You Don't Need to Think to Be Aware

Very often, when clients or patients lie on my table and receive a Network Spinal Analysis entrainment, they become extremely relaxed. Sometimes they drift off into what many describe as another place. I call it “checking out”. Checking out is not necessarily a bad thing, however, it is not the most desirable state for a Network entrainment.

Some ask, “Isn't the whole idea to become as relaxed as possible?” While I am in favor of a client becoming relaxed, I don't want them to fall asleep on the table. Unlike many modalities in which the patient plays a completely passive role, NSA works best with a patient's awareness and participation.

Just before I begin the Network entrainment, I ask the participant to refrain from incessant thinking and to remain awake and aware through the process. I often get protests from this request. “How can I be aware if I'm not thinking?” This brings up a very interesting point of differentiation. Thinking and awareness are very different.

Thinking utilizes your mind and Awareness is more about paying attention. When having a conversation with someone, you would speak and alternatively listen when the other person was speaking. However, if you decided not to stop talking, even if the other person was speaking, you would have a difficult time hearing anything they would have to say. In this case, you would be focused primarily on your own thoughts and words.

For some people, thinking is an endless loop of internal conversation. Science has documented that people have more than 60,000 thoughts each day. It can become nearly impossible to pay attention to anything else. A major goal of NSA is to help a person become more aware of their body. It is only through greater awareness that change is possible.

Like every other concept in NSA, this principle applies to life as well. If we go through life constantly stuck in our endless thought patterns and judgments, we are less able to really pay attention to what's happening. When we're not fully aware, our ability to change and adapt is compromised. The inability to change and adapt results in stuck patterns in our body and our life.

Network Spinal Analysis facilitates an individual's ability to become aware of the stress and tensions stored in the body. Once this heightened awareness is created, the body automatically develops strategies to release these tensions and adapt better to future stressors.

Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Respiratory Integration are two of the most amazing methods available to help people achieve greater states of wellness. The unparalleled results of Network Care are well documented in a University of California study and monitored and matched everyday at the Center for Holistic Health.

Join us on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, 7:30 PM, at the Center for Holistic Health in Decatur to experience a free introduction to this miraculous work.

Wellness is a Habit

Statistics show somewhere between eighty five and ninety percent of all disease is lifestyle related. Lifestyle is simply an accumulation of habitual behaviors. Those behaviors can come in the form of the food we eat, what, if any, type of exercise we participate in, our mental emotional patterns, the way we behave in relationship and everything we do, think and feel.

Most people come to the Center for Holistic Health because they would like to have a better life experience than the one they are currently having. It could be that they would like to change a physical symptom such as high blood pressure, headaches, pain, digestive problems or lack of energy. Sometimes they are experiencing anxiety, depression or a lack of focus. Some people are simply looking to enhance the way they experience life. Their desires might include being more inspired, passionate, joyful and in tune with their intuition and life's purpose.

If our symptoms and experiences of life are dependant upon our lifestyle then it would stand to reason that if we wanted to change our experience, then we would have to change our habits. This is the concept of wellness.

Traditionally, when people seek care in the classic medical model, the focus is placed on mitigation or removal of the symptom. That's one model and certainly a common one, but it does fall short in some areas.

To begin with, there is no such thing as a magic bullet. For instance, even if one is able to reduce high blood pressure with medication, that medication may also cause collateral damage to the body and other symptoms as well. This forces one to decide which is worse, the original or the new symptoms. I'm not sure about you but this doesn't seem like an ideal scenario to me.

In addition, reducing symptoms without changing underlying conditions will never result in the experience of more inspiration, passion and joy.

Wellness, on the other hand, offers, not only a shift in the symptoms one is experiencing, but in the condition or state that lead to their manifestation in the first place. Wellness also opens the possibility of an even healthier and more vibrant state of existence than one previously had.

In order to achieve any goal, including wellness, one must have a strategy or road map to get there. Network Spinal Analysis is a method specifically designed to create a shift in physiology, perception, experience and behaviors which results real changes. These strategies include discovery, transformation and awakening.

First we must discover how we've gotten to where we are. What are our habits that have resulted in our current experience? How do we react to stress? Are we aware of how we hold tension in our body and how to release it?

Once we have discovered how we have lived life to this point, then we can begin to enact change. From our new found awareness we can begin to release old patterns while creating more flexibility in our system and in our lives. This is the only way a real shift or transformation in our habitual experiences can occur.

When we have become more flexible we can then begin to focus our attention on more depth, wisdom and richness in our life experience. In this way, we have moved beyond survival and can awaken to our full potential.

Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Respiratory Integration are two of the most amazing methods available to help people achieve greater states of wellness. The unparalleled results of Network Care are well documented in a University of California study and monitored and matched everyday at the Center for Holistic Health.

Join us on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, 7:30 PM, at the Center for Holistic Health in Decatur to experience a free introduction to this miraculous work.

How Long Does it Take to Heal?

Matajura wanted to become a great awordsman, but his father said he wasn't quick enough and could never learn. Determined, Matajura went to the famous dueller Banzo, and asked to become his pupil. "How long will it take me to become a master?" Matajura asked. Suppose I become your servant, to be with you every minute, how long?"

"Ten years," said Banzo.

"MY father is getting old. Before ten years have passed, I will have to return home to take care of him. Suppose I work twice as hard; how long will it take me?"

"Thirty years," said Banzo.

"How is that?" asked Matajura. "First you say ten years. Then when I offer to work twice as hard, you say it will take three times as long. Let me make myself clear; I will work unceasingly; no hardship will be too much. How long will it take?"

"Seventy years," said Banzo. "A pupil in such a hurry learns slowly."

Patients will often ask their doctors how long it will take for their pain or symptoms to go away. Based on the doctors' experience in treating people with similar symptoms, they can render a guess about how long it should take for the patient to feel better. The contract between the doctor and the patient is that it is the doctor's responsibility to remove the pain. It is not usually part of the contract to find out what's behind the symptoms. This is the basic format of the medical model.

Sometimes when the contract is not fulfilled, patients may get fed up and seek the services of a holistic practitioner. There are a few possible reasons for this. Either the pain doesn't go away, it doesn't go away fast enough, or it goes away but returns.

People contact me regularly because they heard about how someone else's symptoms resolved, and they would like the same results. Whether they are aware of it or not, they have entered the realm of deeper inquiry. The first leg of the journey of healing is discovery. We must find out how we have arrived at this point. Then, instead of just removing the symptom, we can work toward a change in the behaviors or circumstances that led to it in the first place. In this arrangement, the patient becomes more involved and empowered in his or her own process.

The majority of people who seek Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) are happy and very willing to trade being fixed for becoming more empowered, even if the resolution isn't immediate.

For some, there is an expectation that NSA is designed to get rid of their pain immediately. Even though this is a common outcome, it usually occurs when the patient learns to find and release his or her own tension.

I had a client with chronic back pain that was in part caused or exacerbated by the fact that she would sit with poor posture for long periods of time so she could study. She wanted to know when I thought her back pain would subside. Her back was hurting because her body was calling for a change. NSA will actually help us become more aware of the changes we need to make, not numb a person from pain.

She felt that if she took breaks or shifted her behavior she wouldn't get enough studying done. At first she was completely inflexible about there being any other possible solution. I asked her what would happen if she changed her story. What if, by taking more breaks and keeping her body in more of a state of ease, she could actually be more effective when she was studying? She had not considered this.

If my hand is placed upon a hot stove, I would be grateful to experience pain. It would indicate the need for me to remove my hand from the stove. Without the signal, my hand would burn up. If somehow I could remove someone's pain without them discovering why it is happening and what needs to change, am I really doing them a favor?

Recently, on her second visit, another client was pressing me for a prediction of how long it would take her to get “better.” She had neck pain that, by her testimony, was stemming from her inability to deal with her mother's death. Like everyone who seeks healing, she had a process of discovery and release that she needed to experience in order to resolve her symptoms. The time process for this will be different for everyone.

It might be noted that NSA offers ever-evolving strategies for healing and growth. Even if the pain resolves in the first visit, there is always more room for healing and growth. To ask how long it will take is sort of like asking, how long will it take for a tree to grow? A tree will continue to expand its roots and develop new foliage until it dies. One could argue that we are here, in this life, to continually grow and expand as well.

If that philosophy makes sense to you, then NSA was made for you. If you've been away for a while or have never tried NSA, call and book your appointment today. You'll be glad you did.

A Stroke of Insight

In the medical model our main concern is to remove symptoms and restore the body to its previous state. From a wellness or healing perspective we may actually want to gain some insight from our symptoms so that we can learn, grow and evolve. I often tell clients that within every symptom there is a gift.

Jill Bolte Taylor is a medical brain researcher who had the experience of a stroke which she later describes as a gift. There is a video available on the internet called “A Stroke of Insight”, which tells the story of Taylor's experience. During her stroke she lost use of the left side of her brain and consequently experienced an increase in the qualities of the right brain.

As she explains during her seminar the left or more linear part of the brain is used for separating and categorizing our world. The right brain sees the beauty and connection of everything in the world.

During this episode she experiences a level of peace and connection that she never knew was possible. Some of what she shares reminds me of my experiences at Transformational Gate seminars receiving multiple Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Respiratory Integration sessions.

Taylor makes the point that we don't have to have a stroke to consciously choose how we want to use our brains, choose our experience and effect those and the world around us. So check out the link below and let us help you get a little more connected at the Center for Holistic Health.

Dr. Gene

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229

Myths of Healing

Throughout different periods of our life we tend to have different belief systems. For instance, when I was a child I believed in Santa Clause. At some point I realized that my parents were the ones placing the gifts under the tree. For most of us it is likely that as we grow and evolve, so will our views and beliefs. However, some beliefs tend to remain with us through most our lives even if they don't work for us. Cultural beliefs are particularly difficult to change since they are so entrenched in society's story. In his book, "Healing Myths, Healing Magic", Dr. Donald Epstein writes:

There was a time, not too long ago, when our ancestors believed that the sun and the moon, the rivers and the forest, were sacred. Rhythms of Mother Earth were sacred. Stories, dances, or songs told the history of their people. "Their roles in life were guided by a rich tradition of folktales, legends, and myths." Even though the word myth means story, these prevailing myths or stories of a society are considered its norm or "reality," and are sacred.

For example, if someone breaks your heart, you cry. If someone runs into your car, you become angry or annoyed. If you have a body ache, you take aspirin. These are all acceptable responses for our society and our bodymind. What if you laughed when someone broke your heart or you danced after someone ran into your car or you turned up your favorite music as loud as you could when you had a headache? People might think you are crazy, you might not care, because now you are refusing to respond the way you may have been programmed to respond. Our physiology responds with a story about how things are supposed to be. Choosing to respond differently opens the door for possibilities.

Have you ever woken with a runny nose, congested sinuses, and swollen eyes, coughing and wheezing? What type of health care will you seek? Traditionally, we seek health care when there is a health problem. Depending on the treatment that you believe works determines the type of health care you will seek.

If you seek the advice of an allergist, you may be told that you are the victim of an allergy. Once you are told that you have an allergy, for example, you can experience the symptoms, and go on living your life. If someone asks about your runny nose, you can respond, "Well, it's because I have this allergy." If you choose to see a nutritionist for the same problem, you may be told that the problem is an impoverished nutritional state, instead of an outside substance producing the allergy. As a result, the nutritionist might suggest a different diet or nutritional supplement. If someone asks you about your symptoms, you can respond, "I have a food allergy." And, if you decide to see a chiropractor, you may be told that the messages between the brain and respiratory passages are impinged upon by interference of the spinal nerves. The chiropractor's story centers around the need for messages from the brain to reach every vital organ and part of the body so that our life force will express itself properly. And if someone asks you about your coughing and wheezing, you can respond, "I have a subluxation in my spine." All of these professional diagnoses may be correct, but what is your story behind these diagnoses?

If we have a physical symptom or psychological distress, traditionally our goal is to battle it, cure it, or control it. Unexplainable and uncontrolled expressions of emotion, symptoms, breath, or body are considered problematic and require intervention by a specialist. Once the specialist applies her magical treatment to assist us in achieving comfort, this allows us to continue living our life as we normally do, without making changes to our story: attitudes, beliefs, or lifestyles that may have contributed to the problem in the first place.

Even though we experience an illness through our biology, our psychology and a strong cultural component is responsible for a significant part of our response to circumstances, as well as the development and duration of symptoms and disease is linked to our views and experiences of our world. For example, your family doctor has discovered that you have the same terminal illness as your father had. According to your doctor's experience and beliefs, he will tell you have a certain number of days, months, or years to live. If you accept this diagnosis because your father did, and you might, it becomes your story. And so on and so on.

We cannot forget that the powerful placebo is 30 to 70 percent effective. The New York Times reported several studies that show the placebo effect at work: Venezuelan children with asthma had a 33% lung function increase by smelling a placebo. In Japan , people exposed to fake poison ivy developed real rashes. Patients who received arthroscopic knee surgery or were told they received the surgery produced similar levels of pain relief. 42% of balding men taking a placebo either maintained their hair or increased the amount of hair on their heads. Scientific America published a report where one group of patients received surgery to treat angina pectoris symptoms (severe pain and constriction about the heart), and enjoyed a 76% improvement. The placebo group had an incision made and were told they had the procedure performed. They had 100% improvement.

Although we may not be able to escape from our culture and our stories "Healing Myths, Healing Magic" inspires you to become the storyteller of your own life; to recognize and empower those stories that help your life flourish, so you can experience a greater level of health and well-being than any previous story has allowed.

Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Respiratory Integration help individuals develop flexibility in the bodymind and the opportunity to create a shift in their self perception. I invite you to journey with me and entertain the possibility that you are more powerful, loving, creative, prosperous, compassionate, and healthy than you have ever imagined. See you at your next entrainment.

“Healing Myths, Healing Magic” is available for purchase at the Center for Holistic Health.

Make Consciousness, Not War

It has been said that one cannot fix a problem with the same level of consciousness that created it in the first place.

When I read a book or see a movie or observe life around me, I notice how that observation or event relates to the wellness paradigm. While reading Ekhart Tolle's book, “A New Earth”, I read a passage that depicts a perfect example of wellness and holistic care versus illness and traditional medical care. It can be found on Page 75 and reads as follows:

“These days you frequently hear the expression ‘the war against' this or that, and whenever I hear it, I know that it is condemned to failure. There is the war against drugs, the war against crime, the war against terrorism, the war against cancer, the war against poverty and so on. For example, despite the war against crime and drugs, there has been a dramatic increase in crime and drug-related offenses in the past twenty-five years. The prison population has gone up from just under 300,000 in 1980 to a staggering 2.1 million in 2004. The war against disease has given us, amongst other things, antibiotics. At first, they were spectacularly successful, seemingly enabling us to win the war against infectious diseases. Now, many experts agree, the widespread and indiscriminate use of antibiotics has created a time bomb and that antibiotic-strains of bacteria, so-called super bugs, will in all likelihood bring about a reemergence of those diseases and possibly epidemics. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association , medical treatment is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer in the United States .”

Tolle points out that the more we put energy into fighting things we don't like, the more they become empowered. Fighting does nothing to change the environment which spawned the condition in the first place.

The focus of Western medicine is fighting disease. Yet, in spite of the vast resources being directed toward this fight, there is no reduction in the amount of disease people are experiencing. In fact, we find new diseases and new strains of existing ones.

So what are better alternatives to fighting conditions like disease, poverty and crime?

In his book, Tolle proposes raising consciousness rather than waging war against these undesirable conditions. Treating illness as an enemy and perceiving it as evil often makes the conditions worse. Tolle doesn't advocate ignoring conditions at hand, but ultimately, without changing the consciousness or the environment that led to the situation, our efforts will be futile.

If the body is overstressed, toxic or unhealthy it may become a fertile breeding ground for any number and variety of diseases. One option is to fight and try and get rid of these diseases. Another option is to help restore the body to a healthy state.

The focus of the wellness paradigm is on raising consciousness about how we approach our environment, our bodies and our lives. From this place of awareness and acceptance, we navigate a more constructive and holistic solution. Instead of fighting the symptoms or conditions we experience, we establish positive strategies for optimal living and being. Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Respiratory Integration offer positive strategies for adapting to stress and creating a deeper connection to our innate wisdom.

Ekhart Tolle's books, “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth,” are available for purchase at the Center for Holistic Health.

Do We Have a Choice in Healing?

I am in a profession that continually affords me the opportunity to witness people in their healing processes. To witness someone in the healing process does not simply mean to notice that s/he is experiencing a symptom. We don't have to look too far among our friends, family or even ourselves to notice someone with physical symptoms.

In an old paradigm, the Medical or Treatment model, symptoms are seen merely as a nuisance, something to be removed or eradicated. Symptoms are treated, and success is determined by whether or not the symptoms are resolved.

Part of my role as a wellness practitioner is to help my clients and practice participants observe the symptoms they may be experiencing, from a new perspective, the Wellness or Holistic Paradigm. In this new paradigm, symptoms are seen as signals or guideposts, used to redirect our behaviors and create whatever change is needed in our lives. These changes may need to come in the area of nutrition, physical, chemical or emotional stress, our relationships, releasing old traumas or being in line with our soul's purpose, to name a few. The Wellness or Holistic Paradigm is all about recognizing symptoms as a call for change and exploring the messages they have for us.

I was speaking to someone the other day who was inquiring about Network Care. When I asked him what he would want from receiving care, he simply said that he didn't want to be in pain. Who could blame him? Is there anyone who really wants to be in pain? After some more inquiry on my part, he went on to say that he just wants to be comfortable.

As the day progressed, I thought more about that statement. Did he mean that he just wants to be comfortable in the physical sense or in all aspects of his life? In my understanding, there is a direct relationship between the experiences of our lives and how we experience our physical bodies.

It seems that life constantly presents us with challenges or opportunities for our own personal growth. If we never experienced any challenges, our opportunities for growth might be very limited. Some might even go as far as to say that Life, God or the Universe will present you with these very challenges, whether you like it or not.

I've heard life described as moving down a path. If we just stop and sit down on the path we a liable to get run over. I wondered if we actually have a choice. Are we able to slide by in life without any discomfort? I've heard Network Spinal Analysis developer Dr. Donald Epstein say that if you're not doing what you're supposed to, if you're not living your soul's purpose, then it is supposed to hurt, and nothing is supposed to make it stop. Ouch! .

During my second visit with clients, I review their physical findings, progress and future strategies. We then decide whether my care is what they are looking for. I always state, in some form or another, that if they don't want anything to change in their lives, they may want to reconsider taking the path of healing, for true healing will always bring about change.

Whether or not we want to pursue the path of healing is an individual choice. However, if life is prompting us to make a change and we ignore its signals, we are likely to become very uncomfortable. If we continue to ignore the signs, our symptoms are likely to become unbearable.

Maybe we don't have a choice. Maybe if we truly want to be comfortable and fulfilled, we must choose to find ways to listen to our bodies, to life, and roll with the changes instead of fighting against them. Maybe we can choose healing.