What is Mind-Body, Energy Healing?

This afternoon I found myself writing to a friend who is, currently, not very well and I thought my reply would make a nice blog post for people in a similar situation. If it helps even one person to overcome some form of dis-ease in the body, I'll be a very happy person. 

I introduced the concept of Qigong Energy Medicine in a previous post. I said that in Qigong Energy Medicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, we believe that all dis-ease in the body starts in a person’s energy field. That energy comes from our immediate environment, (people, places, thoughts, actions) but, as we’re all interconnected with everything in the Universe, it’s also influenced by the energies of world events that don’t necessarily affect us in our immediate circumstances but they still, none the less, take a toll on us. 

The most important influences on us are our thoughts (related to what’s going on in our lives) and the energy they produce. Since this is now proven by scientific research, based on placebos, it follows that - just as our thoughts can damage our health, so too can they restore it. 

Anyway, I don’t know how much you, the reader, knows about me but, as well as Psychology, I studied Naturopathy and then Reiki, which led me to Qigong energy medicine. I’m not against allopathic medicine, but I do believe in Integrative Medicine, i.e. Mind-Body-Energy and how the co-relationship between them brings about good & bad health. As a matter of interest, I watched two interesting TED talks a few weeks ago where two separate allopathic doctors were finally bringing my long held beliefs to mainstream allopathic practices. 

One of the interesting concepts one of the doctors said was that: “All our lives, we all oscillate between health and dis-ease but we don’t give our bodies a chance to heal naturally because we seek medical intervention somewhere in between or we wait too long relying on medical intervention” - When I relate this oscillation to energy and things going on in our lives, it makes perfect sense to me because energy is like the tide, it comes and goes in ebbs and flows. (That even rhymes! :-D) - My point is that life has highs and lows, so our minds have highs and lows, which means our energy follows the same format.     

          

This brings me to my knee as a perfect example. In Energy Medicine, the knee represents movement and our ability to stand, ground ourselves, walk, run. Meditating on it, I realise now that it was obvious my knee would displace. I should have seen it coming. I’m fully conscious of the fact that it was triggered by: 

a) The upheaval in my life which uprooted me when I suddenly had my father back in my life after nearly 40 years of

             estrangement. 

b) My fear of having to uproot my life again.

c) The fear of letting everything I've built until now and having to start my life all over again. 

Once I acknowledged, accepted and came to terms with the root of the issues in my life, the decisions I now face and all my fears head on, I was able to critically analyse everything and change my Mindset. Now that I’ve done that, I’ve changed the energy polarity from negative to positive, which has cleared my mind and infused me with a new sense of: “Ok, this is what I’m going to do.” In fact, I’ve set myself a new challenge, with new goals, that has also given me a renewed sense of purpose and an infusion of new life force (will power, determination, interest, wonder and so on.) These are all essential components, in my view, for continuing to live each day with something to look forward to;  something to get out of bed for with enthusiasm and not procrastinate, which I did a lot of during my 10 year cycle of depression. 

I feel like I’m playing catch up, for that, but I forgive myself. I needed time to heal and learn. If I hadn’t been what I’ve been through, I wouldn’t be where I am now nor would I be back to who I truly am - and not the person I didn’t recognise anymore in the mirror - if I even bothered looking in a mirror - because that’s another thing. As symbolic as it seems, when we get to a point where we detest who we’ve become (for whatever sad reasons) we avoid even looking at ourselves in shame, guilt, regret etc. because it’s painful to face it all. But unless we do, we can’t compassionately forgive ourselves and rebuild. I’ve never seen it happen but they say a phoenix is born from ashes. So, sometimes everything has to be destroyed for us to begin to rebuild bigger and more beautiful than before.  

So, anyway, the stronger and more determined my mind is getting, the more I feel happy and the more my knee has started to get better on its own. In fact, today I can manage the stairs pretty much un-aided. I didn’t take the conventional meds that the doctors prescribed but I did take natural alternatives. But, the biggest healing factor has been finding compromising solutions, in this new mindset, to what “duty” dictates I "should do" and what I would be happy with without entirely giving up the life I built during the last, nearly, 40 years of my father’s absence in it. 

Nothing in life is an accident nor coincidence. There is always some kind of Divine plan involved. But … I believe that everything, and I mean everything that happens in life happens because we’re meant to learn a lesson and pay off our Karmic debts for every time we’ve caused suffering through our speech and actions -  If it’s true that we’re all on the path to enlightenment or back to God or the Highest Spiritual Self we can be, we’re not going to get there if everything is smooth sailing and we never learn anything. 

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Live in the preparation of today ...

As Human beings we are naturally creatures of habit. The older we get the more willing we seem to be to find a comfort zone and stay in it. We have a tendency to procrastinate by getting stuck into our daily routines which somehow have a way of overwhelming us. Days, months and years pass us by, in what seems like a bat of an eyelid, until one day we wake up and realize that we haven’t achieved half the things we hoped for, or dreamt about, when we were younger.

Does this sound familiar to you? Now why should that be?

I would like you to take a moment and think back to your childhood days when you created your imaginary worlds and acted them out in the real world. Think about how you felt. My guess is that back then anything was possible. You didn’t stop to think about the consequences. You didn’t have any fears or doubts. There was nothing to hold you back. You were the sole creator of everything.

How many times did you fearlessly do something like climb up a tree and get stuck? You didn’t worry about getting stuck. You just went ahead and climbed the tree. You only worried about getting down when the need arose. Each event occupied its own time and space. You never thought that far ahead. You took one step at a time and crossed each bridge when you came to it. You never thought about failing or having failed. The aim was to climb the tree which you succeeded in doing.

So, why should things be any different when you become an adult?

The blessing of being an adult is that we have an acquired sense of knowledge from our experiences that help us make more appropriate judgments. The curse of this knowledge though is that we let it hold us back by misusing it to create possible unfounded fears in our minds.

Lets look at the example of our tree. As adults who want to climb the tree, we stand there considering how we are going to get down before we even start to think about how to climb it. Our immediate thoughts are: “What if I get stuck”?, “Who will rescue me if I get stuck”?, “If someone has to rescue me, they will think I am an idiot - at my age - climbing a tree and getting stuck”.

If we haven’t begun climbing yet, how can we possibly know whether there will be a clear way for us to get down?.

What’s happened here? Well, technically, we’ve had a goal shift without even realizing it. Instead of climbing the tree, our goal has now become getting down. We stand there, before the tree, having a series of negative thoughts and internal dialogues with ourselves, until we are completely dissuaded from our original goal. Instead of thinking positively about creative ways we could get down, i.e. by following the same path we use to climb, we choose to persuade ourselves that we cannot do it - full stop. So, we give up. We walk away from the tree and don’t even make an attempt at it.

The problem is though that when we have walked away, we still have a lingering bitter taste of disappointment in ourselves. It’s another goal gone by the way side. It’s another negative self-judgment, which is now stored in our personality profile. It’s another element we add to our failure list.

So, what happens next? Well slowly but surely, as we accumulate negative thoughts about ourselves and about the things we failed to do, we start to shy away from things we would like to do simply because we think we know we are going to fail. We make no attempt at anything that will disappoint us again. We do not trust ourselves anymore. We become insecure and lose best part, if not all, of our self-confidence. So, we only apply ourselves to the realm of things that, (we think), we know for sure that we can succeed at. We create a world around us that is safe and stay locked up in it.

Essentially, we have unwittingly and yet willingly become our own worst enemy by creating an image of ourselves as failures, as losers and as people who are not blessed with special capacities like others who seem to succeed at everything they do. The truth is that we are not giving ourselves a chance. From thereon in, we seem to prefer to shut out any opportunity that we think goes beyond our readily misconstrued abilities and we sadistically deny our true capacity for achievement any benefit of the doubt.

The end result?

We unconsciously or consciously, as the case may be, resent ourselves. We resent those around us because we love to lay blame on them for our shortcomings. We overeat to compensate and then hate ourselves for being overweight. It’s a classic vicious circle in an ongoing spiral. We are unfulfilled and dissatisfied with our job because it does not align with our original goals. We fail to make promotions in our jobs because, although we believe we are up to it, our external behavior tells the world otherwise. We have difficulties in our relationships because, in this frame of being, we choose partners who either over-compensate for us, which in the long term makes us feel completely worthless or under-compensate for us, who in the short term makes us feel better about ourselves.

As human beings we are masters of disguises. We accommodate ourselves and just plod along accepting second or third best instead of the best for us. One day though, when we least expect it, who we truly seeks revenge as it demands to be unleashed. The question is: Are you really going to wait until that happens or are you going to take action now?

It is not enough to just hope, wish or think that something is going to happen. There is an Italian motto that says: “Dio aiuta chi si aiuta”, which translated means: “God helps those who help themselves”. So, you need to take action. You need to take responsibility for yourself in the here and now if you want the future to be different. Mahatma Ghandi once said: You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

Search deep in your soul and find out how you got to be where you are. Ask yourself what it is that holds you back. Put them in groups. Is it money? time? fears?
Name them all. Write them down. Acknowledge them. Then write down next to each one all of the subgroup excuses like: “I don’t earn enough”, “I work too many hours”, “I am useless at drawing”, whatever , but be sure to write them all down until you have no excuses left to write. By writing them down you are taking a step in being willing to face them. By facing them, you can work through them and then let them go.

Dig a little deeper into yourself and decide what it is exactly that you did, or failed to do in your life, that was so bad you cannot forgive yourself. Write them down. Acknowledge them. Face them and learn to forgive yourself. Tell yourself that you forgive yourself and love yourself. Tell yourself that you are sorry, that you made a mistake and that you are willing to start over. Commit to the words you tell yourself.

Then, write down all the things you have ever wanted from life. Have them clear in your mind and on the paper in front of you. Start to think of ways you can make extra time, extra money, be better at whatever it is you want. Write them down. Write down the qualities you love about yourself even the ones you lost somewhere along the way.

Set yourself realistic daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. Write them down in a journal and after each day or each week keep a written track of your progress. Learn to prioritize. Learn to manage your time better. It does not matter if you have to carry some of your goals over from one day to the next. Do not be hard on yourself because of it. Just know that you will whatever it is the following day. The important thing is to keep moving forward.

Make your end goal climbing the tree and not worrying about what the end result will be. As long as you are moving forward towards what you want, you cannot fail. As long as you are changing your views about you, you are already a winner. Doing something is better than nothing and by doing something you will begin to see a turn around in your world. Nobody can fail when they are doing their best. Praise yourself for your achievements and do not judge them by anyone else’s standards. You are you and you are unique.

Live in the preparation of today and the tomorrow will come by itself.

Drª Venerina Conti
Holistic Psychologist, Freelance Writer & Life Balance Coach
www.venerinaconti.com
www.villavalview.com

Available for completely confidential and anonymous consultations
Copyright: venrecords 2007

Mind, Body & Soul - "Being Awake"

Good Evening Readers & listeners,

The Trans-Atlantic Mind, Body & Soul show, on Thursday 31st October, at Real Coaching Radio, had as its central theme the topic of “Being Awake”.

The first question that Host Coach Steve Toth and myself Co-Host Drª Venerina Conti tried to address was: “Who are you”?

We are launching a challenge to you, our listeners. How many of you out there can actually answer the question: “Who are you”? … Are you how you identify yourself in your societal role? Are you who you envisage yourself to be as defined by others? Have you lost track of who you are?

Regardless of your answer, whoever you are is a very deep and personal matter but we all share one common trait, our souls derive from the same place … from the One and only Conscious Creative being.

Egdar Cayce believed that our soul’s purpose for being here, in the physical being, is to learn, grow and develop so it may earn it’s place next to the creature. We are all born with the same potential for being. We all have our innate connection to our spirit and that of the Universal Being.

Somehow though, we lose this sense of connection as we grow older due to whatever may influence us such as: educational systems, cultural integration, societal stereotyping and so forth. It takes for something drastic to happen in one’s life for the spiritual awakening to re-occur and for us to, once again, be in touch with our Inner Self and the Higher Being.

It all seems to be about extremes rather than integration. Some people experience the separate duality of spiritualism and the physical. Some people only experience either one or the other. For a person to be whole and complete it is necessary to find a means of integrating the two extremes in our modern world. This can be done by focusing ourselves and giving equal attention to all parts of who we are. The rewards are phenomenal. Don’t wait for something drastic to happen to you before you awaken.

Life is not a survival. Life does not have to a be hard. Life is for creating and experiencing. We are the sole creators of us, of our own circumstances and the world we surround ourselves with. Change requires action on our part. If we do nothing, nothing will happen.

We all construe our own realities but the truth is that there is no one singular absolute reality. There is no one singular absolute truth. There are multiple realities and multiple potential realities that we all have the abilities to create. The only limiting factor in creating the you and the life that you want is you and your imagination. How far are you prepared to go? How much are you prepared to put into it? Are you willing to face your own fears in order to create a new reality?

As long as we are alive, as long as we have desire to and as long as we are willing to, we can change anything and everything around us. If you cannot do it on your own then you could seek the guidance of a professional Coach.

Real Coaching Radio offers 7 Professional Coaches in 7 Professional areas of Life Balancing. Email Coach Steve Toth at realcoachingradio@msn.com for more information.

Namaste until next week

Venerina
http://www.villavalview.com/

How do you find your passion in life?

Good Afternoon to all,

It is so good to be back at Real Coaching Radio. If you were listening to the show, you may have heard that I just spent 3 weeks in a Holistic Retreat in Sicily recharging my batteries. It was truly a slice of Paradise.

From next year, in collaboration with Real Coaching Radio, myself, Drª Venerina Conti and Coach Steve Toth are going to be organising some spiritual/Motivational/Personal Growth events. If anyone wants to see what I was waking up to everyday and get a feel for the place, then please check out this website:

http://www.villavalview.com/

If you are interested in taking part in any of the events we will be organising there, in 2008 or 2009, then please do not hesitate to contact Coach Steve Toth or myself Drª Venerina Conti.

First of all, we would like to apologise to the people in the chat room during the live broadcast. Due to technical problems, we were unable to use the chat facilities and answer your questions there.

Today’s topic at Real Coaching Radio was: “How does a person find their passion in life”.

The leading questions posed were:

Why do people give up on their dreams early on in life?
Why are people so unwilling to look inside themselves?
Why do people sell out?
What is the cost of giving up on personal passions?
Where does the motivation come from to follow a passion?
Why are people afraid to come out of their comfort zones?
Why do people become resigned and cynical?
How can people turn negative into positive and use sexual energy in a Creative way?

Some of the answers addressed issues like parental influences, societal stereotyping, desire of seeking fame and glory and pressing financial demands, people find themselves in, along with people’s own fears that limit their potential for growth.

People sell out for all kinds of reasons. The essential thing is to recognize the reason and confront it. People can make up all kinds of excuses like no time, no money, no energy but the truth is that we are responsible for the world we create around us. Our thoughts and actions are what make up our world.

He who has no time will make it for what he believes in. He who has no money will find a way of making it if it means realising his dreams and he who has no energy can learn to create it. There are no real excuses. They are shadows we cast over ourselves in order to hide our lack of will and our fears.

He who wants something will always find a way to achieve it or someone that can help him learn how to achieve it. Life is about moving out of your comfort zone and taking risks and as Brian Tracey said: “What’s the worst that could happen?”. Keep answering that question and you’ll find there is no worst that could ever possibly happen.

Ultimately though, the only way you can find your passion in life is by asking yourself the question: “Am I truly happy”?. If the answer is: “No”, then you should look inside yourself for the answer as to why you are not. Is it the job?, Is it a relationship?, Is it the general circumstances in your life? Then think back to a time when you were happy and think about what use to make you happy at that time. Attempt to find out what you were doing then that is now missing in your life.

Meditation is an excellent means to connecting with the self and making self discoveries that have previously been suppressed or ignored. When we stand outside the issue, we can see it more clearly.

Listen in to today’s recorded show: http://www.venerinaconti.com/Realcoachingradio.html

Namaste

Venerina