about talking to ourselves? Out loud. Now you’re giving me the side-eye, but stick with me. Words are powerful, not just when used with others, but with ourselves too.
With my client’s consent, I’m going to share with you a case study that demonstrates this in a surprising way. As we worked together, her anxiety rose instead of settling – a reminder that healing is a dynamic process and adaptation is key as the client’s needs evolve over the course of the journey.
Beginning the Journey
My client was a 65-year-old woman with bilateral, slow-moving cataracts. At this initial stage, the cataracts weren’t causing any issues or obscuring her vision. Her desire was to maintain healthy eyesight, soothe her tired eyes and ease a few other aches.
We started gently by focusing on her daily routines, simple dietary adjustments, self-massage practices, and herbal supplements tailored to her. She later admitted that at first “I was a bit like – are they really gonna work, this mumbo jumbo?”
But she decided to approach it differently this time: “I’m gonna take these with a positive mind. I told myself I had to make it work – and it will work for me.”
Early Shifts
Within a couple of weeks, she noticed improvements in aspects of her health that she hadn’t even mentioned at the outset because her focus on her vision had trumped everything else. During our check-in, she reported:
Improved sleep
Disappearance of tightness in the upper abdomen after eating
Return of healthy appetite to usual meal-times: “Why am I not snacking anymore?”
No more burning sensation in her hands and feet
No more hip pain: “I was walking and thinking my hip’s not hurting”
Fewer leg cramps
Tinnitus less sharp then before
Fewer episodes of loose stool
Sense of calm: “I feel more settled”
What neither of us could have predicted was the sudden turn in her vision. Overnight, she’d lost 80% of her vision in one eye and after examination, was informed that the cataract had become fast-moving and she would require surgery for it.
A Sudden Challenge
As her eyesight deteriorated, her anxiety grew. We often take our senses for granted until one of them fails us. Ayurveda teaches us that our sensory organs help us make sense of our surrounding world, giving us a sense of stability and belonging.
Did the herbs help? Yes, they helped her to sleep and support her nervous system.
Did the routine help? Yes, it kept her anchored to a daily rhythm.
Did the self-massage help? Yes, it helped soothe her.
But what she needed in-the-moment, during those panic attacks, was something more immediate. So, we embarked on something different.
Introducing Self-Talk as Healing
Together, we adapted her care plan, shifting from purely physical support to calming practices for the mind. We added more frequent check-ins and began guided visualisation and self-talk exercises over the phone. Through this, she became aware of and confronted her underlying fear: “This is going to be the rest of my life.”
Her anxiety wasn’t just about the upcoming surgery, it stemmed from her internal world feeling uncertain as she lost her independence. Poor vision stopped her from driving, took her freedom, and left her feeling boxed-in and hyper-sensitive to happenings around her.
Speaking to herself (and directly to her eyes) with kindness, brought to the surface her fear, her wishes, and the gratitude she has for her eyes and what they do for her everyday. This practice helped soften her anxiety slowly.
In the background, she was supported by her husband and daughter who helped her stay rooted during this uncertain time.
Emerging on the Other Side
After her cataract surgery, her energy and tone had changed completely. She was lighter, brighter and more grounded. Even with her second eye surgery being planned, she told me: “I’m feeling good – determined to go out and getting back into my mode.”
Her sleep had become restful, her body felt stronger, and her mindset – probably the biggest pivot – was softer and more understanding towards herself: “If I cant do it, I can’t do it”, she said about the pressure she would put herself under for those never-ending chores and errands.
That acceptance reflected a huge inner shift: she wasn’t driven by fear of limitation, but motivated by trust in her own capacity to adapt, flow and go at her own pace.
Reflections
This case reminds me that healing is rarely about one organ or system alone. Sometimes the symptom that first brings someone to Ayurveda – in this case, the eye condition – becomes a doorway into a much deeper rebalancing.
This client’s own words capture it best: she moved from “Why can I not see?” to “I’m determined to go out and about.”
At its heart, Ayurveda meets us exactly where we are – helping us to reconnect body, mind and spirit so that, step by step and with room for adjustments, we can reconnect with ourselves.