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Showing posts with label spirituality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spirituality. Show all posts
2.10.2014
Do these 6 things if you want to make big (& lasting) changes in your life!
Let’s be real.
How many times have you declared to yourself (possibly shouting from your cubicle <--I’ve been there): “I’M READY! This is my moment/month/year of transformation!!” ...only to fall back into the very same patterns that you’ve been trying so hard to overcome?
Whether it’s a daily intention, a New Year resolution or a life goal, there will always be obstacles and resistance in the way of real, lasting change. Often times these challenges can have you feeling discouraged, hopeless, tired and... well... sh*tty. When this happens, remember that you are still in control of your life and that we all need tools and support to help us along the way.
Here are 6 things you can do to make real lasting change in your life:
1. Make like Barbara Walters and ask the hard questions
Is fitting into those skinny jeans going to alter your universe?
What will quitting smoking/sugar/your job really do for you?
In order to make changes that last, you first need to ask what it is that you truly want... and then ask why you want it. Dig deep. You want to find the “why” that gets your heart beating and soul talking - you’ll know it when you feel it. The “why” has to be big enough to carry you through challenges and pitfalls. Once you have your “why,” check in on your goals to see if they align.
Next is to identify any triggers and patterns, and notice the emotions attached to them. For example, you may notice that you feel lonely or a lack of love right before you crave that pint of rocky road icecream. Perhaps you’re not feeling the love in your relationship, causing you to crave sweetness in other areas of your life. In this case, a goal of quitting sugar won’t last unless you find the love in your life.
2. Come clean
What is the story going through your head each day? Write down all the ways you see yourself failing and why. While positive thinking is all well and good, we need to acknowledge our self doubts and weaknesses so that they can be addressed in a healthy way. Come clean and let it all out. Be radically honest with yourself. Do this without judgement - be compassionately curious here. We tell ourselves stories all the time and when you see it on paper, it’s easier to see patterns and question the validity and truth behind them.
Ask yourself, what if the opposite were true?
3. Go small or go bust
It’s awesome to have huge aspirations, but often times our resolutions and goals can be so big and elusive that they become difficult to attain. Take your big intentions and break them down into bite size actionable steps. For example, going from the Standard American Diet (SAD) to raw vegan overnight is like jumping over a valley from one cliff to another in one leap - it’s risky but possible if you have, say, a paraglide and months of training. Not recommended for everyone.
Instead, traversing thru the valley one step at a time will ensure that you not only get to the other side more safely, but the journey will be highly educational and rewarding.
Ask yourself what is one small action you can take every day that fits within the bigger picture? Every step counts!
4. Have a clear vision for yourself
What are you working toward? What does it look and feel like? This is where a vision board can be really helpful - find images and words that fit with how you visualize yourself once you’ve already made the changes. Keep it somewhere that you’ll see every day. When we get really clear on how we want to look and feel, we start to internalize it and act the way our future selves would. This means acting as if you’ve already created lasting change and making decisions from that place, rather than the old version of yourself.
5. Ritualize and systematize
Rituals and systems are key in creating lasting changes. Schedule in your action steps throughout the day. Make reasonable deadlines for yourself. Join a movement, challenge, community, or program that will provide structure and motivation. Enlist a partner in crime to hold you accountable. And most importantly, ditch what no longer serves you - naysayers, clutter, energy draining people and activities.
What needs to be in place to set you up for success?
6. Be kind and unwind
Keeping abreast of our daily action steps and goals can get a little overwhelming at times *total understatement*. Be kind to yourself in this process and carve out time to replenish. It’s just as constructive to take an hour for that candlelit lavender epsom salt bath as it is researching for that job interview. Don’t underestimate the basics in your self care! Balance is required.
There’s always the possibility of falling off the wagon and getting down on yourself. Be forgiving and make sure not to get too attached to results or outcome. Pick yourself up and get back into the game of life. It’s your unique journey, so appreciate every single moment and savor the victories.
It's your turn to share... which one of these steps is one that you've struggled with before and what action are you going to take to make real lasting change in your life? Put it in the comments below!
9.10.2013
Radical Remission Part II: 3 Core Beliefs For Self Healing
What if you could make your cancer go away, without conventional treatment?
What if you could heal yourself of heart disease, diabetes, or an autoimmune disease?
Is this the stuff that makes urban legends?
Spontaneous remissions, or “radical remissions” as Dr. Kelly Turner prefers to call them, are not only REAL... they’re happening more often than we realize.
In Dr. Turner’s research, she’s finding that there are untold cases all over the world. Part of the underreporting has to do with the system and the process of record keeping. According to Turner, “unexpected remissions are estimated to occur in one of every sixty thousand to one hundred thousand cancer patients; however, the true incidence rate is likely higher than that due to underreporting.” Part of it has to do with the health industry’s belief that these stories could do more harm than good (read: inflating hope, when there shouldn’t be any).
Venessa... do you mean to say that people are out there actually healing themselves of shit like cancer and we’re left here thinking “doomsday: we’re all screwed”??
Yup. Now, I’m not saying that doctors and conventional treatment are not necessary or that everyone and their mom would heal if they just followed these treatments and beliefs.
What I want you to take away from all this is that you, yes YOU, have a lot more power in your healing process than you may think.
In my last blog post, I shared with you the top 6 treatments that foster self healing - straight from the mouths of cancer survivors themselves and their healers. If you haven’t read that post, there’s some pretty wicked info that you should know yesterday, so get on it. After you’re done, make sure you come back here for the sequel.
Ok, for those of you who are ignoring my request that you read my last post (don’t lie to me), here’s the backstory: Dr. Kelly Turner interviewed people from all over the world who had cancer that went into remission. In her research, she has compiled the common holistic characteristics that contributed to their healing.
Today I’m stoked to share the top 3 core beliefs among those same cancer survivors. This is good stuff, people. So listen up.
TOP 3 CORE BELIEFS FOR SELF HEALING
Belief #1: Change the Conditions under which Cancer Thrives
Yes... cancer THRIVES in certain conditions. Like a body fed a diet of sugar and trans fat. But there are other, less obvious conditions under which cancer thrives.
The majority of Turner’s interviewees believed that cancer thrives in certain suboptimal conditions in the body-mind-spirit system and that to remove cancer, those underlying conditions must change.
One healer from Hawaii explained it this way:
The most successful recoveries seem to be strongly associated with major mental, emotional, or physical behavioral changes among the people with the illness. What is major for one person, of course, may not be the same for another . . . I know of one success where a woman left her family, took up a different religion, changed her clothing and diet, and moved to a different country. Maybe she needed all of those changes or maybe not, but overall it worked for her. I know of another person, a man, who simply stopped trying to outdo his father, and that worked for him.
This can also be applied to the physical environment inside and outside of your body. We’ve got to clean our internal “ecosystem” along with all of the other crap in our lives.
Think about it this way: a goldfish gets sick because it’s living in toxic, dirty water. Do you heal the fish, only to put it back into the same gross water that got it sick in the first place?
Change your water people.
Belief #2: Illness = Blockage/Slowness; Health = Movement
Turner’s interviewees also believed that “any illness—including cancer—represents a blockage or slowness somewhere in the body-mind-spirit system, whereas health occurs when there is a state of unhindered movement or flow.”
WE LIKE FLOW. This belief resonates with a lot of eastern medicine traditions, where it is believed that blocked energy, qi, prana, life force, etc leads to disease and illness. Flow and movement in all ways - physical exercise, breathe, evolution of spirit, emotional and cognitive flexibility - will ensure health.
Where do you have a blockage in your life? Whether it’s physical (clogged arteries), mental (you hate your job), emotional (your partner is abusive), or spiritual (you feel disconnected from your god) - you’ve got to make like Drano and realize that “every clogged drain has a solution.” Find yours.
Belief #3: A Body-Mind-Spirit Interaction Exists, and Energy Permeates All Three Levels
Alright, so what the heck does this mean? It means that we often forget or deny that we’re not just skin sacks of bodily fluid. Sorry, that was a gross visual.
Here’s a fact (unless you’re prepared to argue with Einstein): We are energetic beings.
The interviewees that experienced radical remission of their cancers believed that we are energetic beings on a body, mind and spiritual level. And that there is constant interaction and flow - where energy permeates all three.
According to an American-born, Peruvian-trained shaman:
You have to have mind, body, and spirit healing. . . Most of us who live in our physical bodies, we don't even know about spiritual or emotional bodies. So we have to connect with all three of them. But you see, in the mountains of the Andes, [the Andean people] are already connected.
None of this information is new. In fact, most of these beliefs and treatments can be found in ancient traditions and texts thousands of years old.
It seems the more screwed up we become because of increased stress & disconnection, the Standard American Diet (SAD), and our pop-a-pill instant gratification mentality, the more it becomes imperative that we utilize the lessons above for not only self healing, but prevention.
Challenge: I encourage you to pick at least one of the treatments/beliefs I talked about and incorporate it into YOUR life.
Remember, one step at a time is what it takes to get to where you want to be.
8.29.2013
6 TREATMENTS THAT FOSTER SELF HEALING
I’m
a hardcore believer in self-healing. I’m not saying we don’t need
doctors and practitioners by any means - that would be ridiculous. What I
AM saying is that I believe we all have the power to heal ourselves and
prevent illness to a very large degree.
My role as a holistic health coach is to be a partner to and guide for my clients - not to dictate how and when they heal. This is why I was stoked to read about Dr. Kelly Turner’s work on cases of spontaneous remission of cancer - or as she calls it “unexpected remission” of cancer.
My role as a holistic health coach is to be a partner to and guide for my clients - not to dictate how and when they heal. This is why I was stoked to read about Dr. Kelly Turner’s work on cases of spontaneous remission of cancer - or as she calls it “unexpected remission” of cancer.
I
first stumbled across Dr. Kelly Turner’s work in the book Mind Over
Medicine, then again in readings from the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
Dr. Turner is a researcher, lecturer, and consultant in the field of
Integrative Oncology. Her specialized research focus is the “unexpected
remission” of cancer—a remission that occurs either in the absence of
Western medicine or after Western medicine has failed to achieve
remission. Turner spent ten months traveling the world in search of
fifty nonallopathic cancer healers. She found twenty unpublished cases
of unexpected remission and conducted phone interviews with the
survivors.
How frickin cool is that?
The American Cancer Society provided partial funding for her study.
Side note: American Cancer Society also paid for my mom’s flight and hotel stay in Arizona when she was seeking alternative treatment. Nice work ACS. But I digress...
How frickin cool is that?
The American Cancer Society provided partial funding for her study.
Side note: American Cancer Society also paid for my mom’s flight and hotel stay in Arizona when she was seeking alternative treatment. Nice work ACS. But I digress...
In her research, Dr. Turner found 6 top treatments used by her interviewees to heal themselves of cancer.
Perhaps you’re asking why I’m focusing on cancer remissions... I want
to make clear that the techniques listed below may be used just as
effectively for the PREVENTION of cancer, or any disease for that
matter. And I’m allll about prevention.
Now
this is not a prescription as to what YOU should do, this is simply a
compilation of treatments that Dr. Turner identified as the top ones her
interviewees followed and that worked for them. So here we go...
6 TREATMENTS THAT FOSTER
SELF HEALING
SELF HEALING
1. DIET CHANGE
Radical diet change was a top factor in fostering self healing among those who had experienced “spontaneous remission” of their cancers. So what did that look like? Elimination of meat, dairy, sugar, and refined grains. The majority of interviewees ate a diet consisting of whole vegetables, fruits, grains and beans.
In
my recent visit to Costa Rica, I took a guided hike through the
rainforest and had some great conversations with my guide Felipe, a
native of the area (and whose family still lived in the rainforest).
We talked a lot about the environment, toxicity from pesticides, cancer and diabetes - which many of his friends and family are now dealing with - and diet. Felipe has considerable knowledge about medicinal herbs and is a “go-to” person for helping people in his community overcome certain illnesses. When asked about diet and disease, Felipe told me that the very first thing he tells someone with such diseases who come to see him is stop eating meat, dairy and sugar. Non-negotiable.
Now
I’m not an advocate that one diet fits all - by any means! And I am not
against consumption of meat and dairy, or the occasional chocolate
cupcake ;). I do however believe that when your body is severely
compromised, elimination of inflammatory or acidic foods such as the
ones indicated above will help your body to heal more rapidly.
Not to mention give your body a well deserved break for those who are
sensitive to these foods! This is why I base my detoxes and programs on
the elimination diet to start - giving your body a break from these
foods can be profoundly healing and eye-opening.
Shameless plug: For anyone who’s interested, I’m working on my fall detox program coming up soon, so be on the lookout! :)
2. TAKING HERBS & VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS
The majority of her interviewees took various herbs and supplements that they believed would help boost their immune system, detoxify and help facilitate healing in their bodies. You might be wondering which supplements worked best... and the truth is they were all over the map. There was no single “super” supplement in common with any of the interviewees - which brings up 2 very important points:
First,
everyone is biochemically different - because of this bioindividuality,
one person’s healing herb may not be so good for another.
Pathologically, each person’s disease or ailment was also unique. So
making the claim that any one specific supplement would work for
everyone would be irresponsible and misinformed.
The
second point is that the interviewees believed their herbal and
supplement regimen was healing them. Don’t get me started on the power
of belief and the placebo/"nocebo" effect (I’ll get into that in later
articles) but the importance that your belief carries is substantial.
Check
in with your beliefs about your body and ailments... what is the story
you are living by? If it’s not serving you, then maybe it’s time to
rewrite that story.
3. SURRENDER - RELEASE SUPPRESSED EMOTIONS
Turner remarks that most of her interviewees discussed the importance of being at peace with both dying and living - to truly surrender and release repressed negative emotions such as anger, fear and grief. It does not serve us to hold onto any emotion, even happiness as happiness can easily turn into nostalgia, then longing, etc if not released.
LET THE SHIT GO. Let go of fear. Let go of resentment. Let go of any emotion that you’re harboring so you can focus on healing!
4. FEELING LOVE, JOY, HAPPINESS
This is different than positive thinking... Turner found that her interviewees all believed in the importance of joy & love in your life for facilitating healing.
Laugh every day. Do something you love each and every day. Show gratitude and be of service. Find unconditional love in your life.
5. EXPERIENCING A DEEPENING OF SPIRITUALITY
Most of the people Turner interviewed talked about having an internal sensation of spiritual energy - they felt the experience of divine, loving energy in their body, which they achieved through various ways such as meditation, prayer, gardening, energy healing, etc.
We’re not talking about the feeling you get when you see Brad Pitt take off his shirt in Fight Club (altho it seems pretty damn close to a transcendental experience for me). It’s also not about deepening one’s beliefs about spirituality. But rather, it was having an actual internal feeling/sensation/transcendent experience of loving, divine energy in their body.
And finally, #6. This last one is probably my favorite of them all (...and you thought it was diet change, didn’t you?)
6. USING INTUITION TO HELP INFORM TREATMENT DECISIONS
I’ll tell you why this one is so great to me. It puts the the patient, the person, back into the driver’s seat of our health. It shows that we know our bodies better than anyone else. It empowers us to trust our intuition and listen to our bodies. Any healthcare provider you have - whether they’re a doctor, chiropractor, acupuncturist, health coach, etc - is your partner in your health journey, not the boss of it. Remember that.
Here’s
a story from one of Turner’s interviewees, “Unexpected Survivor #7”,
who overcame recurrent metastatic breast cancer after conventional
medicine had failed to work:
[The
Tibetan healer] took his finger and with a pinpoint accuracy touched
every spot on my body where I had had cancer, or where I had cancer
presently. It was amazing! He could see what scans couldn’t see. I had
predicted my cancer four times. I had led [my doctors] to it with a
pinpoint of accuracy before the scans could even pick up the collection
of cells. [The Tibetan healer] could do what I could do with my own
body.
HOPE FOR SELF HEALING
I love Dr. Turner’s work because it not only demonstrates that we absolutely have the ability to heal ourselves, but the stories she collects provide HOPE to those who are going thru life altering diseases.
Having had a front-line experience with my mom’s cancer journey, I can undoubtedly say that the above treatments and stories from Turner’s research are invaluable. If you’re interested in checking out more stories or work from Dr. Kelly Turner, be sure to visit her website at www.radicalremission.com.
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