Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Healing Power of the Mind

by Linda Mackenzie, C.H.T., Ph.D. (c)

"A picture is worth a thousand words." We have heard that saying before. This phrase is certainly true in the case of visualization. Visualization is a tool anyone can use to help foster healing. By providing positive pictures (creative imagery) and self-suggestion, visualization can change emotions that subsequently have a physical effect on the body.

OUR BELIEF SYSTEM
Our belief system is based upon the accumulation of verbal and non verbal suggestions that have been gathered throughout our life experience. Through patterns of repetition and its associated rewards and punishment we learn to create our own perception of reality. In essence, we therefore become what we think. In healing repetitive use of positive visualization allows access to the "mind-body"connection. This lets the mind and body work together to foster the healing process of the body on a physical level.

THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION
What is the mind-body connection and how does it work? When we have an emotion it generates a feeling that turns into a physical sensation. For example: You are watching a horror movie, you feel frightened and then get a chill up your spine. In this case you were getting a negative suggestion through your sensory perception (sight and sound), that produced an emotion of fear which turned into the physical sensation of chills up your spine. Visualization uses positive images to produce positive emotions that manifest into positive physical sensations in the body.Sounds simple, but does it work?

WHAT WE THINK AFFECTS HEALING
Can what we think actually have an effect on healing? Bodies do react to the thoughts you make. Our psychological/emotional state affects the endocrine system. For example, the emotion of fear is related to adrenaline. If no feeling of fear exists there is no adrenaline and the same applies in reverse- no adrenaline, no fear. They work in relationship to each other. Wherever a thought goes there is a body chemical reaction. The hypothalamus, the emotional center of the brain, transforms emotions into physical response. The receptor of neuropeptides, the hypothalamus controls the body's appetite, blood sugar levels, body temperature, adrenal and pituitary glands, heart, lung, digestive and circulatory systems. Neuropeptides, the chemical messenger hormones, carry emotions back and forth between the mind and body. They link perception in the brain to the body via organs, hormones and cellular activity. Neuropeptides influence every major section of the immune system, so the body and mind do work together as one unit.

THE BRAIN
The brain is a highly efficient system that is connected to every cell in your body by billions of connections. It is divided into two sides ñ the left, logical side (words, logic, rational thought) and the right creative side (imagination and intuition). Day to day circumstances usually are met in a logical, left brain mode; however by yielding to the right, creative side of the brain we actually restore balance in the brain. This allows us access to the mind-body connection to achieve what we want. The right side of the brain automatically steers you to your goal. It totally accepts what you want to accomplish without giving an opinion and acts upon it without judgment. That is why visualization targets the right side of the brain.

POSITIVE THOUGHT PRODUCES POSITIVE RESULTS
Positive thought is essential to producing positive results. Negative thoughts and emotions lower the immune system, while positive emotions actually boost the immune system.

HOW TO USE VISUALIZATION AS A MIND EMPOWERING TOOL
The following are required to use visualization as a mind empowering tool to support the healing process:
1. Define Your Specific Intention Visualization puts your intention of what you want to work. Remember whatever you believe is what your body will do. The more specific the intention, the more specific the results. Make sure your intention is:
• Clear
• Specific
• Achievable
• You feel, know and trust it is being accomplished.
2. Take ResponsibilityTrying to do visualization without taking responsibility will prove to be futile experience. To accomplish what you want you must take action and responsibility. Visualization usually takes about 6 weeks to work and is done once in the morning and before bedtime. Some people do see and feel results the very first time. Remember everyone's body and mind are different and so is the way they process information. Responsibility is:Be accountable to and for yourself.
• Make a commitment
• Do visualization regularly
• Be persistent and patient
• Keep positive
3. Get Mentally Relaxed A relaxed state allows you direct access to your subconscious mind. Here are some steps to help you relax:
• Find a quiet place. Relax in a favorite chair or lie down.
• Get comfortable and loosen clothing
• Uncross your arms and legs
• Get centered by focusing on the breath and breathing (this activates the vagus nerve which is the major quieting nerve in the body)
• Totally relax your body and mind .
4. VisualizeVisualization for healing is a simple process. Once you are relaxed the next step is to actualize your visualization.
• Think of or speak your intention out loud
• Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the healing process or as you want to be
• Watch as your body heals you, see yourself whole and healthy
• Feel the healing taking place
• Know and Trust the healing is being accomplished

If you have difficulty you may want to try one or more of these methods:
• Use creative imagery like seeing the cells in your body healing you; your immune system fighting off invaders; your pain being taken away by the healing mind
• Imagine yourself in a very beautiful place whole, healthy and happy.
• Try reading scripts from a visualization or self-hypnosis book
• Listen to an audiovisualization tape. Remember many people use hearing as their main method of sensory perception for learning.
• Try making your own tape in your own voice.

Visualization does work to help boost your body back to health. Don't just work on the body, add the mind to maximize your healing process with visualization.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Choose to Remember the Light


by Guy Finley

The Wise Ones have always taught the great gift of remembering the Living Light and the practice of placing ourselves in its presence before we embrace anything else. Of course the elevated nature of this kind of remembrance in the face of our trials requires our deliberate and conscious willing of it; but, to paraphrase St. Augustine, "My remembrance of thee is really an effect of thee remembering me." Which means that everything about Reality is already set up to help us succeed with our new aim.


So, in that same moment when you realize that something painful from your past has again pressed its way into you, holding you hostage to a hated image or painful regret, here is what to do: right there, right in that Now, instead of capitulating into that familiar state of feeling yourself to be a captive of what this pain tells you that you must remember (along with all of its suggested solutions for ending the suffering), you choose to remember the Light. Here is a quick look at what this new inner action entails.


Instead of being drawn into a struggle with that unwanted sense of conflict, complete with its cast of supporting characters drawn from your past, intentionally withdraw your attention from that stage show. And at the same time as you close the curtain on it, bring all of your reclaimed attention into the Now. Come awake to the sense of your own physical body. Observe what thoughts and feelings are pressing themselves into your awareness and, while working in the Now like this, welcome into you a conscious remembrance of the Light, of God's Life, of the whole truth as best you understand it.


To help get you started, here are a few other suggestions. When an angry thought flashes in your mind, accompanied by the fiery sensations born of recalling some injustice done to you in the past, instead of remembering the resentments this little image stirs in you, turn the tables on it. Bring its little troubled life into your remembrance of that greater presence within you that dwells well beyond its punishing power. Work like this whenever you can and, like a pebble tossed into a deep pond, the ripple effects of that past pain will simply disappear into the healing nature of the Now. Instead of a life of endless resistance, you will learn the timeless secret of how to replace any form of darkness with the Light you have chosen over it.


Choose to remember the Light. Let it fight for you. Not only will this Living Intelligence lift you above the fray of all that should be forgotten, but it also will guide you back home to a timeless place in yourself where the past no longer dwells.

Listen to and Call In (800-555-5453) to the "Guy Finley Live" Radio Show on Healthylife.net the Third Tuesday of Every Month at 9:00 a.m. PST.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

9 Keys to Understanding Your Dreams

by Robert Moss

1. Trust Your FeelingsAlways pay attention to how you feel when you wake from a dream. Your feelings and bodily sensations may be your best guide to the relative urgency and importance of a dream, and its positive or negative implications.

2. First AssociationsIn keeping a dream journal, you will want to get into the habit of jotting down your first associations with the dreams you record. What floats to the surface of your consciousness in the first minutes after waking may come from layers of the dream that have eluded, or from deeper levels of dreaming.

3. Reality CheckThough dreams are inner experiences, they often contain accurate information about external reality. In both subtle and unsubtle ways, dreams incorporate signals from the outside environments.

4. Dream Re-EntryDreams are real experiences, and a fully remembered dream is its own interpretation. The meaning of a dream is inside the dream itself. By learning how to re-enter dreams, you will develop the ability to clarify messages about future events, resume contact with inner teachers, and resolve unfinished business.

5. Dialogue with Dream CharactersOne of the best ways to work out what your dream characters are telling you is to ask them.

6. Tracking Your Dream SelfWho are you in your dreams? Are you the protagonist or simply an observer? Are you younger or older? Male or female? The character who appears in all of your dreams, even if only as a witness is you.

7. Symbol ExplorationAlthough the dream source tries to communicate with us as clearly as possible, it must often speak in symbols in order to carry us beyond the limitations of the everyday mind.

8. "What Part of Me?"Dreams make us whole. They show us the many aspects of ourselves and help us to bring them under one rood. This is why it is often useful to ask "what part of me" different characters and elements in a dream might represent.
9. Dream EnactmentWrite a dream motto: See if you can come up with a one-line statement that summarizes what the dream is telling you.

Confirm your dream messages: Especially if you dream seems to contain a warning about a situation looming up in external reality, you may want to take steps to check the information.Dream fulfillment or avoidance: If your dream seems to promise good things, you will want to figure out practical ways you can help to bring them to pass. If your don't like a future event you have glimpsed in a dream, you will want to consider how to get off the path that is leading you toward it.Personal Rituals: Making a poem out of a dream report, drawing or painting the images you have seen, or constructing a personal shield or dream talisman are all excellent ways to honor the powers that speak to you through dreams.© 1999 Robert Moss. All rights reserved.
Call in at 800-555-5453 to ask Robert about your dreams the 2nd Tuesday of every month between 9-10 am Pacific Time at www.healthylife.net.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

How to Cool Down Your pets Quickly

By Wendy Nan Rees - Radio Host of Wendy's Animal Talk
Every Tuesday, 1pm Pacific Time on wwww.healthylife.net

· Important Signs to Recognize When Your Pet Is Getting Overheated: Dogs and cats do not sweat like us, they pant to cool themselves off. If they get too hot you must step in and help.
· Watch Their Tongue. If it becomes swollen and hanging out, it's time to take action.
· Take Your Pet To Water. Put them in a cool bath or take the garden hose and run cool water under their belly to cool them off fast.
· Use Alcohol On A Cotton Pad To Wipe Down Their Paws. This will help cool them down fast. Do not use alcohol on their body!!!
· Offer Them Water. If a dog or cat is too hot, they will not drink so this is where I will use a Pupsicle, to invite them to drink. Please be sure to wet them down at the same time. (If they are overheated they need all the help you can give them).
· If Your Pet Is Not Getting Cooler. It may be time to call your vet and take them in.
· Never Leave Your Pet In The Car. A car heats up 10 times hotter than the air outside—and can be disastrous for your pet.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Law of Attraction. Hmmm...

What pompous, egotistical creatures we are becoming. We are exposed to one Law of the Universe, “Like Attracts Like,” and think we can use this ONE Law to create and control everything around us…to bring in abundance, create a great life, find our soul mate, stop every illness, etc., etc., etc.

“Like Attracts Like” is a powerful law of the Universe and it has weight in helping us to manifest what we want, BUT it is not the “Be all, End all” trick to creation. There are other universal laws and other energy fields that comprise creation too.

Again… and again… and yet again, this species of Man always wants to control, change, manipulate and have power over things. We mask it by saying we are trying to understand the Universe, we’re learning about the world around us, it’s part of our growth to spirituality…or perhaps, just perhaps, it masks an even deeper fear - that we are NOT EVER going to be totally in control of everything and we can’t avoid death and the unknown.

It is completely absurd to think that we are not part of a greater scheme of things. We are all intricately connected as a collective whole. This is based upon another Universal Law know as the “Law of Oneness” a.k.a. the “Law of Unification.” Since we are all intertwined as one - that means there are many things, on many levels, that affect how we look, think, and feel. It also means that all these collective energy fields DO have an affect on what we can truly manifest.

We are individual spirit essences combined together, yet each one unique. Every thing vibrating in its own frequency (another Universal Law called the “Law of Vibration.”) where we each bring something special to the existence of us all AND all energies collectively affect each other. So it makes more sense that the more energy and laws we can master, adhere to and combine, the better our chance for manifesting what we want. However there are 11 Universal Laws and 11 sub-laws that I’ve discovered in my life time and I’m sure there are more. Whew! What a task to manifest just one thing! But what if instead of trying to manifest things for our ego, that we “Just Be” and live positively in the moment letting God direct and just waiting for the synchronicity of the moment, then acting. This seems a lot easier to me than wasting energy trying to create something for the ME.

Let’s stop and think for a moment …What if everything - JUST IS. What if you went through life living in the moment just being happy, joyful and grateful to exist in this Moment? Wouldn’t this bring you freedom? Couldn’t this add more joyful moments to your life? Just the time you save from fretting about, the past and worrying about the future and trying to get what you want would give you more time to enjoy the life that is.

Now let’s take this a step further…what if in every moment you were exactly in the right place where you are meant to be? Imagine that no matter where you are or what you are doing or even how you are feeling, you are always provided for and taken care of – NO MATTER WHAT. How’s that for a joyful thought! Rather freeing isn’t it. That should take away your worry, which is a truly wasted form of emotion AND energy that provides no other outcome than to keep you stuck. How do you manifest belief in this – develop complete trust in what you call God – and enjoy the ride of life.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

AD HYPE? Trust Your Truth Meter

Everyday each average American is bombarded by 3000 ads. Yup, 3000 ads a day, per person! We could get cross-eyed with all that information but instead we just tune them out.

As each ad tries to influence us, they pass through our minds like quicksilver numbing our trust factor to everything due to sheer overload. And then with so many goods and services out there, when we do go to buy the subconscious influence of these ads, the way we personally view money, society, and our upbringing all come into play in our buying decision process.

However, each human being is an intricate, unique organism. Many of us do not know that within that organism is a fail-safe, never fail mechanism that always allows us to make the right decision 100% of the time. I call this mechanism the ‘Truth Meter’. Within us since birth. The Truth Meter has nothing to do with analytical ability, thoughts, or anything to do with the mind at all. It is not based from nor reflects what someone teaches us, what society dictates nor even our upbringing. It’s greater than that!

Our own unique Truth Meter is the actual knowing or feeling of what is right for you BEFORE you give it to your mind to work out. It’s the truth of your gut-feel, inner knowing or inner voice.
We all know real truth when we hear it or see it. Even if we deny truth, once a truth is heard it has a habit of nagging you until you accept it. When you use your mind to justify or analyze truth that is when you are open to making a mistake. If you trust your truth meter it is infallible.

In the case of ads, many of them are filled with hype and are there to stir your emotions – so trust your truth meter. If an ad captures your attention and you’re considering buying then trust your FIRST gut feel. Make sure you’re not coming from ego or your emotions so you can filter out the hype.

If you are unsure about buying – don’t buy. If you’re meant to buy the product or service, the same message will probably come up again and again providing you the clarity on whether to buy or not.

Sometimes you will be attracted to an ad because the essence or part of the ad is trying to send you a message that may help you discover something that may help you in your life. However, it may not mean you should buy that particular product or service. Only when you feel 100% sure with your Trust Meter should you take the action to actually buy.

Ads are made to stir your emotions to buy, but they do serve another function of providing you knowledge of what is out there. Not every ad is right for every person. So when you find yourself tuning out from ad overload, don’t worry, you are probably not meant to hear them anyway. You always get what you need, no matter what, which may be different from what you want. You can always buy right when you use your truth meter.