Physician Healer
Imagination — A Healthy Dose
Until the last several years, I, like so many other individuals, never thought much about imagination and really just relegated that to kids. Once I started journaling seriously, I started adding to the daily gratitudes of “now”, ones that detailed what I wanted for myself in the future brought into the present moment, as a way to plant seeds today and nurture them for tomorrow.
In fact, wherever we are and whatever we’re doing at this moment are not coincidences but evidence of the universe’s conspiring to allow us to grow authentically and spiritually, especially if our intentions line up with our soul’s original purpose and passion. This is not to deny that at times we may be indeed baffled by events happening around us but inevitably each and every time, when everything just fits together like a finished jigsaw puzzle, we then realize that these were all necessary steps to ultimately bring us to our intended goal. Gary Zukav (Seat of the Soul, Universal Human) maintains that our life challenges are meant to grow our soul.
Most recently, however, I have come to realize the importance of encouraging and teaching my clients how to use the power of imagination to build a new image of themselves free of illness and disease as a way to transform their current situation. Literature has shown significant effectiveness of this method to help individuals build new mental models of how they wish to be and feel and to commit to specific daily exercises to facilitate the success of their transformation.
Although the method sounds simple, it is anything but that. Using the imagination is not a faculty adults are used to utilizing. We are mostly hung up on being “realistic.” What does that mean, anyway, to be “realistic?” Reality is highly dependent on our perception, our subjective interpretation of what is going on in our external environment. Remember that nothing is bad or good. Things just “are.” What makes anything “bad” or “good” is based on our thoughts and opinions about it, nothing more, nothing less.
This week, I met up with many clients who shared their frustration of barely surviving instead of thriving, plagued everyday with constant thoughts of how unwell they feel, allowing themselves to be consumed by their illness and fear of worsening, and this goes on 24/7 without reprieve. When asked, they all expressed a genuine desire to improve their condition to the level that they can return to the health they remembered having in the past. They felt that this would give them back the freedom of participating in favorite activities, of doing whatever they wanted; as many of them admitted experiencing physical limitations, affecting their mental wellbeing.
The good news is that regardless of the length of time we may have felt ill, the potential to awaken our underlying potential for resilience relies on our ability to wield our imaginative power. This may sound strange but the validity of this concept is really quite simple to understand. There has been substantial research indicating that we frequently underestimate our individual power to use our imagination to dig ourselves out of any present circumstance.
Because the body is a faithful servant of the mind, then whatever the mind tells it, it will believe. In other words, whether the mind tells the truth or something imagined, the body is unable to distinguish the difference. If the mind tells the body repeatedly that all is well and that the “dis-ease” has resolved, eventually over time, the body acts as though it were true and begins the process of healing.
I have mentioned in previous blogs many experiments that illustrate this phenomenon. One was conducted with football players seated in a room. They were then connected to monitors and instructed to imagine they were on the field running a touchdown. Their heart rate and blood pressure increased and their sweat glands began to produce sweat; and yet, they were just seated in a room.
Initially, the challenge is re-establishing the mind as the leader and not the body. When we are chronically feeling unwell, it is very common to allow the body to dictate how the mind should feel. This is when it is important to remember the phrases “mind over matter” or “mind over body.” Clients report the difficulty in uttering statements that represent quite the opposite of how they are currently feeling. The reassurance is that over time, this process becomes easier as the body begins to change.
What is also important to remember is that the mind itself is separated into 2 parts — the conscious choice maker and the pre-programmed mindset with our old childhood patterns of what others have told us to believe in, how we should act and feel. Changing this part of the mind is one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish but totally doable as many others have done.
Fortunately, through diligence and persistence, constantly telling ourselves that we are already well and healthy, eventually replaces the old program part of the mind and through this change, a permanent change then extends into the body below. This technique has been demonstrated repeatedly as being highly effective in resolving some of the most tenacious conditions.
It is important to remember that although we feel a strong desire to move beyond the status quo, the pull back from the familiar comfort zone will be stronger in the beginning; after all, it is where our mindset programming wishes to remain and so although we may not really want to stay feeling crappy, our mindset fights to keep us the same, because it is easier. The pre-programmed mindset fears the unknown. If you meet up with resistance, remember this is what’s going on and just continue to push forward. Remember that however we are at the current moment, our current reality was established by all the events, decisions and emotions we created yesterday.
Whenever we feel discouraged, just know that the laws of physics tell us that even one small move we commit to in a different desired direction will inevitably produce the outcome for which we are aiming. From day 1, physical law guarantees a new and changed result, even though our egoic mind may not pick up on it, as it always demands obvious evidence. However, something inside of us develops a sense of inner knowing that a change is happening. This is undeniably true, so stick with your daily plan. Remember that you always have the other option — to remain the same; so, however you are currently feeling, stay determined.
We must also remember that in order for permanent change to occur no matter what the specific situation is, we cannot alter the current picture. We have to produce a brand new one. For example, a fully grown tree cannot change its shape or other characteristics. We can prune it, remove the leaves, etc., but it remains the same tree. Plant a new seed, nourish it under different, more desirable conditions and this seed will grow into a new tree of our choosing. It is about assigning the illness to the old identity, the old body, which is analogous to the old tree and then assigning the completely healed body to the new identity or the new tree.
So, whatever it is you are trying to change, start envisioning how you would like to craft and design your perfect life by starting to live and breathe that vision into your daily activities.
Meditation and Relaxation
1) Find a quiet place and sit comfortably. Close your eyes gently and breathe in slowly through the nose and track the breath all the way down into the belly (5-7 seconds) and then release through the mouth (5-7 seconds), repeating this twice more
2) Access the Meridian points of your choosing using gentle repetitive pressure from the finger tips (tapping action) or use the ones listed below as a guide
—Chest point, one or both sides
—Blade of hand, one or alternate both hands
—Brow point near forehead, one or both sides
—Corner of the eye, one or both sides
—Under the eye, one or both sides
—Under the nose above the upper lip
—Under the lower lip at the dip
—Return to chest point, one or both sides
3) Intentional Statements to use while accessing the Meridian points or compose your own
—How have I gone beyond my health goals the last 2 years that I didn’t notice before?
—Why have I been so resilient the last 2 years that I didn’t notice before?
—Why has my body been so strong the last 2 years that I didn’t notice before?
—Why has my mind been so peaceful the last 2 years that I didn’t notice before?
—How have I been running marathons the last 2 years that I didn’t notice before?
—How have I been able to hike for miles the last 2 years that I didn’t notice before?
—How am I thriving in 110% wellness the last 2 years that I didn’t notice before?
—How have I been so energetic the past year that I didn’t notice before?
—How am I committed to excellence in everything in my life the last year that I didn’t notice before?
4) Return to 1) to conclude with breathing exercises or continue to sit quietly in reflection or meditation for as long as you like.
5) Remember to start each morning either first journaling your gratitudes or saying the intentional statements to yourself in the mirror and repeat this process before bedtime. Whenever you have down time waiting in any sort of line, whisper them under your breath to really anchor these thoughts into the mindset and be patient.
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Thank you for reading. Until next time, may you all receive much to be grateful for!
With Love and Gratitude 🙌♥️
Dr. Celeste Amaya
