From New Dawn Special Issue Vol 13 No 4 (Aug 2019)
Our emotions and beliefs form our world. They are the basis for everything we manifest into our lives. Our beliefs are formed over time by our family, upbringing, culture, governments, media, schools, friends and general society. We are often unaware of what deep seated beliefs we hold.
Emotions are an in-the-now expression of our inner beliefs, e.g. the same event can cause one person to feel anger, another sadness, or for a different person no emotional reaction. We often think of emotions as an innate reaction, something we have no control over. However, we can consciously choose to change our emotions and how we react to certain situations through positive thought, which in turn changes our beliefs. Our subconscious (where our beliefs reside) has no judgment or understanding of ‘good’ or ‘bad’; it simply draws to us experiences that support our beliefs. Henry Ford once said, “If you believe you can, or believe you can’t, you are right.”
General negative emotions and beliefs cause general ill health. Anger can cause chemical reactions in the body to produce an acidic environment that welcomes viruses to take up residence. An acidic diet can also bring on anger; some people are attracted to acidic producing foods in the first place by holding an underlying belief such as, “I’m not worthy of health or happiness.” Germs aren’t the bad guys; it is the environment in which the germs thrive that cause the problems,1 which are directly connected to our emotions.
Specific medical issues can be connected to specific beliefs, e.g. rheumatism comes from feeling victimised, resentment, lack of love and chronic bitterness.2 An illness or pain is your body’s final warning that something is wrong and needs to be treated on the physical level. However, if the emotional cause behind the illness or pain is not addressed, the physical symptoms will return over time.
Positive emotions, such as joy and gratitude, bring healing energy to the body. Having a good laugh or thinking of something that makes your heart go ‘ahh’ is the best medicine for your body and spirit. Positive thoughts, gratitude and affirmations are very powerful when repeated over time for improving health and wellbeing.
The Hawaiian practice of healing and forgiveness, Ho’oponopono,3 suggests we repeat the phrase, “I’m sorry, forgive me, thank you, I love you,” wherever negative emotions arise. “I’m sorry” is an acknowledgement that you created pain or caused errors. “Forgive me” for not knowing this was inside you. “Thank you” for allowing yourself to release and cleanse the memory. “I love you” is directed to your inner being. This is a very empowering exercise.
The body directs us to negative beliefs and emotions by how and where it exhibits pain and illness.
One of the best systems I have found to identify and rectify health problems is the work of Louise Hay (1926–2017). For over forty years she shared her knowledge of positive thinking. Louise’s work is based on using positive affirmations to change your inner beliefs. She suggested that by repeating these affirmations over and over, seeds are planted in your subconscious for new beliefs to blossom. Love Your Body came out in the mid 1980s with affirmations for each specific body part. You repeat one affirmation each day, taking note of any negative emotions that arise. Then go back to these problem areas and work specifically with them for a few months. The subconscious needs at least a month of constant repetition to plant those seeds of change. When doubts and fears arise, Louise suggests we acknowledge they are old limiting beliefs that no longer have power over us, and say “Out! I no longer need you.”
Some examples from Love Your Body:
I Love My Neck – I willingly turn to acknowledge other viewpoints and other ways of doing things. I am willing to change. I choose thoughts that keep me flexible in my ideas and in my creative expression. I express myself freely and joyously. I am safe. I love and appreciate my beautiful neck!
I Love My Toes – My toes are inspectors of the future, going before me to clear the way. They are straight, flexible and strong. They reach out, feeling and finding the perfect pathway in life. I choose the thoughts that protect my pathway. As I move forward, all details take care of themselves. I love and appreciate my beautiful toes!
You can also use the book for information on acute conditions, e.g. if you have a sore neck, ask yourself if there is some viewpoint you are ignoring or if you are being inflexible. Sometimes just acknowledging the emotional cause can help clear the physical symptom.
Louise’s book Heal Your Body was first published in 1976 listing ailments, possible causes and affirmations. This is my most used resource from my hundreds of books, with my 1988 edition falling to pieces! The insights into the emotional causes of illness are still as relevant today as when they were first written. Here are some examples:
Abdominal cramps = Fear. Stopping the process. = I trust the process of life. I am safe.
Acne = Not accepting the self. Dislike of the self. = I am a Divine expression of life. I love and accept myself where I am right now.
Gum Problems = Inability to back up decisions. Wishy-washy about life. = I am a decisive person. I follow through and support myself with love.
Heart Attack = Squeezing all the joy out of the heart in favour of money or position etc. = I bring joy back to the centre of my heart. I express love to all.
Indigestion = Gut-level fear, dread, anxiety. = I digest and assimilate all new experiences peacefully and joyously.
Migraines = Dislike of being driven. Resisting the flow of life. Sexual fears. = I relax into the flow of life and let life provide all that I need easily and comfortably. Life is for me.
Overweight = Fear, need of protection. Running away from feelings. Insecurity, self rejection. Seeking fulfilment. = I am at peace with my own feelings. I am safe where I am. I create my own security. I love and approve of myself.
Skin problems = Anxiety, fear. Old, buried gunk. I am being threatened. = I lovingly protect myself with thoughts of joy and peace. The past is forgiven and forgotten. I am free in this moment.
Here is one of Louise’s daily general affirmations: “Everything I need to know is revealed to me. Everything I need comes to me. All is well in my life.” Imagine how wonderful life could be if this affirmation was the basis for you creating your day. My personal affirmation is, “I am happy, healthy, wealthy and wise,” and on most days I achieve at least one of these goals!
In her book The Secret Language of Your Body, Inna Segal, a Melbourne based healer and teacher, also lists body parts, medical conditions and possible emotional causes similar to Louise Hay’s work. However, instead of using affirmations, Inna advises to ask your ‘Divine Healing Intelligence’ for help, in combination with visualisations. This phrase is an acknowledgement that you have created the negative health condition and you have the power and means to heal it.
For example, gums represent being unsure of yourself or decisions you have made, procrastinating, not following through on projects, being too demanding or selfish or a refusal to change. Remedy: Close your eyes. Focus on your gums. Visualise a red ray of light moving through your gums, clearing and dissolving all infections, stagnation and blockages. You might even feel your gums begin to tingle. Say: “Divine Healing Intelligence, I ask you to release all procrastination, indecision, self sabotage, selfishness and stagnation from my gums, as well as all points of view, positive and negative charge, and all patterns that contribute to this condition.” Repeat the word “CLEAR” until you feel a shift occur. Visualise a white ray of light moving through your gums, cleansing and regenerating them. Say: “Divine Healing Intelligence, please install my ability to make empowering decisions, follow through with projects, be persistent and open myself to positive change and transformation. Thank you.” Say: “Divine Healing Intelligence, please heal and regenerate my gums and teeth to their maximum strength, vitality and health.”4
Both Louise and Inna connect gums with decision-making. Become your own health detective (as well as healer) by matching body parts with the way the condition exhibits itself, i.e. itching, inflammation, infection, pain, tumours etc. You can change beliefs, emotions, stresses and reactions through awareness of the part you play in the process of manifesting.
For example: itching = unsatisfied, remorse, irritated and annoyed; Inflammation = anger, frustration, fear, seething and self sabotage; legs = carrying us forward in life, facing our future; left side of the body = feminine aspect.
So, if you have an itchy left leg ask yourself, “Am I annoyed with the direction my future is taking? Has a female irritated me? Am I feeling unsatisfied with the feminine side of myself with regards to this future project?” If the right leg is inflamed, ask yourself, “Do I have a fear of the future? Am I angry at a male for blocking my progress?”
If the itching or inflammation is acute, then it may clear up quickly once you have acknowledged the emotional cause or situation that caused it. If it is a chronic condition, then this detective exercise can point you in the right direction for identifying your beliefs, to enable you to write your own positive thoughts to change the limiting belief.
Here is a brief list of conditions, body parts and emotions I have compiled mainly from Louise Hay:
Itching = unsatisfied, remorse, irritated, annoyed
Inflammation = anger, frustration, fear, seething, self sabotage
Pain = guilt, seeking punishment, longing for love
Infection = anger, frustration, annoyance, bitterness, lack of joy
Fat = over sensitivity, resistance to forgive, fear, needing protection, covering anger
Tumour = building remorse, holding onto old hurts and shocks
Ulcers = fear, not being good enough
Eyes = to see the past, present and future clearly
Mouth = new ideas, nourishment
Neck = flexibility of ideas
Throat = expression, creativity
Breast = nurturing, female principle
Lungs = ability to take in life and joy
Heart = love, security
Arms = ability to hold experiences of life
Spine and joints = flexibility, support
Stomach = digest new ideas
Liver = anger, primal emotions
Kidney = shame, disappointment, failure
Intestines = assimilation, absorption, elimination
Bladder = anxiety, fear of letting go,
Bowel = holding on to old ideas
Knees = support, ego, pride
Feet = our understanding of life
A lifetime of your subconscious supporting negative beliefs results in “becoming set in your ways.” Many symptoms of ‘old age’ reflect this, e.g. being inflexible can cause aching joints, stooped posture and arthritis, while fear of the future can result in poor eyesight, loss of hearing, leg pain and Alzheimer’s.
Have lots of fun being a health detective, and keep your physical body healthy through your emotions. Remember, fairy dust can only make Peter Pan fly when combined with happy thoughts, and Harry Potter can only defeat the dementors that feed on fear with his happiest memory!
FOOTNOTES
1. The Truth About Cancer by Ty Bollinger (see review in New Dawn 160)
2. Heal Your Body by Louise Hay
3. The Book of Ho’oponopono by Luc Bodin M.D., Nathalie Bodin Lamboy & Jean Graciet (see review in New Dawn 158)
4. The Secret Language of Your Body by Inna Segal
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