Introduction
One of my earliest memories as a child is of playing with my two younger brothers outside (in our back yard or at the park) always under the watchful eye of our mother. As she watched us play, she would enjoy, even marvel at the perfection of our bodies, saying things like, "Isn't it wonderful how perfectly your body works! Look at what you can do! It's a miracle." As children we were encouraged to notice and value the perfection of our bodies. This extended to illness as well. We were rarely sick, but if we did get a cold or a minor injury, we felt secure that everything would clear and heal quickly. We were immune to anxiety and sleep disturbance. At the time, we had no idea how fortunate we were to take for granted that our bodies would work perfectly. This was hard wired into our beliefs and it became truth for us: we expected that our bodies would handle whatever came along and that is what has happened. It wasn't until I was a practicing physician many years later that I truly appreciated the power of this early programming. This deep trust in the body's ability to heal is what caused me to be curious beyond what I was learning in my medical training.
Early in my practice I noticed that patients' anxieties and negative beliefs could limit their bodies' capacity to heal. I saw how fear was especially potent. It could obstruct labor, delay wound healing, worsen menopause symptoms, cause cancer to be immune to treatment. On the other hand, I had two memorable patients, who six months apart, were diagnosed with breast cancer. In both cases, I witnessed their decision to embrace their diagnosis and heal all of the parts of their lives that were out of alignment. In other words, they listened to what their bodies were saying, and opened to a healing connection. Their grace and commitment were powerful to behold, and both are thriving to this day. These patients describe their experience as a turning point that resulted in them becoming more alive. In addition, I have had the honor of serving patients throughout my career who have healed themselves from serious diagnoses, several of whom came to me after they had reversed their Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Over the past 39 years as a physician, healer and intuitive I have come to understand that we all are born with an inner vital life force that is necessary for our health and well-being. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that programs us to live in our heads, so our fears, anxieties, and near constant mental narration tend to limit this vital force from naturally keeping us healthy and balanced. We wind up becoming programmed to attract disease, not to trust that the body is equipped to handle any challenge. But, given the opportunity, "it works perfectly".
Our bodies are obligated to comply with our beliefs, so buying into fear of disease can create an opening for that disease. When we have a symptom, illness or diagnosis, the nature of the affliction can be a message from the body about where we have been cut off from our vitality. When we develop an illness or disease, it is not that our body that has failed us, as we generally think. Rather, we have failed our body.
In this book, I share many powerful experiences with my patients that brought me to an understanding of this vital life force and the true nature of healing. I also share my own story of how I learned to "walk my talk" when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It is one thing to understand, and another to be able to apply the understanding. I encourage you as you travel through this book to remember that everything you read in these stories is possible for you.
