IN THE NEXT STEP, we measure our negative emotion associated with our problem on a scale from 1 to 10. Several forms of psychotherapy measure negative emotions quantitatively and it is a powerful tool. In higher-consciousness healing, we do it to get feedback on the results of the method. I have often seen people forget how bad their problems had been after only two weeks of practicing the method. Unfortunately, this can lead them to dismiss the method's effectiveness. When they get proper feedback by measuring their negative emotions on a scale, however, it increases their motivation to carry on. The following story illustrates this point.
Zoe
In one of my talks, I guided everyone through the practice of higher-consciousness healing. The whole group relaxed, made contact with their higher consciousness, and received healing symbols. Then I told them all how to visualize their healing symbols over the next two weeks. Zoe phoned me two weeks later about something that had nothing to do with the method. After we had talked about this, I asked her how she was getting on with her healing symbol. She told me that she had asked for a symbol to overcome her suffering from grief about her brother, who had died recently. She admitted that she hadn't practiced her healing symbol for the required two-week period, and that she had stopped as soon as she felt better. I reassured her that I didn't mind at all, and asked her whether she could remember what her grief had measured on the scale on the evening of my talk. There was silence at the other end of the telephone for a moment. Then Zoe said, “Tara, I can't believe that I was suffering so much. I had completely forgotten how bad it was only two weeks ago. When I was at your talk, I felt that my grief measured 8 on the scale. My whole life felt like one big trauma. I feel so much better now. I would say my grief is no more than a 3 on the scale.”
• • •
When you rate your suffering on a scale, remember to rate only your negative emotion and not “the whole problem.” For example, if you have defined your problem as suffering from feeling depressed about your weight, rate the amount of your depression and not the amount of your weight loss. Dissolving our negative emotions is the most important aspect of higher-consciousness healing, because, once we feel happier, we will be much better at doing whatever we want to do—including losing weight. The following list explains each number on the scale in more detail.
0: We do not experience any negative emotion at all. At 0, we don't have a problem.
1: We feel a very slight negative emotion, which hardly bothers us at all.
2: Our negative emotion comes up every now and then, but we can still ignore it most of the time quite easily.
3: Our negative emotion is hard to ignore any more. We are still happy most of the time, but we feel we have to do something to solve our problem.
4: We suffer a good deal from our negative emotion, although we can still switch off from our problem.
5: Our negative emotion is so strong that it gives us a considerable amount of suffering, and switching off becomes quite hard.
6: Switching off from our negative emotion becomes harder and harder. It bothers us most of the time and causes us a lot of suffering.
7: We are starting to get desperate.
8: We are deeply unhappy. We experience almost nothing else but our negative emotion and we have very little hope left.
9: We are extremely desperate. We are completely engulfed by our negative emotion and we have lost all hope.
10: We are completely and utterly desperate.
Some people make huge leaps down the scale of suffering within a few days of starting to use higher-consciousness healing. However, most can expect substantial results after two weeks of practice (at least 2 or 3 points down the scale). This is why I advise people to practice the method for at least two weeks and then measure their suffering on the scale and compare the results. Most people improve even more after another two to four weeks even though they may also experience some smaller ups and downs within this time span. Four to six weeks is an extremely short time for getting rid of a lifetime of neurotic symptoms, but some people have a tendency to stop any method that doesn't bring instant and complete results. In cases like these, it is very helpful to use numbers as an encouragement to keep going.
In some cases, people find it difficult to think about their emotions quantitatively. This is understandable, because our emotions come from the right half of our brain, while our ability to think logically in numbers comes from the left half. It is not always easy to get the two hemispheres to work together. However, the more they are in harmony the more effective and successful we can be as a whole person. When we don't have different compartments for our emotional, intuitive, and creative concepts on the one hand and our rational, analytical, and logical concepts on the other, we can respond to every situation emotionally and rationally at the same time. Using numbers to measure our negative emotions is one way to train ourselves to make our two brain hemispheres work together. It brings rational awareness to more emotional people, and emotional awareness to people who are more rational.
Summary
Measure how much you suffer from your negative emotion on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is no suffering at all and 10 is utter desperation. Only measure your negative emotion and not the “whole problem.”
Measure your suffering again after you have practiced higher-consciousness healing for two weeks and compare the results.
Having a clear feedback system will enhance your motivation and encourage you to carry on.
Chapter 6
RELAXING OUR BODY AND MIND
ONCE WE HAVE DEFINED our problem and measured our negative emotions on a scale, we are ready to start in earnest. In order to receive a healing symbol, we must contact our infinitely loving and wise higher consciousness—the core of our being, our true nature, and the true nature of the whole universe. Unfortunately, we are rarely fully in contact with our higher consciousness. Those who are fully at one with their higher consciousness have truly transcended the human world—yet they will be all the more human for it, more humble and more compassionate than anyone else. They will be full of inspiring humor and have the deep wisdom to help others. Our higher consciousness is simultaneously the crown of human development and the way we transcend it. Why, then, is it so difficult to be more fully in contact with our higher consciousness? Why, if it is our true nature, can't we be more aware of it?
The biggest hindrance to recognizing our higher consciousness is fear—a very deep and basic fear that we all carry around with us, even if we are not aware of it. It is this fear that motivates most of our thoughts and actions, and fuels our constant questions: How can I get what I want? Am I being supported? How can I get rid of the things I don't like? How can I stop being invaded and controlled by others? We may not be very conscious of these questions, nor of the fear that lies behind them, but they control how we tackle most of the situations in our life.
When we are in complete union with our higher consciousness, all these questions cease to exist and we can be completely trusting. There is nothing but a constant flow of love and joy and a natural wisdom that enables us to do whatever is beneficial for all. When we are in contact with our higher consciousness, we are so happy that we have energy and genuine concern for others—naturally and effortlessly.
When we become more aware of our higher consciousness, we also develop more confidence in ourselves. This is not the same confidence we see in arrogant and self-centered people. True confidence makes our heart open and compassionate, and makes us very modest in a happy way. When we lose our basic fears, we don't need to think about ourselves the whole time. It genuinely doesn't matter as much how we look, how much money we earn, or what others think of us. We are just too happy to be bothered about questions like this. The challenge is to overcome our deep fears and get closer to our higher consciousness.
The best antidote to fear is relaxation. In fact, it is impossible to experience fear in a deeply relaxed state, because fear is nothing other than tension. You
have probably noticed how tense your body becomes when you are really afraid—how your breathing becomes fast and shallow, and how your mind can't stop thinking about the very thing that is making you afraid. If you can lie down, relax your whole body, practice slow breathing, and let go of the stressful inner images, your anxiety disappears within minutes.
In order to work with higher-consciousness healing, we do not need to be able to relax very deeply. For most people, a little bit of relaxation is quite enough and can be achieved by going through one of the suggested relaxation methods.
Some people have a relaxed body, but a very tense mind; others have a relaxed body and a sleepy mind. Neither state is desirable for higher-consciousness healing. The ideal to aim at is a relaxed body and a calm, but alert, mind.
If you have practiced relaxation exercises before, you can use whatever method suits you best. In the overview of higher-consciousness healing at the end of the book, there is a reliable and effective method you can try. If you find that this form of relaxation doesn't work for you, here are two alternative methods:
Sit or lie down comfortably and undo any belts or tight clothing.
Let yourself become aware of the rhythm of your breathing. Imagine you are sitting on a sled and, every time you breathe out, you slide down a gentle, snowy mountain slope. As your out breath finishes, your sled comes to a gentle standstill at the bottom of the hill. Be aware of the time that elapses before you begin to breathe in. Allow this gap to lengthen for as long as is comfortable. Then gently breathe in and see yourself sliding down the gentle mountain slope again as you breathe out. Gently lengthen the gap at the end of your out breath. Carry on breathing like this for a few moments.
Tense the muscles in your feet as you breathe in, and when you breathe out, release all the tension in your feet. Tense the muscles of your calves and then release them with your next out breath. Continue this pattern as you tense and then release the muscles of your thighs, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, face, and head.
Imagine you are sitting on a beautiful cloud, sailing gently toward a wonderful place of your choosing—a beach or a garden. When you arrive at this beautiful place, climb off your cloud and sit or lie down somewhere where you feel comfortable.
Enjoy your deep relaxation.
If this breathing method doesn't work for you, try this visualization exercise:
Sit or lie down comfortably and undo any belts or tight clothing.
Feel your right leg becoming more and more relaxed. Feel your left leg becoming more and more relaxed. Your right arm becomes more and more relaxed and so does your left arm. Your whole body becomes more and more relaxed.
Now your right leg becomes comfortably warm. Your left leg becomes comfortably warm. Your right arm becomes comfortably warm and so does your left arm. Finally, your whole body becomes comfortably warm.
See yourself drifting through an endless open space. You feel wonderful in this space. You are surrounded by love and happiness and you feel free and liberated.
Now you see a beautiful bright light in the distance. You feel drawn to this light and you move nearer and nearer to it. Finally, you enter the radiant light and it surrounds you with pure love. You merge with this light and then move through it. When you've passed through the light, you find yourself in a beautiful place. It may be a garden or a beach or a beautiful house.
Find a place to sit or lie down comfortably and enjoy your relaxation.
In some cases, higher-consciousness healing can produce results that resemble miracles. I am reluctant to take any credit for these “miracles”; I am just deeply grateful that they occur. The next case study demonstrates a miraculous improvement in the health of a ten-year-old boy.
Amy and Harry
Amy, the mother of ten-year-old Harry, contacted me deeply concerned that her son was seriously ill with colitis (chronic inflammation of the large intestine). He had stopped growing and, at the time, his condition was so severe that he was hospitalized and being fed through a nose tube. I helped Amy receive a healing symbol on behalf of her son—an image of an angelic being in a long white robe. Amy was very happy about this symbol. She went home and showed her own mother and her husband how to practice higher-consciousness healing, and they all visualized the angelic being in Harry's heart radiating with love. To their great delight, the boy made such a quick recovery that it stunned his doctors. After a very short time, he was allowed to leave the hospital and go to school. A little later, his parents found a new and side-effect-free medication that improved his health even further.
Summary
The biggest obstacle to making contact with your higher consciousness is a basic fear that everyone carries around with them.
A relaxed body and a calm, but alert mind will help you experience more of your higher consciousness and receive healing symbols.
Chapter 7
CONTACTING OUR HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS
OUR HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS is the nature of the universe, and also the nature of ourselves. In its essence, it is infinite space imbued with love, wisdom, and bliss. For most people, it is easiest to visualize it in a personified form like an angelic being that is infinitely loving and wise. Doing this is probably not very difficult for people who hold religious beliefs. In order to practice higher-consciousness healing they can simply visualize a central figure of their religion and open their hearts to this divine being.
Those who do not have any spiritual beliefs can think of their higher consciousness as the part of their mind that is more loving, happy, and wise than they feel at the moment. They may choose to see it simply as shimmering light. In fact, we can choose to visualize higher consciousness in whatever form is inspiring for us—for example, as an angelic being, a wise old man, or a living and loving light—as long as our inner image is really beautiful.
In my counseling practice, I have found that there is only one form of visualization that doesn't work well: imagining that our higher consciousness looks like ourselves. Even though our higher consciousness is the essence of ourselves, we tend to miss its vast power when we visualize it as looking like us.
You may ask how our higher consciousness can take all these different forms. The answer is that we always perceive it from our personal point of view, depending on our culture, belief system, upbringing, and religious background. This personal context determines both the way we perceive the world and the way we perceive our higher consciousness. There is nothing wrong with this and higher-consciousness healing will work no matter what form we give to our higher power. However, even though our higher consciousness can appear in many forms that are dependent on our own perspective, we don't “own” it. We all share higher consciousness, because it is the nature of the universe.
In order for higher-consciousness healing to work, we do not have to have a mystical vision of our higher power. Therefore, if our higher consciousness doesn't appear spontaneously in front of our inner eye, we can simply choose how we want to imagine it. For example, many of my clients like to perceive it as a shimmering light that has a living and deeply loving quality. It is important always to visualize your higher consciousness in a beautiful color and surrounded by brilliant radiant light.
No matter how we perceive our higher consciousness, remember that it is always wise and loving, and never critical or judgmental. If our higher consciousness seems to be criticizing us or anyone else, the channel to our higher power is blocked. The critical voice we hear is actually the voice of our own personal consciousness. If this happens, we simply need to relax a little more and try again.
Visualize your higher consciousness in a beautiful color, surrounded by radiant light.
How do we know if we are perceiving our higher consciousness correctly and not just making it up? The answer is that we will always perceive a mixture of our higher consciousness and our own personal consciousness. On a “good day,” we will perceive more of our higher consciousness; on a “less good day,” we may perceive
more of our personal consciousness. This is quite normal and does not decrease the effectiveness of higher-consciousness healing. In order to use this method, we don't need to be an advanced spiritual seeker. All we need is to have the wish to open up to our higher consciousness. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that higher-consciousness healing brings results in a straightforward way.
Once we are in contact with our higher consciousness, we need to ask for help. Asking for help can be difficult for some, because it means admitting that we are not as strong and self-reliant as we would like to be. But, in order to gain the full benefit of our higher consciousness, we have to give up the idea that we are completely autonomous and in control. Even though our higher consciousness is the essence of ourselves, we need to perceive it as something higher and stronger than ourselves because, otherwise, we can't really open up to its enormous power. The help of our higher consciousness is the most beautiful gift in the universe, and we need some humility in order to receive it gratefully.
Alison
Alison contacted me because she felt very lonely and depressed. Her most painful emotion was sadness and she received a healing symbol to overcome this feeling. I showed Alison how to send love to herself with the help of her healing symbol and envelope herself in a comfort blanket made of its loving light. At first, she found this hard and recognized that she had the irrational idea that she deserved to be punished. She immediately wanted to find out where this belief came from, and started to blame her neglectful mother. I discouraged Alison from doing this, however. Instead, I explained to her that no one can be sure where their irrational ideas come from, and that blaming her mother would only make matters worse. Once she accepted this line of thinking, I instructed her to send the loving light of her symbol to herself and to her mother, and to wish her mother to be happy from the bottom of her heart. When Alison came back after two weeks, she reported that all her sadness was gone and that she had had the best conversation with her mother in years. Subsequently, Alison started to make more contact with other people and continued to feel much happier than before. Her sadness and her neurotic beliefs about deserving to be punished simply disappeared.
The Five-Minute Miracle Page 5
