Diabetes and the Art of Receiving

The Symbolism of Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which glucose (sugar) builds up in the bloodstream because the body becomes less responsive to insulin and, over time, the pancreas may no longer produce enough insulin to compensate. When blood glucose becomes sufficiently high, some glucose can spill into the urine.

In The Healing Power of Illness Dethlefsen and Dahlke explain that to understand what diabetes is we have merely have to substitute the word 'love' for ‘sugar.’

The word diabetes comes from the Greek verb diabeinein, which means 'to go through’ or ‘to syphon.’ In the past diabetes was called glycosuria; meaning, 'sugar run-out'. So symbolically, we can translate the term 'sugar run-out' as a running-out of love.

“Behind the desire of diabetics to enjoy sweet things, and their simultaneous inability to absorb sugar into their cells, stands an unsatisfied desire for love, along with an inability to accept love and absorb it unreservedly.”

“Diabetics are typically obliged to live on 'substitute foods' - substitutes, that is, for what they really want.”

The only people who can accept love are people who can also give it - but those who are diabetic give out love only in the form of unassimilated sugar in the urine. Those who are insufficiently prepared to 'let things pass' find that the sugar lets itself pass. In this case through their bodies (in the form of glycosuria). 

Diabetics want love (in the form of sweet things), yet do not trust themselves actively to pursue it (I really musn't have anything sweet!'). And so they long for it all the more (I should like to so much, but I musn't!'), yet are unable to get it because they have never learnt to love themselves. And so love passes them by - they have to excrete the sugar that they have failed to assimilate. Not that this is really anything to be sour about.

In Your Body Speaks Your Mind Deb Shapiro explains that just as diabetics cannot physically assimilate the sugar from food, it is hard for them to emotionally accept love. 

In her view, diabetes is related to feeling either a lack of or an over-abundance of sweetness. For example, she noticed that people often developed diabetes either in times of conflict or stress, or in times of overabundance, such as a smothering, excessively loving parent. 

"When the inner sweetness passes straight through and leaves in the urine it causes a sadness or loneliness. Diabetics often feel emotionally isolated, unable to give of themselves." 

“Diabetes is also about being able to give love, to both ourselves and others. Healing diabetes is therefore about loving ourselves and finding balance by developing the ability to both give and receive love.”

Treatment

Real life is rarely so neat and tidy. For one person, the theme may indeed involve difficulty receiving love. For another, it may concern missed opportunities, scarcity, overcompensation, disconnection from pleasure, or something entirely different. And for some people, none of these psychological themes may be relevant at all. The value of symbolism lies not in fitting someone to a theory, but in seeing whether the metaphor resonates with their own experience.

However, if the metaphor of “unassimilated love” resonates with the person, the next question is practical: how can we help them become more able to give and receive love?

1. Counseling 

Of course the best place to start is with counseling. For me there are four parts to counseling. 

The first, is simply listening. Here we dive deep into the underlying causes of why a person has lost the ability to both give and receive love. 

The second is action. Delving deep can uncover causes but more often than not a person needs practical advice and coaching. For example, if a person is very shy knowing that they are shy is not going to solve any problems. They need to take practical steps in how to become more outgoing and assertive. 

Thirdly, I like to give my clients journaling tasks to complete. “Oh no!” I hear you say, “Journaling is so clichéd and wishy washy.” Not the kind of structured journaling we’ll be doing. The Dr. Sarno method of journaling is designed to delve deep and to get you to communicate with your subconscious. 

Four. I also draw on Eugene Gendlin’s Focusing method. Rather than telling a person what their illness or emotions mean, Focusing encourages them to notice the felt sense: the subtle bodily feeling that arises around a particular issue. For example, instead of assuming that someone has difficulty receiving love, we might explore what actually happens inside when affection, praise, support, or closeness is offered. A feeling of tightness, hesitation, discomfort, or an unexpected image may gradually reveal something that ordinary conversation has missed.

2. Lifestyle

The next place I look is lifestyle. I’ve based my approach mostly off the book The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet.

What I find useful about The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet is that rather than presenting diabetes as a problem that can be solved by eliminating one particular food, it emphasizes gradual improvement in eating habits, activity, weight management, and daily routines.

The program is structured around two broad stages: first, identifying habits that are helping or hindering progress, and then building a sustainable lifestyle around healthier choices. 

The diet itself emphasizes portion control, balanced meals, vegetables and fruit, appropriate carbohydrate intake, protein, dairy, fats, and limited sweets. It also gives practical guidance on serving sizes, meal planning, eating out, and preparing healthier versions of familiar foods.

An equally important part of the program is movement. The book encourages people to begin at their current level, gradually add more activity to the day, and later include both aerobic exercise and strength training.

The reason I chose The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet over so many other excellent alternatives is because it’s available at most libraries and comes with an accompanying journal, The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet Journal. The accompanying journal reinforces this approach by asking the reader to track food, activity, habits, goals, and progress over time.

3. Homeopathy

A homeopathic approach looks for a remedy that reflects the whole pattern of the person: physical symptoms, emotional tendencies, characteristic reactions, sensitivities, fears, relationships, and the way the illness is experienced. 

In this sense, the physical and psychological are not treated as separate problems but as different expressions of the same individual pattern. Two people with almost identical symptoms but with different personalities would receive different remedies.

The aim is to find the remedy whose overall picture most closely corresponds with the person as a whole.

4. Flower Essences 

I found that flower essences really help with any underlying emotional issues. There are hundreds of flower remedies to choose from. Here are three I commonly use.

Pine is associated with guilt, self-blame, and feelings of unworthiness. Someone may receive kindness, affection, praise, or support and immediately feel that they do not deserve it. They may apologize excessively, take responsibility for things that are not theirs, or find it easier to give than to receive. Here the difficulty is not that love is unavailable; it is that the person struggles to believe they are entitled to accept it.

Bluebell is associated with a fear that there will never be enough, even when love, support, or material security is already present. The person may hold tightly to what they have, emotionally or materially, because some deeper part of them expects scarcity. This can make genuine giving and receiving difficult.

Water Violet suits the person who is naturally private, self-contained, and independent, but whose reserve has gradually become a barrier between themselves and others. They may be admired, capable, and composed, yet remain emotionally difficult to reach. Love is not necessarily absent; rather, intimacy may be kept at a safe distance.

Work with me

If the ideas in this article resonate with you, we can explore what they mean in the context of your own life rather than assuming that one interpretation fits everyone. My approach combines counseling, structured journaling, lifestyle support, homeopathy and flower essences. If you'd like to discuss whether this approach might suit you, you're welcome to book a free introductory call.