Fear On Autopilot

I see this subject talked about online so much, but yet few too many people fully understand it.  Even,  I consider myself a life long learner when it comes to the subject of fear.  Yet, there is so much more I need to learn to fully understand fear.

We are on autopilot more than we realize with fear.

Fear is insidious.

Fear is clever and crafty.

Fear hides from our awareness and view. 

We may think we see fear and we may connect with some of our fears, but far too much of it goes hidden from our view.  It keeps us blind to that which we cannot see and it keeps us numb and disconnected.

So if fear is on autopilot in our lives, how do we notice it?  How do we go in and deal with it?  How do we become aware of it?

For if you're not aware of something, it is pretty difficult to work on it.  If you're not aware of its existence in your life, why would you even be concerned?

Through much of the deep trauma healing work I've done with Dr. Paul Canali, we've come up on the fear that I often don't realize is there.  It is just too easy to miss it and often like I said, "fear keeps us blind".  Yet, fear controls so much of our lives.

One of the first things we do on the table in a Unified Therapy healing session with Dr. Canali is we are asked to "sense what is going on in our body".  Now, that may sound stupid and simple, but believe me, most of the time we as humans walk our days not fully sensing and feeling - even if we think we do.

When you stop and start to allow your mind to sense, you see so much that you didn't see moments earlier.  Generally, fear will be the next thing you sense, because it wants you to keep your eyes closed to the deeper truths of your life and your own awareness and consciousness.

When you come up on that fear you start to connect with, it almost feels like a gigantic mountain that you can't move.  If you can go into that fear, then you begin to take back its power and see just how much it is physically robbing from you.  Often times, it means doing this with a trusted healer, friend, or therapist that knows how to walk through the fires with you.

If you allow yourself to go through this process of feeling and sensing which leads to discovery, you'll be more amazed at just how much fear takes your life on autopilot without you knowing it is there.  Remember, fear is insidious.  It keeps us blind to that which would take its power away.

The thing is, this is not just a mental exercise.  Yes, you can attempt to program your mind to numb and disconnect from fear, but it only burrows deeper within your mind and body.  It is only when you go in and look at it face to face that you begin the process of reclaiming the power it has stolen from you.

I don't write these things as a mental concept that is unproven.  I write them from my own experiences of healing from trauma.  We are just so alseep in this world and not aware of as much as we think we are.

We have our fears being on autopilot to thank for that.  However, if we choose too, we can go in and take our life back.  It just begins with stopping to sense and feel in our body.

But come here fear.... 

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Are You On Autopilot

Many of us, if not all, go through our days on autopilot.  We function in regards to the tasks we need to do, the stresses we face and all the baggage we lug along with us every moment.  We've got our responsibilities and duties that demand our time and attention.

So, what consumes your thoughts in a day? 

Are you on autopilot?

Unless you live in a situation where all your needs are met 100% of the day and you have no responsibilities, you are living on autopilot at some point during your day.  How much of the day that takes up varies from one person to another and how busy our life gets.

It is human nature to stay on autopilot.  You would not be able to take care of everything in your day if you were thinking how the sun felt upon your face or how pretty the birds and flowers were.  You would fall behind quickly.

We stay on autopilot...

Unfortunately, we stay on autopilot and then autopilot takes over our life.  It consumes us in ways that we don't even see.  We become unconscious to the effects and its control.  We just continue day in and day out, not seeing anything beyond autopilot.

It is helpful if we can stop and take ourselves off of autopilot.  Noticing the things around us, including the sun, clouds, birds, flowers and trees will go a long ways to pulling us back into a grounded life.  If we just stay in the tasks and responsibilities of our day, we're only causing great pain and discomfort in our lives.

Take a moment...

Take a moment right now and walk outside the door.  See if you can hear the birds or maybe the wind flow gently through the trees.  Maybe you can notice the color of the grass and how it changes from place to place on the ground.  Maybe you can notice how the air feels or the sun feels on your skin and body.  The more you can see and observe this, the more you know you're connected to this moment right now.

Take a moment right now and feel how your breath rises and falls or the speed of the inhalation and exhalation.  Can you impact your breath rate?  Can you change the deepness or shallowness of it?  See how much you can feel and know that the more you can feel it, the more grounded you become.

When we can stop and sense or see and feel in our body, it is then that we have come back home.  It is then that we are no longer on autopilot, but secured in the moment of now and the experience of being alive.  It is in this moment that we are one with ours self, not disconnected and distracted by the thoughts and fears of the day.

Stay on autopilot when you need to get the tasks done in your day, but don't forget during the day to come back home in your body and feel alive.  Don't forget to honor and respect yourself by taking care of your life, not just living on autopilot.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Connect To The Subconscious Mind

This is something that crosses all paths in life.  It is not just one concept, but a foundational concept on which it can be used and applied in many different ways.  Connecting to the subconscious mind is something that the body and the mind can be trained to do.

In the early days of healing when you have a great amount of stress and past experiences or trauma built up, connecting with the subconscious mind may not be easy.  It may very likely a big challenge to do this.  After being put under great duress for long periods of time, the mind and body don't trust anything you would do to upset the delicate balance these struggles have created.

Be patient with yourself if you are attempting to do this for the first time.  It may take some time of working with it and it may take someone that is trained in this area to help. If you've been running from the tiger in the jungle, it isn't going to be easy to convince yourself that you are no longer running.  This is at the heart of connecting to the subconscious mind.

Connecting to the subconscious mind is allowing yourself a safe place without distraction to just stop.  Stopping from the hustle of your day and allowing yourself to go in and feel.  Allowing yourself to go in and sense.  Allowing yourself to just be in that moment with nothing else that matters.

While you  may think that this is meditation, it is similar but different.  Meditation helps you to turn off your mind and just be in the moment.  However, what I am discussing is that when you do this, you do it through your senses.

What do I mean, do it through your senses?

As you begin to just stop and be in the moment, ponder or ask yourself,

• What do I notice in my body?  
• What do I sense?  
• What do I feel?"  

You are focusing on what you sense and feel, but you're not trying to make sense of it.  You're just observing it.  You are noticing it.  You are inviting it in and asking what is there.

Senses can be anywhere from what you feel in your skin, muscles, or tissues to noticing a smell or a feeling of warmth or coldness.  It can be noticing how much your breath is holding back or how shallow it may to even how deep it is.  Anything you can sense is valid here.  There is no right and no wrong observations.

Observe and Stay with your senses...

The more you observe the sensations, the more they may intensify.  This may be the point where you need a safe person trained in these concepts to help be there with you, holding the space and safety for you to explore these new things.

The more you can stay with these sensations and just observe them, the more they have the potential to physically change in that moment.  Allowing and surrendering to these things, gives you the power to connect and reclaim the parts that have become disconnected.  As you do this, you reclaim the energy that is stored up in these areas which is robbing you of much needed daily strength and a deep sense of peace.

Use breath, sound, movement

Often, it helps to use your breath to work through these moments, along with sounds and movements.  These aren't wild movements or sounds or breaths, but connected where it is like you are using them to observe that which you are feeling.  I always look at it as if I am using a magnifying glass to observe and the way I do this is through connected movement, sounds, and breathing.

The process is more involved then the simplistic way I am describing it.  I'm just trying to lay the foundation to more fully understand that there is a way to connect with your subconscious mind.  The more you do it, the more you reclaim the disconnected parts of your life.

Not just a mental exercise...

This is not just a mental exercise.  It is an exercise that is very body oriented where you connected with the subconscious mind.  It is very physical, but not in the sense that we normally understand.  It is physical because you are using your senses and observation to connect with something much deeper and greater within your mind and body.

You are not trying to put the reason you think these sensations show up.  Don't make the mistake of thinking that if you pain in one area it means x,y,z because you will limit this experience.  You will be connected to your thoughts rather to the felt sense within you.  It will not get you to the point you need to go in order to connect with the subconscious. There may be a story that evolves from this experience, but it is not the focus of what you are trying to do.  You're trying to step out of your logical mind and feel and sense.

A very powerful healing concept...

The power of this concept once you learn and understand it is beyond comprehension.  I've seen very physical issues in my own body change and heal right before my eyes.  I have seen this happen in other people in some very real ways that would almost be too hard to believe if you had not seen them.

The subconscious mind is a powerful force that tries to keep us operating in life even when we throw so much stress and trauma at it.  However, if we avoid and disconnect from it and numb our self to it, we make it that much harder to connect to it.  By avoidance and disconnection, we sentence our life to struggles that work hard to take us under.  The more you avoid something, the stronger that reaction becomes in your mind and body.

I'm not sharing pie-in-the-sky concepts.  These are truths that I have discovered through the work of Dr. Paul Canali and Unified Therapy.  I have seen how these things have impacted me in some very powerful and life-changing ways.

If we all can begin to understand just how much we avoid and numb and disconnect in our day, we have the possibility to make a different choice of what we do.  It is through the felt sense and stopping to notice and observe that we offer ourselves the greatest healing power.  This is not new age mumbo jumbo.  This is real healing work that makes a difference.

Further Reading:

1. When A Subconscious Mind Is Exposed (Sep 13, 2016)
2. Subconscious Mind Impacted By Past Experiences (Sep 14, 2016)
3. Subconscious Disconnected By Numbing (Sep 15, 2016)
4. Connect To The Subconscious Mind (Sep 16, 2016)

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Being Highly Sensitive and Energetic Boundaries

A friend of mine on twitter asked me a question today and I thought it was something worthy of a blog post.  Sometimes on twitter, 140 characters is not enough to even begin answering anything.

The question was:  "Do you find energetic boundary setting helps with the amount of energy you receive?"

@mindbodythought nice post! Do you find energetic boundary setting helps with the amount of energy you receive (bubble meditation etc)?

— Metaphysicalmusings (@talking2spirits) July 9, 2016

I know many people promote the idea of bathing yourself in white light and making a bubble that surrounds you to keep out unwanted energy.  I believe that is essentially what my friend is asking and so I'll share with you what I do.  By no means am I a master of this because I still struggle with it just like everyone else does.

A very wise teacher once cautioned me against trying to limit the energy I picked up or wrapping myself in a bubble or a white light.  Now, I'm sure for those who have been taught to do this, I'm probably contradicting your beliefs and insights.  That's okay with me if you think my way is incorrect.  I have to do what works for me.

For me, I pick up a ton of stuff when I'm around people.  Granted, I try to throttle this down a little, because I don't need to be inundated with things that I can do nothing about or have no way to impact.  For a long time I didn't understand how to do this and I still struggle a little with it, but it is kind of like turning down the volume knob on a radio.  You can still hear the radio, but it is a much lower volume.

When I'm working with someone, I turn it all the way up using my mind to do this.  I want to sense and see and feel everything I can with someone because those inputs usually are my guiding lights to see where I need to go.  Without these inputs, I would be dead in the water.

Often if I'm working on people or with people, its almost like I feel their pain in my body.  I've had countless people surprised and shocked that somehow I know their pain in an area is gone.  It is because I literally feel that pain in my own body and so when it goes away, I know it is gone.  Again, it guides me into the areas I need to focus on.

If I tried to dial all that back and block it by wrapping myself in white light or using a bubble concept, I don't think I would feel and sense all that I needed to in order to help others.  I think it would diminish this greatly.  In fact, I don't just think - I know from experience it does diminish what I sense and feel.

Yes, I know there is negative and bad energy out there.  It is everywhere and these days, you can find it online through social media as much as you can by interacting physically with someone.  The way I deal with this is that I know I am protected and guided by something much greater than myself or the negative energy that is around me.  I feel secure with that knowledge and I always ask for help and guidance.

A very important part of this is that I've done a tremendous amount of work on myself and I continue to do this every day.  I do not settle for where I'm at, but where I can go.  As a result, I've managed to connect with a high vibration that sort of keeps me above the fray, especially when I'm working with others.  It is this intense deep work that has helped me unshackle some of the things that normally hold us down and diminish our vibration.

I just want to be there for all people in the best way that I can and for me, if I hold back or filter out all that could come my way, then I feel like I'm not doing what I need to do.  I personally feel from what I've seen that if I filter things out, I miss some of the clues I need.  I know I'm protected and I embrace this part of me.

If I find I've been triggered or I pick something up, then I have people that I go to who can help balance that back out so I can let it go.  Triggers are a good way for me to go deeper into my own healing and awareness, even if they make things uncomfortable at times.  In these moments, I see opportunities with people because I believe the things we need to grow in life from, are often introduced by the people we come in contact with every day.

A good video on Emotional Fitness is an interview that Jim Fazio did with Dr. Paul Canali.  It is up on YouTube and you can click on the image below to view it.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Overwhelmed By All That I Sense

Some days I get really tired of it.  I pick up way too much from others whether it is reading words online or being in close proximity to another person.  I see what isn't written, and I feel what they are feeling.  I see what lies behind the body expressions or the words that are spoken and the sounds I hear.  To me, it is all just a normal part of life I deal with and often exhausts me.

Yes, I'm learning how to dial it down, but I still feel the energy and feelings that surround me.  It is like everyone walks around with this big bubble of stuff on the outside and in that it is filled with so much information about them.  That's the part I pick up constantly.  It is no different for me, then looking at someone and seeing what color hair they have, or the colors they are wearing or any other thing you may notice in someone.

Living As A Highly Sensitive Person

For those who aren't in touch with their emotions, this may or may not mean much to you.  However, I would hope that you will read this so you can understand more what highly sensitive people deal with in a day.  Everyone interacts with sensitive people each day of their life.  The more you know about how they operate, the more you can function more effectively in this world.

As I have written before, I am one of these highly sensitive people.  I sense, pick up, and connect with so much that I even have a difficult time making sense of it.  In fact, I am sometimes not even aware of all that I pick up, but I feel it all the way to my bone.  Some days it helps me greatly and other days it is pure hell to deal with in life.

For instance, when I walk into a building and/or office, I can sense an energy or a feel to the place.  Within moments, I get a generalized sense of many characteristics of that building and/or office.  It isn't just the decor or interior decorating.  It isn't just the pleasantness of the receptionist or the cold hard stares.  It is much more than that and I base all of my reactions in regards to what my senses tell me.

Another case where this comes into play is in a sense of knowing that certain events may take place.  I'm not talking about being psychic here, although many may claim it is and they may be right.  I'm talking about a sense of knowing that things aren't going to go the way everyone intends or that things aren't quite right.  Recently, I went to a potential job site the night before so I could make sure I would be able to find the building.  When I arrived at the building, I instantly knew that this was not the place for the job, but had no way to verify it.  Sure enough, the next day my intuition and gut sense feeling was spot on.

Just Get Over It

I'm sure we have heard the following phrase at some point in our life whether it was at home in our family growing up, or in society through our job or social contacts.  If you haven't heard the phrase, "Just get over it", then you're one of the lucky few.

All too often when people go through extraordinary circumstances that are challenging, it isn't easy to move past those moments.  It takes time and it takes a lot of courage to get your life back.  Unfortunately people who are triggered by the stories of others or are just oblivious to what another person is going through, comes out in the way of this very insensitive remark, just get over it!

When confronted with threats and traumatic experiences, animals have the ability to fight back or escape whereas humans usually cannot do this.  In our civilized society, we are taught that we just move on in life after some experience has taken place and stuff our feelings and emotions deep inside of us.  If you're a male in our society, I think it is more difficult because men are supposed to be in control, show little emotion and just be strong.  To be seen in any other way is to be considered weak.  I'm sure females have similar experiences, but since I'm not female I cannot speak to that consideration.

Stop, Sense and Feel

One of the most healthiest things we can do for our mind and body is very simple.  It doesn't take more than a minute to do and you can do it at any time, any place or in a crowd of people.  Here's the phrase to help you.  Stop, Sense and Feel.  Yes, that's it!

If you take a moment in your busy day and just stop, allowing yourself to sense and feel, you will be amazed at just how much more healthy your mind and body can become.  It really isn't that hard.  It seems simple, but yet it is profound.

Of course, don't take my word for it.  Try it in your day and see what happens!

Wake Up Documentary And My Experiences

Wake Up - The Film
Jonas Elrod

A new documentary hitting the TV was on the OWN network recently.  Oprah interviewed the creator of the film, Jonas Elrod, about his experiences before allowing everyone to view the film on the Super Soul Sunday program.  This is a real life documentary of Jonas Elrod regarding an experience that happened to him and still continues to this day.  While I'm sure there are many that would look at this film with complete skepticism, I would urge everyone to keep an open mind and see what you can learn.

There are things out there that exist and take place which we may not be able to see at this point in our life or in our day.  We often live in our own little world, oblivious to what is around us.  Sometimes our awareness and consciousness is so limited that it could be contained in a small storage jar.  Just because we cannot see something or we don't think it exists, gives no credible evidence that we are correct.

In this movie, Wake Up, Jonas Elrod recounts and shows his experience of going from an every day person to one seeing auras, shapes, demonic type things, angels, spirits, etc.  Jonas was not a spiritual and religious person, but just a regular guy working in a regular job trying to make his way in life.  To view more information about the movie, click this link.

The movie really resonates with me because I've had similar experiences.  It is important to note, that I do not get the full detail like Jonas does, but I have seen and sensed some of these things in dramatic ways.  I'm sure if I saw all of these things at once, I'd probably freak out and hide, much like Jonas most likely wanted to do.

Life Looks Easy For Everyone Else

Life looks easy for everyone else. Me, I have struggled all my life and every moment has been tough. People have explained it one way or another as to why it has happened. At the end of the day, some things resonate and others I question. In fact, many I question.

I don't understand fully why I have experienced the things I have but yet, somehow I have made it this far in life. On all accounts, I should be dead but I was given a second chance. It was not my time that day in the hospital. With everything I have been through, the odds are not in my favor.

Sensitive sums up my life and the more I discover about myself, the more aware I become, I see just how far that goes to explain my life. I cannot even begin to describe what all I sense but it is often overwhelming. Many times I am frightened and confused by that which I sense.

Most just see me as knowing things but sometimes it is a living hell to me. I'm not always sure what to do with this information that I sense. Neither do I trust it fully. It is like a beloved and hated twin. At the same time, I want to know more, discover more and understand more of that which is around me and that which I sense.

There seems to be nowhere to turn. All the people who act as if they have the answers don't understand enough to really know what they are saying. Yet, it does not stop them from trying to offer or sometimes force their answers upon you.

I know that this journey I am on is one I must walk. I know I have to hold on to the courage and strength that I have deep within my soul. Deep down, I know there is a purpose for the struggles I have endured. However, it has not been fully revealed to me in full clarity. I sense it is not yet time for this to occur.

So, I continue to walk step by step hoping that as I do, all of this will be revealed more clearly. I attempt to keep my fears at bay, as I continue to ready my ship for sail.



Blog Post & Images (c) 3/24/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Clutter In Our Life, Part 10

Clutter #10 - We Fail To Evolve
Part 10 of 10

All too often, we settle for what is expected of us in a day as dictated by what we were taught growing up, by what society emphasizes and what we allow our minds to focus on. If your life is not changing constantly for the better and if you are not getting those ahh haa moments frequently in your week, than you might just be standing at the edge of the mud puddle rather than wading through it.

All too often, we focus on treating the symptoms of life and engaging in things that have no bearing upon us becoming all we can be as humans. We settle for second best and we continue to search for answers when in fact, what we need is located within us.

The problem is that we don't go inside and become completely acquainted with every part of our being. The things that scare us or trip us up become bad parts that we lock up in cages. The things that make us uncomfortable, we try to avoid. The feelings that frighten us or the pains that haunt us are ones that we run to others asking that they explain and take them away.

Evolving as humans and becoming all we can be is about going deep inside and discovering every part of yourself that you can. It is about connecting the thoughts, feelings, emotions and fears to the places they reside in the body so that you will be able to let them go.

Many people try to fool themselves in many ways but in the end, if you don't deal with these things in your life, they will deal with you. You can wrap them in fancy religious or new age terms all you want but at the end of your days, you will find you just lived life as an illusion.

The more we feel, sense and become aware of in our body, the more we live life to the fullest. When we live life to the fullest, it is then that we are becoming more conscious and evolving into the next phase of our life.

Come back tomorrow for the 30 day challenge of this series, Clutter In Our Life. Below are the various parts to this series that you can read as well.

Clutter In Our Life Series
- Introduction
Part 1: Spending our hours watching TV news
Part 2: Keeping Ourselves Constantly Busy
Part 3: Numbing Ourselves
Part 4: Following Blindly
Part 5: Food Choices
Part 6: Health care, Doctors, and Medicine
Part 7: Hydrating Our Bodies
Part 8: Thinking We Have The Answers
Part 9: Exercise Is For Another Day
Part 10: We Fail To Evolve
- The 30 Day Challenge


Blog Post & Images (c) 3/20/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Meditation Thoughts At The Park

Stop for this moment.

Feel the gentle breeze on your face.
It is a calming breeze, full of peace

Watch the butterfly zip about from tree to tree.
Notice the serene ripples in the water.
Hear these sounds of nature rustle through the tree.

What do they say to you?
How do they make you feel?
Can you pin point the place in your body where you feel them?

What do you observe?
Just stop and feel, sense and see.
Notice all that you are part of and all that is a part of you.

Just focus on these things and let them be your thoughts.
Observe and know that you have created all that you need.




Blog Post & Images (c) 3/18/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Embrace The Pain - Part 3

This is part 3 of a three part series. Please read Part 1 and Part 2 as background information to this post. Suggestion #1 and Suggestion #2 (click on the links)


Suggestion #3:

Find a quiet place away from distractions. Get comfortable like on a massage table or somewhere where you are supported and it feels good. Begin by just allowing yourself to sense your body and do a scan of all that you are aware of or may not be aware of at this point.

If you have body pains that are surfacing, take a moment to just be there with it and allow your mind to focus on it. If you don't feel any body pains at the moment, just continue to explore your body with your mind and see all that you can pick up. What is tight, tense, soft, hard, cold, warm, heavy, light, and so on and so forth. Just allow yourself to be there in the moment, sensing and feeling and discovering every part of your body that you can find. It may take a few minutes before you start really sensing and feeling anything. Early on, when I began to do this, it took me considerable time to start sensing things in my body.

As you begin to feel whatever it is in your body, use your breath to help you connect with that area of your body. You can picture your breath filling up that area of your body including every cell, tissue and muscle fiber. Allow yourself to focus your attention here and just be here in this moment. Keep focusing and sensing in your body.

Whatever you are picking up, especially if it is pain or an unease, these things may intensify. Often before they dissipate, they will intensify. If it gets too intense, just focus your attention on a place in your body that feels safe or focus on a sound close by or even focus on the space between your eyes.

Some of these things are not always easy to do alone because having a safe person that you trust and that can just hold the space open is very helpful. You can do a considerable amount on your own but if you need a trusted safe person to hold the space for you, by all means invite them into your time of connection.

Remember, our minds are very protective of our bodies and usually the mind knows what the body needs and the body knows what it needs. It is not going to take you further into this process than you are willing to go. Fear may come up as a result of this and as long as you allow yourself to face the fears, than you can continue focusing and moving through whatever it is that you feel.

During all of this, emotions may or may not come up. It is possible that you will feel trembling, shaking or vibration throughout your body. You might feel intense heat, cold or other changes. Your nose might feel very stuffed up. There could be an intensification of the pain in that moment but remember, that often it can intensify just before it dissipates. All of these things are okay and even though it may feel rough in the moment, if you allow them to run their course and dissipate, there will be peace on the other side. It sometimes feel much more intense than it really is and that is usually the fears which are blowing things into a greater proportion than what is truly happening. Keep in mind that this is normal and okay.

Allow the process to unfold and continue. If it gets too intense, just take yourself back to a safe place in your body or focus on a sound or even focus on the space between your eyes. You don't have to do this entire process all at once. Give yourself the necessary time to do what it needs to do rather than pushing or judging the process.

As you continue to allow the process to unfold, your body will experience a deeper connection to your own awareness and healing. Keep your body moving if that means nothing more than stretching and contracting your arms or legs. The more you can get your body to do slight and slow movements during this process, the more all of this potential energy will dissipate from your body. You want the movements to be connected with your mind so that you can feel every part of that movement.

When you get through the moments that have kicked things up inside of you, you will get to a point where the breath will correct itself and often give you a very deep breath like a big sigh of relief almost. You will notice your body dropping down and becoming more relaxed and more peaceful. When you reach this point, allow yourself time to just be in the moment and experience all of this. For the hard work that you go through, the peace is the point that really allows the healing to come in and take hold within your body. It is the time when you process all that has happened and your awareness and consciousness opens up in ways you most likely have not seen.

Remember, don't judge how far you get into this process or if it is right or wrong. Just experience all of it and allow it to be there. What I just described here may take you considerable time and different sessions with yourself to actually get into things and connect with your body. There is no race to the finish because as you become more aware of yourself, you will discover many more layers that you can go into. It is like peeling the layers of an onion. When you peel off one layer, there is another layer below it but you can't see that layer until you peel off the first layer.



Further Reading:
1) Dr. Paul Canali, Evolutionary Healing
2) Fear Of Dentist posted on July 6, 2010
3) Embrace The Pain - Part 1 (Posted 1/28/11)
4) Embrace The Pain - Part 2 (Posted 1/29/11)



Blog Post & Images (c) 1/28/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Heal Trauma Internally

One of my all time favorite books about healing trauma is "Waking The Tiger" by Peter Levine. If you want to really begin understanding just how trauma affects the body and how we need to go within to heal it, this is an excellent book. All too often, we try to treat the symptoms that are left behind after the trauma has taken place. In all reality, if we do not go within to the source of the where we were impacted by the trauma, the effects will linger for years to come.

On Page 188, Peter states in "Waking The Tiger" that,

"Arousal becomes chronic as a result of overwhelming sensations and emotions that have an internal source. This is the reason that trauma can and must be transformed by working with it internally. In re-enactment the world may be our stage. In remaining external, it also remains unchanged. Hence, re-enactment rarely accomplishes its intended task.

There is definitely a place for the external work and dealing with the emotions and sensations that arise from points of trauma in our life. However, if we stay in this mode, we will be losing out on very deep healing that goes to the core connection of where the trauma impacted us. Just being in an experience where we release emotions is not necessarily an indicator that deep healing is taking place. Please do not get me wrong as I am not saying deep release cannot come from moments of emotional cleansing. What I am saying is that there is much more than these moments.

When we continue to ignore that which is within us and is trying to get our attention (the internal), we get into chronic situations with pain, anxiety, depression and other health conditions. Our experiences in life are dulled and lack meaning to carry us through our day. Our life feels hopeless, out of control and as if nothing is going to ever change. Senses in our body such as touch, taste, smell, feeling and connecting with others will become something we long for and hope for but struggle to obtain. It is in these moments that we are living on the external side of life apart from truly knowing who we are.

I believe from what I have experienced in my own life and observed in many other people, that true healing is when we stop, go within and sense all that is in our body. In no way will I sit here and tell you that this is an easy, pleasant journey but I will tell you that the awakening within that can take place by going deep inside one's self would amaze and surprise the greatest magician, the most creative person, or the biggest skeptic.

Awakening from within is the way we truly claim and recover the energy and power that we were born with. While we often attempt to take short cuts into this process, we will soon realize that anything but going within is an illusion. It may be our journey to simply understand that this happens but the moment the light bulb kicks on, our bodies become potential energy with the possibility greater than most men know.


Further Reading
Waking The Tiger By Peter Levine


Blog Post & Images (c) 1/4/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only

Moment Of Now

To just sit here, experiencing the quiet, the peaceful and serene.

Hearing the sounds of the outdoors.

Feeling the humidity, sunlight and breeze on my body.

Noticing the rise and fall of my breath in my body.

No pressures, no worries, no concerns at this moment.

Just being in the moment of now, far removed from anything that demands my attention.

Observing, sensing, feeling, noticing all that is around me.

All that matters in this moment is just being here now, and present within myself.

Accepting this moment.

Accepting all that there is.


(Above Picture taken at Gatorland, Kissimmee, FL - (c) 06/23/10)

Intuition And Gut Feelings

Sometimes it just seems that I have an intuition or a gut feeling about something. It has been said by others and I see it in my self. I just know things. I don't mean that as bragging in any way. Don't ask me how or where this comes from. I just know it is there.

Often, my gut brain is my barometer for many things. Many times people say they have a gut feeling and for me this is so true. My gut tends to tell me when decisions I'm about to make are good or bad, especially the major decisions. When I sense or pick things up, it is often my gut feeling that validates the information.

Another area that I really notice it is when I hear things from other people. If what they are telling me adds up, then I feel an ease in my gut. If what they are telling me does not add up, then there is a twinge in my gut of questioning. Sometimes the gut feeling is more stronger and evident than others. There are times though that I sometimes that I just don't listen to it.

In addition to my gut, I also just tend to know things. It is like I have the information when I need it the most. I have no idea where it comes from or how it gets there. The information just shows up at the appropriate time. It is usually not a moment too soon or a moment too late. Many times I am afraid of it, wondering if it is truly valid for the situation or not. It is not necessarily something that others are open and receptive to so, I often keep all this quiet and to myself.

While I'm sure my self confidence is a major part of how I view what I receive, there are many times I discount what I pick up. Sometimes, it truly scares me because it isn't like I understand where this information comes from. There are many times that what I pick up is so much information that I find myself saying, "ENOUGH"! It can become overwhelming and when it does, I run for cover, hiding myself from all of it.

To be around people in a close proximity can be very difficult for me. There are moments where I feel bombarded with the personal information of others and I cannot escape it. It isn't like I ask for it or even desire it to be there. It feels the same as if you take note of someone's facial expressions. I would have to close my mind's eye to avoid seeing it.

When I'm doing bodywork or I am in close proximity to those I'm connected with, the information intensifies. I often see, sense and feel so much. More likely than not, I cannot put it all into words. It is just there and in a large quantity. I've felt the pain in my body of those that I am working on just as they feel their own pains. I've shared the neck pain, headaches, and stomach discomforts that others are experiencing. For if I'm working on someone, I know the area of discomfort has left their body when I feel it leave my own.

It is hard for me to understand all of this. There are few people that I can truly talk to who understand what this is all about. I'm cautious what I share because so many try to inject their belief system as an explanation. I often don't acknowledge all of this for fear of being ridiculed and laughed at by others or cast aside.

I am learning to accept it more as it comes but it is difficult. I'm trying to not freak out when it shows up. It still overwhelms me and sometimes I avoid people or crowds as a result. Giving myself a voice through my meditation times seems to give me a moment of acknowledgement and release.

While I do feel different and sometimes out of place in life, this intuition I have is my guiding light for my life. This I know without a shadow of a doubt. It has always been there with me and for me since as far back as I can remember.


*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

I Just Know

Deep within my body is a place where I go that helps guide me and helps me determine that which is unseen but felt. I know there are people who are skeptical about others who pick up other things in life. I pick up so much at times and none of it is spoken or written or exhibited. I just pick it up.

Often though, when I pick things up, I check it against that innermost place in my body. That place is deep within my gut which may also be referred to as the enteric brain but I have no idea if science really would establish that link or not. It is just a place that I feel it deeply and know without a doubt what is and what is not. It is a place that I just feel, sense and know. However, if you were to ask me to describe it, I would struggle immensely.

There are times when I pick things up that I don't get any internal bodily confirmation of it. So during those times, I'm more reluctant to give whatever information it is, much credibility. There are other times that when I get the information, I feel it strongly and immediately. There is no doubt within my mind of the significance of what I am receiving. Even in those strong reactions deep within me, I have times that without a shadow of a doubt, I know whatever it is, I am picking up.

Then there are the times that I hear something from someone or am asked something and immediately, I know, see, feel or sense what is true and what is not. I have had situations where someone was being told something and emphatically, I am hearing in my mind something that completely contradicts what others are telling them. Again, I have no way to prove this. It is what I feel and pick up deep within me.

I really try to pay attention to these insights as well because I'm finding that they hold very useful information for me or for others. For a long time I discounted all of this thinking it was my wild imagination and yet I had friends telling me that they were surprised at what I knew and that somehow I just knew things. I never thought about it much and if I did, it scared me so badly that I wanted nothing to do with it.

Of course I see people that give themselves titles and designations claiming they are psyhic or mediums or they can pick up things about others. And while I know there are many out there that can do this, there are many who struggle to pick up a clear signal. All too often, I see people claiming to know things but the information they are giving does not match up and many times, I feel that deep within myself. Who is to say, I'm right though and they are wrong? I try not to look at it that way.

One time at spiritualist organization, I had a great 5 minute reading by a lady who was a medium, that hit the nail on the head and was more accurate than I thought was possible. It was amazing just how much she shared with me and how much she picked up. All of it was extremely accurate as well and really did help me. I was never able to find out who this lady was of course because I would have liked to meet with her again. I know she existed but doing a search of her name turned up no contact information.

Of course, another time at the spiritualist organization, I had one of the mini readings by a medium and the lady used holding my hand to notice that I didn't have a wedding ring on. So she began to tell me that I needed to go out and meet women more, blah blah blah. She was so far from the truth if she was even connected to it. I am in a long term relationship and I have no desire to go out and meet women for many reasons. If that would have been my first experience with this type of information, I would have never gone back. Fortunately, I have experienced people that are not full of themselves but really do connect with a source that is unseen. A friend of mine ended up with a similar experience as well. In these situations, I'd rather have the person just look me in the eye and say, I'm sorry but I'm not picking anything up instead of performing in the way that they think I want them to. It would bring much more credibility.

Of course, when you connect with things that are unseen, it is sometimes hard to truly know what is real and what is not. Even if you know it is real, you have to be so careful in how your life's experiences and your own filters of the mind, influence that information and mold it into words that you share. Ego has to be really in check and one needs to be well grounded and connected to themselves in a deep way. Otherwise, who knows how the words of the information will come forth. Sadly, there are many who do not understand this but continue to act as if they do. Fortunately, there are true ones out there that really do understand this and have done the intense healing work on themselves.

In my mind, many of these things that people pick up and we look at as being special or strange, they should be more normal to the population as a whole. In our society though, we concentrate on working as many hours as we can to please the boss, running to this meeting or that meeting, enabling our children to be over involved in as many activities as they can and basically just making life into one busy long day after another. We fail to stop and connect to the earth, to things around us and to each other because that doesn't fit in our day. If you add into it, all the interference from electronic devices, cell phones and our world around us, we leave little room for the signals of the information to get through to us. In addition, there are many people who have been so hurt in life and are so stressed out, that their lives are anything but grounded.

Being grounded and in touch with the core of yourself gives you a true connection to things that much of this world just does not connect with. Indigenous cultures pick up on these things all the time as if it is as normal as a conversation with someone they meet. If we as a society stopped and became more grounded, connected and healed, we would experience so much more.

One final note in all of this is that so many who do pick things up try to package that up into a nice little set of beliefs and rituals which just get in the way of what is going on. The dogma people subscribe to or use to replace some other set of beliefs is so rampant in our society. It has no use in all of this. It is not founded upon anything but a person's belief system. Just because someone ditches the mainstream religions and is into the new age philosophy, it does not mean they have rid their life of the dogma. Often times, they have just replaced one set of beliefs for another and again, it serves no purpose in this. I'm sure many will argue that point with me but I just ask that people really question all that they believe and search for the true source of those beliefs.

My hope is that each person will be all they can be and discover all that they are. Today, you may be standing at the crossroads in life wondering which way to go but if you just allow things to unfold, you'll be amazed at all that is out there. Find the ultimate truth in the things that tug at your heart strings and see what things are at the core and what things are part of a belief system. We all have a belief system but if we allow it to cloud our views and thoughts, than it becomes a chain around our neck dragging us to the bottom of the ocean. Look for the truth. Search it out and don't stop until you do. Don't just settle for what someone else tells you. Find it out for yourself!


*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog