Living in Excellent Health #58 — Emotional Energy Healing for Parkinson’s!

I was introduced to emotional energy healing in 1993, when the massage therapist I was seeing referred me to a One-Brain-Therapy therapist. The purpose of emotional energy healing is to identify, heal and dissolve the underlying emotional root cause of an illness. It’s something the medical community doesn’t talk about.

OBT uses a combination of dialogue, muscle testing, hypnosis and visualization, to identify and resolve the key emotional wounding that needs to be healed.

I was so amazed by the therapy, I trained in the program and became a practitioner, mostly for my own healing. Eventually, I intuited a healing process and prayer while long-distance running in the late 90s. I used this energy healing technique to overcome migraine headaches and food sensitivities.

The technique I developed uses a script or prayer, which I recite, in order to connect with healers in the spirit realm. It may seem a bit voodoo, but it’s real. It is similar in intention to Emotional Freedom Technique [EFT] and other energy healing modalities, which is to dissolve and release unresolved detrimental emotional energy [shame, grief, guilt, resentment, bitterness, fear] from the limbic brain, cell tissue and muscle facia.

I use it on a daily basis to address various maladies, including the symptoms of PD.

I recently took a new approach with the healing I do in order to expedite the process.

Back Story to My New Approach:

I was recently thinking about all the healing I’ve done since being told I had Parkinson’s and I realized it sometimes feels like a dog chasing it’s tail. It’s a never-ending endeavor, like swatting mosquitoes in the summer. They just keep coming and coming.

What is more, I’m not always certain if the symptoms I’m experiencing are the result of worry, meds, or emotional woundings. It could also be the result of something I’ve eaten, although with my current carnivore diet, it doesn’t happen much these days.

Then I considered the multi-leveled complexity of emotional healing. Healing any one issue could involve multiple healings of any combination of: conscious unresolved emotional traumas [including PTSD traumas] from this lifetime; early childhood traumas from this lifetime; suppressed memory trauma; past-life traumas; and, bloodline-familial traumas. Who knows, for example, how many times we were traumatized with fear as a toddler from someone yelling at us, or how many of our ancestors were traumatized by abuse, or in how many lifetimes did we experience persecution?

I needed to acknowledge this complexity because the emotional energy … the shame, guilt, grief, and fear … is not just in our conscious memory; they’re in our subconscious mind, and even more importantly, they’re in our DNA.

To this point, I have had numerous ‘phantom’ pains that have popped up suddenly in various parts of my body. I assumed these to be connected to emotional woundings I needed to resolve. What their root cause was, I again was unable to ascertain. I recall one such experience in particular that hit me suddenly one night after I got home from teaching karate. I had just finished making myself a light snack and was walking from the kitchen to the living-room when I was struck by a sudden sharp pain on my lower left ribcage. The pain was so excruciating I had to crawl to the living-room chair, where I leaned over the arm of the chair for several minutes, while reciting my healing script. I kept repeating the script until the pain subsided enough for me to drive to a drug store to buy a pain-relief remedy. Eventually, the pain went away and I was able to go home and go to sleep.

I have had similar pains in my right knee and left shin. I also started experiencing cold sores about twenty years ago even though I’ve never kissed anyone with a cold sore. What exactly was at the root of these issues, I was never able to ascertain, but I was able to heal them.

Then, in a recent conversation, the issue of healing on a macro level rather than a micro level came up. That is, rather than spending my time and energy healing the various symptoms I experience, focus my healing on the bigger picture; focus my healing effort so that recovery occurs in one ‘event’ rather than in small increments. I explored this idea several years ago without success.

We also talked about what prevents us from healing … resistance … and where this resistance is coming from … self-loathing.

In considering the macro-healing approach, I realized it could be done by revising my script to focus on five key elements:

1. Transmuting fear and self-loathing into love
2. Returning my body to homeostasis [especially as it relates to baseline dopamine] by healing the gut, strengthening the immune system, unclogging the lymphatic system, eliminating inflammation and alkalining the body
3. Activating my parasympathetic nervous system [particularly GABA, the neurotransmitter involved in calm]
4. Dissolving the ego [detrimental beliefs]
5. Dissolving the pain-body [unresolved emotional woundings]

I also realized I needed to revise my script to address the DNA and subconscious memory issues.

Emotional Healing:

Before I get to my script, I would like to point out that emotional healing actually begins with forgiveness, which, in turn, begins with some basic understandings:

1. People don’t feel good about themselves
2. People are spiritually unconscious
3. People are doing the best they can with what they’ve learned and experienced
4. People do all sorts of dumbass things when they grow up feeling unloved
5. We have agreements on a soul level with other souls to create conflict in our lives in order to facilitate healing

This understanding has helped me enormously in creating a foundation for forgiveness and finding peace in my life.

Emotional Healing Script:

I call on my inner-self, my spirit healers and the four archangels [Raphael, Michael, Gabrael and Urael] to assist me in giving over to the healing energy of the universal-energetic-intelligence, all of the low frequency energy that is being held within my energy field, including that which may be embedded in my DNA and that which may be held deep within my subconscious, so that it can be transmuted and alchemized into divine love, particularly that connected to the thoughts, beliefs, emotions and fears that are not in vibrational harmony and alignment with my intention to live without fear, in a state of divine love, and that are not in vibrational harmony and alignment with my intention to restore my body to homeostasis, particularly as it relates to baseline dopamine, and that are not in vibrational harmony and alignment with my intention to activate my parasympathetic nervous system in order to live predominantly in a state of calm, and that are not in vibrational harmony and alignment with my intention to dissolve ego, that is to say, to dissolve my detrimental thoughts and beliefs, and that are not in vibrational harmony and alignment with my intention to dissolve my pain-body, that is to say, the detrimental emotional energy I’m holding on to … and I give thanks for this healing.

The script is quite long, so feel free to print it and read it.

I recommend reading it no more than once a day in order to give your body and energy field sufficient time to clear the negative energy.

Also, don’t be surprised if you feel a little off in the beginning. Releasing negative emotional energy is akin to vomiting. It doesn’t feel good when you’re in the midst of it, but it feels better afterwards.

If I feel like I am being overwhelmed with negative [fear] energy I will repeat an emotional cleansing script:

I call on my inner-self, my spirit healers and the four archangels [Raphael, Michael, Gabrael and Urael] to assist me in giving over to the healing energy of the universal-energetic-intelligence, all of the low frequency energy, especially fear energy … that is being held within my energy field, including that which may be embedded in my DNA and that which may be held deep within my subconscious, so that it can be transmuted and alchemized into divine love … and I give thanks for this healing.

To support the healing process I also frame each of the five healing points in the form of a manifestation:

1. Thank you so much for enabling me to live in a state of divine love, and;
2. Thank you so much for enabling my body to be in homeostasis, and;
3. Thank you so much for enabling my nervous system to be predominantly in the parasympathetic state, and;
4. Thank you for enabling me to dissolve ego in order to live with positive, beneficial thoughts and beliefs, and;
5. Thank you for enabling me to dissolve my pain-body in order to live with positive, beneficial emotions.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and intimidated by emotional healing, I understand. It can be a complicated and comprehensive undertaking. As such, I’ve simplified the process as best I can.

Wishing you contentment and good health.

Living in Excellent Health #57 — Cortisol and Parkinson’s!

I found two videos which provide an excellent explanation of the role of cortisol in the regulation of stress. Neither video mentions cortisol’s role as it relates to Parkinson’s, so I have taken the liberty of doing that, myself.

Cortisol is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. Its primary role is to regulate stress.

Chronic stress, and thus chronic cortisol, in my experience, is at the root of PD.

Cortisol is also involved in waking us up and getting us moving. In that regard, natural cortisol levels peak in early morning.

The release of cortisol in response to a stressor, suppresses the parasympathetic [calm] nervous system by activating the sympathetic nervous system in order to prepare us to freeze, fight or take flight. It increases heart rate and diverts the flow of blood from the internal organs and digestive tract, to the extremities. It also suppresses the immune system, so it’s not a state we want to be in for a long period of time.

Cortisol release is triggered largely by thoughts: a thought pertaining to a memory about a past event, such as being bullied at school, or a thought about something happening in the present moment, like when we’re just about to get a tooth pulled, or a thought about something pertaining to the future, such as an upcoming speech. The body doesn’t know the difference between past, present and future. It just responds to the thought.

Quite often, our thoughts are triggered by unresolved emotional pain. If we are holding on to a lot of shame, guilt, grief, fear, bitterness and anger, we will likely have a continuous flow of detrimental, cortisol inducing, thoughts.

These negative thoughts trigger a response in the hypothalamus, located in the brain, which sends a message to the pituitary gland, also located in the brain, which sends a message to the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands then release cortisol.

The stress response and cortisol release is okay as long as it doesn’t become chronic. Chronic stress is harmful because it depletes the body of, among other things, Vit B1 [the primary stress vitamin] and potassium. It also shuts down our feel good neurotransmitters and hormones.

The ultimate key to minimizing the release of cortisol is to minimize the amount of time we spend in negative thoughts, particularly given that these negative thoughts usually have nothing to do with the present moment.

So, how does this all pertain to those of us living with the symptoms of PD. PD results from being in a chronic state of stress [negative thoughts] for many years. This means that we are in a perpetual sympathetic nervous system state, while the parasympathetic nervous system shuts down, leading to a suppression of the feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones, dopamine [reward & movement], serotonin [happiness], GABA [calm], oxytocin [love], endorphins [feel-good] and acetylcholine [focus].

Our challenge is to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, and in particular, the release of GABA, the neurotransmitter associated with calm, by minimizing negative thoughts and maximizing peaceful, joyful, loving thoughts.

What then can we do to minimize negative thoughts and stress? The problem with cortisol is it doesn’t have an off-switch. It doesn’t have an automatic process for turning off … at least not during daylight hours. At night, after the sun goes down, the brain begins to secrete melatonin. This shuts down the release of cortisol and makes us feel sleepy.

During daylight, animals and birds have an intuitive response for restoring calm. Animals will do a vigorous full body shake, while birds will vigorously flap their wings. This signals the brain that the danger has passed and calm can be restored. Humans don’t have this built-in auto response.

Also, animals are always in the present moment. You will never see the wildebeests, Tom and Jerry, crossing the Serengeti, carrying on the following conversation: “Oh, oh! We’re coming up to that river crossing again. Why, I remember last year when Bill and Ted’s excellent adventure wasn’t so excellent when they got nabbed by those crocodiles.” “Yeah, that was bad!” “We should go home!”

So, what can we humans do to turn off cortisol?

1. We can vigorously shake our hands while jumping up and down
2. We can throw our arms up in the air while yelling, HALLELUJAH!
3. We can do a full body shiver
4. We can do some vigorous exercises, such as, boxing punches
5. We can go for a brisk walk

These activities are all meant to signal the brain that whatever threat we perceived is now over and we can relax and be calm.

And what can we do to minimize negative thoughts in order to be in a positive state of mind?

1. We can make a conscious effort to use our minds for constructive purposes, including: creating, planning, problem-solving and learning. We can write poetry, plan out a project, play sudoku and learn a new language.
2. Undertake emotional healing [This is critical, and I will be covering it in my next post]
3. Meditate
4. Exercise
5. Stay active
6. Spend time in nature
7. Repeat inspirational mantras and prayers
8. Address the situations in our lives that are stimulating negative thoughts

There are a number of other protocols we can undertake to counter stress and suppress the release of cortisol.

1. Eat a high fat diet
2. Drink lemon balm tea [stimulates GABA]
3. Take Vit B1 [thiamine is the primary stress vitamin]
4. Take nutritional yeast [it’s loaded with B vitamins]
5. Take potassium

It may not be easy and we may not see a change right away, but if we keep at it, we may just be able to change our state-of-mind in order to activate the parasympathetic nervous system long enough to stimulate the feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones that will dissolve the symptoms of PD.

PS I haven’t yet determined the implications of the PD meds [if there are any] as it relates to their effect on these stress dissolving techniques. Ideally, the techniques will activate the parasympathetic nervous system sufficiently to raise baseline dopamine to enable weaning off the meds. For the time being, I recommend implementing and practicing the techniques, while monitoring their affect on your off-meds symptoms.

There is also the issue of the meds deactivating cortisol artificially, then reactivating when the meds wear off. I haven’t yet figured out the implications of this, or if there are any.

Wishing you contentment!

Living in Excellent Health #56 — My baseline dopamine levels are dropping!

For the past three months, I have been experiencing extremely intense off-meds symptoms: trembling, freezing, rigidity, stiff gait, brain fog, back pain and fatigue. I have been very unsteady on my feet and I’ve taken a couple of tumbles. I attributed this to errant thoughts triggering detrimental beliefs and unresolved emotional trauma that felt like … fear.

It was really puzzling me: where was this fear coming from; why was it lasting for days at a time?

Then, last week, I had an aha moment: the off-meds fear I’ve been experiencing isn’t due to unresolved emotional trauma. Rather, it is because my baseline dopamine levels have fallen below a certain threshold, due to the series of intense stressful experiences I’ve had in the past year and a half, putting me in a permanent fight-flight [fear] state, when I’m off-meds.

This brought mixed blessings. On one hand I was relieved to know that these more severe symptoms weren’t the result of some phantom fear. On the other hand, it was disconcerting to realize that they are a consequence of my baseline dopamine levels falling to a low level. But, at least I know what I’m dealing with.

Also during this period I’ve had some epiphanies that resulted in an improvement in my symptoms, although, admittedly, only temporary improvements and certainly not enough to counter the drop in dopamine.

It would appear that while the stressful events have progressively and permanently lowered my baseline dopamine, the uplifting events only resulted in temporary dopamine spikes with no affect on baseline. This is peculiar. Perhaps it is because the stressful events put my nervous system into a deeper sympathetic [fight-flight] state, whereas the joyful, aha moments, resulted in only a temporary activation of the parasympathetic [calm] state.

At first, I couldn’t understand why the stressful experiences have each seemingly led to a reduction in my baseline dopamine with progressively worse symptoms, while the epiphanies and aha moments I’ve had have only resulted in temporary lifts.

In trying to understand this dilemma, I had another epiphany: in order to overcome the fear, worry and guilt that is keeping me in the sympathetic nervous system state, I need to become a ‘true master’ of living in trust and acceptance, and in order to accomplish this, I need to become a master of ‘self-trust’, ‘self-acceptance’ and ‘self-love’. The reason I live in such a state of fear is because I don’t live in trust, and the reason I don’t live in trust is because I don’t live in self-trust. I’m guessing the reason I don’t live in self-trust is because of what I learned as a child.

So, my objective isn’t just to raise dopamine levels. It is more importantly, to activate the entire parasympathetic nervous system and all of the feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones, including serotonin [happiness], GABA [calm], acetylcholine [focus], endorphins [feel-good] and oxytocin [love].

At the moment, I am endeavoring to accomplish this through a combination of my healing prayer [see below] and a manifesting affirmation [see below], as well as all the other things I’m doing as part of my daily protocol: power-walking, spending time in the forest, meditating, eating healthy and taking CBD.

It’s quite possible that the cumulative and long-term healing from these epiphanies will eventually lead to a breakthrough … that is, if they can put my central nervous system in the parasympathetic state.

Healing Prayer:

I call on my inner-self, my healing guides and the four archangels [Raphael, Michael, Gabriel and Urial], to assist me in giving over to the healing energy of the universal-energetic-intelligence [God], all of the low frequency, vibrational energy that is trapped within my energy field, so that it can be transmuted into love, particularly that energy that is not in vibrational harmony and alignment with my intention to live in a state of self-love, self-trust and self-acceptance, and I give thanks for this healing.

Manifesting Affirmation:

Thank you so much for enabling me to live my life in a divine state of self-love, self-trust and self-acceptance.

Living in Excellent Health #55 — CBD is helpful with certain aspects of Parkinson’s!

I recently verified certain benefits from taking CBD oil … or at least I think I did. I have attempted to test this before, but couldn’t isolate CBD sufficiently because of everything else I was doing at the time.

CBD [cannabidiol] is the medicinal component of cannabis, also called marijuana, and THC [tetrahydrocannabinol] is the psychoactive component. CBD gets you healthy, while THC gets you high. CBD can also be obtained from hemp.

Cannabis/marijuana is legal in Canada, where I live.

I normally take 3.0 ml of CBD oil, three times a day: 3.0 ml with my morning levodopa, 3.0 ml with my evening levodopa, and 3.0 ml at bedtime.

I don’t do well with THC [it makes me panicky], so the CBD oil I take is a 1:20 formula … 1 mg THC and 20 mg of CBD per 1.0 ml of oil.

One day, recently, I skipped my morning and evening doses of CBD oil, and by around 9pm, I was feeling quite agitated and jittery. I was also experiencing significant muscle pain and more shaking and muscle tension than normal. I’ve done the same thing twice since with the same results.

This is very encouraging.

While I admit that I don’t fully understand the physiology and neurology behind these results, I suspect that CBD is helping to put my nervous system in the parasympathetic [calm] state.

I believe CBD also helps me sleep well and I haven’t had any panic attacks since I started taking CBD oil daily in February, 2019. This could be further evidence that CBD is helping to put my nervous system in the parasympathetic state.

I don’t know if it’s possible, but I plan to test to see if CBD can be used to reduce or replace levodopa. I am in the process of figuring out how to go about it. In the meantime, I’m going to start taking CBD during the wear-off period following my morning meds to see how it affects me.

It’s a sample of one, so I would love to hear from anyone who has been able to quantify the benefits of CBD.

Living in Excellent Health #54 — Skin Conditions!

In the past couple of years, I have developed a puzzling array of skin conditions, including all three forms of skin cancer: melanoma, basil cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Basil cell and squamous cell carcinomas are generally harmless; they don’t metastasize to other parts of the body, whereas, melanomas can, and therefore, need to be removed as soon as possible.

Last year, I had a melanoma removed from my right arm, and follow-up PETScan and CTScans came back all clear. It has not metastasized to other parts of my body. Prior to that, a few years ago, I had three basil cell carcinomas removed from my chest and back.

I presently have three basil cell carcinomas [on my leg, arm and back] that I’m waiting to have removed.

Skin conditions are a common symptom of PD according to the video above. This makes sense when you consider that Louise Hay, in her book, You Can Heal Your Life, says that the emotional root cause of skin conditions, is chronic fear, anxiety and stress. In my experience, it is also the primary cause of Parkinson’s.

In addition to these carcinomas, I have also had eczema on my chest, neck and scalp for several years. It comes and goes, but Vit E and Calendula cream seems to help.

I also had bad acne as a teenager and well in to my twenties and I have a lot moles on my skin, all over my body.

I have read that skin conditions can be an indicator that the immune system is not healthy. They can also be an indicator that the lymphatic system is clogged up. Either way, a healthy diet is critical … which puzzles me because mine is.

I’m not sure what to make of all this other than that I have be diligent about be aware of new growths popping up on my skin and getting them checked immediately. I also have to careful of the amount of direct exposure I get to the sun. Mostly, I need to minimize stress, which I’m also focused on.

I have said this many times; living with the symptoms of PD can be fascinating at times and this is just one of many reasons why.

Living in Excellent Health #53 — Take a Breath!

The biggest impediment to restoring my health, does not have to do with exercise … although, daily exercise is important … nor does it have to do with diet … although, again, a healthy diet is equally important. It also doesn’t have to do with bodywork. The number one impediment to my restoring my health has to do with my thoughts.

I continuously catch myself dwelling on negative thoughts, which put me in a state of fear, which has a profound affect on my body. My muscles become rigid, making me very unsteady on my feet while making it more difficult for me to move fluidly.

Thoughts activate the autonomic nervous system, triggering the release of neurotransmitters and hormones, which create emotions, which create feelings in the body. Happy thoughts, for example, activate the parasympathetic [calm] nervous system which triggers the release of the neurotransmitter, serotonin, which creates happiness, which relaxes the muscles. Similarly, excited thoughts trigger the release of dopamine which relaxes and prepares the muscles for fluid movement. Negative thoughts activate the sympathetic [fight-flight-freeze] nervous system, triggering the release of cortisol, which creates stress, which causes the muscles to tense and stiffen.

What, then, is the solution to these detrimental thoughts?

We can consciously change our thoughts. This can be effective, temporarily, at least until the next unconscious negative thought comes along … which in my experience, isn’t very long.

We can undertake an activity. This too can give us temporary relief for as long as we can place our attention on it. But, again, our minds will eventually return to negative thinking.

We can change our situation. If we are trapped in an unhappy relationship or job, we can leave them. Again, this may give us temporary relief, but it also may take time.

We can undertake emotional healing. Our thoughts are largely influenced by our emotional state, including emotions that are being held in our subconscious due to unresolved trauma. This can be effective but it may take time and professional counseling to get to the core of the trauma[s].

The most immediate and effective antidote at our disposal, in my experience, is our breath. If we place our attention fully on our breath, even for one breath, we break the tension; we break the cycle of negative thoughts that are triggering detrimental emotional responses. Eckhart Tolle calls this, the arising of space consciousness, which means we are creating space between thoughts. The more we focus on our breath, the more space we create and thus the more we shrink the opportunity for negative thoughts.

Breathwork is simple, immediate, and best of all, it can be done anywhere, anytime, at no cost.

In order to practice breathwork, we can take up meditation, although it’s not necessary to do so. We can also set aside time at specific times of the day for breathwork practice. We can also make it an ongoing practice throughout the day.

We can also practice various breathing techniques: Physiological Sigh [a deep, short inhale, followed by a second short, deep inhale, followed by a long, slow exhale]; Box Breathing [4 second inhale, 4 second hold, 4 second exhale, 4 second hold].

The key is to bring your attention to the feeling of the air passing in and out of your nose, through the nostrils, while simultaneously placing your attention on your abdomen as it rises and falls with each inhale and exhale.

My goal is to make breathwork an ongoing practice throughout the day. Making it a goal, helps to stimulate the release of dopamine, especially when I celebrate the moments when I remember to focus on my breath. At bedtime, I celebrate my day of remembering and practicing breathwork.

Wishing you a Happy New Year and a spectacular year ahead!

Living in Excellent Health #52 — Live in a State of Being!

I have been reading Eckhart Tolle’s best selling book, A New Earth. I think this is the sixth time I’ve read it. It is the most important book I’ve ever read. Every time I read it, something new resonates with me or I develop a deeper understanding of some aspect of spirituality.

The book delves in to six essential tenants:

1. Living in the present moment … the Now
2. Non-identification with form
3. Accepting the present circumstances
4. Dissolving ego
5. Dissolving the pain-body
6. Understanding our true purpose

Tolle says that non-identification with form … that is to say, living in a state of Being. … is one of the keys to living without fear. Being could also be referred to as the soul or higher–self or inner-self. It is the aspect of us that is directly connected to the universal–energetic–intelligence [God] that is found in every atom in the universe.

In the course of reading the book, it occurred to me that all of the things I have been attempting to manifest on my forest walks, which I spoke about in a recent post, including living in trust, living in a carefree state of enthusiasm, living each moment in a state of utter joy, living fearlessly, could be addressed by simply, Being. They would all happen by default.

You see, the thing is, I’ve been trying to manifest good health through thought … and it hasn’t been working. In fact, I was recently wondering why, with all of the prayers and mantras I repeat every day … what I do in the forest is only part of it … am I not making any progress. And the reason is this, it puts me in the realm of thought, which puts me in the realm of ego, and ego, according to Eckhart, is where our unconscious detrimental beliefs reside. And according to Bruce Lipton, author of The Biology of Belief, subconscious detrimental beliefs trump conscious thoughts every time.

Conscious thought: I am lovable.

Subconscious belief: NO YOU’RE NOT. YOU’RE EXTREMELY UNLOVABLE!

Conclusion: Okay, well that settles that, then. Unlovable it is.

So, I can’t think my way through this. I need to approach it from a state of Being.

So, what does this mean, living in a state of Being. It begins with being aware that there are three aspects to what is referred to, as me: my body, my personality and my inner-self. My body and my personality [where ego can be found] are the ‘human’ aspects of me, while the inner-self is the ‘being’ or ‘spiritual’ aspect of me.

For most of my life, I was unaware of this third part of me … my inner-self. Consequently, I felt like a victim much of the time. I felt unloved, unwanted, unappreciated and unacknowledged. In turn, I felt unlovable, unworthy, inadequate and powerless. I lived in fear. I worried constantly. My nervous system was habitually in the sympathetic [fight-flight-freeze] state, flooded with cortisol and adrenalin, the stress hormones. My parasympathetic [calm] nervous system was suppressed, which meant dopamine, serotonin, GABA and acetylcholine, the feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones, were shut down. This eventually led to me develop the symptoms of PD.

Had I known about, and understood this third aspect of me, and it’s connection to the divine, my life would have been totally different. Instead of living in fear, and accumulating faulty beliefs and emotional pain, I would have lived in awareness and trust. I would have understood that life and all experience has a purpose, which is to guide us to divine love and Being. I do understand that this, for me, was the whole point. This was my purpose. To learn this.

My challenge is living from the perspective of Being when my physical body is so challenged. As I’m sure you can appreciate, it’s not easy. Living with the symptoms of PD has a way of making me feel like a victim, reinforcing the beliefs I grew up with. What is more, because my neurotransmitters are messed up, I have difficulty with focus, including focusing on my breath and staying present.

Challenges aside, what is required, is present moment awareness. I need to be diligently aware, in the moment, of when I am in a negative mental state … when I’m lost in thought. Otherwise, I don’t need to do anything. I don’t need to think … unless I’m creating or problem solving … I just need to Be: Be in the present moment; Be accepting of the present circumstances; Be an observer of my breath, my surroundings or the task I am performing; Be aware of my inner aliveness; Be aware of Presence.

I have often said that my journey with the symptoms of PD is first and foremost, a spiritual journey. My decision to reread A New Earth was my inner-self’s way of reminding me of this, and it has given me a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm with the health challenge I face.

A New Earth was published in 2005 as a follow-up to The Power of Now.

Living in Excellent Health #51 — Forest Walks Improve Gait!

In my last post, I discussed the healing work I do while walking through the forest. I also mentioned that on a couple of occasions I have experienced what felt like a release, after which, my gait improved considerably. I have since discovered that my gait improves regardless of whether I experience a release, or not.

Let me explain.

A few weeks ago, I started doing my forest walk prior to power-walking on the road. At about the same time, I noticed that my gait was more fluid when I power-walked. I thought it was because the road surface had smoothed out, like it normally does at this time of the year. It’s a gravel road, and in the spring, summer and early fall, the road surface is mostly loose gravel, making it more difficult to walk.

One day last week, I decided to power-walk before doing the forest walk, and my gait was very stiff. So, I went back and walked the forest, then resumed power-walking, and my gait was considerably more fluid. I have repeated the process a couple of times since, and the results were the same.

I can’t say for certain what the physiological/neurological explanation is for this phenomenon, but it’s intriguing. I’m guessing that the combination of positive forest energies and having to step over sticks and rocks, is activating my parasympathetic [calm] nervous system, in turn, stimulating the release of dopamine, serotonin, GABA and other feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones. It’s interesting because I frequently trip over things, so I’m constantly aware of the potential for a fall.

So far, the effect has only been temporary. It’s not long-lasting. On a couple of occasions, my gait stiffened before I finished my power-walk. On both of these occasions, I was feeling particularly stressed prior to walking.

I’m not sure of the significance of this discovery, particularly given that my gait improvement is temporary. Also, not everyone with the symptoms of PD, and who walk regularly, will have the option of forest-walking, first.

But it would be nice to know if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Living with the symptoms of PD continues to fascinate me. I’m continually learning new things, particularly as it relates to managing specific symptoms.

Wishing you contentment.

Living in Excellent Health #50 — Forest Walks, Emotional Healing and Spiritual Practice!

I am blessed to live on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. It is the largest inland island in the world, situated on the northern section of Lake Huron, one of the six bodies of water that make up the Great Lakes. It is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, with spectacular vistas and an abundance of wildlife.

We live in the middle of the island, on Ice Lake. The lake is surrounded by forest, with a smattering of summer cottages and year round homes. The area is teaming with whitetail deer, bald eagles and the like. This setting provides an excellent atmosphere for healing … which is why I moved here.

We have an empty wood lot adjacent to our property and every day, I spend time in the forest on this lot. I use this time as an opportunity for energy balancing, emotional healing and spiritual practice.

As I walk around the forest, I will place my hands on a tree and repeat the following: Thank you so much for enabling me to live my life in divine self-love.

In stating it this way, I am healing through a gratitude expression.

As I continue to walk around the forest, will place my hands on various trees and repeat different gratitude statements:

1. Thank you so much for enabling me to live my life in spiritual consciousness.
2. Thank you so much for enabling me to live my life in excellent health.
3. Thank you so much for enabling me to live my life in a state of trust … and thank you for enabling me to trust myself and believe in myself.
4. Thank you so much for enabling me to live my life in a carefree state of enthusiasm and awe.
5. Thank you so much for enabling me to live each moment of my life in a state of absolute joy, simply from being and doing.
6. Thank you so much for enabling me to live my life boldly and assertively.
7. Thank you so much for enabling me to be at peace with my past.
8. Thank you so much for enabling me to live my life in harmony with the flow of life and in oneness with the universal-energetic-intelligence.
9. Thank you so much for making all my beliefs, beneficial.
10. Thank you so much for enabling me to live my life free of fear, shame, guilt, regret, anger and self-loathing.

I will also express these statements in the form of a manifestation. For example: Imagine what my life would be like if I lived in divine self-love. Wouldn’t it be so awesome!

When I first started walking the forest, I simply walked it. Then, last year, I added a general gratitude mantra: Thank you so much for this wonderous abundance of trees, forest, nature, wildlife, birds, waterfowl and animals. It is such a wonderous expression of the flow-of-life and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to experience it firsthand living here on the island. I still recite this mantra every day.

I read one time that the natural energies of the forest can balance our circadian rhythms and our internal energies, so simply being amongst trees has great healing potential.

On a couple of occasions, part way through my forest walk, I have experienced a sudden relaxation in my gait, where I was able to walk more freely. It felt like a release. This very encouraging and I am anticipating more of these releases.

Spending time in nature is one of many things I do on a daily basis to facilitate my recovery. I consider it an essential part of my protocol. I have been doing this particular routine for three months with no noticeable changes in my overall health but I plan to stay with it for now.

Wishing you excellent health.

Living in Excellent Health #49 — Physiological Sigh Breathing Update!

It’s been a month and a half since my last post. A computer crash … that took a while to fix … I ended up buying a new one … followed by a trip to Southern Ontario to spend time with my kids and grandchildren, followed by an internet crash, were the cause of my absence.

I have been working on a few things in the meantime, and one of them is physiological sigh breathing. I was first introduced to this breathing technique by Andrew Huberman, the neuroscientist and Stanford University professor. It involves taking a short deep inhale, followed by a shorter top-up inhale, followed by a long slow exhale. If you’re not familiar with it, check out the video above.

According to Huberman, this breathing technique helps to calm the mind and body. I incorporate it into my morning meditation and I can tell you from direct experience that this is true.

When I first tried this technique, I found that it didn’t work. Turned out it was because I wasn’t giving it enough time to take effect. I learned through trial and error that after the double-inhale/long-slow-exhale, it takes a minute or longer for the calming effect to kick in.

Once I figured this out, I started incorporating the technique in my morning meditation. I would actually repeat the technique six times in succession. I discovered that during the inhale, the trembling I experienced intensified considerably … especially doing it six times. But eventually, after a few tries, my body would calm.

Then one morning a couple of months ago while laying in bed, I had an idea. Rather than do six breaths, I would do one, then count my breaths to see how long it would take for my body to calm. I discovered that doing it this way, I was able to calm myself more consistently, so I also started doing it during my meditation, and it had the same effect.

Most mornings when I meditate, it works like a charm. I meditate before I take my first round of meds, so it’s a good indicator.

I think what is happening is this. The breathing technique is activating my parasympathetic [calm] nervous system, stimulating the release of dopamine and other feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones, including serotonin [happiness], acetylcholine [focus] and GABA [calm].

I haven’t yet been able to use the technique successfully when I am in a state of intense anxiety, although just this morning, I watched an Andrew Huberman podcast on how to overcome fear, during which he suggested repeating the technique over and over for five minutes. It will try this the first opportunity I get to see if it is helpful.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this physiological sigh breathing technique but I’m certainly encouraged by what I’ve learned so far. My goal is to figure out how to extend the period of calm, as well as, how to calm myself during periods of intense anxiety.

Wishing you contentment.