Fasting is not a new term. For thousands of years, people have been using various forms fasting for spiritual and health reasons. Some are private, some are public. Some are religious, some are physical challenges. Some are resets, some are detoxes. Some are intermittent, some are full. Some are wet, some are dry.

Ahhh. What is a dry fast?

A dry fast is when you don't eat or drink for a set period of time. It might be the most controversial of all fasts, and like my title suggests - you should NEVER dry fast... UNLESS you have researched and know what you're doing - safely! hehe

In dry fasts, you can have soft dry fasts, or hard dry fasts. In a soft dry fast, you are still going to be exposed to some water- like taking showers, or possibly brushing your teeth. In a hard dry fast, it's without water entirely.

A wet fast, is very much like its name suggests. The faster refrains from eating, but can drink water throughout the day. Surprisingly, in my own experience (and the experience shared by others) a wet fast can be more difficult to sustain than a dry fast!

Why? How is that even possible?

It's an odd sort of thing! I can't really speak to everyone's individual experience, and I wouldn't really want to. But, I can share with you my own personal experience. Feel free to ask questions if you like in the comment section!

When I think of fasting, I usually associate it with spiritual reasons - though, I haven't always done them for spiritual reasons. As a Christian, we are instructed to not talk about our fasts publicly, but I do believe that the spirit of that instruction was to refrain from boasting about our own ability. I don't think that there is any harm in talking about it publicly, as long as the heart is focusing on sharing experiences in a helpful manner. And so - I am. I hope you receive it that way!

My first fast.

A lot of what I have learned about fasting over the years has been gleaned from many sources, many teachers, many projects- but with wisdom, testing, prayer and practice, I've found what works for me. I've found fasting to be challenging - ESPECIALLY psychologically. The thought of a scheduled fast is often a lot more stressful than the actual fast itself! LOL The mind can simply play the most sinister tricks! haha But, once I begin, I'm always - ALWAYS - amazed at what the body is capable of achieving.

Before my first fast, I was so nervous. Whenever I had skipped a meal in the past, I would feel sick, get a migraine, become irritable - etc. I later learned, that the level of toxicity in your body is USUALLY (not always) a direct correlation to the amount of time you can go without meals. The body rests and repairs at night - when you are "fasting" during sleep. Throughout the day, it is too busy in "digestion" mode, to allocate time and attention to restoration. So when you finally stop eating, and the body has finally digested the food you've consumed, NOW... it can dedicate time to "rest, repair and restore" mode. What triggers your body to come OUT of this mode? Your break - fast. Sincerely. hahaha When you are eating breakfast and returning the body to digestion mode - you are doing exactly that. Breaking your fast from the night.

I had gotten my body to the point where if I skipped breakfast, it was only a matter of 3-4 hours before I got a terrible migraine. What I learned was - that my liver (one of the kings of detox in your body!) was recognizing that it now had time to start flushing. When the liver begins to set its focus on cleaning, it begins dumping toxins into the bloodstream with the intent of flushing it out of the body. IF, however, you are TOO toxic, that dump is intense, and can make you feel very very sick.

This creates a situation where the faster believes that the FASTING is causing the illness, and the first thing they want to do - is eat! To STOP the process. That will in fact stop the process (and isn't such a bad idea! hahaha) If you are THAT toxic, and the dump into your bloodstream is making you THAT sick, it's probably a sign that you need to ease yourself into a fast more slowly, and clean up your diet more gently before diving headlong into a fast.

For me, I was determined to try.

I knew that I would probably have a very hard time, with a lot of sickness, irritability, lethargy - etc, since I couldn't even skip ONE meal. How was I going to be able to endure a full day fast, two days, three - and more? (At the time this was not a hard dry fast - liquids were allowed) But as I said, I was determined. And when I began, I was simply amazed.

For me, this was a spiritual and physical fast, which caused me to be VERY reliant on prayer, worship, and reading the Bible. So - for me (notice that I keep saying - for me- lol) I truly knew that my success was a beautiful display of God's help throughout this process. I never got a headache, never got sick, never was irritable. On the contrary, I glowed. I had more energy than I could have ever imagined. I actually wanted to extend the fast beyond what they had originally set (but did not - because I wanted to be careful that I kept employing wisdom). To me, it was a small miracle. Maybe not parting the Red Sea, or feeding the 5000 LOL - but a miracle, nonetheless.

That was about hmmm now coming close to 20 years ago - my first fast!

Since then, I've done more, tried different versions, and even have dipped my toes several times into a "dry, hard fast". hehehe

I don't know how to explain this - because it is just my impression, but I was trying to explain it to a friend today when she was thinking that surely a wet fast has to be easier than a dry fast!! hehehe

And yes - logically, rationally, it must, right?

In my experience (and the experience of many others) - it is not. It is actually easier.

Now, I'm sure there are lots of scientists out there that want to explain things with empirical data. But, I am a person that loves both empirical data - and miraculous, irrational, unreasonable, outlandish experience! hahaha I think that a love for one gives me a fuller appreciation for the other - and vice versa.

Though some of you might rather understand the science - I'd rather explain it to you in a way that I experience and understand.

Imagine that your body goes into a totally new state of being, when you are not eating or drinking. Of course we know, eventually - this "new state of being" will be death ultimately! LOL

As far as I know, there has never been a person who can indefinitely survive without food or water. (though there WAS an odd woman I saw online that lived for quite a while ONLY on sunshine! bizarre - but truth is sometimes stranger than fiction! LOL. She eventually DID need to eat again! LOL so back to my point...)

Imagine this new state of being - This state is unexplainably peaceful and clear. Now imagine that every time you drink water, you pull yourself back into the previous "normal" state of being. With dry fasting, it feels like you're fully and without challenge - ushering in a shift in your state of being. With wet fasting, it always felt like a tug of war in my mind, body, and spirit. It felt like right as I was starting to edge into that new calm zone, I would drink and trigger my body to pull back into "eat, drink and be merry" mindset. Except - I wasn't giving it the eat and be merry parts! hahaha I was only giving it water, and then it NOTICED the lack of the other two, and struggled so much more!

But with the dry fasting, I don't know. It's hard to explain unless you're talking to another faster who has done dry fasting for 72 hours or more. But something incredible happens. It's really quite remarkable. For me, it's like I'm acknowledging the limitations of the body, and then God is equipping me to soar right past them.

If that sounds amazing to you, and you want to try it? DON'T. HAHAHAHA

Don't- yet!

Research, study, test in small ways, search your heart, and probably most importantly ask God to search your heart.

Fasting for long periods of time - WITHOUT the proper preparation, can be very harmful. Thinking that you know what's best for you - can be VERY prideful and dangerous. Study! Pray! Talk to those who have wisdom - and then if you're ready, and you've talked to other WISE people in your life that can support you - maybe, dip your toe in!

But - I can't say it enough. If you don't know what you're doing - it can be incredibly dangerous and definitely fatal. Don't be foolish. Use wisdom, please. 😊

Tips, in my own experience and opinion:

preparing your body for a fast is almost as critical as the fast itself.
coming OUT of a fast is almost MORE critical than the fast itself.
BE GENTLE easing in, during, and coming out of the fast.
Your body will be different. Don't try to do the same things on a fast as you do off a fast.
Prayer is key. Your mind will MOST LIKELY be a lot clearer, your energy a lot more stable. Use that time for breathing, meditating, introspection - and my favorite, prayer.
It's a special time. It's not normal to have 72 hours (or more?) of time set aside for clearing your mind and body. Treasure it. Treasure your body. Be appreciative. Let yourself be changed.