Animals at Play

Here's a short video that simply tells a beautiful story that warmed our hearts. Maybe the message is just that no matter what we're supposed to do, we can always choose to just get along. Or maybe it's that fun and play are as important as survival. Click the picture below, watch the video, and tell me what you think!

Fire the Grid

On July 17, 2007 at 11:11pm Greenwich Mean Time, thousand of individuals will be gathering in meditation to improve the state of chaos currently enveloping the earth. These are people disturbed by the rapid deterioration of our oceans and the pollution choking land, sea and air. These are people disgusted by the war and anger that seem all too prevalent today, people appalled at the extreme poverty and hunger rampant in developing nations. These are people ready to "Fire the Grid."

It's now known that within the next twenty-five years there will not be enough clean water, wood or fossil fuels left to sustain the pace of our consumption. Simply put, Earth can no longer support our present habits. But together on July 17 we will reset Mother Earth with a bio-electric "SURGE OF LOVE" from the root of humanity.

Firing the grid will accomplish two things. First, it will pulse healing energy into the center of the earth and regenerate the core, or the heart of the planet. It will also rebuild the flow of energy between ourselves and Nature, and from person to person. Human thought and intention is like a lightening rod, channeling energy to the planet. In recent years, our thoughts have been attracting destruction and scarcity, but now we have the opportunity to come together and create a different world, one where we work together to take care of our planet and each other.

When we sit in meditation and simultaneously hold the intention for a healthy planet and union with our source and environment, we unite our worlds in love, peace, harmony and collective cooperation for a better today and tomorrow. So, please take an hour out of your day next Tuesday and do your part and participate in healing our planet. Thank you!

For more information, please visit Fire the Grid.

Sicko

I began my professional career as a social worker in a small town outside Seattle. Most of my clients were either homeless or on the brink of becoming homeless, and nearly 50% of them were in financial trouble because of outrageous medical bills. So when I first heard about Michael Moore's new film, Sicko, I knew I had to see it.

On opening night I prepared myself for a gut-wrenching look into the American health care system, of which I personally have had a variety of experiences. What I saw was not only shocking, but horrifying. Having been a supporter of Universal Health Care since I first learned of it from friends in England, I was surprised by how many countries are truly using it effectively.

So, I've decided to offer some interesting facts and figures from the film, to encourage you to see the film. It is important for every individual that is self-employed, a healing arts practitioner, and anyone that has any contact with insurance companies. You will not be disappointed!

• There were 44.8 million people without health insurance in 2005. By now the number of non-elderly uninsured by this date clearly would be nearly 50 million.
• 18,000 Americans will die this year simply because they're uninsured.
• America is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage.
• On February 18, 1971, Richard Nixon called for a "new national health strategy" that had four points for expanding the proliferation of health maintenance organizations, or HMOs.
• The United States is ranked #37 as a health system by the World Health Organization.
• Four of the largest health industry companies are accused of wrongdoing in Sicko.
• There are four times as many health care lobbyists as there are members of Congress.
• A majority of senior citizens pay over $2000 a year for coverage.
• Canadians live three years longer than we do.
  
• Drugs in England only cost $10.
• In a study of older Americans and Brits, the Brits had less of almost every major disease. Even the poorest Brit can expect to live longer than the richest American.
• A baby born in El Salvador has a better chance of surviving than a baby born in Detroit.
• Like Canadians and Brits, the French live longer than we do.
• The productivity rate per hour in France is higher than in America.
• There is a company in France which will perform doctor house calls at any time.
• The government initially refused to pay for the health care of 9/11 volunteers, because they were not on the government payroll. It remains difficult for the volunteers to access the $50 million fund that has been appropriated for their care.
• In Cuba, access to health care is universal. And, Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate and a longer average lifespan than the United States.

Go see SiCKO and see for yourself how life in this country could truly be great.

Casting the Net

Everything that exists in our modern world was first conceived in the mind. The power of imagination is evident in the modern world all around us. We recognize and acknowledge it so readily art and music, and yet we most often forget that imagination also directs the way we live our lives.

Albert Einstein understood the faculty of imagination. He knew that dwelling on what was purely "realistic" negated the magic of limitless possibility. And thus a not particularly good student working in the U.S. patent office became an icon for intelligence and imagination. Roger Bannister was the first person to run a four-minute mile. If he’d believed everyone who said it wasn’t possible, he would never have broken the world record.

Exceptional people have the courage to dream big. The first step to success in any endeavor, whether the goal is to achieve your desired weight, start a new business, or improve your marriage, is to imagine what it will be like when you are there. Take a couple minutes for yourself and follow these steps:

1. Bring to mind something that you really want, but don't fully believe you can have, or deserve.
2. Pretend it's one year from now, and that you have achieved the best possible outcome. How do you look, feel, or act? Experience what is it like to have succeeded.
3. Now, take this information, and write it down, sketch it out, or tell someone about it!

This short exercise activates your imagination, which is, in essence, directing the flow of energy. By imagining your ideal, you set in motion a chain of events that lead to your success. My maternal grandmother, a successful entrepreneur, used to say to me, "Think longer, think smarter, think BIGGER!"

Home Sweet Home

We've just returned from our May series of NLP and Hypnosis classes in sunny South Florida. What a success! I want to extend another heartfelt "Thank You" to all of our participants. You made all the hard work and long hours seem like a breeze. I am personally looking forward to working with all of you again.

In the meantime, we are catching up on our calls and emails and getting ready for the next series this summer. Reiki classes begin this weekend in CA, and more NLP and Hypnosis are coming up in July. Joe is working on our distance learning program, and I'm working on my book. It's a busy month, and we love it!

Here's to an exceptionally successful June!

Broken Mirrors

After interviewing 3,200 women in 10 countries, a 2004 study found that only 2% considered themselves beautiful, and nearly 50% believed they were too fat.

There's an obvious link between how you see yourself and how you feel about yourself, but your body image can actually have a powerful effect on your health, too. Eating disorders, for example, can be complex issues with many causes and many symptoms, but one constant between them is body image. In a recent German study of 56 people with eating disorders, each anorexic and bulimic overestimated their actual body mass.

While there is uncertainty as to what exactly precipitates the development of a distorted body image, it is clearly related to insecurity and self-worth. Our view of ourselves comes primarily from the outside world, including media, role models, peers, and family. In my private practice with clients, I've found that body image gets distorted over time through a process of frequent comparisons to others.

My method for treating eating disorders and body image distortion uses NLP and hypnosis to neutralize the representations created through harmful comparisons. The seven steps below use basic principles to normalize the body image and create positive feelings about self.

1. Elicit the current self-image (size, shape, location of image)
   
2. Regress to cause of the image distortion (use hypnosis or time lines)
   
3. Elicit and anchor resource states of safety, acceptance, love, and "good enough"
4. Link resource states to imprint memory & give supportive suggestions
   
5. Progress into the future and conduct an "As-If" frame (how did you overcome this issue?)
6. In the present time, holding an accurate picture of the client, begin to code the old self-representation to match
7. Fire off resource anchors again as they view the accurate self-representation
   

After completing these processes over a period of time, additional clean-up may be necessary. Be sure to address behaviors, such as binging and food choices, utilizing anchoring and hypnosis. You may also consider creating a new identity that involves healthy eating and emotions.