Posts filed under ‘Spirituality’
It’s Talking — Are You Listening to Your Body?
I started my transformational journey at a very young age. It started when I was given the gift of The EST Training at fifteen years old. Over the next four years I went on to do LifeSpring; the Landmark Forum; The Communication Course; The 6-Day; weekly seminars on such topics as integrity, money, and relationships; even a six-month long leadership program where I was being trained to lead Introductions to the Forum. I remember so many of the adults telling me how fortunate I was to be receiving transformative distinctions at such a young age and if they had known “this stuff” as a teenager, boy how their lives would be different. What would have been possible for them if they were armed with this knowledge of the mind early in life?
In 2000, I was immersed in the work of the heart and in the study of male-female dynamics. I could see what was possible if people knew the benefits of heart-centered practices — the end of domestic violence, the return of family values, love over fear — wouldn’t it be great if everyone was gifted with this access to the heart too?
In 2012, now a mother of two young girls, I embarked on yet another journey, this one of spiritual nature. One that helped me accept my empathic essence, harness my own intuitive abilities, consider that I am a powerful healer and even commune with Archangel Michael. This work was powerful. What difference would it make on the planet if everyone was uplifted with this connection to spirit?
Today, I am completely drawn to the mind-body connection. I acknowledge that this is an area in which I have much to learn, as my Mind and my Body have had very little relationship over the last 4 decades. Funny aside: I thought my Body liked staying up late, watching movies, enjoying cocktails and eating potato chips. It certainly seemed more fun than sleeping, drinking water and working out! Ah, the mind can be a tricky foe.
My wish is to pass the important knowledge of the mind, heart, and spirit onto my girls while they’re young, providing them the opportunity to lead what I call “integrated lives,” but perhaps with a stronger emphasis on the body. What would be possible for them if they were armed with this knowledge early? How would learning to release other people’s energy from their bodies help them in the long run? Would learning to ground everyday save them from stress and burn out? Would listening to their bodies save them from disease?
Recently I met a remarkable young man who seemed to answer all my questions in one fell swoop. In the short time I spent with him, he spoke about every subject I have spent my life studying and he stood before me the living proof of what is possible when young people are armed with the great knowledge of the dimensions of well-being.
Trained in multiple disciplines of kinesiology and believing that within each of us a great healer awaits, Dr. Reid Etter has spent his life integrating the mind, body, heart and spritit into tangible, bite-size pieces of information that everyone can understand. In addition to being a doctor of chiropractic, Dr. Reid uses the following modalities in his work:
- TBM – Total Body Modification
Every aspect of ourselves is taken into account when using TBM — our anatomy, biochemistry, spirituality and energy — since all are intrinsically dependent upon one another for total balance and resonant harmony. Using the wisdom of the body via the muscular system, TBM operates on the understanding that the body can provide vital information on our state of health and has the incredible ability to heal itself.
- NET – Neuro Emotional Technique
In our modern age we find ourselves inundated with incredible amounts of stress, and this stress when unaccounted for, can settle within the body and create imbalance. NET seeks to locate emotional disturbances and imbalances, and removes them withefficiency and delicacy in order to restore ultimate performance and function.
- NRT – Nutritional Response Testing
Our ancestors could cure their afflictions with food, but today poor farming methods and the use of harsh chemical fertilizers have created a vastly nutritionally depleted food epidemic that has resulted in widespread nutritional imbalance. NRT seeks to determine specific nutritional imbalances within our bodies and addresses them with small doses of highly concentrated nutritional supplementation to reverse and ultimately restore light into the body.
- QRA – Quantum Reflex Analysis
Disease phonetically breaks down into ‘dis’ and ‘ease’ which means a ‘lack of ease’ or stress to the body. Recognizing that emotional and chemical toxicity are the precursors for nearly all disease, QRA operates at the quantum energy level to unravel the layers of imbalance arriving at the Core Truth of a patient’s disease. Determining appropriate measures to eliminate such toxicity from the body can transform it from a state of disease to one of ease.
I had the privilege of sitting down and connecting with Dr. Reid recently. For me, he is the missing link. Listen in while we talk about healing from the body’s perspective.
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QoC: I am so honored to get to explore some of these vital topics with you today, thank you in advance! So let’s dive right in, shall we? You feel we can ALL heal ourselves. How is that possible?
DRE: Healing can be a difficult arena to address because each individual possesses his/her own innate blend of characteristics in addition to their place in their own life journey. To discuss anything healing, it is first important to delineate what we are actually healing here, and of course the healing begins with our bodies.
As we sit here at this present moment, each one of us is a living, breathing entity, with trillions of cells each individually performing their own myriad of activities in seamless flow. Cardiac muscle cells are creating electrical current waves through particular balances of sodium and potassium ratios every few seconds. The pituitary gland is constantly updating its output of stimulating hormones depending upon specific changes in hormonal activity in the body. The glutathione pathway of the liver is neutralizing free radical activity and other damaging issues in the body as we speak. This list goes on and on, but my point here is your body is clearly a miraculous vessel with seemingly endless functions, tasks and possibilities. All of these functions are taking place beneath the conscious level, meaning they are subconscious. The body is thus equivalent to what we deem the subconscious mind. All possible information regarding an individual’s body is thus stored in the body, which are all accessible if we somehow had a way to speak with this subconscious wonder. This is where muscle testing enters into the equation, because it utilizes neurological reflexes (which are inherently subconscious) to access deeper truths of a person’s health.
Thus, to begin to truly HEAL ourselves, we must speak the language of the subconscious. At one point in human evolution, beings were able to access this through something known as intuition, although this skill has been largely lost in modern days due to many unnatural changes to our ways of living. The only reason an individual is out of balance, or ‘unhealthy’, stems from 3 major arenas. The body is structural, meaning it has bones, ligaments, muscles, etc. When out of alignment the body loses important and vital function. Since healing can only take place when we bring things toward balance, any structural imbalance thus creates some sort of strain on the body and weakens a person’s overall health. Next, we have the biochemistry of the body. This realm includes enzymes, neurotransmitters, cofactors, vitamins, minerals, etc. Without understanding the biochemistry of the body and proper nutritional balance, a person can never be in a state of equilibrium. Finally, we have the realm of emotion. This often is the most overlooked — chronic emotional stressors. Since emotions are inherently subconscious, they have an immediate detrimental effect on the body (since it is the subconscious mind).
Our bodies were designed to handle short amounts of stress, such as running from a bear, finding safety, and coming back into a state of relaxation. We now live in a world where chronic stressors are present every which way we turn: primarily financial concerns, daily job requirements, ingestion of chemically laden food which exacerbates emotional stressors, etc. Basically, we can all HEAL ourselves if we rediscover how to listen to our bodies. The best way to begin this process is to spend time with your body. During free time throughout the day, find ways to hone in on different parts of your body, begin to notice areas of discomfort, the types of sensations you are feeling. Begin to take note of what you ingest and the way it makes you feel. Take note of individuals you surround yourself with and the way their presence makes you feel, etc. Begin to listen. In this way, you are rebuilding your sense of intuition which has been lost. When humans regain their ability to be intuitive, they regain their ability to heal their bodies; in this way, they rediscover their power once again.
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QoC: I want to underscore one of the points you just made — the body is actually our subconscious. That’s a game changer for so many of us! Can you please say more about that?
DRE: Of course. Right now our bodies are all functioning without our conscious input. Our heart beats (and has been since the day we were born), our bowels move, our brain is constantly synthesizing neurotransmitters, our thyroid is making thyroid hormone, our livers are actively neutralizing toxicity and stabilizing sugar levels, etc. All of this is happening beneath the conscious mind. Therefore, our bodies operate at the subconscious level. Along this line of thought, our bodies are thus equivalent to the subconscious mind. You can spend your life analyzing your dreams, your behavioral patterns, basically the psychology of a person. But as long as you are missing the link between the mind and body, or rather, that the body is the mind, you will be chasing secrets your entire life that lead you nowhere.
For example, if a person is harboring a parasite in their bowels, it can manifest in their psychologic aspects as dark sexual desires, intense toxic cravings, dangerous emotional outbursts. These people begin to feel guilty of themselves because they believe these behaviors to be them, when in fact it is the parasite living within them altering their biochemistry and thus their psychology, since biochemical pathways are directly responsible for the synthesis of neurotransmitters, hormones, brain chemicals, etc.
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QoC: Every answer brings to mind a slue of new questions, but first, let’s follow this patient harboring a parasite in their bowels…what do you do to treat them?
DRE: As far as treating parasitic infections go, there can be a number of reasons for their existence in the body. A parasite can only live inside the body when the body’s first line of defense is down: stomach acid. Your stomach naturally produces a highly acidic substance known as hydrochloric acid, or HCl. This potent acid aids the body not only in proper digestion, it also sterilizes any intruders (harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites in food) instantly. The only way a person can harbor a virus, harmful bacteria, or parasites is because again this barrier is weakened. The question becomes: how does stomach acid reduce in the body? Toxins, toxins, toxins. Synthetic chemicals in processed foods, negative emotional patterns, heavy metals in water and other sources, overconsumption of meat products, toxins in the air, etc. Anything of a low vibration (the list I just mentioned) begins to slowly degrade the immune system, which most people are unaware actually begins with proper stomach acid levels. Hydrochloric not only stays localized in the stomach, but it actually is in the entire lymphatic system in order to battle bad guys anywhere in the body, since the lymphatic vessels follow the venous vessels all throughout your body.
In short, parasites are not necessarily the entire issue. The issue is the fact your body is even allowing an environment in which they can hang out. People with similar interests tend to hang out together. Similarly, parasites tend to hang out in nasty environments, because they themselves are pretty nasty. The answer is to begin to purify your bowels, remove toxicity, negative emotional patterns, and reintroduce healing foods into the diet. The whole goal is to rebuild stomach acid so that way you prevent yourself from getting parasites in the future and also build your true immune system. The children you hear in the news who died of E. Coli infections from Chipotle had virtually no stomach acid at the time they ate the food, or the acid would have neutralized the infectious bacteria immediately. In short, you don’t just start with the parasite. You need to find out why the body is so weakened to begin with to allow such a thing. A liver fluke might be living in someone’s liver because their liver is littered with the heavy metal lead, inhibiting its function. An intestinal worm may be present in a person because they experienced a traumatic rape experience from which they have never recovered, destroying their immune system and allowing in an intestinal parasite after a night out at a sushi restaurant 12 years later. Every single person is different; that’s why you need to ask the body!
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QoC: You spoke about intuition earlier and that when we regain our intuitive ability we will regain our ability to heal. Let’s go back to that.
DRE: The way I learned nearly everything I have learned is exploring my own body. I started by utilizing self muscle testing to ask my body what needed help and eventually reaching my own conclusions through listening to my body. I think very often people have a good idea what is good for them to eat, how to exercise, etc., but there is so much misinformation out there that it’s hard to know at times. The key point here is: every person is different. If you ever read a health article stating that ‘this food is always good for this and every person should be eating this way’, it is garbage. Every person is different, and, each person is in their own place. What I mean by this is we need context. Some people may be so toxic that eating broccoli or spinach is not good for them. Broccoli and spinach have a high mineral profile and minerals simply release toxins like crazy from the body. While normally this would be a good thing, if this same person’s kidneys and liver are too weak to handle the toxic release all at once they will actually be setting themselves back further from healing. Coconut oil can be too powerful for people with weak immune systems because it is just that, very powerful. Similarly to when you look in the sun and it blinds your eyes, just because it hurts to look into the sun doesn’t make the sun bad; you have to ask why does it hurt my eyes? Did you know you should be able to look into the sun and feel no pain? The eyes relate to the liver and the liver relates to toxins. Hmmm…
It can be helpful to come in to see someone well versed in the way the body works, as I have spent my entire life exploring every nook and cranny of healing and have lived through nearly every possible health setback one can imagine. This has honed me into a very passionate person, my entire goal is to heal as many as I can to the greatest of my ability. To heal hell, one must live through it. The challenges we experience are simply portals into new dimensions once we rise through them. We live in a time which is extremely toxic, from the food in the supermarkets to the propaganda on television sets. More than ever, we need to return to understanding how our bodies work, and how our physical healing creates space for a spiritual ascension into higher consciousness and experience.
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There is SO much valuable and life-changing knowledge on this topic to share that I couldn’t possibly fit it all into one post. Please join me again for the next installment of “Awakening with Dr. Reid.” In the meantime, enjoy this video.
Fighting the Good Fight
A wise and beautiful Evolutionary Astrologer, Kristin Fontana, once told me, “You must share your stories.” I didn’t think that was such a good idea, and to be honest, the idea of it scares the bejesus out of me even now. Mainly because I have always chosen to write about the good in the world, about the everyday heroes who fight the good fight, who help us find love over fear and who remind us that we are all in this thing called life together. So, what if my life’s stories aren’t that? Well, I guess we are about to find out.
In late January, 2016, I received a clean bill of health from my new Internist and six weeks later on March 4th, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Imagine my surprise! “Biologically you have the best kind of breast cancer you could have.” Basically I was looking at a lumpectomy, some radiation, and Tomoxifin for five years — one and done — easy — everyone made it seem like “cancer lite.” It definitely sucked, but the process was certainly doable and at 48 was told I’d live a long and properous life.
Over the next six weeks, things kept changing however, and by April, post mastectomy, my diagnosis was upgraded sadly to advanced Stage IV breast cancer. My tumor, who I lovingly referred to as Trudy, had jumped the fence and had taken up residence in my sternum. They told me my disease was treatable and manageable, but not curable.
Did you know that human cells are meant to survive 20-30 years, some even less? We are living longer than we ever have before and so our cells need to regenerate. But with each regeneration there is a chance for mutation. These mutated cells are cancer cells. Thus, we all have cancer cells in us, it’s just a matter of what triggers them. Some will be triggered by environmental issues, others genetics, some mental or emotional stresses. There’s also food, medication, you name it — so many potential triggers. So what was mine?
Growing up I was raised with the notion that disease is simply DIS-EASE in the body, physical manifestations of the fear in your mind and the places in your life that need to be healed. For example: if I had hip issues it was because I was fearful of moving forward, shoulder issues were being fearful of taking on too much responsibility, and cancer, well I was taught that cancer was the complete denial of self.
Holy shit! Could I be completely denying who I am? I didn’t understand. I had worked so hard to embrace myself in all my glory and in all my messy parts, to finally welcome the empath, the intuitive, the healer, and to embrace my spirituality. But was it all too late? This cancer had been growing in my body for eight to ten years before being detected. Statistically speaking, 34% of metastasized breast cancer patients live three years. “What happened to the other 66%,” I asked. And that’s when it hit me…this was some
serious shit. But three years? Oh hell no! Frankly, I’m on the 30-year plan and I’m having t-shirts made that read “I am not a statistic.”
So how am I doing with this, really? Well, first, I made my peace with it by embracing the belief that we are all terminal, none of us knows when our time will be up, and that really, I’m no different from anybody else. Second, I cry. I cry at the thought of not hugging my husband good morning or kissing my daughters good night, and I cry for the legion of beautiful souls I love and would leave behind on earth. I let the intense emotions move through me now rather than bottling them up inside. And lastly, I made a decision. I have decided that I am not dying of cancer…I am thriving with cancer! I am not choosing to “do battle,” I am choosing to transform this cancer. I’m transforming it with good modern medicine, healthy plant-based nutrition, and healing energy work. In fact, it has been noted that I seem more alive now than I ever have before.
In truth, Louise Hay, who wrote the book on healing the body with positive affirmation, says that breast cancer has to do with putting other’s needs before your own, being overly motherly and nurturing, or lacking in self care. This, this I can resonate with. Classic female! Giving to others before giving to yourself, and with breast cancer being detected in epidemic proportions, what does this potentially say about our society? It says that we have to find some balance. We need to be able to be mothers, wives, employees and girlfriends, but not give away the farm. We need to be able to give the special people in our lives the space to be themselves. We need to be able to work and play AND take care of our bodies — creating a beautiful relationship between mind, body and spirit.
And there you have it — a story from my life. Perhaps cancer was always meant to be and perhaps this was the story that I was always meant to share. A story to inspire those who are scared and those who cry to find the love over the fear, a story to remind us to celebrate all that is good in our lives even in the face of death, and a story to remind us that we are never alone in this thing called life.
Being a Fully Functioning Person
We’ve all heard the term “fully-functioning person” but what does it actually mean?
Humanist psychologist, Carl Rogers believed that we are all born with an “Actualizing Tendency.” This actualizing tendency is our innate tendency, our core desire, to fulfill all of our needs both physically and mentally, to express our true selves, and most importantly to become all that we are capable of becoming! He said that our personalities were simply an expression of this actualizing tendency.
He went on to say that we are all striving to fully release our actualizing tendency and in order for that to occur, we must experience three things.
The first — “unconditional positive regard.” Unconditional positive regard is a lot like unconditional love, for it is where we are loved by another with no strings or conditions attached, and no matter what we do we still feel respected, comforted and loved. Unconditional positive regard has the ability to change people’s lives and it’s never too late to feel its positive effects.
The second — empathy. Rogers said that people become
more fulfilled by interacting with people who are empathic towards them. People who are sensitive listeners and understanding of another’s true feelings are said to be empathic.
The third — genuineness. Being genuine means being open with your feelings and dropping all pretenses and facades. Rogers felt that we can help others simply by being present for them as the authentic individuals we are.
If our actualizing tendency is fully released, a person is said to be a “fully-functioning person.” A person who is fully functioning is a person who is living in accordance with his or her actualizing tendency — being true to one’s self versus being true to other people’s values or conditions of worth, having their needs met all the way around, and achieving their full potential.
I really resonate with Carl Roger’s work, even though it was ground-breaking over five decades ago. He believed that people are like sunflower seeds…once planted in rich soil and given enough sunshine and water, they will grow into strong and beautiful flowers — that given the right environment all human beings will flourish. (Did you see Trading Spaces with Eddie Murphy?)
Moreover, Rogers believed as I do, that we are all born with natural capacities for growth and fulfillment. I love that he said we were all endowed with an innate sense — basically our gut instinct, our intuition — that allows us to genuinely evaluate what is good or bad for us. I feel we need to remind ourselves that it’s wise to listen to our own internal guidance system. Who better to help navigate our life? Lastly, he validates the theory for me that we are connected when he says we really do need to be loved, liked or accepted by those around us.
So question. Do you help people become fully functioning? Are you an understanding listener? Are you free from pretense and facades with people? What if we gave each other the gifts of positive regard, empathy and genuineness? What if we honestly believed that people could do great things? What do you think would happen? I say let’s try it and find out. Let’s create a rich environment and watch human beings flourish!
Free The World of Limiting Stereotypes
Using film as a catalyst for cultural transformation, The Representation Project inspires individuals and communities to challenge and overcome limiting stereotypes so that everyone, regardless of gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation, or circumstance, can fulfill their human potential.
From the dynamic team that brought you Miss Representation, the film about the media selling the idea that girls’ and women’s value lies in their youth, beauty, and sexuality and not in their capacity as leaders, are bringing you a new film — The Mask You Live In, which follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity.
Did you know research shows compared to girls, boys in the U.S. are more likely to be diagnosed with a behavior disorder, prescribed stimulant medications, fail out of school, binge drink, commit a violent crime, and/or take their own lives? They consistently hear de-sensitizing messages like “Be a man!” “Man-up!” and “Boys don’t cry.” Sadly many are buying into a culture that doesn’t value caring, relationships or empathy…qualities our society has “feminized.” But these are not feminine qualities, they’re human ones.
Whether you’re a teacher bringing the films to your classroom, a young person challenging sexist media, or a small business owner changing your company culture, check out the new and engaging resources available at TheRepresentationProject.org.
Wise are those…
Wise are those who examine
the content of what’s passing through their awareness
to discover those subtle,
subliminal holdings
of which we would otherwise be unaware.
Hospitality Is An Art
I recently read that hospitality is the art of making others feel welcome, comfortable, and at home. It’s the talent for spreading warmth and kindness that will always be remembered.
This is my philosophy when it comes to gathering friends and family, this is what my work is based upon. I love that big companies like Chinet agree.
You know, being “social” is more than just liking, sharing and tagging in online social feeds. Chinet invites us to remember what being social used to mean. To me this is evidence that the art of hospitality may be making a come back. Enjoy their new TV campaign and remember to #besocial.
For ways to infuse hospitality into your parties that allow for connection and community, order The Enlightened Party Planner: Guides to Creating Parties From the Heart book series. Reading the first book, The Six Elements to a Successful Party, will provide you with an easy six-step recipe for making your guests feel special.
A Heartfelt Prayer to Mothers Around the World
Today is the day when we pause to give a heartfelt thank you and prayer to the very special women in our lives who gave us the gift of life. Archangel Michael says, “Mothers are truly God’s co-creators and are to be revered.” So thank you moms all over the world for giving of yourselves, for your sacrifice, your guidance, your admiration, and your unconditional love. Your children are forever grateful. May you feel honored by your accomplishments that walk the earth and enjoy being celebrated on this glorious Mother’s Day. Amen.
A Message From Michael
“It is vitally important that you learn to trust your own inner guidance once more. A loving and grateful heart purifies the consciousness, and creates tranquility and peace of mind. It develops into a constant State of Being and not just an occasional practice.”
queen of connection | Shelby L. Phillips 