Reiki Can Do No Harm or Can It?

Members of Laura's team performing Reiki (c) 2010-2014 All Rights Reserved

 

Reiki can do no harm or can it? Just as in any profession, there are many wonderful reiki professionals who do amazing work and many individuals receive the many benefits of reiki. However, there are also downsides that are not often discussed in the industry.  So, before I answer that question, I want to tell you a story.

I was teaching an anatomy and physiology class at a college in Boston. There was a section in one of the chapters talking about links to stress related illnesses and the benefits of meditation as a treatment option. I went on my normal tangents talking about how reiki, acupuncture, and other alternative therapies have benefits as well. I elaborated on each on what benefits, for what purpose and cited types of studies and research done.

I also discussed my professional experiences teaching and practicing meditation and reiki in a medical environment as well as how I teach them and why I teach them a certain way. I also discussed my volunteer work with trauma victims especially, but not limited to, domestic abuse survivors.

During break I had a few students inquire and ask questions about alternative therapies and about reiki in particular. At the time, I assumed their questions were out of curiosity.

A couple days later I received an email from one of my students through one of the websites I have written articles for. She wanted to know if reiki could help her because she was a survivor of child sex abuse and for the last 20 years everything she has tried has not helped her.  She had tried reiki once before about 5 years ago, but she said it felt like "someone put voodoo" on her. She talked about the class and how what I said made sense to her. She wondered if "this reiki thing" could really help her to finally heal and move on with her life.

Why am I telling you this story? This story is one of many stories of survivors of abuse having a negative experience with reiki. It did not matter if it was an alternative healing night, a referral from a psychiatrist or physician, or a student. The stories began to stack up as to why these individuals never sought reiki again until they met me. It always puzzled me, but also knew there was a reason even it I did not know it at the time.

So now back to the question. Reiki can do no harm or can it?

Reiki itself can do no harm. It is a Japanese energetic touch therapy with roots that go back to Ancient Tibetan Buddhist healing as do many other alternative therapies.  Reiki works with the electrical conduction system of the human body, BUT with the wrong practitioner it may give the appearance it can do harm.  The problem is not with reiki, but with the unqualified reiki person working with trauma victims.

In the case of my student, the reiki worked. It was the lack of training by the practitioner that caused the problem that exacerbated the healing crisis she felt making her feel as if “someone put voodoo” on her.

Sadly, over the years, I have seen too many reiki practitioners take a 6-8hr workshop and want to profess their expertise in reiki. That is not reiki, but ego talking. If you are teaching this or have been taught that, there is a misconception, and it needs to change.

Working with trauma victims, requires more than just reiki training. You must know the clinical signs and symptoms of trauma and in my opinion, have some sort of clinical or medical training in one or many areas such as trauma, abuse, first aid and cpr, psychology, grief, post traumatic stress, etc.
There is a lot of scientific data research citing the many benefits of reiki as a treatment option especially for diagnoses such as anxiety and depression which tends to plague many victims, and speaking as a survivor of abuse myself, reiki does works. 

Reiki is also used in medical offices and hospitals all over the country as part of an integrative therapy approach. Boston area hospitals that offer reiki as part of their programs include: Boston Children's Hospital, Dana Farberand Brigham and Women's. Nurses are also able to get CEUs. So you see reiki itself, has become a viable treatment options for many within the medical community.
A study done in 2007 by the National Health Interview Survey indicates that 1.2 million adults and 161,000children received one or more sessions of energy healing therapy such as Reiki in the previous year. According to the American Hospital Association, in 2007, 15% or over 800 American hospitals offered Reiki as part of hospital services.

Out of ignorance, I see so many well intentioned reiki teachers and practitioners exacerbating serious medical problems and shedding a negative light on the good reiki can do as viable healing modality by preaching that anyone can do reiki on anyone as reiki can do no harm. Again, it is not the reiki doing harm, but the unqualified reiki practitioner.

How? With an unqualified reiki professional, a victim who already experiences fear, mistrust, and guardedness, these symptoms can significantly worsen.

A qualified reiki professional does the proper client intake, knows when the client is ready for actual healing to take place, there is proper communication between practitioner and client, and if healing crisis takes place a qualified practitioner knows what to do and knows where to refer the client if medical intervention or treatment is required.

With statistics such as, one in three women experience abuse in their lifetime, the chances a reiki professional will encounter a client with trauma is great.  Domestic abuse has hit epidemic proportions in this country andis expected to remain steady until the economy improves, laws to protect victims are enforced and resources to organizations that work with victims are improved.

This is not taking into account other traumas from events such as our military servicemen returning from war or Hurricane Sandy or 9/11.

Of the 1.7 million veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, 300,000 (20percent) suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression.[i]   Accordingto the VA, about one-in-five female veterans have post-traumatic stress related to "military sexual trauma," a catch-all category that includes everything from sexual harassment to rape.[ii]

For 9/11 survivors, “at least 10,000 firefighters, police officers and civilians exposed to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center have been found to have post-traumatic stress disorder.”[iii]

“Statistics say that only 5% of those who survived 9/11 in New York City went on to experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But in the case of Hurricane Katrina, 33% later suffered symptoms. This is a very high percentage, even for an extremely traumatizing event.”[iv]

With these numbers and statistics, it is imperative, the manner in which reiki is utilized needs to be given much consideration.

The reiki practitioner who looks out for their client first, will set ego aside and do the right thing by referring those clients to a professional better qualified to work with those individuals. A reiki professional treating a serious medical condition should also have the appropriate medical credentials to so.

If you have ever experienced some form of trauma in your life whether it be abuse, rape, natural disasters, loss, war, or the like, then please understand that not all reiki professionals are the same just like not all doctors or therapists are the same. Seek out a reiki professional with training or professional experience in the related fields you seek and ask questions.

Reiki has so many wonderful benefits. This article was intended to help educate both well intentioned reiki practitioners as well as educate the general public on why choosing the right reiki professional is critical to your overall health, healing and overall wellbeing.

I sincerely hope the information given served as informative and beneficial. 

ABOUT LAURA

Laura is a psychic medium, metaphysical and holistic health practitioner and teacher. She is also a Registered Certified Medical Assistant, Reiki Master Teacher. She has over 15 cumulative years in the holistic and allopathic health fields and has incorporated energy medicine and mind-body medicine therapies in her line of work over the past 6 years.

Laura’s Psychic Mediumship and intuitive skills runs in her family.  Her grandmother was a tea leaf reader and her aunt was a palm reader and used their healing abilities and Mediumship to help others. Her mother and father used them to heal patients in their respective healthcare fields. However, it wasn't until a traumatic divorce did Laura’s intuitive gifts flourish. 

Laura has been a guest medium at many of the local Spiritualist Churches throughout New England, The Wig-i-wam Spiritualist Camp in Onset and many area South Shore venues and celebrity charity events. She has also been a featured guest with WBZ legend, Bob Lobel on WBZ 1030am radio, Girl’s Night out Sponsored by Radio 104.1, Marshfield Public Access Tv, as well as the Patriot Ledger. She was also featured in an article on Top Leaders Under 40 by New England Business Bulletin regarding her charity work with survivors of interpersonal violence and wellness communities.

Laura offers compassionate and alternative forms of healing and spiritual growth and guidance. She offers a variety of Mind-Body Medicine Therapies, Holistic Health and Nutrition, and Psychic Mediumship. Laura believes that no matter what you are seeking, balance is key – mind, body or spirit. If any of those three areas are out of balance, your whole system will be out of balance. She has found this to be true in all aspects of the services provided and she strives to provide the very best services, classes, workshops, & events. She volunteers her time helping those healing from abuse, and also volunteers services to her church.  Laura’s goal is to have a positive impact in this world, make a difference in people’s lives and find simple preventative cures for complex problems. Laura's unique style to energy medicine can only be witnessed.

Laura has published articles on various health and healing topics such as Stress, Spirituality, and Meditation, My Journey Boston Strong, on various sites such as SelfGrowth.com , Blogger, Hubpages, and Take5.com.     

ICRT Reiki Membership Association - Affiliate Member
We are an Affiliate Member of  ICRT, and follow a code of ethics, and standards of practice.  Its purpose is to maintain a professional image for our members while at the same time preserving the spirit of Reiki and assisting members in creating a thriving Reiki practice. By becoming a member, we'll be associating with an organization that has the reputation of providing accurate, up-to-date information on the history, practice, and scientific study of Reiki. Affiliate members must abide by the following requirements: Use ICRT class manuals purchased from www.reikiwebstore.com when teaching Reiki I, II,ART, Master and Karuna Reiki® classes. One manual must be provided to each student. Abide by the RMA Code of Ethics. Abide by the RMA Standards of Practice. Place the RMA logo on member’s web site home page (if member has a website).Affiliate members must be Usui Reiki masters. Reiki training must have taken place with teacher in person. (no Internet, distant, CD, or book only training accepted).    Contact us in Quincy, Massachusetts, to learn more about Reiki treatment for stress reduction, spiritual healing, and relaxation.


Facebook:  http/www.facebook.com/LauraHealingWithSpirit
 _________________________________________________________
©2010-2014 Laura Healing With Spirit. All Rights Reserved. This information is for general educational uses only. It may not apply to you and your specific medical needs. This information should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation with or the advice of your physician or health care professional.  Communicate promptly with your physician or other health care professional with any health-related questions or concerns.  Be sure to follow specific instructions given to you by your physician or health care professional.


REFERENCES:

[i] RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, Invisible Wounds of War, 2008
[ii] J. Kitfield, National Journal, 2011
[iii] Anemonia Hartocollis, 10 Years and a Diagnosis Later, 9/11 Demons Haunts Thousands, TheNew York Times, August 8, 2011.
[iv]by SusanneBabbel, Ph.D., MFT, Bridging the mind-body gap, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder After 9/11 and Katrina, PsychologyToday; September 12,2011.

Reflections in Divine Synchronicities

4/4/14

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning, April 4, 2014.  I decided to take the back country roads to take care of some personal business per court order by Brockton Family Court Judge Lisa Roberts. While enroute travelling west, I was reflecting on all the tragedies and especially triumphs in my life when the song, "The Broken Road", by Rascal Flats came on the radio at the same time I passed by four swans at approximately 12:42pm.

I'm not a big Rascal Flats fan, but this song is beautifully written and very symbolic of my life and all my friends and family who have been my life lines as I have battled a war for survival from repeated domestic abuse and now legal abuse. The system and the family courts are repeatedly failing to see or acknowledge the abuse despite police reports, medical records, DCF records, and witness testimonies documenting the abuse. I encourage you to listen to this song and to the lyrics as well. 



There is no coincidence the song and the appearance of the swans happened simultaneously. 

Swans are waterfowl that are generally very territorial. I was amazed and surprised to see four of them nicely congregating in a very small area of a large pond.  We generally perceive swans as graceful and elegant with a close connection to water. They live harmoniously with three out of four Aristotelian elements.  With the element of earth, we are reminded to ground our self.  With the element of air, we are shown the ability to soar to great heights. With the element of water, we are shown grace and beauty.

I am also reminded about the tale of Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson that I read as a child. Just like the Ugly Duckling, I have been mislabeled, bullied, outcasted, and abused by those I thought I could trust and believe to protect me and my family from repeated abuse. These swans are reminding me that I will emerge a strong, beautiful and graceful swan as well with the help of great relationships.  I am grateful for each and every one of my friends and family who have been by my side through thick and thin as I attempt to permanently sever the ties with my abuser once and for all. Despite my repeated attempts, I view my abuser like a pit-bull that just will not let go of his bite or grip. 

These strong majestic swans appeared today for a reason just like the song "Broken Road".  Since swans are very loyal and they will mate with the same swan sometimes over a life time, they served as a reminder to have faith in the blessings soon to come. Just like in the fairytale, these new nurturing relationships have been helping me to become stronger again, to be set free and transform into the majestic swan.  Both the fairytale and the symbolic meaning of the swans serves as a reminder of our inherent glory. I am reminded to have unwavering faith with persistence of heart while pursuing the truth and gifts I was born with confidence and grace. 

The 12:42 is another divine message that this 10+yr karmic life cycle is about to come to an end.  The date 4/4/14 is confirmation symbolically to know that I am divinely protected. Both sets of numbers are telling me that now is the time to faith God more than ever before, because positive change is afoot. Believe it.

I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe in divine synchronicities. As the song "Broken Road" goes "This much I know is true,  That God blessed the broken road,  That led me straight to you."

And today was very synchronistic of my reflections, this song, and the swans.

Have a blessed day. Namaste.

And As the song "Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts goes ...

"I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

[Chorus:]
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
(Yes He did)

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true.

[Chorus]

Yeah.

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you. "

My Spiritual Encounters Preparing For Court on 4/15/14

Thoughts to ponder: As I sit in awareness recognizing the internal things I really need to prepare for not the material preparation for some life changing events occurring the following day. This is about building awareness, messages from spirit, a turkey vulture, facebook glitches, and messages in numbers from Spirit.

 

As I sit here reflecting on today's events, I sit in awareness recognizing the internal things I really need to prepare for tomorrow's big court day and recognizing it is not the material aspects like documents, paperwork, photographs etc. Today I have been preparing for a very big life altering day tomorrow in Brockton Family Court that can affect me in all areas of my life and the life of my family.

I am currently threatened with incarceration of 6mo or longer due to the lack of financial capabilities to comply with current orders despite my diligent efforts and despite the fact the current order is 2x above current child support guidelines. My abuser has repeated pushed for incarceration to punish me despite he is directly attributed to many reasons I have failed to secure gainful employment which I will not belabor here. My abuser has NEVER been criminally charged, sanctioned or penalized for any violations of law despite his arrogant admissions to the Family Courts.

While I was attempting to prepare for court, at times I felt very organized in thought and process and other times I felt scattered having a very difficult time gathering and organizing the required information and documents required for tomorrow's big day due to what I believe were post-traumatic stress episodes I was experiencing due to repeated domestic abuse and legal abuse.

Earlier today, I saw a turkey vulture this morning as I was leaving my house. It was flying in the wind unsteadily lower than normal as if it were about to crash land on the windshield of my truck. This turkey vulture was not graceful nor gliding with ease as it normally would have been literally preparing for the storm ahead but still pursuing forward into the direction it sought. I never saw a turkey vulture fly like that before, but knew nothing was a coincidence and took it as a message from the Universe.

In general, bird symbolism deals with the element of air and air is symbolic of the mind and thoughts. The turkey vulture is one of the largest of bird species and is generally symbolic of patience, grace, and resourcefulness with great vision. As I watched in awareness, I took mental notes of what was happening. In my situation, the turkey vulture was reminding me to surrender to Great Spirit and the impending storm and to glide effortlessly using my own energy. Know that changes are imminent and that I am more divinely protected more than I realize despite all the recent messages from loved ones on the other side stating so clearly to me over the past several months approaching this day.

I had been frustrated with obstacles and clarity needed to try to find a solution to end this repeated cycle of domestic abuse by proxy and legal abuse. The turkey vulture is a reminder that instead of working so hard at working hard, it is time to open up all the heightened senses to assist in navigating through this current situation or impending storm tomorrow. Know that the turkey vulture will assist in uncovering the truths sought and clarify any previous misconceptions. It is time to rise above ... to stand firmly ... and soar with confidence, purpose, and a heightened vision. It is time to break through the barriers and limitations and awaken within without fears or limitations.

I later noticed even Facebook had some glitches. Did you experience that yourself? I noticed especially on one particular post talking about light outshining darkness and the phoenix rising from the ashes a pattern of repeating comments. The post I am referring to is here:

• "Looking forward to an easy breezy springy week after tomorrow's big day in Brockton. Lots of changes happening. Darkness can continue to attempt to extinguish the light, but in the end, the light ALWAYS outshines any darkness. The light always triumphs. Rising Phoenix is birthing right now and lovingly divinely protected by a much higher power. Looking forward to closing this chapter and starting a new one."

Some of the comments on this post repeated anywhere from 2 to 10 times over despite my constant deleting of repeated posts. At first I thought these errors were due to a phone or app glitch, but noticed other people's comments were repeating over and over totaling over 77 comments from only four individuals. This is a little extreme you think?! However, once I acknowledged this maybe a supernatural subliminal message from spirit in itself, the repeating suddenly stopped. Once I saw this occur, I acknowledged the message given to me from Spirit.

All day, without much effort, I was presented with these continuing messages from spirit. I took it as needing to be bopped over the head to knock my anxiety and ADHD way of thinking off its rocker and pay attention. Even mediums such as myself who spend our time communicating with spirit to help others in their spiritual path and healing, sometimes, we as mediums need much stronger or more signs to see the messages when they are for ourselves. We are not immune to basic human nature.

So the messages continue next with a "1:11" with my acknowledgement message thanking Great Spirit for this day and reminding me to stay focused and positive and that I am listening and open to receive their divine guidance.

Later on that evening as I prepared for to go to a new job, I was still contemplating on a strategy for tomorrow's big day. Upon arrival, I had been considering today's pluses and minuses as well as today's achievements and setbacks and taking all of what the day had to offer in all aspects.

As I was doing this, a young man walked towards me. He giggled as he looked at his watch and said "wow it's 7:11" He then laughed and walked away. I instantly knew it was another message from spirit even though he apparently was clueless to the importance of the message ... or was he? After I saw the "7:11", I received the next message from spirit to "stay positive. The truth shall prevail. Keep the faith and your thoughts positive ... NOTE TO SELF: Do the same. Namaste"

The messages continued like an open flood gate despite my acknowledgement of their presence. Clearly Spirit wanted to ensure I saw these messages short of knocking some literal sense into me or was it Spirit's own advertising campaign to get me to see the message clearly and to digest it. Again, without effort, I saw "10:10" with the direct message from Spirit telling me "The cycle is ending. A new path is emerging. Hold on tight for the changes ahead. You have come so far, and your time is emerging."

So the message that I am taking from this experience today is to not over prepare for tomorrow in the material sense. However, to mentally prepare by allowing Spirit to guide me; balance me; and work with me. Everything I need is internal. I need to connect with God, my angels, my guides and those on the other side waiting and willing to assist me in tomorrow's endeavor. I need to surrender to God and what is and to trust in God more.

Let the light come through and shine so brightly that all evil and negativity just falls away to nonexistence during tomorrow's big day.

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and lessons from Spirit while on my spiritual quest. Namaste. Your comments and thoughts are important to me.

Reflections in Divine Synchronicities

Took the back country roads this morning taking care of some personal business reflecting on all
the tragedies and especially triumphs in my life when the song, The Broken Road by Rascal Flats,
came on the radio and I passed by four swans.

Swans are very territorial and surprised to see four of them nicely congregating in a very small area of a large pond.

I'm not a big Rascal Flats fan, but this song is beautifully written and very symbolic of my life and all my friends and family who have been my life lines. I am grateful for each and every one of you. I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe in divine synchronicities.

And today was very sychronistic of my reflections, this song, and the swans.

Have a blessed day. Namaste.
12:42pm
travelling West.

Reflections on My Life's Journey Healing Abuse

Funny how life works ...

I am sitting here at Blue Hills thinking about how hard things have been over the last 10yrs for me, my family and many other wonderful people I know and all the beautiful surprises that are beginning to emerge. I am sharing this not to get sympathy,  but to show that no matter how dire life can seem, anything can change in a moment if we have faith.

I was VERY successful in many past endeavours which in light of recent exciting events have been getting much reflection lately. However, some of my greatest challenges surfaced over the passed 4yrs w a brutal narcissistic abusive ex who has been relentless in attempts to destroy my life at all costs ... and at a calculatable financial loss of over $600k.  I can not control what he chooses to do. However, I can choose my reactions to his grievous and malicious  actions.

Through these very difficult life lessons with a karmic past, I was forced to close a very successful health and wellness business and later laid off from teaching at a wonderful college with some of the most amazing people I have ever met. I have never had so many obstacles in life and career as I have since 2006 all as a result of NOT listening to my gut and marrying the wrong person.  At times, losing faith that things would turn around.

The pendulum has swung. The Phoenix has risen. And karma is quite angry. As the saying goes, every dog gets their day. I am still waiting, but I grow more hopeful every day.

Of coarse I had to deal with these aweful things, and struggled many times trying to find ways to not let things out of my control, control my life and destroy all the successful potentials I had to offer life.  I went back to my roots. Accepted certain gifts I have ... many I am still working on accepting my abilities and talents. ... Opened myself to ALL opportunities before me regardless of restrictions ... confronted and overcame many fears (still working on many) . .. and stayed connected to my spirituality. .. The gutters have been cleaned, scrubbed,  and ready for the water to flow freely once again through the channels of success in the spring.

I am grateful for all the blessings and surprised opportunities that have been rising over the passed few months. Many of these including celebrity events, charity events, volunteer movie set opportunities. However, the greatest opportunity was having the courage to come out of the closet regarding my psychic mediumship abilities which have been utilized in the past to some degree to help me in my work in health care with analysis, treatment, and patient care as well as my teaching style in the college, helping other victims of abuse to heal, my church, my spirituality and elsewhere. 

I am even MOST grateful for those individuals who have entered into my life during the darkest of my days. Yet became my friend, supported me, and loved me unconditionally without judgement.  You all know who you are. I am grateful.  All the wonderful transformations happening in my life now, I owe to you. I love you all and hopes I can be there for each and every one of you as you have for me. I have never felt more like me again as I have over the past few months.

Thank you all and thank you spirit for finally placing my life back on track.

My mantra and Prayer For This Week's Court

My Mantra:
I am safe. I am grounded. I am protected.

My Prayer:
Dear infinite God of love and light,  I ask that you call upon Archangel Raphael to help keep me calm as well as identify and release any anxities or fears in the midst of this week's life changing events that do not serve my highest and best and help me identify and clear any blockages that may be in my way. I ask that you call upon Archangel Michael and Ida Ten to give me the strength, clarity, and ability to vocalize and communicate in a clear, concise, factual, and evidential way that I need in pursuit of justice for my family. I also ask that you call upon any reinforcements that I may need to finally help me in winning this long drawn out battle.  Thank you

Counting the Small Miracles in the Midst of Chaos

SMALL MIRACLES DO HAPPEN -

In the midst of high anxiety, heart palpitations and chronic stress due to certain life circumstances wielding many injustices in my life right now surrounding the ongoing family court abuse litigation which may cause me to go to jail May 22nd unless immediate intervention is done ... comes along the voice of an angel as I submerge to the Park Street redline platform. 

Thank you spirit for the gift of beauty in the midst of such chaos. 

I hear you. I am listening. I am grateful. I am pausing to enjoy this moment in time. 

I know I am supported.

Thank you for giving me the strength I so desperately need right now. 

Have a blessed day

Fear and Abuse

Fear can be the most debilitating thing to keep you from the kind of life the universe has to offer. Is fear keeping you from achieving your true potential? Do you even know if fear is your root cause.

I wrote this blog in my early years trying to find the answers to my desperate need to heal and move forward from the abuse I suffered.

Ever wonder why victims stay with their abusers and DON'T leave? Many are handicapped by the years of fear and control instilled in them by the abuser. Fear of homelessness. Fear of the inability to provide for the children. Fear the abuser will kill the other parent, children, or everyone in a last ditch effort of control. Fear of financial disasters. Fear of losing their children. The list can grow with every threat and action.

Click here to read the entire blog ... http://fearandlawofattraction.blogspot.com/2009/05/fear-is-worse-than-abuser-themself-as.html

The Power of "Believing"

This is a blog I wrote a few years ago for a grass roots organization whose mission is to research solutions to the epidemic of abuse and promote healing. 

This blog was about the divine messages and support from spirit in healing from abuse.This blog was one of my firsts being confronted with the divine and the divine confirming to me that I was not alone. I do have support for what I was experiencing from all the abuse and repeated traumas.

Do You "Believe"? - Seven Days Of Fantastic Events and Flashing Billboard Signs

2009 has been a challenging year for most, but with belief and trust, anything is possible & 2010 will be a much better year. Don't let fear dictate your future.

I personally have had the word "believe thrown in my face like a flashing billboard in such an obvious way for 7 days straight starting on December 6th 2009... Starting with a sermon at my church that Sunday on the word "believe". The biggest thing I noticed as much as I noticed the words is the word "believe" is what is prevalent...Not the words belief or believing, but "Believe"....

Here is the link to read this blog in its entirety. http://do-you-believe1234.blogspot.com/2009/12/do-you-seven-days-of-fantastic-events.html

Divine Intervention

Here is a blog I wrote for a new organization whose mission was to research solutions to the epidemic of abuse and promote healing. 

I have had some life challenges the past couple years. Who hasn't right? Well I won't go into my life's story yet - that may have to wait for 20/20 or Oprah.

Have you ever questioned yourself or doubt. Let fear control your every thought and move? I have.

This blog is about the one single event that changed EVERYTHING and the pendulum swung the other way. After that day, I knew the only thing I knew I could trust was spirit and I never looked back except for asking for confirmations.

Here is the link to that blog http://isthisdivineintervention.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-have-had-some-life-challenges-past.html

Being Blessed & Life's Journey

I am blessed with spirit guiding me to the wonderful people in my life currently and assisting me with clearing out all the cancerous souls that were preventing my soul to flourish.

Life can hand you a deck of cards that at times makes you feel no matter what card is pulled, you lose and there is no way out of your situation.  Not true.  It's all an illusion to some degree as you can not choose the cards given to you, but you sure can choose how you react to them and how you play those cards.   A hard lesson I have been learning over the past 10years and still learning.

However, I'm grateful for those life lessons going through this journey. These lessons give you the strength, wisdom, and endurance to move forward in even the darkest of light.  It is like training for a marathon.  You may not know how to start when you are in the thick of it, but as you journey through it, problem solving along the way, maintaining faith and belief, staying strong, sticking to your goals, treating your mind, body, and spirit healthy, you will prevail. Will it be as you exactly hoped it be?  Probably not, but then again, life gives you surprises along the way and challenges you to make you better - better at your craft, better at relationships or family, a better person, better at gratitude or positive thinking, better at your health or whatever it may be. Someone once told me, "it is always darkest before it becomes dawn".  I always tell myself that when I see myself possibly moving backwards.

Learning those lessons are very important so you will no longer have to endure the same hardships again.  AND learning those lessons with a positive outlook and not with guardedness or preservation as those will give you a false sense of learning those lessons you are to learn.

So what cancers do you need to heal, treat or cut out of your life, and what lessons do you have to learn or struggling to learn to move forward in your life?

The Ripple Effect and Spirituality

First written September 2012

How many of you liked to skip stones when you are a kid? How many of you still like to skip stones? How many still actually do it?

We are all here for a reason today in this wonderful church. But have you actually stopped to think what brought you here? Have you actually stopped to think about what is spirituality and what it means to you?

Spirituality is a belief that focuses on one’s understanding of natural law enabling the person to discover his/her inner path of being and it is an integral aspect of many religious experiences such as Spiritualism.


Wikipedia definition: “Spirituality in this context may be a matter of nurturing thoughts, emotions, words, and actions that are in harmony with the belief that everything in the universe is mutually dependent; this stance has much in common with some versions of Buddhist spirituality. A modern definition is as follows: Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issues of how our lives fit into the greater scheme of things. This is true when our questions never give way to specific answers or give rise to specific practices such as prayer and meditation. We encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world. An idea or practice is ‘spiritual’ when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings of powers governing life.”


In Spiritualism, there is a fundamental belief in the continuation of life after the change called death as well as the personal responsibility for life’s circumstances.


With that said, in order to understand spirituality or spiritualism, you must first understand the human being and the ripple effects we create.

As human beings, we are energy in a physical body that creates energetic vibrations.


That allows your heart to pump blood throughout your body? Do you honestly know? Think about it before you read on…. What actually triggers your heart to contract that enables it to pump blood throughout the human body to nourish every tissue and cell? Have you figured it out yet? If not, that is ok. I will explain. Whether you call it God’s gift … the Universe’s Gift …Nature’s mastery…. you have two mini self generating electrical power plants in your heart called the SA node and AV node, otherwise known as the sinoatrial node and the atrial node. They self generate electrical impulses that stimulate the heart the contract and pump the blood throughout the human body. Now think about that. How amazing is that? You have a perfect natural machine like the engine in your car filtering and pumping the nutrient your body needs to stay alive.  Have you ever wondered why we need two electrical paddles to stimulate the heart while jump starting the heart?

Everything we do, feel, see, hear, touch, happens due to an electrical impulse that triggered and sent to the brain for the interpretation of sight, sound, touch, etc.


When we understand the fundamental basis of our beings as energy and a one electrical conduction system, we can attune ourselves to be in vibrational alignment with the universe.

Remember I started off asking you about whether or not you like to skip stones? I am going to now explain why I asked that question. 

Think dropping a pebble into the serene glasslike pond. What happens to the pebble? … It creates ripples.

Now what if your friend next to you drops a pebble into that same pond? It also creates a ripple.
What happens to your ripple? To their ripple? They eventually collide.

And depending on whose pebble that was dropped into the pond was larger will determine the magnitude and impact of the collision and whose ripple creates a greater effect. The vibrational alignment, just like sound can alter the tranquility of the water.

If our mind and body are as clear and smooth like glass on a lake, be careful what you toss in. Just like a pebble being tossed, you have the ability to create a small symmetrically balanced ripple effect with little disturbance to the overall lake. As it travels it magnifies in size the farther away it is from the original source but does so in a smooth fashion.

Now if you toss a boulder, the ripple can create what? An unbalanced volatile rocky big ripples in the lake that can take a much longer time for the lake to recover and restore itself to that quiet serene glass like appearance. So now these volatile ripples also magnify as it travels outward as well.

I challenge you to an experiment.  Print this article out and keep with you when you do the experiment. Go out and toss the pebble into a lake. Watch what happens. Then toss a boulder into the lake and watch what happens. Then toss two pebbles similar in size and watch what happens. I encourage you to take notes on this experiment as to what you observe when you do this. I would be honored if you choose to write in the comments below your results and what you witnessed and what was revealed to you that you learned about yourself.

Just like the pebble or boulder, what you sent outward, goes out like ripples in the water and magnifies as it travels.


Your attitude – Creates ripples

Your body language – Creates ripples

Your actions and reactions – creates ripples
Your words – creates ripples

Your thoughts – Creates ripples

Your feelings – creates ripples

So be careful what ripples you allow in and be careful what ripples you put out or send out.


Are your ripples positive or negative?

Negative ripples can give you a feeling like your finger is stuck in an electrical outlet … a sense of being fried and exhausted that you feel you really cannot explain or do not know how to explain.

Positive ripples have more of a feeling of being in vibrational alignment with yourself and the universe … Like a free flowing balanced energy source.

If you are not in vibrational alignment, begin by building a sense of awareness. What do I mean by that?

To build a sense of awareness, you need to become intimately aware of your inner self and your surroundings using all of your senses.

Understand you cannot change what you can not acknowledge so you must begin here.

When you begin to master the sense of awareness, you choose the vibrations you are sending out. By keeping your vibrations high, you begin to start to enjoy life and begin to understand that it is possible to achieve your goals that you have been struggling so hard to accomplish. You start to create a surge of positive energy affecting everything around you.

For everything to change in your life, it starts with the self. Just as in spiritualism, you must take responsibility for your own life.  It is a matter of yin and yang and the natural laws.

If your vibrations are low or you are exhibiting negative ripples, an avalanche affect can occur causing you to tumble into lower forms of consciousness and inferior ways of thinking. In many cases, you may be subconsciously self-sabotaging everything good you strive in your life without even realizing you are doing it. Just stop and think about that for a moment and digest what that really means.

So if your life is filled with fear, anger, and negativity and you perpetually live in that environment, this will eventually lead to dis-ease of all areas in your mind, body, and spirit. Your life will continue to spiral down unless you make a conscious decision right here … right now to change. The past is the past and can breed depression. The future has not happened yet and can breed anxiety and stress. All you have is the now so just be happy.

If your life is surrounded by lower vibrations, meaning your environment, you are allowing yourself to have these negative lower vibrational ripples impact and collide with your energetic core and your life. As a result, you will eventually cease to see yourself in a self loving, self nurturing, and balanced way.  Someone once told me that if you are told you “no good” for so long and it is drilled into you, you start to believe it. In abuse, they call that “gaslighting”.

By mastering the art of awareness, you can self-correct your patterns of thinking and behaviors. Hence changing the kind of ripple effect you are sending out and receiving.
As we think of ourselves and others, we send out vibrational ripples in frequencies. We must nurture our inner child with self love, appreciation and gratitude. By doing so, the ripples we create, send out are of… love, appreciation and gratitude.

Spirit is always around us, and with spirit’s guidance, you have the ability to create endless ripples with a positive impact in your life and the lives of others. The choice is yours to make.

So I will leave you with a few thoughts and questions to ponder. 
What does spiritualism mean to you and how does spirituality fit in your life?
What ripples are you creating right now … during this very moment?

What thought just passed through your head? Were your thoughts loving, compassionate, nurturing, healing and positive vibrationally aligned?  … Or not?

Begin with building a sense of awareness. Choose a path for a self discovery of your inner being and a journey to enlightenment.  Connect with spirit for guidance and help along the journey.  Keep your life filled with love and compassion.  And remember the pebble in the pond and the impacts it creates.


“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”  ― Mother Teresa

How are you going to change the kind of ripples you are allowing to impact you as well as change the kind of ripples you send out?

© 2012 ALL Rights Reserved. Healing With Spirit. May NOT be used for promotional purposes without the explicit written permission of the author.

The Importance of Spirituality in Conquering Unhealthy Stress

Are you feeling overwhelmed and having a lot of difficulty in your life? Stress creeping in your life? Feeling like you’re losing purpose?  Stress is different for everyone. What may be stressful for one person may not be stressful for another and stress appears in many different ways.  However, chronic unhealthy stress slowly creeps in our lives and is a growing epidemic becoming toxic to our physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. At all times, in order to maintain a healthy mind, body, and spirit, we must be in a constant equilibrium or balance.

Spirituality, separated from Religiousness, can help manage your unhealthy stress, because spirituality in its core helps give your life meaning and purpose regardless of your religious beliefs.

How do I know if my stress is normal or if it is unhealthy? Normal healthy stress occurs during certain events such as child birthing, exercise, or even in cases like winning the lottery. The natural stress response is the body’sreaction to danger, uncertainty or change through various hormonal reactions.That is the first stage of stress, also called the “fight or flight”. 

Although stress is a normal natural survival mechanism, it can quickly become toxic to our mind, body, and spirit if kept in overdrive taxing our system. Ever hear anyone say their nerves are fried? Well unhealthy stress puts your nervous system in overdrive. Research suggests that prolonged toxic stress contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease, coronary artery disease, anxiety, depression, obesity, and addiction.

Statistics according to the American PsychologicalAssociation:

• About 25% of Americans are experiencing high levels of stress
• About  50% report moderate levels of stress
• Over 76% of Americans cite money as a significant cause of stress.[1] 

Research also suggests that time management may be a significant barrier preventing people from taking the necessary steps to improve their health.[2]  Most Americans have a general awareness and understand the general health impacts of toxic stress. Unfortunately, studies also show there is a disconnect when it comes to impact stress may have on an individual’s own health.

You cannot avoid stress, but there ways to better manage stress levels and spirituality can help.  

First, in order to change the effects of stress, you have to learn to recognize and identify when you're feeling overly stressed and become more aware of the signs, symptoms, and triggers. Your body tells you everything you need to know by sending you signs and signals.  Are you listening? 

Spirituality can help you become reconnected with yourself.  It allows for self discovery, and can assist in helping you build a sense of awareness. Because spirituality focuses on the inner self and our inner world, it encourages a passive shift in our attitude and how we react to certain situations that confront us.

Research suggests that those who believe in God or a higher power or have gone through a spiritual journey experience many benefits totheir overall health and wellbeing including a reduction of toxic stress.

Once you identify the stress, next is to choose a way to deal with it. One way is to find something positive in your life no matter how dire your situation may seem. Focus on positives. Find gratitude in the little things in your life that right now may seem mundane. 

Another way, is avoidance or removal. However, avoiding your stressors are not always possible especially if the source of your stress is family. So what do we do? We change our thoughts and how we react to people, things or situations.  You cannot change how someone treats you or what situations have been given to you, BUT you can choose how you react to them. 

As you go through this process pay attention to you - not the ego self, but the inner you!  There are various practices associated with spirituality that have also been shown to reduce unhealthy stress including:

• Meditation – Meditation is probably the most researched practice showing profound benefits to improving a variety of chronic health issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, HBP, and improve immunity.The US Army has studied its effectiveness in using it as a treatment method for soldiers returning from battle who suffer from PTSD.
• Yoga – Yoga is considered a form ofcomplementary alternative medicine using various poses and breathing techniques. Research has shown yoga to reduce stress related symptoms, enhancemood, and improve overall sense of well-being.
• Tai Chi – When Communist China took over, TaiChi was the only martial art not banned. It is now considered a meditation in movement.  With the use of the gentle flow and movements, Tai Chi can have tremendous health benefits including reducing stress.
• Breathing Exercises -  Mastering the power of the breath with deep breathing techniques is one of the best ways to lower stress and can be done anywhere. This is because how we breathe affects the overall functioning and health of our body.
• Relaxation – Relaxation Techniques help activate the body’s natural relaxation response to combat stress. Methods include: hypnosis, meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga.
• Prayer - Prayer has also show to have many of the same benefits as meditation by bringing a sense of calmness that can help buffer stress. Prayer has long been associated with connecting to God.
• Touch Therapies such as  Reiki and Acupuncture have ancient healing roots that promote healing and reduce stress.
• Laughter – Laughter has been shown to cause biochemical changes in the body leading to greater healing and changes of perspective.

Through various spiritual practices, you will quickly be able to restore calm, clarity and serenity to your chaotic life and restore the equilibrium in your body.  In the process, your stress will naturally be reduced.

Finally, our mental strength and attitudes can be a deciding factor in identifying a stressor and the nature of our response to it. So becoming aware of our own inner thoughts, maintaining a positive attitude, and learning to laugh more can all help keep our mind, body, and spirit healthy.

So when life throws you a curveball, change how you react to the situation, and find the lesson to be learned. Those who practice some form of spirituality also view these types of situations as a karmic test or lesson to be learned for personal spiritual growth.

As someone once told me when I was at a place where I felt cornered with no possible solutions in sight while stress controlled my life, I was reminded “It is always darkest before it becomes dawn”.  The light always triumphs the dark. Always.

Let spirituality and your spiritual path guide you in your life and help you reduce the unhealthy stress you have accumulated before it becomes too late. You will be glad you did. Have a blessed day.


References:

1.       AmericanPsychological Association; Managing YourStress Through Tough Economic Times; November 2010; http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/economic-stress.aspx
2.       The Mayo Clinic; Spirituality and Stress Relief: July23, 2010; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR00035
3.       AmericanPyshcological Association; Stress inAmerica; 2011 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx
4.       Life Positive; Spirituality for Stress Relief; http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/psychology/stress/mental-health.asp
5.       Columbia CenterFor Psychiatry;  Stress; David FischerMD, Medical Director; 2011;  http://www.columbiapsychiatric.com/stress.html
6.       The FreeDictionary by Fairafax; Stress; http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/stress
7.       Harvard HealthPublications; Harvard Medical School; Understandingthe Stress Response; http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2011/March/understanding-the-stress-response
8.       Spirituality and health: What we know,what we need to know; Linda K George; David B Larsons;Harold G Koeing; Michael E McCullough; Journal of Social and ClinicalPsychology; Spring 2000; 19, 1; Psychology Module; http://www.psy.miami.edu/ehblab/Religion%20Papers/spirituality%20and%20health_george_larson_et%20al._JSCP.pdf
9.       Stress Management; Stress Relievers: Top 10 Picks To TameStress; Mayo Clinic; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relievers/MY01373
10.     Stress Management Health Center; Stress Management; Breathing Exercises for Relaxation;  WedMD; http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-breathing-exercises-for-relaxation
11.     The Mayo Clinic; Stress Management; Relaxation Techniques; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/relaxation-technique/SR00007


©2013 Laura Joseph of Healing With Spirit..  All Rights Reserved. This information is forgeneral educational uses only. It may not apply to you and your specificmedical needs. This information should not be used in place of a visit, call,consultation with or the advice of your physician or health care professional.Communicate promptly with your physician or other health care professional withany health-related questions or concerns. Be sure to follow specificinstructions given to you by your physician or health care professional.


[1] American Pyshcological Association; Stress in America; 2011 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx
[2] American Pyshcological Association; Stress in America; 2011 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx

A Cardinal Message From Spirit

 Written: April 9, 2013

PHOTO:  http://townofcanandaiguarepublicans.org/gallery/Spring_cardinal.JPG



The time is 5:35 a.m. and the faint sounds of what could be thunder in the distance get my attention or could it be the sounds of the trash being picked up from the dumpster? The sound happens once more, but once again too faint to clearly identify. Then at approximately 5:55 a.m. a much louder repeated echoing boom happened. Ahhhhh the confirmation it was thunder.

One could take one road to the dark, dank, depressing side of the morning and say, “oh how I wish I were still in bed right now”. However, realizing the rain is required for the earth to flourish … for spring flowers to bloom … and for nourishment to all life, I embraced the rain.

As I begin to leave my home wondering if I was going to be stuck in a downpour, I remind myself that it is April 9th and it will be 70 degrees and sunny later on. So I smiled and left my house.

It is now 6:06 a.m. Amidst the dankness and drizzle appears, red cardinal to my right about 10 feet above me brightly displayed on a limb of a branch as if I were watching a black and white film with a red hand colored painted bird singing his song and bolstering his voice. As I walk by him, I am reminded and in awe of his beauty. I felt as if I were watching a movie reel, but instead of the bird was not moving, I was the one moving and watching him as I slowly walked to my car.

His voice was clearer and louder and more beautiful than all the other morning songs combined by the other birds. This is not the first time I have heard him as I hear him every morning. So why is this day different? It is how he presented himself to me, and in a way I knew without a doubt it was a message.

What does this all mean? Well, for you, it can mean something completely different. One thing I have learned over the years is that nature and the universe works in synchronicity with our lives and will always present messages to us if we dare to listen. You can do all your research you want and what others say a meaning is. However, in the end, the meanings are customized in your own language that you must learn to interpret.

Symbolically, the rain can be a reflection of emotions and can symbolize rebirth, sadness, or cleansing. What it means to you is different than what it means to me. For me, it is symbolic of cleansing and rebirth and to know I am safe and protected. It is also to remind me to call upon my angels and ascended masters more as confirmed by the times which in numerology are reflected by the four and five. The four is about the angels and the five is all about transition.

The rumble of thunder was to get my attention and to help me realize the inner power and strength I have to overcome this latest obstacle in my life. Thunder is symbolic of great energy and power and is also associated with Zeus, the god of all gods. Hearing the thunder in the background is a reminder to harness my inner energy and power.

We are nearing the end of one cycle and beginning a new as represented by the date, which in numerology is a ten number. It is also a time of spring which has a long history of spiritual significance throughout the world. Spring is a season symbolic of rebirth, resurrection, and a time when great confrontations and polarities occur in nature: darkness and light, death and rebirth. For me, it is an important stage of self-realization and empowerment and a reminder that the darkness is fading and light is returning.

The cardinal may be a small bird, but it is strong and rich in color and voice, which happen to be the strongest characteristics of this bird. Because this bird is a year round resident, it is associated with the number 12. This can mean a host of things from changes occurring within the next 12 days, 12 weeks, or 12 months; or it can mean communication. Since this was a male cardinal, it is associated with perseverance. Since I am female and if I were to call on the female cardinal inside, it would be associated with intuition.

The color of the cardinal is also very significant. Once again, what it means to you can be different from what it means to me. The bright red color has associations to the base chakra, to the Cardinals of the Catholic Church, and to the kundalini in yoga.

The message for me is a simple reminder to listen to my gut and rise above the situation no matter how dire it appears to me. The message is reminding me to see the bigger picture and sing loud enough for the whole world to hear me in a voice that is strong, confident, unwavering, and louder than all the other voices around me. Keep singing until someone hears me and never give up. It is time to activate the personal power within and leave behind all fears and excuses.

Considering the very challenging events that have transpired over the past two weeks, I am grateful to spirit for this day and for this confirmation message I needed to empower my strength and courage and quell my fears. Thank you for helping me walk the walk, speak my true voice, and have the strength and confidence to do so.

Namaste.