These undesirable past experiences usually cloud up a person’s mind and make him/her fixated in a certain stage of mind. They can not move on. They become dysfunctional. Professional help can be sought to combat these repressed thoughts. Psychologists and psychotherapists specialize in dealing with problems like this. They have techniques to diagnose the problem and eventually identify solutions for these problems.

One such solution is called the Past Life Regression, which involves the technique called hypnosis where the patient is guided by the therapist through out the process of visualizing some images or scenes that are designed to make him/her visit the past.

Generally, doing past life regression may sometimes involve two dangers. However, being informed and prepared of these dangers can definitely go a long way in controlling the damages.

1. Physiological Reactions: The mind does not only house a person’s memories and thoughts. It also triggers several physiological reactions. Remembering a painful memory or a traumatic experience may make the person nervous, hysterical or anxious. It can cause palpitations, increase in blood pressure, hyperventilation or even heart attack. Before going through past life regression, it is extremely important to know the health condition of the patients including his/her medical history. It is also a must to prepare first aid or pre-cautionary medicines just in case the situation becomes worse.

2. Psychological Disturbance: Going through the process of past life regression does not and will never guarantee absolute solutions to problems. The patient’s readiness to accept and face his/her fears, painful memories and traumas will definitely play a huge part in the success of the process. However, no matter how ready the patient is at the onset of the process, one will never know what will happen as the process progresses. Going through these painful memories may make the patient undergo psychological disturbances such as low self esteem, losing one’s morale or even making the fears and issues worse.

These are just general dangers that may happen. The possibilities may vary depending on the current state of mind, behavior and general well-being of the patient. Furthermore, the level of resiliency of the patient will also influence the outcome of the past life regression procedure and the dangerous effects that it could bring.

Revisiting your past life or experiences can prove to be tricky, difficult and even dangerous. On the other hand, it can also be proven to be rewarding. However, depending on the complexity of the problem, it may be best to consult a mind specialist before attempting to perform a past life regression procedure. Being prepared for the possible effects is an essential step in doing the process. After all, the objective of the procedure is to diagnose and identify solutions to the patient’s problems and not worsening it or add more problems to it.

A Brief History

There are very limited accounts on PLR in history. The more substantial writing is that of Patanjali, a Hindu scholar, who said that the soul is always burdened by its karma and thus introduced prati-prasav or reverse birthing. This is a technique where the subject revisits memories to address present issues. Prati-prasav is currently being practiced in yoga.

PLR was revived through the efforts of Madame Blavatsky. She is the co-founder of the Theosophical Society and her studies have re-introduced the concept in the west. The practice was further developed in the 1950’s when credible medical practitioners began their advocacy on PLR as an instrument to improve mental health. In 1967, Dr. Denys Kelsey was the first to use regression as a type of therapy.

The Practice of Past Life Regression

Studies made on religions believing in reincarnation did not take into account nor accept the idea of repressed memories. The practice of PLR is usually done to simply experience this spiritually and therefore, be able to venture into the unknown. To draw information on the subject’s past life, practitioners would use hypnosis and ask their subjects a series of questions.

With the use of bridging, the unearthed memories are brought to consciousness. This is very important for both the doctor and patient as unresolved issues in past lives are believed to be significant in healing the present issues of the patient. However, they are not always easily dealt with as in most cases; the memories are of a negative nature.

Past Life Regression on Television

Oprah featured Past Life Regression last May 2008, with the help of Dr. Oz and Dr. Brian Weiss, who have been studying Past Life Regression for many years. Their subject named Jodie, sought the help of Dr. Weiss to find out why she has such a compulsive fear of dolls.

Fear Of Dolls

Then it was described how Jodie got to see her dead grandfather shortly after entering the state of hypnosis and minutes later, she began describing what she thought of as a car accident she got involved in, then she began to cry. Apparently, she had died unexpectedly in her past life, leaving her children to grow up without her and this resulted in her fear of dolls which is a metaphor for her inability to care for her children.

Healing Through Past Life Regression

Months later, Jodie saw Oprah featuring the Osmond family where Marie Osmond handed her an Oprah-doll. She reiterates that had it not been for Past Life Regression, she would have immediately turned off the TV because of her fear of dolls. But what’s good to know is that after the session, it seemed that she was already able to deal with looking at one.

There are many practitioners of PLR in the United States and more studies are being conducted as of this writing. Accounts of reincarnation and repressed memory studies are present in the history of man, and his natural curiosity would only encourage him to know more about past life regression. Many movie stars like Shirley MacLaine have also delved into this realm and I do believe she wrote a book about her experiences

Man’s Desire to Learn from Mistakes – Past or Present Life

Whether traveling through time to relive the lives we left behind is legitimate, that remains a question yet to be answered and perhaps today, no form of science can produce concrete evidence about past life regression or the past lives’ existence. However, the moral of these presumptions could easily be traced into man’s desire to learn from what mistakes he has committed – whether in this life or in the past.

- * Dry yourself until you are damp, and then stop at that point rather than going any further. It is actually must more effective for you to apply a moisturizing product when your skin is damp right after a bath, than afterwords when your skin is totally dry.

You should not have to jump out of the bath while still soaking wet and immediately apply skin lotion. You should pat yourself down with a towel in order to dry your body up a bit before you apply lotion to your skin. You should still feel damp, because the entire purpose behind applying lotion is trapping the moisture inside your skin rather than drying it all off first.

- * It is also important that you avoid advertising hype when it comes to home remedies for skin care and dry skin problems. Nothing will ever beat natural remedies like mineral oil and petroleum jelly in place of expensive lotions. Dermatologists tend to agree that natural materials such as vegetable oil, peanut oil and sunflower oil are always great for combating dry skin, especially when it is related to the weather. These are effective skin care remedies and pure methods of skin lubrication as well, not to mention rather inexpensive.

There is one drawback to these products however, which is that they are capable of feeling greasy. The one thing commercial lotions have over these products is that people tend to prefer things that are smooth feeling and smell good, but if you’re looking for a natural option, consider the options mentioned above. Everything essentially does basically the same thing, so it comes down to how natural they are, and how costly they are.

When your skin is healthy and nourished again, and looks young and beautiful, you will be glad that you put effort into your home remedy for healing dry skin. There are a number of different natural options and remedies that you can choose for restoring health and nourishment to your skin. Combine different home remedies until you get the skin care results that you are satisfied with for the best possible results with your skin. Each skin care remedy is unique in the benefits that it provides you with, so don’t be afraid to experiment until you are satisfied.

I have never had a near death experience, but I’ve read and heard about many that have and the transformations after these NDE’s have always brought about miraculous changes in those individuals. Dr. P.M.H. Atwater who has written many books and researched this phenomenon talks about many of her findings and below are some the psychological effects which can also be referred to as enlightenment or spiritual awakening:

• Communication- NDE survivors display the use of new language or new vocabularies which are totally different from what they were used to speaking before.

• Timelessness – survivors begin to follow the “flow” and tend to ignore schedules and time frames. They would shift their focus and give more importance to the present.

• Unconditional love- NDE survivors turn themselves into fully loving and generous people who would wander and express themselves to each person they see.

• The soul- survivors would show more interest in reincarnation and would later on accept this concept regardless of their previous belief. Since they have experienced the soul or the spirit separating from the body, they understand that the body is nothing but a coffer for the soul.

• Psychic – some survivors would wake up or return to the world of the living with heightened senses or extrasensory perception.

I have always sought to be spiritually enlightened and remove the veil that blocks me, but so far it really hasn’t happened, but I try to keep a balance between the body and soul by feeling my surroundings, being able to express my self, eating a balanced diet and regularly exercising, not being afraid to ask for help, never giving up, spending time with family and friends, and always trying to remember that I have a purpose and I’m the one that creates the meaning of my life.

There is something that you should consider when you decide to apply some of the principles of holistic health and some of the holistic home remedies. Remember that sometimes a small illness or symptom that you might have could be an indicator of a greater problem. Keep a record of things that go on with you and make it a practice to see the doctor regularly for physical checkups and also when there seems to be something bothering you for a long period of time.

In the US the Department of Veteran Affairs has started promoting holistic health which involves holistic home remedies. In their self care manual they let veterans know about treatments available to them such as acupuncture, high dose mineral and vitamin therapy, homeopathy, herbal medicine, and other holistic health treatments. They let the veterans know that when they go to visit conventional doctors to remember that the actual visit may be over in about 10-15 minutes. They tell the veterans that those who provide holistic and alternative treatments will often visit with you for over an hour. This is to find out as much as possible about you so that they can approach healing from every possible area.

One of the holistic home remedies that you may find out about is treatments for backaches. The first thing to remember is to be careful in the way you lift objects, keeping your back straight and lifting with your knees. That may sound obvious but it is too easily forgotten. Ice packs used for several days followed by heat packs for several days will help. Also consider changing your mattress if you wake up with a back ache every day. Get something very different than what you currently have.

A couple holistic healing remedies to get rid of headaches is to use acupressure by rubbing the space between your thumb and index finger. Run your hands under hot water and take aspirin with a cup of coffee.

Thomas Alva Edison wrote “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” Those who are interested in finding alternative treatments and cutting back on medical expenses will find more out about holistic home remedies.

There are many more available to people than mentioned above. Some are pretty basic while others might sound a bit bizarre and might involve some suggestions that may seem to have nothing to do with what your problem is. What you will find, though, is that there are significant connections within your body and that the relief that you may need can be found using holistic home remedies and a holistic approach to taking care of your body.

Physical Problems

Many people don’t realize that they can easily gain weight due to some underlying conditions. There are plenty of medical conditions that can contribute to weight gain. Some of these include pituitary disorders, blood sugar imbalance, and a relatively low thyroid hormone.

Malfunctions in the adrenal gland can also cause some people to gain weight faster. Liver and kidney disease can also become a factor. Even drugs that are used to cure such diseases can also cause some people to gain weight especially if the drugs have a fluid retention side-effect. That is why it’s important to go to a doctor first before even deciding to lose weight in order to properly assess the right course of action.

High Levels of Stress

The popular Yo-Yo dieting, which has been a trend to most celebrities nowadays, is mostly caused by huge levels of stress. Stress can affect the weight of a person; either losing or gaining weight can be caused by stress. The body can also cause stress by producing stress hormones, like epinephrine and cortisol in huge amounts.

These two hormones can cause the abdomen to store more fats than usual. Avoiding the production of these stress-inducing hormones must be dealt with externally through avoiding stressors whether from work or at home. Finding relaxing activities can also help the body eliminate stress.

Body’s Toxicity Levels

If the body absorbs too much toxins, it will need those extra pounds to dilute them. This is why it is important to opt for organic foods. Not only are they healthier but contain fewer toxins from chemicals. Conventional methods of farming require chemicals to fight against pests attracted to produce. Spraying pesticides is a normal ritual when growing crops. However, this practice causes health problem, which can contribute to weight gain or inability to lose weight.

Addictions to Food and Beverage

Let’s face it, all of us love food. However, the excessive love for food and beverage obviously causes weight gain and obesity. Furthermore, addiction to drugs especially narcotics can cause the imbalances to your weight. Some chemicals like those from marijuana can cause the body to crave for more food than usual.

Alcohol addiction can also cause weight gain due to the alcohol’s ability to dehydrate the body. This would result in an increase need to eat and drink. Aside from those, excessive use of sugar on food and drinks can cause the body to gain weight faster. Depending on such unhealthy habits is one of the major reasons why it is hard to lose 10 pounds or even less.

A mature student may apply to go to college for any number of reasons. It may be that they feel a career change is in order, or that they want to do something for themselves now that their children are old enough to fend for themselves. These are the two most popular reasons why individuals apply to college in their twenties, thirties, forties and even fifties, but what about the financial wrench that their families will experience as a direct result of one less income to deal with when they do attend a campus based university or college? Education would then be their full time pastime, but what of the lost income?

There is financial aid available for mature students, and only for mature students. This means that you do not have to compete with the general public for grants and scholarships, only people over the age of twenty-five. Some may actually stipulate that the minimum age is thirty, but they are in the minority. There is national, state and college funding available for mature students because the government is dedicated to getting a high number of individuals over a certain age into education as part of their initiative to bring education to the masses. Most colleges and local governments have followed the federal government initiative and recognized that a massive section of the workforce would be neglected if older individuals were not encouraged to apply.

Applications from older individuals usually depend on whether or not the potential student’s family can survive without his or her wage coming in. In the vast majority of cases, the answer would be no, unless of course that individual was not working in the first place or they had some sort of funding behind them. As we all get older, it becomes harder and harder to afford to live without a wage coming in. As soon as this was brought to the attention of governmental officials, more funding became available.

Grants are offered by local governments and individual schools to encourage mature students to apply. This can actually be as much as needed to cover tuition fees or just a small supplemental income, because it is largely based on the family annual income following the deduction of the applicant’s salary. However, you can apply to more than one source for funding and low-income family grants may also be available to you too.

In terms of scholarships, there are those dedicated to financing the mature student, most of which can be found via a quick search at www.scholarships.com by inputting your date of birth. However, you would also be eligible to apply for all funding and scholarships open to younger students too.

The funding offered to individual mature students does not just stop with a bachelor or associate degree though Mature students can also apply for Masters and PhD funding if they are simply looking to extend their education instead of starting it. There are many grants and scholarships that can be found via a simple search that are tailored to this purpose. Therefore, regardless of your individual intentions, it is wholly possible to find funding to enable you to achieve whatever dream it is you have as a mature student. You can make your own destiny without seeing your family fall below the poverty line!

I applied for a grant when I was 45 and it paid for most of my beauty college fees.

Personal mastery helps a person develop themselves and be able to interact effectively with other people. It could actually help you become successful in life.  The great thing about personal mastery is that it helps an individual develop  healthy communication with their inner self and at the same time reflect this change in how they interact with others.

They say that communication is the most important source of power.  Many businesses and organizations have all but collapsed because of many failures due to poor communication between business executives and employers. Employees show high burn-out and stress levels, dissatisfied and disengaged employees.

To achieve effective communication, it is important to increase and attain personal mastery.  To increase personal mastery would mean change in attitude and perspective.  It is important for leaders and organizations to maintain openness to engage their colleagues, employees and customers.

Communication is an important part of relationship building.  The most important relationship is our relationship with our inner self.  Therefore, communication with the inner self should be maintained.  How we communicate with our inner self determine how we communicate with others.

Positive thinking and reinforcement would help us deal with difficulties better.  For example, if we believe something then those beliefs can either limit or be beneficial for us.  A positive inner dialogue would project a more positive and supportive communication with others.

Personal and career mastery can help a person improve their growth and development and succeed in their chosen field. Effective communication is not determined how well we speak in front of many people or how well we write documents, effective and good communication relies on how well people have understood us and how we expressed ourselves.

An example of maintaining effective communication is giving feedback or constructive criticism. We should be able to give and receive criticisms openly.  Aside from that, when giving feedback we should take into consideration our emotions.  Dealing and taking care of emotions is one of the methods that personal mastery can achieve.  Aside from that, personal mastery also helps an individual to look at things objectively.

Effective communication with the help of personal mastery can assist with the following:

• Effective problem solving. Since you would be able to communicate to your employers and co-employees about the real issues and problems, this can lead to a deeper understanding of the problem.  A deeper understanding could lead to quicker and more effective problem solving.

• Effective leadership. For a leader to set direction and influence the team and the organization, he or she should be able to develop better communication with them.  Criticisms should be given as a form of suggestion and should serve as support not as chastisement.

• Effective planning. Planning involves understanding the mission, vision, and the goal of an individual, department or organization.  Planning should be guided by the guiding principles of the group. However people may have a different approach to everything, it is important to properly communicate with each other to create and draw up an effective plan.

• Effective organizational development. Personal mastery is not only about  personal and professional development and growth.  An improvement in the personal and professional path of a person can have significant effects on the improvement of the group or organization.

Various religious beliefs do have their own versions of spiritual awakening. Most are rooted on their own sets of religious doctrines and principles. Some have come to a spiritual enlightenment through meditations and self actualization. To them spiritual awakening is the removal of whatever layers or walls we have that cover or hide our true selves. It is having the experience of peace, the calmness, the fulfillment, and completeness. One person has so eloquently put it as waking up through a big bump to head. That of course is a too simplistic way to describe the experience.

Spiritual awakening is not the end of the end. It is in fact can be seen as just a stepping stone where you can provide change to other people and the environment you live in. In some religions, spiritual awakening is the pre-requisite to spiritual healing. If spiritual awakening is the finding of your true self, the spiritual healing part is the part where you collect all the positive physical, emotional and spiritual elements and use them to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life.

Its important that this person pass to other people these positive energies to promote spiritual healing to all. There are religions that would suggest or even require people to accompany spiritual healing with prayers and going to their church. They insist that prayers will provide or reinforce the guidelines they need to reach, repeat and maintain spiritual awakening.

For Christians, spiritual awakening is also attained upon realization that they are sinners and begin to repent. They have this enlightenment that God is the only true path and going back to him and being faithful to the doctrines of the Church is the way to spiritual healing. This is, of course, only one religion interpreting the essence of spiritual awakening. One cannot say that their interpretation is wrong for the experience is really a subjective one based precisely on interpretations of what should and should not be.

Now those who are far less attuned to religious influences believe that spiritual awakening can be achieved through meditations. Through proper meditation, inner peace and serenity are attained. Healing can be achieved as well. But meditation is only a step towards spiritual awakening. One has to go deeper into the process to achieve the true enlightenment as some people would rather believe.

Meditation can come in different forms and techniques. There’s the mantra meditation where you need to repeat a certain sound which appeals to your mind before you reach that meditative state. There’s the trataka meditation technique where instead of sound, one has to focus his attention or mind on a particular object. This technique has been used in the past by a number of religions. Chakra meditation on the one hand is more of energy based mediation where the goal is to open the chakra points in the body to achieve a higher level of awakening of the consciousness.

Religion and spiritual awakening are connected but depending on the religion as well as the approach and techniques, the interpretation of spiritual awakening varies. But one thing is certain, achieving spiritual wakening results to having a positive outlook in life making living in this world happier and more content.

One of the tenets of conscious creation is that we each have a separate reality that other people cannot know or really understand. And that each of us has the ability to create that reality into anything we want it to be.

Every day when we get out of bed, we set into motion the creation of a certain reality, good or bad. And through conscious, also sometimes called deliberate, creation, we can shift that reality in either a better or worse direction.

At the root of this belief system is the idea of channeling. This can be interpreted two ways. Some use it to mean channeling your own deep-seated ideas and desires, while others see it as channeling other spirits or entities that have some sort of knowledge to impart. Many use it to mean both types of channeling.

Also at the heart of this conscious way of living is the belief that we all create our own reality, even though we don’t realize it. So that when something bad happens to you, it was actually your choice to have that thing happen.

If you are born into poverty for instance, many hardcore believers in conscious creation will tell you that you made those choices, even before you were physically born onto the earth, to experience poverty.

If you suffer serious illness, believers will tell you that you have brought that into your life through choice, whether you know it or not. But that by gaining control of your reality, you can change things and bring what you want into your life, whether it’s health, prosperity or overall happiness.

Through the act of deliberate creation, you start each day with a goal. Rather than the goals you might wake up to now like getting the kids to school on time or completing a project at work, you look at the bigger picture. Those will still be part of your goals of course, your daily life must continue. But you will choose different goals that will help define your reality.

The first step in creating your own reality is through your beliefs. Let’s say that right now you believe that most people are selfish and only out to get what they can for themselves without regards to other people. Your belief is creating that reality in your life, so most people in your life will be just this way.

If you shift your belief to one that says that most people are good at heart and want to do the right thing, most people in your life will fit that description. If you believe that you will never get out of debt, you probably never will. But if you wake up each day using conscious creation to believe you will get out of debt, you can make it happen.