This is Lucie, about whom I’ve written before. But as she nears her 11th birthday, I feel a mixture of motherly pride that she’s healthy, along with an uncertain dread that she won’t be with us that much longer. She shows no signs of slowing down, aside from being content to sleep away most of the day, but dogs her size usually don’t  live much past 13.

So, I am trying to appreciate her every day and be grateful for her presence in our lives for as long as she is with us. If you have a beloved pet, you can relate, I’m sure.

As I’ve said before, Lucie is totally loyal and fun-loving – yay, another game of ball toss! 

She’s also incredibly tuned into routines and doesn’t hesitate to let us know when we’ve – ahem – missed one. She knows in no uncertain terms, for instance, if we’ve slept in a bit. She will get up, give herself a good, loud, tag-rattling shake, and a looong stretch, and then come over and paw the bed, staring at us unrelentingly all the while, until we get the message.

Of course, being a smarty-pant poodle, she knows the basic commands by heart: “sit, down, stay. . . ” But she follows them only when it suits her–i.e. only when there are treats forthcoming. She demonstrates this level of discretionary obedience around meals. She knows she’s supposed to go to her pillow and lie down while we are cooking or have food out, and quite often she will do that on her own, without being told. Very good pooch! And I will reward her with a treat – and follow that up with another one in another five or ten minutes – in between bustling about cooking this or that. But the minute we sit down to actually eat the dinner, she knows that the treats have now ended. So really, why stick around?  She quietly tip-toes off to another room, or goes upstairs, to lie down.

But it’s hard to punish her because, well, she has become so predictable and so amusing. Besides, at the last dog obedience class I took her to a year ago, the teacher reprimanded me for saying “no” to her. (Sigh. I guess permissive dog training is now the thing. All rewards, no punishments, not even a slightly raised voice. What’s the world coming to?)

Another thing I appreciate, except on days like today when it’s slushy, rainy, and generally yucky, is this: The dog gets me out for a good walk every afternoon. Usually we stick to the trail–the bike trail runs alongside our property and then plunges down into the woods. But sometimes we take off, vaguely heading toward the field beyond via uncharted woods. I bring along the Feskers clippers to snip the encroaching, prickly wineberry stalks that make it impossible to penetrate very far into the forest. I tell Lucie that we’re Lewis and Clark, heading overland, through the unknown wilderness. And and when we arrive at the field’s edge, like those great explorers, upon first sight of their long-sought Pacific Ocean, I exclaim, laughingly, “Oh, joy! Oh, rapture!”

I gaze down at Lucie, who picks up on the joke and wags her tail excitedly. Who wouldn’t love a pooch who willingly shleps through muck, braves getting caught in nasty briars, and leaps over dead logs or scrunches under thickets–only to happily laugh with you at the joy of the whole adventure?

So when your feeling down and the mind, body, spirit thing just isn’t working for you, hopefully you have a two- or four-legged companion of some sort who can lighten your spirit. We are blessed to have our Lucie!

Dreaming is critical to our happiness.

If you want to achieve great things, you need to have a great dream, as John C. Maxwell puts it in his little gem of a book, “How Successsful People Think.”

Once you have a dream, Maxwell advises, it’s important to then “move forward without second-guessing.”

For most of us, it’s way easier to imagine failure, and to find excuses for why something isn’t going to work, rather than working with positive, clear vision toward our goals. Successful people focus on their dreams and don’t let their doubts or fears or naysaying hold them back. They can step outside of the constraints of their past experiences and don’t take setbacks or discouragements personally.

They see hope where many would see personal limitations and signs of certain failure. These dreamers aren’t dismayed if they don’t achieve their hoped-for outcome on the first or second try. Thomas Edison, arguably the world’s most successful inventor, tried 1,500 different kinds of materials before he found one that worked for his light bulb invention!

If you’re short on dreams, get outside of yourself–or just get outside! Study and find inspiration in the shapes and forms and possibilities in nature. For there, even in the dead of winter, lies reassurance. Gazing on the heart of the ineffable, you’ll find the courage and strength you need, just waiting to be tapped–waiting for the fulfillment of your dream.

Just like a quiet, meandering stream, our lives reflect on the surface what is going on down below. If we find ourselves emotionally distraught to one degree or another, for instance, then somewhere in our bodies and/or in our world, that distress will manifest. Chinese medicine, dating back 5,000 years, had it right: unresolved emotional trauma and most illnesses are reflections of disruptions in the body’s energy meridians. If you can correct these disruptions, then you have a pretty good shot at addressing a person’s emotional and physical issues. The Chinese developed acupuncture to this end. At first, skeptics considered this pretty fringe-y and woo-woo. But, over time, and with proof of acupuncture’s effectiveness, this kind of medicine has become pretty mainstream and been proved to be enormously effective in cases where Western medicine has not been.

Energy Medicine – The Next Frontier in Healing

More recently, within the last several decades, there have been different kinds of energy medicine which have adopted the same model as acupuncture in addressing physical and emotional problems. For instance, the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), developed by Gary Craig, holds that if you tap or rub the end points of some of the meridians, you will correct the imbalances and blocks underlying much trauma. Often, just a few treatments bring relief of the symptoms of depression, fear, anxiety, grief, shame, and a host of physical ailments, including migraines, diabetes, and even multiple sclerosis. While we have to be careful in promising miracles, in fact, there are numerous scientific studies backing up EFT as a reliable treatment. But, because it seems silly to have people tapping away on parts of their bodies, this system hasn’t gone mainstream in the same way that acupuncture has. Still, a select group of war veterans suffering from PTSD were treated with EFT over the course of five days, and every single one of them found relief from their symptoms of depression, hypervigilance, addiction to alcohol or drugs, and suicidal tendencies. So what will it take for the rest of the medical community, and society, to embrace this technique?

Another offshoot of EFT is the wackily-named WHEE (Whole Health Easily & Effectively), developed by a psychiatrist named Daniel J. Benor. This method focuses on tapping on one acupuncture point, Governing Vessel 24.5, located at the bridge of the nose, at the innermost edges of the eyebrows. Of course, there’s more to it than just tapping, but studies have shown that the proper application of this system is just as effective as the more involved EFT system.

I have seen amazing results with these methods in myself and a few of my clients. So, I’m a believer!

Free Offer of a 10-Minute Session!

Here’s a double-dare, as we used to say as kids: If you would like to experience a free, 10-minute session to explore these techniques, give me a call. The work can be done over the phone, or in person. I look forward to hearing from you soon! (Tel: 301-540-2117) As the old Time-Life Books commercials used to say, “Operators are standing by!”

In this season of peace, why not allow that peace to start with you? Returning to the quiet stream image, imagine the profound effect you could have on everyone you encounter if you send just one ripple of peace out from yourself into the world!

Sending you all the warmest wishes for a peaceful holiday season!

Dear Friends,

After a freakish, early snow, we’re back to a beautiful, sunny, warm Fall, the trees proudly bearing the last of their burnished golds, brilliant reds, and mellow yellows. Now and then, flocks of geese fly by, letting out their distinctive squawks and screeches. In the field outside my window lies the brown, dried-out stubble of freshly harvested soybeans. While autumn is my favorite time of year, I’ll admit to pangs of sadness at the end of another summer, at putting the garden to bed once more, and at the hint of what may be a rugged few months ahead.

How do we deal with change? So much of us fights against it, not just the change in seasons, but our own aging, worries about changing finances, about how we’ll manage with one problem or another. We cling to what remains of summer, even as we reluctantly gather in the winter wood for the stoves. It’s a bit unsettling, this not knowing exactly what lies before us, this worry about whether we will be able to cope with the future or not. Many philosophers talk about the importance of staying in the now. But our minds don’t like to rest in the quiet of the moment, do they? The ego wants to stoke our angst, to up the ante and encourage ruminations over our limitations, the ways we’ve been victimized, the troubles we’ve had, and the  clutching at what is or should be or could have been.

Perhaps the answer is simply to stand up to the chatter of our anxious minds, to remind ourselves that we can choose our response. For instance, instead of falling back into our fears, we can opt for a calming mantra, such as “be still,” “all is well,” “everything is working out fine.” When you feel yourself starting to go down that path of unsettling, agitated thoughts, breathe deeply and repeat your phrase. It really is true that the past is over and done with and the future has yet to unfold. So all we truly do have is this present moment. Wouldn’t it be a shame to waste all our precious “now’s” on regret or fear?  

Are you a worrier, rehashing what seemed to go wrong in interactions with others or with your performance at work or with friends and relatives? Do you feel as though no matter how much you do, you come up short? And does your life, like mine, tend to look like a never-ending list of  chores and “to-do” lists? Sometimes, we get in this rut where we are so up to our ears in “issues” that we forget what joy looks like, and we can’t see beauty even if it were to rise up and smack us in the face!

Lots of this over-drive, over-worry, over-brooding stuff is tied into limiting patterns which we adopted long ago as a defense. When we were most likely around the ages of 1 to 6 years of age, we absorbed messages from our parents, who couldn’t nurture, love, and comfort us maybe the way we needed–messages that we took as meaning we didn’t measure up, weren’t good enough or all that lovable either. Even the best parents in the world can, with a scowl, sigh, or turned back, send this kind of message to a sensitive kid. The kid doesn’t have the rational thinking processes yet to see, “Oh, guess Mom had a bad day at work and that’s why she seems angry.” Instead, the kid assumes, wrongly, that the frown and heavy sigh and other signs of irritation are his or her own fault and that the child must have done something wrong, or is to blame.

Some kids overcompensate for feelings of inadequacy from these kinds of messages by becoming as perfect and high-achieving as possible. Others pretend to be supremely self-confident, even the center of the universe, becoming perfect narcissists, to cover up the fear of being unlovable beneath that. Still others may misconstrue every slight, every criticism, and every angry glance throughout life as being proof of their worst fears–that they really are unlovable deep down. Most of us take on some aspects of each of these behaviors to some degree as a shield or defensive pattern against life’s slings and arrows.

The trouble with these limiting patterns and the false beliefs underlying them is that ultimately they fail to bring us what we desperately need: our own sense of self-worth, our own knowing that we are worthy and wonderful, more than perfect just the way we are. If only we could stop believing that the way we were once treated, and maybe continue to set ourselves up to be treated, is really not at all who we are. If only we could go back and re-program our small inner child to see that he or she really is a beautiful, light-filled soul, despite what her or his parents may, in their flawed, wounded ways, inadvertently seemed to have taught them.

Lately, I’ve been working with clients to help them heal these often unconscious core beliefs and the limiting patterns around them, and in the process, I see how sad it is that we give so much desperate energy into making ourselves lovable, when the truth is, without even trying, we already are such lovable, shining beings.

So how do we heal these patterns? Here are some tips:

• All we have to do is to center ourselves and connect with Divinity, or whatever word you prefer for your Higher Self or God. Then ask for help in finding and releasing and healing all the false beliefs that keep us filled with self-loathing and stuck in limiting patterns–all the way down to the cellular, unconscious level.
• Ask then to be filled with the light of the Divine. Ask that this light fill up every dark and needy cell of our beings, bringing the compassion and nurturance, love and peace we all long for.
• And ask that this healing encompass back to the beginning or root of the cause, up to and including the present, and that it come in such a peaceful and harmonious way as to not cause any stress.
• If we can do this for just a few minutes, several times a day, in a quiet, meditative place, we will see a transformation.
• It helps to hold an image of oneself as whole, healed, and happy, and whenever dark thoughts and doubts and fears crowd in, say, “I want to be healed and happy.” And affirm that this is so.

Blessings on your path, dear friends.

Dear Friends,

If you’re like most of us, you probably walk around distracted by difficult situations and absorbed in your problems. Focusing on everything that’s wrong in our lives or in ourselves adds to our everyday stress. It’s a way of telling ourselves that everything isn’t OK–which sends a signal to our bodies to tense up, be on guard, be prepared for the worse. If we’re constantly ruminating over our lousy jobs, unkind spouses, or the unfair hand we’ve been dealt, it’s a good bet we’ve got plenty of sore muscles and tight jaws, upset stomachs, headaches, high blood pressure, to name a few common stress-related ills.

This becomes a vicious circle. We become so stressed that it’s hard to take time to really see all the beauty and joy in our lives. We don’t stop to count our blessings. We’re too caught up in the story of what’s wrong. It’s as though we have blinders on and our vision and thinking become narrower and smaller. In fact, everything that isn’t directly related to our problems seems irrelevant when we feel uptight and tense.

Yet, grateful, loving thoughts help the mind and body to relax. In just four to six beats of your heart, a shot of warm, fuzzy thinking can dramatically lower your stress and your heart rate, calm your jitters, and build a stronger immune system–and that’s just for starters! And with the stress lifted, even momentarily, your mind becomes more creative and your choices broaden.

Tips for developing the practice of appreciation:

• Learn to see the beauty in your life as readily as you see the difficulties
• Start to focus on the kindnesses of friends and family instead of the slights and hurts you’ve received
• Think about a place that evokes warm feelings and fill yourself up with the essence of that place
• At the end of the day, write down everything you have to be grateful for.

Try it and soon, you’ll be as mellow as a cat, napping in the sun!

Image via Wikipedia

Hello dear friends and family,

Unless you’re living on planet Mars, you’re all-too-aware of stress and its side effects. Whether it’s bouts of gastric distress, headaches, eczema, psoriasis, or acid reflux, our symptoms often tell us we’re suffering from over-the-top stress.

Illness, a responsible job, a difficult boss, a stressful marriage, a lively toddler, a sick pet, these are all triggers that can set us off. Sometimes, the stressors of your life are so ever-present that you may have forgotten what it feels like NOT to be tense, nervous, on edge. Being stressed may seem like a normal state of being.

The Down Side of Stress on Our Bodies

Yet when we live with stress for long periods of time, we’re constantly in the fight-or-flight mode–and that takes a serious toll. In effect, we are pumping out the stress hormones, especially adrenaline and cortisol, constantly, which means our heart rate and blood pressure are elevated. In addition, the amount of glucose (sugars) in our bloodstream skyrockets. The stress response also curbs many normal bodily functions, including the sending of oxygen to our cells, and the working of our digestive and reproductive systems, as well as the creative and flexible workings of our brains.

This constant battering of stress puts us at risk for heart disease, sleep and digestive problems, as well as diabetes, depression, obesity, and memory loss. I recently heard a statistic that said that one in three Americans is obese. Over-eating, over-indulging in drink, or shopping–these are all responses to stress.

Stress-Busting Tips

• Try to breathe from the belly, slowly and deeply, whenever you feel yourself going into overdrive.
• Learn to be grateful for what you have in your life.
• Take time to learn some energy-healing tools that can alleviate stress.
• Look at the ways you’re coping. If what you’re doing is clearly not working, then slow down, take a few minutes to get in touch with your soul, or that wise, intuitive place within you, and ask “What do I need to do to change my pattern?” Write down what comes up without thinking about it too much. Take it to heart. Follow through.

Wishing you a beautiful, beach-y, non-stressful summer!

Hello again, dear friends!

It’s not a stretch to say that energy healing is the wave of the future. At least, that’s what Dr. Alexander Loyd and Dr. Ben Johnson believe. They have written a book called “The Healing Code,” which explains why this is so. They claim that all our memories are buried not in our mind or brain, but in every cell of our bodies. And it’s these destructive cellular memories, such as the disappointing memory of the Christmas when we didn’t get what we wanted because the family had just suffered a financial blow, or the often-repeated sinking-feeling-memory of our sister getting rewarded for good grades, while we just couldn’t pull off anything better than a “C,” no matter how hard we tried.

If negative memories like this land in our unconscious, they’re still there, still easily triggered by similar events or circumstances in our later lives. Maybe you’re one of those people who wonders, “Why do I eat when I know I shouldn’t? Or “Why do I always get set off at drivers who cut me off, even when I don’t want to be upset and angry on the road?”

Look for the answers in your cellular memories. These set up a stress response that sends the body into stress mode, triggering the eating or the angry outburst as a kind of coping or blowing off steam mechanism.

So how do you heal these negative cellular memories? The authors have their own “code” for doing this, but really, it’s a question of intention, coupled with a prayerful calling upon Divinity, God, whatever your Higher Power might be, to clear you of all negative known and unknown images and destructive cellular memories that are causing the illness, the syndrome, the knee-jerk response.

Of course, this is an overly simplified summation of the approach, but I’ve been trying it for a few days now and I have to say I feel a whole lot better, a whole lot more empowered and hopeful. If you go to our other blog, www.boydswellnesscenter.blogspot.com you can order this book (at the same cost as if you went directly to Amazon and we get a few pennies from your reaching Amazon through us) and try out the approach for yourself.

Let us know what you think! Hoping you are having a wonderful summer. Be at peace, be well!

June 17, 2011

Guess what? Pendulums are an incredible tool for greater self-awareness and healing. In fact, I’m totally hooked on them. So hooked, in fact, that I am asking people who sign up for the upcoming stress-reduction, self-healing workshop on August 28 (see Classes & Workshops section of this blogsite) to bring one. (I will have a few extra on hand.)

Pendulums or dowsing rods of one kind or another have been used for thousands of years. Totally left-brained engineers and well-diggers have used them for locating underground mineral resources and water. More recently, they’ve become more popular as a kind of prophecy tool.

Here’s what I do with the pendulum. I have a chart that looks like a pie and goes from weak to very strong. I hold the pendulum over the chart and ask a question, such as, “How free am I of negative energies?” I look at where the pendulum points on the chart. If it says the equivalent of, “not very”, then I clear myself using the Yuen method and test it again. I keep doing this until I test free and clear.

I do the same regarding my chakras (the energy vortexes in the body that help metabolize and regulate all sorts of energy flow). I start at the root chakra and ask, “Is it weak or strong?” If the chart and pendulum reading show it to be weak, I strengthen or balance the chakra, using the Yuen method, then continue up to the second chakra, and so on.

At my upcoming workshop, I will go into more detail about how you can use charts and pendulums for healing and about the Yuen method, as well. Both are amazing and entirely reliable, in my experience.

I find the pendulum to be a much easier way to access and measure the subtle energies around a person than the muscle-testing (applied kinesiology) techniques which Yuen and other methods swear by. This is especially when testing oneself.  While experienced energy healers have no trouble testing themselves of others,  it takes time to get the hang of it. It is my goal to give people a tool that works right away and that isn’t fraught with frustration from the get-go.

Hoping to see you on August 28th! Note, you must register ahead of time and send in a check in order to attend.  Not to sound like a carnival barker, but it’s true that space is limited and is filling up fast!

With warmest summer wishes,

Libby

Bob and I took a walk yesterday along   Seneca Creek, not far from our place. It was a bit humid, but sunny and pleasant walking. We reveled in the beauty of the fresh green leaves and Spring wildflowers, as well as the lovely, fast-moving, stream which we followed for about five miles.

Nature is, in fact, a healing force.

As healer and author Barbara Brennan puts it in her book, Light Emerging:  “Spending several hours every week in an unspoiled setting reestablishes a balance between your auric field and earth energies.  This is necessary for full health.”

Ms. Brennan goes into detail about the therapeutic effects of different natural environments: “Calm lakes have a great soothing effect on us by relaxing the tension . . . in our field.” She adds that the trees in a pine forest “pulsate at a rate very similar to our auric field.” She recommends sitting in a forest like this or resting against the trunk of a pine tree as a way to “recharge your field when you need it.”

She notes that pausing to observe wild animals in nature helps us to get into the rhythm of the natural world around us and brings us greater clarity about the wisdom of all life.

So why not take the time to stop and admire the wildflowers, listen to the birds, laugh at the waddling groundhog, admire the leaping antics of the cottontail rabbit. It’s good for you!

I’ve included some images from our hike for your healing pleasure.