It is my sincere hope that this book has brought you closer to understanding the incredible power your mind and body have within themselves to heal, to be strong and resilient, even when challenged by life’s obstacles or genetic predispositions. Perhaps now you can begin to discover what being “strong” really means—that it is not just about being able to lift heavy weights or manage problems without asking for help; it is about having and being enough to handle anything. It is a state of resilience that entails knowing you have access to a great power within yourself to heal and thrive.
When you live in a state of fear and stress you lose access to that power and you become vulnerable to disease and hardship, rather than venerable. When you own your power, you know you are venerable. Your core is strong, and your belief is that you are aligned with internal and external resources to mitigate uncertainty. Your stress response is used to generate action and is not wreaking havoc on the rest of your body. As a result, your energy is continuously regenerated and renewed, enabling you to stay vital and vibrant. Getting to this place involves not only setting up and nurturing your resources, but also trusting them to work.
Learning to live this new strong paradigm has been a personal journey for me. It has taken many years for the left-brained academic in me to relax and accept the notion that it is okay not to know everything or have all the answers, that every one of us has a myriad of resources available to us that support our natural ability to be strong and heal and that don’t always include drugs or something that is scientifically validated.
I had forgotten the world I had been brought up in as a child, where my father’s mother made us herbal teas when we fell ill or threw water at our car as we left her house to ward off evil or accidents and to ensure a safe trip. I had forgotten that at six years old I wanted to be like her, a strong woman, a mother, a person of faith, and a healer. I had forgotten that, at the very least, I wanted to be able to run as fast as the car.
We left my grandmother’s world when I was only seven, moving from Israel to the United States, where I was now surrounded by scientists and academicians like my father. In this new world I was influenced by the interesting conversations and came to the recognition that I had to do something with my life that would bring security, esteem, and money. I went from wanting to be a medicine woman, to wanting to be the bionic woman, to wanting to be a doctor. And in the process of becoming a doctor, I forgot about the rest and focused on the science.
It would be twenty years later that I would finally set out on a journey to suspend my usual state of disbelief and delve into the world of spirituality and healing again. It would take me that long to figure out that all my dreams were valid—of being a medicine woman, a resilient being who could be rebuilt and renewed like the bionic woman, a teacher and a healer; that there was validity in the provisions of both modern medicine and ancient healing practices. That we need to be both healthy and strong became clear when my mother got sick.
March 8, 2013, witnessed one of the worst snowstorms Boston had seen in decades. It was also the day my mother dropped, unconscious, to the kitchen floor as a result of a sudden pulmonary embolism and cardiac arrest. She was resuscitated many times, and the doctors in the emergency room and later in the intensive-care unit (ICU) told us her prognosis was extremely poor. Even if she survived, she would likely have brain damage, as no one knew how long her brain had gone without oxygen.
Mom spent ten days in the ICU, being kept alive by multiple medications, blood transfusions, a ventilator, and twenty-four-hour nursing care. We never left her side. We had the hospital volunteer Reiki practitioners come in daily; we had healers and prayer circles around the globe working on and praying for Mom. Each time the medical team thought that we might lose her or that she might not survive yet another complicated procedure, she came through. More than once the medical team would stare at Mom in awe, not fully understanding how or why she continued to recover. We often heard them say she was truly a miracle, especially the day Mom’s condition really turned the corner, so that she was able to be weaned off the medication and the ventilator.
I will never forget the moment she opened her eyes and smiled, as she saw her husband’s face smiling back at her. She improved every day thereafter, coming home six weeks later. She healed almost completely, and no one, including the amazing medical team, knows completely how and why. The medical team told us she was a walking miracle and that her journey is a testament to incredible advances in modern medicine, the healing power of love, and healing modalities we do not understand as well as the triumph of her spirit to live on. Today, Mom is stronger than she was before the event. She takes better care of herself, exercising, eating more healthy foods, and engaging in activities that bring her joy, like painting.
As for me, the experience enabled me to become “aligned” with my abilities as a physician, meditator, and healer. I used my medical knowledge and intuition to help make decisions with the medical team. I did “energy work” on my Mom several times a day, placing my hands on her body and drawing in love and positive energy from the universe to be transmitted through me to her. When I wasn’t busy being with Mom, I meditated, I ate only the healthy foods my body needed to be fueled, I slept as I could, and I cried when I needed to, letting myself be wrapped up by those I love and trust. Though I was frightened, I also knew somewhere deep within me that ultimately Mom’s pulling through was up to her, or perhaps her spirit, and her own will to live. She had to want to come back. The best medical team in the world couldn’t make that decision for her. Dr. James M. Kirshenbaum, the amazing cardiologist on service, said as much.
I learned to trust in the process of life and that I had resources within me and around me to handle pretty much anything. And with this trust, with this deep inner knowing that I had all that I needed to mitigate uncertainty, I became strong, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
You see, trust is a state of being, much like helplessness or hopefulness. It is a willing state of vulnerability and surrender based on the expectation that your own, another person’s, or the universe’s, God’s, nature’s, or a “higher power’s” intentions and actions are altruistic, beneficial, and skillful enough to ensure a positive outcome. In other words, trust represents the inner knowing that you can expect good even when life throws curveballs. It means you trust your body, and your body trusts itself. This knowing allows you to access a state of inner peace, whereby your stress response is quieted, your mind is clear, and your body is relaxed.
When you are in a constant state of stress, whether you are worried about something or continuously poisoning your body with processed foods, this trust, this inner peace is not possible. When this goes on for too long, power is lost, and distrust or fear takes over. The body’s natural ability to heal is hindered.
The good news, as you have learned, is that you can always change from one state to another. You now have the tools to do so. Each and every one of us has the ability to change our health destiny. We all have access to the same resources, to the same POWER.
It is our choice whether we use them.