Mind - Body Thoughts

Letting Go When Life Unravels

2012-01-28T00:01:00.038-05:00

Letting Go When Life Unravels

It is so easy to see the difficult moments in life as an end to all that we know. When life unravels, we tend to unravel as a result. After all, who can blame anyone when times look bleak and all hope seems to be lost.

However, I read something the other day that made sense to me. Paraphrasing what I read, it was stated that when life unravels, that is a good thing because it means we are getting rid of the old and letting go. We are in the process of clearing out our life so the new chapter of our life can begin.

It is very difficult for my mind and body to understand the process of letting go and clearing out. After all, like many people, I want to control my life and I have this false illusion that if I do this, somehow it will be better. In all reality, I am only making things worse. The more I resist, the more I am fighting through life. The more I let go, the more I am allowing myself to learn from the things that I let pass through my life.

When life unravels, it truly is an opportunity for us in letting go of things in our life that we no longer need. It is our moment of preparation to bring good into our life. It may not look like this in the moment, but if we focus on allowing these events to unfold, we may find the glorious picture of something new.

Related Blog Posts On Mind Body Thoughts
1) What If Scenarios Of Letting Go (Posted Oct 13, 2011)
2) Letting Go Of Painful Moments (Posted May 11, 2011)

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I Don't Belong In This Family

2012-01-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

I Don't Belong In This Family

It amazes me every time I think about how I came into this world. I'll never understand, how I ended up in this family. To me, I don't belong in this family that we share a last name together. Yes, at one time, I was just as pious, pompass and a critical a-hole as any could get. Okay, maybe I'm giving myself too much credit here because I could never out perform others in my family in this area.

You see, we were taught to hate others and dislike and critize or put down others. Anyone who didn't think like we did or saw life the way we saw it, were less than in our eyes. We would wait until they left our presence and were out of hearing range, before we talked about them behind their back. It must have made us feel good about ourselves while we claimed to just speak the truth.

Yes, we were God fearing Christians who believed in the "ENTIRE" BIBLE. Yet, like so many others who believe in the bible, we picked what parts of the bible we would actually follow why confessing our sins and shortcomings on Sunday in church. Now, I'm sure most people won't admit that they do this and generally speaking, they are too unconscious to see that they are following these practices. However, our family was not alone in these practices as we tried taking the speck out of our fellow brothers' eye, while a plank was lodged in our own eye. (See Matthew 7:5)

Today, I no longer have anything to do with my family. I had to escape to save my own life. They are self righteous, egotistical and delusional people! You might think I'm being harsh in my assessment of them, but if you only knew the inner secret workings of my family and what I went through, the assessment would seem very mild.

So many times I have thought about changing my name. I wanted to escape every thought of them because as my Dad stated growing up, you had better be proud of being a Shetterly. He would state that as he slammed his fist on the table and raised his voice. Oh yeah, I so like my last name, the name that stand for all that is wrong with humans including the destruction of innocent children.

As I keep thinking about changing my name, I have two thoughts. One is that it would be more difficult to adjust to a new name and have my friends adjust. Since I have done considerable marketing with my name, it would prevent a challenge in this area. The other thing though is that if I keep the same name and I come out triumphant in life, than I will have broken the chain of the evil that is associated with this name. For me to come out victorious means that I reclaimed a part of me, that my family tried to take away from me.

It isn't easy. Some days I really wonder how I came to be part of this family when I was born into this world. For a long time growing up, I thought I was adopted because I did not fit in then, and I still do not to this day. Yes, I've changed considerably and I have a long ways to go. A near death experience brings life front and center in a way that everything changes.

In order for me to heal, grow and just survive, I had to move on from my family. It is a hard thing to do and even though I want them back, I realize the toxicity is far too radioactive. The only way I can fulfill my life's purpose is by moving forward. Some day in the future, I may be able to reconnect, but for now my only focus is on learning to let go and forgive them for all that they did and have done to me.

My mind and body and spirit sometimes struggles to understand all of this. I've been through a lot and I've recovered through so much, but one thing remains, I don't belong in this family. Some day I will understand it better, but for now my mind, body and spirit is perplexed. I just know that the more I survive and become victorious over all the demons I have dealt with in my life, the more I will find out and discover about who I am as a human.

Note: The picture above was intentionally disfigured to protect the guilty and the innocent. The effects were created to more accurately bring to life, the words of this blog post.

Related Blog Posts On Mind Body Thoughts Blog
1) Family And Forgiveness (posted Jul 6, 2011)
2) Evolved Beliefs (posted Jul 1, 2011)

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Hope For Haditha Children And The Trauma Breaking Point

2012-01-26T00:01:00.060-05:00

Hope For Haditha Children
Song by Don Shetterly

Back in 2006 when I heard about the Haditha massacre, I wrote the article below. At the time I was horrified. Yes, I understand that sometimes in war, innocent people are killed. However, in this case, this was not an innocent event. From all accounts in the news, it was a deliberate act upon innocent people. If the war had not been going on and this happened in the US, the individual(s) would have been on trial for murder.

Out of this tragedy, I wrote a song called "Hope For Haditha Children". This song never really took off, but I still wrote it in memory of those children who faced the horrors of watching adults murdered before their eyes. While I can fully understand the trauma breaking point, especially in a time of war, I weep for those little children.

Today, I am reading the headlines of the outrage by the Iraqis because most of the charges had been dropped against the Marines or reduced to a level that fails to match the crime. Please do not misunderstand me here in this blog post, because I am in no way offering to start a debate about this war or any war. My main concern is how trauma affects us and how it affects the children in experiences such as this.

We have to wake up as a civilization inhabiting this place called earth. Humans are genetically wired to work together, care for one another and celebrate life together. Atrocities such as the Haditha massacre only drive us further apart just as terrorist activities do. I hope that one day, we will find a world of peace and cooperation, rather than guns, violence and fanaticism or dogma.

Here is the original article I wrote in June 2006 called The Trauma Breaking Point. Please read this blog post in context of trauma, not what your beliefs about this war may be. If you decide to leave a comment, please do not attempt to start a flame war of beliefs. This will not be tolerated. I welcome thoughtful comments that add to understanding and awareness.

The Trauma Breaking Point

I don't normally deal with this point straight on but after reading the latest news headline about Haditha, Iraq, I cannot stay quiet. This has nothing to do for or against the war. This has to do with something much greater in that when we harm others, we are harming not only ourselves but the world. Again, this is not a political post and if that is the way it comes across please reread this statement. What we do unto others is what we do unto ourselves and what we do unto ourselves is what we do unto others.

One thing I have learned in my years working through my own trauma and also now learning from others that deal in trauma, is that trauma doesn't end when the occurrence of it stops. It keeps on going until it is resolved. This may play out in many ways with some things hardly resembling the actual trauma. But until the trauma is resolved, it will continue to control, manifest itself, and manipulate the mind causing depression, anxiety, and suicide. And every human has their breaking point. At some point, this trauma will snap a person. It will result in a person doing harm to themselves in any number of ways (could be drugs, alcohol, workaholic, perfectionist, etc... and etc...and etc.. the list goes on). If the person does not take the route of harming themselves to a great degree, it could also come out in them harming other people from simple things to major events like murder, etc. We've all heard the stories of people breaking.

And as I read about Haditha in the news (check any news source out and you'll see the articles), I'm saddened intensely, I'm grief stricken and I hurt because of what was done. Children hiding and witnessing their family members getting killed, shot, kicked, beat right in front of their eyes. For what? For what? Just because a bomb went off and these marines snapped - they hit their breaking point -- they could no longer deal with the trauma that they were surrounded with on a daily basis. God, my eyes, heart and head go out to these marines, their families, but more importantly to the survivors that witnessed this massacre for now they will live with the trauma that was not theirs to live with. And we as a world will not understand why these children do not grow up peacefully. But yet, how can they grow up in a world of peace when all they know is trauma? How?

I'm sure that we will finish the investigation and probably sentence the marines to whatever punishment will be dictated. However, I doubt that will be any worse than the hell they are living through on a daily basis. And they aren't alone. Every soldier, resident, and observer in Iraq is witnessing the trauma on a daily basis. They are seeing images, hearing sounds, smelling things and taking in things that humans are not built to absorb. This energy if not discharged gets locked in the body and becomes a time bomb, just waiting to go off... in some day of some month of some year.

I weep for the atrocities that are inflicted upon mankind, the world, the universe, for what is done unto others, is what we do unto ourselves and what is done unto ourselves is done unto others. There is no escaping this. There is no standing back and acting as if we have a "pass" in all of this. We are as much involved in all of this and the person witnessing the trauma. When it affects one of us, it affects all of us.

May we learn how to show peace, true love, understanding and acceptance to all people and may we begin doing this with ourselves.

“What's true inside of you connects to the truth inside of everyone” - Yanni (June 2006 Calendar).

And if you think I’m making any of this up, please locate the book "Waking The Tiger" and let the author, Peter Levine share with you just how trauma does affect us.

May we all be humbled by what is happening and may we share peace with the world.

by Don Shetterly © 06/01/2006

Music: Hope For Haditha Children (by Don Shetterly)

Book: Hope And Possibility Through Trauma (by Don Shetterly)

Related Blog Posts On Mind Body Thoughts Blog
1) Trauma, Biology And Hyperarousal (posted May 18, 2010)
2) Trauma And The Stress Response (posted May 22, 2010)

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Solar Flares And The Impact On Our Mind Body

2012-01-25T00:01:00.020-05:00

Solar Flares And Mind Body
Sun Through The Tree

Today, we are in for a major blast from the sun. Scientists are expecting a major solar flare to have finally reached the earth. I read that on a scale of 1 to 5 used to measure these solar flares, that this is expected to be a 3. This event should occur between January 24 to January 25, 2012.

It seems there is no immediate threat or pending doom to our civilization that will yield some apocalyptic end. Instead, from my understanding, we get things like this from time to time and they may cause an impact upon different parts of our world, but they are not life ending. This is expected to be one of the strongest since 2005.

It does appear that they can play havoc with air travel around the polar areas of our planet, electrical grids, electronic items and the astronauts on the International Space Station.

I am often intrigued though how solar flares impact our mind body. I have no scientific evidence or training to suggest that they do, or that they don't impact us. This is my speculation only and most likely there is research being conducted on this concept. I am just not familiar with any research and if you know of any, please feel free to contact me or comment below.

While I know that many are not aware of the mind body connection, it does exist. The more we can sense and connect our mind and body together, the more we become aware of things that most people overlook. It is not hard for me to imagine that a solar flare which could blast against the earth, has an impact on our mind and body. I could easily see where it affects our energy in one way or another.

For me to quantify these things would be stretching it and I'm merely speculating what my opinions are in this realm as I have no facts to back this up. Even if we are impacted for a brief moment in a brief way, I am intrigued that the sun which is millions of miles away from us, can alter life for a few moments.

We are so affected by many things in our life and while they may be significant, I don't believe that they control our life completely. It is up to each one of us to discover who we are and become more aware of our mind body connection. The more we know about our self, the more we can consciously choose to live in life. Solar flares are but one factor that we experience in our life.

I'll be interested to watch and see if there are any known effects felt here on earth during this experience with the sun. Most likely, life will go on and most of us will not even know when the solar flare reaches the earth.

Related Blog Posts on Mind Body Thoughts
1) Nasa Space Technology And The Body (posted Apr 13, 2011)
2) Truth In The Body (posted Jan 4, 2012)

Argue For The Sake Of Arguement

2012-01-24T00:01:00.002-05:00

Argue For The Sake
Of Argument

I'm sure you could make this post out to be one that is argumentative even if it not meant in that way. All too often, people argue for the sake of argument. Often in our society, we call it debate or discussion, but its still just arguing. People seem to love to practice this and it almost invokes its own energy.

One of the places that I see it is on the internet forums. Person 1 comes along and the next thing you know is person 2 says something that just seems to take the opposite position for the fun of it or so it seems. Person 3 than comes along and tries to offer something to balance and the next thing they know, they are in the middle of world war 3. It amazes me on the online forums and message boards.

I'm wondering why people can't just back off and let the conservation stand in the way it is presented. It is like unless you believe my way, I'm not going to back down until you do. As far as that goes, I have family members who think like that. Unless you agree with them, you are labeled into something you are not.

To be honest, most of the time, no one truly listens to the other point of view or fully understands what the other person really thinks. It is almost like, don't let the facts stand in the way. One statement is taken out of context and then that statement becomes the sole source of what the person said. It is really sad in my opinion.

We see this modeled over and over on the "so called" news of the day and the political races. No one really has all the facts and no one truly listens to the other person. It is all about getting one's point across and to hell with everyone else. Is that not a sad testament of what it means to be human?

I'm perplexed at this behavior as there are often times when it is just necessary to walk away. Yet, it does not seem like most people can do that. Everyone talks a good talk but they don't walk the talk. I often think back to something I heard that we were given two ears and one mouth, meaning that we should talk less than we listen.

Humanity would best be served if we learned to listen to one another, and didn't try to pound our ideas into everyone else. We would be so much better off if we learned how to respect one another and the difference of opinion. We don't all need to be alike. We don't all need to agree. In fact, if everyone of us believed the same way, I think it would make one messed up world and a boring one at that!

The next time you feel the need to argue online or in every day, make sure it is something that really matters. Most things we argue amount, really don't matter in the grand scheme of life or they give a false illusion that our argument is somehow helping. You may want to stop and feel how the energy of the moment of argument feels within your mind and body. Sensing that may guide you in the moments ahead. Sometimes, when things get heated and we feel the need to argue, it is the exact moment we need to walk away, take a breath and refocus our mind.

Related Blog Posts On Mind Body Thoughts Blog
1) Quiet Please, Just Listen (posted May 12, 2011)

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Paula Deen And Type 2 Diabetes

2012-01-23T00:01:00.003-05:00

Paula Deen's Resturant
Lady And Sons
Savannah, GA

Sometimes we get an opportunity in life to really learn, grow and evolve as a human. Unfortunately too many times, we reach for the easy way out. We look for the quick fix of putting the band aid on something, thinking that we have solved the problem.

Paula Deen is one of the loves of my life! She's my long distance girl friend. Of course, she probably doesn't know that, but I fell in love with her southern charm. I admire what she went through in life and how she raised herself from the ashes to get to where she has in life. She is an inspiration. A few months ago, I got to visit her restaurant "Lady And Sons" for the first time in Savannah GA which was a special treat for me.

I'm sad that Paula Deen is going through this rough time and I don't wish Type 2 Diabetes on anyone. I'm hoping that instead of just turning to the medication, Victoza, that she searches out more natural methods of working with this disease. I do see she is working on changing her diet and adding exercise into it, but there are many other things that could offer
possibilities and are natural.

I'm no expert of course, but I know that an unbalanced diet is not good for the body or the mind. What you eat is the fuel your body runs on and while we can get away with poor food choices for a time, eventually it will catch up with us.

While Paula is known for adding a little more butter, she is not alone. It is hard to find a major restaurant out there that don't obliterate the nutritional value of their foods without the use of butter, salt and other ingredients. Yes, I do understand that if some restaurant just steamed their vegetables or gave them to us raw, that they would not stay in business for very long as no one would eat the stuff.

One of the things that I have learned is through the Food Based Healing at Qigong.com with Jeff Primack. I won't sit here and claim that you can eat a certain way and it will heal you, although he has stories of people who have reversed the effects of conditions in their own life. I think with any program or practice, you have to use common sense. However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that by eating raw fruits and vegetables, that we have the best chance of getting the highest nutritional value from these foods.

Each morning, we start out with a fresh vegetable and fruit smoothie that is only blended in our blender to make it into a drinkable form. We don't freeze or heat it up and we don't process it other than the short time in the blender. It has worked wonders for us keeping us healthy, preventing flu and colds and helping immensely with our digestive system. In addition, it helps us taste other food to a much greater degree.

When it comes to processed supplements that you can take or add to water or medications, I'm as skeptical as any one can be! If we just changed our diet in this country and added whole vegetables and fruits into it, I believe we would improve the health of our population in dramatic ways. I always get amazed when food establishments have to advertise "fresh foods" in order to market their processed products.

Just like Paula Deen says, live and let live, we have to live our own life in the best way we see fit and know at that moment. When we are confronted with new information, it is our responsibility to learn from it or to ignore it. If anything good comes out of Paula's new struggle with diabetes, I hope it is an increased awareness of health that should be a regular part of our day. Life is too short to wait until it gives us a wake up call, to make changes. The more we value our body and our mind, the more we get to live life to its fullest!

Related Blog Posts:
1) Food Based Healing And Smoothies (Aug 2, 2009)
2) Most Diseases Are Reversible With Food (Feb 21, 2011)

Related Information:
1) Liraglutide Injection - Victoza (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
2) No More Sweet Tea For Diabetic Paula Deen (Chicago Sun Times)

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Mind Body Walk Through The Park

2012-01-22T00:01:00.032-05:00

On a Sunday afternoon when the sun is shining, it is a good time to get out in nature. Sometimes a mind body walk through the park is good for the soul, great for the body and refreshing to the mind. Here is a recent journey of mine, after it had been very chilly for a few days. I must admit, it was chilly for those of us that live in Florida and who are no longer used to the colder weather.

As I arrived into Gemini Springs park, I could see just how busy it was. So many people were enjoying the same
mind body connection that we had decided to take part in for that day. The dog park was excitedly active along with the children's playground area which appeared to be having a birthday celebration.

Finding a more remote area with my camera in hand, I headed towards the water. Seeing the glistening of the sun upon the surface of the water as the duck swam leisurely around, was inspiring. It lifted my spirits and breathed fresh air into my body. My mind just gazed in awe as if time had stood still.

Even though I passed the sign "Danger, Keep Out - Alligators", I knew it was far too chilly for the alligators to really be moving about where I was at. There have been times that I have seen them sunning themselves on the shore of this spring fed pond, but today they must have been someplace warm. It reminded me though of how sometimes our mind perceives danger when maybe in reality, it is not present in the moment.

I came upon one bird nestled in the trees and hidden from easily being seen as it sunned itself and dried its wings. It appeared to not care what others were doing or that the park was so crowded. It was just fully connected to its body, taking in all that was there in abundant supply.

Moving along, I found one of the springs that fed the pond in the park and ultimately the river. It was a small little carved out whole that if you did not look closely, you would miss. Yet, the amount of water slowly gushing from this spring was flowing at a steady clip. Small little fish were swimming around the area, most likely in an attempt to stay warm. As the water came out, it flowed into the pond with force, purpose and just allowing itself to do what it was meant to do. In many ways, it reminds me of abundance in our life. When we connect our mind and body together with our purpose and just allow the flow to happen, we have plenty of water for our soul.

In my mind body walk through the park, the squirrels reminded me that scampering here and there was part of their day. They would run, and peek around the tree to see what dangers lied in wait. They moved so quickly and effortless among the trees as if there no obstacles in their life, except the fears that alerted them. Once in awhile, they would stop and observe me, most likely wondering what it was that I was doing.

The ducks and birds were playing and chasing each other as if there was no tomorrow. They were enjoying life amongst the water and lily pads of their habitation. The sounds they were making were communicating more than I could understand and at times, you could not see them, but you could hear them. They were just enjoying their day as they swam in the blue waters.

As the mind body walk through the park drew too a close, I was gifted with the opportunity to see many birds flying all around me and even landing or taking off from the water. I am mesmerized by the beauty of birds in their effortless connection with the earth and the sky. They dominate their domain and understand the difference between grounding themselves and the freedom of the skies. May we all learn the opportunities for our own life by watching the birds.

Time sort of zipped by that afternoon where the sights, sounds and scenes around me were more beautiful and inspiring to watch than any movie created. After several days of trying to get warm, the sun upon my body helped warm my mind. I felt invigorated and renewed, refreshed and inspired as I walked along through the park on that Sunday afternoon. It really reminded me of the relaxing ringtone I created a couple of years ago called "Afternoon Walk Ringtone" inspired by the same park.

I hope you enjoyed coming along on my walk through the park on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. It is a great way to connect your mind and body to nature, giving you a new and fresh outlook on your day and on life. The inspiration we can draw from nature is life giving to each one of us and it is there for us at any time.

Related Music:
1) Afternoon Ringtone (Available on Amazon)
2) Relaxing Ocean Wave Sounds (on Sleep Sounds Ocean Waves)

Related Blog Posts:
1) Meditation Thoughts At The Park (Mar 19, 2011)
2) An Ocean Picture Meditation (Jul 23, 2011)

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Biological Mind Body Connection

2012-01-21T00:01:00.005-05:00

Biological Mind Body
Connection

Sometimes when we begin to go in and connect the mind and body together, we come upon places in our life that sometimes appear rather ugly. They are the parts of us that we often avoid and can make us feel very disconnected, depressed and angry. These places are usually where growth can occur, but in many ways the fears of going into them, prevent us from reclaiming our power. They are part of the biological mind body connection.

Time and time again in my own life and that of other people I have witnessed, life can get very rough before it gets better. Events from our past including trauma, stress, abandonment, or other horrible acts that we inadvertently become part of, can yield a toxic build up in our biological mind body connection. In these moments, the energy of these events we experience, has no place to exit from our body and mind. The energy then become stored and
locked within our body, connected to the memories and emotions in our mind. It almost becomes like a toxic build up in our cells until we find a way to let go and release it.

The process of letting go and releasing this toxic build up in the biological mind body connection can take considerable time based upon our experiences. It all depends upon the person, what they have been through and the tools they have to deal with these situations. Support of people close to them plays a key role in how these experiences are processed.

As we begin to let go, we end up confronting these moments of our life as toxic storage areas in our body. Often, we will see them rise to the surface as body issues, when in fact the particular area in the body that is uncomfortable to us, is not the entire story. In fact, it may be the gateway into the mind body connection for a particular experience. It is important to note that the particular experience is not the most critical part of healing these toxic buildups. In fact, just identifying the connection and allowing yourself to be in that moment with this uncomfortable place can heal much more than you may want to believe. By going into the difficult moments of life through these connections, we can reclaim much energy for our life.

Often, when people begin to face these moments and begin to change in their life, their bodies may hurt, they may feel sick with flu or a cold type symptoms, or their emotions may be all over the place. From depression and tears, to feelings of hurt, anger and pain, the toxic buildups can come close to overwhelming the body and the mind. If we come from courage and confront our fears, these toxic places have the opportunity to be released, when we choose to allow this to happen.

While one may feel that releasing these things is only done mentally, it is important to understand that there is a physical and biological component in the body. In order to completely release and let these things go, one needs to access this awareness through the gateways in the body or the places of pain and discomfort. Once you begin to access your awareness and consciousness through these parts of the body, the mind will expand and grow in ways you may struggle to understand in this moment.

As a human civilization, we seem to take the easy road of avoiding the biological mind body connection. We speak about it as if it is our truth, when in all reality we fail to completely understand what it is. Connecting our mind and body together is more than mere buzzwords. It is an action that brings us closer to the point of knowing ourself and listening to the body issues coming up so we can transform our life through consciousness and awareness.

When we go within through all of the pain, hurt, emotions and trauma, past the fears that arise, we then find the opportunity of transformation. Yes, a great deal of healing is mental exercise, but if we forget the biological and physical component, we will be as if we are on a ship sailing through the morning fog. It is only when we put on the fog lights of awareness and consciousness, connecting to our bodies, that we will see through the fog and fully understand the sea of consciousness we are sailing. The more we understand and the more aware we become, the more we will truly realize the biological mind body connection.

Related Blog Posts On The Biological Mind Body Connection
1) Truth In The Body (Jan 4, 2012)
2) Release And Then Relax (Dec 21, 2011)

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New Age Nonsense Of Yoga

2012-01-20T00:01:00.002-05:00

New Age Nonsense
Of Yoga

Today I came across a religious forum talking about how good Yoga was, but of course they had reservations. In the words of the person, you had to be careful of this new nonsense that was part of Yoga. Although they stated that it helped them to relax, they were very frightened by this practice.

I'm scratching my head at the ignorance here in these statements. Yes, you can have your beliefs, but please evaluate them to see if they are founded upon fact, or just rooted in fear. I've been to Yoga classes in my life and never once have I had someone tell me I must believe a certain way or follow some religion or new age thought that Yoga is based upon. In many churches, if you don't follow their beliefs lock, stock and barrel, you're viewed as deficient in your life.

So folks, lets get our brains working here, rather than letting our fears run wild as we just allow ourselves to be brainwashed by religious teachings. Humans do have a brain to use, but unfortunately they fail to properly exercise it. So, go ahead and wake your brain up because you will need it to understand what I am saying.

Yes, Yoga is founded upon some eastern religions, but if you choose not to follow those, than no one is going to twist your arm into doing this in a class. There is no joining some secret cult or sect in order to practice Yoga. You can practice this without subscribing to any belief system.

Yoga is about connecting the mind and body together as one as you allow yourself to listen to your body while going into various movements or postures. It is about finding that edge in your body and then allowing your body to move into that point as it is ready. Yoga is connecting the mind and body together as one, rather than separating the two as separate entities. It is honoring your body and getting in touch with your body.

As a result, the body lets go, releases and relaxes so that it is more finely tuned and functioning at a more optimal efficiency. The mind body connection is not some scary new age concept. This is the basic biology of a human. The bible embraces it and so do many eastern religions. In fact, if you really want to grow in your faith, you must first find a rooting in your body and in your mind. Otherwise, it will be as if you are building your house upon sand.

Great healing for your life can come as a result of stopping, listening and honoring your body. If you choose to act as if this is some new age nonsense, than you are just making your path much more difficult than it needs to be in your life. Disagree with me all you want, but I have seen the evidence of this many times over. It isn't some new age wishy washy concept or a concept founded in beliefs that are preached by man claiming to live for God. This is basic biology!

If you wish to not partake in Yoga, than by all means, don't go! However, be honest with yourself and at least state that it is your fears holding you back, rather then something that someone is going to force you to believe. Following our beliefs can be a help to our life, but sometimes they get in the way of us truly being human.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Yoga Is An Invitation Into The Mind Body Connection (Dec 1, 2011)

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Getting Rid Of The Pain

2012-01-19T00:01:00.031-05:00

Getting Rid Of The Pain

One of the things that I keep seeing in an online course that I am taking is comments by people who cannot understand why the pains in their body increase as they begin to shift their energy. As a society, we do not understand pain and we fear the pain because often it is too intense for our life.

So many times, we want to flee from the pain and find ways to get rid of it, rather than going into the pain. I see advertisements all the time from new age healers and massage therapies that focus on "getting rid of the pain". In addition, there are many advertisements that we see, offering some medication or procedure to help us get rid of the pain. We also find ways to minimize the pains in life and in our body by ignoring it, numbing it, and hoping that it will go away with all kinds of "funky home remedies".

Time and time again, we fail to understand pain. It is a messenger of the body. It is there as a biofeedback mechanism to alert us to some area that needs attention. Of course, when we feel the pains in our body or in our life, we immediately want to run to someone for answers. Instead of going deep within ourself and asking the questions in life we need to ask, we look for the easy way out. Unfortunately the easy way out may bring us temporary relief, but in the end, the pain will once again show up.

Getting rid of the pain can sometimes be helpful in giving our body and life a rest. The trick is, if we believe in the therapy or the person as taking our pain away, we are only living an illusion. Pain is there to get our attention and show us the way forward in our life. It is there to wake us up and to help us connect to a bigger purpose in our life.

We can embrace the pain, ask what the purpose is and go into it, or we can continue to do what we always do in life and avoid it. It is up to each one of us what we do with it. The lessons we need to learn may not be immediately apparent to us, but the more we quiet our mind and go deep within our body, the more we will discover and learn. The amazing thing we might see along the way is that as we shift energetically and as we become more aware and conscious, the pain most likely will go away. Assuming of course, that we release the energy within our body, rather than continue holding on to it.

Sometimes this process does not happen over night and other times it can happen very quickly. Past trauma, abuses, hurts and pains in our life can drive these things so deep that the pain becomes a well from deep within our mind body connection. When we begin to shift in life or become aware, it is not uncommon for us to dredge up the toxic poisons within our body. The pain we may feel as a result can get intense, but getting rid of the pain and releasing it, is the way to reclaim that part of our life.

I know it isn't easy to let go of these painful parts of life and sometimes we want the process to happen as quickly and instantly as sending a text message. Unfortunately, the process can sometimes take considerable time and it may require considerable work to deal with everything. This is part of the journey of self discovery and self awareness as we move towards a greater consciousness.

Without this part, we may truly not understand all there is to know about getting rid of the pain in our life. In fact, it may be difficult in the moment to fully understand the bigger picture of life and why these issues are a struggle for us. Let us not lose site of bigger picture of consciousness for our life by just hoping that some quick fix will take the pain away.

Related Blog Posts
1) Dealing With Painful Moments In Life (Nov 23, 2011)
2) Pain Hurts Because I Slept Wrong (May 22, 2011)

What We Do To The Least

2012-01-18T00:01:00.049-05:00


What We Do To The Least Bird at Blue Springs Park

I was watching the movie "I Am" last night on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) that I had recorded from Oprah's Super Soul Sunday a couple of weeks ago. The first time I saw this movie was in a small coffee shop in Daytona Beach, Florida several months ago. It is a must see movie especially if you ask the question, what is wrong with this world?

Tom Shadyack created this movie and if you recall, he is the producer behind movies such as "Bruce Almighty", "Liar Liar" and "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective"
.

There was one section in the movie that just hit home to me. In the movie he talks about the hunter that is so good at hunting that before long, the hunter gets irritated with how much he does for society.
The hunter feels like he is giving way too much of himself when others are not as good at getting food for the rest of society. Instead of passing the food along, he begins to hoard it for himself and store it up in his mountain cave. The next thing you know, other hunters are following his example and hoarding their food. Before long, the lower levels of society are beginning to go hungry and not able to hold themselves up. The hoarding hunters think that each person must fend for themselves and that is how our society survives.

Yet, what they fail to realize is that when the lower levels of society are crushed under the weight of their own greed, that it affects the entire human civilization. It is easy when you have plenty of what you need in life, to see yourself as separate from others in society. Often those that have the most, build walls and big mansions just so they no longer live with the common folks. All the while, the people that are on one spoke from the wheel of life have been crushed and so the wheel begins to flop along as a flat tire would on a car.

What we do to the least among us is what makes us who we are in this world. If we neglect and hold back from others, we ultimately are holding back from our self. If we take more than we need in this world, than we are robbing our self. Living life is not about hoarding or not having enough, but more about how we lift each other up.

Today, we see in societies all across this globe that the lessons from this movie are playing out in full force. We label the different groups with names that fit and we despise some while honoring other groups. We demonize those that we don't agree with as the out of control greed marches from continent to continent. At some point, the world will be so out of balance, that a violent shift will be the only way to equal the scales.

Humans are biologically wired to work together and cooperate. They are biologically wired to connect through the energy field of the heart. Yet, when our hearts become closed and we fail to connect with one another, it no longer matters to us what we do to the least among us.

As the movie declares in the end, the thing that is right with the world and the thing that is wrong with the word, can be summed up in two words. I Am! May we learn how to treat the least of us in this world through love, rather than through a closed heart. It truly is up to each one of us to do what we need to do for the human civilization of the world.

Movie:
1) I Am (on Amazon)

Related Blog Posts
1) Movie Review: I Am (Jun 28, 2011)

Time To Wake Up World

2012-01-17T00:01:00.004-05:00

Time To Wake Up World

In a recent CNN article, the population should now be over 7 billion on this earth. That is a staggering number when you think about it.

Often, I wonder where are all the new people are going to live because it seems as if we keep cutting down the trees and paving the land with a parking lot like in the lyrics of the song, "They Paved Paradise".

Of course, the more human inhabitants that arrive on earth, the greater the needs and unfortunately the more destruction of our earth that takes place. The economic realities can appear harsh as our population increases while trying to find enough food to feed everyone becomes a burden on all man kind. It is clearly a challenge that we are facing as a world civilization which not only affects us today, but in the years ahead.

While many do not want to think about these things, if we don't begin to do this, at some point it will catch up with us as a civilization. It will no longer matter what boundaries we have between each population subset of our world. It will no longer matter how we interject politics into the basic issues of the earth. At some point, we will be past the point of no return and then as a civilization, we will be forced to deal with the issues we are leaving behind.

The earth is a big thing and it can absorb a lot, but the continued destruction of our ecosystem is just begging for trouble. We can ignore it all day long, but that will not make it go away. We can speak with rhetoric and debate the long term impacts of living with our ecosystem, but in the end words will not prevent it and words will not matter.

It is up to each one of us to do all we can to leave this world a better place than we found it. We must find sustainable methods that do not encroach upon our world's ecosystem, but still fulfill our needs. The lifestyle of greed that so many humans subscribe to, must be replaced with balance. We must each do our part to give balance to the world we know and if we do that, we will be in harmony with the world in which we live. This is not an issue only for the environmentalists or the politicians. It is a real issue for every human inhabitant of the world.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Enjoy Life's Beauty (Oct 15, 2011)
2) Spending Time In Nature (Sep 14, 2010)

Related Sources:
1) With 7 Billion On Earth (CNN.com)
2) Big Yellow Taxi - They Paved Paradise (iTunes)

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Wake Up Moments In Life

2012-01-16T00:01:00.105-05:00

You Are The Answer
Wake Up Moments
In Life

One of my favorite books that I am reading right now is "You Are The Answer" by Michael Tamura. I just love his insight, but more importantly, I like how he states things. It tickles me that he claims he is not a writer and writing does not come easy, but his words state some difficult concepts in easy to understand terms. This blog post is based upon an adaptation of a passage from this book on page 52.

Those moments in our life that wake us up, also known as a wake up call usually stop us dead in our tracks! They get our attention and these moments are almost like a baseball bat between the eyes. You cannot miss them no matter what you do and even if you try to avoid them, they are unavoidable. If you are able to go through the wake up call and still remain enslaved to your fears and unconscious life, you can almost bet that another wake up call will attempt to get our attention until we open up and listen. A wake-up call helps
us focus once again on our soul's life purpose.

In my life, I have had a few moments where I knew without a doubt that life was trying to get my attention. From the paralysis back in 1991 where a hospital test left me exiting my body, to much smaller moments that were much less dramatic, I have seen this play out in life. I still remember sitting in the hospital bed, scared out of my mind and not having a clue as to how I would recover. In fact, as the days grew to a close for me, I knew I was fading from life with each new minute.

It was not until a neurologist began asking the right questions and I began to respond to them, that things started to change in my life. Yes, I could have went on blaming many other circumstances for what cause this, but at the core of my being, I knew this was a wake up call. I knew it was a moment of searching and discovering that which was important to me and that which was connected to my reason for being on this earth. It was not necessarily crystal clear in that moment, but I felt the connection to my consciousness.

Sometimes it is easy in life to just go with the flow and follow the herd through life. Sometimes it is easy to remain unconscious and unaware of our body, our mind and that the mind body connection even exists. Yet, we all know deep down what our life's purpose is, even if it is not crystal clear. It is a matter of waking up and connecting through consciousness. It is a matter of beginning to wake up more to who we are as humans and the purpose of our existence.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Book Review - You Are The Answer (Dec 5, 2011)
2) Recovery From A Conversion Disorder (Jul 11, 2011)

Related Books:
1) You Are The Answer by Michael Tamura (Amazon)

Oprah Surrenders And Lets It Go

2012-01-15T00:01:00.019-05:00

Oprah's Master Class on OWN
Surrender And Let Go

From Oprah's Master class, I found a YouTube video on one of her beginning experiences in letting go and connecting to source energy. Talking about how she became part of the cast of the Color Purple movie, is breath taking, especially when she tells it in her own personal way.

I am sure during these moments, it was extremely difficult to keep going and most likely they did not all happen quickly as in telling the story. In fact, I think she does state that there was considerable time that passed. She struggled along the way and it was not easy for Oprah to understand what had happened or where she was in her life at that moment.

It was when Oprah decided to let go and release all the anger, bitterness, and frustration to her source energy that things changed. She saw as a result,
answers from the universe came quickly. I love the song that she was singing in this video "I Surrender All" as I remember playing it many times in church. It is a powerful song that often would bring tears to my eyes.

Often we don't know where things are headed in life and what is coming together for the manifestation of our days ahead. Sometimes it seems as if life is a mess with nothing connecting to some point in the future. Yet, when we line up to the source energy of the universe and release and let go of things in our life that are holding us back, amazing things can happen.

I remember laying there in my hospital bed in 1991 staring up at the ceiling wondering if I would ever walk or talk again. It was then that I questioned myself if this was all I could expect out of my life for the years ahead and the strongest answer I got that day, was NO, IT IS NOT! Events around that moment impacted me in such a way that I knew I was going to walk and talk again. I knew I had to keep going!

None of this was easy and there have been many moments where I have questioned life. In fact, I'm in some of those questioning moments right now and I am remembering those times when I had to give up, to walk forward. Like Oprah, there are many things in my life that I could use as proof to be hateful, angry and depressed. However, there comes a time when I need to give up, in order to walk forward. I need to surrender to find myself.

It still amazes me that we as humans, often worry more about the current experiences we are going through rather than what we can learn. I realize that is a human condition and I realize how difficult it can be to surrender and let go, but in the end the way forward, is by giving up (or in other words - surrender). We may not know today what lies ahead, but if we allow ourselves to continue walking on our path, we will not need to worry. For what is ahead, will show up in the time that is right and not a moment too soon or a moment too late. The focus is not on what we should do, but how we fulfill our role in the universe.

So thank you once again Oprah for showing me how real you are. From that moment I saw you interact with us in the Male Survivor show to a video such as this, you share the deepest parts of your soul. I believe we can most help others when we learn to be real and authentic in our own life and share that with the world.

YouTube Video:
1) Oprah Winfrey Master Class - Surrender (YouTube.com)

Related Blog Posts:
1) Are You Ready To Let Go? (Feb 21, 2010)
2) Recovery From Conversion Disorder (Jul 11, 2011)
3) Oprah, 200 Men - Male Survivors (Nov 11, 2010)

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http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/

Please ask for permission before reprinting this article. Thanks!
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Understanding Neuroplasticity

2012-01-14T00:01:00.003-05:00

Understanding Neuroplasticity
Change The Brain
Change The Mind

One of the concepts that I have begun to learn over the past few years, is just how much our brain and mind is wired through what we allow our self to consciously connect to in our life. Neuroplasticity is all about how the neurons fire together and wire together.

The following video lecture of Rick Hanson, author of "Buddha's Brain" is on how neuroplasticity impacts our life through the firing and wiring of the neurons. The following information I have written, is excerpts from this 7 minute video that explains a lot about neuroplasticity and the mind body connection.

Through the MRI and other research, we can see more clearly that as the brain changes, so does the mind. In other words, what is fed into the brain, the mind focuses on in those moments. The left part of the prefrontal cortex is responsible for controlling negative emotions. The more it slows down the negative emotions, the more positive our thoughts become.

Chronic stress often increases the production of cortisol (the stress hormone) and it becomes like an acid bath that just eats away at the brain. In people who have went through Chronic stress or even traumatic stress, researchers have found that there is a 25% reduction in the hippocampus. The reduction in the hippocampus makes it more difficult for these people to form new memories and add positive thoughts into their life. In essence, the brain changes and when that happens, the mind changes temporarily or also in lasting ways.

As the neurons fire together in patterns from the flow of information they are receiving in the nervous system, the neural structure of the brain is changed. Busy regions of the brain get more blood supply and through that blood supply they develop and grow. In addition, there is a greater expression of genes. Take for instance that if you practice relaxation, this part of a gene will be exercised more and it will help the brain control the stress response and be more resilient in times of stress. Busy regions of the brain help form neural synapses with each other and as a result, they get stronger, more sensitive and build out synapse networks.

Through the controlled use of your attention, you can practice self directed neuorplasticity. This helps you rewire the neurons that fire together outside of normal awareness and consciousness. If we focus on the rough spots in life, we will build that part of our brain and mind. If we focus on the good things in life such as gratitude, then we will build that neuro structure in our brain.

Of course, in connection to the controlled use of our attention, when we connect to our physical body, we enhance and magnify the effects of self directed neuroplasticity. Connected the mind and body together with this controlled use of our attention is a major spark in changing how neurons are wired together and how they fire together.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Prefrontal Cortex Functions (Dec 24, 2010)

Video:
1) Neuroplasticity - Rick Hanson (YouTube)

Books:
1) Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson (Amazon)

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Understanding Blood Pressure And Pulse Rate

2012-01-13T00:01:00.001-05:00

Understanding Blood
Pressure And Pulse Rate

If you are like I am, you may not be aware of some things when it comes to blood pressure and pulse rate. While the following website page is not a complete source on this subject, it is one that I have tried to put together to help people begin to understand these concepts. The more we know about our biological body, the better we can take care of it. You can visit this website at http://pulseratehealthy.com/

In the mind body connection, you have two parts. One of course is the mind and the other is the biological or physical body. Of course, I am sure this is obvious, but we often forget these things. Sometimes we only think and speak in terms about the mind body connection as being something mystical and magical. Yet, we often forget the biological component.

Pulse rate is one measurement we can take in our body that gives us not only a measure of the health of our cardiovascular system, but also the autonomic nervous system. Blood pressure is a measurement that gives a better idea how our blood is pumping through the heart and our arteries. Yet, just because our blood pressure is high, that does not necessarily mean our pulse rate is. The same thing can be said in reverse. While they can impact each other, it is not necessarily a cause - effect releationship.

Only measuring pulse rate or blood pressure is just half of the equation. In order to really understand what is going on inside of your body, it would be ideal to know both measurements. In addition, if you only take your blood pressure or pulse rate at a routine doctor checkup, than those numbers mean very little. Factors such as the time of day, what you have eaten, the stress of a doctor visit, or various other factors all play into these measurements.

The best way to know what is going on inside of your body is to measure it frequently. I try to take my pulse rate several times a day using my pulse meter. It is amazing just how much it changes and what can impact it during the day. Again, the more you know, the better off you are. If you can connect external factors to a rise or drop in your pulse rate, than it will enhance the mind body connection.

As of this moment, I'm not taking my blood pressure regularly, but hope to find an inexpensive way to do that in the near future. I want to understand more how both measurements affect me during my day and how the events of my day affect my blood pressure and pulse rate.

There is so much we can do for ourselves to make our bodies healthy. It all starts with learning about what makes us up physically and then connecting that with the events taking place in our life. There is a strong connection between the two and when we come to understand this, we will see other health options for our life.

Related Reading:
1) Understand Blood Pressure And Pulse Rate (Street Articles.com)
2) Blood Pressure And Pulse Rate Physiology (PulseRateHealthy.com)

Recommended Pulse Meter
1) Finger Pulse Oximeter OctiveTech 300 pro (Clinical Guard)

Mike Lew Upcoming 2012 Events

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

Books by Mike Lew
Victims No Longer
Leaping Upon The Mountains

Mike Lew has been very instrumental in my own healing and so I'm sharing the list of events he has coming up throughout the world. If you are a survivor of child abuse or helping those that are, this information is for you. His books, "Leaping Upon The Mountains" and "Victims No Longer" are excellent resources for a survivor as well as his workshops! I highly recommend these resources.

Early on in my own recovery, there were no books for male survivors. The only book I could find at the time was Ellen Bass and most resources were oriented towards women. We have come a long ways in giving male survivors a voice. Oprah has helped push that along as well with her 2 part series on male survivors where I was a participant.

Reading Mike's first book "Victims No Longer" helped me realize that I wasn't alone and some of the things that I was experiencing as a result were because of the trauma I had been through in my own life. His second book, Leaping Upon The Mountains, was a book that I am not only quoted in, but that it helped me to see so many others out there had gone through things and were healing.

Here is a list of events for Mike Lew around the world coming up in 2012. If these catch your interest, I would urge you to attend.

List Of Events For Mike Lew:

Mar/Apr 2012 - Australia
Mar 16, 2012 - Brisbane, Queensland - Professional Development Workshop
Mar 17, 2012 - Brisbane, Queensland - Male Survivor Recovery Workshop
Mar 20, 2012 - Melbourne, Victoria - Professional Development Workshop
Mar 23, 2012 - Maldon, Victoria - Victims No Longer Weekend
Mar 29, 2012 - Halls Creek, Western Australia - Professional Development Workshop
Mar 30, 2012 - Halls Creek, Western Australia - Recovery Workshop For Male Survivors
Halls Creek, Western Australia
Apr 2, 2012 - Broome, Western Australia - Professional Development Workshop
Apr 5, 2012 - Perth, Western Australia - Professional Development Workshop
Jun 22, 2012 - Bangor, PA (US) - Allies In Recovery
Jun 29, 2012 - Oslo Norway - Weekend Recovery Workshop For Male Survivors
July 2012 - Scarborough, United Kingdom - Healing The Healers
July 2012 - Scarborough, United Kingdom - Victims No Longer Workshop
Aug 10, 2012 - Bangor, PA (US) - Leaping Upon The Mountains Workshop
Oct 2, 2012 - Niagara Falls, NY - Mike Lew speaking at the 14th annual "Safe At Home: Seeking Solutions for Adult And Child Victims Of Violence Conference.

For more information on all of the events that Mike Lew is holding, go to the following website.

http://www.nextstepcounseling.org/upcomingevents2.htm

Related Blog Posts:
1) Don't Give Up - YouTube Video with Mike Lew (Nov 26, 2010)
2) Oprah, 200 Men - (May 7, 2011)

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If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
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Please ask for permission before reprinting this article. Thanks!
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Difficult Moments Of Release In Life

2012-01-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Difficult Moments Of Release In
Life Consciousness

Sometimes when we release things in our life, it can get ugly. While many may want to create a system of beliefs, practices and rituals around things you release, it all boils down to a normal biological part of our mind body connection. It is more of a simple truth where the answers are within you, not somewhere else in the belief system of another person.

Humans don't like to suffer or go through experiences that aren't pleasant. Humans would rather live life like a fairy tale where things are beautiful and happy while the big bad witch is kept in the dark evil forest. After all, why not only see what looks pretty and great rather than connecting with something deep inside that appears ugly, unpleasant and sad.

If we look at the difficult moments in life that they are something to be despised, or something that indicates a malfunction in our life, than how much are we putting limits on our life? Instead of these difficult moments in life being a malfunction, what if we viewed them as an opportunity of growth? If we saw these things that we encounter as something that is a part of our life and a message to grow in awareness and understanding, would they still be a malfunction?

How many times have you gone through something in life, only to find out later that as you look back, you see just how much you grew or learned in these moments? In this difficult moments you were experiencing, you could see nothing good as a result. It may have been some of the most horrible and ugly moments in life and at the time, you wondered how you could ever make it through these things. Yet, somehow you did and when you arrived on the other side of them, the picture looked much different. The further you progressed from these moments, the more you could see something you had not seen.

As you moved further in your life from all these difficult moments of release, and you saw how much you had learned, no one would need to prove to you just how valuable of an experience this was. You would know first hand that even though this had been a rough journey, some beautiful awareness and consciousness came out of it. You would most likely see the entire experience in a different light now than when you were going through it. The awareness and consciousness of the situation would be one that would give you deeper insight to your own mind body connection and give you further tools for your days ahead.

Let's go back for a moment to how we view the difficult moments in life. We may be experiencing these moments right now and looking for answers anywhere we can look. We may be wanting someone out there to give us the answer, take this ugly part away from our life and lift us out of our despair. However, we need to tread the turbulent waters with caution because while someone may be able to help shine the flashlight on our dark path we currently experience, the flashlight is not the answer. If we don't allow ourselves to go in and find the truth that we need for our life, we will be robbing ourselves of who we are and who we can become.

These moments are there to help push us forward and help us evolve as humans. Even through the difficult moments of release in life, there is something that our biological consciousness is striving to help us see. We are hardwired to evolve and grow in awareness and consciousness, even in the difficult moments.

In fact, we may not want to look at these things as horrible malfunctions, but as moments of tremendous growth in our lives. I understand that if you are sitting there in the midst of some horrible life moments, that this may seem like a fantasy world. Most likely I would agree because I've walked so many times in those same shoes and thought the same things.

However, if you go back to points in your life after you have come through horrible moments, and then began to see what you got from those experiences, let your mind and body be wrapped in this energy. Let these thoughts guide you and help you take steps forward, discovering a new awareness and consciousness about life.

The way we choose to look at a situation and how we choose to look at our life is the way forward. The answers to the situation we face are within us, not in some source that is acting as a flashlight. May each one of us have the courage to go through the difficult moments of release in life and allow ourselves to find greater truths of awareness and consciousness in our mind and body.

Related Blog Posts
1) Focused In Difficult Moments (Dec 15, 2011)
2) Crises Wake Us Up (Dec 14, 2011)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post And Images (c) 1/3/12 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
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If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/

Please ask for permission before reprinting this article. Thanks!
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Finding Happiness In 2012 With A Smile

2012-01-10T00:01:00.050-05:00

Finding Happiness
Give A Smiley Project

By the time you see this post, several days will have already went by in 2012. We will be past the New Year celebrations and after the stress of the holiday season, many will be settling back into the routine of life. Hopefully you haven't already forgotten about your New Year's resolutions or whatever it is that you focused on as the calendar ticked forward.

As we inch forward in our lives, I hope that each day is a new year of celebrating in our life of what possibilities lie ahead. It should not just be about one moment in time that we hoop, holler and jump up and down. It should be something we carry through each and every day.

I wrote an article that was published right before 2012 started. The title was "Finding Happiness In 2012 With A Smile". You see, I'm a believer that as we find happiness in our own life, that it will radiate forward and we'll end up sharing it with others. Most likely we will share it before we even think about it.

One such way of sharing that happiness from our life in the year of 2012 is by offering a smile to others we meet. There is a movement that is off to a wonderful start called the Give A Smiley Project. The hope of this movement is that by one smile at a time, we can change the world.

I hope you'll read the following article and you'll share it with your friends. We need more happiness in this world and we can start by spreading our own happiness.

Article:
http://www.streetarticles.com/inspirational/finding-happiness-in-2012-with-a-smile

Related Blog Posts:
1) Give A Smiley Project Official Launch (Nov 22, 2011)

Math Is Hard - Part 3

2012-01-09T00:01:00.004-05:00


Math Is Hard Part 3

This is part 3 of a three part series. Please read PART 1 first.

There is so much more I could write here, but to be honest trying to write any more on this blog post is just way to difficult. It takes more than I can give at this point of myself. I actually am trying to finish this almost a month later because it got too difficult.

The point I really want to make is that often when kids struggle in school, there are emotional reasons that many adults fail to focus on for the child. They look at surface things and try things that do not go to the root of the problem. I have read in various places that kids who were abused or traumatized often struggle in school. Either they struggle to comprehend or become a perfectionist and chastise themselves for getting anything less than a perfect score.

Trauma and abuse alter the brain. When a child goes through events that cannot be comprehended, often the only choice the biological mind has, is to freeze in place or alter how it perceives the world around it. Simple and normal development is arrested and while the body may continue to grow as the child gets older, the brain may still be frozen in a time of hidden secrets and horrors.

I still struggle to this day with various aspects that people would consider to be normal. In my case, I went through paralysis and had to reconnect my memory and life back together. Math is not an easy subject and I don't know if it will ever be for me. Fortunately, there are many electronic devices that can help alleviate some of these things I struggle through in life.

The only thing I can leave with everyone is that if a kid is struggling in school; don't just look at surface issues. Look below the surface and dig deep into what other factors may be taking place. If someone would have questioned things a little more and had the courage to ask the right questions, my life could have been different. Yet, back in those days, the subject of child sexual abuse in boys never came up.

Most likely there are many reasons why math is hard for people and just because it is difficult, I would not want to claim that child abuse is the only reason. I believe you have to take into account all other factors and in my case, there were plenty. From other kids picking on me to wanting to be alone and not making friends, there were plenty of signs. Again though, no adult really cared enough to get to know me and to me, they were just doing a job as a teacher, rather than being human. Not all teachers are this way and I have a couple of good friends that are teachers and they truly care. In my case though, I got lost in the system. Somehow, even with all I went through, I survived, but it was not easy.

If you want to read more about some of my experiences, I have written a great deal on this blog and in my book, Hope And Possibility Through Trauma. My book can be downloaded for the Kindle or purchased on Amazon.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Math Is Hard - Part 1 (Posted 1/7/12)
2) Math is Hard - Part 2 (Posted 1/8/12)
3) Math is Hard - Part 3 (Posted 1/9/12)

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Math Is Hard - Part 2

2012-01-08T00:01:00.007-05:00

Math is Hard
Part 2

This is part 2 of a three part series. Please read PART 1 first.

Once my parents found out, a school meeting was called and everyone was angry with each other. I don't recall too much of it but the thing I do remember is in the middle of the semester, being told that I would be put back in Kindergarten so hopefully I could catch up. It was a sinking feeling and one that I had no choice because the adults knew what was best. No one really cared about the reason for my struggle with math. I'm sure they all thought they were doing the right thing, but in all honesty, it did very little to address the problem.

So, when Christmas break was over, I went back to school. This time though, instead of being with my friends and classmates, I was put back into Kindergarten with other children I barely knew. I felt out of place. I didn't really fit in and no one seemed to really care. After all, you were just supposed to suck it up and move on in life. I don't remember having many friends that year and it wasn't long before we moved to a new school in the fall.

No one ever asked the right questions or addressed what as behind my struggle with math. They just thought I did not learn all that I needed to learn. My little mind would freeze up because of other things that happened to me. In those days, I nowhere to turn and there were few that I could talk to that I trusted. We were taught in dramatic ways that you did not dare share your problems or the family problems with anyone outside the family. There was no way for the teachers or school administrators to fully understand what was going on. If they suspected anything, they kept silent. My bets are that we were such good actors and we feared for our lives, that we never showed the slightest hint of the trauma we were going through. My math struggle and loneliness was most likely the only clue.

You see, it was during that time that I remember the first time I was raped. Instead of being a normal kid that played with their toys and had fun, my body was trying to deal with being raped by someone that supposedly cared for me. Instead of being healthy and full of energy, I had discovered how to escape my body, only to wake up drenched in blood on the floor. No one truly seemed to care or if they did, they were too afraid of my monster, a.ka. the sperm donor in my life. When an infection set in, I was taken to a nurse friend of my mom's to get antibiotic shots at her house. I remember having to go in and pull my pants down so she could give me a shot and how humiliated I felt. I didn't trust any adults at that time. I struggled with a high fever and was extremely sick, but there was no way they could take me to the doctor or the hospital because someone might just have found out what truly happened.

After I recovered, I remember so many other things that happened. My dad was out of work, struggling to make much money and so food was very scarce. We lived on government hand outs of dried eggs, powdered milk, cheese and peanut butter. My little tummy went hungry so many days and even though I was tired of eating the same thing over and over, it was that or having nothing to eat. When other kids complained about the school lunches, my mind was far off in another world trying to survive.

It was during this time that I was basically tortured physically by kids at school, my older brother and I was left to be a loner, afraid of everything in the world and my own shadow. There were not safe places to go, only places to hide from. There were not safe people in my life, only people to avoid.

(continued on Part 3 - Math Is Hard - posted on Jan 9, 2012)

Related Blog Posts:
1) Math Is Hard - Part 1 (Posted 1/7/12)
2) Math is Hard - Part 2 (Posted 1/8/12)
3) Math is Hard - Part 3 (Posted 1/9/12)

Math Is Hard - Part 1

2012-01-07T00:01:00.096-05:00

Math Is Hard
Part 1

For many people, the subject of math like algebra, trigonometry, and calculus, can be a nightmare. It is too hard for some people and I happen to be in that category. While I can do basic math and my mind can be very logical, these other subjects are like big monsters that haunt me. I'm at a place in life where I can get by without knowing the advanced math, but I often wish it was not a mental block within my head.

You see, back in high school, I only took the required math classes I had to take. When I went to college, I took the bare minimum to get by and graduate. Math was hard for me. High school algebra was to me, as difficult as trying to land a man on the moon.

Fortunately in high school, I had a wonderful math teacher who believed in me, more than I believed in myself. Algebra was a daily struggle and even though parts of it made sense, my brain could not complete the string of thoughts in my brain to complete the calculations. No matter how hard I tried and no matter what I did, it was hard. I worked my tail off in every way possible to pass the class and learn the material.

On one Algebra test in high school, I remember staring at the test paper and feeling completely lost. My brain was frozen and I could not remember any of the required calculations. The fears increased with each moment, realizing that I would fail the test if my brain did not unfreeze. I managed to get a couple of the questions answered but I still had half the test to complete and time was running out. My panic increased as the minutes passed. At the end of the class, I waited until the other students had turned in their tests and left the room. I handed my test into my teacher with shame because I knew I would fail since I had not completed it.

I'm not sure if it was pity or if she just believed in me and she knew how hard I was trying. I was so shocked when she allowed me to come back in my free time during the day and complete the test. She trusted that I would not cheat or find out the answers and just come back to complete it. It took me most of the day to do this but by the end of the day, I had completed the test. In fact, when I got my grade, I had received an "A".

One of the things I have always dealt with in life is an event that happened when I was in first grade. I was struggling to learn my math tables and my father was a tyrant. We would practice for hours with flash cards and if I got one wrong, he would scream at me as if I was the most stupid person on the planet. I'm sure he meant well at some inner part of his core, but it was a horrifying experience. After all, the man barely passed high school and could hardly put a sentence together that made sense.

On top of that, no one knew for a long time that I was not making it in first grade math. From what I was told, math was so difficult for me that out of desperation, the teacher set me off in the corner of the room during math lessons. I was given paper, scissors, glue and other art supplies to play with so I would stay occupied during the math lesson that everyone else was being taught. She was giving me a passing grade to get me out of her class, rather than doing all she could to work to help me learn. I was not a bad student either as I always worked hard.

(continued on Part 2 - Math Is Hard - posted on Jan 8, 2012)

Related Blog Posts:
1) Math Is Hard - Part 1 (Posted 1/7/12)
2) Math is Hard - Part 2 (Posted 1/8/12)
3) Math is Hard - Part 3 (Posted 1/9/12)

Update To Unlimited Abundance Blog Post On May 13

2012-01-06T00:01:00.057-05:00

Update on May 13, 2011 Post
Unlimited Abundance

I find it quite amazing that a blog post written several months ago in May 2011, would be still generating the traffic and responses that it is. When I wrote this blog post, I was just sharing my thoughts and concerns with this particular system.

Read May 13, 2011 - Unlimited Abundance

My frustration was getting sales propaganda shoved in my face for $999 before I even knew what the program was about. The only thing that these people got correct back in May was the selling part, not the actual “information” part. This is a major part of what the blog post was about at this time. After not getting anywhere, I finally just unsubscribed from this place and went on with my life. After all, I didn’t know who this place was that was sending me the sales propaganda.

So now, let’s fast forward several months. The company and this person had another webinar. Again, the technical planning was atrocious, but they did make the webinar available to everyone who could not get in to see it. Ok, case closed on that issue because I finally got to see the webinar. In case you didn't get to hear the webinar, try this link.

http://www.unlimitedabundance.com/energy-session-2012/anytime-replay/

In fact, I finally signed up for the product to see if it was as good as it claimed to be and I have up to 90 days to decide or I can get my money back. I just started to download and listen to it, but right now I don’t wish to comment any further until I have had a chance to go through the program.

I have had countless emails perplexed at me why I am so resistant to something that is so good. Obviously these people did not read any of the comments at the end of the post on May 13, 2011 because they would have seen that I actually had tried it. I’m still scratching my head in amazement at that one.

In addition, there have been far too many emails assuming I could answer questions on this company and program when I’m nothing more than a customer. I have absolutely no connection with this place or with their customer service.

Then there are the ones that feel this is an opportunity for them to leave comments with links to other programs and further sales information as a comment. Again, I stand amazed that someone would feel this is appropriate to do. Of course, those comments don’t get approved and the comment policy on this blog covers these issues.

This blog is about mind body thoughts when it comes to healing and awareness. Yes, abundance does fall into this, but I do not want my entire blog to be about this one product (I’m purposely not saying the name of it so that this blog post does not become indexed in searches). This is not the emphasis of this blog. I never thought when I wrote that blog entry so many months ago, that it would get the attention it has. Because of trying to keep my blog focused on the purpose I feel it has, I don’t keep writing about this subject and offering every little detail, every moment of the day. If I did that, it would consume this blog.

I am recording my notes, observations and thoughts about the program as I go through it, but I’m not going to share that each day. When I get far enough into it or near the end, then I will write about everything at one time. Until then, those things will not be shared. It is the only fair and ethical way to do this. I still have my same reservations as I had in the original post. Believe me, if the program works as stated, I’ll be cheering it from the highest mountain tops.

So, my response to being inundated with all these emails is that if you are going to comment or email me on this subject, please slow the horses down a little first. Don’t assume things that aren’t there and don’t assume that because I wrote something several months ago, that this is valid today. That is the how this blog works – it is writing about my own journey and discoveries – not just my belief at one moment in time. Please don’t try to sell me and urge me to look at every other program out there or belief or service because most likely, you won’t get far with me. If I did everything that came along to my email box, I would never accomplish much in a day. I know everyone means well, but the unsolicited submissions force me to hit the delete button too quickly. Building a relationship up with me first, will get a much better response and I'm not joking when I say, I get hit up constantly about various products.

When I get into the program, you can be sure that I will be writing a blog post and sharing the good and the bad. Until then, I return now to regular programming and hopefully people who are so interested in this will get to know this blog more, rather than just reading one post in time from several months ago. After all, there are a lot of gems in this blog that are written to help people become more aware and conscious.

Related Blog Post
1) Unlimited Abundance (May 13, 2011)

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Top Book Reviews, Jan 2012 - Meditations To Heal Your LIfe

2012-01-05T00:01:00.063-05:00

Meditations To
Heal Your Life
Louise Hay

I really love this book by Louise Hay. Meditations To Heal Your Life has been around for sometime and my copy dates back to 2002. Many people I know have enjoyed the book as one that really speaks to them. It is filled with positive messages of light and hope.

One thing that I love to do with this book is whenever I feel prompted or led to pick it up, I randomly select a page in the book. Often I just allow the book to open to whatever page it does and then I read the contents of the page. Usually, the page I read is something that I need to see at that particular point in time. I'm always amazed at how this happens.

I'm sure that there are people that think it is just coincidence and probability for the right page to open at the right time. I guess if one wanted to, that belief could be valid. However, when you see this happen over and over again among many different people, than I would begin to rule out that it was the luck of the straw. Whatever someone chooses to believe reading this review is completely up to them, but I know deep within me the results that I get.

Aside from the beliefs that we subscribe to, this book is just an uplifting and positive source of encouragement in life. Meditations to Heal Your Life offers something different than we might normally subscribe in our day. Each meditation is grouped by a subject so if you wanted to thumb through it or go to a particular subject, you could easily do this. Most of the readings are short and easy to read, taking just moments to absorb what is on the page.

I generally keep it on the coffee table so it is easy to pick up and read. It is one of the books in our house that others read and even friends who come over for a visit.

If you don't have this book, I would urge you to buy it and use it your own life. I think you will be pleasantly surprised as to how it impacts your life. Start off 2012 the right way, with a book that will make a difference in your day. There are few books that I can truly say this about, but Meditations To Heal Your Life is one of them. Thank you Louise Hay for writing this book. It is a treasure.

Available on Amazon - Meditation To Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

Related Blog Posts:
1) Top Book Reviews (May 4, 2011)

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Truth In The Body

2012-01-04T00:01:00.059-05:00

One of the best ways to discover the truth in life is by listening to your gut, body, intuition and your mind. If you truly have come to know these parts of yourself, then the messages they send will be clear enough to get your attention. All too often, humans are so induced by the mesmerizing parts of life, that they fail to see what is standing directly in front of them. Listening to your body is not a mental exercise, it is felt in the body.

How do we listen to our gut?
One of the best ways is to give silence to our life during the day. We constantly run here and to, not giving one ounce of concern for our physical, mental or emotional body. We think that as long as we are running at top speed, that we are effectively living our life. Just as a muscle needs renewed energy to continue functioning, so do we need renewed energy to perform at peak efficiency. By not stopping in life, we take away the ability to renew our mind and body. The stress of our days and the demands upon our time make withdrawals from our life until we realize through the pains or health conditions we face, that it is time to start taking care of our body.

Find The Truth In All Things
In any teaching or any dissemination of information, there is that which is truth and the rest is filler. We all do this to some point because it is part of our nature and most of the time, we don't know any better. We do this because we are unconscious and not fully aware of our self in the space we occupy in this universe. Instead of accepting that which is being taught or stated, learn to look for the truth within these things. What truly makes sense from the viewpoint of the observer, and what does not add up. Even if someone means considerable amount to you, some of the morsels they feed you are truth to your mind and body, while others are their beliefs. The biggest point to consider here is to not just follow blindly what they say but question and search for the truth within what you hear.

Experience It In The Body
I am often amazed at how people hear something and they immediately go out and proclaim it from the rooftops as the ultimate truth. They do not necessarily question it or experience it, but they act as if they are Moses coming down from the mountain with the ten commandments. However, if you experience something within the body and your consciousness and awareness truly change, then you have something to explore. If there is a change in the physical part of the body, than by all means, claim the truth of this moment as your own. Don't be blinded by this moment and stop searching for further truth and awareness in your life.

Truth Is An Ongoing Search

We should never stop in our footsteps and declare we have found the truth. For if we feel we have arrived at our place in life, then we will have missed what lies before us and we likely will be misleading others close to us. It is easy to proclaim you have the truth, but it is much more difficult to allow others to see your path unfold in all of its glory and all of the failings. Truth is not a one time event. It is an awareness that builds more and more into a greater consciousness until we leave this earthly plane.

Not In Our Time

Even if we think we have our life laid out before us or we do some type of work that supposedly shows our path ahead, truth and awareness is not perfected in the time line of the ego. We can often trick ourselves into believing many things, but it is only through allowing the moments to unfold in their own way, that we find the truth. What may seem like a lifetime to some, may be a fulfilling life to someone else. Time is only a measurement here on earth. Let us not get into the trap for others or ourselves, by claiming we must progress at a defined pace set by some person's system of belief.

Failings Are A Must

At one time, I thought to fail meant I was fundamentally flawed. I saw it as a sign of weakness. I felt that I did not understand what was going on in my life. As I grew in awareness and consciousness, I soon began to learn that it was my greatest teacher, if I allowed it to be. If I went through life, hating every little failure that I could see, I was guarding myself from the truth I was seeking. When we are so critical of our self, we close our-self off to that which we so badly want to see. Let us learn from our failures and embrace them as monumental growing moments of our life.

In Conclusion
Truth and awareness is only what we allow ourselves to see. Becoming conscious does not originate in concepts, but in the body. Connecting the mind and body together as one, is the spark to further awareness and truth giving way to greater consciousness. Blindly following what someone else says may be a matter of survival, but ultimately it keeps us from ourselves. Yes, it would be easy to succumb to the truth and hyperbole of our day, but at the end of our life what will it profit us? What will we gain from a life that follows the truth of other people, rather than our own truth from within our mind and body?

Related Blog Posts:
1) Release And Then Relax (Dec 21, 2011)
2) Innate Intelligence (Oct 20, 2009)

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If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
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Boundaries For A Helping Heart

2012-01-03T00:01:00.003-05:00

Hope For Haditha Children
By Don Shetterly

One of the things that I have struggled within life is that my heart is often larger than the boundaries I have in place. As a result, I've often been worked over, abused, used and put in situations where it was just dog gone uncomfortable. I'm afflicted with the syndrome of lacking boundaries for a helping heart.

You see, I never learned good boundaries when I was growing up and it is something I've spent much time trying to teach myself. Any boundaries I had when I was a child was crossed over and over again without the slightest thought of respect towards me by people who were close. This has carried over into my adult life and made some situations pretty difficult.

People flash their pretty eyes at me and share what they want to do, and poof - the next thing I know, I'm hooked into tasks that I should have just said NO, in the first place. Sometimes I get the phrases that "oh you are so smart and know how to do this" or "I just have no idea what to do". Sometimes, being intelligent or understanding many things about different subjects feels like a curse. Yet, I do not want to be selfish, but saying NO, or setting up a boundary with parameters is scary. To be honest, when someone strokes my ego, it makes it harder to say no!

The next thing I know, people are walking all over me with expectations that I am there to only work for their needs in life. I even get some that feel they have complete control of my day and nothing they ask is too much demand for my life. As time goes, I feel sucked into a dark hole that consumes all my personal resources. This has happened so many times in my life that I barely can keep up all of them.

Lately, I've gotten to a point where I just avoid people and I avoid letting them know what abilities I have to use. From the times that I allowed others to take advantage of me, I just figure it is safer. Yet, by doing this, I keep myself from interactions with people that may be beneficial to my life and my forward movement as a human.

I'm just afraid that if I connect with others that I will once again be used and abused in my abilities. The other fear in this is that if I say NO or I try to put boundaries in place, the people will run away from me as if I'm a diseased person. I've seen that happen all too often by the people who I never thought in a million years would do this.

Saying NO, and putting boundaries in place is essential to operate in life. It is either that or I just need to play dumb when I'm around other people like many humans do in life. People usually have far more abilities and talents than they give themselves credit for and I include myself in that statement.

Putting boundaries in place and learning to say NO is essential because if we don't do that, then we are allowing others to walk all over us. It is fine to have a helping heart but there is only so much of us to go around in the world. If we completely disrespect ourselves in that way, will we be there for anyone else? Will we be in a position at that point to help others when they need it?

If you are like I am where you have a helping heart and sometimes a lack of boundaries, I would love to hear from you the things you do to help you navigate through these things. What things work for you? How do you pull back when you realize you've gone too far?

One thing I have seen that even if you put boundaries in place, if someone does not want to honor them even though they give lip service to this, there is nothing you can do to prevent feeling like you are being used and abused. People often hear what they want to hear and if it doesn't fit into their thoughts, they discard it and then act as if you agreed to something that you did not. If I had a penny for every time that happened, I'd be a millionaire!

I believe the best thing we can do is try to be as crystal clear up front as to the expectations and what we are willing to do for others. Sometimes writing this down and having an agreement between you and the other person can be a helpful tool. Once you have boundaries in place, than it is up to you to enforce and respect those boundaries because if you don't, you can bet the other person will push the envelope as far as they can. Sometimes, even with the best of intentions on both parties, you have to stop the team of horses racing across the prairie and proclaim that today, there is a new course of action being put in place.

Related Blog Posts:
1) We Hear What We Want To Hear (Apr 17, 2011)
2) Two Frogs And Perception (May 2, 2011)

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What Would Our World Be Like

2012-01-02T00:01:00.002-05:00

What Would Our
World Be Like

As we start 2012, it seems to be a normal time to reflect upon this past year and to begin looking ahead to the next year. Although you never need to wait until the end of the year to do this, it seems to be an appropriate time.

The question I pose to everyone as I share some of my own thoughts is "what would the world be like if" and then you can fill in the blank. My aim is for deep perception into our role in our day and how we impact the world immediately around our existence.

So what would the world be like if we all chose to stop each day and find time to relax and travel deep within the mind body connection? What are the possibilities that could exist and how would this affect our overall physical body, our health, the peacefulness and productiveness of the day in following our life's purpose? Just stop for a moment and ponder what the potential outcomes could be and see how this impacts your own life.

What would the world be like if we all learned how to become mindful and we practiced mindfulness in every moment of our day? Consider how much you would notice from the birds and sounds around you to the beautiful colors and peaceful moments that were there to observe freely.

What would the world be like if we did something good for another person that included sharing a positive and helpful attitude to them? Maybe sending a smiley from the Smiley Project or giving someone a compliment or a thank you. It could be just showing love to another fellow human being rather than the antagonism or lack of understanding that is all too prevalent these days in our world.

What would the world be like if we walked in the shoes of another person that we did not understand or who was one that we did not readily embrace in our life? If we could see through the eyes of a person that we felt was our enemy, maybe we would see a different side of them. If we could offer our compassion to those that are not like us in a way that is accepting, just how much would this change not only our world, but the entire world around us.

You see, change and contemplation of what we desire does not start with every other human. It starts with each one of us individually. What we do in our own existence to others around us, we do to humanity. We can impact the entire human civilization by what we do. Yes, it is easier to look at the faults of other groups of people and claim they need to do various things to change, but in all reality, if we want change, it must come first within our self.

A failure on our part to change who we are, will bring us very little in return except a great deal of frustration and anger. I remember hearing the thought about pointing fingers at someone. If you point your finger at another person, you've got three fingers pointing back at yourself. Finding fault with others or only seeing what is wrong around you is like pointing the finger.

The examples I give here are so simple and yet they are so difficult for most people. It is clearly evident today in our interactions with one another. Let us go in and look at what we can do to change our own existence as we become more human.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Mindless Or Mindful (Jan 9, 2011)
2) Give A Smiley Project Official Launch (Nov 22, 2011)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/

Please ask for permission before reprinting this article. Thanks!
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What Will I Take Into 2012

2012-01-01T00:01:00.064-05:00

What Will I Take Into
2012?

Today I was reading a Garfield comic strip in which Garfield was telling Liz all his resolutions for the new year 2012. Of course after she walked away, he stated that he needed to curb his excessive lying. As I read that, I realized just how true Garfield's statement was to most people.

Most everyone it seems is worried about setting resolutions that seem great when they do it, but they never fully follow through. There are the resolutions of exercising and losing weight which probably top the list. There are the resolutions of spending more time with family, friends and enjoying life. I'm sure there are plenty of resolutions to earn more money, pay off credit card debt and take a vacation.

Yet, after the first few days, weeks or maybe months, everyone seems to forget all about these things. The importance of them take a back seat to life while the media makes sensational stories about not following through on our New Year's Resolutions. We feel bad and we promise mid way through the year to reorient our self with the resolutions we made on New Years. By the end of the year, we have all but forgotten what these resolutions were.

For me this year, I'm not going to even think about resolutions. Yes, I will reflect upon my life because it is a good marking point in time to do this. I don't plan on following along lock step with everyone else and promising something that I most likely will not deliver on. There is too much of these empty promises these days for humans.

Instead, I'm going to focus on what I want to leave behind in 2011 and what I wish to not carry forward into 2012. I'm making my list of things that I feel no longer serve me and it is time to say goodbye to these old friends. Maybe each of these things had a purpose and they helped get me to 2012, but now it is time to evaluate them and choose what I will take with me into 2012.

If we are really honest with ourselves, we will see that there are things we need to let go of in our life and release. We often follow the illusion that because they were once valid for our life, that we must maintain them for the rest of our days. We state that we have always done this, so this makes it true for the years ahead. Yet, if we were honest, we would see that we are fooling ourselves.

So, try something different this year. Instead of making resolutions that you most likely will forget about, try making a list of all the things that you no longer need in your life. Then, take a meditative moment and say good bye to them. Wish them farewell and thank them for their service to you. Tell them that you no longer have need for their services.

See, when we release and let go of things in our life, we give more room to bring in new experiences that we can enjoy. These new experiences will help take us into 2012 and beyond with greater awareness, consciousness and growth. Life isn't about hoping for things to happen, but letting go and releasing the things we no longer need.

Related Blog Posts:
1) For The New Year, Focus On Our Dreams (Jan 1, 2009)
2) Forgiveness And Letting Go (Oct 12, 2011)

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Following Blind Allegiance

2011-12-31T00:01:00.041-05:00


Blind Allegiance

Not just in the United States, but throughout the world, there are so many people who follow others through blind allegiance. It is rather frightening to observe. All one has to do is to just sit back and take in what is going on around them.

We can of course see this in communist run countries where the leaders demand complete control over all the citizens. Yes, I know that these leaders make many claims, but at the end of the day, the people of their countries are not free to live their life in the way that they feel is best. No matter how you slice it, portray it, or rule it, when one takes control of others, then those people are not free.

In the United States, we are not a communist controlled country, but our political and wealthy leaders of the day make sure they control us. Yet, it does not stop there. For everyone who feels that we must only believe and worship God in the manner that the religious "pharisees" do, it limits the freedoms of everyone. In addition, you have the people who feel that we should control the actions of almost everything that is done these days in people's lives. It almost becomes like an over protecting and over bearing parent with their child concept.

It does not stop here either! Take a look around how the employers and corporations control everyone demanding that everyone follows through blind allegiance. Through PR and marketing campaigns, the message is shaped so that only one side of it gets out to the masses. We become a mass of people walking in lock step with what the management tells everyone to do and how to do it. Yet, we use words like truthful, honest, ethical and paradigms to describe how progressive these same corporations are, only to realize that they are nothing more than buzzwords.

Outside of the greed that controls every facet of this world, medical care has morphed into a following of blind allegiance. People sit and watch advertisement after advertisement, convincing them that they need some new medication on the market, while being so mesmerized that they do not hear the long list of shameful side effects. They follow blindly to the flawed research studies and one sided information, as if a gun is being held to their head.

Last but not least, we come to the new age healers, practitioners, thinkers, experts and whatever other classification you can add to this list. They preach to others that they have the truth and they use flashy tidbits of information to prove their points. Some even demand that you just accept what they are saying as the truth, because somehow they have been the chosen anointed ones to deliver this information. There are healers that get lost in their perceived abilities, rather then seeing what they do as a seeking of truth for their own life. This group of people is just as harmful as the religious pharisees that demand faith to believe what they peddle. The blind allegiance to the followers of these groups will take them to their deaths as seen in a very recent example of a sweat lodge.

Are all things harmful and misleading in our world? No! There are people who are not driven by their ego and fears, but by the search for understanding, awareness and truth. They understand that following blind allegiance is not the way to live in life, because each person holds the answers for themselves within their own mind and body. These people understand that you won't find the answer to life by being controlled, manipulated and coerced. They see a bigger picture and they know that there are so many fake people trying to convince the world to follow their ideas.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Are You Brainwashed? (March 19, 2009)
2) Healing Modalities Become Our Belief System (Apr 14, 2011)

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Hypnotherapy Self Confidence CD by Steve Bayner

2011-12-30T00:01:00.006-05:00

Steve Bayner, Hypnotist
Building Self Confidence

I finally was able to get this CD transferred on to my iphone so I could hook it up to my headphones and listen to it. For some reason, the headphones really amplify the effects for me of audio files, most likely because they help block out the world around me. I feel like I'm in my own little section of outer space when I listen to things through them.

This CD, Building Self Confidence, is one that I got through a hypnotist by the name of Steve Bayner. He performed at the Volusia County Fair in November 2011. I was intrigued by him and when he took the audience through the warm up exercise to see who might be a good candidate to come up on stage, I ended up being one of those people. I'm still surprised that I had the courage to go up on stage because I usually shy away from anything that is in front of people. Self confidence is one of those parts of my life that was desecrated many years ago.

Throughout the night, I had such an amazing connection to the hypnotherapy. It was the first time that I experienced it and the level of deep relaxation I experienced was phonomenal. After all, while I have a fuzzy memory of the experience, I know that I went out deep. After it was over, it took me some time to really come back to in alertness. Normally in a big crowd of people such as was present that night, I would have been very aggitated. Instead, I found myself amazingly calm and enjoying all the people around me. This experience did have a great impact on me.

I just received the Building Self Confidence CD and I've got to say, I'm glad I bought it and had this experience at the fair. As I was listening to it today, I found myself going way out into deep relaxation. When I came to at the end of the CD, I was amazed at just how relaxed I was. In fact, I had taken my pulse before this using my pulse meter, and it was around 93. After the CD finished, my pulse had come down to 80. This amazing drop in my pulse rate was in the time of the CD which is about 30 minutes.

Where this hypnotherapy self confidence CD will take me, I'm not sure. However, I like the beginning results so far and the relaxation is well worth the time I spend listening to it. Steve Bayner is very talented and for some reason I really connect to his voice. He sounds very compassionate to me.

I do realize that the results will be up to what I do and how much I truly use this CD to allow my life to change. I know that no one can change my life for me. While it is fine to allow others to help assist me in changing my life, I know that the changes come from within me. Steve Bayner honors and respects this concept, which is one of the reasons that I am drawn to it.

Until now, I had always been afraid of hypnotherapy for fear that some devious person would put the wrong thoughts into my head. I'm sure there are ones out there that do this, much like many new age people that prey upon people. In this case though, I do not see anything or hear anything that would be cause for alarm as I listen to this audio.

To find out more about Steve Bayner, go to http://stevebayner.com/

For information on the pulse meter, go here http://www.clinicalguard.com

Conscious Of Shaping Your Body

2011-12-29T00:01:00.031-05:00

You Are The Answer
Michael Tamura

One of the quotes that I love from the book, You Are The Answer by Michael Tamura, is on page 42. It is a quote that says so much about our consciousness and awareness of our role within our body. It wasn't until a few years ago when I began my intense healing work with Dr. Paul Canali, that I began to understand what this means.

To many of us humans or maybe a majority, go through life with no or very little connection to the body. The mind body connection is a buzzword that is thrown around without very little understanding. Many in the modern day new age movement give lip service to this concept while hiding from their true and authentic selves in the fears of the mind and body.

On page 42, Michael Tamura (You Are The Answer) writes:
As you become more conscious of shaping your immortal body, you will come to know that every part, every organ, indeed every cell of your physical body reflects a divine ideal, experience and meaning. It is the dynamic aspect of God - what Christians call the Holy Spirit - that incarnates as each cell and forms the template for our immortal body.

The more you become conscious of how you shape your body, the greater capacity you have to live your life in a more fulfilling way. Awareness comes from within by connecting the mind and body together as one. It is in essence, coming to know every cell of your body. While we often tend to perform practices that are derived by humans, the best route we can find to consciousness is traveling deep within our body and our mind. Only there will we find our true self and only when we step over the threshold of fear, will we find peace and freedom.

Resources:
1) You Are The Answer by Michael Tamura

Related Blog Posts:
1) Top Book Reviews - You Are The Answer (Dec 5, 2011)

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Stop, Drop And Connect

2011-12-28T00:01:00.022-05:00

All too often, we go through our days in a hurried fashion full of one task after another to complete. We've just gone through the hectic holiday season and most likely, we failed to stop, drop and connect with our body. It really isn't that hard to do, but if you aren't in the awareness of it, than it appears most difficult.

Just by allowing yourself to stop, drop and connect, you will give yourself a much needed energy boost for your day. You'll connect into that inner power that is often neglected and you'll approach the place of inner peace that most of us could use in a day. There are many more benefits to practicing awareness each day of our life, but the only way you will realize them is through stopping, dropping and connecting.

Here is an exercise that you can do to help you stop, drop and connect. Take a moment right now where you are at and just sit back in your chair. You might close your eyes if you can for a moment (unless the boss is watching). Now just place your hands on your stomach. Allow yourself to begin feeling your hands on your stomach. You might ask yourself, what does this feel like? Are my hands warm or cold? Are they soft or rigid? What is the weight of my hands on my stomach? Can I even really feel my hands there or not? How does that make you feel as you touch your stomach?

There are no right or wrong answers in this exercise.

Just connect with it for a few moments. You can also add some deep breathing where you breathe in through the mouth and then hold and slowly exhale through your nose. Keep your hands on your stomach acting as receivers picking up all that you can sense, feel and connect to in your body. The more quiet and connected you get (with practice of course), the more you will pick up and sense.

Just by spending a few minutes doing this exercise, you will see that you can bring your stress level down and feel much more connected to your body. This is in simplistic terms, the mind body connection. It is at the root of connecting the mind and body together.

Of course, you might not feel much in the beginning, but the more you do this, the more you will connect with the inner part of yourself. The more you become aware of your inner self, the more conscious you become and can make much more informed choices for your body and your life. It really is that simple and yet, I know just how difficult this process is in the beginning. Give yourself some time to stop, drop and connect because your body will thank you for it later.

Related Blog Posts:
1) How Do I Quiet My Mind (Jun 29, 2010)
2) Focus On Breathing (June 9, 2010)

Disconnected From Family

2011-12-27T00:01:00.007-05:00

London Free Press
Donald D'Haene

A good friend of mine, Donald D'Haene had one of his articles published in the London Free Times of Canada. The title of the article was Reaching Out To Lost Brother At Christmas. Reading Donald D'Haene's book and meeting him at the taping of the Oprah 200 Men show in 2010, I am well acquainted with his story. In many ways, it matches up to what I experience in my own life.

No matter what you do, it is difficult when you are disconnected from family. It is never easy no matter how many happy smiles you put on it or how many different ways you look at it. It is something that you learn to live with in your life. In my case, I chose to cut the connection to my family because it became to painful and toxic. In many ways though, they cut off the connection as well unless I came around to silencing myself. It was the only way I could survive in the early 90's. In order to begin finding myself, I had to cut the connection of the past. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do and even was much more difficult than learning how to walk again after my paralysis.

This story is not about me of course, but it connects deeply to my experiences in life. I'll let Donald D'Haene share his story with you and how some good has come out of it. To read this article, click on the following link
.

Article Link: Reaching Out To Lost Brother At Christmas

For more in Donald D'Haene's book: "Father's Touch" (Click Here)

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http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
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Christmas Pulse Rate

2011-12-26T00:01:00.047-05:00

PulseRateHealthy.com
Christmas Pulse Rate

Even in the midst of all the magic of Christmas, it can be a difficult time for many of us. I am one of those people and if you have been reading my blog the past few days, you will readily see what I mean. However, each year that goes by, I heal a little more and the pain of the season lessens.

This year, I have been focusing more on very deep relaxation where I connect deeply with my body. Even though my pulse rate has still gotten up in the high 90 range, I have been able to drop it significantly if even for a temporary moment during the day.

The details of what I am referring to can be found on the blog of another site I manage called "Pulse Rate Healthy". Please click the following link to read more about my Christmas Pulse Rate and check out my pulse rate log that can be accessed from that site.

Links From PulseRateHealthy.com
1) Christmas Pulse Rate (Published 12/24/11)
2) High Christmas Pulse Rate (Published 12/25/11)

Related Blog Posts:
1) Joy Of Christmas Morning (Dec 22, 2011)
2) Why Is My Pulse High? (Apr 1, 2010)

The Myth Of Christmas

2011-12-25T00:01:00.034-05:00

Myth Of Christmas

Even though many people see Christmas as a magical season where family and friends unite, in all reality the stress of this time is far greater than anyone will admit. We think of the Norman Rockwell setting and look forward to traveling home to be with our loved ones. Yet, the struggle of the season is alive and well inside many people.

We spend countless hours in the stores trying to get the best bargains on all the presents we can buy. We spend untold dollars to get those expensive electronic gadgets including the electronic games, iphones, ipods, ipads, androids, computers and everything else. No dollar amount is too large and no difficulty too great as we attempt to brave the crowds, use our pepper spray, and trample others in the dash to get what is ours. After all, we must have those gifts.

The news media comes along and fights over who is putting Christ in Christmas and who is not. They declare a war on Christmas and vow that the a segment of our population is taking over the season and pushing us into the dark ages. As this discussion continues, the same news media outlets pad their pockets with advertisement dollars promoting the commercialism of the season they so detest. The viewers of said programs watch and gulp it all down as if nothing else matters.

Next up on the auction block of myth is those company Christmas parties. Most employee stresses about what they will wear, who they will go with and how others will behave. They hope that a bonus or Christmas gift is given that is at least as good as what they got last year, if not better. Yes, it is the time to celebrate and get all you can get while consuming large quantities of alcohol.

Suicide, drinking and partying is at its height during this season full of myths. People suffer through depression and despair as they fight to hold on in life through the pain they have experienced. Some have very little money and feel like a failure in giving their children a proper Christmas as they would say. Some go all out to decorate and transform their house into a magical wonder land of lights, hiding all the sorrows in make believe times and spending money they don't have to spend.

So, is this Christmas? Is this what the media has declared as a war on Christmas? It seems to me that those who feel Christ is no longer in Christmas are the very same people who are out pillaging the stores for every last gift they can buy. Christmas isn't about Christ to these people, although they state his name and make the claim that it is. Christmas is about the ego buying all the expensive gifts it can so their family and friends will truly know they love them.

Before you begin to think I'm stating that all of this is wrong, please let me assure you that I am not. There is nothing wrong with celebrating, buying gifts, decorating or the countless other things that happen during this time. However, each participant needs to wake up and be fully aware of the purpose behind what it is that they are doing. Don't stand on the street corner and preach about a war on Christmas, then head to the store to engage in that which you despise.

Humans are fickle these days in saying one thing and doing another. They justify it in their mind and in the words they speak. Yes, I know that the retail economy of our nation has us convinced that if we do not go out and buy all that the advertisements tell us to, that we have not done enough for our loved ones. Again, please wake up and be fully aware of the purpose behind what it is that you do.

Keep the following image in mind as you go about your mad buying rush during the season. In a few months, the toys that were a must have by children, will be given away or sold in a garage sale for next to nothing. The kittens and puppies that you just had to have will be neglected and unwanted by so many. The electronic gadgets that were a must have become boring and replaced by something better. The clothes that no one really wanted will be sitting in the closet, worn only once and then taken to a local thrift store or put out on a garage sale.

Is this what Christmas is truly about? Can we see how much we indulge ourselves in order to celebrate a season where the true message of the season is completely different than what we tell ourselves and others? Are we so blinded by what we do not want to see, that we fail to fully understand our role in this ego-greed-driven society? Only you, can answer that for yourself and by no means am I the authority on this subject. I just ask that you begin asking yourself some of the tough questions in life. Only then I believe, will you come to understand what Christmas is truly about and not what it is purported to be in the media, advertisements, and news.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Thanksgiving - The Time To Shop For Christmas (Nov 24, 2011)
2) Christmas Music Piano (Nov 3, 2011)
3) Christmas Illusions (Dec 19, 2010)

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If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/

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Joy On Christmas Morning Part 3

2011-12-24T00:01:00.014-05:00

Joy On Christmas Morning
Part 3

This is part 3 of a three part series, please start with PART 1

No matter how hard I try during this time of year, I still succumb to the pain, anxiety and despair of this season. I so badly want to find a way through this rather than face the anxiety, nervousness, stress and tension that I feel.. I want to feel the joy of a child on Christmas morning rather than the anger that bubbles up within me and forces me to hibernate from the outside world during this season. I don't want to feel lifeless and drained as I try to cope with the mixed emotions and pain. I would love to believe that I could wave a majic wand and it would all be a normal and fun and exicting time of year. However, I would not be living in reality if this were true.

Each year, I keep trying and hoping that somehow this year will be different for me. In fact, I can see that things have changed and I am growing through some of the hurts. Yet, as the days get closer to Chrsitmas, my body physically changes as if someone places a thousand pound weight on my shoulders to carry around. I fight to flee this yearly ritual, but I am not able to run fast enough. So, each year I try to do something at Christmas time and I have learned that if I don't do this early in the month of December, that by the middle of the month, I literally have no energy left to carry it out.

One day, I hope that I can decorate the house with Christmas decorations throughout, and not have to constantly fight back the tears in my eyes. One day I hope I can find some way to help make Christmas a little brighter for children that are all alone or maybe are in a hospital fighting for their life. It doesn't really matter to me what is taught about Christmas in the chruches as much as I find a way to give something back to those who may be struggling to hang on in life. To this day, I've not found that magic wand where the right combination lifts me up from my own despair, but I hope that one day my dreams will come true.

I wrote this in hopes that it would help someone out there struggling hard with this very same day. Maybe you've faced monsters in your life, or you are outcast for being true to who you are. You might have lost someone so special to you or be feeling the pains of life. I just want you to know that you are not alone and if you are in this same situation, please feel free to leave a comment sharing your story. Who knows, you might just be helping someone else through a difficult time. My hope is that we all learn to live life through the joy of a child on Christmas morning, not the pain that attempts to engulf our day.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Joy On Christmas Morning - Part 1 (Dec 22, 2011)
2) Joy On Christmas Morning - Part 2 (Dec 23, 2011)

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If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
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Joy On Christmas Morning Part 2

2011-12-23T00:01:00.022-05:00

Joy On Christmas Morning
Part 2

This is part 2 of a three part series, please read starting with PART 1

Yes, Christmas was full of joy when I was a child, but that is only half of the story. Christmas morning was one day that I looked to with anticipation, but also dread. You see, most of my family were not grateful for presents they would receive. I always gave something from my heart that matched something that I thought would be special to them and usually it was done on very few dollars that I had to my name. Sometimes I would create something deep from my heart and give to them. The only thing is that all too often I heard the disappointment they had as "this was all they got" type of attitude filled the room. If it didn't meet their expectations, you would know about it and my heart got broken many times.

One example of this was when I was in college and struggling to make it through school and pay bills. I had no help from home and had to pay for college completely on my own. I saved my pennies all year long to buy Christmas presents and managed to have $5 a piece to spend on them. I carefully took the money and tried to buy as much as I could of things that I thought they would use and like. On Christmas day, I heard comments like "this is all I got and we spent more on him then he did on us". It broke my heart and it hurt because I had taken everything I had to buy them these things and I had put so much thought into it. After all, I could have bought a months' worth of food with that money but I chose to give. Of course, that was not the only time I had heard these words, or would it be the last.

Christmas was the one day all year long that we were not forced or required to do some type of work around the house. We were free to watch TV and play with our toys which was not something we normally got to do. It was a day when the monsters kept it in their pants like there was some unwritten rule prohibiting the monsters from showing up on that day. It was a day that generally there was not as much fighting, yelling and screaming. If there was a disagreement, it was generally done in a more subtle and quieter way.

It was the one day of the year that we could be a kid and a child, basking in the joy of Christmas morning. I'll never forget those memories even in the midst of the pain, hurt, turmoil and monsters that were my faithful companions. Now, I still long for all of this. My heart still desires Christmas like when I was a child, yet the painful memories have flooded my heart and removed the joy I always felt. I struggle now to embrace Christmas through the tears because the horror of those early monster days often overtake any of the good memories I had from being a child.

- - Continued tomorrow Dec 24, 2011 (Part 3)

Related Blog Posts:
1) Joy On Christmas Morning - Part 1 (Dec 22, 2011)
2) Joy On Christmas Morning - Part 3 (Dec 24, 2011)

Joy On Christmas Morning Part 1

2011-12-22T00:01:00.028-05:00

Joy On Christmas Morning
Part 1

I'm amazed at my age that I still get as excited about Christmas as I do. I would think that after all these years, it would start to wane. Even though there isn't the celebration these days, because quite frankly it sometimes hurts too much, I still find myself getting just as excited as I once did when I was a child.

The joy on Christmas morning was something I waited all month for and even though our home life was in constant turmoil, this was the day of the year that offered an escape. It was the one day of the year that Santa would come and give us presents and life would be more peaceful for a few hours. Granted, I realize that we got very few things, but honestly I did not care if someone would have wrapped empty boxes and gave them to me. I just wanted to see wrapped presents under the tree. I was mesmerized by the pretty colorful wrapping paper, the shiny sparkling lights and ornaments on the tree.

The smells of cookies baking and candy being made by my mom, to the frosting of cookies, it was a special time of year in our house. I always enjoyed it when we would frost the Christmas cookies and surprise some lucky recipient. It warmed my heart with joy. My mom would go all out making peanut brittle, divinity, fudge, cookies of every kind, and especially the cutout cookies we would frost together.

Christmas stockings with our names on them always hung up on the wall. They had been designed for us by my mom I believe, when we were born and they stayed with us until we went to college. On Christmas morning, we would come down and see them stuffed with candy and little goodies of all kinds. It was as much fun to discover what was in the stockings as it was to open our presents.

Every year the church would put on a Christmas show of some sort with the children. A few times, my mom was the one in charge of bringing all the children together to recite the Christmas story with costumes and song. Since I played the piano, I often got that spot in the Christmas show and beamed with joy as a child who felt so special doing this with his mom. Sometimes I would sing and recite quoted lines, but most of the time, it was my job to play the music which I enjoyed more than I can describe.

Traveling to nursing homes, we would often go caroling. The joy of the residents could be seen on their faces. For most people in nursing homes, they are lonely and so anyone coming and performing for them was a treat they enjoyed. Again, I would get to play the piano and often I would just play while others mingled. The nursing home residents loved me as if I was their own and the hugs and love I received from them was worth more than gold.

-- Continued tomorrow on Dec 23, 2011 (Part 2)

Related Blog Posts:
1) Joy On Christmas Morning - Part 2 (Dec 23, 2011)
2) Joy On Christmas Morning - Part 3 (Dec 24, 2011)

Release And Then Relax

2011-12-21T00:01:00.002-05:00

Glass Of Water
Release And Then Relax

Imagine a glass full of water sitting on a table. If you try to add more water to it, it will over flow. If you try to add the water all at once, most likely you will splash some of the original water leaving you with less water in the glass then before. However, if you want to add additional water to the glass, you need to drink some first.

Now imagine your body as the glass and you are trying to relax. Relaxation is the water and so if you're nervous system is revved up too much, (or the glass is too full), it will be difficult to add much relaxation to your body or to feel relaxed. Yes, you might do some relaxing things or enjoy some body work that is relaxing but the capacity for you to take it all in, is limited. In order for you to replace the tension or stress in the body with relaxation, you will need to remove some of it first. Once you remove it or release the tension and stress from the body, you have the opportunity for greater relaxation and peace.

Unfortunately, too many body workers, healers, and massage therapists, focus on putting more relaxation into a body that has no capacity to take it in. In fact, many people out there going for treatment are looking for the quick and easy fix to relaxation, rather than creating greater capacity within their body for this. While limited results may occur, the person being treated only gets so much benefit from the treatment. Many modalities and healers claim that they just allow whatever to happen that needs to happen. There is much truth to this, but there is also a blind spot in the mirror.

You see, if the nervous system is stretched to the limit, relaxation might help sedate it temporarily. However, let's look at this from a different paradigm. If you can take your body into a moment of connecting with the source of the tension and stress, then allow yourself to release this, the body now has greater resilience in the nervous system then it had before. Sometimes going into the source of tension or stress in the body is not always easy or fun, it is a way to effect great change within the body.

Just by connecting the mind and body together as one, you will find a greater route of lasting change through awareness of the body. Too many times we shy away from this approach in life for fear of what we may unearth. We chase pretty rainbows and flashy neon signs that give us a temporary fix for what ails us. If we take off our sunglasses and see the light of truth that we are looking at, we will be amazed at just how much more water we can add to the glass.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Relaxation Or Stress - Your Choice (Oct 8, 2011)
2) Release It, Let It Go (Jul 13, 2010)

Christmas Pulse Rate

2011-12-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Holiday Pulse Rate
http://PulseRateHealthy.com

At one time, my pulse rate would stay up around 99 and no matter what I did, it would not come down to a healthy pulse rate. After some intense healing work that allowed me to release some physical trauma stored within my body, my pulse rate started to drop. Most of the time, it is around the 70's to the 80's and I can live with that. Occasionally, I drop down into the 60's. The pulse rate I am referring to is my resting pulse rate or also known as a resting heart rate.

Because of the Christmas season, I've been experiencing a great deal of stress as is normal for me. The past pains catch up with me this time of year and although it is not as bad this year, I still feel the effects. Generally, the day after Christmas, it is like my body has been reborn again and the stresses that I felt for days before have mostly vanished. The after affects though, sometimes linger around for days.

In a blog post I wrote on PulseRateHealthy.com, I detailed and talked more at length about what happens to my pulse rate when it is anything but healthy. I try to keep a log of my pulse rate which can be found through a link on this the same website.

I use the Fingertip Pulse Oximeter OctiveTech 300pro to measure my pulse rate and observe the wave readings. It is very accurate and gives a true indication of what is actually happening in the body, not what I perceive is happening. It gives me real time information that I can use to help change things and connect more with my mind and body.

Blog Post - Holiday Pulse Rate (click this link)

Related Blog Posts:
1) Finger Pulse Meter - Know What Is Going On (May 26, 2010)
2) Why Is My Pulse High (Apr 1, 2010)

Why Do You Do What You Do?

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

Why Do You Do What
You Do?

Do you ever stop to really think about life? Do you ever stop to wonder why you do what you do in life? I know philosophers ponder these things. All too often everyone tries to avoid these type of people because the concepts are not what they wish to embrace. It is easier to not think about such things in life, rather than to dig deeper into our humanness.

So much of what we do in a day or in a moment was formed early on in life. In fact, some research suggests that it may have started in the womb. We learn so much from our caretakers and their messages in life become our messages that we live by in our own life. No one stops to think of just how much we were influenced by those early days and what we found comforting versus what we learned to fear.

We carry our early days on into our school days and as we grow, we learn to follow additional unwritten rules of society. Our minds are taught things to embrace and things to fear. As each of us wonders why you do what you do, we realize that our teachers have taught us good and bad, according to their own level of consciousness and growth in this world.

For many, church is part of the fabric of our life and because we are immersed into its practices and teachings early, we struggle later in life with discernment. These practices, teachings and rituals become a way of life to us, rather than a choice we make to follow or observe. It becomes as critical to our life as taking a breath, and as blinded to our consciousness as attempting to see in a dark room.

Continuing on in life, we enter the college and work years of our life. Our colleges and employers shape how we view the world around us and as they expand our minds, they teach us that which is good for us to ponder and that which we should fear.

As we become immersed in our careers and our families, we endure a new set of circumstances that help teach us what is comfortable and what is full of fear. By now, we have learned to evaluate these things by all we have taught. This can give us a good base for evaluating life if we choose to do that, but all too often we fail to question what we see. We accept it as if it is the gospel truth, rather than wondering why it is that we do what we do.

Since it is our life and because we are so closely connected to it, we struggle to open our eyes in awareness and consciousness. It is difficult because very little is taught to us so that we go deep within our mind and body. In many ways, we have been taught to deny our humanness, our emotions and our feelings, so we could prosper and get ahead in life. By this time in life, you fail miserably in understanding why you do what you do.

If we are to move forward as a society and develop as a people, we must begin to become aware and conscious in our life. We can no longer accept our life as it is and only seek answers from everyone around us. The answers we need, and the awareness that is badly needed comes from within each one of us. It is part of us and is located within us. Unless we travel into these depths, we will never become human.

Being human is not about living and existing in life doing what society teaches us. It is about discovering more of who we are each day and coming to understand what our reason and purpose is on this earth. We're not here to take up space and breathe oxygen. We are here for a reason and when your life sets out to find this purpose, all the other noise of the day falls short in giving you something you desire.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Life Is Always There Giving (Dec 12, 2011)
2) Charades Of Life (Aug 9, 2011)

Collective Unconsciousness In The US

2011-12-18T00:01:00.052-05:00

Collective Unconsciousness
Miami Expressway

I get more and more amazed these days at the collective unconsciousness of our country from the religious to the political to the medical and new age establishments. It almost feels like we are in a big shift but instead of moving forward, we've hit the gas pedal in reverse.

People seem to follow whatever is thrown before them these days. As they are fed morsels of words, phrases and opinions, everyone assumes these are the facts that prove a point or disprove other points. Polls are randomly conducted and so dis-configured that they hold little meaning. Yet, opinions, polls and pundits rule our day in dishing out the perceived facts to live by in our life.

Common Sense
No one appears to use common sense these days. Common sense seems to have vanished from thin air. It is replaced by a gullible acceptance of whatever is being said on that day by whoever people are listening to in that moment. No one stops to question any of it or if they do, their minds cannot comprehend the morsels of truth that float in and out of our collective unconsciousness.

Lack Of Creativity
The lack of creativity rules our creative moments. It reaks of our collective unconsciousness as we are entertained by electronic gadgets, reality TV and the attraction to advertisement commands of our day. We swallow what the retailers dictate to us just like we swallow the pretty packaged political news of the day.

Mind Body Connection Buzzword
The mind body connection becomes nothing more than a buzzword, a concept of something that makes us sound like we have achieved something others have not. It makes us feel important because we have arrived at some concept, rather than allow us to set our sights on the next milestone ahead in our journey. We follow ideas and leaders, not because they truly have what we need, but because we have hidden truth from our eyes. We are unconscious, yet we are unable to open our eyes and search for that which we seek.

Medical Procedures
Medical procedures, medications and knowledge take us out of our body and into the unconscious world of chasing rainbows. The system of greed that convinces us we have some medical condition that we should wear proudly on our sleeve, does very little to advance our healing. Yet, we swallow these things as if it is the last drop of water. Hopefully we will wake up before we realize that we are drinking the water from the desert mirage.

Waking Up
It is a collective unconsciousness that we operate from in the US and I'm sure throughout the world. It is not until we begin to wake up, open our eyes and embrace the truth, that we will begin to understand many things. The mind body connection is not about living your day immersed in happy thoughts that make you feel good, but by embracing each and every part of yourself.

It is not easy to go deep within when we fear that which haunts us, but unless we do this, we will never truly know what it means to be human. We will continue to follow mindlessly what society expects of us, as we drift along in life. We will continue to demand answers to our life, while at the same time rejecting anything that doesn't fit our preconceived idea of what it should look like. We will follow everything known to this earth, but yet still be unconscious because we have not opened our eyes.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Truth That Is Now Foolish (Feb 27, 2011)
2) How Awake Are We (Jan 18, 2010)

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Trauma Induces The Freeze Response

2011-12-17T00:01:00.033-05:00

Dr Drew - CNN / HLN
Trauma Induces Freeze Response

Recently on CNN, Dr. Drew was interviewing Tom Arnold and Dr. Allan Schore (a Neuroscientist) about the Sandusky child abuse and molestation story. In the following video clip of the show, some very important points were made.

Often many survivors ask the continual question of why didn't I speak out and tell someone about the abuse or why didn't I scream. Outside of the fact, that survivors are viewing the situation through an adult mind, there is a more relevant reason. When we are faced with traumatic situations as children, our minds are not able to handle these things and trauma induces a freeze response.

Your Mind And Body Check Out
We all know that when you are confronted with a fearful situation that there is the flight or fight response. However, as a child when you are overpowered by an adult, the fight response is most likely not the one you will gravitate towards. After all, how can a little child have the strength to stand up to someone much bigger then they are? In the eyes of a child, an adult is the same as a giant. The alternative is to flee, but that does not mean you are running from the situation. Often it means that you endure the situation, but your mind and body check out because there is no way to run away from the person doing these things to you.

When you are phsyically in that situation but your mind and body check out, the trauma induces the freeze response. It is a way of coping and surviving the situation that is beyond your control. It is a way of enduring that which is unimaginable and too difficult to comprehend. The freeze response is a protection mechanism of our bodies when there are no other alternatives.

Example Of Freeze Response
Take for example if you were walking on the plains of the African desert and a tiger attacked you. Imagine this several hundred pound animal on top of you mauling and biting and ripping you to shreds. I doubt that your first thought or action would be to scream or go seek help especially if you were many miles from the nearest person. Most likely, your first thought would be in trying to protect yourself even if these events seemed hopeless. If you were completely overpowered, you might just succumb to the tiger and play possum, so hopefully the tiger would think there was something wrong with you and leave you alone. You would be trying to survive the incident in any way that you could to protect yourself.

A part of you though would be completely frozen in that moment of attack and terror. It would be locked within you repeating the event over and over until it was discharged or until it found a way out. Immediately after the situation, your wounds might be attended to and you might go through much of your life being thankful you are still alive. However, the trauma would still be impacting your body and mind.

Freeze Response Impact On The Body
It would be as if you were reliving the trauma every day of your life and even later in life, the freeze response may still be impacting your body. The impact of the freeze response could be back pain, difficulty walking, knee issues, or a whole host of emotional, psychological and mental issues. The freeze response can and does affect survivors of trauma in varying degrees and in different ways. Until we discharge that trauma from our body, it is alive and well within us.

Healing Mechanisms Of The Body
The freeze response is there as a protection mechanism during the trauma but there is no reason we have to stay frozen in our life. I will not sit here and tell you it is easy to recover from these things because I was taken to the point of paralysis as a result of what I went through. However, I will tell you that healing is possible and that you can recover from trauma. It takes hard work, courage and and openness to discharge and free yourself from the freezing caused by the trauma. Healing does not come about from staying outside of your body, but by physically tapping into the healing mechanisms of the body.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Oprah And Male Survivors Of Child Sex Abuse (Oct 28, 2010)
2) Embrace The Pain (Jan 28. 2011)
3) Recovery From A Conversion Disorder (Jul 11, 2011)

Resources:
1) Effects Of Sex Abuse Victims Speak Out Video (Dr Drew, CNN)
2) Hope And Possibility Through Trauma (Book by Don Shetterly)
3) Waking The Tiger (Book By Peter Levine)

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http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/

Please ask for permission before reprinting this article. Thanks!
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Law Of Attraction Is Not A Christmas List

2011-12-16T00:01:00.002-05:00

Law Of Attraction

Even though it is Christmas and the time to make and send your Christmas list to Santa, this is not a time to confuse the practice with abundance or the law of attraction. Abundance is not about making a list of things you want and then expecting the universe to have them show up in your front yard. I'm always amazed at the way people view abundance, even the people who teach these concepts for mega millions.

Even in the midst of conversations with people solely focused on abundance, they will claim that they do not equate abundance with a Christmas list, but yet they will turn around and teach this very same thing. It is sad because as I have stated previously, abundance is about so much more than making a list and waiting for it to happen. It truly is much more.

Aligning Yourself
Abundance is a state of being or a state of where you are at in your mind. It is aligning yourself up with your true purpose for your life and becoming aware and conscious of what that is. It is not about making a list of things that you feel you need, want or desire and then offering it up to the universe (or some higher power or God) and expecting the Fedex truck to deliver it to you. Sorry, if I'm blowing your bubble, but we need to really be honest with the law of attraction and abundance.

The other day I read about a person using the law of attraction to find the "perfect" guy. Alarms went off in my head the minute she stated "perfect" as a requirement for what she wanted. Her list went on to state many physical and social characteristics of the person. She was concerned that someone she was seeing did not match up to her list although this guy clearly loves her. It left her wondering whether to accept someone like this or hold out for the perfect person.

I was shocked that someone would proclaim to understand the law of attraction and then dictate to the universe what they felt they needed, desired and wanted. How selfish and misguided is that, I thought. First off, if we go through life with such a narrow view of everything we want, we'll most likely miss the joy that is right in front of us. Second, while it is great to have an idea of what you want in a relationship, if you're not careful, it can blind you to missing something wonderful before you. If I would have made a list and been looking for the perfect person I wanted to be with, I would have missed the wonderful individual that I have gotten to know in life. Our hearts were open to sharing love with another individual and we met unexpectedly without even knowing it was happening.

Our Life's Purpose
Let's get back to the law of attraction for a minute. I believe it is more about finding our life's purpose and reason for coming to this world, and as we do that, we fall into the stream of what is needed to help us accomplish it. Our life's purpose is not about getting a bigger paycheck or surprise vacation. Our life's purpose is not about getting a new car, or the perfect guy or whatever else it is that you are wishing for right now. Our life's purpose is a higher calling of coming to understand why we are here on this earth and what we came here to do. Our wishes may be prompting us towards our path, but let us not mistake them with the yearnings of our ego.

As we find our reason for being here and as we lock into its stream of consciousness, we will find everything we need to fulfill it. This may mean different things for different folks, and it does not necessarily mean we will be rich millionaires or living in big houses and driving nice cars. It has nothing to do with that.

An Example
Take for example a person that may be here to help save people from a natural disaster such as a flood. Maybe they are an accomplished boat captain and know how to navigate dangerous waters. Various things happen in their life and they win a boat in a drawing. The person may not fully realize what is coming but they are open to fulfilling their life's purpose and coming to understand what that means. The next thing you know, a flooding disaster hits and now they realize that they have a boat to help rescue people. The boat was not given to them because of the law of attraction. It was given to them to help fulfill their life's purpose. I realize this is a simplistic example, but we need to change our thinking on this law of attraction concept.

Get To Know Yourself
If we spent as much time getting to know ourselves from the inside out and truly traveling to the depths of our soul, we would be much better off in this world. The majority of people try hard to make the world believe everything is happy and wonderful in their life, while they are suffering inside. I know first hand because I did this very same thing in life and I see many others also doing this. We have to learn to become honest with our self and become aware of not only who we are, but our life's purpose. Until then, we are nothing more than a searching soul acting as a clanging symbol in life.

It helps to have a focus and to create lists at times, but if these things become our way through life, then we will have missed living in life. Focus on your reason and purpose for being born into this world, and then keep your heart open to connecting with its awareness and consciousness. The answers we seek in life are within us and if we open our self to discovery, we will find them. Let each of us search for all that we are, not all that we think we are because the filters of our life can often blind us from the truth.

Related Blog Posts
1) Unlimited Abundance (May 13, 2011)
2) Abundance Beliefs (Jun 4, 2011)

Focused In Difficult Moments

2011-12-15T00:01:00.000-05:00

Linville Falls, NC
Focused In Difficult Moments

This was a journal entry written around the time of the itchy rash that I recently went through. While I have moved on from that moment and my hand is fully healed, I thought this was too good to not post up on the blog. It depicts the difficult moments and the struggle to hang on, stay focused as our body heals.

Tough moment to stay focused. It's so easy easy to lose site of the excitement of steps ahead. Maintaining the gratitude and love for what is possible feels harder than expected.

I'm a tough cookie, but sometimes I struggle to find the energy to stay tough or full of courage and strength. Finding the balance of just allowing life to unfold, but not giving into the forces that desire to see me fail is extremely delicate.

Each day I continue my steps forward. Each day I fight the forces of fear that wage a war against me. Some days I feel like I have advanced and other days it seems as if my communication with battlefield command is full of static.
Regardless, I offer up all of these thoughts, words, and feelings of fear. I send out love to these areas of my life so they may heal and grow. I ask that my focus remain steadfast so that the winds of the moment not sway me from my path. In the end, I will come to know that this too shall pass.

If you are going through a difficult moment, keep reminding yourself that this too shall pass. While that may sound simple and over rated, it does help to keep your mind focused and not get taken under by the difficulties of life. I've been through some moments of hell in my life and I do not write these words without the understanding of what they truly mean.

Related Blog Post
1) Healing The Itchy Rash (Nov 6, 2011)
2) Suffering To Greater Consciousness (Nov 2, 2011)

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Blog Post & Images (c) 10/24/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
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Please ask for permission before reprinting this article. Thanks!
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Crises Wake Us Up

2011-12-14T00:01:00.004-05:00

Crises Wake Us Up
Mountains Of NC

If you would have told me at one time, that going through a crises would be something to wake me up, I probably would have knocked you to the ground. My life, like many others, has had some serious things to overcome. None of these events have been the easiest to deal with or experience.

Yet, I am beginning to learn that instead of fearing and hating every part of what has happened to me, if I begin to look at these moments without darkened lenses, I see a much different picture. They truly are there for me to help me grow and find my way on my own path. Even as I write these words, I still fully know how difficult it is to comprehend and own this awareness.

Imagine for a moment if you are walking along a mountain path. If the path was straight and level for a distance, you might get so caught up in the view, that you forget to watch out for your path and where you are walking. However, if there was a rock in your path that you stepped on, your leg and foot might twist a little. As your leg begins to twist, your eyes go from the scenery back down to the path in front of you so you can find your footing. Consider that the rock is the crisis in life and that by stepping on the rock, you are once again focused on your path ahead. Now, while you are immersed in the beauty of the mountain scenery, you have your eyes focused on the path ahead. The rocks help keep you from falling off the mountain.

While this is a very simplified example, we are meant in life to wake up and to be all that we were meant to be in this life. All too often, we get so fixated on the tasks of our day, that we fail to see the bigger picture. Many times, the big picture is not easy to see and so we lose site of our path and focus only on the scenery around us. While there is a need for both, our path is there for us to walk.

Suffering is not always a bad thing for life. Yes, suffering is difficult and sometimes it gets to be more than we think we have the strength to endure. However, most of the spiritual teachings throughout the world do lead to the conclusion that suffering draws us deeper into the essence of who we are. It brings us a greater awareness and consciousness of our role in the world.

On page 52 of the book, "You Are The Answer", Michael Tamura addresses the fact that crises wake us up. Take note of the following quotation from his book.

Crises are sent to shake us out of our slumber, to re-awaken a sense of purpose. Too often, we become so preoccupied with our vested interests that we forget why we are here. We fall asleep, then life gives us a wake-up call. We’ve all had them. Whether they’ve been life-threatening situations, financial disasters, emotional upheavals, or relationship conflicts, they remind us that we are ignoring, or have forgotten, what is most important in our lives. They make us ask again, “What am I here for?”

Maybe instead of asking "why me" or "why do I have to go through this", we should be asking, "what lesson is there to learn"? Instead of fearing that which we don't understand, maybe we have to take off our darkened lenses in life and see what exists beyond where we are at in this moment.

One caring person used to tell me frequently that this too shall pass. When we are in the midst of difficult moments or crises, it is easy to think that there is no way out of the mess. It is then, that we have to look down and focus on our path. Making sure our footing is secure, we take steps to discover more about who we are and what our purpose is in this life.

Related Blog Posts
1) Suffering To A Greater Consciousness (Nov 2, 2011)
2) Why Are We Afraid Of Suffering (Nov 25, 2011)
3) Trudging And Soaring In Life (Jun 29, 2011)

Resources:
1) You Are The Answer by Michael Tamura (on Amazaon)

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Blog Post & Images (c) 12/03/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/

Please ask for permission before reprinting this article. Thanks!
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Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

2011-12-13T00:01:00.004-05:00


Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

Recently, I was made aware of this video on YouTube where Zach Wahls speaks to the Iowa House Of Representatives. While I try my hardest to stay away from politics on this blog, I feel this is more than just about politics. It has a very good message that needs to be shared with the world. Zach Wahls did an excellent job of communicating some important truths about family.

Please go to the following video and really listen to what he is saying. Unfortunately, this is a reality that many people in our country and world have to face each day.

In the video, Zach is eloquently speaking about growing up in a family with two lesbians and how well he turned out, how proud he is of his two moms, and just how successful he is in life. It brings this struggle home front and center, although the politicians did not listen to a word he spoke.

Please share the following video with your friends and through Facebook, Twitter or other sites you have access to. This message needs to be heard.

YouTube Video: Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

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Blog Post & Images (c) 12/01/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/

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Life Is Always There Giving

2011-12-12T00:01:00.084-05:00

Life Is Always Giving
NC Trip Picture

Sometimes it is easy to question if we are truly connected to life or if life is connected to us. There are so many abundance courses on the interenet and new age gurus trying to convince everyone that you need to spend thousands of dollars to get somewhere in life. While I know people purport to have stories that prove the validity of these things, I remain in question as to these "products" being the best thing since sliced bread.

In the book, You Are The Answer by Miachel Tamura, he states the following which I believe is a core truth of being connected to life in an abundant way.

Page 49 - Life is always there, giving; the only question is whether we are there to share in it. At this stage of fulfilling our soul purpose, our needs become the needs of fulfilling life’s own purpose instead of our personal needs. We begin to realize that, if we ask life to provide us with what we need to fulfill life’s purpose, it will provide us first with all that we need personally. After all, if we don’t survive, we wouldn’t be able to fulfill any other purpose, would we?

I think the approach that abundance is about connecting with more money and more things, is misguided at best. Just like many followers of these practices, it comes across or gives the appearance that abundance, is like going to the catalog and ordering whatever it is that you feel you need or want. I know that these same places will tell you all day long that it is more than that, but yet if you boil down what they promote, it is one and the same. I'm sorry if I am stepping on toes here, but I truly believe people are missing the boat!

See, what I believe Michael Tamura is saying transcends the catalog approach to abundance. In this quoted section, it is our life's purpose and the intent to discover that purpose that gives us the sustinance or abundance that we need. It is more than opening a catalog and placing the order or thinking about that which we feel we need (new car, bigger paycheck, vacation, etc).

Even though this can make sense in a logical way, when you are tested through time to discover and fulfill your life's purpose, only then will this become a reality. We all want to know the answers to our life and we all want to know our path ahead, but the way we find this is by getting to know our self deeper and more fully. We connect into our own abundance by discovering our purpose and finding our way through life. No one can tell us what that is. It is only through becoming aware of who we are and connecting to our consciousness, that we can find the answers we need.

When we find what our life's purpose is, the rest of it will fall into place. Our needs will be met and our life will be fulfilled as we connect to this true source within our consciousness. I know it can get rough in life to allow things to unfold as they often do, but sometimes that is all part of building our path forward. Life is always there giving to our days. The key in life is to be patient long enough and have our eyes open, so when we connect with life's purpose, we will know it at first glance.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Unlimited Abundance (May 13, 2011)
2) Abundance Beliefs (Jun 4, 2011)
3) You Should Do This (Oct 10, 2011)

Resources:
1) You Are The Answer by Michael Tamura (On Amazon)

Stress Levels Detected In Human Voice

2011-12-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Research Study On Stress Level
Detected in the Human Voice

The University of Florida in Gainesville has been researching how the human voice changes in major ways under stress. While we may all suspect this or know this, the research is reported as a major break through, as one day it could be used to detect deception.

One surprise though in the research was that men and women respond differently to the same stressors. Originally, they were not going to test for differences between men and women, but decided to analyze the results separately. The expectation of the researchers before the study was that the results would be about the same between men and women.

The study used people from the community or local religious groups who were strongly associated with a group identity. Statements that were deceptive and truth based were recorded and used along with a threat that the results would be shown to fellow participants for judgement. Electric shock was also used to increase the stress load.

The stress responses were measured by pulse rate, skin conductance and self reports by the participants of discomfort that they perceived.

While I'm sure that this study is legitimate and well intentioned, I really have strong reservations about using people in the community or religious groups that are head strong and overly opinionated. Maybe I am paraphrasing too much about this study, but while these people do make up society, I'm not sure it really proves much.

In addition, the threat of judgement or electric shock to induce stress raises my stress level! When you push stress to these limits, you are bringing about an interaction of mind body connections that could be going back to some sort of trauma or past memory. When you combine this with the people they were using as subjects, that is almost a certainty in my mind. I would love to see a research study on this topic that was done in a more normal manner, rather than biased through the methods of this study.

Furthermore for me, it is not hard to determine through the voice, words, facial expression and body language that someone is telling the truth or being deceptive. I have watched Judge Judy on TV do this and I also do it. It isn't that hard for me to tell someone is lying. So, I'm not sure that someone studying stress levels or deception in a human voice is really giving us information that we don't already know. Of course, some might not be aware of it or conscious enough to see it, but that does not mean we can not already detect it.

I can only hope that further research will be done to corroborate a study such as this. In the future, I hope that a different group of test subjects will be used that will give more credibility to the results. One thing I have learned in life is that just because there is a study, it does not mean that it is a valid study. I'm sure the researchers would argue vehemently in this regards, but this is my opinion based upon my experience.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Body Language (Oct 7, 2011)
2) The Right Words, The Right Time (Jul 27, 2009)

Resource:
1) Study Shows Human Voice Level Conveys Stress Level
http://www.newswise.com/articles/studies-show-human-voice-conveys-stress-level-but-men-and-women-respond-differently-to-stress

Haunted By Forgiveness

2011-12-10T00:01:00.003-05:00

NC Mountains
Haunted By Forgiveness

Some days it is easier to become overwhelmed by all the experiences I have encountered in life. I am certain others could say the same. Yet, I realize that these circumstances or experiences give us the opportunity to become more acquainted with our authentic self.

It is easy to look at our day through the eyes of despair, knowing that life is difficult. No one could blame us at times because there are many that would not have enough courage to walk these paths. As much as this is true and valid, there is another way to our journey through life.

For a long time, I struggled to begin forgiving those who had harmed me. Of course, I had every right to feel the way I did, because I was deeply hurt and those feelings helped me find healing. It was not until I began to replace a word that has haunted me, with a higher concept that makes more sense to me personally. The word forgiveness is a haunting word and has so many negative connotations and meanings to me, because of my life's experiences.

Just as Oprah stated in the taping of the 200 Men episode, forgiveness is more about letting go of the hope that the past could have been different. Yes, the concept of forgiveness or letting go makes sense to me. However, the word forgiveness is not easy in my mind.

I am learning to focus on love and offering love to those experiences which are too painful to comprehend. By focusing on love, my mind is more able to let go of the past moments and accept my life as it is currently. By focusing on love, I am beginning to understand forgiveness in a deeper way.

I realize I can't change the past nor do I necessarily feel I should change it. I understand fully where these experiences brought me and how much they have shaped who I am. Without these horrors, I would not be offering my suffering as healing to the world.

In my life now, I am learning to focus on love, giving, sharing and receiving, so that I will continue to loosen the chains of the past upon my life. Even though forgiveness seems like bungee jumping, focusing on sending out love feels like walking. I choose to send out love so that I may continue walking through the journey of life.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Family And Forgiveness (Jul 6, 2011)
2) Oprah 200 Men Emmy Award (May 7, 2011)

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Courage To Keep Going

2011-12-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

Courage To Keep Going
Mile High Bridge, NC

Sometimes the courage to keep going is not a loud boisterous thunder from the tallest mountain. Often courage is the tiny little voice in the corner that says, I will try again.

When we face a night of despair, sometimes being silent is all we need to listen to that quiet voice within us. Sometimes just focusing on trying one more time is the kinetic energy to find our way through the night of despair.

It is in these moments that everything looks bleak, where we will find out way forward. If you are backed up against a wall, the only direction you can go is forward.

In these moments, keep an eye open for courage because most likely it will be standing right behind you. Courage will be waiting for your embrace to push you forward on your path.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Don't Give Up (Dec 28, 2010)

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Christmas Music

2011-12-08T00:01:00.006-05:00

Christmas Songs
By Don Shetterly

One of the things I love so much about Christmas is the music. Whether it is the Christmas Carols that we sing or holiday music playing on the radio, there is something pleasant and peaceful about these songs. These songs bring back some wonderful moments from my childhood. They transcend me from problems in this world to a magical time of hope and possibility.

I was often playing the piano during Christmas programs at church or for the high school choir. It was always a fun time for me and of all the music that I performed publicly, holiday music was what I most enjoyed. Playing Christmas carols music in nursing homes or hospitals on the piano, often made the residents and patients gleam with joy. It warmed my heart as well with peace and love.

If you love Christmas music, I think you will enjoy the Christmas music download of the CD I created. These are some of my favorite Christmas carols music that I love to listen to and play on the piano. This is very relaxing piano Christmas music that has received some wonderful feedback. The CD can be purchased on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster or other online digital sites.

Here are the Christmas Carols on the CD.

Silent Night, Holy Night
Angels From The Realms Of Glory
Away In A Manger
The First Noel (Nowell)
What Child Is This?
We Three Kings
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
O Come All Ye Faithful
Joy To The World
Deck The Halls
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
Christmas Morning Bells
Christmas Medley

The total length of this CD is 38 minutes and it is all piano Christmas music played and performed by Don Shetterly (Me). There is no singing in any of these songs. Christmas Morning Bells is my own creation of the hope and joy of Christmas morning as the bells ring in Christmas. Christmas Medley is a medley of The First Noel (Nowell), Angels From The Realms Of Glory, and Away In A Manger.

If you need to find lyrics to these Christmas Carols, I have put together a pdf that you can download for free. It is on my ChristmasPianoSongs.com site and is about 6 pages long. It always seems like you can never find the lyrics in a format that you can easily and quickly print when you need them during the holidays. I have tried to make this available to help out in those times where you have a Christmas party or celebration and you need the lyrics.

Lyrics and Christmas Music Download:
ChristmasPianoSongs.com

Related Blog Posts:
1) Don Shetterly In Home Christmas Concert YouTube Video (Dec 8, 2011)
2) Christmas Music Piano (Nov 3, 2011)

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Don Shetterly In Home Christmas Concert YouTube Video

2011-12-08T00:01:00.000-05:00

Christmas Piano Music
YouTube Video
Don Shetterly

In 2007, I created a video of an in-home Christmas concert. The song that is playing on this YouTube Video is the Christmas Medley from my CD, Christmas Songs. It is one of my favorites. The songs that make up the Christmas Medley are The First Noel (Nowell), Angels From The Realms Of Glory, and Away In A Manger. The entire video is around 5:24 minutes in length. To date, it has had over 24,000 views.

Some people has asked how I put these songs together in the flowing manner that I do and to be honest, I have no idea how to explain this concept. I learned a long time ago when I was playing for churches, how to flow one song to the next. It is one of those talents that I have and it is what you see coming through in this medley. Most of the time, the songs flow together naturally and I do not give it any thought. Usually, they just happen.

I hope you enjoy this video on YouTube. I'll have to do some more of this because it has received so many wonderful comments. I don't share my music enough in this way and I believe it gives it a much deeper dimension when people can actually see you perform and play the piano. It brings it to life. Please feel free to comment on YouTube if you like it and share it with all your friends.

YouTube Video: Christmas Piano Music by Don Shetterly

Christmas Songs CD: ChristmasPianoSongs.com

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Blame Someone, Blame Anyone

2011-12-07T00:01:00.005-05:00

Blame Someone
Blame Anyone

All too often in a day, I see in our society and even throughout the world, humans finding some entity to blame. Everyone wants to blame someone or blame anyone, but they never look at the any part of their own life that could be a contributor. Often, humans do not even realize that they are doing this or that they are part of the collective energy of blame.

It's easy to focus on the person making the accusation or the person that was negligent. It's easy to blame the ones that the mob hails in society as the person(s) we should hold as responsible. What is difficult to do every day, is to quit blaming people and start living one's life to the fullest.

I do find it amazing that we often blame things that are entities in our country and society, but yet we cannot walk up to these entities and touch them. Even though they exist, they really do not. Take for instance, the economy. It affects every person, but it is made of each person it affects. Yet, instead of taking personal responsibility, we blame the thing that we have all made up and created. The health care industry is another example of this concept. War and the political process are further examples.

You see, we are each to blame for what we so loathe and hate. However, as humans, we don't want to take personal responsibility. We just want to point the fingers at other people. It takes the spotlight off of us and makes us feel relief inside. Money and power feed off the finger pointing and the energy it creates, adds power to the equation. The thing is, it destroys each human and the collective society as a whole. Our minds begin to believe that which we feed to ourselves and our bodies began to walk lock step with those who believe what we have fed to ourselves.

In addition, we have another entity called the news and political system of our day which is nothing more than putting a spot light on those we blame. We are so past the ability to recognize what is truth these days and we swallow up each morsel fed to us as if it is our last meal. In our modern day, we are fed the last meal almost every second of the day and night.

In our society, the abused victim is blamed. You can see it in the children that are abused and raped to the women who have had affairs or been sexually harrassed. You see it in the people who dare to stand up and call someone out for their corruption. You see it in the corporations that manage their image through public relations and advertising. It is evident in those we don't understand or who are different than us. If you look around and open your eyes, you will see its existence in many areas.

Greed through control and manipulation is at the heart of blame. I so remember growing up in a family that always had to blame someone. It was reinforced by a church that had to blame anyone they felt was warranted. It did not make us better people. In fact, it made us into the same monsters that we so hated. It was the way to live in life and by blaming someone, it was the way to become accepted into the group.

I'm sure there are many reading this that will first say, I don't do this. The problem is everyone else. The problem is this group or that group, not me! Yet, I offer to you that we all share this blame. How we lead our life and how much we allow ourselves to focus on greed and control rather than being human, is just as much a part of the problem as anyone that angers us. Unless we are becoming part of the solution in our own life, we are part of the problem. The entities that we blame are not somewhere floating around us. They are part of us. They are us!

Being human is about learning to live in awareness and consciousness. It is not about getting sucked up in the energy of the day that feeds upon us like a black hole. Being human is not about blame and it is not about control and manipulation. It is about becoming more honest with our self, understanding all there is about who we are and what our purpose is on earth. It isn't about singing happy thoughts all day long, but being aware enough about our existence that we truly know who we are in that moment. Then, from that point forward, we are not blaming others but instead we are continually striving to learn more about who we are and the impact we have on our world.

Related Blog Posts:
1) How Awake Are We? (Jan 18, 2010)
2) David And Goliath Meet Fear (Feb 24, 2010)
3) Anger In Our World (Jan 5, 2011)

Give Your Christmas Cards A Free Smiley

2011-12-06T00:01:00.007-05:00

Give Your Christmas
Cards A Free Smiley

Christmas can be such a wonderful time of the year. It is filled with anticipation of a magical day to come. The Christmas cookies, the tree, and all the Christmas carols make December a fun-filled month.

Of course, we cannot forget the Christmas card. It is a tradition practiced among friends, businesses and organizations. In fact, it is estimated that each household sends out approximately 30 Christmas cards each year, and in the US, over 3 billion are sent through the mail.

It is always a pleasure and a joy to receive Christmas cards in the mail. When I get a card in the mail, I tape it to the door frames around our house and it becomes a festive decoration that just adds to the season. However, I'm not as diligent sending them out as some of my friends.

Here's an idea that I believe will give you an added bonus when sending out your Christmas cards this year. I'm not sure if you have heard of the Give A Smiley Project, but it is a movement to send out free downloadable smileys in the mail. It is very and easy to do. The purpose is to light up the day of the person receiving the smiley, and by doing so, help change the world one smiley at a time.

Imagine someone you are sending the Christmas card to opens the envelope, and out pops this free smiley. Instead of them just receiving a Christmas card or a routine family newsletter, they have something that will warm their heart and bring joy to their day. It is the perfect way to really make a difference. Since you are already sending them something in the mail, it will take very little extra time to include a free smiley.

You may be thinking that this sounds too simple, but believe me, from the responses that I have seen, a smiley from the Give A Smiley Project can really change the day of the recipient. It is just so simple and easy to do that everyone should be doing this. Of course, don't take my word for it. If you don't believe that it will impact people in a big way, put them in your Christmas cards and see just how many positive responses you get! I'll bet you will be pleasantly surprised, and doing this will add more joy to your life.

Have a smiley filled day!

Smiley Project - http://SmileyProject.com

Top Book Reviews, Dec 2011 - You Are The Answer

2011-12-05T00:01:00.011-05:00

You Are The Answer
Michael Tamura

If you would like to see other book reviews in this series, please check out the blog post on May 4, 2011. On the 5th of every month, I post a new book review (or that is the plan at least) of books that I have been reading.

Many months ago, I was browsing through a Barnes And Noble bookstore and came across this book, You Are The Answer. The book was one of those that really caught my attention on the shelf. I purchased the book and added it to my stack of books to read. Finally months later, I began to read it and I am so glad that I did.

This book is filled with common sense, down to earth thoughts about how to truly find yourself in life. The subtitle of this book is Discovering And Fulfilling Your Soul's Purpose. I had never heard of Michael Tamura until this point but what he says in this book makes sense. It is written in such a plain language and with easy concepts so you really get what he is talking about in the book.

Some of my favorite sections in the book include some of the following pages.

Page 22 is a section where he explains and describes "spirit" but he does so through the use of an analogy of water. We all know that the states of water can be steam, liquid or frozen and yet, even if it is in one of these states, it is still water. Spirit is the same way. Spirit appears to us in the form that we can best see it in that moment.

Page 33, he talks about how we are either in our body or we are out of our body. We do this by trying to be someone other than who we are or some place other than the present moment. We all do this. It is part of being human, but there is a greater part of being human, which is learning how to be present in our body.

Page 39, weaknesses are something that people fight, he explains, but in all reality our weaknesses make us what we are and turn out to be our greatest powers. It is so easy to look at what we don't have or what we think is our deficiencies and succumb to the weight of these conditions. Yet, if we truly look at what we gain from these moments, we'll see how positive they are, instead of how negative we view them.

I could literally keep going for a long time about many sections of this book. In fact, I plan to write more in future blog posts about this book because there were so many great places in it. It is written in common language and the concepts aren't so far out there that makes it a book I would highly recommend. Yes, there are places in the book that challenge the frontiers of my own beliefs, but I'm willing to peek into those areas and see what I can learn.

If you are desiring more for your life and searching to understand more about your soul's purpose, this book is for you. I'm sure you will be like I am and find it difficult to put down, once you start reading it. Even though Michael J. Tamura talks about his struggle to be a writer and the author of this book, I believe he did an excellent job when he wrote, You Are The Answer - Discovering And Fulfilling Your Soul's Purpose.

Related Blog Posts
1) Top Book Reviews (May 4, 2011)
2) Crises Wake Us Up (Dec 14, 2011)

Resources:
1) You Are The Answer by Michael Tamura (Amazon)

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Religious Experience and Brain Scanning

2011-12-04T00:01:00.003-05:00

Principles Of Neurotheology
By Dr. Andrew Newberg

In the movie, Religulous, Dr. Andrew Newberg was interviewed on his work in Neurotheology. He studies show how religious experiences and practices impact the brain by doing brain scans of various religious people. Gone are the days that we have to guess about what happens in a person when we can see it first hand through a brain scan. This field of study is called neurotheology detailed in a book called "Principles of Neurotheology".

While people are in a very deep spiritual or religious state, these researchers do brain scans. Some of the people they have studied include a Buddhist meditating, Sikhs chanting, and nuns praying. They compare these brain scans to that of the person at a state of rest and observe the difference. This research has given them a big opportunity to really see what happens within the mind and body when someone is taking part in a religious or spiritual practice.

This work has also shown that religious practices have also helped the brain of a person with memory problems. After doing meditation for 12 minutes a day over eight weeks, they found dramatic improvements in the brain scans.

While neurotheology won't necessarily prove that there is a higher power, it does show that religious and spiritual practices do impact our brain in positive ways. The brain scans do not necessarily show an existence of a higher power, but they do show that there is an impact from these practices.

I find it interesting that we can now see things like this on images that several years ago we could not see. There is so much about our brain that we have not discovered yet and we are really at the forefront of that discovery in our present day. More importantly though, a time of connecting to places deep within our mind and body can greatly help our life as evidenced through this new field of study.

Related Blog Posts:
1) Giving Away Our Power (Feb 4, 2009)
2) Brain, Mind And Behavior (Oct 24, 2011)

Resources:
1) AndrewNerberg.com (Dr. Andy Newberg)
2) Principles Of Neurotheology (Book by Dr. Andrew Newberg
3) Neurotheology, This Is Your Brain On Religion (NPR.com article)
4) Religulous (Movie by Bill Maher)
5) Sikhs Religion (Sikhs.org)

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Intuition Comes From The Heart

2011-12-03T00:01:00.014-05:00

http://www.heartmath.org

In the movie, I Am, produced by Tom Shadyack, the HeartMath Institute was one of the featured organizations in the film. They are doing some wonderful research in the area of the heart and the connection to our mind. There is a great deal we do not understand about our heart and the mind body connection. I am happy to see an institute like this focus time, energy, and money on this part of our human existence.

In a recent study, the HeartMath Institute found that the heart picks up intuitive information a second or more quicker than the brain. Intuition or a pre-stimulus response can be identified and measured within the body.

Using a research method of gambling, one of the points measured was heart rate variability. Heart rate variability is the difference between heart beats. Employing a roulette wheel, the participants were told that they were doing a gambling study and the goal was to win as much money as possible.

Researchers found that the post bet win/loss response was evident 12 to 14 seconds before the result was made known to the participant. They do note that this is an earlier response than most documented research has shown. However, like the other trials, there is a pre-stimulus or intuition response.

In addition to this research, they also tested the effect of the moon's full moon and new moon stages. In their research, they found that a full moon had a slightly higher win ratio of 52% versus 48% during new moon stages. In addition, more money was lost during a new moon period ($20.15) versus a full moon period ($7.74).

People always talk about the "gut feeling" they have when experiencing various events in life or making major decisions. I often listen to my gut feeling and I use it in making decisions. If the decision is not one that is good, I often know it in my gut long before my brain sorts through the facts. This is dependent upon the listening to my body, rather than being shut off from my body. Even during moments where I pick up on things that may not be safe in my surroundings, it always comes from that "gut feeling" which is translated to my brain.

I can't help but think of the natives in Thailand who fled the coast before the Tsunami struck. They listened to "something" within their body that told them danger was coming and to get to higher ground. No one had to tell them, because they were already connected to their body and the world around them.

I find it amazing that the body has so much more potential and capability than we tap into. We hunker down in our corners of life thinking we know all there is too know. Yet, the more we learn, the more we realize just how much we don't know. As the show, X Files, states, "The Truth Is Out There", but we must go and find it.

Intuition is alive in us, but I believe we are so wrapped up with the daily stress of our lives and we misdirect where our attention is placed, that we fail to connect with intuition. So much of what we need for our day and our lives is within us, but because of being asleep, we go searching in places that will not give us what we so badly need. My hope is that this study will help people to awake more to the potential we have, rather than where we are at in this moment.

Related Blog Posts
1) Intuition And Gut Feelings (Aug 22, 2010)

Resources:
1) New Study Further Supports Intuition (HeartMath Institute)

Heart Attack Myths

2011-12-02T00:01:00.004-05:00

Heart Attack Myths And
The Missing X Factor

Deepak Chopra had an excellent article on his website that should be discussed and talked about more in our society. The article, Heart Attack Myths And the Missing X Factor, is one that I feel is a must read. Sometimes I get pretty hard on the medical establishment and I'm sure that I have turned many people off at times with what I write. However, the paradigms that we follow when it comes to healthcare are often not based upon as much truth as we are led to believe. There is a place for modern medicine but I wish that the establishment would dump their paradigms. We would all be better off as a result.

In the article, Deepak Chopra makes some very valid points. One such point is that many conditions are hard to treat because people identify with or latch on to the wrong cure. If you need any evidence, look at the explosion of pharmaceutical companies, the dollar amounts we pay for medications and medical care, and then compare it to the overall state of health in our country. If all of these practices worked like they are advertised, we would be much healthier in our country than we are at this point. Our health care costs are skyrocketing and yet we are not making progress when it comes to these health conditions in our society.

What is advertised about heart attacks and cholesterol is different than what we have been taught. No, I'm not a medical physician that can state facts here, but I'm talking more about what I have learned for my own life. Health conditions that we see show up are more a function of what is happening in our inner core, not something we get or our genetics dictates or that current trends lead us to believe is inevitable. Yes, you can disagree with me if you want, but this is what I have found to be true in my own life.

At one point, I had so many health problems that I thought my life was doomed. I come from a family who struggle with all kinds of health issues. I thought it was inevitable that I would function in the same way. I can honestly say that my life is much better now that I have healed from the inside out. My awareness is so much different and I can see the power I hold within (like every human has) to heal our self and keep our self healthy. Conditions that show up in our body are more a function of what is going on inside of us, rather than something we have no control over.

I urge you to read Deepak Chopra's article on heart attacks because he offers some very good scientific fact and reasoning regarding heart attacks and cholesterol usage and the missing x factor. If you take anything away from this blog post, please understand that what we think is the truth in medicine is not always the truth.

Related Blog Posts
1) Modern Medical Paradigms (Nov 26, 2011)
2) Most Common Misdiagnosis In Medicine (Mar 18, 2011)
3) US Healthcare Costs Skyrocket (Nov 30, 2010)

Sources
1) Heart Attack Myths And The Missing X Factor (DeepakChopra.com)

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