Advice on Creating a Successful Marriage

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My wife Maggie emailed me a link to an article that I’m sharing below with you, with the words “Let’s read this together and discuss.” The article was right up our alley, partly because we both have degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy, but more because we each had made the same resolution to ourselves during our single years: To find the perfect person to get this love thing to work out in a relationship…to find someone who wants to learn together how to best give and receive love. Since love is our highest nature, how can we become expressions of that in relationship? As we all know, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. In most relationships, love is there under the surface, ready to be tapped into like a gold mine. Yet the human part of us can often be blind as to how we get in our own way. The more we can become aware to the various ways we block the love within us that yearns to be expressed, the happier we will be, and the more we will favorably view our lives as a soul when we review it.

Both Maggie and I enjoyed reading this article. It provides plenty of wisdom and is delivered in a humorous way. The author, Mark Manson, has compiled advice from nearly 1,500 people who have been happily married for over 10 years. He found that people were generally repeating much of the same advice, so he narrowed down their suggestions to 13 categories that I wanted to share with you. Please enjoy the article, Every Successful Relationship is Successful for the Same Exact Reasons.

Himalayan Singing Bowl Demonstration

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If you’ve done a session with me, you’ve probably felt the effect of the singing bowls that I use. They had an impact on Lynn Selene, because during a Life-Between-Lives session, she received the inspiration and direction to incorporate singing bowls into her life. I am sharing a video of Lynn playing her Himalayan Singing Bowls because each time I hear it, I am amazed at how my entire body/mind system wants to completely come to a halt. I become anchored in the present moment, feeling the sensations of the bowl vibrations in my body. It is beautiful meditation experience each time I hear it. Thank you Lynn, for so graciously allowing me to share your video. In addition, I’m sharing a link to an article that discusses the healing effects of the singing bowls. Please enjoy!

Ancient Teachings Give Insight Into Current Times

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Today is the Presidential Inauguration Day. It is greeted by cheers or sadness or anger. It marks a shift in the endless cycle of collective thinking. No matter how you interpret this shift, whether forwards or backwards, it can be viewed as an opportunity for growth as individuals and for society. Keep in mind that the state of the world often mirrors back to us our own inner state of light and shadow. How we react and respond to the outside world determines how long we have to stew in the karmic cycle, or how soon we can transcend it.

I came across a newsletter article that puts the current transitional period, both as individuals and society, into a much wider lens. The article offers ancient spiritual explanations for the current state of the world and of ourselves. It was humorously and insightfully written by Joan Pancoe, a spiritual teacher, trance channel, karmic astrologer and psychic therapist in NYC since 1976. Please enjoy:

 

“Many have shared with me how sad and disheartened they’ve felt about the state of the world, especially since the election. The good news is that: Sadness is not a toxic emotion that will adversely impact one’s health. That being said, if we do want to consciously allow our emotions to flow through faster, it helps to:

1. Remember that we’re in an ephemeral plane of constant flux on inner and outer levels and that which rises falls away.

2. View reality as a dream, Cosmic or Divine Play, in other words, live entertainment, also called: Leela.

3. Practice a daily mantra of “This too shall pass.”

4. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude for what we do have now.

Conversely, it’s important not to indulge in, act out on or repress feelings of fear, anxiety or metaphysical angst, not to mention varieties of anger and impotent rage, as these emotions DO make us sick—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Added to this, whatever emotional tone we emanate is affecting the mass tone in the ripple effect. The challenge is to continuously release and dissolve toxic emotions or thoughts ONCE they arise, as this is one of the few things we actually do have absolute power over.

This grows increasingly more consequential moving forward, because we may be feeling more aware than ever before of our powerlessness over mass events unfolding and the illusion of any semblance of control over external people, places and circumstances disintegrating at a more rapid rate as our new normal.

What we can do is make it a priority to cultivate and maintain the witnessing perspective of the soul, where everything is always evolving perfectly for our karmic healing and soul growth in the Divine Plan—personally and en masse—and hold the faith in this as the permeating primary tone of our Self and our personal reality. As Ram Dass says:

“We are in the perfect circumstances for our Souls to learn whatever they designed this whole game to learn. What is freedom? It is awareness not trapped in attraction or aversion.”

If you are feeling really stuck in negativity or despair and find the above ideas challenging to implement on your own, I encourage you to read Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Transformation and Healing to help get you started.

 

The Taoist point of view is that everything is part of the Tao, i.e., Divine or Flow of Life, and that the conscious energy which makes up the Earth, which is a plane of duality, moves naturally in cycles of life and death, yin and yang, light and dark, expansion and contraction, moving forward and retreating, and so forth.

Right now, linear time is accelerating more rapidly in this New Age in human history because of what I call “the Quickening,” i.e., a continuous downloading of high frequency energies from beyond this plane to assist in speeding up the evolution of consciousness.

This means that, within the divine orderly chaos of the Universe, the mass consciousness has been stretched like a giant rubber band—as far as it could go without splitting apart. And what we are experiencing now as a natural part of this extreme unprecedented expansion is an even more extreme retraction or snapping back in reaction to this stretching open.

If we view the mass consciousness as one giant organism, or as I like to call it, One BEING with billions of faces, WE have reacted en masse from having too much Light and Unity Consciousness enter too fast, so that a natural reaction of flipping back into our collective shadow of darkness and separation has occurred. Ultimately, this will come into a balance of not “either/or” unity or separation but “and” and “both” simultaneously.

I have seen this phenomenon occur hundreds of times on a personal level when working with clients over the last 40 years. When people in psychic therapy raise their vibration and spiritually expand or accelerate more rapidly than their little self or ego/personality can handle, then after the therapy is over, there is sometimes an extreme retraction or snapping back, like an over-stretched rubber band when released.

This means that they regress into old self-destructive karmic behaviors that feed their default karmic rut of identity and gives them the illusion of control through safety, security and familiarity. I call this pattern the “Spiritual Cha-Cha,” one step forward and, at times, a giant leap backwards. And I’ve learned to view it with cosmic humor as an inherent part within the spiraling evolution of consciousness.

But now we are witnessing this Spiritual Cha-Cha as part of US, i.e., the mass consciousness. It’s our challenge, or as I like to call it a huge EGO—f**kin growth opportunity—to view this as an innate, organic part of how the Flow of Life moves. And, imperatively, we need to find ways to use this shadow part of the dance as rocket fuel for the evolution of our consciousness.

Since linear time is operating faster, what once took over four centuries, such as the decline of the Roman Empire, as part of the spontaneous movement of the Tao, might now take just over four years, barbarian hoards and all:). We’ve lived through many dark ages before in human history and learned that it’s all an integral part of the Earth Game. It just means that it’s time, once again, to batten down the hatches, retreat to gather our forces and sustain and feed the Light with like-minded souls, while we wait for the perfect time in the Flow to expand outward again.

Synchronistically, this time in history also coincides with the possible ending of the Kali Yuga in 2025, as predicted by some sages in the ancient Vedic spiritual philosophy of India. The ancients understood time as a circle, not linear, and the circle of ages is comprised of the yugas. Like the four seasons in our year, there are four yugas in the full 24,000 year cycle of the life of the world (Mahayuga). Each cycle has distinct themes and spiritual lessons for humanity. Satya Yuga or the Golden Age, is the longest, with each one getting successively shorter (4:3:2:1) until the cycle starts again.

We are just ending the shortest and darkest era (Kali Yuga), which by some estimates began 2,700 years ago, and lasts only one-tenth of the cycle. It is epitomized as one of darkness and ignorance. Here is a compilation from various Vedic texts and writers about the Kali Yuga:
“People slide further down the path of dishonesty, with virtue being of little value. Passions become uncontrollable as unrestrained sexual indulgences and manipulations run through society. Liars and hypocrites rise. Important knowledge is lost and scriptures become less and less common. The human diet is now ‘dirty’, and people are not even close to being as powerful as their ancestors in the Satya Yuga. Likewise, the once pristine environment is now polluted. Water and food become scarce, as do family bonds.” Sound familiar?
“The end of this Yuga will inevitably be followed by cataclysmic earth changes and civilization collapses, as is characteristic of the transitional periods. We need to be aware of these greater cycles of time that govern human civilization, and the changes that are looming on the horizon. In the Mahabharata—the longest poem in the planet’s history; the Kali Yuga is considered the Darkest Age, a low point.”

So, even if the Kali Yuga does wind down in 2025, the predictions of volatile earth changes, which occur during the transitional periods between yugas—evidenced by the current upswing in earthquakes and increasing incidences of extreme weather phenomena—indicate that we may be in for an external bumpy ride for some time to come. This means, for most of us, for the rest of this incarnation. In 10 years, we may actually look back at this period, even with all the upsets and instability going on, as a relatively peaceful calm before the storm of the earth changes.

What to do? The Vedic scriptures and major Taoist teachings concur: Meditation and various spiritual practices are the natural medicine to help us survive during tumultuous times such as these. Now more than ever, we must strengthen our personal practice and act as a light for those around us who are lost. To find inner peace within the most unpeaceful of times is true spiritual attainment and a most worthy goal.

When I look into the eyes of Syrian refugees, I see hopelessness, suffering and despair. When I look into the eyes of unemployed Trump supporters standing for hours in free food lines, I see hopelessness, suffering and despair. And, believe it or not, when I’ve looked into the eyes of my clients, the ones that are the most unhappy and dissatisfied are the billionaires and super-models.

Why? Because no matter how much cash and how many prizes they accumulate externally, that can still never fill the inner black hole or void that can only be filled by something spiritual and infinite. Their greatest fear is that if they lost their money or beauty, nobody would love them just for themselves. And since they instinctually know that their external gains are all relative and ephemeral and could possibly disappear in any moment but will certainly all fall away in time, they live in terror of this ultimate outcome.

And the lesson? That all pain and suffering feels the same from the inside and that the only spiritual solution is to cultivate compassion for suffering in all forms. Whether it be our own, the ignorant, asleep or mentally ill:

The Bodhisattva Vow:

Beings are numberless, I vow to awaken with them.

Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to transform them.

Reality is boundless, I vow to perceive it.

The awakened way is unsurpassed, I vow to embody it.

Alternative Ways to Heal Depression and PTSD

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I recently wrote the article below for the Edge Magazine. Although I specialize in dealing with the emotional causes of depression, anxiety and PTSD, there are a number of different ways that can also help with these issues. Below is the article that discusses some of these other approaches. Please enjoy:

After working on a psychiatric unit for over 23 years, I watched some people find relief with medications for depression. Yet, I’ve also witnessed many times when a person either experienced no relief or the side effects of the meds far outweighed the benefits. Not only are people complex, but so is depression, and it often has many triggers and causes, both physical and emotional in nature. Let me share some alternative methods that can help alleviate both the physical and emotional roots of depression. Often, combining several modalities can be the most effective approach.

First, a simple, yet often overlooked modality is homeopathy, which works to bring the body back into balance physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It’s not an overnight fix, but you’ll find an upward spiral of growth happens over time with no side effects. Occasionally, you may notice your symptoms reappear for a day or two and then subside because an old pattern often reappears before it’s released. Keep in mind that homeopaths study for 4 years, and homeopathy has a long history of being a popular medicine which can also increase the effectiveness of other modalities.

Secondly, if you’re eating a lot of low vibration foods such as processed sugar, white flour and food products with artificial ingredients, you may experience low energy and lethargy, with a mood that matches the way your body responds to these foods. Consuming more fruits and vegetables is an excellent way to shift not only your mood, but your health. Experiment for yourself by eating more whole foods and notice if your mood is positively affected. I do understand that when you’re struggling with intense symptoms such as depression or PTSD it may be difficult to choose fruits and vegetables as they aren’t as comforting or numbing as processed foods. However, try adding one additional fruit, vegetable, smoothie or juice per day.

A healer who has had a profound effect on my health is Anthony William. In his paradigm-changing, best-seller book, Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic Illness and How to Finally Heal, William explains that PTSD is a chemical imbalance in the brain caused by trauma. When there isn’t enough glucose stored in the brain tissue to feed the central nervous system, PTSD symptoms can develop from relatively minor stresses. He explains that fruit sugar and raw honey in their unadulterated states are the only sugars the body accepts for glucose storage in the brain. He suggests wild blueberries, melons, beets, bananas, sweet potatoes, figs, oranges mangoes, apples and dates, among others.

William also discusses how depression can stem from non-emotional causes such as adrenal dysfunction, viral infection, electrolyte deficiency, heavy metals or other toxins in your body. For these conditions, he suggests specific foods to help heal these conditions such as wild blueberries, spinach, hemp seeds, cilantro, walnuts, coconut oil, sprouts, kale apricots and avocados. He also provides a list of healing herbs and supplements that can help. He just released a second book, Life-Changing Foods, which connects one to the power of food.

For emotional causes of depression, such as traumatic loss or stress growing up, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and EMDR are effective tools to release trauma from past events or circumstances that are stored in the body and subconscious mind.

Often times when we don’t get emotional needs met growing up, negative beliefs about oneself can set in at a deep level. Shame programs such as feeling unworthy of love or success can be so strong that affirmations don’t easily work because a subconscious part of you doesn’t believe them. In these situations, it’s helpful to find someone who can guide you in transcendental inner journey work, where your consciousness can take a separate, observational look at your egoic mind patterns. Any type of transpersonal hypnotherapy, such as past life regression, the emotional healing process or other such inner journey work, is helpful in releasing the grip of false, limiting beliefs that may feel true but are absolutely not. When these false beliefs can be seen through from a higher level of consciousness, they no longer have the same effect on you, and thus support the releasing of depression.

Lastly, it’s important to connect with others. We were meant to love and support one another, and the burden of depression can lighten with more connectedness. I understand that one of the biggest challenges with depression is having the motivation or confidence to reach out to others, so you may want to get some support from other modalities first and as your spirit lifts, you may more easily cultivate the wisdom and courage to know that you are worth seeking out support and connection.

Channeled Wisdom After Election Day, 2016

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Like nearly everyone, I have within my circle of family and acquaintances those who applauded the Trump presidential victory and also those who felt traumatized by it. In the days after the election, I received a channeled message from a friend and his wife, both of whom are psychic as well as mediums. I shared it with others and the response was so positive that I wanted to share it here. It reminds me of Albert Einstein’s words when he said that you can’t solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created the problem, but rather from a higher level of consciousness. Internal or external conflicts can’t easily be dealt with from the egoic level, but from the higher spiritual level. Similarly, I was reminded of Adyashanti’s words when he said that if you’re drawn to activism, you will get far better results if you do it from the standpoint of Oneness, when you see the other as yourself, perhaps even the shadow side of yourself. If you repress and deny the shadow side of yourself, inner turmoil will ensue. And if you see another as the enemy, you will create an opposite reaction, and thus the same dualistic stalemate. Adyahanti says, “We are all divine being manifesting as human being…two sides of the same coin. It’s only our minds that separate divinity and humanity. The spiritual journey is to see that they never were separate.” Perhaps at some level, Donald Trump was the better agent to bring to the surface the anger and fears that reside deep in the collective consciousness for the purpose of being acknowledged and dealt with. There is a saying: “Freedom calls anything to the surface that which is not free”.

Below is my friends’ channeled wisdom that I felt called to share with you that came in the days after the election:

“There are important reasons a Trump win in this election at this time on planet earth is in right alignment. Just as we have crossroads or choice points in our individual lives, so too do we have crossroads and choice points as a collective. We are all connected on higher levels and have assistance from the angelic realm in order to make these collective choices.

We are progressing toward higher consciousness and in doing so, we are breaking down old energies and antiquated systems that no longer serve us. This path can lead us to more awareness, greater balance and peace on the planet.

There were many angels and guides around the planet surveying the energy of humanity as we reached Election Day. These same angelic beings are also present as we follow through with changing old patterns to new.

They foretold that if Hillary had won, the darkness that could have been expressed from a large number of angry Trump supporters would have created a rip in the fabric of humanity that would have taken a very long time to heal. This could have easily led to a militarized response to mass riots and chaos in the streets.

They also expressed that had Hillary won, she would have been blocked from getting much done in her presidency, adding to the disappointment and anger. It was her karma to run for president and help bring balance to the planet. She made her karmic completion when she delivered her concession speech in the powerful and loving way she did.

There are many scenarios that we create together in order to elevate consciousness. We have entered a new corridor. This one is filled with opportunities and mystery. It’s up to all of us to help create a better way. Our disappointment, anger and sadness can be channeled into a presence of peace and right action for all of our relations.

The pain of generations is being processed and released. The tears we are shedding now are watering our seeds of change. We made an agreement that we would do this together, one by one. We have the fortitude to continue to bring about this change. What we have been through these last 18 months has struck a chord throughout the world.

Emotions are elevated; however we can harness that into constructive imagination, excitement and make positive change in our lives. As we become lighter and more alive we will inspire our brothers and sisters.

We are in a new opening where Holy Spirit is potently present. In the old way of responding, people would retreat if they were unhappy with the results of an election. In this opening, the angelic realms encourage us to transform the emotional energy and get excited about possibilities. Be true to yourselves. Create businesses, create communities of like minds and live with passion. Get engaged with the political process if you feel called to.

The most important thing now is about what we do individually, each and every day. It is about bringing your spark, your light and excitement just as if the outcome was what each and every person had wanted it to be.

Those who hoped for inclusiveness and wanted to stand up against intolerance and brutality can now be the real change makers. The resentment, anger and judgment that has perpetuated for so many generations can be healed through compassion, love and strength. Now is the time to be present and say, How can we all work together?

We stand with our ancestors in the wisdom of love, strength and courage to create a beloved community that makes room for everyone.
We continue on in love, light and solidarity allowing all our brothers and sisters their voices as we blend alongside each other in this most diverse world. We stand!”

Damon and Cathy Coynes
www.IntentionalEnvironment.com

Barbro Karlen to Visit the Twin Cities

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Barbro Karlen is one of the most fascinating people I have ever met. As a two year old, she told her parents that they were not her real parents…her real parents would be picking her up soon. She also knew her name was not Barbro, it was Anna. As a child she had many vivid and confusing memories of the life of Anne Frank…years before the Diary of Anne Frank was published. Throughout her childhood she had a flood of thoughts and emotions that could only be released through writing. By the time she was 12 years old, she had published the best selling poetry book in Sweden. She will be speaking in the Twin Cities in November.

The Continuum Center will be hosting Barbro Karlen on Thursday, November 10th from 7-9pm at the Sabes Jewish Community Center, 4330 Cedar Lake Rd S, in Minneapolis. Here is a link to register

The reincarnation author, Walter Semkiw, points out that Barbro’s compelling reincarnation case demonstrates that religion can change from one lifetime to another, as Anne was persecuted as a Jew while Barbro was born into a Christian family in Sweden. And if it had been understood by the Nazis that one could be born Jewish in one lifetime and Christian in another, the Holocaust could not have have happened. Hence the value of viewing ourselves and each other from the higher perspective of our true identity…as primarily spiritual beings who are having a human experience.

Here is a 17-minute edited version of an interview with Barbro Karlen. Please enjoy!

Healing Past Trauma

Reading Time: 3 minutes

In the realm of my work, my two biggest passions are to: (1) guide people to become aware of the spirit realm and their own higher spiritual self that is always there behind the scenes of their lives; and (2) help people to release and heal the limiting thoughts, emotions and beliefs that they are holding in their body and subconscious mind from this life and also past lives. It is for this reason that I decided to share this article that I came across by Nanice Ellis, a Life Coach and Master Neuro Linguistic Practitioner. In her own way and words, she talks about how unresolved past emotional fears, beliefs and other issues create an energetic vibration pattern that can draw to us situations, events and circumstances that match this inner vibration through the “law of attraction”. This happens for the purpose of becoming aware of the repeating pattern in order to release it from your system, or in other words, clearing the karma of it. It is one of the reasons that we here in this human experience. Enjoy these words by Nanice Ellis:

Did you know that every time you talk about an unhealed wound or trauma, you re-activate it in your emotional, spiritual and physical bodies? As you speak, or even think, about an old issue, you experience it as if it is happening right now. Since your subconscious mind does not know the difference between current experience and past memory, for all intents and purposes, the trauma or negative experience is happening now.

When you re-activate old painful memories, your thoughts, words and emotions create a negative karmic energy that you unknowingly project out into your future. This karmic energy manifests in more painful experiences, similar to the original issue. In other words, when issues come up without resolution, a karmic loop or pattern develops.

Each time this karmic pattern manifests in real life situations, you re-experience the original wound and the current hurt simultaneously. When this occurs, it is a powerful opportunity to heal the past wound by healing the current one.

Unfortunately, when an issue is re-activated, instead of using it as a healing opportunity, many of us react by pushing the wounds down with numbing substances like food, drugs, internet, Facebook, TV, and a long list of other distractions.

Unhealed issues get stored in the body, until we release them. The body obliges as a storehouse for emotional wounds but it does take its toll, especially if issues are accumulated for long periods of time. Storing wounds in the body eventually weakens the body and invites illness and disease, as well as causing depression, fatigue, stress and weight gain. The good news is that the body is ready to release issues, the moment you are.

When an unhealed issue is re-activated, don’t just push it down – take the time to finally heal it. This means creating intentional space to feel your emotions and allow the issue to process through to Healing. Once you allow yourself to fully experience these emotions for the first time, without resistance, you will innately know what path to healing is right for you.

Wounds are meant to be healed. We are not meant to spend our lives carrying around past issues and hurts. Unhealed issues weigh us down, keep us asleep and prevent us from consciously creating. It is only our personal issues that stop us from experiencing our greatest potential. Holding onto issues keeps us limited and unable to reach that mountain top.

Because of the shifts going on in the collective consciousness and the higher energy now available on this planet, it has never been easier to release old issues. In fact, issues are now coming to the surface to be resolved. This is why so many of us are experiencing familiar challenges. Wounds want to be healed and issues want to be released, but you have the last say. None of this can happen until you are ready and willing.

You are meant to be free and clear of emotional burdens. You are meant to live a limitless life with an abundance of love and creativity. You are meant to stand on the mountain top with arms stretched wide – willing to receive your grandest dreams. The Universe is listening.

“Stories of the Afterlife”….your Life Between Lives

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Twenty years ago, I read a book which transformed my life called Journey of Souls, by Dr. Michael Newton. I was transfixed, and as I read it, I finally knew deep down what I was meant to do with my life, which was to get training by Michael Newton before he retired, and then do the work I am doing now and probably will be doing for the rest of my life. If you have or have not heard of Michael Newton, I am sharing a short article written by Peter Smith, President of The Newton Institute since 2009. It explains the background of Dr. Newton and his monumental book as well as recent developments that have arisen from his research that people familiar with Newton’s work may be very interested in. Please enjoy Peter’s words:

“In recent years there has been a surge of interest emerging in regard to our existence beyond this body. The eternal questions of “What really happens when we die?”, “Where do we go to?”, and “What is my purpose for this lifetime?”, have been permeating our awareness for too many generations to count. Recent best sellers by Anita Moorjani, Dying To Be Me (Hay House, 2012) and Eben Alexander, Proof of Heaven (Pan McMillan, 2012) have documented stunning stories of surviving their respective near death experiences (NDEs), and returning to inspire others about the afterlife.

Interest in reincarnation has never been higher, in fact even as far back as 2001, a Morgan Gallup poll in the USA showed 45% of respondents either believed in past lives or were open to it. Past life regression offered by a well-qualified professional is also becoming more common in the resolution of trauma. New articles about scientific research and experimentation about consciousness surviving beyond death, abound. What was once seen as fantasy, can now be the focus of a PhD.

But wait…
There is a field of work that has remained somewhat hidden from the public eye, though is in the process of emerging further into mainstream awareness. It not only answers the questions stated above, but transcends past life regression, taking clients into the expanded state outside the body, without the complexities, trauma on family and friends and the medical expenses of an NDE!

In 1968 in Los Angeles California, Dr. Michael Newton made a startling discovery during a therapeutic session when addressing a women’s battle with depression. As he moved to the source of her distress under deep hypnosis, he reunited his client with her soul family in her existence between incarnations. The field of “Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy” was born.

Over the next 35 years and 7000 clients, Dr. Newton made incredible discoveries as he patiently and meticulously mapped this spiritual realm that exists beyond time and space as we know it. He helped clients to discover the deep connection of unconditional love offered by our spiritual guides who help us through our lifetimes. He reconnected clients with their soul group, with whom we reincarnate regularly as we learn and grow together. Clients were able to meet with their “council”, an advanced group of beings who help us debrief our last lifetime and plan the next, including the one we are in right now. Ultimately he has shown through his life’s work that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. When we know life from that perspective we are forever changed. His best selling books that document his findings and the stories of his clients, Journey of Souls (Llewellyn Publishing 1994) and Destiny of Souls (Llewellyn Publishing 2001) have changed the lives of many thousands and have been translated into forty different languages.

These deep and profound life changing sessions are roughly 4 hours duration and preparation is key. When Dr. Newton retired, he placed his legacy to humanity in the hands of a group of highly trained professionals and founded The Newton Institute for Life Between Lives (LBL) Hypnotherapy. In 2009, Memories of the Afterlife was launched as a collective work from The Institute showcasing new stories from a global network of LBL Therapists, assembled by Dr. Newton himself. The life purpose of one man has now spread to many, who are now the custodians of his legacy. The Newton Institute has over 200 LBL Therapists, offering these profound experiences across 39 countries. While many draw on his work these days, this highly trained group are the only ones who carry his unique endorsement, earned through specific training, robust certification and a spiritual code of ethics. The first 7000 cases have now grown to a number over 30,000 as more people are inspired to rediscover their immortal identity to bring wisdom and inspiration to this lifetime.

Breaking News…
In late 2015, in response to global interest and demand for more inspiring case stories, TNI created Stories of the Afterlife. Through this online journal we are opening the doors to The Newton Institute to those who share our curiosity regarding existence beyond physical life. We have been gathering stories from around the globe across the 39 countries in which TNI members practice in order to foster individual spiritual development. The case stories that we highlight demonstrate how Life Between Lives® hypnotherapy offers transformational healing, awakening of our immortal identity and our connection to the greater Oneness.

You can find out more about our quarterly research journal, Stories of the Afterlife, so you too can be inspired by the things that inspire us, at www.NewtonInstitute.org. There you will find a link to the journal, including never before seen footage of Michael and the latest updates in this rapidly growing field of consciousness. We hope that through your own Life Between Lives® hypnotherapy session the truth and freedom of your own immortal identity unfolds. It is time for us to remember who we truly are.”

A Mindful Response to Terrorism

Reading Time: 4 minutes

One of my favorite quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh is: “We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.” His eloquently simple words are packed with truth and wisdom that come from an awakened awareness, a higher perspective than the fear-based consciousness of separation that is inherent in the human condition. I wanted to share some excerpts from his book, Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism (2009). There are those that might say his words are not practical in this day and age. But never underestimate how powerful it can be when more people awaken to a higher understanding about who we are and what we are doing here in this dense earth dimension. Please enjoy these words by Thich Nhat Hanh:

“Man is not the enemy. Our enemy is hatred, anger, ignorance and fear. The roots of terrorism are not to be found in religious philosophies or unfamiliar cultures, but in misunderstanding, fear, anger, and hatred.

“Terrorists are human beings who are sick with the virus of terrorism. The virus you see is made of fear, hatred, and violence. You can be a doctor for a person with this illness.

“Some people commit acts of terrorism in the name of their values and beliefs. They may hold the idea that others are evil because they don’t share these values. They feel justified in destroying their enemies in the name of God. People who engage in this violence may die with the conviction that they are dying for a righteous cause. And isn’t our country acting out of the same conviction when we kill those we define as threats? Each side believes that it alone embodies goodness, while the other side embodies evil.

“Fear is another root of violence and terrorism. We terrorize others so that they will have no chance to terrorize us. We want to kill before we are killed. Instead of bringing us peace and safety, this escalates violence. lf we kill someone we call a terrorist, his son may become a terrorist. Throughout history, the more we kill, the more terrorists we create.

“Across the globe, people suffer from very much the same things: social injustice, discrimination, fear, and fanaticism. Fundamentalism is very much alive in countries around the world. Many people believe that they alone are on the side of God, and they behave as if they are the only children of God and the lives of others are not as precious. They want God to bless their own country above all, and not to bless others who they feel represent evil. But to think that everything the other group does is evil and everything we do is good, prevents us from understanding the values of others, and from recognizing their suffering and fear. Instead of making us stronger, our unwillingness to listen keeps us vulnerable and afraid.

“God does not take sides. Jesus, Buddha, Allah—all the great beings speak of compassion and inclusiveness. We should not believe that we can be peaceful by eliminating the other side.

“A doctor wants to destroy the malaria in a sick person, not destroy the patient himself. Terrorists are human beings who are sick with the virus of terrorism. The virus you see is made of fear, hatred, and violence. You can be a doctor for a person with this illness. Your medicine is the practice of restoring communication.

“But if a doctor cannot talk to a patient, if the patient refuses to cooperate, then how can the doctor help? If the patient refuses the doctor’s help, doesn’t trust her, and fears the doctor maybe trying to kill him, he will never cooperate. Even if the doctor is motivated by a great desire to help, she cannot do anything if the patient will not collaborate. So the first thing the doctor has to do is find ways to open communication. If you can talk to the patient, then there is hope. If the doctor can begin by acknowledging the patient’s suffering, then mutual understanding can develop and collaboration can begin.

“To resolve our current dilemma with terrorism we must be like this doctor. After our leaders have inspired confidence in Americans and proved that, as a country, we have the capacity to listen and understand, we can then turn to those who are considered to be terrorists. Our leaders can address them with loving speech,

“We know that you must have suffered and hated us very deeply to have attacked us. You must have thought that we want to destroy you as members of a religion, as a race, as a people. You must have believed that we embody evil, that we don’t recognize your religion and your spiritual values. We are sorry that you suffer so much. We want to tell you that it is not our intention to destroy you as a people, as a race, or as members of a religion. It is not our intention to reject your spiritual values.

“We want to respect you. Because of a lack of understanding on our part, we have not been skillful at showing our respect, our care for you, and we have been caught in our own situation of suffering. Please tell us what is in your hearts. We want to understand your suffering. We want to know what mistakes we have made for you to hate us so much.

“We ourselves do not want to live in fear or to suffer and we do not want you to live in fear or to suffer either. We want you to live in peace, in safety, and in dignity because we know that none of us will have peace until all of us have peace. Let us create together an occasion for mutual listening and understanding, which can be the foundation for real reconciliation and peace.”

A Unique Approach to Heal Anxiety and Depression

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When we put the feelings of anxiety or depression under the microscope of hypnosis, we see that these intense, unwanted feelings are actually made up of subtle, fearful thoughts, such as “I’m not wanted,” “I’m not safe,” “I’m all alone” – thoughts that began somewhere in a past event or circumstance. As life moves forward, we naturally resist looking at these painful mental and emotional wounds. It feels better to avoid them, so we do what we can to bury them or push them aside.

People’s present state of being, and the decisions they make, usually are colored by the past. So when we’re dominated by anxiety or depression, that unwanted feeling is kept alive by subtly avoiding it or pushing it away. Paradoxically, these unwanted feelings can often be extinguished when we focus intently and directly on the emotional energy charge.

The following is a common example of how this process works. A woman came to me (I’ll call her Mary) arrived for a session plagued by anxiety that she had felt as long as she could remember. Although her anxiety had been managed somewhat by dealing with past abuse issues through traditional talk-therapy, there was still a lingering anxiety that was further triggered several years ago by experiencing extreme turbulence on an airplane. This event awakened a deep fear in her and was causing an increasing phobia of flying, which was problematic because she flies regularly.

But within our very anxieties and fears lie our keys and clues for healing.

The first step is to focus on the unwanted feeling and locate where in the body that energy charge is felt most intensely. In Mary’s case, she felt her anxiety in her chest. Even without a traditional relaxation hypnosis induction, she was already focused deeply enough to access the insights and images of her higher mind – the part of her that gives her symbolic dreams at night as she sleeps.

I asked her, “If that part of your body could speak, what would it say?”

She said, “I’m sad, alone and afraid.”

Now we had an emotion (anxiety), a somatic (feeling in the chest), and a mental thought (sad, alone, afraid) – the key ingredients to uncover the root of the issue and go directly to an underlying cause.

By letting her consciousness slide into the middle of the unwanted feeling in her chest and repeating the mental thought program of “I’m sad, alone and afraid,” it took her quickly and directly to a time where she felt this feeling before. Typically a person is taken to scenes in their present life, in which case we follow the steps for an Emotional Healing session. But in Mary’s case, she went to another life, and it became a Past Life Therapy session. In her mind’s eye, she saw images of a cold, damp, dirty alley in Europe. She was wandering homeless, alone and paranoid, with only the clothes on her back. We then went to the time where she first became homeless. She immediately had images of watching a burning house. She was feeling desperate and in shock, because her husband and children were trapped inside and died in the flames. With the deep shock of losing everything she knew and owned, she wandered the streets for years, simply existing and surviving in an emotional state of grief, fear and feeling totally alone. She died with these heavy, intense thoughts, and this thought-form energy residue was imprinted in her soul-essence – stuck in her physical, emotional and mental energy bodies, carried forward into this incarnation and awakened during the traumatic event of airplane turbulence in this life.

Once we went through the death scene of that life, she could rest in the high vibration of deep peace, love and security of the afterlife, and then consciously release the emotional and mental energy charges that had been carried in her soul essence that was attached to her present life body.

Afterward, she observed that the subtle, nagging anxiety was completely gone, she felt much lighter because she had dumped the heavy, fear-based thoughts and feelings. She commented that it was as if cobwebs had been cleared from her body and mind. Suddenly, many feelings and impulses in this life made complete sense. For instance, why crying children caused her to shudder, her deep empathy towards the homeless, and above all, the subtle grief, fear and aloneness that had lingered with her much of this life. A week later, she continued to note a large part of her anxiety was significantly released, yet attention was still needed on other aspects of her fears. Healing happens in layers, like peeling an onion.

Deep within the very anxieties and fears that we subtly resist lie the essential keys for releasing and healing those mental and emotional fears that prevent us from knowing our true soul nature of wholeness and completeness. We are always whole and complete, because we can never separate ourselves from our soul. The brilliant light of who we are simply gets covered up by mental and emotional “fear-dirt” from past experiences.

Various types of hypnosis can offer an efficient means by which people can become their own detective and release all fear-based problems through insight and wisdom. Whether we do past life regression or a present-life Emotional Healing session, a person will get a very clear sense of what it looks like and feels like to allow their life to be an expression of the part of themselves which is already whole and free.