by Louise Hay
And so a new era began for me.
The first two months were absolute hell for me. I dreaded the lesson on Wednesday afternoon, but I knew I had to go through with it. I think I held my breath the entire first lesson. Every little-kid piece of garbage I had left in me came up: Embarrassment, humiliation, and shame all flooded through my body. I couldn’t even find an affirmation to fix it.
One of my early teachers said one day, “Louise, I can just see the fear in your eyes. Where does it come from?” I couldn’t answer right then, but later that night I really thought about it, and the answer was that there was a part of me that was convinced that I would be hit in the face if I did it “wrong.” That was a real revelation to me. The little kid inside was terrified of being slapped, and I was 76 years old!
At the next lesson when I told the teacher about my break-through, her eyes filled with tears. And that was the turning point for me. All those feelings began to subside, and I could concentrate on my steps. Now, ten years later, I’ve taken many private and group lessons, and it has become great fun for me. I often go dancing. So, my dears, if I can do it, so can you. It’s never too late to learn something new.
The older I get, the more important my health becomes to me. I eat simply: protein, vegetables, and some fruit. I’m not a vegetarian now, although I have been; however, I do eat lots of vegetables. I no longer consume wheat, dairy, sugar, corn, citrus, beans, or caffeine, except on very rare occasions; and I exercise more than I used to. The practice of yoga entered my life when I was 75, and I’ve been taking classes several times a week. I’ve actually become more limber than I was as a child. In addition, I take Pilates classes, and I walk for an hour three times a week. All this helps keep my body in good shape.
In October of 2007, I had my 80th birthday party. What a gala occasion it was! The entire Hay House family of employees and authors was there, all of whom I love and adore; and many of my personal friends attended, too. As I looked out over the festive gathering, I announced that the coming decade would be the best of my life so far. The whole group loved hearing that. I even received a special Louise Hay Rose. I loved having a rose named after me! This really touched my heart because long after I’m gone, its pleasure will remain. I also received a beautiful Louise Hay Orchid, a yellow cymbidium. (The cymbidiums are only available to those in Southern California who can grow them outdoors.) That whole evening really began my fabulous ninth decade.
Who knows what the next 20 years hold for me? I have some ideas; however, Life knows so much more than I do. One of the next subjects I would like to teach is how to make dying a joyful experience. We have so many negative beliefs about death, yet it’s a normal and natural process. We are all born and we all die. Why are we so frightened to die? We weren’t afraid to be born. My feelings at the moment are that if we learn to live a joyous life, then we will automatically have a joyous death. I guess I will have to show people what this type of passing can be like. I shall explore this more, and then I will share my findings with you.
All is well. Life is good.
Spring 2013
In the infinity of life where I am,
all is perfect, whole, and complete.
Each one of us, myself included, experiences the richness
and fullness of life in ways that are meaningful to us.
I now look at the past with love and choose
to learn from my old experiences.
There is no right or wrong, nor good or bad.
The past is over and done.
There is only the experience of the moment.
I love myself for bringing myself
through this past into this present moment.
I share what and who I am,
for I know we are all one in Spirit.
All is well in my world.
Holistic Healing Recommendations
BODY
Nutrition
Diet, Food Combining, Macrobiotic,
Natural Herbs, Vitamins, Bach Flower Remedies,
Homeopathy.
Exercise
Yoga, Trampoline, Walking, Dance, Cycling,
Tai-Chi, Martial Arts, Swimming, Sports, etc.
Alternative Therapies
Acupuncture, Acupressure, Colon Therapy,
Reflexology, Radionics, Chromotherapy,
Massage & Body Work
Alexander, Bioenergetics, Touch for Health,
Feldenkrais, Deep Tissue Work, Rolfing,
Polarity, Trager, Reiki.
Relaxation Techniques
Systematic Desensitization, Deep Breathing,
Biofeedback, Sauna, Water Therapy (Hot Tub),
Slant Board, Music.
Books
Food Is Your Best Medicine - Bieler
Love Your Body - Hay
Healthy Healing - Linda Page Rector
Herbally Yours - Royal
Getting Well Again - Simonton
MIND
Affirmations, Mental Imagery, Guided Imagery,
Meditation, Loving the Self.
Psychological Techniques
Gestalt, Hypnosis, NLP, Focusing, T.A., Rebirthing,
Dream Work, Psychodrama, Past-Life Regression, Jung
Humanistic Psychotherapies, Astrology, Art Therapy.
Groups
Insight, Loving Relationship Training,
ARAS, Ken Keyes Groups, All 12-Step Programs,
Aids Project, Rebirthing.
Books
Visualization - Bry
The Power of Affirmations - Fankhauser
Creative Visualization - Gawain
Focusing - Gendlin
Heal Your Body - Hay
Love Is Letting Go of Fear - Jampolsky
Teach Only Love - Jampolsky
A Conscious Person’s Guide to Relationships - Keyes
The Superbeings - Price
Celebration of Breath - Ray
Loving Relationships - Ray
SPIRIT
Asking for What You Want, Forgiveness,
Receiving (Allowing the Presence of God to Enter),
Accepting, Surrendering.
Spiritual Group Work
M.S.I.A., T.M., Siddah Foundation,
Self-Realization, Religious Science,
Unity.
Books
Your Needs Met - Addington
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind - Chopra
Real Magic - Dyer
Any book by Emmet Fox
Course in Miracles - Foundation for Inner Peace
The Science of Mind - Holmes
The Mutant Message Down Under - Morgan
The Manifestation Process - Price
The Celestine Prophecy - Redfield
The Nature of Personal Reality - Roberts
Autobiography of a Yogi - Yogananda
Adventures of a Psychic - Browne
HEAL
YOUR
BODY
DEDICATION
I have long believed the following: “Everything I need to know is revealed to me.” “Everything I need comes to me.” “All is well in my life.” There is no new knowledge. All is ancient and infinite. It is my joy and pleasure to gather together wisdom and knowledge for the benefit of those on the healing pathway. I dedicate this offering to all of you who have taught me what I know: to my clients, to my friends in the field, to my teachers, and to the Divine Infinite Intelligence for channeling through me that which others need to hear.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to acknowledge Robert Lang, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Yale University; Pete Grim, D.C.; and Rene Espy, D.C., who all shared their ideas and wisdom with me.
PREFACE
Little did I know when I first wrote the original version of Heal Your Body that today I would be writing a Preface for the 67th edition. This little blue book has become an indispensable item to many. I’ve sold hundreds of thousands of copies, far beyond my vision in the early days. Heal Your Body has opened countless doo
rs and created friends for me everywhere. Wherever I travel, I meet people who show me well-worn copies carried constantly in their purses or pockets.
This little book doesn’t “heal” anyone, but it does awaken within you the ability to contribute to your own healing process. For us to become whole and healthy, we must balance the body, mind, and spirit. We need to take good care of our bodies. We need to have a positive mental attitude about ourselves and about life. And we need to have a strong spiritual connection. When these three things are balanced, we rejoice in living. No doctor or health practitioner can give us this unless we choose to take part in our healing process.
You will find many new additions in this version, and it is also cross-referenced to provide more input. I suggest that you make a list of every ailment you’ve ever had and look up the mental causes. You’ll discover a pattern that will show you a lot about yourself. Select a few of the affirmations and do them for a month. This will help eliminate old patterns that you’ve been carrying for a long time.
INTRODUCTION
In this newly revised edition, I want to share with you one of the reasons why I know that dis-ease can be reversed by simply reversing mental patterns.
A number of years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer of the vagina. With my background of being raped when I was five years old and being a battered child, it was no wonder that I’d manifested cancer in the vaginal area. Having already been a teacher of healing for several years, I was very aware that I was now being given a chance to practice on myself and prove what I’d been teaching others.
Like anyone who has just been told that they have cancer, I went into a total panic, yet I knew that mental healing worked. Being aware that cancer comes from a pattern of deep resentment that is held for a long time until it literally eats away at the body, I knew that I had a lot of mental work to do.
I realized that if I had the operation to get rid of the cancer but did not clear the mental pattern that created it, then the doctors would just keep cutting Louise until there was no more Louise to cut. If I had the operation and cleared the mental pattern that was causing the cancer, then the cancer wouldn’t return.
When cancer or any other illness returns, I don’t believe that it’s because the doctor didn’t “get it all out,” but rather, that the patient has made no mental changes and so just re-creates the same illness. I also knew that if I could clear the mental pattern that created the condition called cancer, I wouldn’t need the doctor. So I bargained for time. The doctor grudgingly gave me three months, at the same time warning me that my life was endangered by the delay.
I immediately began to work with my own teacher to clear old patterns of resentment. Up till that time, I hadn’t acknowledged that I harbored deep resentment. We’re often so blind to our own patterns. A lot of forgiveness work was in order. The other thing I did was to go to a good nutritionist and completely detoxify my body. So between the mental and physical cleansing, in six months I was able to get the medical profession to agree with what I already know: that I no longer had any form of cancer. I still keep the original lab report as a reminder of how negatively creative I could be.
Now when I hear about someone’s illness, no matter what dire their predicament seems to be, I know that if they’re willing to do the mental work of releasing and forgiving, almost anything can be healed. The word incurable, which is so frightening to so many people, really only means that the particular condition cannot be cured by “outer” methods and that we must go within to effect the healing. The condition came from nothing and will go back to nothing.
THE POINT OF POWER IS IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
The point of power is in the present moment … right here and right now in our minds. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve had negative patterns, an illness, a rotten relationship, lack of finances, or self-hatred. We can begin to make a change today. The thoughts we’ve held and the words we’ve repeatedly used have created our life and experiences up to this point. Yet, that is past thinking; we’ve already done that. What we’re choosing to think and say, today, at this moment, will create tomorrow and the next day and the next week and the next month and the next year, and so on. The point of power is always in the present moment. This is where we begin to make changes. What a liberating idea. We can begin to let the old nonsense go. Right now. The smallest beginning will make a difference.
When you were a tiny baby, you were pure joy and love. You knew how important you were; you felt that you were the center of the universe. You had such courage that you asked for what you wanted and you expressed all your feelings openly. You loved yourself totally—every part of your body, including your feces. You knew that you were perfect. And that is the truth of your being. All the rest is learned nonsense and can be unlearned.
How often have we said, “That’s the way I am,” or “That’s the way it is.” What we’re really saying is that it is what we “believe to be true for us.” Usually what we believe is only someone else’s opinion that we’ve accepted and incorporated into our own belief system. It fits in with other things that we believe. If we were taught as a child that the world is a frightening place, then everything we hear that fits in with that belief we will accept as true for us—for example: “Don’t trust strangers,” “Don’t go out at night,” “People cheat you,” and so on. On the other hand, if we were taught early in life that the world is a safe and joyous place, then we would believe other things, such as: “Love is everywhere,” “People are so friendly,” and “Money comes to me easily.” Life experiences mirror our beliefs.
We seldom sit down and question our beliefs. For instance, I could ask myself: “Why do I believe that it’s difficult for me to learn? Is that really true? Is it true for me now? Where did that belief come from? Do I still believe it simply because a first-grade teacher told me so over and over? Would I be better off if I dropped that belief?”
Stop for a moment and catch your thought. What are you thinking right now? If thoughts shape your life and experiences, would you want this thought to become true for you? If it’s a thought of worry, anger, hurt, or revenge, how do you think that this thought will come back for you? If we want a joyous life, we must think joyous thoughts. Whatever we send out mentally or verbally will come back to us in like form.
Take a little time to listen to the words you say. If you hear yourself saying something three times, write it down. It has become a pattern for you. At the end of a week, look at the list you’ve made and you’ll see how your words fit your experiences. Be willing to change your words and thoughts and watch your life change. The way to control your life is to control your choice of words and thoughts. No one thinks in your mind but you.
MENTAL EQUIVALENTS:
The Mental Thought Patterns
That Form Our Experience
Both the good in our lives and the dis-ease are the results of mental thought patterns that form our experiences. We all have many thought patterns that produce good, positive experiences, and these we enjoy. It’s the negative thought patterns that produce uncomfortable, unrewarding experiences with which we’re concerned. It’s our desire to change our dis-ease in life into perfect health.
We’ve learned that for every effect in our lives, there’s a thought pattern that precedes and maintains it. Our consistent thinking patterns create our experiences. Therefore, by changing our thinking patterns, we can change our experiences.
What a joy it was when I first discovered the words metaphysical causations. This describes the power in the words and thoughts that create experiences. This new awareness brought me an understanding of the connection between thoughts and the different parts of the body and physical problems. I learned how I had unknowingly created dis-ease in myself, and this made a great difference in my life. Now I could stop blaming life and other people for what was wrong in my life and my body. I could now take full responsibility for my own health. Without either reproaching myself or feeling guilty, I began to see how
to avoid creating thought patterns of dis-ease in the future.
For example, I couldn’t understand why I repeatedly had problems with a stiff neck. Then I discovered that the neck represented being flexible on issues, being willing to see different sides of a question. I had been a very inflexible person, often refusing to listen to another side of a question out of fear. But, as I became more flexible in my thinking and able, with a loving understanding, to see another person’s viewpoint, my neck ceased to bother me. Now, if my neck becomes a bit stiff, I look to see where my thinking is stiff and rigid.
REPLACING OLD PATTERNS
In order to permanently eliminate a condition, we must first work to dissolve the mental cause. But most often, since we don’t know what the cause is, we find it difficult to know where to begin. So, if you’re saying, “If I only knew what’s causing this pain,” I hope that this booklet will provide both a clue to find the causes and a helpful guide for building new thought patterns that will produce health in mind and body.
I’ve learned that for every condition in our lives, there’s a need for it. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have it. The symptom is only an outer effect. We must go within to dissolve the mental cause. This is why willpower and discipline don’t work. They’re only battling the outer effect. It’s like cutting down the weed instead of getting the root out. So before you begin the New Thought Pattern affirmations, work on the willingness to release the need for the cigarettes, the headache, the excess weight, or whatever. When the need is gone, the outer effect must die. No plant can live if the root is cut away.
The mental thought patterns that cause the most dis-ease in the body are criticism, anger, resentment, and guilt. For instance, criticism indulged in long enough will often lead to dis-eases such as arthritis. Anger turns into things that boil, burn, and infect the body. Resentment long held festers and eats away at the self and ultimately can lead to tumors and cancer. Guilt always seeks punishment and leads to pain. It’s so much easier to release these negative thinking patterns from our minds when we’re healthy than to try to dig them out when we’re in a state of panic and under the threat of the surgeon’s knife.
