Alternative Health is Getting Mainstream Attention

Recently several articles have come out beginning to point out and draw attention to the benefits of alternative medicine. As the Obama Administration begins to tentatively approach the topic of reforming our healthcare system, keep on eye on these discussions as they will become more heated and vocal.

Personally I believe any healthcare reform MUST include advocacy and inclusion of alternative, complementary, herbal, “asian-healing”, and other forms of health treatment that fall under the general heading of “alternative.” This medical approach to healing must include the human, touch, emotional, mind-body, and patient history for treatments to become relevant, effective, and ultimately worthwhile. I trust we’re moving slowly in that direction.

Here are several articles that I’ve reviewed recently that I think are worth checking out:

The horrors of modern medicine, insurance, and costs of doing business:
Health System from Hell, by Kate Michelman.

Fantastic article by Deepak Chopra giving an overview of the situation:
Mainstream Medicine & the Oprah Factor, on Intent.com.

Recent Associated Press article on Alternative Medicine and its impact on hospitals:
Alternative Medicine Goes Mainstream.

Here are some other links that will bring you some awareness of other education centers, non-profits, and more doing work in this arena:

University of Minnesota, Center for Spirituality & Healing: One of a kind, educational center working with its medical and nursing programs to better understand the interplay of healing and spirituality!

Guaranteed Healthcare.org: Grass-roots organization advocating universal healthcare coverage.

North Hawaii Community Hospital: Hospital utilizing complementary and holistic healing approaches.

Are you thinking about Change?

The healing experience will no doubt be the subject for multiple blog entries (for years to come), but what I know truly is that change only lasts once it has arrived and been “ingrained” in the physical body (literally has become a part of our cells). I believe health is a “top down” access. This follows a step down of integration that starts with a our spiritual health, progresses to the mental map that orients our experience of the egoic self, passes through our emotional expression, and finally ends up as the building blocks of the specific body we develop (and yes we continue to physically develop from “in utero” to the point of death).

I will leave the “spirit” conversation for now as that may not afford you the tangible reality that the healing process is a true representation of. For most Americans, healing starts first in the mind.

The desire to change can be motivated for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the pain is too much, the body ache is overwhelming, the tiredness is simply not motivating, or the experience of who you are in the world is not a true representation of who you want to be or how you want to be known. These mismatches in our mental understanding of self point to the need for change. The trouble is actually a motivating force for action; and a “negative” emotion, actually is “energy-in-motion” causing us to feel the real impact of our incomplete self. This is not a bad thing … otherwise, how will anything change?

After a time, most everyone comes to realize that the communications they are receiving, whether from their body (strongest motivating force: pain), from their mind (strongest motivating force: frustration or displeasure with how life is, the thought, that something is not right here), from their relationships (I don’t have the love, trust, or friendships that I want), from their work (unfulfilled, angry, disconnected from who they are and what they do), from … well, pick your situation. The motivating force for change is different for each individual and must be personally addressed, realized, and (if warranted) translated into action.

Some people are more action oriented than others. Some recognize the value in needing to do something about their situation, others just don’t know that they can do something about it. Perhaps blame is placed on another, on work, on money, on life, on God, what have you… In my opinion any comparison to another (look at John, he’s so much more motivated than I am) or judgment of self/other (I’m not good enough) is simply a waste of time and energy.

Although I must add, even though I know this through and through in my being, it doesn’t change the fact that at times these simple judgments and comparisons happen to me too. Just because your mind wants a “pity-party” doesn’t mean you are a bad person. It’s best to find someone willing to listen to your thoughts and not feed them. The sooner you find a compassionate and loving listener who can see through the B.S. to the light in you, the better!

To support any change, no matter how difficult, the first and most empowering stance to take, regardless of the situation, is to look to see how am I responsible for its presence in my life? (See Ho’oponopono blog post for a Hawaiian healing practice that works with this basic premise.) Most people understand the old adage: that the definition of crazy is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. Ideally, you will understand (when the time is right or you are simply sick of the results) that it is time to get into action.

Our mind is the most powerful motivating force on the planet (and on the flipside, it can also be the most powerful delaying, procrastinating, arguing, and discounting force) … so be aware of what you think and pay special attention to what is motivating your change in perspective. Where do your thoughts go? What do you feel as they arrive? Which ones repeat, argue with you, or wake you up at night?

Here is where that compassionate and loving individual can support you in overcoming the seemingly insurmountable hurdle of our own ingrained mental habits and attitudes. Be it a family member, friend, or most empowering a holistic health coach (therapist, mentor, teacher, spiritual guru), i.e. a loving individual that sees all you are and holds powerfully your capability of changing whatever you want … simply because it is your life!

Bottom line, if you are thinking about change, don’t keep it to yourself. Seek out support. Get a listening ear and share what you want. Take action by translating thoughts into words and you will feel what the best next step is for you. And if it isn’t clear, a proper support system will help to offer suggestions and guidance that empowers forward momentum so you can have all that you desire.

Touch is the best medicine for relieving pain

An article in Prevention highlights that when we are rejected by other human beings, our brain registers it the same way as physical pain. An experiment conducted at UCLA tracked that when players were rejected by other unseen players during a computer game, their Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) lit up just as if they were physically injured.

The takeaway is that our brain does not know the difference between social and physical pain, in that either experience is potentially harmful to the organism and thus is actively avoided. In the past, when our human society was much more in need of each other to protect ourselves from the elements and other predators, it meant death to be rejected and ostracized from our community. Today that old wiring remains and gets set-off when we receive a social snub from another.

In my experience of working with clients, a physical injury can lead to long term problems, like limping, joint pain, splinting, and avoiding or limiting use. Similarly, emotional pain, whether experienced from their family, schoolmates, work, or other social situations, is remembered as painful and cause long-term effects and patterns. These individuals have learned that others are not safe to be around because they may cause them pain. This emotional pain pattern creates fear and expectations that have a dramatic impact on their ability to live freely and thrive.

It is extraordinary to think that both ends of the spectrum can make life unbearable for human beings: living without people or living WITH people! But it remains true that if emotional pain patterns of rejection, judgment, low self-esteem, and other negative ways of being get established early on, than the individual is left to suffer with the belief that people are not to be trusted. You can imagine how that affects their ability to feel love, safety and freedom in partnerships, family, work, and more.

Bodywork has the extraordinary capability of diffusing these patterns while affirming an individual’s sense of well-being and personal safety. In receiving consistent, therapeutic, and supportive touch, a direct communication is received by the deepest layers of subconscious, that humans CAN be trusted and that the client is worthy of feeling good and being accepted. It is a joy to work with individuals who are initially hesitant or even fearful of deeper intimacy and connection, who over time and consistent effort, find they open up “in spite” of themselves. Touch has an ability to circumvent the beliefs of the mind and interrupt thinking patterns that might otherwise try to avoid social contact and vulnerability with others. Touch speaks louder than any words as its impact and energy can be immediately felt and embodied.

Remember too, that as an infant, we are completely dependent on our mother to provide loving nurturing touch and connection. It is a deep human need to be loved, accepted, and encouraged by touch. In fact, studies of infants not regularly touched (say at orphanages) show that these children have delays in neurological function and sociability.

Consider the implications of the article biochemically (this is where the science comes in): touch releases endorphins to assist with relieving pain (it is exactly why we rub injured areas). Additionally, nerve impulses that send “good” feelings are mylentated and thus “out-run” the impulses that carry pain signals. In my experience of working with people of all ages and backgrounds, bodywork’s ability to leave everyone feeling good, safe, stable, and “grounded” in their body and over time in relationship to others is very effective, regardless of whether the pain is physical or emotional.

Hawaiian Healing Practice Honors the God in You

A couple years ago I was introduced to a fascinating individual, Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. I received a handout that stated he was able to cure an entire ward of criminally insane patients, WITHOUT ever seeing them! He accomplished this remarkable feat by applying the concept of “Total Responsibility.”

The course I was taking at the time was delivered at a bodywork school during our holistic health practitioner training program in 2004. The notion of taking total responsibility for my life at that time was simply inconceivable (and even today brings up resistance). I wanted to blame my parents, my friends, strangers, the United States, the world, and anything else that I could to take the pressure and the attention off me. Through this program I learned to enhance my ability to help my clients by moving beyond simple massage therapy and adding coaching support. Suddenly now, I was not just “fixing” my client’s bodies, I was actually helping them to better understand themselves. Of course, as I stepped into asking my clients to take responsibility for their health and well-being, I was confronted by the areas I was not doing the same.

Here’s a quote from the book, Zero Limits, that describes what “total responsibility” means:

“The purpose of life is to be restored back to Love, moment to moment. To fulfill this purpose, the individual must acknowledge that he is 100 percent responsible for creating his life the way it is. He must come to see that it is his thoughts that create his life the way it is moment to moment. The problems are not people, places, and situations but rather the thoughts of them. He must come to appreciate that there is no such thing as ‘out there’” (137).

At first blush this is tremendously challenging to swallow. This concept had my mind/ego go a bit nutty. My mind chatter blared: “You mean I’m responsible for the car accident that the insurance company said wasn’t my fault? My girlfriend’s PMS, taxes, my client canceling their appointment, and the refridgerator breaking … Cat poop on the carpet AND my sister hating her husband … AND the wind blowing, sun shining, sky falling… AND, AND, AND!!!!!”

To put this into perspective, ask yourself this question: Who else is there experiencing, living, and being in all areas of my life?

The answer, of course, is: only ME! The challenge is to accept all of my life, the problems and the blessings, as my responsibility, simply because I am the one constant in all of it. Thankfully, Dr Lew does not leave us hanging there with nothing to do when things are not going our way, accept to grin and bear it (although I will say smiling does help).

To take this concept a bit further down the rabbit hole, I will quote Zero Limits again:

“The only sure way [to transform yourself so the rest of the world changes too] is with ‘I love you.’ That’s the code that unlocks the healing. But you use it on you, not on others. Their problem is your problem, remember, so working on them won’t help you. They don’t need healing; you do. You have to heal yourself. You are the source of all the experiences” (47).

You may want to reread the above quote several times.

I ask you: What if by accepting responsibility for every thing and every person who comes into your life you are at the threshold of completely changing how your life appears? What if in the process of owning all of your life, you actually step into the power position and begin to create your life? What would you create from that perspective? How would you change your life, right now, knowing, trusting, and loving your own power?

I have learned the lynch-pin of the magic is to love myself more for how my life is. It is a way of honoring my creative ability; in the same way religions honor their unique god’s creation of the world. In taking full responsibility, the sorcerer’s hat falls upon my head and I become divinely gifted and all my creations (whether my mind judges them as good or bad) are beautiful and perfect as they are.

By taking the position of loving yourself and all that you manifest, you are placed firmly in the driver’s seat and the world is your oyster. Test drive this concept for yourself and see how your world changes.

I highly recommend reading Zero Limits to help expand upon and clarify these concepts. I will return with another post about the next set of tools that Ho’oponopono provides to forgive and accept the results and situations in your life that were (or continue to be) not to your liking.

Integration Does a Spirit Good

Hello everyone. This is the first launch of my blog. This will be an interesting exploration of thoughts, feelings, insights, and full self-expression around my business, philosophy, and growth process. This blog post is about integration.

A word of caution: I will use we as a designation for human beings as the masses — this may not apply specifically to you as an individual — I only ask that you try it on like a jacket and if it does not fit or support you in expanding your vision, than take it off, return it and ask for a refund. Back to my belief(s) are integration…

We need time to integrate. The difference between spiritual growth and body-mind-emotional growth simply is time. Our spirit may “get it” and frankly we may even “understand it,” but it takes time and (sometimes) practice to integrate and “have it” in our bodies, minds (as in a thought that is accessible, remembered, and referenced), emotions (a whole topic in and of itself), and ultimately in our actions and relationships out in the world. Integration is necessary and possibly the most important aspect of growth, healing, and the nebulous term — Transformation.

We are not fully “transformed” until we have integrated the new information: a form of digestion, embodying, and release the “waste” — that which is unnecessary, superfluous, and unimportant to us personally. Integration is establishing our perspective, our thoughts around it, and the ways and means we are going to act out this in the world.

As may be obvious, I have alot of ideas that as yet may not be completely fleshed out or even understandable to the average human. I look forward to expanding on integration and the other aspects of the tremendous amount of amazing information and growth that has occurred for me in my years in the holistic healing field.

I also look forward to offering some of my own personal philosophy and intentions that are behind my coaching and bodywork practice.

Feel free to offer comments and feedback on my posts as they will support me in clarifying my ideas and making sure that which I express is relevant, supportive to the amazing expansion that is occurring on this planet, and generally of worth and value to you the reader.

Thank you for dropping by and I look forward to being of service to your growth, to encourage an opening of your mind, and to generally blow the top off any box that you may have adopted as your home.

Have fun, play, and recognize my ideas are may not be your own: as I was reminded recently on an audio CD for a workshop hosted by Joe Vitale of The Secret: Meditation is NOT what you think!

An excellent reminder for all that I do. I’d like to believe that life is not what I think, however, alas, a blog would then be completely irrelevant, eh?