Four stories of people who were healed despite all expectations to the contrary

When we stood at Har Sinai, we were all whole — body and soul. And while today we often grope in darkness, and sometimes feel so broken, every so often the clouds shift and allow us to see that He’s never left us

Inside Out

Ironically, Temima Simchi* was almost relieved to receive a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. IBS isn’t child’s play; it’s a common chronic condition that affects the digestive system, causing uncomfortable stomach-related symptoms that tend to come and go, and can last for days, weeks, or months at a time. But Temima was grateful that at least there was a diagnosis to explain her symptoms.

“As a kid, I needed colonoscopies, endoscopies, and biopsies. It was a pain,” she says.  But while the diagnosis precluded the need for invasive tests, it brought a whole other set of concerns. “I was young, in high school, and I didn’t want to be busy worrying about food.”

Still, she did her best to adjust to the particulars of her adjusted diet and follow her doctor’s instructions, though she didn’t see significant improvement.  “I did my due diligence, watching what I ate, suffering setbacks, feeling incredibly ill, moving forward, starting all over again, until I went off to seminary in Eretz Yisrael.”

Then one day, when the sun was shining and the sky was that brilliant Jerusalem blue, Temima suffered a panic attack.

“Something triggered me, and I found myself hyperventilating,” she shares. “It had never happened before; I thought I was dying. I realized quickly that I needed to work through some childhood things. I started attending therapy, bringing up memories I’d tried hard to suppress.”

When Temima returned home from seminary, she was eager to continue her journey within.

Working with her new therapist, Temima had a breakthrough when the therapist suggested that her physical symptoms were possibly a manifestation of emotional pain.

Thinking about it, Temima realized that stress indeed led her to feel sharp physical pains, and she began contemplating that maybe dietary changes wouldn’t be the sum total cure for her illness. In what she calls a leap of faith, she began seriously considering that trauma was at the root of her physical pain.

“I was still conscious that onion hurt my stomach and milk bothered me,” Temima clarifies. “The physical triggers were very real. But as I worked on healing from trauma and pain, my IBS symptoms fluctuated. I don’t have the medical authority to make diagnoses, but it was clear to me that I could heal myself of this chronic condition (or more accurately, I could daven to Hashem that He see my hishtadlus) if I worked to become my best self, and let that heal my insides.”

She finishes on an encouraging note. “These days, I’m practically symptom- free, and I’m raising my baby daughter in a healthy, thriving atmosphere.”