STEFANIA MELICA
Founder of ALA-Creativi Culturali and
“Holistic Creative Pathways”
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The beginning
Ever since I can remember, I have always loved creative play:as a child I would play in ourcourtyard, in the entrance of our apartment complex, even on the stairways. I invented games. Any object I could find could be transformed into innumerable different toys, depending on the game I was inventing. The day began early and finished late. No TV, cell phone or computer games. My play was also filled with long monologues which allowed me to become a princess, or a knight, a fairy, or an old woman selling fruit or even a wizard who created magic potions. I climbed trees, experimented falling out of them on purpose. I balanced on narrow enclosure walls, I cartwheeled in grassy fields, there was always something to do!
I have to confess that I enjoyed my childhood so much that the love of nature and the outdoors, as well as the joy of freedom and invention, have remained the cornerstones of my life. They are an added strength to my career and a key component of who I am. I was fortunate to have been able to experience in full, the joy that comes from being creative. We all have this creativity, but unfortunately we often lose sight of it in the maze of the duties, prejudices and societal impositions that we have to negotiate every day.
I began school at 5 years of age. Along with my regular school, I began swimming. In my daily swimming sessions, I loved the sensation of feeling myself “breathed” and pulled by the water behind me as I swam lap after lap.
By the time I was seventeen, I decided to try the admissione test for the “Istituto Superiore di Educazione Fisica”. I studied assiduously and...I can still remember the amazement of the members of the examination committee when, during an exhibition of a series of dive rolls on the parquet, I revealed a huge bruise behind my neck, which I had earned through repeated practice at home. Anyway, I made it.
Now I am here, looking back on my long and passionate love affair with my profession in the world of movement. I firmly believe the affermation of my inspired teacher Jean Le Boulch (1), that “movement is the central theme around which the physical and mental development of each person is forged, throughout their life.”
I believe that our body movement is an interface between our inner world and our external environment. It is the instrument that was given to us in order to be able to express ourselves and become who we are. It is for this reason that I have decided to share the result of my study, and my experience of the many wondrous discoveries that human movement can give to each of us.
[1] Jean Le Boulch, 1924-2001, French doctor, professor of physical education, in-depth studies in psychology, founder of Psychokinetics and Functional Psychomotricity
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Return tow here i departed...full circle
For as long as I can remember, I have always believed that I have had a “mission” to accomplish, that would give meaning to my having existed. (I think each one of us has our own. ) The choices that I have made in my life, trying to live in a sense of coherence with my beliefs and declarin this openly, has been driven by the conviction that each of us can become the best version of who we are.
I distinctly remember my first moment of introspection; I was five years old and I realized that I could imagine my future. It felt like a game. At that moment I stipulated the rules of the game: I called them the 3 S: “sincerity, spontaneity, simplicity.” I decided that I would try to be true to these 3 s’s for life!
It is because of these 3 rules that I am telling my story here. I am proud of the fruits of my labour, and I have been happy living this way, so happy that I want to share this with as many people as I can. Today, when thinking about self fulfillment seems the goal to beat all goals, I can tell that 5 year old: “good job. You did well to believe in these values, because you feel fulfilled and you also want to be useful to others!” I have learned, that staying true to our inner child is a good way to stay true to our quintessential selves.
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An Interference
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Fast forward to the Sars Covid-19 era. Anagraphic age: 67. I had reluctantly accepted the 3 anticovid vaccinations offered me. Soon after, as a result of some irregularities in simple blood tests run by my family doctor, I was diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation, which would need to be treated with chemotherapy, if it became symptomatic. To this day, almost 3 years after diagnosis, no medical specialist has been able to explain why this mutation occurred. For me, it was not only inexplicable, it was a cataclysmic event. After all, I had no symptoms. My lifestyle was regular, even laudable: I was physically active, careful with my diet, I spent a great deal of time outdoors, my family loved me, I was satisfied with my career and my lifestyle. Nevertheless, this terrible misfortune happened to me. It felt like I had been hit by a boulder! My life..and not only mine...changed from that moment onward.
I immediately consulted multiple specialists and researchers who were considered to be at the forefront of research in the field. In answer to my questions of “why did this happen to me?” and then “what can I do about it?”, their reply was always the same: “madame, you have a rare geneti mutation which has manifested itself by pure chance. This is bad luck. You will never be able to heal unless you undergo chemotherapy or in very special circumstances, a new experimental therapy that has not yet been approved. You need to come to terms with this . Go to the ASL (the publich health office) and request an exemption for the cost of treating a chronic illness. Then you can continue your normal lifestyle. We will see you in a month with the results of your next blood tests.”
I felt like my heart, my whole mind and body and indeed my whole world had already fallen into a coffin!” I will forever be grateful to my daughter Valentina, who at the time was deeply involved in sharing my passion for gardening. She handed me a miniscule spade and she beckoned me to her garden. She probably didn’t know that this gesture of hers, from her heart, would be my salvation; she was simply trying to love me in that particular moment that was strange and difficult for all of us. With my stomach still in knots at the news I had received, I followed my daughter. Together with the love of my family, the earth, and the flowers we planted together, I felt my life inviting me to have faith in living.
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Metamorphosis
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From that moment onward, I began a new journey: first,of awakning to the extraordinary experience of Life, then awareness of the extraordinary people around me, along with the possibility of discovering profound truths of the world around us, and finally, of being able to unite with these truths in order to continue to express my authentic self.
In order to contain and motivate myself toward this new life, I made a pact with myself, that I would never again use the elevator to arrive to my 4th floor apartment, even if I was carrying groceries . And I did so for almost a year. At this point, I remembered that a few years earlier, I had met a wonderful person (2), (some might say, by pure chance, but really, there is a specific meaning behind every chance meeting). I had the feeling that she might be able to help me. And so it was! I went to see her, with my medical diagnosis in hand, I explained how I felt after receiving the terrible news... Her response was enormously reassuring. I felt like she was shining a bright light, illuminating my inner strength. She described illness as a sort of “discrepancy, lack of harmony, deviation” from the normal salutogenesis of each human being. She hugged me lovingly. She suggested that I read some scientific texts that I could relate to my illness and could dispel some of the prevailing false beliefs about the way we heal from illness. These texts came from the most various disciplines; epigenetics, quantum physics, biology, psychology, neuroscience, mind-body practices, trauma-related healing.
She also counselled me to take advantage of traditional allopathic medical care, should my problem become symptomatic. Finally , she put me in touch with one of the members of her integrative team, who, she explained, would be able to increase my somatic awareness and my interoception, so I could take care of my whole self. That is how I met Monica (3), the apotheosis of compassion, tenderness and always in complete connection with my vibrational level. Monica was able to identify my somatic and emotional imbalances by reading my posture! It was in her studio that I first heard the healing music of Emiliano Toso, the cellular biologist and composer of music based on 432 Hz. His music has accompanied me almost daily during these last two years, and since my first contact, I have had the incredible pleasure of meeting him personally through his seminars, concerts and webinars.
I think of Daniela as the comet that indicated my path toward healing. Monica was tha angel who offered me gentleness, sensitivity and protection every time I needed it. Emilio provided the music that my cells learned to play, finally in harmony with my true inner self!
The wonderful thing is, that I met many more amazing people after starting my journey to healing. In fact, after I shared the news with my family about my feelings concerning what was happening with my health, I told them that I wanted to find a psychotherapist who could help me decipher the possible causes of my problem and who could accompany me through this difficult phase in my life.
It was my son, Federico, always there for me, always reassuring, who put me in touch with another special person (4) with whom I have shared some key points in my life. With her, I was able to express my doubts, my feelings, rage, disappointment....but finally I was able to free myself from my FEAR; the fear that had been conditioning me throughout my life, impeding me from existing according the the logic of simply Being: the fear that indisposed me with regard to the covid vaccine and that caused me to lose faith in Life. Ilenia remained determined and indefatiguable in guiding me to look within myself, also and maybe especially when it cost me effort. She has accompanied me on my path of transformation, that I am still continuing to pursue. Along the way, with sensitivity and also great clarity, she has stayed with me to assure that my transformation corresponds authentically to my inner, loving, truth, no longer compressed by false beliefs.
It was very difficult to accept my illness. For a very long period of time, I didn’t tell anyone about it. Every time before I did blood tests and then had to read the results, I became agitated and fearful. The asterisk that I might see next to a particular value would tell me: “you are not right, you see you are ill. You have not yet healed”. Instead, I felt great. I had a strong will to live and I was determined to continue to believe in the path I had chosen. I loved studying the texts recommended to me, hearing the conferences of the scientists who are trying to tell humanity how to heal from illness and choose health, even by changin the expression of their genes. I read and studied, studied and read, and the more I studied the more I became convinced that I could heal completely. Our human organism has enormous potential Our cells are intelligent! Our thoughts and our environment can both contribute to our wellbeing. In these two and a half years, I have never stopped playing tennis. I have started practicing yoga, Pilates and other mind body practices. I have collaborated in creating projects to teach physical education teachers about how to put body and nature as the central pilasters of their didactics.
It was not by any means an easy task to concentrate on these projects, but it was certainly beneficial. Through working on these projects, I was able to tell myself that I had faith in my body’s resilience, and I didn’t want to remove two aspects of my life that had always nourished my body and mind: study and work.
Fortunately, I was able to continue without taking medication of any kind.
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[2] Dr. Daniela Jurisic, graduated in medicine in USA and Italy, specialized in Physical medicine and Rehabilitation in USA and in Italy, creator of the Integrated Medicine Method “Salutogenesis”
[3] Dr. Monica Melendez, Professional counselor, posturologist, mindfulness coach, doctorate in foreign languages ​​and literature, freelance professional consultant in Milan in individual and group sessions
[4] Dr. Ilenia La Rocca, Professional psychologist and psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders. Professor of music and piano.
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The Butterfly
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It happened in the summer, one year after my diagnosis. One July morning, near a transparently emerald green alpine lake surrounded by pines, and wildflowers, and populated by small frogs, guppies and the odd water lily. I was there with my husband Claudio and my daughter Valentina. We were lying in the grassy field enjoying the warmth of the sun and the incredible view…when, suddenly, a beautiful orange and brown butterfly alighted on my right wrist and remained there for quite some time. Then something quite unexpected happened. I spoke: the voice came out of my mouth without my planning it or knowing it. I looked at the butterfly and asked: “why are you staying on my wrist? What do you want from me? Turn around!” At that point, I was shocked because the butterfly turned towards me and answered me with one clear and convincing word: “TRUST” Obviously it was I that was speaking but I was certain that I had not chosen to speak and certainly hadn’t chosen to say that specific word. The butterfly remained on my wrist for quite a while later, continuing to open and close its wings with an impressive cadence, as if to reaffirm the message that had been sent. I was not alone. Also my husband and daughter were touched in witnessing this unforgettable, life changing experience. This was my transformational moment.
On the way back from the lake, I felt both a new lightness and a new strength.In fact, for the following three days, I felt wrapped in a luminous aura, full of energy and gratitude to have received this gift. I wanted to do something that might be useful for all of my fellow living creatures. Within the space of only one week, I created a project, (you can find it in this website) that unites a group of exceptional, marvelous people whom I have met on my journey of transformation. Now, together, we are ALA CREATIVI CULTURALI ALA (which means “wing” in Italian), named in honor of the butterfly whom I am convinced brought me this experience from another dimension, in order to help our mission of bringing health to the earth and all its living creatures.
The metamorphosis has made me a new person, able to live in the present moment and feel a sense of immense completeness as well as infinite space.
I am happy to have chosen to believe in myself and in Life, to have decided to take personal responsibilit for my illness. I am joyful to have received the strength to continue in my project, thanks to the message of trust sent to me through the butterfly. I am particularily grateful to be able to feel the real love, the kind that never disappoints, given to me by my family and by the marvelous people who are sharing in my mission. I will never stop thanking the process begun by the butterfly on that day!
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