Category: Healing Techniques

Healing involves the usage of therapeutic agents and chemicals that rejuvenate your physiological system. You might allow your body to heal itself using the basic methods and natural techniques.  Unlike modern medicine, you don’t need to undergo a harsh and potentially harmful mode of treatment. All you need to do is look out for the right natural healing methods to incorporate holistic wellness.

  • What is Intuitive Guidance?

    What is Intuitive Guidance?

    What is intuitive guidance? Days like today remind me of the power of clarity, balance, and deep and unwavering faith that Spirit leads the way. I find that many people sometimes miss the truth of what my work is; they mistake it for a straightforward psychic reading, or they see it as some magical yet somehow implausible crystal ball. They struggle to connect the dots on how Spirit guidance is the foundation for personal awareness, deep soul connection, and peace in times of uncertainty. This fact becomes even more apparent when I compare how people approach their private intuitive coaching with me concerning the group work we do in Declutter the Mind (DTM). Folks avoid Declutter, but that’s the healing they actually need.

    Here’s how Declutter the Mind: 5 Days to Spiritual Clarity is designed to benefit the evolving soul:

    1. Provides an access point to modern spirituality in a way that feels more relevant than group therapy.
    2. Helps you to discover more language for your emotional landscape and the source of your triggers.
    3. Promotes freedom of thought and provides structure and the “how-to” as you begin to shift your mindset and change your actions to create a more intentional life.
    4. This week-long intensive opens the door to real-time intuitive guidance, a proven method of processing emotions, and circumstances that would otherwise leave you stuck in a rut.

    Honestly, Declutter The Mind is sometimes more authentic than the 1:1 because your energy does not hold the session hostage with expectations. In the 1:1 sessions, people are more guarded because they are committed to what they want to hear and the validation they expect to receive, and that shifts in a group setting.

    Also, we never truly understand what we are signing up for with intuitive guidance. Most of us haven’t differentiated between a psychic reading, intuitive guidance, and an Akashic Records Reading. All three can serve us in different circumstances, but we have to be clear on the benefits of each and where we are on our journey before we dive in without clarity. 

    Intuitive guidance is a connection to infinite wisdom that presents a resolution to your circumstances in out and of this specific life incarnation. In using guidance as an extension of your spiritual practice, you can get the clarity you need to connect to both your inner and outer child, understand more about what’s getting in the way of forward movement, and become more connected to your soul’s purpose and navigate your relationships with ease. 

    My approach to intuitive guidance for others has always been through the Akashic Records because it provides a very clear direction to healing and clarity. Psychic readings are what the average person believes all forms of spiritual guidance are; a place where we can bring forth a myriad of aimless questions to satisfy our problems while assuming that asking questions is fostering a sense of spiritual connection. And, for some of us, this is as far as our beliefs will carry us into the spiritual realm. 

    To further define a psychic reading, allow me to present a question that falls in this area of spirituality: “Who will win the presidential election?” This question is aimless because while the outcome will affect your life; however, it will not directly affect your soul’s journey or your soul’s purpose. You will not experience more or less soul growth based on this decision. When you consider it like this, it becomes as frivolous as it truly is. Now, a better– soul-centered framing of this question would be: “In the current political race, how does the outcome provide me with an opportunity to fulfill an element of my soul purpose”? Such a question shifts us away from a broad and non-transformative question to a spirit shifting mindset that opens us up to our journey.

    Intuitive guidance can show up in many different forms and be filtered through many spiritual modalities. When I think of intuitive guidance, I definitively consider the empathic aspect of guidance, the feeling. Many psychics are not empathic, which means they can experience clairvoyance or clear visions absent of feeling the experience they are allowed to view spiritually. Intuitive guidance can occur with or without the vision and can undoubtedly be aided by divination tools such as a pendulum, tarot cards, crystals, or any other object that the guide connects with; however, it requires more soul than the traditional psychic reading. 

    Let me take this time to clarify what an Akashic Records reading is as well. An Akashic Records reading is a session that connects to a specific realm of consciousness to retrieve information related to soul-level growth. In this realm, our language must shift from a distracted place of random questions to a clear focus on the aspects of ourselves where we seek to change. In this realm, we are allowed to get the “how-to” on our soul’s existence. Consequently, we must connect with this kind of a session as a healing place and seek it out with the expectation to receive and grow from the experience.  

    What I have learned is that we fear our deepest truths.  

    While we want to connect with spiritual guides that can seek sincerely for us and be the vessel for our most sacred spiritual messages, we want to control the process. I find that people resist the intensity of the process yet forget to acknowledge their issues’ intensity. This avoidance occurs, especially with those that are avoiding a mental health diagnosis. Let me break it down for you the same way I did for a recent client. A mental health diagnosis is as of much importance as a physical diagnosis. If you were to break your toe, you would be in immense pain and seek treatment immediately. When we have a mental health issue, we are almost always as much as the broken toe; it just manifests differently. As we exhaust ourselves because of our inability to focus, or as we are overcome with worry, insecurity, and constant approval-seeking due to severe anxiety, it becomes equally as problematic as the physical injury. Yet, as is pertains to mental health, we are deterred by the stigma when we should be encouraged by the outcome of any available treatment. 

    Another thing I’ve learned is that people talk too much as a form of distraction in life. 

    Regardless of how people come to me, there is a sense of urgency when they arrive that drives the belief that their problems can be solved immediately. Trust me when I say everything cannot be solved in 60 minutes, especially when most people put all their effort into being closed off in their emotions instead of actively listening. This scenario begs the question: “Do we even know what active listening is?” I’ll answer that for you, no. We don’t know because, to listen actively, you must first be willing to acknowledge the value of silence. Instead of waiting for our turn to speak, we must be silent without expectation — a skill that many of us must continuously work on and develop. 

    This is where intuitive guidance is critical, but the way you approach it is equally as important. By this point, I hope you feel encouraged and not discouraged. We are all on a journey, and intuitive guidance is the key to staying on the path. I invite you to join me next week for five days of Declutter the Mind. Come and experience the transformation you so deeply desire. Move through your fear and find your purpose. 

    “If you are ready to embark on a soulful journey to the ultimate truths, to harness light for the greater and universal good? Then schedule some time with me, and let’s see if we can travel this road together.”

  • The Earthing Movie

    The Earthing Movie

    The Earthing Movie: The Remarkable Science of Grounding is directed by Sundance Award-Winning filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell (The Big Fix, FUEL, etc). This is a feature-length documentary based on their viral short film entitled ‘Down To Earth,’ that reveals the scientific phenomenon of how we can heal our bodies by doing the simplest thing that a person can do…standing barefoot on the earth. The winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at Dances With Films Festival, the film shares the Tickell family’s journey with the healing power of grounding, aka earthing, and the people they met and learned from along the way; featuring grounding pioneer Clint Ober, author Deepak Chopra M.D., actress/activist Amy Smart, author/activist Mariel Hemingway, cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, renowned healer Dr Joseph Mercola, engineer and physicist Gaetan Chevalier, PhD. and many others. Over 20 peer-reviewed studies have shown that Grounding (Earthing) reduces inflammation…one of the most damaging internal biological processes that leads to chronic disease. So get out there and put your feet on the ground, and/or increase your grounding time indoors with grounding products. Your body and mind will thank you! Read up on all the studies and research at https://earthinginstitute.net

    The Earthing Movie: The Remarkable Science of Grounding (full documentary) – YouTube

  • Whatever It Is, It’s Solved by Walking

    Whatever It Is, It’s Solved by Walking

    April, 2021


    Dear Friends,

    Not far from where I grew up in northeast Iowa, ten bears march across a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. They’ve been marching there for at least eight centuries, in rain and snow and sunshine, through seasons of drought and of rain, silent witnesses to an ever-changing world around them. 
               
    As a travel writer who specializes in holy places, I’m embarrassed to say that for most of my life I’ve ignored this spiritual treasure in my own backyard. I visited Effigy Mounds National Monument mainly for hiking, largely oblivious to its more than two hundred Indian mounds, thirty-one of which are in the shape of bears or birds. And I’d never even visited its most significant site: the Marching Bear Group that stretches for nearly a quarter mile across the top of a bluff.
               
    In my defense, it’s easy to overlook earthen mounds like these, which are among the many thousands built by the native peoples of North America before Europeans arrived on the continent. Through the past centuries the great majority have been plowed and bulldozed, and even those that remain require some effort and imagination to appreciate. Without a trained eye, an Indian mound, even a bear-shaped one, looks like just another small hill covered by grass.
               
    But once I discovered those Marching Bears, once I’d walked and sat and prayed among them, I’ve come to realize that they carry a powerful spiritual message, one with multiple layers of meaning.          

    One message from those bears is that the spiritual path calls for subtlety and discernment. Just as it’s easy to overlook Indian mounds, it’s also easy to miss the sacred that threads through all of life. The Marching Bears are best seen from overhead—the raptors that glide on the breezes above them, in other words, have the best view. So maybe the lesson here is that the sacred requires us to shift perspective, to get out of our ordinary plane of existence and find a new vantage point.
               
    I love, too, the fact that the bears seem to be walking, which is a spiritual lesson in itself. It makes me realize how sedentary much of contemporary religion is—and in an era of Zoom services, that’s more true today than ever. 

    This runs counter to the fact that humans are designed to move, both in our ordinary routines and in our spiritual lives. Millennia ago, our hominid ancestors began to walk upright, igniting an evolutionary transformation that’s still being played out. We’ve evolved a long way from those early humans, but we continue to benefit from walking. It strengthens our heart and lungs, improves the functioning of our immune system, enhances digestion, strengthens bones, and pumps blood to our brain. The feel-good hormones released by it improve our psychological health, lightening mood and easing depression. A walk helps us step off of the hamster wheel of anxiety, even for just a short time.
               
    I think all those millennia of walking have also shaped our souls. A walk, especially in a beautiful natural setting, allows for open-ended thinking that doesn’t happen as easily in the midst of regimented daily routines. As the scene before us slowly shifts, our eyes drift from one scene to another, inviting contemplation and reflection. Walking isn’t as conducive to linear thought—you’re unlikely to be able to solve a complicated mathematical equation while strolling—but instead lends itself to intuitions, flashes of insight, and making connections between seemingly disparate things.

    Walking, in other words, allows our consciousness to expand and deepen. Echoing the experiences of many, St. Augustine put it this way: Solvitur ambulandoIt is solved by walking. No matter what “it” is, it’s usually made better by taking a walk.
               
    Many faiths have a sense for the importance of walking as a spiritual practice. Christians follow the winding turns of labyrinths, Buddhists do walking meditation, Muslims circumambulate the Kaaba in Mecca during the Hajj, and Hindus made a reverent clockwise circuit around sacred places as a form of prayer. “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet,” recommends Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.           

    All of these practices reinforce the timeless truth that in the steady rhythm of putting one foot in front of another, our souls can slowly change. Perhaps it’s because at some deep level we feel the pull of gravity with each step and know that we will one day return to the earth beneath our feet. Or maybe in walking we connect to a circuit of energy that allows the holiness of creation to flow more easily through us.

    For me, one of the silver linings of the pandemic has been a renewed understanding of how walking can be a spiritual practice. Maybe that’s been true for you as well. Here are some tips to help deepen your daily strolls:

    Slow down and pay attention to the world around you. Instead of getting lost in your thoughts, try to notice the small details around you, from the singing of birds to the movement of the leaves in the wind. How is the light different in the morning from the late afternoon? What changes do you see from day to day as the seasons slowly change? 
     
    Blend a mantra or prayer with your walking. The steady rhythm of a walk lends itself naturally to short prayers and simple repetitive phrases. Let the pace of your steps set the pace of your prayers. 

    Try walking meditation. This Buddhist practiceinvolves dramatically slowing down your pace as you try to be present for each moment and movement. See Instructions for Walking Meditation for more information. 

    As you walk, imagine it’s the first walk you’ve ever taken—or the last walk you’ll ever be able to take. Either of these mental exercises will change how you view this seemingly ordinary activity.

    As for me, I’m happy to take a lesson from the bears of Effigy Mounds and St. Augustine. Whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it’s solved by walking.      Blessings,

    Lori
     Photo: Aerial image of Marching Bear Mounds at Effigy Mounds National Monument (credit: National Park Service)

    Recommended Reading:

    Neuroscientist Shane O’Mara illuminates the joys, health benefits, and mechanics of walking in his book In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration.

    In The Long Road Turns to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh gives guidance on how to turn an ordinary walk into a profound spiritual practice.

    Drawing on his experiences as an explorer, Erling Kagge reflects on the ways in which walking changes us for the better in Walking: One Step at a Time.
     
    Book Updates: Near the Exit: Travels with the Not-So-Grim Reaper is about places that have helped me come to terms with mortality. Foreword Reviews gave it a silver award for best religion book of 2019, calling it “an ideal guidebook for facing the inevitable,”

    My previous book Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God is a memoir told through trips to a dozen holy sites around the world. From a starred review in Publishers Weekly: “Whether describing mystical visions or the rhythms of everyday life, Erickson turns the spiritual journey into a series of exciting transformations.” 

    If you’ve read and enjoyed either of my books, I hope you’ll write a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Your review will help other readers discover my work. 

     


    Whatever It Is, It’s Solved By Walking (mailchi.mp)

    Lori Erickson is one of America’s top travel writers specializing in spiritual journeys. She’s the author of Near the Exit: Travels With the Not-So-Grim Reaper and Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God. Her website Spiritual Travels features holy sites around the world. 
  • 5 Ways to Self-Heal Your Body and Mind in Just 10 Minutes

    5 Ways to Self-Heal Your Body and Mind in Just 10 Minutes

    For centuries, ancient Eastern medical models were focused on energy. That’s because human bodies can self-heal. You can observe your body’s capacity to repair itself as you recover from an injury or wound. Self-healing isn’t difficult at all. Try channeling your body’s energy and use your thoughts and feelings to alter your energy frequency. It’s like switching channels from a pessimistic news channel to your preferred comedy series and feeling comfortable with that switch.

    Your day should proceed in a unique direction to ensure you embrace ease, breeze, and even “magic” into your life. A strong intention can change your life physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

    Read on and spend the next five minutes to practice yourself. Here are 5 simple steps to self-heal your body and mind.

    1. Sit Comfortably and Be Mindful of Your Breath

    Newsweek AMPLIFY - 5 Simple Ways To

    No need to adjust your breathing pattern — just pay close attention to the flow — inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. No decision, no change — just observe. This is done to make you feel like you are living in the “present” and avoid any mind-boggling thoughts from intervening in your mind for the next few moments.

    2. Keep Your Hand (Palms Together) in Front of You and Rub Them Rapidly for 30-60 Seconds

    Let your hands get warm from friction, and try to feel the warmth. Put a thin smile on your face as you rub your hands and make the most of this time about yourself. Smiling itself is soothing and can change your mood within seconds.

    3. Hold Your Hands 6-8 Inches Away From Each Other, Facing Each Other and Feel the Flow of Energy

    This energy has always been there. All it needed was the very briefing of your intention and awakening your consciousness. You feel this energy, channeling inside you. Remember: that’s part of you. Stay positive—doesn’t it feel fantastic?

    4. Close Your Eyes. See If You Can Transfer Energy Into Your Body

    Newsweek AMPLIFY - 5 Simple Ways To

    There’s no such thing as the “wrong way” of doing it. You can try to awaken your body’s energy with your intention to feel and heal your body and mind.

    See if you can transfer the energy through some part of your body. You can experience tension or illness while doing so. Hold it there — understanding you are giving your body love and “healing energy.” When you feel like you’re losing contact with sensing the energy, rub your hands together once again.

    There’s no judgment involved and there is no wrong way of doing it. Imagine the energy in a way that suits you the best. Maybe you just want to experience it, or maybe you want to imagine it as a white light — if that’s the easiest way for you! Play with this move and smile while doing it.

    5. Keep Working With This Surge of Energy

    Send the energy to various parts of your body. Observe how it feels entering different parts.

    This energy will strengthen those parts that normally bring pain — feel grateful for finally realizing this innate ability. Feel the calming strength of the body’s parts. Greet your body for waking up to this consciousness and healing. Working with this energy flow for only ten minutes will bring a sense of joy and peace you might have thought impossible just minutes before.

    Now question yourself, how did it feel? When you first feel this energy you will be amazed by the fact that this energy was present in your body all along yet you had no idea about it.

    In just ten minutes, you can alter your energy flow and condition. You will heal your body, mind, and spirit.

    Can Your Body Really Self-Heal?

    The human body was born to heal. From renewable cells to emotional healing, the body can self-heal in several ways. You can learn to improve your innate self-healing abilities by learning to channel your body’s energy.

    The energy healing experience is special to any person who attempts to try it. Most people who have experienced energy healing describe it as calming, comfortable, and physically friendly. However, if you are thinking of experiencing the energy-healing process, you should be ready for energy shifts and mood swings in your body.

    5 Incredible Ways to Self-Heal Your Body and Mind in Just 10 Minutes (newsweek.com)

  • Popular Natural Healing Methods

    Popular Natural Healing Methods

    Popular Natural Healing Methods

    Healing involves the usage of therapeutic agents and chemicals that rejuvenate your physiological system. You might allow your body to heal itself using the basic methods and natural techniques. Not only will it induce self-rejuvenation, but it also keeps the side effects at bay. Unlike modern medicine, you don’t need to undergo a harsh and potentially harmful mode of treatment. All you need to do is look out for the right natural healing methods to incorporate holistic wellness. Some natural alternative therapies like aromatherapy, naturopathy, and Chinese medicine utilize plants’ therapeutic abilities to replenish your body.


    Here are the top popular healing methods that are both natural and effective in the long run.

    Acupuncture

    Natural healing techniques allow your body’s healing abilities to work and alleviate the derangements. Acupuncture is an alternative therapy that involves the insertion of fine needles on your body’s acupuncture areas. Also, it stimulates the nervous and muscular ends and enhances the production of chemicals that possess analgesic properties. Further, it opens up the blocked energy channels and allows your body to heal itself. You can consider the therapy for headaches, depression, and anxiety disorders.

    Aromatherapy 

    Another popular healing method that you might consider for psychological ailments is Aromatherapy. It utilizes the healing effects of essential oils that possess an attractive fragrance. You can also use aromatherapy to get rid of severe pain, constant sorrow, and low mood. You might consider essential oils like lavender, sandalwood, and CBD to incorporate calmness and sleep better. Make sure to view the Guide To Cannabis and achieve long-term effects using CBD Oil. 

    Naturopathy 

    If you’re looking out for a healing mechanism that promotes the body’s self-healing abilities, then Naturopathy is the right option. It uses methods like hydrotherapy, fasting, exercise, and other components to promote well-being. Along with this, it’s a non-invasive and gentle mode of dealing with the discomforts. The method teaches you to realize nature’s healing powers and identify the cause before jumping onto the treatment. Also, you can utilize the benefits of mechanotherapy and hydrotherapy to achieve a state of salubrity.

    Reiki 

    Japanese medicine arises from natural healing and promotes the restoration of life energy for the ultimate cure. Reiki is one of the Japanese traditional medicine forms that practices “laying hands” on the body’s affected areas. Also, it works on the principle that diseases occur due to the lack of life energy in some regions of the body. You can consider this mode of treatment for stress disorders and chronic painful conditions. 

    Meditation 

    Here’s another natural healing method that allows your mind to calm down. Meditation aims to silence your inner thoughts and mental speculations to incorporate a state of tranquility and relaxation. Along with this, it helps in balancing your emotions and keeps the mental disorders at bay. You can consider essential oils like CBD Oil and chamomile to perform the meditative procedures and asanas better. 

    Massage Therapy 

    Another method to consider in case of pain and stress is massage therapy. It considers your lifestyle, symptoms, and the level of disease to incorporate wellness through touch mechanisms. Some forms of massage therapy like Indian head massage, Aromatherapy, and Shiatsu accelerate self-healing and release the pain-relieving chemicals in the body. In case you wish to incorporate additional benefits, use the oils like CBD Oil, Lavender Oil, and Sunflower Oil to promote wholesome wellness.

    Homeopathy 

    Here’s the alternative medicine that utilizes natural substances in diluted form to incorporate well-being. Homeopathy works on the principle of “like cures like” and induces self-healing mechanisms by restoring the body’s vital force. You can consider this mode of treatment for holistic well-being and comfort. Some popular remedies like Arsenic, Lycopodium, and Pulsatilla are quite useful in versatile systems and diseases.

    Hypnotherapy

    Hypnotherapy is another natural healing method that places you in a state of relaxation and enhances your self-awareness. It also helps promote better memory consolidation, relieves unwanted thoughts, and gets rid of harmful patterns. Some health conditions like depression, anxiety, and mood-related disorders might show promising results using the hypnotherapy techniques.

    Reflexology 

    Reflexology is the natural healing method that uses the pressure points on your feet, hands, and ears. It stimulates the nerve endings present in your feet and promotes the vital organ’s wellness linked with that point. Hence, you experience a state of calmness, salubrity, and mental well-being after a reflexology session. Make sure to consult a reflexologist in case of mental disorders or related issues.

    Traditional Chinese Medicine

    Here’s the traditional medicine that balances your life’s energy to induce wellness and physiological well-being. You can use traditional Chinese methods like acupuncture and tuina, to achieve a state of comfort. Some forms of treatment in Chinese medicine are moxibustion, cupping, Chinese herbs, and massage techniques. 

    Final Verdict

    When it comes to staying healthy, you need much more than just prescription drugs and investigations. Try out the natural healing methods to rejuvenate your mind and replenish your soul. Also, it helps in restoring your vital energy without incorporating any harmful effects like modern medicine. Some popular natural healing methods like hypnotherapy, naturopathy, and massage therapy effectively treat mental disorders and pains. Along with this, you can consider homeopathy, reflexology, and acupuncture to stimulate your self-healing mechanisms in no time. Go ahead and induce wellness with minimal aid and non-invasive methods listed to achieve salubrity.

    Reference Links

    https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/complementary-and-alternative-therapies/list-of-complementary-alternative-therapies/