Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Dr. Marcia Emery is a psychologist, college professor, corporate consultant, and international lecturer. The Director of Education for the Intuition Network and author of Dr. Marcia Emery's Intuition Workbook, she lives in Berkeley, California.

Caroline Myss is the bestselling author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Why People Don't Heal and How They Can.

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The Intuitive Healer

St. Martin's Press

Chapter One

THE INTUITIVE VOICE SPEAKS

The following story demonstrates the wonderful workings of theintuitive mind. Judge Thomas Brennan, president of theThomas Cooley Law School, wasn't feeling up to par. He had seenseveral doctors, but each one had told him, "There's nothing wrongwith you." Finally he went to the Mayo Clinic. The doctor theregave him test after test; he just didn't like something about thejudge's thyroid. Although there was no clear-cut problem, the doctorcontinued to search for the source of the something. After daysof testing, the doctor tried a rarely administered blood test called aTalactin test and discovered that the judge had a Talactin count of1,800 (the normal count is 25 or 30), caused, the doctor discovered,by a nonmalignant pituitary tumor that could be controlled withmedication. The doctor's decision to follow his intuition, to keepprobing until he found the real culprit behind the judge's malaise,helped him succeed where all the other experts had failed. This isthe mark of a true healer--an outer physician connected with thejudge's inner physician.

    This chapter will show you how you too can receive guidancefrom your inner physician. The first step is to identify how yourintuitive voice communicates with you.

THE MANY VOICES OF INTUITION

Your intuitive mind has many kinds of voices. Some people hear anactual voice telling them how to proceed. Others may see, feel, taste,or smell the messages relayed by the intuitive mind. Your intuitionmay communicate through words, symbols, energy, simple awareness,or inner wisdom. Here are some samplings of intuitive messages:

I heard a little voice tell me to get a second opinion.
I see myself engaging in more exercise.
I know this is the right prescription--it just feels right.
I have a good taste in my mouth about the new chiropractor.
I don't want these new supplements. They don't smell right
to me.

Your inner physician, also known as your intuition, can speak in awhisper or a shout to get your attention. Your intuition communicatesthrough all your senses. One of my graduate students, anurse, was examining a patient who had come in for a routine appendectomy.To her surprise she heard an inner voice repeatingthe word colon. When they opened the patient up, it turned outthat he did indeed have perforations of the colon that requiredsurgery. This confirmed the diagnosis of the nurse's inner physician.In addition to hearing the correct diagnosis, she might havereceived intuitive messages through any of her other senses. Supposeshe saw a calendar in her mind's eye with the next sevenmonths bordered in red. This would suggest a recuperation timelonger than that of a routine appendectomy. In her initial examinationof the patient, she might have imagined a foul smell comingfrom his stomach or had the sensation of a sour taste in her mouth,also indicating a more serious health ailment. Or the touch of thepatient's hospital record might have reminded her of sandpaper,suggesting a rough time ahead.

    Can you identify the voice of your intuition? Is it an inner voicetelling you to "Get a second opinion"? Or is it more like a flash outof the blue urging you to change your diet by cutting out red meat?Maybe your intuition speaks in mental pictures floating in front ofyou, flashing images that contain important messages. Have you everfelt a persistent, even nagging sense about a person or situation? Allthese are the voices of your intuition.

PRACTICE: IDENTIFY YOUR INTUITIVE VOICE

I often say to my husband, "Can you hear what I'm saying?" Heusually responds, "I see what you mean." My characteristic languageis auditory and his is visual. Identify how you perceive the intuitivevoice by noticing how you bring any of the five senses into yourordinary conversation. Here are some other examples. "I can smelltrouble a mile away." "I can see the tension in your body." "I canhear my mother saying, `Don't forget to take your vitamins.'" Asyou become more aware of your language, write down the sentencesyou say in life that reveal which senses you use._______________________
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    Which sensory modality is dominant?__________________________________
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MEETING YOUR INNER PHYSICIAN

Discovering your intuition opens the door to your inner physician,who is at your service to help you create and maintain optimalhealth. Other possible terms for the inner physician or intuitive mindinclude "higher self," "higher consciousness," "creative mind," "essence,"or "godlike energy." I will use the terms "intuitive mind"and "inner physician" interchangeably within this book.

    When I trust my inner physician, I am amazed at the wise insightsand the stream of clever communication I receive. Remarkably, youcan gain information from your inner physician that will complementthe data provided by the latest advances in medicine and science.Remember the story about a former student of mine who wasintuitively alerted to a friend's health crisis? The friend resisted, buteventually he went to the doctor, and my student had been right allalong: trouble was brewing in his friend's body.

PRACTICE: MEET YOUR INNER PHYSICIAN

Find a place where you will not be disturbed for at least ten minutes.Sit in a comfortable chair or lie on a bed or on the floor. Make sureyour back is straight and your hands and feet are uncrossed. Closeyour eyes. Take several slow, deep breaths. In your imagination,travel to a favorite locale, a place you know and have visited, or aretreat you have created in your mind. (I always go to a particularstretch of beach on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.) Once you arethere, ask to meet your inner physician. Then notice what impressionpresents itself to you. Don't try to make anything happen. Justsense what bubbles up in response to your question. Is it an imageof someone you know or someone you don't? Is it an image of afictitious person or even an animal? Perhaps you sense an abstractform or color or energy, or see a symbol like the medical caduceusor a lotus flower. You may not see anyone or anything but simplyhave a sense that you are connecting with your inner physician. Onceyou have made the initial contact, you don't have to do anythingmore. Before opening your eyes, agree how and where you can meetagain. Record the details of your experience.

    Meeting place:_______________________________________________________
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    My inner physician:__________________________________________________
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    Next meeting:________________________________________________________
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    Defining Intuition

What is intuition? I define it as a clear knowing without being ableto explain how one knows, or as knowledge gained without logicalor rational thought. Intuition is the receipt of information from anonphysical database. On a grander scale, intuition makes availablethe unlimited knowledge and wisdom that resides within, the deepestwisdom of the human soul. The title of a book by Marlo Morganperfectly describes intuition: The Mutant Message Down Under.

    Using an image as a metaphor, intuition is like a lightning flashof knowing that strikes from another dimension. It opens the doorto further understanding and resolves indecision. Intuition can alsobe conceived as a satellite dish that picks up signals in the form ofimages, ideas, and feelings and beams them onto the screen of yourconscious awareness.

PRACTICE: DEFINING INTUITION

How do you define intuition? Let your logical mind provide thewords and your intuitive mind give you the pictures.

    The words are
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    The picture is
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    Many people feel they are not intuitive because they don't usethe word "intuition." Here are some of the words that I have heardothers use to describe intuition: "hunch," "inspiration," "gut feeling,""vision," "Aha!" "educated guess," "judgment call," "sixthsense," "ESP," "insight," "business acumen," "premonition,"shooting from the hip," or even "flying by the seat of your pants."One reason people assign less value to intuition than they should isthat they associate it with sloppy or irrational thinking. Or it becomesknown as a woman's thing, not available to men. But if intuitionwere a skill possessed only by women, men would be cut offfrom one of the greatest sources of creativity and wisdom.

    More and more people are becoming aware that the rich innerresource of intuition is available to everyone. In business, for example,successful leaders have learned to rely on power hunches(i.e., intuition) to help them achieve personal and professional success.Artists, educators, politicians, and people in every walk of lifeare now actively cultivating this universal gift.

    You can build a relationship with your intuitive mind almostanywhere: in the office, on a commuter train, walking, relaxing, evensleeping. Intuition--your inner adviser, inner instructor, inner consultant,inner colleague, or inner counselor--can speak to you at anypoint, day or night. This internal dialogue was second nature for Dr.Jonas Salk, the discoverer of the polio vaccine; for Thomas Edison,prolific inventor; for Carl Jung, brilliant psychologist; for JeaneDixon, gifted clairvoyant; and many more. "Others may not be consciousthat they conduct this type of dialogue," said Jonas Salk, "butthey do. Why should it only happen to me?"

    The more you work with your intuition, the more it can helpyou in every part of your life: making decisions in your professionallife and in relationships; sparking your creative flow; helping youcommunicate clearly with others; understanding yourself and yourbody better; and making proactive decisions to maintain optimalhealth.

    My friend and colleague Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove, president of theIntuition Network, provides a perspective on the workings of theintuitive mind. He feels that as we go beyond the realm of competitivenesswith one another, we inevitably question some of our deepestvalues. When we look at the bigger picture of our life, weintuitively probe to find out "What is good?" "What is beautiful?""What is sacred?.... What is balanced?" and "What is just?" Eachof us has the potential to create a world where practicality and sacrednessare one. Jeffrey elegantly states that "through intuition, weapprehend our fundamental interconnectedness with and love for allbeings."

    Intuition Is Only Part of the Story

Let me assert at the outset that I am a whole brain advocate. I neverpromote strict adherence to intuition alone. That would be like abird or plane flying on one wing. Intuition and logic together constitutea dynamic duo within you, waiting to guide you through yourdaily activities and spur you to make your dreams come true. Wemust integrate intuition with logic in order to function effectively,to become whole and complete.

    While I recognize that becoming a whole person requires bothintuition and logic, this book emphasizes the faculty of intuition--whichI lovingly call the sleeping giant within--because it is usuallyunderutilized and rarely acknowledged in our everyday affairs. Onceintuition is aroused, this remarkable resource can be tapped regularlyand reliably. Exercising your intuitive muscle will become a routinepart of your everyday activities. The more you use this muscle, themore available your inner physician becomes. Keeping a diary andworking with dreams are two ways of building intuitive muscles.

    The Dream Alert

Sometimes the intuitive directive comes like that proverbial flash outof the blue or through a dreamlike reverie. My own intuitive doorwayopened through a dramatic dream: I was driving a car, and when I putmy foot on the brake it went right to the floor. The car turned overand I got out unharmed. Weeks later I was coming from a dancerehearsal, driving down a heavily trafficked street in Washington,D.C., when I put my foot on the brake and it went right to the floor,just as in the dream. The emergency brake didn't work, either. At justthat moment I heard a voice say, "Make a quick right," and I crashedbetween two clothing stores, the only area of safety.

    Dreams can be a very important source of intuitive guidance.They often provide a preview of upcoming events and advise you asto what step to take next. Often I don't hear my intuitive voiceduring the day, but rather in the still of the night, when I am receptive.Then my intuitive voice may speak through a dream to providedirection, guidance, or a warning. A dream can put me in directtouch with my subconscious, the source of intuitive wisdom andhome of my inner physician.

    The relationship of dreams and the intuitive mind has alwaysfascinated me. I'll never forget a story I heard at a dream conferencein Virginia Beach. A woman with stomach cancer had exhausted allthe traditional remedies. One night during a dream, she was visitedby a long-deceased uncle who came to give her a healing remedy forher cancer. He simply said, "Eat a can of hearts of palm for the nextthirty days." The woman was amused and bewildered, as she hadnever even heard of hearts of palm. However, she followed her deaduncle's advice and astounded everyone thirty days later, when hercancerous condition slipped into remission.

    The Subconscious Realm

If you don't yet recognize your intuitive voice, let me assure youthat by reading these pages and completing the exercises in thisbook, you will learn how to recognize, develop, and reach your intuition.As you go inside yourself to retrieve incredible advice fromyour inner physician, you will notice how those insights lead to aremarkable improvement in your physical health and overall well-being.By doing this, you are drawing on a huge reservoir of wisdomwithin you in an area that some psychologists call the subconscious.You may have heard the term "subconscious" used in another context.I like to compare this subconscious to a giant computer databasethat contains all the information you can possibly need,including memories, creative ideas, wisdom, and knowledge. Anytime you need a new insight or perspective about your health, youcan retrieve it from this fount of universal knowledge, in a flash ofawareness or insight from your subconscious. Whereas the consciousmind is regimented--it tends to come in the front door--the subconsciousmind is not inhibited; it will come via the back door,through the windows, or even down the chimney. Even though intuitionresides in the subconscious, its reach extends far beyond thesubconscious into mysterious realms.

    The internal environment of the subconscious is vibrant. To enterthis exciting realm, you first need to silence the mental noise andrelax your body in order to become more receptive to the input fromall your senses. Dr. Jonas Salk said, "The intuitive mind will tell thethinking mind where to look next." You become aware of the constantinteraction of conscious and subconscious minds as yourhunches and insights direct your actions in the outer world.

    Your intuition operates to uncover the truth and wisdom from thisworld within you. When I teach, lecture, or talk to clients and allowmyself to be spontaneous, I surprise myself with the pearls of wisdomthat roll out of my mouth. For example, I told a friend to be carefulnot to overexercise. The next day, he called to tell me he had torn acartilage when he extended the number of miles he was jogging!

    You will feel an incredible excitement when you connect withyour intuitive mind. I first became aware of the power of my intuitivemind twenty-five years ago. I am still amazed at how I am ledto contact people I have never met, come upon creative solutionsmy rational mind can't begin to imagine, and find ingenious ways topresent my material to the world. When I first became aware of myintuitive mind, I noticed that when I was counseling my clients Iwould say something downright brilliant and would wonder how Iretrieved that information. I later came to realize that the informationcame through me, not from me. In subsequent years, myintuition has served me superbly, guiding me through dangerous orunfamiliar situations and helping me translate or verbalize this processto people unfamiliar with the workings of the intuitive mind.The books I have written have all come through me as well. Theyhave never been laborious, but rather have been acts of love.

PRACTICE: SPOT YOUR SERENDIPITOUS
OR SPONTANEOUS INSIGHTS

Whether or not you know it, you have always benefited from theworkings of your intuitive mind. I can show this to you through thisspontaneity check. I want you to clear your mind of all thoughts ofwork, responsibility, or things you feel you must do. Find a quietspot and get comfortable in your chair--or if you prefer, lie downon the floor. Take three deep breaths. Imagine that you are lookingat a circle that turns into a rose. Focus momentarily on this flower.If you have difficulty visualizing, simply relax your body, let it openlike a flower, in a receptive mode, and feel the pulse of your being.Now ask your intuitive mind to help you recall those memories ortimes when you said or did something uncharacteristic that broughtcomfort or relief to another person or introduced an innovative conceptat work. For example, have you made suggestions at work andlater wondered where those ideas came from? Did you give sageadvice to a friend that just hit the spot? Become aware of the workingsof your intuitive mind by listing these recollections.
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    Read on to find out how the intuitive mind can unlock the secretsof radiant health.

KEYS TO RADIANT HEALTH

Ten intuitive keys will open the doorway to radiant health and connectyou with your inner physician. The first version of these keyswas presented in my book Dr. Marcia Emery's Intuition Workbook.

Key 1. Your body is an intuitive antenna. You will encounter a wealth of relevant information as you become increasingly attuned to the messages your body provides. Those stomach pains may not be the sudden onset of the flu. Instead of reaching for the aspirin, examine what you can't stomach about a situation. For example, if the pains started after an unpleasant encounter with your secretary, who is reluctant to assume more responsibility for office detail, your gut may have been signaling you that you couldn't stomach her limp excuses.

Key 2. Honor your flashes and hunches. Don't regard any as silly, weird, or coincidental. That gut feeling or inner message coming from you to you is about that most precious commodity, your health. One way to honor these hunches and flashes is to record them in a journal or idea book. No longer will you say, "I should have listened to my gut." Now you are being goaded into action.

Key 3. Express your hunches concisely, using only a word or two. The intuitive mind is simple and responds pointedly without lengthy discourse. Suppose you asked me "How do you feel?" The reply flashing immediately from my intuitive mind is "Like sunshine." If I gave you a paragraph or two about all my joys or pains, I would be responding from my logical mind, which is verbal and provides details. When you become wordy, you have moved out of your intuitive mind. At the beginning of my seminars, I ask people to close their eyes, to become centered and quiet. I ask them to let two words come up to describe what they are feeling at that moment. They share words such as "excited," "anticipatory," "rushed," "eager," and "expectant." When someone starts to wax eloquent, I give a gentle reminder to come back to the intuitive mind.

Key 4. The intuitive mind speaks in pictures, symbols, and images. The image you get from my "like sunshine" example is very vivid. You can sense that I am feeling bright and optimistic today. In contrast, a man feeling depressed might talk about being under a dark cloud. Do you get the picture? That is what the intuitive mind is all about--sending you the picture. Suppose you asked the question "Should I have a heart transplant?" and spontaneously received a picture or symbol of garden tools. What would this say to you? You will find out how to interpret this puzzling symbolism in the next key.

Key 5. Freely associate to the imagery you receive. This will help you unravel the underlying meaning of any symbol. Keep making associations to the image until the "Aha!" comes forth. Let's go back to our example of the possible heart transplant in Key 4. At my suggestion that you begin associating to the garden tools, you come up with words like "spring flowers," "retool," "useful," "basic earth," "prepare the soil," "plant seeds," "weed," and "hoe." When you say "spade," your eyes light up, indicating that this is a key word. Further associations to the spade image lead you to think of "turn over" and then to "fresh start." This would tell you that a heart transplant will bring forth new life.

I also consulted with another person who wanted to know if he should adopt a new health supplement. After shifting to the intuitive mind, he saw a turtle. The associations were "slow," "green," "animal," and "hard shell." When the "Aha!" of "stick your neck out" came, he felt that this intuitive solution was correct. As you make your own associations, you will discover the punny nature of the intuitive mind. You might see a friend as a bear and then realize that he or she speaks the bare truth or is willing to bare himself or herself before others.

Key 6. Pay attention to first impressions. If you had a dime for every time in the past ten years you said, "I should have gone with my first impression," you would have enough money to treat yourself to a first-class Hawaiian vacation. Whenever I talk to a group about the keys, someone always comes up afterward to reinforce my message about first impressions. This has been especially poignant when people smelled a lemon when buying a product but went ahead with the purchase, only to discover later that their hunch or first impression of "don't buy" was correct.

Many people accurately press the first-impression button when receiving a diagnosis that just doesn't feel right. This usually means that your inner physician is at work, steering you to get a second opinion.

Key 7. Attend to the faint stirrings as well as the loud raps. The intuitive mind speaks subtly and nudges you gently. Only in extreme cases when you don't pay attention will you be hit over the head by a cosmic two-by-four as a wake-up call. This is what I meant earlier when I said, "Your inner physician, also known as your intuition, can speak in a whisper or a shout to get your attention." When your inner physician tugs at your sleeve, offering a second opinion, notice it. Is it a murmur in your ear or a jerk at your sleeve?

Key 8. Become alert to passive signals, like flashes, or actively probe for an intuitive reply. Sometimes our intuitions flash rapidly into our minds. We can be out jogging, walking the dog, or sitting at a desk when an insight or the answer to a dilemma bursts in the door unannounced. I prepare for these serendipitous insights by carrying a little notebook and pen. You too can be ready for these intuitions that come spontaneously. Another way to access intuitive information is to actively ask a question and probe for the reply. Have you ever agonized over a yes-or-no decision, even asking other people for their opinions? There are many ways you can create imagery to signal a yes-or-no reply. I like to visualize a traffic light in my mind. The green light is the go-ahead signal, the red tells me to put on the brakes, and the yellow encourages me to proceed cautiously.

Key 9. Relaxation enhances receptivity. When people tell me they have difficulty engaging in brainstorming activities, I know they are stuck in their logical mind. The pathway to more creative and innovative responses is blocked when the problem-solving mind travels well-worn routes. Switching the route over to the intuitive mind introduces the problem to a new realm filled with unconsidered options. Relaxation is needed so you become more receptive as you switch from the logical mind to the inspired intuitive mind. Working from a home office, I tend to labor long hours. I rarely escape to the beach or a more palatable setting. The ringing phone, overflowing mail bins, and stacks of to-do folders constantly remind me of work. When my husband and I need a getaway, we go to the nearest motel for rest and repair. I always promise myself and Jim that I will relax and not do any "work." The scene is always the same. Minutes after I am submerged in the motel's Jacuzzi, I jump up, get a pad, and start writing ferociously. Jim always questions whether I am living up to my vow not to work. For me, the answer is simple. When I relax, all these wonderful new ideas come floating into my head because I am completely receptive to my intuitive mind. The challenge is learning how to relax anywhere without waiting to be transported to such a setting.

Key 10. Have fun and be playful courting your intuitive self. The resilient and playful intuitive mind loves to have fun. It is like a young child gleefully jumping up and down at the playground. Let your intuitive punster or prankster bring mirth and hilarity into the situation. Levity opens the intuitive mind. I always have some of my favorite cartoons handy to give me a laugh and help me stoke the creative fire. Right now, I am glancing at one of my favorite cartoons, which shows a man holding large cymbals in his hand and looking at a musical score; the music is entitled "Man and His Cymbals, by Carl Jung." This always amuses me, since one of my favorite books is Carl Jung's Man and His Symbols. My favorite cartoon strips always give me a chuckle. I even dip into the memories of truly funny moments I've shared with my mom or husband. If you haven't started a cartoon collection, this is a wonderful time to do so. Read the funnies or buy a joke book. Not only will you agree that laughter is the best medicine, but you'll discover another side benefit as you fling open the spacious corridors of your intuitive mind.

PRACTICE: KEY INTO INTUITION

Try exercising your intuitive muscle with some of the keys. Here ishow you can practice using Key 4. As you become more adept atcontacting your intuitive mind, you can prepare for a meeting or adiscussion with someone by asking to see a picture of how the encounterwill proceed. Record here the way you envision a futuremeeting or discussion proceeding. Note as many details as possible.For example, what does the room look like? Where are people sittingin relation to one another? How do people seem to be relating toone another? Do people appear happy, relaxed, irritated, or nervous?Can you visualize a successful outcome of the meeting? What wouldthat look like?
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    Here is how you can actively probe for an intuitive reply usingKey 8. Take a moment now to pose any question to your intuitivemind that requires a yes-or-no answer. You might pose a weightyquestion such as, "Should I change my doctor?" or something moreroutine: "Should I take a double dose of vitamin C?" Take a fewdeep breaths to shift to the intuitive mind. To become more centered,imagine that you are looking at a triangle. Hold that image forthree seconds and then elicit a traffic signal with three lights. Poseyour question and notice which light comes on. Does the green giveyou the yes, or go-ahead, signal? Does the red light tell you to stopor say no? Or does the yellow light say "Proceed cautiously"?
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    Become aware of Key 7's faint stirrings by recalling the times youhad a hunch to go to the doctor or a gut feeling to check out a newtreatment or vitamin. Did you heed the gentle reminder? Did youneed a strong prod to take action? Record your experience here. Forexample, can you remember the time you needed to take a breakfrom working too hard and you didn't listen? Days after this internalwarning nudged you to take a break, which you ignored, you camedown with the flu.
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PARADIGM SHIFTS: BUILDING A
NEW MOUSETRAP

Another key ingredient for accessing your inner physician is shiftingyour paradigm. Here's how it works. Have you ever been presentedwith an idea or proposal to which you replied, "It can't be done"?I think we all forget from time to time that our mind is like a parachute:it functions only when it is open. Yet we can reinvent thewheel and discover a hula hoop or a better mousetrap. We just needto believe that it can be done. We need to replace our old ideas ormodels with new paradigms that open us to greater possibilities.

    Can you recall a time in your life when you stood up to all thenaysayers in your environment who said something couldn't bedone? Many years ago, my determination to write a book about intuitionand show people in the business arena how to cultivate thisskill was met with snickers. Yet through my earlier book, Dr. MarciaEmery's Intuition Workbook: An Expert's Guide to Unlocking the Wisdomof Your Subconscious Mind, many people found out that teachingpeople how to cultivate their intuition could be done. When I needa nudge to move out of the "I can't" corner into the arena of knowingthat it can be done, I recall Albert Einstein's wonderful words:"No problem is solved by the same consciousness that created it."When the logical mind says it can't be done, a shift to the intuitivemind shows how in fact it can!

    Making the Shift]

Have you ever acted in a way that was so atypical that you hadpeople wondering if you were in your right mind? This happened tome quite recently when I had an excruciating toothache. Most peoplesimply call and make an appointment to see their dentist, butI had just moved across the country and had no dentist as yet. Iwasn't quite ready to trust my precious mouth to a stranger.

    When I consulted my inner physician, the reply I got was "Wait,relief will come." Then I heard, "You will be shown the way in amost unorthodox manner." I simply opened up to the wisdom ofmy intuitive mind, knowing I would be led appropriately. It's hardto forget a toothache, but I temporarily put the question of what todo aside. Later, I was telling a new friend about the pain in my mouthand she immediately replied, "You need to see my Qi Gong doctor."I asked if he was a dentist. She said, "No, but he uses Qi Gong torestore balance in the energy field and bring relief." I had a stronghunch that I was being led to the right person. When I met Dr.Bingkun Hu, a Chinese acupressurist specializing in the ancient Chinesepractice of Qi Gong, which guides the flow of Qi, or vital essence,for health and longevity, he taught me a series of movements.I enjoyed doing these because they triggered memories of my daysas a dancer. However, I wasn't quite sure how these exercises wouldhelp alleviate the pain.

    Days later I found out that these movements were creating theenergy to help my mouth heal. During the second part of the session,I lay down on the massage table as the doctor alternated betweengently manipulating the energy around my body and lightly pattingcertain bodily parts. When the hour was over, I felt like I was walkingon a cloud. Amazingly, my pain was gone without any traditionaldental treatment at all. By opening my mind to a new paradigm--anew way of treating this situation--my inner physician led me to amethod that provided dramatic relief. My logical mind alone wouldnever have entertained such a solution. But in tandem with the intuitivemind, the rational mind was able to suspend judgment andlisten to the injunction "Trust me--wait and see."

PRACTICE: DISCOVERING YOUR HEALING BALM

The mysterious properties of chicken soup as a universal healer arelegendary. Whether it's comfort food, a favorite vitamin, or somehome remedy, we all use something as our personal "chicken soup"when we are indisposed. Have you ever changed your paradigm froma traditional remedy to something new?

    If yes, what was your traditional remedy?
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    Was this something handed down through the family?
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    What was the change you made?________________________________________
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    When you decided to make a change, how did the naysayers respond?________________________________________________________________________
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    Let your mind wander back to the first time you decided to trythis method. How did the idea come to you?
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    Looking back, would you say you were intuitively inspired by theinner physician?
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    If you haven't had this experience, maybe you could try it now.

    What paradigm by way of any health practice would you like to change?________________________________________________________________________
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    Ask your inner physician to send you a symbol or message ofwhat first step you need to take. Then what steps do you need to donext?
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    Close your eyes and imagine you are incorporating this new paradigm.Describe how you feel and record what you are doing to bringthis change about.
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    How comfortable are you with this new practice?
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    Now find a way you can anchor this paradigm shift in your dailylife. How can you apply it and use it? For example, if you are tryingto incorporate a new herbal remedy routine, you can put your herbswith your vitamins and write a daily schedule and put it on yourmirror where you see it every day. Communicate your intentions tothose close to you so they can help support you.

A SHIFT BY ANY OTHER NAME--
THE MINDSHIFT

Shift does happen! With practice you will learn how to glide fromthe logical mind to the intuitive sphere with ease. Learning to shiftconsciousness from the logical or rational mind to the intuitive realmis the means of contacting your inner physician. This particular applicationof whole-brain thinking alleviates much of the stress createdat work and through personal dilemmas, helping you cutquickly to the bottom line of a difficult problem to retrieve an innovative,creative, and viable approach. Let me remind you againthat contacting your inner physician will help you optimize personalperformance and attain radiant health.

    The Mindshift Method you will be learning in this book guidesbeginners and experts alike through the crucial shift between thelogical and intuitive minds. You'll learn how to (1) concentrate yourmental energies, (2) increase your receptivity to mental imagery, (3)interpret those images, and most important, (4) implement the solutionsprovided by your intuitive mind. This formula, which I calledIntuitive Problem Solving (IPS) in my first book, guides you everystep of the way to breakthroughs in all aspects of your life, especiallyhelping you see clearly the answers to life's thorniest health dilemmas.I first used the term Mindshift Method in the Nightingale Conantaudiocassette album, Intuition: How to Use Your Gut Instinct forGreater Personal Power.

You have now had a taste of how the inner physician communicateswith you, and you know you can receive a house call anytime of theday or night. In the next chapter, you will learn how to work withthe dynamics of the Mindshift Method so you can readily traversethe terrain from your logical to your intuitive mind.

Continues...

Excerpted from The Intuitive Healerby Marcia Emery Copyright © 2000 by Marcia Emery. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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