Did you know that shifting your mood is more impactful than nutrition or exercise to reduce stress and increase your vital energy?
As a presenter at a wellness conference in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. in 2006, I had the opportunity to have lunch with and attend a presentation given by Andrew Weil, the visionary medical doctor.
In his presentation, Weil delivered the following message: “The body is designed to heal itself.” Immediately, I felt two things. One, that he was intentionally speaking directly to me. Two, a profound sense of relief washed over me, much like the relief felt when taking a deep cleansing breath.
At that time, I had been a medical doctor in clinical practice for more than 20 years. I could not recall ever hearing those words from my mentors or my contemporaries. If I had, those words had simply passed through me without a moment’s contemplation.
Another charismatic speaker earlier that day stirred my emotions with the philosophical quote: “When the student is ready, the teacher will arrive.”
Both of those communications would later prove to have a profound impact on my life.
While listening to the presenters, I felt something internally shift. It was more than just words. The conviction behind those messages sent chills through me. The positive energy in the room was palpable. I felt as if the whole world was on my side. I felt hope, which I greatly needed.
I had been suffering with physical illnesses that I could not shake. Having been blessed with good health for the first 45 years of my life, I prided myself on being athletic and strong. Yet, I began to experience physically debilitating conditions that I could not explain. It felt like my body was protesting.
On a primal level, I believed that the body was designed to heal itself. After all, there was evidence of it everywhere—from healing a tiny cut to the healing I witnessed after performing operations on patients. However, when it came to seemingly fatal conditions—such as cancer or heart disease—I was taught spontaneous healing was not common or even possible. I wanted to find the answer to this question: How does the body heal itself?
The answer did not come quickly to me. Only after a series of life changing events did I begin to understand and appreciate the answer to that question.
Being absolutely convinced that Weil was correct in his assessment, I took his words on faith. The mystery for me was the “why”, “what”, and “how” spontaneous healing occurred. “Why” it appeared to occur for some and not for others; “what” is necessary to facilitate this process consciously; and “how” can I experience this for myself.
Weil discussed balancing the mind-body-spirit, which made sense. He recommended achieving the balance through a nutrition-exercise-meditation program.
Over the next two years, I journeyed through a series of experiences—changing my diet and becoming lean, implementing a balanced strength training program and aerobic exercise—however, I was still contending with physical injury and metabolic conditions that limited my ability to participate in activities that I wanted to enjoy.
A colleague introduced me to the book “The Field” by Lynne McTaggart. This book challenged the mechanical way I was trained to diagnose and interpret life. I now found myself in the uncomfortable space of treating patients with the full knowledge that I was leaving the most important element for healing out of the equation. The unseen, unmeasurable element of quantum energy, which comprises all life. I was now tiptoeing into uncharted waters, without a guide.
As serendipity would have it, my guide showed up. Her name was Pamela. Like me, her quest in life was to help others, but not through the medical path. She had discovered through her experience that “your passion is your purpose” and “your purpose is your passion.”
It was only after being exposed to her work that I began to explore my inner world. I was ready for this exploration because my limited thinking about what life looked like, —based on my medical training—had already been called into question. This albatross of limited thinking was not easy to shed. It is a clever and carefully crafted program by the medical profession — a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical industry — that uses fear-based tactics and protocols such as “evidence-based medicine” and “practicing within the standard of care” to keep doctors “in line.”
It would take painful experiences over another couple years, not to mention hundreds of hours of reading and research, before the mystery of “why,” “what,” and “how” were resolved. It was simple and elegant — spontaneous healing comes from within. Once the emotional obstacles are removed (commonly identified as “stress”), the physical body quickly and efficiently heals. The wisdom gleaned from my personal experience proved to me beyond a doubt what others had been affirming through science and technology: that our thoughts and emotions shape our experiences and direct our biology.
This new understanding was the impetus which took my career in a revitalizing direction.
The references I share on this site each contain elements that are intended to work in synergy. They will allow you to build a foundation of knowledge and understanding, so you can break free of the limited thinking planted by limited thinkers. If your physical or emotional health is keeping you from having the experiences you desire in life, the information contained in these books could be transformational.
