Consuming to Heal: Filling Imaginary Voids
The need to fill an imaginary void by shopping is a symptom of disconnection from our true selves.
In our culture today, we are constantly encouraged to consume. This includes food as well as purchasing ever newer items that we may not need, often using money that we may not actually have. It could be that we are trying to fill a void we feel within ourselves, but if we take the time to examine it, we know deep inside that this is not the solution. We may notice how quickly the joy fades after our purchase or once the food we’ve enjoyed is gone, and how soon we feel the urge to do so again. This is a symptom of disconnection from our true selves, so the first step toward balance is connection to our center.
When we connect to our center, we access the fullness of who we are as an individual spirit. We also connect to the energy source of the universe, from which nothing can be lacking. It could be that we have been energetically starving ourselves but trying to feed the need physically, outwardly. Once we make the decision to reconnect, we have the ability to examine the behaviour from a higher place within ourselves. We can look, without judgment, at the thoughts and feelings that occur before and after our indulgences to find a pattern. We may want to keep track of these observations in a journal so that we can go back if we lose our way.
Often boredom is the main cause for the desire to eat or shop. But when we connect to our center, our intuition can more clearly guide us to the places where our energy can best be used. We can replace the boredom with a meditation practice, a class, a project, seeking a new job, or getting involved in a charity. We may even want to begin planning an adventurous trip. Whatever inspires us tells us the direction we should go. When we find the place we are meant to be, we become so consumed by its constant creation that the frivolous filling of an imaginary void becomes a thing of the past.
The Bible’s Contributions to Human Trinity Hypnotherapy
By Chaplain Paul G. Durbin, Ph.D.
The Bible has been the most influential book in my life and it still speaks something new to me each time I read it.
What is the first written record of the use of hypnosis? The first written recorded use of hypnosis is found in the book of Genesis 2:21-22, “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon man, and while he slept, took one of his ribs and closed up in its place with flesh, and the rib which God took from man. He made woman and brought her to the man.” In this incident, God used hypnosis as an anaesthesia so that Adam felt no pain during the removal of his rib.
In addition to the reference in Genesis, mention of hypnotic techniques is found in other ancient sources concerning the Egyptian “Sleep Temples.” In the temples, Egyptian priest used hypnotic-like procedures to improve health. These temples were so popular that they spread to Grease and Asia Minor.
Chaplain W. Leo Peacock gives a number of New Testament illustrations of hypnosis in his paper “Religious Hypnosis and Personal Control.” Chaplain Peacock makes a point with his interpretation of Matthew’s account of Joseph’s dream concerning taking Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20-25). When Joseph discovered that Mary was expecting a child, he decided to break his engagement for he knew that the child was not his. The story told of an “angel” or “messenger” coming to Joseph in a dream. In this dream, the angel told Joseph to marry Mary. Upon waking, Joseph did as the angel suggested. Peacock writes that this is a clear description of an individual being hypnotized and while under hypnosis being given a post-hypnotic suggestion which he immediately acts upon as soon as he came out of the hypnotic trance.
Paul speaks of going into a trance while praying in the temple (Acts 22:17). Peter “fell into a trance” and from that experience came to see that God loved all people and accepts all people who come to him. Peter had been invited to the home of a centurion who was devout in his faith, but was not Jewish. At that time, it was religiously unlawful for Peter to visit the centurion’s house. After the dream, Peter went to visit the centurion (Acts 10:1-48).
The practice of “laying on of hand,” mentioned in the Bible, uses some of the techniques of hypnosis. In the book of Acts (28:8) we read, “And it came about that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.” Elsewhere in the book of Acts, there is a reference to an apostle looking into the eyes or gazing into the eyes of a person which resulted in the person being healed. “This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who when he had fixed his gaze upon him, and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said with a loud voice, ‘Stand upright on your feet.’ And he leaped up and began to walk.” (Acts 14:9-10).
Jesus often spoke in parables or stories which still bring to mind vivid pictures which tell us something important about life. The parables can have a different meaning to us at different times in our lives. One of the principles of hypnosis is repetition and there are two of Jesus’ parables (The Friend At Midnight and The Unjust Judge) which speak to this issue. In the parable of the “Friend At Midnight” (Luke 11:5-10), Jesus tells of a man who knocks at his neighbour’s door at midnight and request some food for a friend who has arrived at his house unexpectedly. At first the friend said, “Do not brother me. ” but because the man is persistent, the friend will get up and give him as much food as he needs. What does this have to do with hypnosis? At first the subconscious (the friend next door) is resistant to change but through persistence, in the use of hypnotherapy, the subconscious will grant what is requested. Jesus concludes the parable, “Ask and it shall be give to you , seek and you shall find; knock it will be opened to you. For everyone who ask receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. ”
In the parable of “The Unjust Judge” (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus told the story of a judge who does not fear God and respects no one. A widow keeps coming before him for protection from her opponents. As the woman persists, even after being turned down several time, the judges says, “Because she bothers me, I will give her legal protection. Just by continually coming, she wears me out.” I leave the parable for your interpretation.
The idea of the human trinity came to me from the Bible for there I learned that we are made up of body, mind, and spirit and each affects the others and are affected by the others.
Paul writes of the human trinity in the twelfth chapter of the book of Romans. Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercy of God, that ye present your body as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service and be not confined to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2).
In God’s sight, the body and mind as well as the spirit are important. The body is the temple of God, and the place where the spirit dwells for Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” From Romans, I hear God saying through Paul that real worship is more than the offering of great prayers. It is more than the offering to God of a ritual, however magnificent. Real worship is the offering of everyday life to God.
The renewing of the mind calls for a change in attitude. It calls for us to let go of any negative thought because they can be a block to living life to its fullest. God wants us to realize our talents, our abilities, our potential, and with divine guidance to use them for our own good and for the good of others. He leads to look into the heart (subconscious) and mind (conscious) to see our potential and our possibilities rather than our failures and limitations. In the Bible, one can find several references to hypnotic like activities. For instance, the first written record of the use of hypnosis is recorded in the book of Genesis 2:21-22, “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh, and the rib which God took from man, he made woman and brought her to him.” In this incident, God used hypnosis so that Adam felt no pain during the removal of his rib.
Paul speaks of going into a trance while praying in the temple (Acts 22:17). Peter “feel into a trance” and from that experience came to understand that God loves all people and accepts all people who come to him (Acts 10:1-18). Through the book of Acts, there are a number of references to the apostles looking into the eyes or gazing into the eyes which resulted in the person being healed (Acts 14:9-10). The practice of “laying on of hands” mentioned in the Bible uses some of the techniques of hypnosis (Acts 28:8).
The writer of Proverbs 23:7 said that as a person thinketh in his heart, so is he. St. Paul wrote, “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.”(Gal. 6:7) This says to me that what is sown by the conscious mind through thoughts and images into the subconscious mind tends to become a reality. Mental images give the subconscious mind a model to work toward for good or bad. The use of positive imagery improves life and health. Until there is an image in the mind, there can be no reality. The author of Proverbs 29:18 also wrote that were there is no vision, the people parish.
Jesus said, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because… he sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, and set at liberty them that are bruised.” (Luke 4:18) Following that guidance and the proper use of hypnosis, we can heal the brokenhearted, bring deliverance to those in captivity to pain, fear, and phobias; give sight to the emotionally and spiritually blind, and set at liberty those who are bound by unwanted habits.
Chaplain Paul G. Durbin, Ph.D._Chaplain (Brigadier General) United States Army: Retired 1989 Director of Pastoral Care & Clinical Hypnotherapy: Methodist Hospital, New Orleans, LA: Retired 2001 Director of Clinical Hypnotherapy: MHSF, Affiliated with Methodist Hospital: Retired June 30, 2005
You can contact me at pgdurbin@hotmail.com
Food is fuel
Food is fuel. That doesn’t sound like a revelation, does it? I mean, we all know food is fuel, it’s what keeps us going through the day, builds muscles, powers our brains.
But think of it again. Food is fuel. If that’s all that food is, why do we obsess about it? Why do we eat too much of it? Why do we put in types of fuel that our body neither wants nor needs?
Imagine if you did that to your car – can you picture yourself at the gas station, filling up, and then when the tank is full, you just keep on pumping, so that it flows out all over the forecourt. People would think you were crazy.
Or imagine taking your nice shiny sedan out to a farm and filling it up with thick, sludgy farm diesel – it would ruin the engine. Yet that is what we do to our bodies when we overeat, when we cram in junk food with no nutritional value.
What has happened is that over the past 100 years our attitude towards food has been profoundly changed, mostly by the advertising industry.
It is estimated that the average North American is bombarded with up to 1500 food related ads per day, each of which is dedicated to the message that food is so much more than fuel.
Food is now a lifestyle choice, a status symbol, a reward, a pleasure, a comfort, a celebration, and it is, above and beyond anything else, an emotional experience. Read Article / Comment »
Do you feel disconnected to those you love?
Healing Our Mirrors
Are you feeling disconnected or distant from those you love? If yes, you could be trying to analyze this sense of emptiness in your relationships or judging others for pulling away from you.
If this is the case, it might be helpful to spend some time alone and explore these feelings.
You may find that your sense of disconnection is related to something that you are feeling inside you such as fear or an emotional block. You may even be the one pulling away from someone and projecting that action onto them.
Exploring these possibilities could help you see how the universe often uses people to mirror to us, our own fears so that we can resolve them.
By understanding that we usually create our own sense of separation and disconnection from others, we can learn to release our fear of being abandoned. When we begin to feel that our loved ones are pulling away and distancing themselves emotionally from us, we can choose to explore how we may be causing this separation.
If we discover that we are the ones who have been pulling back emotionally or pushing our loved ones away, we can take action to resolve the situation. The more we work on resolving our fears about being left by another, the stronger our connection to others will grow.
You can heal and strengthen your connections with loved ones today by taking a look inside yourself and exploring your own feelings.
Control your drinking habit with EFT
Alcohol abuse especially binge drinking is a huge problem in our society, also many children have problems with alcohol.
Alcohol addiction is a life threatening addiction. If you are suffering from alcoholism EFT can help to control your cravings and address the root cause.
Alcohol is not your identity. Calling yourself an alcoholic keeps you an alcoholic. Become the person you want to be. What are the causes of your alcohol abuse. Did you start drinking because of stress at work, relationship failure or because you were depressed.
If you have problem controlling your drinking habit, then try EFT. Here you’ll find a list of phrases to tap on in controlling your drinking habit.
- I adore the taste of a cool beer
- I daily need a chilled glass of white wine
- I only drink for social reasons.
- I will have no friends if I don’t drink
- I don’t know where this alcoholism came from
- I have this alcohol addiction
- I really want a drink
- I feel I must have a drink
- I just need a drink to feel better
- All my friends drink alcohol
- I associate drinking with good times,
- I want to quit or drink less but don’t know how
- I can stop drinking anytime
- I can’t refuse that drink
- I can’t believe I will never drink alcohol again
- I don’t have a strong desire to stop drinking
- I can’t stop drinking because I have a lot of stress
- I don’t believe EFT can help me to stop drinking
- When I don’t drink alcohol I feel antisocial
- I need to have alcohol in my house
- I feel at ease when I have a drink
- I drink to forget my problems
- I like to get drunk
- When I drink
- I have more self confidence when I drink
- People like me more when I drink
Give it a try and let me know what you think…