Healing Messages 24 August 2009
_A day does not go by in my clinic that I am not reminded about the power of the mind and spirit in the healing process. That is why “attaining inner peace” is one of my 4 key steps to recovery from any illness. Progressively I will add below many of the psychological distinctions I have learnt from my reading, my own recovery from illness/challenges and the many lessons in healing my patients give me on a daily basis.
With love and grace,
Dr Greg Emerson_
- Epictetus was a Greek philosopher who lived in the first century AD. He taught that all unhappiness arises from attempts to control events and other people over which one has no power. Comment: unhappiness produces low energy frequencies and acid in the body which cause fatigue and illness. We need to focus on how we live our own lives and “be independent of the good opinion of others“. The only way to recover from any event that we perceive as negative is to change our perception and have faith that there is a reason why it has occurred. That reason may not be immediately obvious but will be revealed in due time- “immediate results come to those with infinite patience.” Believe that in a years time you will be wanting to find out who else has been through what you have been through so you can help them. Know that you are strong enough to get through this challenge.
- My favourite poem ever- Bittersweet by Rumi
In my hallucination
I saw my beloveds flower garden
In my vertigo
In my dizziness
In my drunken haze
Whirling and dancing like a spinning wheel
I saw myself as the source of existence
I was there in the beginning
And I was the spirit of love
Now I am sober
There is only the hangover and memory of love
And only the sorrow
I yearn for happiness
I ask for help
I want mercy
And my love says-
Look at me and hear me
Because I am here just for that
I am your moon
And your moonlight too
I am your flower garden
And your water too
I have come all this way eager for you
Without shoes or shawl
I want you to laugh
To kill all your worries
To love you
To nourish you
Oh sweet bitterness
I will soothe you and heal you
I will bring you roses
I too have been covered with thorns
Comment: sometimes our dream disappears- the dream of health, of wealth, of love. No one can escape this. These events happen to us in order for us to grow spiritually. True freedom comes when we can control the meaning of events in our life. Just as Gandalf says to Frodo in Fellowship of the ring when Frodo wishes that he had not had his dream shattered- “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” So ask for help and learn to start looking for the gift in what has happened, not the punishment. Seek out others who have been through similar events and have recovered, seek out people who can help, have courage, learn to meditate and pray. Have faith that peace, love and happiness are coming. Remember though that they come on their own timetable. As it states in the Course in Miracles- “Immediate results come to those with infinite patience.”
- Lighten up. Take in some fresh air and sunlight. Dream of harmony. Sacrifice for love. Face challenges eagerly. Look through the eyes of appreciation. Relish adventure. Forgive your parents and cut yourself some slack. Make someone happy. Work for peace. Never be disheartened. Re-invent. Reach. Risk. Refuse, resist and re-use. Make a wish. Send little gifts in the mail. Accept love. Walk the dog. Surrender. Be silly. Do not wait for a better world. Show respect to your body and the earth. Dance with the stars. Let it go. Expect the best. Know all difficulties in life have a purpose. Follow your bliss. Practice random acts of kindness.
Anita Roddick
Comment: health, wealth, love, relationships, peace and hapiness do not come without an effort. Make an effort every day to do something nice for yourself and something good for someone else. Mike Dooley speaks profoundly when he says “When you understand that what most people really, really want is simply to feel good about themselves, and when you realize that with just a few well-chosen words you can help virtually anyone on the planet instantly achieve this, you begin to realize just how simple life is, how powerful you are, and that love is the key.”
- “Now and again I go about pitying myself and all the while my soul is being blown by great winds across the sky.”
Objiway Indian Saying
Comment: there is always a bigger picture. Repeat this phrase to yourself when you find yourself worrying excessively about trivial matters. Remembering this also allows us to be more objective about suffering. We can see that suffering is dependent on the meaning we place on events in our lives. Understand that there are no accidents and look for the gift or lesson in every event. Repeat to yourself that “suffering is just a story and I can be free of it now.”
- “An unreserved, positive self adoration remains the essence of health, the most important asset a person must gain to become exceptional. Self-esteem and self-love are not sinful. They make living a joy instead of a chore.”
Dr Bernie Siegel- Love, Medicine and Miracles.
Comment: every single persons greatest fear is they they are nothing. One of the basic human needs is significance- we need to feel that we have a purpose, that we have self worth and that we can make a difference. Poor self-esteem is frequently involved in the cause of illness because it is often associated with guilt and shame- these are the lowest calibrating energies in the body. Low energies are associated with the production of acid in the body which interferes with the bodies natural alkaline design. Understand that when you are truly at ease with yourself then you will be happier and healthier. You will also be able to express love for others better and truly listen to their problems. Life wants you to become a butterfly, not die as a caterpillar. In order for that to happen, challenges will come along in order for you to grow. Those challenges include other people who will push all your buttons. Instead of getting angry, see them as your greatest teachers and be grateful for them in your life. Don’t worry about changing other people- it’s usually impossible. To transform the world, concentrate on transforming yourself. How? Start with good nutrition, an understanding that suffering is not in the event but the meaning we give to the event, value honesty and make a commitment to learn yoga and meditation. Remember there are lots of different forms of each- keep trying until you find a style which suites you. They have both been invaluable to me in my journey through life.
- If in the last few days of your life you asked yourself “what have I achieved?” and the answer is “I made no mistakes” then that is very disappointing. No matter how you look at it, life is a journey and during that journey, growth is one of our basic human needs. Growth requires decisions to be made and you never know for certain that you have made the right decision. Sometimes it will appear that you have made the wrong decision. Understand that you haven’t, understand that whatever the consequences, that was meant to happen…and it’s a chance for you to grow as a person. Don’t hold back in life in fear of making a mistake, allow yourslf to be vunerable- thats the space where the learning occurs, where you see things you wouldn’t otherwise see. I have made many “mistakes” in the past and have learnt from all of them. Be honest, be kind and be loving- they are positive energies but don’t regret anything from your past. Dr Wayne Dyer suggests that instead of regret, we remind ourselves- “I did what I knew how to do given the conditions of my life at that time and I have learned what I had to learn from it and I’m going to move on from it.“ Ask for forgiveness from anyone you have hurt and forgive those who have hurt you- forgiveness is a healing energy you must bring in to your body and spirit to recover form any illness. As Mark Twain famously states, “forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
- In order to recover from any illness or stressful event, we MUST find a positive meaning in the event. That’s the essence of Dr Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy. Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who developed logotherapy while in a concentration camp during the second world war. He survived his ordeal by finding a positive meaning in the events of his life. I believe that even the people who enter our lives are there for a positive reason, including the ones who “push our buttons” and cause us stress or pain- look for the lesson they are teaching you. Maybe they are there to teach you forgiveness. Don’t get angry with them. In those situations remind yourself of what Mike Dooley says- “that at any given moment, behind the curtains of time and space, it’s like there’s a legion of angels anxious to do your bidding, who can only reach you when you’re happy.” In any situation of conflict, choose peace instead. Anger produces acid, acid causes disease.
To recover from an illness we must also look for the positive meaning in what has happened to us. I believe that everyone of us is here for a purpose. Currently mine is to encourage everyone to take responsibility for their health and NEVER GIVE UP searching for the cause and cure of their illness. A divine energy decided that I would be much better at my job if I was given a few to get over myself! In the end, even if we fail we must remember that “all the while my soul is being blown by great winds across the sky.” We don’t get to choose when we enter this world and we don’t get to choose when we leave it. We leave when our purpose is served. We should live it well while we are here. Don’t die wondering.
- Carolyn Mase in her book Why People Don’t Heal writes “we bond to the wounds of our past and make our wounds our identity.”
Comment: The past is the past, don’t let it steer your future. What happened in the past happened for a reason- find the positive meaning in it. If you can’t find one, have faith that there is one and it will be revealed to you in due course. Live your life in the present. Use meditation and yoga to surrender any suffering in the past to a higher energy (whatever that means for you). Don’t try and understand everything- just surrender it, surrender the negative energies of pity and sadness and get on with living a life full of the positive energies of peace, love and honesty. It will ALWAYS help you heal.
- “There is no such thing as an inconsequential lie.” Gary King.
Comment: Lying can become a self-propagating monster. What starts off as a small “inconsequential” lie begins the first of the small waves from the small pebble thrown into the water. With time, those waves increase in frequency and size until they can become overwhelming and catastrophic. Lying can cause illness in 2 ways. Firstly the stress of constantly having to hide the lie and the stress of the guilt from lying builds up acid in the body. The production of these metabolic acids interferes with the alkaline design of the body and promotes disease. Secondly, we can lie about our health and find a way to justify self-destructive behaviours. Our egos are very clever at finding justifications for all manor of habits.
One of the keys to recovery from any illness is to find inner peace. This cannot be done without adopting a values system which has living a life of honesty and integrity near the top of the list. Take Gary Kings challenge and start tomorrow.