Gift Shop : The Complete Handbook of Quantum Healing [book] (by Deanna M. Minich, PhD, CN)
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The Complete Handbook of Quantum Healing [book]
by Deanna M. Minich, PhD, CN
This book brings together two seemingly disparate worlds--the world of hard, evidence-based science and the world of experientially-based healing to provide a multi-pronged approach to self-healing ailments. The A-to-Z format makes reference easy.
For each of over 100 heath issues, you'll find seven healing options that can help readers activate their inner healing resources ranging from food and dietary strategies to powerful meditation techniques and from time-tested flower essences to ways of invoking "power animals." For some ailments, readers may need just one option, for others, two or three, and sometimes all seven approaches as they try to deal with difficult problems to achieve long-term relief.
What Is Quantum Healing?
The very moment we make the choice to heal, the process is set in motion. At that point, we have many healing paths to choose from. Because of the complexity of who we are as people, sometimes it takes more than just one modality to engage the healing process. If we are trying to get to the heart of a particular issue in our lives, like combating stress or boosting our immunity, we can go at it by opening a variety of different doors—maybe by increasing physical exercise, journaling consistently, and repeating powerful affirmations daily. Or maybe just one way will work. The bottom line is that we have a multitude of options when it comes to healing, whether we’re dealing with warts or arthritis, diabetes or cancer. At this point, we come to quantum healing.
Quantum is a word packed with meaning, particularly within physics: as a noun, it’s the “smallest quantity of radiant energy,” and as an adjective, it refers to a “sudden and significant” change. Quantum healing is about making small changes that produce large, radiant results. Those results may be subtle or huge, but they both give us a significant push in the direction of healing.
Quantum healing can start with something as minute as a thought, an act, a memory, an image. This seemingly small event creates a huge internal ripple effect. Take a positive thought—“I am loved.” Thinking this thought can instantly change your brain chemistry. It could likely lead to changes in the flux of electrolytes (potassium, sodium) at the site of a nerve cell, stimulating the flow of serotonin (a neurotransmitter that has mood-altering effects) between nerve cells. The subsequent release of serotonin in the brain may be amplified throughout the body by triggering a network of reactions. The thought set in motion a ripple of physiological responses.
Current science tells us that the body doesn’t quite work like a biochemistry flow chart, going from A to B to C in a structured, linear fashion. Rather, the human body is an organic web that interconnects all organs and systems, so that with the flip of a serotonin switch, we see changes in other systems: heart (our heart relaxes), lungs (we breathe less shallowly), gut (we are able to digest food better), and immune system (our white blood cells respond).
When an electrical response is triggered in a part of the body, such as in the brain, the heart, or the gut, tiny cells move into action, usually starting with a change in the shape of the proteins in the cell membrane (which surrounds the cell like a wall, letting substances in and out). This change subsequently leads to proteins within the cell signaling a relay race of communication, and the message travels from protein to protein. Finally, the message makes it to the finish line, into the heart of the cell—the nucleus. The energy of this signal ultimately leads to proteins, which sit on the DNA bench, generating more proteins that will eventually be sent out of the cell and into the body at large.
Depending on the messages we feed our cells, those proteins are going to make us into glowing, radiant beings or inflamed, stressed •ease, depending on the cumulative balance of the actions taken. This internal flow of events is transformative. To think that every single thing you do is shifting you at the cellular level in the direction of your wellness or disability is utterly astounding! It speaks to the profound quote by nutrition pioneer, Adelle Davis, “As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself.”
Of course, most of us are plenty familiar with our physical bodies, and any biochemical or physiological explanations, like the inner cascade described above, can be rather easy to digest intellectually. However, we are so much more than our physical bodies. We are composed of a rainbow variety of layers, some which are not even visible to the human eye. And here is another aspect of healing that involves thinking along quantum lines.
The Body-Mind-Spirit Revolution
In the past three decades or so, people have been speaking and writing about the body-mind or body-mind-spirit, implying that (1) we are more than our bodies, and (2) the body, mind, and spirit of a person are unified. There are different schools of thought on this distinction between the layers of our being, but what they all agree on is that there is more than one layer. We are multidimensional beings that have built into us varying degrees of activity. It is almost as though we are a continuum of vibration. We are woven together with different frequencies that give us our collective energy field. When we affect the mind (a part of us that moves quickly), we change the emotions (which also move quickly, but perhaps not as fluidly as mental activity; in fact, some emotions can be quite “sticky” and hang around for extended periods), and we alter the body (probably the slowest in its ability to change).
The systems that will be discussed in this book address the onion-like nature of our being, tapping into the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Therefore, if they are practiced regularly, they are potent medicines for transforming your life and shifting your awareness.
These different ways to penetrate the heart of a disease—whether you are using colors, gems, or visualization—may not seem as foreign as they did decades ago. A survey indicates that almost 17 percent of American adults use body-mind therapies like deep breathing exercises, guided imagery, and yoga. These are most commonly used for anxiety, depression, and pain, and they are often used in conjunction with conventional medical care. Research has indicated that a majority of people (68 to 90 percent) perceive that body-mind therapies are helpful for specific conditions.
Some phenomenal results have arisen from these therapies. In a study by Annette L. Fitzpatrick and her colleagues at the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology, adults with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) who used any body-mind therapy, whether psychological (support groups, individual therapy) or spiritual (prayer, meditation, affirmations, visualization), lived significantly longer (about 50 percent longer) than those who did not use these healing arts. In conjunction with prolonging life, body-mind therapies can improve the quality of life, as shown by a number of studies. People with mood disorders who followed an eight-week, audio-taped spirituality home-study program or participated in a mindfulness meditation-based stress-reduction group had improved mood (based on a mood questionnaire given at the beginning and end of study) compared with a control group given no intervention. (There was a 49 percent improvement in the mood score for the spirituality group, a 22 percent improvement for the meditation group, and a 16 percent improvement for the control group). In another study, individuals with severe psychological trauma, such as teenagers in Kosovo with high scores for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reduced their symptoms of PTSD by 20 percent after engaging in a twelve-week mind-body program encompassing techniques such as meditation, guided imagery, breathing, and self-expression through words, drawings, and movement. In contrast, the control group only experienced a 4 percent reduction in PTSD scores.
Body-mind techniques can also positively affect our physiology in measurable ways. They can lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, calm the immune system, and even improve blood sugar levels. Putting attention into deep breathing can cause the body to relax. Guided imagery can provide a visual template for the body to follow: if we imagine our immune system being strong, the body’s defenses will respond.
Some studies show the synergy of body-mind techniques when they are used together. As an example, diabetics were followed up a month after participating in an eight-week mindfulness-based stress-reduction program that included such simple techniques as mental body scans, breathing awareness, and mindful walking and eating, but no changes to diet or exercise. Surprisingly, the participants had a beneficial drop in the important diabetic measure of long-term glucose control, glycosylated hemoglobin (also known as hemoglobin A1C). The levels averaged 7.50 at the start and 7.02 at the one-month follow-up. Participants’ average arterial pressure was also reduced by six points. And if the physiological changes weren’t enough, psychological measures (depression, anxiety, and general psychological distress) were also reduced by 35 to 43 percent. These results indicate how closely intertwined the body and mind are. (To see a change in the body, make a change in the mind, and vice versa!)
In another study, people with breast or prostate cancer who followed an eight-week mind-body program consisting of relaxation, meditation, and yoga reduced their levels of the stress hormone (cortisol) and reduced blood pressure, along with experiencing less inflammatory immune system activity during their continued follow-up over six and twelve months.
It is not truly understood how these mind-body therapies work so effectively. But we do know that in response to mind-body therapies like guided imagery, prayer, breathing exercises, and yoga, the body becomes open to a ripple effect of relaxation: oxygen and carbon dioxide consumption plummet, along with blood pressure, heart, and respiration rates; additionally, there are activity changes in certain areas of the brain.
Aside from these large-scale physiological changes in the body with body-mind therapies, we may also be able to impact how our genes express themselves. A fascinating study, published in 2008 by Harvard Medical School researchers, showed that 2,209 genes in people who were used to doing mind-body techniques expressed differently when compared with the same genes of people who had never practiced any of these modalities. However, when the novices were trained to do a twenty-minute mind-body technique, consisting of deep breathing, meditation, body scans, mantras, and ignoring certain thoughts, at home for eight weeks, they were able to shift 1,561 genes in a more health-promoting direction (especially with respect to how the cells deal with stress responses and inflammation).
It’s rather amazing to think that we can control our genes by aligning our bodies, emotions, and minds to all work in harmony, but it’s true! The more “plastic and pliable” we can remain—in our thinking, actions, body, and spirit—the more successfully we will age and achieve not only health, but optimal wellness! Have no doubt about it. Quantum healing is real. And, through this book, it’s in your hands.
Your A to Z Guide to Healing Common Ailments
Physical description: Acne, or skin eruptions, commonly occurs during puberty due to hormonal changes and stress; however, it may also (re)appear in middle-age adulthood, when hormones begin to shift (especially in women). When skin pores on the face, neck, back, or chest become clogged with oil, bacteria, and dead cells, an inflamed lesion results.
Energy center(s): Root, solar plexus
Nourishment: Diet—(1) Avoid dairy, wheat, sugar, and animal products as much as possible; (2) Emphasize low-glycemic-index raw vegetables (no white potatoes or corn), legumes, and limited fruits (no ripe bananas). Supplements—(1) Anti-inflammatory fatty acids such as fish oil, primrose oil, and flaxseed oil; (2) A mutivitamin containing vitamins A, the B complex (especially pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5 for stress), C, D, and E, along with zinc and chromium; (3) Botanical antibacterials, like neem, and blood- and liver-support herbs, such as burdock and dandelion.
Emotion(s): Shame, anger
Limiting belief(s): I attack myself. I am at war with my identity. My life is a battleground. Change is difficult. Situations get under my skin.
Power animal: Lamb
Flower essence(s): Pretty Face
Affirmation(s): I accept who I am fully and completely. I embrace my identity. I shed what serves me incorrectly. I go with the flow of change in my life.
Visualization: Have your feet flat on the ground and take a long breath in. Imagine exhaling before you a mirror image of yourself, giving you an opportunity to examine yourself objectively. What do you see that you like about yourself? Are there physical attributes you •tics of your personality that are noteworthy? What aspects of your character do people compliment you on most often? Reflect on those for a moment. What appears seamless? What is challenging?
Transition your current image into one of you as a small child—innocent, curious, exploring, and quiet. This child is in perfect harmony with his/her environment, eating when needing energy, sleeping when tired, interacting with others when choosing to. Now observe your feelings about this younger image of you; did they shift from where you started? Feel tenderness and compassion for yourself in this younger form and allow those feelings to coalesce into a ball of green energy.
Use the green energy to propel the image of you as a small child into an image of yourself in the future—beyond which you are already, maybe weeks, months, or years from now. Let this image magnify all of those special features about your appearance and your character that you first recognized. Then bring in the green, compassionate energy and envelop your future self in its glow. See the green energy running through the body, from head to toes and from all fingertips. At this moment, visualize yourself in this new image as your ideal. See your absolute, perfect self in balance with all of life. Amplify in this image any personality attributes that will enable you to be successful in the world and to be comfortable in everyday living.
Once you have created and finished your new image, with your mind’s eye, walk into it so it fits you perfectly, like clothing. You have been given a new skin. With your hands, feel this luxurious skin that blankets you. You notice how smooth and incredibly flawless it is. Your face, neck, and back are youthful and glowing. Give yourself thanks for this transformation. With a deep breath, affirm that you accept all aspects of your ever-changing self.
Meditation: Spend three minutes, three times a day, contemplating the aspects you like about yourself. Imagine these aspects of yourself floating through your consciousness like clouds.
Weight: 0.8000 pounds
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