but that you live the reality of what you expect.

What are you expecting?

Are you aware of an even better system of keeping yourself going in the right direction? It’s factory-installed with every unit and it’s absolutely free of charge! You have a personal and powerful Emotional Guidance System (EGS). To access the system, all you need do is pay attention to what you are thinking and how you are feeling. If you pay attention to your emotions, you will always know if you are traveling on the right road.

EGS sends you down the right road.

Your “home” or your “natural” state of being, is a condition of well-being and joy. Consider a baby. Whether a human baby, a puppy, a kitten…all exhibit a state of ecstatic joy. When you are thinking thoughts which bring about the feeling of joy, you are traveling on the right road. Your EGS is pointing you to exactly where you want to go! You are happily in alignment with who you are. Of course, it’s not always possible to be thinking joyful thoughts every moment of the day! Life happens. But your awareness will allow you to make the conscious shift to a better thought. It’s a choice you can make.

There are really no “good” or “bad” emotions. All emotions serve a purpose. All emotions are valuable because they are an expression of you. Honor your emotions. When you try to ignore or swallow your emotions, your EGS will send out an alarm! A distress signal of nausea or headache. Even the “bad” emotions, such as anger, serve a purpose and are to be recognized and then let go. When you’re thinking the thoughts that are creating the feelings of anger, you may not be able to just “let go”.  Again, it’s a choice you can make. Be aware of the thoughts which are creating the emotions. Choose a different thought.

Your EGS can direct your thoughts to a higher state. What if you took a turn towards disappointment instead of anger? That feels better. Perhaps your anger is really because someone acted in a way other than you expected. You feel doubtful and hurt. And then maybe your EGS would help you to consider that the disappointment was triggered by boredom. Are you angry because your plans have been changed? And you have nothing to do? Boredom doesn’t feel as “bad” as anger, does it? And you have control over your own boredom, don’t you? Maybe if you recognized that you were bored, your EGS would tell you to go entertain yourself. If you thought about entertaining yourself, you would turn directly to enthusiasm, which would feel really “good”. And once you were feeling that enthusiasm, you could consider what activity would bring you joy.

Your journey from anger to joy doesn’t have to take a long time. You can avoid the traffic jams. The only roadblocks are the ones you create. Your EGS will show them to you by making you feel “bad”.  And it will direct you around the barriers by pointing the way to feel “good”. It helps you to find the way when you don’t know how to get to where you want to go. You can always find your way home…to your state of ecstatic joy!

A few weeks ago, I lost one of my dearest friends and most trusted advisors. His death was sudden and very unexpected. A reminder that there is a thin veil between life and death; a moment of being “here” and then being “gone”.

My friend would not want me to suffer his loss. Oh yes, he would expect me to cry and mourn his passing. But he would also expect me to know that he is well; that he is at peace; that he has gone home. My tears are not for him. They are for me.

I threw myself a pity party and allowed myself to wallow in my grief and sadness. I realized that every time I felt my loss, I also felt my joy. In order for me to feel this loss, I also had to feel the love that created it. And in feeling the love, I was healed of the sadness.

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ” ~Kahlil Gibran

Mark was my “empathologist”.  A reference from a silly Woody Allen movie, it became the way he was listed in my phone book. We enjoyed amusing each other with the silly as well as the profound. The thesaurus lists “empathize” as “the ability to identify with, sympathize with, understand, share the feelings of, be in tune with; be on the same wavelength as, talk the same language as; relate to, feel for, have insight into.” Wow, I was lucky to have him! And I realize that I still “have” him.  Whenever I think of him, he is with me. For every inhale of “what shall I do without him?” there is a sigh of “you will do”.  I take strength in all that I learned from him. He was very generous with his wisdom and I plan to honor him by becoming the best “empathologist” I can be.

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”  Albert Pike

Each life is a precious gift. Take the time to celebrate your life and your loved ones.

We all have our own unique beliefs. Unfortunately, some of our beliefs are false. They are the result of negative thoughts. We become attached to these negative thoughts each time we repeat them. Sometimes, we even embellish them to make ourselves feel worse!

You may hold the negative belief that you have no control over your life. But that is a false belief. You always have control over what you are thinking. Your thoughts may come and go in a constant stream of consciousness, but you make the choice about what thought to focus upon.

If something in your life needs healing – your physical health, your financial wealth – perhaps you have focused your thoughts upon lack.  Lack of money, lack of health, lack of happiness. How about if you begin to focus your thoughts on well-being instead of sickness? Fitness instead of “feeling fat”? How about thinking about prosperity instead of poverty? It is far more powerful to be “for” something than to be “against” something.

When you change the way you think about things, the things you think about will change. When you change your thoughts, you change your beliefs. When your beliefs change, you invite new experiences into your life. A new way of being begins and healing happens.

To stay young and healthy, how often is sex recommended?

A.    Once a week

B.    Twice a week

C.    10 times a month

D.    200 or more times a year (about 4 x week)

Dr. Mehmet Oz, co-author of the “You” series health guides for body mind and soul and Oprah’s go-to health guy, states that if you have 200 orgasms a year, you can reduce your physiologic age by six years.

Dr. Michael Roizen, author of RealAge — Are You as Young as You Can Be?, states that “Having sex at least twice a week can make your RealAge 1.6 years younger than if you had sex only once a week.” He defines ‘real age’ as “an estimation of your age in biologic terms, not chronologic years.”

Roizen believes that sex keeps us younger because it “decreases stress, relaxes us, enhances intimacy, and helps … personal relationships.”

Although no study has yet proven a cause-and-effect relationship between good sex and longevity, there seems to be a beneficial system at work here — a sort of virtuous cycle of sex and health reinforcing one another.

One of the first long term studies of aging begun at Duke University in the ’50s and reported in the December 1982 journal Gerontologist found that the frequency of sexual intercourse (for men) and the enjoyment of sex (for women) predicted longevity.

A study done in Wales, and published in the December 1997 British Medical Journal under the title, “Sex and Death: Are They Related?” found over ten years of follow up, that men who reported at least two orgasms a week at the time of the study had less than half the risk of dying from various causes than those who reported a lower frequency of orgasm.

Other studies have found that sexual dissatisfaction was a predictor of the onset of cardiovascular disease. A study published in the November-December 1976 journal Psychosomatic Medicine compared 100 women with heart disease (acute myocardial infarction) with a control group and found sexual dissatisfaction among 65% of the coronary patients but only 24% of the controls.

In a long-term study published as Secrets of the Superyoung, Dr. David Weeks, of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland, found that “the key ingredients for looking younger are staying active … and maintaining a good sex life.” In a study of 3,500 people, ages 30 to 101, Weeks found that “sex helps you look between four and seven years younger,” according to impartial ratings of the subjects’ photos. Dr. Weeks, a clinical neuropsychologist, attributed this to significant reductions in stress, greater contentment, and better sleep.

Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question. “Yes” is the answer.
~Swami X

Sex is the most fun you can have without laughing.
~Woody Allen

Sex Reduces Pain

Immediately before orgasm, levels of the hormone oxytocin surge to five times their normal level. This releases an increase in endorphins, which alleviate the pain of everything from headache to arthritis to even migraines. In women, sex also prompts production of estrogen, which can reduce the pain of PMS. Just thinking about sex can help to reduce pain.

Sex Improves Intimacy

Speaking of oxytocin, this so-called “love” hormone helps us to bond, trust and build intimate relationships. Higher levels of oxytocin have also been linked to a feeling of generosity.

Sex Helps You Sleep Better

The release of oxytocin during orgasm promotes sleep. Getting enough sleep helps to maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure.

Sex Burns Calories and Keeps You Fit

Sex is a great way to exercise. A vigorous session may burn some 200 calories–about the same as running 15 minutes on a treadmill. 40 half-hour sessions could burn off more than enough calories to lose a pound. The pulse rate or an aroused person rises from about 70 beats per minute to 150, the same as that of an athlete at maximum effort. Muscular contractions during intercourse work the pelvis, thighs, buttocks, arms, neck and thorax.

Another fitness benefit of sex is that it can keep you in constant awareness of your body image. If you are continually being naked in front of another person, it’s a good incentive to stay in shape.

 Men’s Health magazine has gone so far as to call the bed the single greatest piece of exercise equipment ever invented.

Sex Boosts Immunity

Good sexual health could mean better physical health. Wilkes University in Pennsylvania says individuals who have sex once or twice a week show 30% higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which is known to boost the immune system, protecting you from colds and other infections.

Sex Relieves Stress

Biological Psychology reports that frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure and overall stress reduction. A study of 24 women and 22 men noted that those who had intercourse had better responses to stressful situations than those who abstained from sex. They performed better at such tasks as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic.

Sex Improves Cardiovascular Health

Researchers in England recently published a study of 914 men who were followed for 20 years. They found that compared with those who had sex less than once a month, those having sex twice or more per week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack or stroke by 50%.

Sex makes for a Happier Prostate

Some urologists believe they see a relationship between infrequency of ejaculation and cancer of the prostate.

A study recently published by the British Journal of Urology International asserts that men in their 20s can reduce by a third their chance of getting prostate cancer by ejaculating more than five times a week. Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more per month, (252/year) were linked to lower prostate cancer.

Sex is a Beauty Treatment & Fountain of Youth

In a study at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland, a panel of judges guessed participant’s ages. Those who looked seven to 12 years younger than their age were also enjoying sex at least four times a week, on average.

Sex raises a woman’s estrogen level, which helps make hair shiny and skin supple.

Sex also boosts production of testosterone, which leads to stronger bones and muscles.

Having at least two orgasms a week can increase your life span. Every time you orgasm, the hormone DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) increases in response to sexual excitement. DHEA can boost your immune system, repair tissue, improve cognition, and even work as an antidepressant.

Sex helps your sense of smell. After sex, production of the hormone prolactin surges. This in turn causes stem cells in the brain to develop new neurons in the brain’s olfactory bulb, its smell center.

Sex gives you better bladder control. Pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels offer the benefit of minimizing the risk of incontinence. Strong muscles increase the intensity of orgasms.

Sex Improves Your Teeth (special delivery system for women). Seminal plasma contains zinc, calcium and other minerals shown to retard tooth decay. It could be a far more satisfying experience than squeezing a tube of Tartar Control Crest. Researchers have noted that etiquette usually demands the brushing of one’s teeth before and/or after intimacy, which helps promote better oral hygiene.”

Sex can enhance your sense of spirituality.

Many ancient traditions and cultures view sexuality as something sacred and spiritual. Sexual energy is unlike any other.  When we merge with this power during orgasm, we are connecting to our non-physical aspects. Why do you think we cry out, “Oh God!”? According to the Taoists, since we are conceived through orgasm and orgasmic energy permeates every cell of our body, we need to feel this orgasmic energy regularly – ideally every day – to stay healthy.

Marcus Aurelius believed happiness was to be achieved by living “according to nature” in harmony with the principle which orders the universe. A Roman emperor and philosopher who composed bits of wisdom in a work called Meditations, he believed that the serenity of someone who lived in the present moment could not be affected by misfortunes of the past or the fear of the future. 

Have you considered this? When you’re thinking about the past, you’re thinking about it now. When you’re thinking about the future, you’re thinking about it now. There is only the now.

Your thoughts are a constant stream of consciousness. They exist in the moment. And you are in control of your thoughts…in the moment. When you think about things in the past that disturb you, you create the same vibrational energy that you felt during that time in the past. Law of Attraction responds to your vibrational thought energy right now. The Universe responds to your focus and how you are feeling about it. Do you want to re-create past problems?

You get what you’re thinking about. When you think about things in the past that make you happy, you get the benefit of re-creating that vibrational energy now. When you’re thinking the happy thoughts in the present, it insures that you will be receiving more happy thoughts in the future! 

“The only way to deal with the future is to function efficiently in the now.” ~ Gina Bellin

A study was conducted on ninety-six overweight or obese adults. Half of the participants were taught EFT right away; while the other half did whatever they ordinarily did to control food cravings for four weeks. The “wait list” group was the control (comparison) group.

Prior to conducting the research, the subjects were given a series of tests to determine the intensity of their food cravings and measure how strong an influence food exerted over them. The researchers also investigated the degree of restraint these people showed when faced with tempting food, and the number of psychological symptoms of stress they were experiencing. Everyone in the study was measured to determine their BMI (Body Mass Index), an indication of how the body stores and distributes fat.

At the end of four weeks, the subjects were re-tested. It was found that those who had first learned EFT showed: significantly lowered food cravings;  had improved significantly in the degree to which they were able to restrain themselves when confronted by tempting foods;  and an improvement in the degree to which the food tempted them.

The same subjects were studied again at the end of 12 months. Demonstrating the holding power of this technique, it was noted that the intensity of food cravings and the pull of the temptation to a particular food, remained significantly improved at the end of one year in those who had been practicing EFT, Also, the Body Mass Index was also significantly reduced at the end of one year.

This study shows that EFT can have an immediate effect on reducing food cravings and also result in maintenance of these reduced cravings over a long period of time. In addition it shows that EFT impacts favorably on The Body Mass Index. The researchers suggest that EFT may contribute to the ability of weight loss/dieting programs to assist people to achieve reduced food cravings and therefore lose weight.

 *This study was conducted by Stapleton, Sheldon, Porter & Whitty,  2009-2010. It was funded by a grant from the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP).

When I became mindful and asked for direction, I picked up a book, held it for a moment and opened the page to this….  

Observe your place in the Universe.

“Be very very still and allow every new experience to take place in your life without any resis-tance whatsoever. You do not have to do anything, you simply have to be and let things happen.”     ~ Eileen Caddy, Footprints on the Path

It was a powerful reminder that I am human being not a human doing. And that it is absolutely okay to allow myself to just be. I will never get it all done. I’m going to give myself permission “to be and let things happen”. I wanted to share that so maybe you’ll give yourself permission too.

We are often in a place of critical self-judgment and self-imposed overwhelm, considering that we should be doing this or we should have accomplished that by now.

When we allow ourselves to slow down to savor the moment, we are reminded that it really is a beautiful moment. It is a now moment. And all we really have is this now moment. Life is easy. Life is joyful. Just be.

It is well documented that hypnosis is extremely beneficial for helping to deal with stress and coping with the problems of everyday life. Collingwood added “Hypnosis can be used very effectively as a therapy for anything that is the human condition, to change behaviour and habits and also for self improvement.”

Anger and stress are toxic substances in your body. Adrenal fatigue, and an overload of the stress hormone, cortisol, leaves your body in a state of dis-ease. If stress and anger are experienced on a continuous basis, you may experience any number of health-related issues such as a compromised immune system and inflammation in your body. Over time, you may develop high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes to name just a few. Your thoughts (subconscious mind) create your health.

Although Mel is not a role model, he is a fellow human being. And he recognizes the power of the subconscious mind to create change, acceptance and a sense of peace and well-being. May he have tremendous success!

The Los Angeles Times reports a new study about children with Tourette syndrome has been published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. By using sessions of self-hypnosis for help with their tics, 79% of the participants said their tic control had improved to a degree that they were satisfied with the technique.

Tourette syndrome is typically treated with medication. With all medication there are side effects. With pharmaceutical treatment comes the possibility of mild to severe side effects such as anxiety, weight gain and sluggishness. Teaching children relaxation techniques to create a state of self-hypnosis has no negative side effects. It does, however, have many, many positive effects. The confidence and self-esteem which results in being more in control of your behavior is priceless.

Dr. Karen Olness, author of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy with Children, conducted an experiment involving immune systems and the subconscious mind at Rainbow Babies’ and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. A video was shown where one puppet represented a virus; another, which looked like a policeman, represented the immune system. After viewing the video, the children were guided into a relaxed state and asked to imagine lots of policemen puppets running around inside their bodies. When saliva samples were taken, the results showed that their immunoglobulin levels had substantially increased. Their immune systems had been supercharged with their imagination and were working as though they were fighting off real infections. Dr Olness states, “It is still my view that every child with chronic illness should learn self-hypnosis, because of the sense of coping and competence it gives them.”

The mind doesn’t know the difference between what is imagined and perceived reality. The body responds to what the mind is creating. The subconscious mind is not logical or rational. It merely takes what it observes and makes it so. And so it is.

This research about the processes by which cells receive information may radically change our understanding of life. It shows that DNA is controlled by environmental signals from outside the cell, including the energetic messages emanating from our subconscious mind in the form of positive and negative thoughts. The cell’s membrane, Lipton says, is where “consciousness and matter interact”. Considered to be a major breakthrough in cell biology and quantum physics, this research shows that our bodies can be changed when we change our thoughts.

The mystic healer Edgar Cayce once said, “Remember that thoughts are things, and as their currents run, they can become crimes or miracles.”

If our genes are a blueprint, our mind is the contractor. What kind of a body have you built? Are you healthy? Are you physically fit? Is it time for a re-model? I can help you to access your most powerful tool…your subconscious mind. Are you ready to do some trance-formational work? It all begins with a thought. The Mind Matters.

Learn to manage stress with natural approaches. Breathing exercises and mind-body therapies such as guided imagery create a healing state and facilitate well-being.

1. Relieve Stress: “Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress,” Emmons said in a WebMD article. Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, vitality and life satisfaction and lower levels of depression and stress.
2. Acquire a Sense of Emotional & Physical Well-Being: People who keep gratitude journals tend to exercise more, feel better physically and be happier and more optimistic about their lives in general.
3. Achieve Your Goals: People who kept gratitude lists for two months were closer to reaching their personal goals than those who did not. Gratitude kept them more focused and positive.
4. Positive Moods: Emmons found that a 21-day gratitude intervention produced more high-energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of one’s life, and better sleep duration and quality.

“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.”                           — Karen Kaiser Clark

Life is constantly changing due to many factors beyond our control. We can not stop time. Imagine yourself five years from now. Do you appear the same? Do you have the same level of wealth? Do you see yourself as sick or destitute? Do you imagine yourself as healthy and successful? In essence, you can stay the same; you can suffer and be a failure; you can enjoy great abundance and prosperity. Most would consciously choose abundance and prosperity. Unfortunately, some of us, subconsciously, are choosing to stay stagnant or worse!

You have the power to decide how you live your life. You determine the level of joy you experience. It’s all as simple as choosing your thoughts. Choose to focus on what you want, NOT on what you don’t want! If you’re worrying about something, you’re planning for something you don’t want to happen. When you focus on solutions, you solve problems. Decide on a positive outcome and take the necessary steps to achieve it.

Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can choose to harvest flowers or choose to grow weeds. Spring is a time of new beginnings and growth. It’s a time to prepare our gardens for a bountiful harvest. What are you planting?

Would you like to let go of some extra weight? Why not try an alternative to expensive, invasive and drastic surgery? You can enjoy the same benefits from the results of the procedure by imagining that you are more satisfied with smaller portions; making better food choices; becoming slimmer. Use the power of your sub-conscious mind to achieve your success!

The time to start is now. Call Patricia@ 805.279.1551 to set an appointment.

“We must take responsibility for the way we feel. The notion that others can make us feel good or bad is untrue. Consciously, or more frequently, unconsciously, we choose how we feel at every single moment. The external world is in so many ways a mirror of our beliefs and expectations.

Why we feel the way we feel is the result of the symphony and harmony of our own molecules of emotion that affect every aspect of our physiology, producing blissful good health or miserable disease.”

The mind-body connection is at work every second of our lives. Our thoughts and emotions not only create our lives, they actually create our physical bodies.

Remember, to create health and well–being, The Mind Matters!

 Thoughts create things. Choose only the good ones!