David Lawson - Self-Healing - The only introduction you’ll ever need

Suzanne’s heart was filled with positive, emotional energy but her head was filled with many limiting beliefs and judgements about expressing her emotion. The result was that Suzanne’s voice was confused: sometimes it expressed the feelings that were present and sometimes it choked them back, literally, and that was when Suzanne became sick or depressed. The colour and inspiration of Suzanne’s life were all tied up in her emotional nature, and it was through her feelings that she had the most valuable contact with other people and with the world around her. It is no surprise that she felt marooned on a colourless island when she felt restrained from expressing herself.

The more that Suzanne let go of her judgements and allowed herself to be sensitive and passionate, the more joyful she felt, the less depressed she was and the more her life worked for her. She learned to think and speak in ways that expressed her true nature, and her head, her heart and her voice moved into alignment. It is interesting to note that when she gave herself full permission to be emotional she discovered that she did not always need to be. What is more, she learned to feel strong and safe whether she was emotional or not.

For many of us the conflict between the feelings or desires of our hearts and the beliefs and judgements that we hold in our heads can create stress in our bodies that manifests as physical illness or repetitive problems whether in our relationships, our careers or our financial security. Our voices are left confused, expressing mixed messages or, in some cases, very little at all. We do not say what we mean, nor do we truly mean what we say.

If, for example, we feel very angry because someone we love has abused or disregarded us in some way but we hold a belief that we do not have the right to be angry, we may find ourselves expressing anger in indirect ways such as by whining, moaning, being sarcastic or blaming ourselves for our predicament. Sooner or later that tension will create an illness inside us or adversely affect our ability to communicate properly with other people.

The good news is that we always have a choice to change this kind of damaging pattern, trading in unhealthy beliefs for healthy ones and releasing destructive forms of communication in favour of the kind of expression that will bring us positive results. In this way we can always help ourselves to stay in good health.

By changing our negative, limiting or judgemental beliefs into positive, accepting, permissive ones we support our feelings, needs and desires, discovering healthy, loving ways to express them. By developing the belief that it is safe for us to express our anger, we can be honest with the people around us, seek new solutions to conflicts of interest and leave ourselves free to express more of the love that we have in our hearts. Love is often trapped and obscured by anger or fear that we feel unable to express and let go of.

Exercise: Aligning the Head, the Heart and the Voice

For this exercise you will need 20 minutes of peace and quiet, somewhere comfortable to sit, and a pen and paper.

Start by sitting quietly and breathing deeply, consciously slowing down your breath a little so that you become settled and calm.

Next, think about one specific health issue that you have, or something else that is challenging you at the moment. It could be a problem with a relationship or some aspect of your work that is frustrating you.

Focus first on your heart. Take a few moments to ask yourself the question ‘What do I feel about this in my heart?’ If it helps, you could place your hand on your chest and imagine that, as you breathe, you breathe directly into your heart and the feelings that you have inside you.

Do you feel sad?

Do you feel angry?

Do you feel joyful? confused? numb? disappointed? hurt? passionate? excited? scared?

Do you have desires or needs pulsing away in your heart that need to be acknowledged and expressed?

Listen to your feelings and notice them.

Next, focus on your head. Ask yourself the question ‘What do I think about this?’ As you breathe, imagine that you are able to shine a light on to your thoughts and beliefs to make them more visible. Ask yourself:

‘What do I think about this health issue, challenge or problem?’

‘What do I think about my feelings?’

‘Is it safe for me to feel like this?’

‘Do I have judgements about my feelings?

‘Do I have negative or limiting thoughts about this situation?’

Listen to your thoughts and beliefs and notice them.

Take a few moments to write down what you feel and think.

Now focus on your voice. Placing a hand gently on your throat, ask yourself ‘What do I need to say about this?’ As you breathe, imagine your throat relaxing and ask yourself:

‘Do I need to express my feelings?’

‘Do I need to ask for help?’

‘Do I need to communicate my desires or requirements?’

‘Do I need to ask for information?’

‘Could I be more honest with myself or someone close to me?’

Again, write down any thoughts or feelings that you have.

What new choices can you make to deal with your health issue or your situation in a different way?

How can you adapt your thoughts, beliefs and actions to help you to heal this challenge?

Make a note of any insights that you receive, and remember to act upon them. Repeat this exercise regularly. The more that you ask yourself the right questions, the easier it becomes for you to connect your heart, head and voice and the easier it is for you to take positive action.

As we progress through this book I will be sharing many ideas and techniques for developing positive, healthy patterns of thought, expressing and using the power of your feelings and maintaining your life in harmony and balance. This is just the beginning.

Visualization: Harmonizing your Thoughts, Feelings and Expression

Find somewhere quiet and comfortable to sit, unplug the telephone and make sure that you are not going to be disturbed. Sit with your back supported and your body open and relaxed, your arms and legs uncrossed. If you prefer you can lie down, but again make sure that you keep your body open rather than curled up.

I am about to invite you to use some positive mental images. This is a little like having a daydream or consciously picturing something that you desire or something that you wish to remember. Some people have strong images when they do this, some do not. It is enough to hold the idea or concept in your mind for this exercise to work for you.

To begin, breathe deeply and imagine your heart and your chest pulsing with a beautiful healing light. The light is a shimmering mass of iridescent colours that reflect your current mood and feelings. Choose the strongest colours and see them glowing brighter and brighter at your heart.

Next, imagine your throat, your neck and your voice box also glowing with light; notice the strongest colours that fill and surround this area of your body. See the light becoming stronger, healthier and more positive.

Then, concentrate on your head and your mind and imagine this area also glowing with light. What colours would be glowing from your mind? See light shimmering around your head as you explore and play with your many passing thoughts.