I fully understand that remaining positive during difficult times can be quite challenging. Rather than getting swept up in the looming chaos, when we stop and take a moment to pause, we can purposely make a different choice. When we choose to remain grounded, centered in our own being and at peace, we are in a better position to lend a hand or to simply bear witness to what is occurring. This allows us to be in charge of what we want to do next, rather than getting derailed by other people’s drama. This is an acquired skill, one that can be life changing in favorable ways.

Let’s take a moment look at food as fuel. We all choose how we want to fuel our body. The food contains the energy needed for us to function. We can choose healthy food or we can choose junk food. Either way our body will receive energy to perform. Eventually there will be a price to pay with the junk food but it may take some time before adverse affects occur. The same holds true with how we fuel ourselves emotionally.

Different thoughts cause different chemical reactions in the body. Since we are creatures of habit, even our thoughts can be habitual as can our emotional fuel source. For example, fearful, worrisome thoughts trigger the fight or flight response which includes the release of adrenaline and cortisol. Many people live with low levels of anxiety even when they want to go to sleep at night due to this automatic connection between their thoughts and their feelings. They have grown accustomed to being afraid or to being worried and then they are fueled with the adrenaline. The energy from the adrenaline is a fuel source which also becomes habitual. Now, when I need to be “charged” all I need to do is to worry about something and I receive my dose of fuel to carry me to the next round! Unfortunately, this tends to be a one way road, much like eating too much junk food and many people are walking around with adrenal burnout and other health problems. It is important to realize that the body can only respond to the inner environment created in response to the thoughts we have.

Monthly Challenge: What emotion do you use as your fuel source? Is it constructive such as using love, trust, peace or faith, or is it destructive such as using worry, fear or anger? Stop and become aware of this for yourself and make a different choice, one that is more pleasing. How much easier can things unfold if you choose to be at ease rather than being tense? Most likely, you’ll accomplish more with less effort and less energy expended! The first step is to become aware of your thoughts and how they affect your body and then you can make a choice to fuel yourself in constructive ways. Enjoy the process as you explore new options.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences on this blog or on Me, Myself and Mind facebook page. We can all learn from each other and together we can make this world a better place!

Love,
Roberta

Most of us have been taught to believe if we really want something to happen that we have to fight for it. For example, if we want to be healthy, we may need to fight against an illness or fight against the urge to smoke a cigarette. When we fight against anything we are pushing against the very thing that we want to let go of. The irony in this approach is that we are focusing our thoughts and our energies around the exact thing that we don’t want! When we try not to think about “the elephant in the room” we are only fooling ourselves because the elephant still exists! This illusion of control causes great inner conflict since it is only the logical conscious mind that is being fooled, however, the subconscious mind, the part that runs the show still knows the truth.

Somehow, we have been lead into thinking that when we are actively fighting, or worrying, or stressing about an unwanted illness, or a problematic situation, that this gives us some semblance of control. We have also been taught to think that if we stop worrying we become complacent and if we become complacent that we are giving in and will do nothing. I’d like to propose a different, healthier approach, one that is constructive and empowering.

You can accept a situation as it is AND you can still decide what you want to do about it!

When we accept something, we stop resisting. When we stop resisting we stop spending energy fighting against what we don’t want. This allows us to use our energies towards what we do want. For example, fighting the urge to eat sweets creates tension and it focuses the mind on sweets. Accepting the urge to eat sweets and then deciding, choosing to eat something healthy instead puts us in a place of empowerment. When we choose a different approach, when there is nothing to fight against, there is much greater opportunity for us to create something new.

Think about a plant that has an unhealthy leaf. The plant will spend it’s energy trying to fix the unhealthy part. Take the problematic leaf away and the plant has much more energy to support health and life. When it comes to people and health, the “unhealthy leaf” can be compared to our stressful thoughts, our fight, our fears and our worries. They drain us of energy and deplete the body of what it needs to heal. When our thoughts are constructive and positive, we are supporting our body with the chemicals that strengthen our immune system.

Monthly challenge:
Choose one challenge in your life and decide to approach it in a new way. First, find acceptance for what is occurring, free of judgment. It just is. Then ask yourself, “Now what do I want to do about it?” How can you make positive changes by moving forward towards what you want, rather than fighting against what you don’t want?

Please feel free to post your comments at: http://hypnosis4yourlife.com/blog/index.php or visit Me, myself and mind on facebook. You can learn to help yourself create health and happiness with my self-health book, Me, Myself and Mind at: http://www.memyselfandmind.com. Get your copy today and learn life empowering skills for reclaiming your health and your life!

Love,
Roberta

March fools me every year. Despite plenty of experience that shows me otherwise, when March rolls around I always feel the urge to dig in the earth and to begin planting. The reality is that the ground is still frozen and in Western Montana we must wait until late May for the weather to settle enough for outdoor gardening. Patience is definitely a virtue! It can be humbling when we must follow mother nature’s lead even when we want to do otherwise.

In the natural flow of life, there is a time to rest and a time to take action. We must sleep at night in order to function well during the day. We must both inhale and exhale. Our inhalation is more active, our exhalation more passive, yet it takes both to support life. The month of March can be like an exhalation, a time that is more passive. Yet, we can still be passively active by sowing new ideas. We can prepare and get ready so that when the time is right we can take action with purpose and direction.

Prior to every action there is a thought. The thought is passive, the action, well, is active! It takes both the thought and the action to create our goal. Whether planting a garden or starting a new career, our goals begin in the more passive state of our thoughts, our ideas and our imagination.

The conscious mind thinks in words but the subconscious mind thinks in images, feelings and sensory awareness. In other words, it is our imagination. Even if you have “a knowing” you are using your creative mind or your emotional intelligence. When we combine both thought and imagination, we connect on a universal level that can be powerful in helping us to reach our goals.

What if you could create what you really want with greater ease and with better results?
What if you could relax, let go and let things happen while you still do your part?

I’ll be posting a monthly challenge for you to participate in each month to help strengthen your emotional intelligence. Do your best, have fun and please feel free to post your experiences. We are all in this together.

Monthly challenge: Plant a seed about pursuing a new goal. Speak this out loud. For example: I’m thinking about moving to Europe for a business opportunity. Should I do this?

During this more passive time of sowing new ideas and new possibilities, pay attention to what happens in response to your thought. How does it make you feel? What takes place around you as time passes? Without being attached to outcome and without pushing too hard, do certain doors close and other doors open? Do some pieces seems to magically fall into place while others seem to create discord? Pay attention. Yes, we must still do our part but when things are meant to be, the pieces flow smoothly together in our favor. This may or may not match what we think we want. Be sure to check your sense of self and know that you deserve to be successful!

After decades of using mostly IQ, left brain intelligence to rule our choices in life, it is time to bring emotional intelligence on board. When we do, we create a stronger working balance between the hemispheres of our brain and this supports a happier, healthier life.

Love,
Roberta

Happy February!

Regardless of our individual interpretations and our personal experiences, love continues to be a driving force for life itself. Although we cannot determine nor control how this vital part of life unfolds when we are young, we all desire and need loving relationships for good health and happiness.

It is through the eyes of babies, children and animals that we most often get to witness untainted love. Their love is innocent, pure, unconditional and free of all doubt or fear. This is wonderful and magical to observe. When my son was three years old, I asked him the question, “What is love?” His reply was; “Love is a feeling. You can’t see it or touch it, but when you hug, you can feel it moving back and forth!” If only we could be so clear as adults.

Since love is vital for the development of a healthy life, then what about self love? If you were raised with ideas that loving one self is arrogant, or selfish, or somehow wrong you are not alone. Many grown people struggle with these ideas. What if this interpretation is incorrect? Have you ever considered the option of having a greater sense of self awareness and self-confidence with the utmost of humility? This is very different from those old fear based ideas of becoming arrogant.

The dawn of emotional intelligence is finally upon us. Emotional intelligence or EQ is the counterbalance to IQ or intellectual intelligence. Emotional intelligence includes being self aware; aware of our thoughts and aware of our feelings. EQ includes creative thinking and problem solving, social skills and intuitive qualities. Since our thoughts and our feelings are naturally included in everything that we say or do, when we learn to strengthen skills of EQ, we gain control of our self and of our responses in life.

What if you could love yourself just as you are, with each one of your imperfections with complete humility and compassion, free of judgments and criticisms? How much freer would you be to be you?

I’ll be posting a monthly challenge for you to participate in each month to help strengthen your emotional intelligence. Do your best, have fun and please feel free to post your experiences. We are all in this together.

Monthly challenge: Complete the following sentence with as many endings as you can.
I love myself because…….

First, write your responses on a piece of paper by hand rather than typing them out. Then, read your list out loud to yourself each day while standing in front of a mirror. Change “I love myself because” to “I love you because.” Repeat these words with each one of your endings. Do this until you can feel it and you believe what you are saying to yourself. Breathe it in. Can you look into your own eyes and accept this wonderful gift?

It is time for all of us to step into the beauty of our own being. Let your light shine with humility and compassion. When we shine we bring light into the world and we make it a better place.

Love,
Roberta

People who seek hypnotherapy for resolving a fear, an anxiety or a phobia, usually find they can be successful in controlling this seemingly automatic reaction. The fears, anxieties or panic attacks which appear to hit them from out of nowhere actually do have subconscious roots, patterns and associations which can be changed.

Whether the person is dealing with a fear of flying, claustrophobia, performance anxiety, nervous feelings, or any other stress-induced reaction, they learn how to influence and change the way they feel and how they respond. When the subconscious associations are explored, understood and changed, people not only learn to control their own body, but the problem often goes away. Many people work with their doctor and decrease or even eliminate their anti-anxiety medications altogether.

I worked with a fifty year old business manager who was worried about an upcoming presentation. In the past “Betsy” felt anxious, incompetent and scared. Her palms would sweat profusely, her heart would race, her throat would tighten, her voice and body would shake. Regardless of her “self talk,” regardless of her intellectual knowing, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, she was absolutely terrified of what would happen.

She wanted to feel confident and self-assured but instead she felt scared, helpless and out of touch with her own body. She really did not trust herself to function the way she wanted to. After all, her body had failed her before and the feelings of shame and embarrassment were almost unbearable. How could anyone take her seriously as the professional she was, when she was obviously such an emotional wreck? Her story went like this:

Betsy and Anxiety
Betsy grew up on a big farm. She was lucky enough to have a horse and it was Betsy’s responsibility to feed and care for him. Across the field she went, every morning and each night, giving her horse his food and water. When she had the time, she enjoyed brushing him.

The family farm was down the road from a drug rehabilitation center for teenaged kids. Betsy was secretly terrified of being out alone at night, crossing the field in the dark. Once, on an especially blustery winter’s night, the snow was falling under a full moon and the shadows were everywhere. Betsy’s hands were wet and cold from the water she had given her horse. She reached for the handle to close the stable door behind her when her hand froze to the cold metal.

Betsy stood there for about fifteen minutes in absolute fear, outside alone in the dark, her mind racing with horrible scenes of “what if?” She was also concerned about what everyone would think of her once they found out what happened. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her mother came to see why she was taking so long. Her mother used warm water to release Betsy’s hand. Betsy stuffed her fears away. She continued to care for her horse and never let anyone know how scared she really was.

This was the initial experience which was stored in her memory bank. Each time she recalled her experience and triggered her fear, it strengthened the pattern. Years later, when Betsy felt scared or threatened (real or perceived), it triggered her body’s fight or flight response. Each time this happened, the feelings grew stronger. They linked to this childhood memory which had threatened her very survival, if only through her imagination. Remember, the subconscious mind doesn’t distinguish between fantasy and reality; it responds to the incoming perceptions.

At the time of our first meeting, as Betsy talked about giving her presentation, she could feel the fear. Her palms began to sweat and her hands began to shake. Through hypnotherapy, she was able to become aware of and to understand a subconscious link that went like this: “My hand is wet. It is frozen to the handle and I am afraid.” The realization of her predicament caused her to feel more fear. The more afraid she felt, the more aware she was that her hand was wet and frozen to the metal handle. “If I had dried my hand this wouldn’t have happened.” Wet hands and feeling afraid became subconsciously linked. “Fear means having wet hands. Therefore, when I feel afraid, my palms sweat.”

These experiences were reviewed. New information that nothing bad happened back then and she is still alive, was integrated on a feeling level. Betsy was able to give her presentation with confidence and ease. She was aware of her body’s reactions and she felt calm throughout.

Fear of Flying
“Megan” came in for hypnotherapy. She was terribly afraid of flying, but had to travel by airplane in order to attend a family reunion. She really wanted to go, but felt anxious every time she thought about flying. The last time she tried to fly, she had to get off the plane and was deeply embarrassed by the situation. Megan remembered the flight was delayed and all eyes were on her as she was escorted off the plane just before take-off. She never made it to her destination and was frustrated with herself.

In hypnosis, I learned Megan had a history of surgeries. On two separate occasions, just after surgery, she remembered being in an anesthesia-induced stupor, still aware yet feeling completely out of control. She was really scared and unable to do anything about it. She thought she was going to die. This was not the first time Megan felt nervous and frightened. In fact, she had felt this way most of her life.

In Megan’s situation, these patterns went back into childhood when her father had some serious health problems. She remembered he stayed in a bed in the middle of the living room. Doctors would come and go. Her mother would cry. Megan recalled feeling really scared, since she didn’t know what to do or what would happen. She was afraid he was going to die. Megan’s initial subconscious link went like this: “Dad might die and I feel scared. I don’t know what to expect.”

This was the first occurrence of her fear. This pattern got triggered and repeated and was reinforced each time she felt this way. From the moment she’d awaken to the brink of sleep, the impression of her ailing father along with her fears were with her. Sometimes she’d even have nightmares about it. The daily occurrence of these events made a deep subconscious impression since they were continuous for four months. It felt like an eternity. Fortunately, Megan’s father recovered and life went on.

Many years later, Megan’s father had some heart problems, and on several occasions Megan had to be the one to rush him to the emergency room. Each time she witnessed her father’s own panicked state, she experienced a fear of death, for her ailing father. Each of these experiences served to reinforce her earlier ones.

Megan’s father died of a heart attack at the age of sixty-three. After her father’s passing, the build-up of fear inside of Megan grew even stronger. She knew she had a fear about death but considered this to be how most people felt. Eventually, Megan experienced her first panic attack, which happened to take place on an airplane.

Her subconscious link was: “I don’t know what to expect therefore, I feel scared. (sitting on plane)…I feel scared. Someone else might die.” (like dad) Flying and feeling panicked became a new association, a way for the suppressed anxiety energy to find release. As these memories were reviewed, Megan learned to control the fear chemicals created in her own body. She went to her family reunion and stayed calm while flying.

With these examples you can see these kinds of associations occur naturally through the neural network our body based on our experiences. This automatic part of learning determines what we believe to be true and how we then perceive and respond to life. When we explore these subconscious interpretations they can be understood and changed. New associations release different chemicals into the body which creates new feelings and new behaviors. Rather than relying on medications to mask the fearful feelings, hypnotherapy deals with the cause behind the problem often creating results that are life affirming and permanent.

Note from author:
I am actively seeking opportunities to help organizations and businesses to improve their productivity through stress management and mind agility workshops and presentations. My new self-health book, Me, Myself and Mind is receiving great reviews from hundreds of readers who are now learning to reclaim their health and their life through skills of self-hypnosis and self-hypnotherapy.

This article includes excerpts from Me, Myself and Mind book.

Welcome to this newsletter as we welcome in 2013!
The beginning of a new year brings with it a fresh start. Many of us feel a sense of hope and we trust that the new year brings something wonderful our way. Independent of our personal ideals and philosophies, our gender or our choice of careers, we tend to strive for many of the same things. We each want to be respected, to feel useful, to believe that we are needed. We each want for our opinions to matter. We desire to have good health, financial freedom, love and happiness. We want to live in peace. We each want to spend our free time doing what we feel like doing. As we mature, we may feel a calling to make the world a better place, to believe that our life has purpose and meaning beyond the mundane everyday routine of daily existence. These desires are what motivate us from an emotional perspective from the inside out and they continue to be the driving force behind our choices in life.

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide you with inspiration along with practical ideas to help you learn how to help yourself. You can learn how to actively participate in helping that wonderful something to happen! Our minds can create new ideas, beliefs and perspectives to create a better life and a more evolved society.

Most people are familiar with IQ but few people are aware of EQ or emotional intelligence. EQ intelligence has to do with self-awareness, emotional discernment and control, respectful living and making choices that support healthy vibrant life. These intangible qualities of humankind are the very ones that matter the most.

Activity:
1. Think about your very first job. Let yourself get engaged through your imagination.

2. Now let yourself move through the various jobs that you have had, taking a few moments to recall some things about your time there.

3. In addition to recalling the actual work, did you recall some of the people whom you interacted with?

4. Did you place judgment on your experience as either “good” or “bad” based on those interactions?

I’ll be posting a monthly challenge for you to participate in each month to help strengthen your emotional intelligence. Do your best, have fun and please feel free to post your experiences. We are all in this together.

Monthly challenge: Speak in the affirmative. Tell the mind what to do instead of what not to do.

Follow this approach for your inner thoughts and with your conversations with others. Eliminate negative words such as no, don’t can’t, won’t, and should. Keep your words positive and kind. For example, instead of saying “Don’t be late” you can say, “Please be on time.”

Every time that you connect with other people your emotional intelligence is called into action.
Every time that you need to make a decision, to motivate yourself or to lead others, your emotional intelligence comes into play. Emotional intelligence is the backbone of our personal and professional interactions in life. Let’s build greater emotional wellness upon the earth together!

I look forward to building a sense of community through this blog site and welcome your comments and questions. Let’s make 2013 a year to enjoy with unlimited success for all!

Love,
Roberta

The interaction between our heart-felt self and the force which animates all of life is what allows the process of manifestation to occur. Independent of how we may choose to believe in a higher power, what matters is that we believe in something grand and loving, and that we are willing to work at creating an interactive, humble relationship with life. The foundation for creating abundance comes from having a respectful working relationship with the energy that supports all of life as well as having a healthy, humble relationship within our own being. Much like having any relationship, it is necessary to establish a positive view of oneself which then leads to better interactions with others. First we’ll look at a few common approaches that tend to hold us back from creating what we want and then we’ll explore nine key perceptions that strengthen our innate connection for creating abundance.

The first challenge behind unsuccessful manifestation has to do with how we view the life force. Childhood experiences and subconscious programs that support ideas of an angry or vengeful God may block successful results even after we mature. If these ideas exist, they must be transformed. There is a reason why ideas of “love conquers all” remains a common belief in many cultures across history, continents and time. Believing in a loving Creator changes life in amazing ways. However, if we believe the Creator does everything for us and there is nothing for us to do, then we may set ourselves up for disappointment. Although this perspective demonstrates the epitome of faith, it causes us to give our power away and then all that we can do is to hope and pray for things to happen. This is similar to asking another person to do something important for us yet we do little if anything on our end to help the process along. Waiting for the desired result can be unsettling and stressful especially if there is uncertainty whether or not the other person will make it happen. This is out of balance and it puts us in a position of being dis-empowered.

Another extreme occurs when we don’t believe in a higher power at all. Many people have walked away from the traditional dogma of religion and they spend their life “running solo.” This lack of interaction between oneself and the source of life is similar to when a person experiences repetitious hurtful relationships and then ends up feeling alone. When we feel alone, we feel separate from life. When we feel separate from life it can be draining to the soul.

“Prove it to me first and then I’ll believe” is another great pitfall that many of us fall into. I suppose this is indicative of our learned attitude of mistrust among our fellow humans. If we lack trust in our self or we feel unworthy, it can also block the way for our success. Needing proof demonstrates that we don’t trust the other person or in this case, the life force. If the Creator knows that we lack trust, then most likely that’s what we’ll receive; an experience that supports our belief. In other words, what we want probably won’t happen.

We must remember that each and every thought that we have, whether spoken or unspoken, literally becomes a set of instructions for the universe to follow.

Nine Perceptions for Creating Abundance

1. Focus on what is good.
Learning to live in this way can be challenging, but with desire, awareness and practice we can each learn how to create a life of greater peace. First we must choose to live in trust rather than in fear. Then, when we become aware of those moments when fear takes it’s grip, we can remind our self that we have a choice. Rather than focusing on what is “bad” or “wrong” or “unfair” we can change how we think. I have lived a lifetime of creating meaningful outcomes with successful results even when all odds seemed to be against me by focusing on what is good. My husband and I trust that we are well supported and that everything turns out fine even when life throws us a curve ball.

This past summer we experienced a stage 2 evacuation due to near and extreme fires. We remained peaceful (and smart,) and this experience led to a favorable bonus. Through time we have come to trust that when we focus on what is good, even in the most challenging of times, even better things unfold. It is absolutely true.

The following example is quite simple yet it shows how we can change our negative thoughts to create a respectful and more gracious relationship with the life force. I was cleaning my house one afternoon, feeling quite put out that I had to vacuum instead of doing something fun such as gardening or doing yoga. I felt hurried and tense and it seemed to take forever. I just wanted to be done! Then I caught myself. I changed my thoughts to, “I am so grateful for these beautiful rugs. Thank you for this beauty in my home and in my life. I am happy to take good care of them.” Everything changed. I instantly relaxed, I enjoyed vacuuming and time passed quickly. This attitude of being grateful helps develop and support a healthy relationship between oneself and the creative life force.

2. Take action and let go with trust.
The best approach for successful manifestation occurs when we have both faith in the life force to do its part AND we are willing to take action and do our part too. Much like a bird in flight, we must find a working balance between flapping our wings and knowing when to rest. This ebb and flow between taking action and letting go is founded in trust; trust in our self to do our best and trust in the life force to support our goal. This is similar to when we are young and we instinctively trust our parents to do what they say they will do. This intrinsic knowing demonstrates a different attitude of “Thanks for your help. I feel peaceful and I trust that my needs are met.”

Although many people struggle to live in this way, the life force hasn’t any ego interference and easily creates congruent responses that support the continuum of life. Just as we are more inclined to give to others when we know our efforts are received with joy and appreciation, the same holds true for the creative life force. An “attitude of gratitude” works to our advantage because it is a respectful and humble way to live.

3. There is always enough.
Everything that is needed for our survival, for our happiness and for our desired experiences already exists. There is plenty for everyone. If you think about an apple, it contains many seeds within it’s core. Each one of these seeds can produce another apple tree. Apple trees grow and give forth a great many apples each year. This cycle of giving goes on and on. I have an apple tree in my backyard that is over 100 years old and it still produces fruit!

Instead of living with fear and believing that there is not enough, our job is to receive and enjoy only as much as is needed. Rather than living excessively, the universe serves all of life with a natural flow of abundance that is just right.

4. Fear and worry block results
Fear and worry tend to evoke the “prove it to me attitude.” What relationship can function smoothly under this kind of disrespectful pressure? Rather than needing proof, when we are grateful for what we already have, it opens the door for more to come. Keep in mind that the universal energy supports all of life. A deer doesn’t worry about growing more fur for the winter. When we trust that the universe supports all of her creatures, including us, and we are humble and grateful for what we have then this opens the door for greater possibilities.

5. The universal intelligence is always ready to help.
The natural connection that permeates all of life presents us with opportunities or answers, often in subtle, or disguised ways. We often refer to these moments as “coincidental.” Our part is to be present, aware, and willing to listen or to step through the doors when these are presented. If you miss the chance, don’t worry, it will be provided for you again.

The following story is relatively inert in its presentation yet it serves as a reminder of the wonderful and often playful connection between our self and the creative life force. One night while I was baking dinner in the oven I sat down to watch some television. I was aware of feeling tired and I knew that I might easily drift off, so I made a mental note to myself, “Remember that you are cooking dinner!” Some time past as I drifted into t.v. land when I suddenly heard a voice, loud and clear from the television screen, “Remember to take your dinner out of the oven!” Up I flew, somewhat startled and most definitely delighted. The synchronicity of this moment was perfect!

6. Have kind intentions for the common good of all.
The universal energy is happy to support you and your desires as long as these serve to make the world a better place. Even if you are seeking something for yourself, there is always some kind of impact that affects others. When you focus on creating common good with appreciation and humility and you are willing to do your part, you are more apt to influence the universal energy to support your cause.

The following example shows how working for the common good of all people who are involved can strengthen our connection to the creative force for obtaining successful results. My intentions for buying a home in Montana were steeped in a childhood dream of living in the mountains, but it wasn’t just for me. While my heart’s desire to obtain this lifelong dream was included, I also focused on providing my children and husband with a better lifestyle than the big city had to offer, bringing the glory of the old Victorian house back to life, and building a sense of family and community from our new home. The benefits were for many people, for touching lives in beneficial ways through my work, for bringing greater good into the world. My intentions were answered in the form of a home loan offer via postal mail. What caught my attention was that the offer was for the exact amount that we needed for the down payment on the house in Montana. With joy and gratitude, along with some creative thinking, we were able to buy our new home.

When we work together with the life force with humility and compassion, and we seek what is best for the common good of all, then we create a balanced relationship that supports positive results.

7. Universal time and ego time.
Universal time is measured by our heartbeat. Ego time is measured by our logical mind. Perceptions of time can be tricky and tend to be based on how we feel in our current environment. The process of manifestation works best when we let go of ego time constraints and allow the magic to unfold. Heartfelt time is “the very best time for everyone involved.” This is often different from what our ego mind wants. The same amount of universal time passes whether we trust and feel peaceful or whether we get trapped in feeling impatient and frustrated. Feeling peaceful supports health and vibrant life. Letting go of attachments to outcome including time-lines, demonstrates complete trust and confidence in knowing that our desires are realized. Again, we must be willing to participate in this dance and to do our part.

8. Nothing is ever as it appears to be.
We are taught to believe that “seeing is believing” yet in truth we have it backwards. “What I believe creates how I see” is a much more accurate interpretation. Most people can relate to an experience when things appeared to be a certain way, yet with more time or information we learn that our perceptions were inaccurate. This has to do with focusing on the tangible world of effect rather than the unseen world of causation. It also reflects back to our own insecurities and subconscious patterns. Whenever you are in a moment of being judgmental or fearful, remind yourself that “Nothing is ever as it appears to be.” You may be surprised at how different you feel. It can alter your responses as well as influence what happens next. One thing always leads to another.

9. Let go of judgments and find acceptance.
Judgments are a man-made perspective. Many of our judgments come from past experiences and tend to be founded in whether or not we feel safe, accepted or validated. Perceived judgments can be mistaken for our intuitions which provide inner awareness for our survival. Remember that in the eyes of the universal energy, we are all the same and everything just is. Acceptance is a wonderful gift. When we live with love in our heart and we free our self of judgments, we open our self for receiving what is positive and uplifting.

In closing, I strongly believe that a new consciousness, one that is more evolved and constructive is emerging. When we make the choice to live with compassion, trust, love and appreciation for life and all that is, then we create increased good in our mind and body, in our life and ultimately in the world.

This is internal control and
it is pleasing to our being.

We like the way it feels
when we are in charge
of our own life.

Roberta A. Swartz

I believe that a part of our evolution as people is for us to discover that nature has instilled within our physical form everything that we need in order to be healthy. Our body is highly intelligent and when given the proper environment, it knows how to heal itself. The proper environment that I am referring to goes well beyond external influences such as eating well and exercising. I am speaking about an internal environment that is affected by the bio-chemical responses which automatically occur with each and every thought that we have. One thought triggers about 7-10 million reactions, creating an internal soup of chemical responses that affect our entire body all of the time. Given enough repetition, these chemical responses can set a precedence, an environment that leads to ill health. This can occur independent of any external influences we may choose to create.

“The idea that the mind and body interact is not new. It can be traced to the Wisdom literature in the Old Testament and to Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine. The ancient Hebrews attributed some physical illnesses to grief or anger. Hippocrates believed that health depends upon a balance of the body, mind and environment, and that disease is caused by imbalances in these areas. As modern science progressed, the mind and emotions became neglected, since researchers found it difficult to measure and quantify mental states with the scientific methods and equipment that were so highly valued.” (Healthline.com)

Over the past thirty years I have helped and witnessed thousands of people with real health problems create physiological changes that may seem miraculous. Many people have experienced incredible transformations that often defy what we are taught is even possible. I have seen people change blood cells counts, eliminate asthma and allergies, create freedom from chronic depression or insomnia and eliminate pain. I have witnessed many people who are able to get off of their anti-depressants, pain medications or sleep aids. The list goes on and on.

What if you could learn how to heal yourself?
What if I could show you how?

Most people have been taught in one way or another that anger is bad, wrong, unacceptable, and needs to be avoided at all costs. Unfortunately, this creates a very powerful subconscious conflict since anger is a built-in reaction everyone experiences at certain times in life. In truth, the anger itself is not the problem. The problem is first, that society tells us to not allow it. This is a grave misunderstanding and has caused many people to stuff their anger away inside. When this happens, the energy of the anger doesn’t go away; it builds and strengthens until it finds release. Since anger is to be avoided, most people have not had the opportunity to work with their anger appropriately. Anger is a normal human emotion, one that serves to protect us from a threat. This fight or flight response is a part of our survival instincts.

The problem with people and anger relates to the idea of how we greatly misunderstand and misdirect the energy. Fighting is unacceptable, for good reasons. It is easy to see why anger often gets stuffed away since fighting is not approved of but the energy does still find a way out. The energy continues to seek release whenever and however it can. This tends to create more problems.

For example, let’s say you have a bad day at work because your boss gets mad at you. You feel angry and disrespected. You are unable to say anything and you certainly can’t run away from the situation. You stuff your feelings away inside. Once you’re at home, you find yourself yelling at your kids. This happens because the suppressed energy is seeking a way out.

This complex idea, the storage and transference of the energy of human emotion, was beautifully and simply presented in a children animated film. In this story it was the monster’s job to scare little children while they slept. The monster’s competed to see who could generate the most fear because the energy created was harnessed and stored for running the town’s power plant.

Anger, like fear, is energy. It gets created, stored and then transformed. The energy of anger is strong. The ways in which it seeks release are unlimited.

“Anger must be understood and dealt with more naturally and effectively for creating physical health and emotional balance. The cost of denying this normal part of life is very high, greater than we realize. When anger is left uncontrolled, including when it is ignored, rationalized or denied, it can, and often does, provide fuel for illness. However, when the energy of anger is constructively directed and transformed, the physical body responds in healthy ways.”

There are plenty of people who are drowning in anger. Some are fully aware of this reality which is difficult to deny, since their angry words and actions are shared with the world around them. Other people live in denial of this truth, independent of all their angry behaviors which they blatantly demonstrate to others. Some people are aware of being angry, but they turn their anger inward, shutting down physically and emotionally. In the heat of a fight, they might withdraw from verbal communication or run away. Some people shut down sexually.

There is another response to anger which deeply affects our health. Many people are consciously unaware they harbor any anger at all, since the emotion is denied, rationalized, ignored or missed altogether. This has become a common response and it poses a serious threat to many people. As the pressure builds up inside, it often creates an implosion. The energy becomes internally explosive and it breaks the body down.

Story about Anger – Indirect Problem of migraines, insomnia and fibromyalgia
“Sadie” is a fifty-three year old woman with a history of chronic insomnia and migraines. She was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which makes sleeping even more difficult. Hypnosis allowed Sadie to review some memories from childhood. She recalled a time when she was being picked on by her older brother. Here is an example of how things got out of hand.

When Sadie was eight years old, her brother was twelve. He was a big guy and he had lots of friends. Sadie usually stayed home and often found herself being teased, emotionally tormented and physically hurt by her brother and his friends. It happened all the time and Sadie usually ended up injured and embarrassed.
On this occasion, Sadie found herself lying on the ground with a bloody nose; her leg hurt a lot and she was unable to get up. Her brother and his friends laughed and walked away. She felt scared and terribly alone as she lay there abandoned. How long would it be before someone found her? It was getting dark so Sadie dragged herself home along the ground. When she got back to the house, she was the one who got in trouble because her brother had lied once again. Sadie was too afraid to speak up for fear of her brother making her life even more miserable.

In addition to feeling scared, sad, embarrassed and in pain, when this memory was reviewed in hypnosis, Sadie became aware of feeling very angry. First, she felt mad at her brother for treating her so badly. Then her anger extended to her brother’s friends, especially one guy in particular, because she thought he was nice. She realized how angry she was with her mom as well, for believing her brother’s lies again. Her brother was so good at lying that everyone thought Sadie was simply clumsy and accident prone. This idea fueled more anger towards her brother.

Sadie found she was most angry at herself for letting it happen again. Why did she do this? Because she wanted her brother to like her. Each one of Sadie’s current problems dissipated once her anger and other suppressed emotions were acknowledged. They were understood, transformed, accepted with peace, redirected and released.

“When we learn to constructively direct the energy of our emotions, we create a more peaceful life and a more peaceful world.”