More Thoughts on Intention

"Whether you think you can or you think you can't,
you're right."
-Henry Ford

There is so much that encompasses the power of intention, I felt another post was warranted. So this week's Spirituality & Science topic was inspired by a blog comment from last week. The young woman noted how she had kept a journal early in life, before having any understanding of the concept that your thoughts create the world around you. As an adult she looked back through her childhood journal and realized that the thoughts she wrote about as a child became her adult reality - sometimes in exact ways. This insightful blog post brings up an important point: you are using the power of intention every time you think, whether or not you are consciously aware of it. Every thought you have. Most people do not have conscious awareness of this process yet are still creating their world based on this principle.

Unconscious Use of Intention Versus Conscious Direction of Thought
On a personal level, I was using the power of intention well before I had read about it or understood what I was doing. I'll give an example of that in this post and then an example next week of consciously using it with an interesting result.

After my first child was born, I went back to working two jobs: a private practice in clinical psychology and a management position in a residential treatment facility (which was a demanding job where I was responsible for 23 high-risk adolescents and 14 staff). I soon realized I wanted more time with my son (soon as in the first week back), but had never seen a part-time job with benefits for a psychologist in my area. That very next weekend, there was an ad in the paper that was a half-time management job with benefits. Although there were other candidates with years more experience than me (one was my then supervisor), they felt I was the best fit and I got the job. That decreased my hours to about 30 a week combined with my private practice. I was much happier and things were going fine until...surprise!

When my daughter came along, I left on maternity leave for 3 months thinking I would go back to the same routine. However, something happened in those 3 months that I didn't expect. I had a newborn and an almost 3-year-old and was having the best time (aside from that whole sleep deprivation thing). My husband and I went over our finances but as he had also finished his Ph.D., our combined student loan payments were more than our mortgage and there was no way to pay everything on one salary. Now, I certainly had some thoughts that were phrased in a negative format - e.g. I don't want to go back to work, but most of my thoughts at that time were in line with what I did want (being home with the kids). Then one night on the last week of maternity leave, I remember laying there in bed mentally screaming at the universe that I wanted to be with my kids. As I'm not religious, I don't mean that it was a prayer or plea for someone to save me; it was a "shout- out" to the universe to help me have what I wanted. Before falling asleep, I had a very strange experience that I couldn't even begin to explain, but I suddenly knew for sure that I would get my wish and felt peaceful. Several years later, I firmly believe that the intensity of emotion I felt that night helped facilitate the response with more speed.

So, what happened?
The very next day, my husband came home from work and told me we needed to talk. I was instantly alarmed, because the last time he told me this, he had gotten a $120 speeding ticket on the way to work. He sat me down and told me not to be angry, but that several months back he had applied for a promotion at his work. He said he didn't tell me because he didn't want me to get my hopes up (or maybe his). Anyway, that afternoon they had contacted him and offered him the job. With the increase in pay, he said it was enough that I could be home with the kids. Sure, I could have wasted time being angry that he hadn't told me about applying for the job, but that's what it would have been - a waste of time. I was getting exactly what I had asked for 24 hours earlier! I gave leave at work, but decided to do four hours a week at my private practice to keep my foot in the door (and because it was something I loved to do).

And now?
Well, it's now 2 years later and I have an adorable, feisty 2-year-old daughter and a sweet, mellow 5-year-old boy who will start Kindergarten in the Fall. I can honestly say that being home with them has been the most amazing gift and the best years of my life. I still work 4-5 hours per week at my practice, and the rest of my time involves the park, playdates, and the zoo. I should mention here that I have friends who could afford to stay home but chose to stay working full-time, so everyone has different desires and dreams. But this was my dream and it came true - without my having any knowledge whatsoever about the power of thoughts. This was well before I read The Secret or The Power of Intention. It worked because I was thinking about what I wanted and what I wanted my life to look like. I express gratitude to the universe every single day for what I have (which is another post for another day).

Preview of coming attraction: Conscious Use of Intention
Next week I'll give several personal examples of using the power of thought after learning about it, with the results (one of which I found rather comical).

And you?
I'd love to hear your examples of how you have used the power of intention without consciously realizing you were doing so. It can either be material (house, job, car, etc.) or non-material (health problem resolved, finding the ideal relationship, etc.) In fact, you may not have realized your incredible power until just now...so share your story. Until next time...

Thoughts and Intention

"Loving people live in a loving world.
Hostile people live in a hostile world.
Same world."
- Wayne Dyer

This spirituality and science topic will examine the concept of intention. The power of one's thoughts is examined in The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer, as well as the The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. While I believe the movie version of The Secret focuses too heavily on material possessions, the book encompasses more non-material valuables such as health and relationships. Although this philosophy has gained popularity in recent years, it's not really a new concept that your thoughts can become things, as Wallace Wattles wrote The Science of Getting Rich in 1910.

What is intention?
An anticipated outcome that guides your planned actions. Basically, this means that if you intend a desired outcome, you are using intention. I think many times that we focus more on what we don't want rather than what we do want (e.g. I don't want debt, rather than, I want wealth.) And if an overdue mortgage payment is staring you in the face, well, it's really hard to not focus on that. However, I'm a huge believer in that whatever you focus on is what grows, so if you keep your focus on how many bills you have or how dysfunctional your relationships are, then that will continue growing. Try to spend part of everyday focusing on what you do want, and think positively about those things.

Time Frames or How Long Do I Have to Do This Before It Works?
The time/space continuum is not what we think it is, but that's a post for another day. Sure, you could say that you spent a good 15-minutes last night thinking super-positively that you wanted $5 million dollars to fall in your lap the next day. Then, when the next day goes by, you may be quite annoyed that you are still a cool 5 million short of your intention. What happened?

One of my favorite passages from the book The Secret asks you to take a good long look around you at your life. Go ahead and do it. Look at your job, your family, your house, your health, etc.
Your present life is merely a reflection of your past thoughts and beliefs. You have manifested your life based on what you think. If what you have around you is not what you want, start there. Change the way you think. No, it won't happen overnight and it might take some time, but I believe your life will always reflect the nature of your thoughts and you should see things around you getting better after awhile. Additionally, be sure to follow any actions you feel inspired to take as a result of these new thoughts.

How Do I Do It?
Start by deciding how you want your life to look and how you want to feel on a daily basis. Now, there are those that want to feel misery (although they would not likely be reading this blog), but most people want to feel happiness and joy. Spend just 5 minutes a day with your eyes closed, and imagine yourself feeling those feelings and seeing yourself living the life you want. It's more powerful if you can involve all the senses: notice the smells, sounds, etc. Soon, you'll find that you more easily catch yourself if you're having a negative thought and can turn it to a positive one.
One of my favorite ways to start my day and remind myself of the power of my thoughts, is to wake up and think about all the things I am grateful for. Starting each day on a positive note, (yes, even Mondays) helps keep me thinking positively throughout the day. I also found a wonderful website that sends me an email each morning, reminding me of just how wonderful we human beings are. It's Mike Dooley's Thoughts Become Things website at www.tut.com.

If you only do one thing for the next few weeks, just spend a few minutes a day focusing on what you already have and are thankful for, and what you would like your life to be like and feel like. Until next time....

The Mind/Body Connection

"The physical world, including our bodies, is a response of the observer.
We create our bodies as we create the experience of our world."
- Deepak Chopra, M.D.

This Spirituality and Science post will continue the exploration of the mind/body connection that began with our Quantum Physics discussion last week.

So what exactly is the mind/body connection? It simply means that our physical selves and mental/emotional selves are not independent of each other and impact each other in significant ways. An everyday example of this: stress or tension headaches.

Have you ever had a stressful day at work or home where everything seemed chaotic, or your co-workers and/or kids were driving you crazy, and you later came down with a throbbing headache. This is an example of a mental stressor causing an actual physical problem (unless your co-worker actually did strike you in the head, which is a whole different issue). A personal example that happened to me repeatedly while in college and graduate school was that I would pull several "all-nighters" during finals week each semester, and as soon as the last final was over, I would get sick...usually just a cold, but sick nonetheless. Why do these things happen?

When under stress, the body produces excess amounts of stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine. The purpose of these hormones is to help you cope with a dangerous situation to help ensure your survival. So if a bear attacks you while hiking, your cortisol levels would understandably be quite high. The problem happens when you remain under chronic stress for a period of time.

The body isn't meant to sustain such high levels of stress hormones and eventually, your immune system will suffer. On a minor scale, a cold doesn't seem like the worst thing in the world but more and more research is supporting that many diseases are impacted by our stress level and emotional state of being, such as autoimmune disorders and yes, even cancer. The stresses involved in cancer may be physical stresses (such as carcinogens like cigarettes) but may also be non-physical or mental stressors. I can also tell you that out of the hundreds of clients I have seen in private practice, the ones who had significant depression and anxiety all had a host of physical problems as well. When their mental and emotional states stabilized, their physical symptoms also greatly improved. Whether one caused the other, or vice versa, was not so important to me as the clients understanding that they were deeply connected.

In his book, Quantum Healing, by Deepak Chopra, M.D. (my favorite book on the mind/body connection) he discusses a major study of 400 spontaneous remissions from cancer. The one thing that was found in common among all 400 patients was that every person had changed their attitude (becoming positive and hopeful even in the face of negative medical opinions) before the remission occured.

This can actually sound pretty scary at first and cause some defensiveness, like "You're saying I gave myself fibromyalgia?" but it's actually incredibly empowering. So many people with medical disorders feel a sense of helplessness and lack of control. They give most of their power away to the doctors treating them. There are amazing doctors and medical treatments out there, so I'm not saying to ignore conventional medicine, but I am asking you to also trust your own instincts. This applies to mental health disorders as well. I always made clear to the clients I treated that they were the experts about themselves, not me. I was just there to guide them. No one will ever know you better than you know yourself, no matter how many degrees they may have!

How can you make your attitude more positive and thus feel better physically?
1) Laughter is one great way. Find the friends, shows, and books that make you laugh and laugh every day!

2) Meditation is another way to get in touch with your inner self. Just breathe quietly and let go of stress for a few minutes a day. I know people who do it for several minutes a day at their desk and it makes a huge difference. Studies have shown that people who meditate are able to relax more quickly than most, and thus aren't producing as many stress hormones.

3) Focus on someone else. Volunteer to help someone less fortunate than you (there is always someone in worse shape than you are and sometimes it's helpful to realize this), find a cause you are passionate about and join a group that supports this, become a big brother/big sister, adopt a dog (studies have shown that petting animals lowers blood pressure and reduces stress!)

4) These are basics but all relate to lowering stress levels in the body: Get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise.

If you understand the magnificence of the human brain and can harness its energy, you will realize that the most powerful medicine in the universe is inside yourself. No pharmaceutical company can touch it.

What is Reiki?

"Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you're alive, it isn't." - David Bach (author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull)

Welcome to Spirituality and Science! It's been awhile since my first and only post, but I made a promise to myself to post more in 2009 so fear not, my one faithful follower! Hope 2009 is going well for everyone. It's actually been a fabulous year for me so far. As my profile states, I'm a certified Reiki Master and I was just given the wonderful opportunity to edit an entire book on Reiki for my Master Teacher, Marnie Vincolisi-Leichtenberg, who is self-publishing "Finding Your Inner Gift: The Ultimate Reiki 1st Degree Manual." So, as this fits perfectly with this blog content, let's talk about Reiki.

Okay, I admit. I'm from Denver and when someone first described Reiki to me years ago, I thought, oh yeah, that sounds like something those people from Boulder would do. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Boulder (the people and the shops!) but it was not the right time for me to get involved. I had earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and was quite content helping troubled teens strive for a better life (ie. not involving jail time). Through a set of weird "coincidences" (which I actually don't believe in, but synchronicity is a whole other topic I'll post about), Reiki found me again and this time I tried it. The simple meaning of Reiki is "Universal Life Energy." It is an ancient method of healing that is believed to have originated in Japan. There are many books that comprehensively discuss its history and uses (such as Marnie's), so I won't go into that here.

Basically, if you can accept that everything is made of energy, then it's not hard to see that your body doesn't actually end at your skin. Sort of like when someone is standing too close to you, and you can feel them in your space. You can - because they are. They are actually standing in your energy field. Your energy reaches out farther than you realize but once you get that, it's actually useful and not so mysterious. Reiki doesn't just heal on the physical level, but also the mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. As the picture above shows, they have been able to photograph the increased energetic pulses coming out of someone's hand while they give Reiki.


So how does it work? Well, my husband "coincidentally" got attacked by a Rottweiler while running the same day I got "attuned" to Reiki. He's a singer/songwriterwho plays guitar and was playing a 4-hour set at a large, local festival the next day. He was able to pull his arm out of the dog's mouth before its' mouth completely engaged, which is the only reason the doctor said he didn't lose his arm. He still had a nasty bite (and has the remaining scars to prove it!) and was in incredible pain. I had only been trained in Reiki for about oh, 2 hours, and thought, well he needs something. He had been supportive of my getting trained but had no idea what the heck it was. I put my hands over his arm (without even touching him!) and he said he felt this incredible heat going into his arm. I did this for about 15 minutes. Long story short, he told me he had absolutely NO PAIN for that day and the next, despite playing guitar for 4 hours straight! I had many other amazing things happen to people during and after Reiki sessions, and have learned so much more in the last year.

If you feel drawn to it, then read about it, learn about it. There are many books that detail its history and usage. It has completely and totally changed my life, which can be unsettling for some as that can mean a different job, different relationship, etc. If you live in the Denver area, check out Marnie's classes through Light Internal at www.lightinternal.com She's an amazing teacher! Feel free to email or post with any stories of your own and I wish you a wondrous year.

Finally, a shameless plug of my now-healed (and dog shy) husband's new band that debuts music from their first CD in downtown Denver at the renowned Walnut Room on Sat. May 16th. Their band is Edge of the World and you can hear some live recordings at www.myspace.com/edgeoftheworldmusic. Peace! Kristi