Archive for the ‘Well-Being Resources’ Category

My Fall 2011 newsletter highlighted a recent find just a few minutes south of Santa Fe, the Leonora Curtin wetlands. Right off I-25, you can birdwatch, hike, and enjoy its lush scenery and views. There’s two more weekends to explore it! Here’s an excerpt describing what you’ll find:
“I took a drive to the Leonora Curtin wetland preserve just a few miles south of town–a wonderland of diverse ecosystems, huge trees, a little lake, and inviting picnic tables. Even though it’s close to the highway, I don’t remember hearing traffic noise. Now with the cottonwoods about to blaze like gold and all the wildflowers in bloom, it will only get more delightful…it’s open until October 30th. Click here for details.”

Last week I was in Chicago, this week in Boston, and Fall hasn’t quite hit–the trees are still pretty green here. The most amazing sight so far is the old Chicago public library. Now it’s a cultural center, with huge high-ceilinged galleries and Tiffany glass mosaic decorating the walls: pink mother of pearl, gold-backed green Italian glass and cerulean blue, each little piece cut and placed by hand.

Later I walked along the shore of Lake Michigan, where people were salmon fishing. The coho salmon come in the fall, leaping out of the water right in front of all the weekenders, enormous silvery-pink fish. People were catching what looked like $50 salmon out there!

What turns out to have been very good preparation for these times are all the mind-body-spirit integration trends of the last thirty years, such as  meditation, yoga, breathing exercises…because things are getting really chaotic! The intensity of energy and the feeling that everything is speeding up, makes it doubly important to have a peaceful inner inner space to be in.  Fortunately, there’s been a proliferation of resources and practices for anyone wanting to stay centered and productive,  just let your interest level guide you to which one to try.

On the radio last month  I channeled a message about how people need to create a refuge for themselves in the midst of whatever chaos is going on around them. Basically, the way to stay in balance is to go “in”. If you’ve never tried it before, it’s not too late…energy balancing practices in this quickend atmosphere brings results. Just like the world is changing fast, so can any one of us!

Another consciousness tool is having a  clear understanding of your intuition’s “yes’ and “no”. Your intuition is assigned to guide you to your unique growth experiences, or warn you when you are headed towards a dead end. Being able to trust your guts is priceless: to know how you feel on an intuitive level about moving one way or another when things are changing, when you may need to make a decision you didn’t expect, or take a leap of faith. We all have this basic ability to tune in to our inner self’s “yes” and “no”. \

All about NO:

Intuition, being independent of the ego, can give you a “no” reading about something your mind says you should be excited about. The ego self-identity reacts to social pressures and your own expectations. The intuition responds to the energy something actually gives off, rather than expectations or hypothetical circumstances.
The whole world can think an opportunity is great, it’s a huge honor, but you are wary. For some reason at the mention of this fabulous promotion, your familiar “no” feelings are present. You are curiously unenthusiastic…your body is hanging back and your stomach just tightened. Your breathing is shallow. Even though your senses register that you’re disappointing people, you tell your boss you’re going to sleep on it.
There are many NO natural body responses. Typically, it feels like a dimming of light and energy, a physical contraction, a sense of something not going anywhere, a lack of connection or substance. “No” might also bring up anxiety, tension, and fear. On a basic physical level, it is a contraction somewhere or a loss of energy. Whatever it is, there will be many more “no’s” to follow if you don’t heed, because the intuition doesn’t give up.

All about YES:

A “yes” is opposite to NO in that it feels stabilizing, peaceful, energizing, or expansive. It can also be a sense of simplicity: You see the used car for sale in the distance…the lines please you, its paint sparkles, you drive it and in three minutes you’ve already stopped thinking about whether you’re going to buy it, it’s your car. (You go on to drive the car for 13 years with virtually no problems.)  “Yes” is something that gives you a solid feeling, that you have no problem with, that generates creative ideas, that seems fun, that makes you feel lighter, that makes your body feel safe, that makes your heart open up or impels you to reach out.
If any of you have your own impressions for “yes” and “no” to share, please comment!

Elissa Heyman,  Psychic Counseling and Spiritual Healing, in person/by phone, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505-982-3294. New website! www.elissaheyman.com

People are changing inside, their world is changing, and this means things are breaking down, a very disconcerting phenomena: it accounts for feeling really bad even if the place you are going to is much better. Affirmations are helpful as people change, to help steer themselves to a positive place as the old gives way, and I found a very good source online for an explanation of what negative self-talk can do to a person, and what a positive inner script produces: click here.

I’ve noticed lately how many of my clients are acutely aware of the need to change, yet they are often frustrated with how long it’s taking them. The problem is in thinking one knows all the ins and outs of the process, and when it “should” be happening. It’s enough to have a heart’s desire to change, to be focused on it–Nature takes care of the details …all that’s required is one’s sincere request for a path to show up.

However, people don’t act until they are mysteriously ready–just like all of a sudden someone who has been lying in bed in the morning, procrastinating, finds themselves standing up and getting ready for work.

When a person is ready to let go, heal, move forward, they’ll find the right person, article, or experience to help them. They might be returning to tried and true methods, but they will find what works for them. Affirmations are such a simple way, when a person is ready, to change their inner dialogue, and also,  the practice of affirmations attracts to one the help they need.

This is actually what happened to me…

Trying to rid myself of a structural imbalance of  minor leg length discrepancy —like I had to be perfect—I ended up with a rolfer who suggested I walk through the pain I felt in one leg and hip, until I ended up on crutches, and then with  an orthopedist and xrays and physical therapy to no avail and then,  John Sarno’s book, “Healing Back Pain”.  Also, his other book, “The Mindbody Prescription”.
It worked for me, I got rid of the pain and was crowing about it to my boyfriend late at night, when in a playful but dead serious makebelieve session,he let me know I would never win, my subconscious would always rule me, and I was doomed to be in pain.
Then I got rid of my boyfriend (15 year relationship), found long-distance runner Monte Hueftle on the web who also had Sarno work for him and then not,  and went on to write a book about how he got rid of pain which I promptly ordered.  But I’d lost the faith, and went back to thinking my curved spine and disintegrating discs and possible pinched nerve were the cause.
Finally I called Monte up, he talked to me for an hour, I decided to start over with the Sarno  practices and now Monte’s info,
and maybe I was just ready to let it go, but I am no longer in pain!
I stopped taking classes and doing exercises and taking supplements.
If it comes back I’ll let you know.

Whether you’re so nervous that you’re afraid to leave your house, or simply are tired to death of all the stupid things you think about when you could be using your time more productively, Recovery-Inc. might be what fixes you. It’s helped thousands and thousands of people with a wide range of problems and issues since the 1950′s. It’s considered mental health’s best-kept secret. Recovery meetings work with the writings of Dr. Abraham Low, upon whose work two currently popular therapies are based: neurolinguistic programming, and cognitive therapies. If you go to the meetings, they are by donation so anyone can afford them, and they add a great deal to the self-help program outlined in the books. The most-used books are “Mental Health Through Will Training” and “Manage Your Fears, Manage Your Anger”. The website to find out more about Dr. Low’s work, where meetings are held (all over the U.S. and many other countries) is: www.recovery-inc.org