Weight Lifting 101

WHY WEIGHT LIFTING?
What's the one thing that you can do to lose weight, re-shape your body, improve muscle tone, become stronger, fight off osteoporosis, lower blood pressure, etc.?
Weight Lifting!  Or as it's also called, Strength Training! 
For the rest of this book I will refer to the art of weight lifting as strength training.  One of the reasons a lot of people don't lift weights is because they are intimidated by the word weight lifting.
It amazes me to see how many people avoid lifting weights for one reason or another.
Let me make sure you are clear of one very important fact.
LIFTING WEIGHTS IS ONE OF THE BEST, IF NOT THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR OVERALL HEALTH!!!
Let's jump right in and start off by covering exactly "what" strength training is.
It's actually very simple.  Strength training or weight lifting is the lifting of heavy weights and/or resistance in a prescribed manner as an exercise or in athletic competition.
Notice I said weights and/or resistance.  It doesn't have to necessarily be a weight plate or a dumbbell.  We'll get into that more later.
As simple as that definition of strength training sounds, why are you and so many other people not doing it?
The answer to that is probably one of these two:

    You're not sure what to do, or you're confused about what to do.
    You have never realized that strength-training can and will build muscle, which in turn will help you look and feel great.

You very well could be on a strength-training program right now.
Even if you are, I want you to really pay attention to what we're going to talk about for the rest of the book.  I'm sure it is going to have you thinking differently about why you should be lifting weights from now on.
We're going to talk about why developing a strength training program will ultimately help you lose weight, add some muscle tone, look better and feel better about yourself.
We will go over some "myths" about strength training and the real facts behind them.
So, whether you're new to strength training or you've been doing it for years, pay close attention.
MYTHS
Let's first clear up some of the misconceptions about strength training and the truth behind these myths.
This first myth is the "biggie" and it has prevented many of you from weight lifting (especially women).
It sounds a little something like this; "I don't want to lift weights because I don't want to get big and bulky."
It's a shame that a lot of people think like this because it is so far from the truth.  Let's explore that myth a little.
When you think of weight lifters, you probably think of body builders, right?
You think of the men and women on ESPN parading around in little swimsuits with big bulky muscles popping out all over the place.
There are three reasons for this:

    These people are an extremely minute percentage of the population.
    That is their livelihood and they spend 4 to 5 hours a day in the gym.
    Some of them are using performance-enhancing drugs (steroids, etc.) to look like that

So if you can get that image of the "bodybuilder" out of your head and think in terms of the average everyday person, you will see why the myth about getting bulky is just that, a myth!
What we're going to talk about next I will try to explain to you in an easy to understand way, without using any medical or professional terminology.
When you lift weights your body builds muscle.  The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (even at rest).   The more calories you burn the less you weigh.
It's as simple as that!!!
Let me give you an example of this that might make it a little easier to understand.  We'll talk about 2 women in this example.
Let's say you and your best friend are sitting on the couch watching some T.V.  You personally strength-train 3 times a week, but your friend does not.
After an hour of watching T.V goes by, who will have burned more calories?
The common answer to that would be that you both burned the same (almost nothing), since you weren't doing anything.
But the actual answer would be that you burned more calories, and I'll tell you why for one simple reason.  THE MORE MUSCLE YOU HAVE THE MORE CALORIES YOU BURN!!
Now you might say to yourself, "But if I lift weights, my muscles will get bigger and I will appear big and bulky."
This does have a tendency to happen to men sometimes, and that is because of the male hormone testosterone.  But what also happens to men, just like the women, is that they will get rid of the fat and replace it with lean muscle.
So the lean added muscle will now be there instead of the soft jelly-like fat.
With that said, keep this in mind.  Evan though men have more testosterone, it would still be very difficult for a man to get big and bulky.  You would have to train like a real bodybuilder in order for this to occur.  Being genetically blessed doesn't hurt either.
And if you did see yourself starting to "bulk" up a little, and that's not what you want, just decrease the amount of weight you are lifting.  Very simple.
Women on the other hand, do not have enough testosterone to even come close to "bulking up".
Which brings us to another myth.
That myth being one of the most popular in the world of exercise, which is, "Muscle weighs more than fat."
How ridiculous is that saying?
That's like the old joke, "Which weighs more--10 lbs. of steel or 10 lbs. of feathers?"
Hopefully by now you know that the answer to that question is that they both really weigh the same.  10 lbs. is 10 lbs. no matter what it is made of.
Let's go over this in a little more detail.
Muscle is much more compact and dense than fat.  It actually takes up less space than fat does because of that.  That makes sense, right?
Fat, on the other hand, is very soft and jelly-like and is a lot bigger than muscle.  By that I mean it takes up more space than muscle does.
Let me give you another example to clarify this a little more.
If you were to take 10 lbs. of fat and 10 lbs. of muscle and roll each of them into a ball, the 10 lbs. of fat might be the size of a bowling ball.  In comparison, the 10 lbs. of muscle would be about the size of a baseball.
Let's take this a step further and use you and your friend in an example.  You and your friend, for argument sake, are both 5' 5" tall and both weigh the exact same weight of 130 lbs.
Your friend, as we mentioned, does not lift weights or do any kind of strength training.  Her dress size is a size 12.
You, on the other hand, lift weights and follow a strength-training program 3 times a week.  Your dress size is a size 8.
If you and your friend were standing side by side people would definitely think that you weighed less than your friend.  But in reality you both weigh exactly the same.
How can that be?
It all relates back to what I said earlier.  Muscle does not weigh more than fat, it weighs the same.  It is more compact than fat and it takes up less space.  So you, the strength trainer, have more muscle than your friend does which means you will take up less space.
That's why it's also not a good idea to let the scale be your judge of your progress.  You can very well have lost weight, but it won't show up on the scale sometimes.  A good indication of progress is how your clothes fit.  If you are getting smaller, or should we say more compact/dense, you will notice that your clothes are getting a little looser.
Well all right you say, "I'll lift weights, but I'm only lifting light weights and doing lots of repetitions."
This is another mistake a lot of you are making.  Now I'm not saying that this is the wrong way to lift, but it is not the optimal way to go about strength training if you are looking to lose weight and change your body.
So, is it all right for you to lift heavy weights and fewer repetitions?  ABSOLUTELY!!
There's another statement you need to clear your head of---"I shouldn't lift heavy weights because that is for bodybuilders."
You absolutely can and should be lifting heavy weights if you want to change your body!
Let's take a moment now to recap some of the main ideas we have just covered;

    Lifting weights will not make you bulky (it will make you leaner and more toned)
    Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat; it's simply more compact and denser than fat. (Remember, muscle actually takes up less space than fat)
    The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (even at rest!).

Now you are well informed of why strength training will help you look and feel great.  Hopefully this cleared up any confusion you might have had and now you are ready to "hit the weights."
"WHAT DO I DO NOW"?
So you now know what strength training is and you know why it will help you change your body.
"But how do I actually go ahead and get started?"
As I said before, this is one of the main reasons if not THE main reason that most people don't lift weights.
But what if I was to tell you that it's not nearly as complicated as you might think.
What we're going to discuss now is the "nuts and bolts" of designing a strength-training program.
Let me first start out by saying that if you are out of shape, haven't exercised in awhile, suffer from any kind of medical condition (heart problems, high blood pressure, etc.) or are over 40 years old, you should make an appointment with your doctor to get a physical to make sure you are ready to start lifting weights.
With that said, here we go!
One of the very popular questions is what equipment do I need to strength train?  Or better yet, what equipment is the best?
Luckily, there are plenty of options; machines, free weights (dumbbells), elastic bands, using your own body weight, which is called isometrics (push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, etc.).
I guess the best way to decide what equipment you are going to use is to first decide exactly where you'll be working out.
Will you be at home, or will you be at some kind of gym or fitness center?
Let's first explore the many options you have at a gym or fitness center.
Depending on your particular gym, you will probably have the choice of using free weights (dumbbells, weight bars, weight plates, etc.) or machines.
If you are a beginner to lifting weights, I highly recommend you use the machines for a few reasons.

    Almost no chance of injury
    Much easier to use proper form
    Easily change weights via a pin

Also when using machines, especially the newer ones, there is usually a picture on the machine that demonstrates someone doing the actual exercise.
There is also a great product out now that is a ring of 50 pocket-sized exercise cards. They not only show a full color photo of each exercise, but each card also contains easy-to-read instructions as well as helpful trainer's tips and common training mistakes, which are found on the back of the cards.
These cards are excellent and I highly recommend them.
Log on to my web-site at www.thefitnessleader.com and go to the "Products" page.  There you will see a link for the cards.  Click on that link and order your set of cards today.  There is a lot more that comes with your set of 50 cards, and they are definitely worth having.
Another option is to purchase some really great books.
There are hundreds of great picture books out there to help you get started.
If you go to my web-site (www.thefitnessleader.com) and go to "products", there you will find a link to Amazon.
Once you click on the link, you will find some great books that I recommend that are very helpful for the beginner exerciser.
There is of course the third option, which is to hire one of the personal trainers that works at your gym or an in-home personal trainer, like myself, who comes to your house and sets you up on a program.
One word of advice if you decide to get a trainer.  Make sure this person has the right credentials (personal trainer certification and/or fitness related degree).  Don't just assume that since they work in a gym or because they call themselves a personal trainer, that they are qualified.
It's always best to watch the trainers for a couple of weeks if you are at a gym, or get a free session from an in-home trainer.  See how they operate, how they get along with their other clients, what kind of personality they have, etc.  Make sure you think that they will be a good fit for you.
I would personally love to tell you about all of the wonderful exercises you can do, but I would need about 200 pages just to list the pictures and explain proper form and technique.
Your best move would be to buy the cards (they are great) get your hands on a good "beginner's exercise" book and/or hire a certified personal trainer.
Are you now saying, "But what if I don't want to go to the gym, it takes too much time driving, it's always packed, and I just don't like the whole gym scene."
"Can I still lose weight and get in shape at home?"
ABSOLUTELY!!
A lot of people feel the same way that you do.  Either they don't have time to go back and forth to the gym, or they're just more comfortable working out in the privacy of their own home.
Depending on the space you have, you can make your own little "private" gym just for you and your family.
For this section of the book on working out at home, let's assume that you don't have a huge space.
The only things you actually need, believe it or not, are a bench and some free weights (dumbbells).
It would also be a good idea to get some exercise bands that you can use to do lots of different exercises, in addition to bench exercises, that will help diversify your program.
Again, I would highly recommend that you get either the Solotrainer cards or a beginner's exercise/weight training book to help you get started with your workouts.
Okay, let's get back to the equipment that you'll need.  First off is a bench.
BENCH
The bench you purchase should be multi-functional.  In other words, it should be able to incline as well as being flat.  Some benches can even decline in addition to flat and incline.  It is not necessary to have a flat/decline/incline bench or even a flat/incline bench, but I definitely recommend it.
It allows you to do a lot more exercises as you get into your program a little more.
FREE WEIGHTS
There are numerous types of free weights to choose from.  There are traditional dumbbells that range anywhere between 1 lb. to 200 lbs.
Depending on how much space you have and how much weight you think you'll be lifting, this will determine what kind of dumbbells you will be looking for.
One item that comes to mind is the PROBELL 30 Classic Adjustable Dumbbell System.  It sounds intimidating, but it's not at all.  It's actually quite a space saver.  It is a pair of dumbbells that can go from 2 1/2 lbs. to 30 lbs. each, in 2 1/2 pound increments, with the turn of a dial.  So in other words, you get 12 pairs of dumbbells all in 1 pair. 
This is a great product and I definitely recommend it, especially if you want to save some space.
You can get this item too by going to my web-site and finding it in the "Products" page under the BIG FITNESS link.  It is called the ProBell Classic.
Another option, or rather an accompaniment, to the bench and free weights, is exercise bands.
For those of you who aren't familiar with these, they are elastic rubber bands with handles at the ends and some companies also have ankle straps for leg exercises. 
I personally use these myself and with all my clients.  I love them!!!
BODYLASTICS is a great company that makes an excellent little package.  It includes 4 bands (each one a little harder), 2 handles, 2 ankle straps, 1 door anchor, and a video and booklet.  At the time of this printing the price for the package is $50.  It's a great value.
You can also find these on my web-site under the "Products" page.
Okay, now you know what equipment you'll need, but what about questions like:

    How many days a week?
    How many sets and repetitions?
    When do I change my routine?

These are all very good questions.  Let's take a look at the first question now.
HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK?
There is not a straight forward simple answer to this question.  It really all comes down to two things:

    How many days can you realistically devote to lifting weights?
    How much improvement are you really looking to get from your program?

Before we address these two questions let me first say that lifting weights once a week is probably not enough and four or five times a week might be a little too much (especially for a beginner).
That leaves us with 2 or 3 times a week.
As you can probably imagine, 2 times a week is good but 3 times a week is better.
This is of course assuming that you are training every body part during each workout.  Some people prefer to train 1 or 2 body parts a day.  There are good and bad points to this. 
The good thing is that since you are only training 1 or 2 body parts (an example would be training your chest and triceps) you can really do a lot of exercises for each body part.  The bad thing is that if you train 2 body parts per work out, and since there are 6 major body parts (chest, back, triceps, biceps, shoulders, and legs), even if you work out 3 times a week you will only be able to train each body part once.
That's why I recommend training every body part, every work out.  This way you'll be training every body part at least twice or maybe even three times a week.  The most bang for your buck.
So, getting back to the issue of how many days a week.  If you have the time and you are really looking to see some changes in your body, I definitely say go for 3 times a week.
With that said, if you really aren't sure about the time issue and if you are a beginner, start out at 2 times a week.
This will give you a chance to ease into it.  Once you're comfortable, in a routine, and you find that you have time to add an extra day, then consider bumping it up to 3 times a week.
HOW MANY SETS AND REPETITIONS?
Let's first start out by explaining what sets and repetitions are.
When you do any particular exercise, let's say the arm curl, each time you curl the weight up and bring it back down would be considered a repetition.
Now let's say you did 12 repetitions, took a break for 1 minute, then did another 12 repetitions.  You would have done 2 sets of 12 repetitions.

Simple, right?
What sometimes seems confusing for some people is that they think they should do a certain number of sets and reps (reps is short for repetitions).
The fact is that there is no certain number of sets and reps that you should be doing.  It will probably vary from time to time, based on your goals.
The one BIG mistake a lot of people make is doing too many repetitions.
Often times at the gym I'll see someone doing 20 or 30 reps.
Now like I said, there is a place for that depending on your goals.  Certain sports require extensive muscular endurance, in which case you should do a lot of reps.
But your goal is to lose weight, get stronger, and change your body.  So the best way to achieve that is to lift a weight that is heavy enough to fatigue your muscles between 8 and 12 reps.

Remember, YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY!
Okay, so what if you can lift a weight for 13, 14, or 15 reps and beyond?
Very simple.  Just increase the weight slightly and that will get you into the 8 to 12 rep range.
HOW MANY SETS SHOULD I DO?
Same thing applies here as it does to the number of reps; nothing is set in stone.
I can give you a recommendation though.  1 set is definitely not enough and depending on how much time you have to exercise, 4 or 5 sets might be too time consuming.
If you are first starting out, I would say do 2 sets for each exercise.  Just like with the number of days you are lifting, it's a good way to ease into it.  Also, starting out right away with 3 sets will probably leave you feeling very sore for the first week or so.
And just like with the days of the week, a good goal to shoot for is to work your way up to 3 sets.  This will make sure you are working your muscles to fatigue, and that's when you will really start to notice some changes.
And again, you'll see as you get into it more and more, you might want to challenge yourself and add in a 4th or 5th set on some exercises.
This ties in nicely to our 3rd question.
WHEN DO I CHANGE MY ROUTINE?
Never!
Just kidding.  That's actually another big mistake that a lot of people make.  They do the same thing over and over again, day in and day out.
That will work for a beginner just starting out, and you will see some improvement, but after about 6 to 8 weeks you will start to plateau.
Your muscles need to be challenged or "shocked" in order to stimulate them.
On the other hand, you also want your muscles to adapt and improve to the increasing weight.
By that I mean you want to give your muscles a chance to get stronger and you want to be able to increase the weights on the same exercise and see what the most weight is that you can actually lift on that same exercise.
For that reason you don't want to change your routine every time either.
"So what's the bottom line then?  How often should I change my routine?"
A good rule of thumb to follow is to keep your routine relatively the same for about 6 to 8 weeks, then make some changes.
"What exactly do you mean by change the routine?"
The best way to change your routine is to do totally different exercises.  Let's say for example that for your leg muscles you've been doing leg presses, lunges and leg extensions.  For a complete change you can now do squats, leg curls, and abduction (for the outer thigh).
Other changes include;

    changing from using a free weight to a machine for a particular exercise.
    doing 4 or 5 sets instead of 3.
    switching the order of your exercises.  Instead of training your chest, back, biceps, shoulders, legs and triceps, you can do just the reverse.  Triceps, legs, shoulders, etc.

The possibilities are endless.  The nice thing is that there is no "wrong" way.
Which brings up a good point.  There is no wrong routine, but your form and/or technique can be wrong.
Always remember to use a slow, controlled motion.  Don't use momentum or "jerk" the weights around.
It should take you approximately 2 to 3 seconds to lift or push the weight (which is called the positive) and 3 to 4 seconds to lower or let down the weight (which is called the negative).
That's right, it should take you a little longer to lower the weight than it takes to raise it.
Most people do the opposite and that's why you see a lot of people using momentum and jerking the weights around.  You're not using your muscles when you do it like this.
And that's really it!  As you can see, it's not all that difficult.  What it does take is a COMMITTMENT.  If you can make a COMMITMENT and be consistent with your strength training program, I GUARANTEE you that you will be successful and notice considerable changes in they way you look and feel.
With that said, just take a moment now and look over the main areas of a successful strength-training program:

     The optimal strength training routine should be performed 2 to 3 days/wk.
     you should do 2 to 3 sets for each exercise.
     use a weight that will fatigue or challenge you to do between 8 and 12 reps.
     change your routine approximately every 6 to 8 weeks to prevent plateaus.
    always use proper form; slow, controlled movements.  No jerking the weight or using momentum.
     and most important, make sure to visit your doctor and get a physical so you know you have no medical conditions that would prevent you from participating in a strength training routine.

There you have it, a nice little introduction to the world of strength training.  Something that I hope will help you get started.
So give strength training a try, you have nothing to lose (except for maybe a few pounds of fat!!!).

Your Body is a Map of Your Consciousness

Your Body Is A Map of Your Consciousness - by Martin Brofman, PhD.
Everything begins with your consciousness. Everything that happens in your life, and everything that happens in your body, begins with something happening in your consciousness.
Your consciousness is who you are, your experience of Being.
You decide what ideas to accept and which to reject. You decide what to think, and you decide what to feel. When these decisions leave you with residual stress, you experience the stress as if in your physical body. We know that stress creates symptoms. The interesting question is, "Which stress creates which symptoms?" When we are able to quantify this process, we are then able to see the body as a map of the person's consciousness, relating particular symptoms to particular stresses and particular ways of being, in the same way that Type "A" Behavior has been able to be associated with heart disease.
Everything Starts In Your Consciousness
To understand this map, we must first orient ourselves to the idea that the causes of symptoms are within. While it's true that germs cause disease and accidents cause injuries, it is also true that this happens in accord with what is happening in the consciousness of the person involved.
Germs are everywhere. Why are some people affected and not others? Something different is happening in their consciousness.
Why do some patients in hospitals respond better to treatment than others? They have different attitudes. Something different is happening in their consciousness When someone is injured in an "accident," why is it that a very specific part of the body is affected, and that it is the same part that has had habitual problems? Is that an "accident," or is there a pattern and an order to the way things happen in our bodies?
You Are A Being of Energy
Your consciousness, your experience of Being, who you really are, is energy. We can call it "Life Energy" for now. This energy does not just live in your brain; it fills your entire body. Your consciousness is connected to every cell in your body. Through your consciousness, you can communicate with every organ and every tissue, and a number of therapies are based on this communication with the organs which have been affected by some kind of symptom or disorder.
This energy which is your consciousness, and which reflects your state of consciousness, can be measured through the process known as Kirlian photography. When you take a Kirlian photograph of your hand, it shows a certain pattern of energy. If you take a second photograph while imagining that you are sending love and energy to someone you know, there will be a different pattern of energy shown on the Kirlian photograph. Thus, we can see that a change in your consciousness creates a change in the energy field that is being photographed, which we call the aura.
This energy field shown in the Kirlian photographs has been quantified, so that when there are "holes" in particular parts of the energy field, these are said to correspond to particular weaknesses in specific parts of the physical body. The interesting thing about this is that the weakness shows up in the energy field before there is ever any evidence of it on the physical level.
Thus, we have an interesting direction of manifestation shown through what we have described.
1. A change of consciousness creates a change in the energy field.
2. A change in the energy field happens before a change in the physical body.
The direction of manifestation is from the consciousness, through the energy field, to the physical body.
Consciousness------1------►Energy Field------2------►Physical Body
When we look at things in this way, we see that it is not the physical body creating the energy field, the aura, but rather the aura or energy field that is creating the physical body. What we see as the physical body is the end result of a process that begins with the consciousness.
We Each Create Our Reality
When someone makes a decision that leaves them with stress, creating a blockage in the energy field with a sufficient degree of intensity, this creates a symptom on the physical level. The symptom speaks a certain language, which reflects the idea that we each create our own reality. When the symptom is described from that point of view, the metaphoric significance of the symptom becomes clear. Thus, instead of saying, "I can't see," the person would have to say, "I have been keeping myself from seeing something." If they cannot walk, they would have to say, "I have been keeping myself from walking away from something." And so on.   We must understand that there are no accidents and no coincidences. Things do happen according to a pattern and order.
The Human Directional System
We can say that we have an inner guidance system, a connection to our Higher Self, or our Inner Being, or whatever name we choose to give this Higher Intelligence. This inner guidance system functions through what we call our intuition, or our instinct. It speaks a very simple language. Either it feels good, or it doesn't. All the rest is just politics.
We are told we should move with what feels good, and do not do what doesn't feel good to us. We are told to trust this inner voice. When we don't follow this inner voice we feel tension. We feel not-good.
Then, the voice must get louder. The next level of communication is through the emotions. As we move more and more in the direction that feels not-good, we experience more and more emotions that feel not-good, and at some point we can say, "I should have listened to myself when I thought to move in the other direction." That meant that we heard the inner voice. Otherwise, we could not have said, "I should have listened." If we make the decision we know is the right one for us, and therefore change direction, there is a release of tension, we feel better, and we know we are again on the right track.
If we continue to move in the direction that feels not-good, the communication reaches the physical level. We create a symptom, and the symptom speaks a language which reflects the idea that we each create our own reality. When we describe the symptom from that point of view, we can understand the message.
If we change our way of being, we have received the message, and the symptom has no further reason for being. It is able to be released, according to whatever we allow ourselves to believe is possible.
If we created the symptom with a decision, we are also able to release it with a decision.
As an hypothesis, we can imagine that someone makes a decision that it is not a good idea to express what they want. From that moment, whenever there is something they want, they keep themselves from expressing it, and therefore from having what they want. That feels not-good. The tension grows. They feel more and more not-good as they keep themselves from expressing what they want and not having it.
Eventually, something happens to create a symptom on the physical level, and their right arm is affected. It could have happened through falling from a ladder, or in an automobile accident, or by pinching a nerve in the neck, or by "sleeping in a draft."
Something had to happen on the physical level to create the symptom, in order to give the person the message on the physical level about what they had been doing to themselves. We do to ourselves literally what we have been doing to ourselves figuratively.
The effect is that the person cannot move their arm. They are keeping themselves from reaching for something, and since it is the right arm, on the "will" side of the body, they are keeping themselves from reaching for or going for what they want. They have been giving themselves reasons to not believe that they could have what they want. When they begin to do something different in their consciousness, they notice that something different begins to happen with their arm, and the symptom is able to be released.
Chakras And The Map
To understand the map of the consciousness that the body represents, we can turn to some ancient Hindu traditions which have been studying consciousness for thousands of years, and which use the language of the chakras.
Chakra is a Sanskrit word, and it means "wheel," or "vortex," because that's what it looks like when we look at it. Each chakra is like a solid ball of energy interpenetrating the physical body, in the same way that a magnetic field can interpenetrate the physical body.
The chakras are not physical. They are aspects of consciousness in the same way that the auras are aspects of consciousness The chakras are more dense than the auras, but not as dense as the physical body, but they interact with the physical body through two major vehicles, the endocrine system and the nervous system. Each of the seven chakras is associated with one of the seven endocrine glands, and also with a particular group of nerves called a plexus. Thus, each chakra can be associated with particular parts of the body and particular functions within the body controlled by that plexus or that endocrine gland associated with that chakra.
Your consciousness, your experience of being, represents everything it is possible for you to experience. All of your senses, all of your perceptions, all of your possible states of awareness, can be divided into seven categories, and each of these categories can be associated with a particular chakra. Thus, the chakras represent not only particular parts of your physical body, but also particular parts of your consciousness. When you feel tension in your consciousness, you feel it in the chakra associated with the part of your consciousness experiencing the stress, and in the parts of the physical body associated with that chakra. Where you feel the stress depends therefore on why you feel the stress. When someone is hurt in a relationship, they feel it in their heart. When someone is nervous, their legs tremble and their bladder becomes weak.
When there is tension in a particular part of your consciousness, and therefore in the chakra associated with that part of your consciousness, the tension is detected by the nerves of the plexus associated with that chakra, and communicated to the parts of the body controlled by that plexus. When the tension continues over a period of time, or reaches a particular degree of intensity, the person creates a symptom on the physical level. Again, the symptom served to communicate to the person through their body what they had been doing to themselves in their consciousness. When the person changes something about their way of being, they are able to release the stress that had been creating the symptom, and they are then able to return to their natural state of balance and health.
Reading The Map
When we are reading the body as a map of the consciousness within, we work with the idea that the tensions in the body represent tensions in the person's consciousness concerning what was happening in the person's life at the time that the symptom developed. The person was feeling stress about something that was happening in their life at that time.
We are going to examine the map of consciousness that the chakras provide, in order to understand the language of the symptoms that are associated with each chakra. In order to complete this map, however, we also need to look at ourselves as each a polarity of yin and yang, feminine and masculine characteristics.
For most people, their right side is their yang side, their will side, their acting or active side, and the left side is their yin side, their female side, their feeling or adaptive side. For people who were born left-handed, this polarity is reversed. Thus, for a right-handed person, their right leg can be described as their will leg, or their male leg, or the foundation of their will, but for a left-handed person, their left leg would be their male leg or will leg, and so on. Thus, we can talk about the will arm, or the will eye, or the will nostril, etc., and which side it is on will depend upon whether the person is right-handed or left-handed at birth.
Each of the chakras is energy vibrating at a certain frequency, in a logical and orderly sequence of seven vibrations. As we move up the scale, the elements become more and more subtle, moving through the five physical elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether, to the spiritual elements of inner sound and inner light. The heaviest element is on the bottom, the lightest on the top. It is a logical and orderly sequence.
The colors of the spectrum also represent a series of seven vibrations in a logical and orderly sequence, as do the notes of the musical scale. Thus, we can put the heaviest vibrations or the longest wavelength on the bottom and the lightest on the top, and a particular color can be used to represent a chakra in its clear state, as can a particular musical note. Music played in a certain key vibrates a particular chakra, and we feel a particular way when we hear that music. Our relationship with a certain color says something about our relationship with the part of our consciousness that the color represents.
The Root Chakra is associated with the parts of our consciousness concerned with security, survival, or trust. For most people, this concerns the parts of their consciousness concerned with money, home, and job. When this chakra is in its clear state, the person is able to feel secure, be present in the here and now, and be grounded. When there is tension in this chakra, it is experienced as insecurity or fear. When there is more tension, it is experienced as a threat to survival.
Parts of the body controlled by the sacral plexus and this chakra include the skeleton system, the legs, and the elimination system. Symptoms in these parts of the body represent, therefore, tensions at the level of the Root Chakra, and we therefore know that the person is seeing the world through a perceptual filter of insecurity or fear. The adrenal glands are also associated with this chakra.
If one leg is affected, we can see whether it is the male leg or the female leg, and thus whether it has something to do with trust in a male or trust in a female. We can also see it as having something to do with trust in the will, or the aspects of trust in the foundations the emotional being, related to what was happening in the person's life at the time the symptom developed.
The physical sense of smell, and therefore the organ of the sense of smell, the nose, is associated with the Root Chakra. Symptoms at the level of the nose or affecting the sense of smell reflect tensions at the level of the Root Chakra.
Each chakra is associated with an element. The Root Chakra is associated with the element of earth, and reflects something about the person's association with the earth, or how they feel about being on the earth, which we call Mother Earth. This chakra is also associated with our relationship with our mother. When someone experiences a sense of separation from their mother, or not feeling loved by their mother, they cut off their roots and experience symptoms of tensions at the level of the Root Chakra until they can again open to accept their mother's love.
When a child comes into the world in the traditional family structure, the mother provides the nourishment and the father provides the direction. Thus, in the child's relationship with its mother, it makes certain decisions about the way things are. The relationship with the mother thus becomes a model for the person's relationship with everything that represents security - money, home, and job.
The Root Chakra is associated with the color red.
The Abdominal Chakra is associated with the parts of our consciousness concerned with food and sex - the communication from the body to the person within it, about what the body wants or needs, and what it finds pleasurable. It also is related to what is happening in their consciousness about having children. When this chakra is in its clear state, the person is in touch with this communication, and listening to and responding appropriately to what the body wants and needs.
Parts of the body controlled by the lumbar plexus include the reproductive system and the abdomen, and the lumbar region of the back.
The sense of taste is associated with this chakra, as is the element of water. When someone does not have a clear relationship with water (swimming, for example, or being on a boat), this reflects their attitudes about the parts of their consciousness that this chakra represents.
Tensions on the will side or the emotional side of this chakra indicate tensions in the person's consciousness as conflicts between either the will or the emotions with what the person's body is asking for.
This chakra is associated with the sense of taste, and with appetite. It is also involved with the person's willingness to feel their emotions.
The second chakra is associated with the color orange.
The Solar Plexus Chakra is associated with the parts of our consciousness having to do with perceptions of power, control, or freedom. In its clear state, it represents ease of being, and comfort with what is real for one's self - being comfortable with who you are.
Parts of the body associated with this chakra include the organs closest to the solar plexus - stomach, gall bladder, spleen, liver, etc. - as well as the skin as a system, the muscular system as a system, and the face in general.
The physical sense associated with this chakra is the sense of sight. Anyone with impaired eyesight experiences tension at the level of their solar plexus chakra about the issues of power, control, or freedom. Nearsighted people also experience tensions at the level of the Root Chakra, and experience the world through a perceptual filter of fear or insecurity. Those who are farsighted experience tension also at the level of the throat chakra, and see the world through a perceptual filter of anger or guilt. Astigmatics see through the emotional perceptual filter of confusion.
The endocrine gland associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra is the pancreas. We can say that diabetics are keeping sweetness from themselves. When someone gets too close with sweetness, they feel threatened in their power to be who they are, and an emotion comes up to create a safe distance again. The emotion is anger. Diabetes is associated with suppressed anger.
The element associated with this chakra is fire, and the person's relationship with the sun says something about their relationship with the parts of their consciousness associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra.
The color of the Solar Plexus Chakra is yellow.
The Heart Chakra is associated with the parts of the consciousness concerned with relationships and our perceptions of love. The relationships we speak of here are with those people closest to our heart - partners, parents, siblings, children.
The parts of the body associated with this chakra include the heart and lungs, and the blood circulatory system as a system. This chakra is also associated with the thymus gland, which controls the immune system. When this is affected, as with AIDS, the person's lifestyle separates them from someone they love.
The physical sense associated with this chakra is the sense of touch, in its aspect of relating to the person inside the body. For example, a massage given to someone with no sensitivity to what the person is feeling inside would be an example of the sensation we associate with the Abdominal Chakra, but when the masseur seems to have a sense of what the person inside the body is experiencing, then it includes the aspect of relating we associate with the Heart Chakra. When someone experiences extreme sensitivity about being touched, we would ask what was happening at the level of the Heart Chakra.
This chakra is associated with the element of air. When someone has difficulty with air, with breathing (asthma, emphysema, tuberculosis, etc.), we say that their relationship with air reflects their relationship with love - difficulty letting it in, or letting it out, for example
The color associated with the Heart Chakra is emerald green.
The Throat Chakra is associated with the parts of the consciousness concerned with expressing and receiving. Expressing can be in the form of communicating what one wants and what one feels, or it can be artistic expression, as an artist painting, a dancer dancing, a musician playing music, using a form for expressing and bringing to the outside what was within. Expression is related to receiving, as, "Ask, and ye shall receive."
The throat chakra is associated with abundance, and with the state of consciousness called, "grace," where it seems that what you want for you is also what God wants for you. Accepting what the abundant universe offers you requires a sense of unconditionally receiving.
This chakra is also associated with listening to one's intuition, and flowing in a particular way where it seems that the Universe supports you in all that you do. It is the first level of consciousness from which one perceives another level of intelligence functioning, and one's interaction with this other level of intelligence.
Parts of the body associated with this chakra include the throat, shoulders, and arms and hands. and the thyroid gland.
The sense of hearing is associated with this chakra, and the element of ether, the most subtle physical element, corresponding to what we find in deep space. The ether is the crossover between the physical and the spiritual dimensions. Someone looking at the world through this chakra watches the manifestation of their goals. The Will Arm represents manifesting what you want, and the Feeling Arm represents manifesting what makes you happy. Hopefully, the two point to the same thing.
Sky Blue is the color associated with this chakra.
The Brow Chakra is associated with the parts of the consciousness concerned with the spiritual view, and the home of the Spirit, the Being within. This level of consciousness is associated with what western traditions call the unconscious or subconscious, the part of our consciousness that directs our actions and our life. From this level we are aware of the motivations behind our actions. We can watch our outer theater from an inner point of view.
This chakra is associated with the carotid plexus, and the nerves on each side of the face, and the pituitary gland. Headaches in the temples or center of the forehead are associated with tensions at this level. This chakra controls the entire endocrine system as a system, and the process of growth.
The Brow chakra, also known as the Third Eye, is associated with extra sensory perception (ESP), the set of all inner senses that correspond to the outer senses, which together comprise spirit-to-spirit communication. The element associated with this chakra is a vibration known as the Inner Sound, the sound that one hears in their ears that does not depend upon something in the physical world. Some consider it a pathological condition. In some of the eastern traditions the ability to hear this is considered a necessary prerequisite to further spiritual growth.
The color associated with this chakra is Indigo, midnight blue, the color of lapis lazuli, or the color of the night sky during a full moon.
The Crown Chakra is associated with the parts of the consciousness concerned with unity or separation, and just as the Root Chakra showed our connection with Mother Earth, this chakra shows our connection with Our Father, Which Art in Heaven. At first, it is associated with our connection with our biological father. This becomes the model for our relationship with authority, and this becomes the model for our relationship with God. When there is a sense of separation from our biological father, the person closes this chakra, and the effect on the consciousness is a sense of isolation and aloneness, being in a shell, and difficult to make contact with those outside the shell.
The person feels as if they are hiding from God, or hiding from themselves, not seeing what is true for them in the deepest part of their consciousness, the part we call the soul.
This chakra is also associated with a sense of direction.
The parts of the body controlled by this chakra are the pineal gland, the brain, and the entire nervous system as a system.
The color associated with the Crown Chakra is Violet, the color of amethyst.
Using The Map
When there is tension in a particular part of the body, this represents a tension in a particular part of the consciousness, about a particular part of the person's life. Being aware of these associations helps one to see the importance of resolving the tense issues in their life.
If it were only a question of doing what is necessary for the person to be happy, that would be reason enough to motivate the person to want to change something that doesn't work for them, but here, we see that it is also a matter of health. The issues that are unresolved in a person's life are, in fact, hazardous to their health.
When we see the correspondences between the consciousness and the body, we see the degree to which we each create our reality. In fact, those words begin to take on a new meaning. We see how everything begins in our consciousness and we are able to look around us at other aspects of our lives in the same way.
When we see how the body carries out the messages and deepest wishes of the Being within the body, we can realize that the process can go in more than one direction. If our consciousness is directing how we develop symptoms, it can also direct how we release these same symptoms. If our consciousness can make our body ill, our consciousness can make our body well.

Adventures with Hypnosis

Hypnosis anecdotes and experiences of an orthomolecular psychologist.  Some myths are refuted.  Relaxation hypnosis used in behavior modification.

In 1949, I had a real problem with a dental phobia.  Four dentists had turned me down as a patient.  I had two abscessed teeth and a mouthful of other cavities.  My dental phobia was so bad that it had forced me to go to a hospital some years earlier in order to have three abscessed teeth removed while I was unconscious. 

I went to a dental convention where I found the recommended dentist who did hypnosis.  He couldn't work on my teeth, but he said he thought he could help me.  So, at the lunch break, I went to his room with several other dentists, and he hypnotized me with a “standard” induction technique.  Then, he taught me a psychological trick of relaxation.  If I raised my left hand whenever I felt my right hand becoming a fist, indicating tension, the dentist would stop, and I would relax my right hand, and lower my left hand.)  I didn't believe it would work, but I made an appointment with the last dentist who had turned me down and had recommended hypnosis.

For the first few minutes, I kept raising my left hand, and he stopped immediately.  After that, I didn't need to raise my left hand much at all, and he worked fast.

He pulled the two bad teeth, and drilled and filled a dozen more in one single hour and half session.  I had Novocain for the bad ones, and didn't need it for the others.  Both the dentist and I were amazed at this, and he asked if I were really twins

To me, a 22-year-old engineering student, this was a genuine “miracle”, and I started to learn all I could about this miracle cure.  I read everything I could find, from the 1700's literature about Mesmer, Coue, etc, up to Erickson, Barber, etc.

I became an electronic engineer, and pursued this as my major career, but my avocation continued to be hypnosis, and by extension, psychology.  (Much of behavior psychology is similar to hypnosis).   I used it professionally, taught it in a major university to doctors, and continued to learn about it.  I performed some “shows”, and considered a career as a stage hypnotist, but was more interested in using it for helping people, as it had helped me. 

In 1979, I left electronic engineering, and turned to psychology.  I went back and obtained a Doctorate in Psychology based on my education, life experience, and my doctoral dissertation.  I became a successful Behaviorist Psychologist for years in private practice in Florida.  I gradually converted to an Orthomolecular practice when I found that these types of therapies worked better than any “talk therapy”, although talk therapy is sometimes useful as well.    
 
Hypnotic Relaxation

During this many years of study, and later career as a psychologist, I realized that what that original dentist who hypnotized me had actually done.  With hypnosis, he had simply given me a “new” conscious tool of relaxation.  Using this simple tool, I could actually change something in my unconscious called a “phobia”.  It wasn't really a miracle, though I had thought so at the time.  Adding this knowledge to my knowledge of Pavlovian “conditioning responses”, I came up with what I called the Bate Relaxation Technique. 

This is very simple, yet it can be very powerful - much more powerful than most realize because of its simplicity.  It starts with a general hypnotic induction technique of relaxing the body muscles, starting with the toes and going up to the scalp and face.  Then, in a state of muscle relaxation, ask the subject to visualize a very beautiful relaxing scene he/she is in.  Describe the scene.  Ask them to concentrate on how beautiful and very relaxing it is.

Then, ask the subject to memorize the feelings of relaxation and concentration they are feeling at that time.  Have them put these feelings into their memory like a photograph.  Then, give them a post-hypnotic suggestion that they can now recall those feeling any time they simply count to three.  End the session, and have the subject stand up, take a deep breath and simply count to three. 

It's simply amazing how the shoulders often slump 2-3 inches or some other muscles that the subject usually tenses from stress relax.  I describe the “strange” feeling as sort of a “blah” feeling.  (As subjects stand up from the session, their “normal” pattern of muscle stress takes effect, and the “instant” relaxation is definitely experienced.)

I then tell the subject that they now have the pattern, but it up to them to use it often, several times a day, even if not needed, for the next week or so.  This will set this pattern into their unconscious as a “conditioned response”.  (Remember Pavlov's dog?)  Now, they have the same tool I got from the original dentist, but it is much more enhanced and valuable.  It instantly relieves stress of any kind.
  
Driving a car a long distance is very stressful.  My wife and I recently drove over 20 hours straight thru, with me driving about 14 of those hours.  At 78 years old, that's not “usual”.  The secret - we both simply count to three every so often and are able to relax behind the wheel.  Muscle tension is very tiring, and few are able to relax this muscle tension behind the wheel.

This relaxation technique is very useful in many ways in helping to solve psychological problems of phobias, compulsions, and even some serious physical problems.  I was able to solve dozens of Asthma problems in all persons between 7 and 15 years old, and was often successful with older persons as well.  (Kids in this age range are very suggestible; some adults are too cynical.)

The system is simple, but effective.  First, teach the relaxation.  Then, have the patient emulate a really bad asthma attack.  “Come on, get really bad, your throat is closing more and more.”  It's getting worse and worse.”   When the patient really starts to become in distress, say, “Now, count to three”.  As he gets to three, he relaxes, and says, “Now, it's gone, and you are in control”. 
Many years ago, I did this routine on the 14-year-old son of lifelong friends.  When I was visiting them a few years ago, I walked into the store of the son, and he recognized me immediately.  I was surprised as it had been over 20 years since he had seen me.  He said, “Do you think I could ever forget the man who cured my Asthma?”
It was another great day for my ego.

There's nothing magical or even mysterious about it.  All you are doing is teaching a new “trick” to the unconscious mind.  This “trick” of instant relaxation is learned as a conditioned response by repetition and use.  It becomes a tool for the conscious mind to use in all types of situations to reduce stress.  As everybody knows, stress ages us, diminishes the immune system, and helps to kill us. 

The various forms of yoga and other meditation techniques are similar, yet different.  They relieve stress of course, but are of little use in immediate stressful situations.  This relaxation is immediate.

This also can be used for self-hypnosis, positive statements and visualizations.

I also used it for patients that wanted to stop smoking as a “substitute” for that instant craving that comes to an addicted smoker. 

One idea makes a lot of people “afraid” of hypnosis.  The idea that another person has “control” over them, and can make them do literally anything.  Every experiment ever conducted has shown that this is simply not true.  Hypnosis cannot force a person to do anything that is against his/her moral code.  The unconscious mind is very protective, and is what we are working with either with hypnosis or subliminal training. 

There is some possibility of “indirect” misuse of hypnosis.  I once witnessed a hypnotist demonstrating this.  He had a very attractive woman who was very hypnotizable (instantly into somnambulism by snapping his fingers).  He hypnotized her, and told her to take off her clothes.  She awoke instantly and was embarrassed, but had no conscious memory of why. 


He then hypnotized her again, and this time, told her that she was at home in her bathroom with the door closed, and she was going to take a bath.  She calmly started to take off her clothes.  He stopped her before she got too far, but she was obviously going to completely strip. 

It was interesting how he stopped her.  He told her that someone had come into her home, and was near the bathroom door.  She said, “Don't come in.  I'm not dressed”. 

He then had her get dressed, and woke her.  She had no memory of the incident.

 When I was a young man, I had a girlfriend who I had sex with once or twice.   And she had been hypnotized several times as well.  One night I wanted sex, but she didn't.  I used the cue that hypnotized her, but to no avail.  She refused, even hypnotized.  So, the idea that someone can make you do something you do not want to do is false.  I can testify to that personally.  Our unconscious mind is very protective of us in all ways, even though some ways may be wrong. 

Of course, if you work with either hypnosis or subliminal training, or virtually any type of serious psychology you have to be aware of the unconscious mind, as that entity is always what you are trying to influence. 

Hypnotic Age Regression

This is a very useful tool for a psychologist, or, for that matter, any doctor of any stripe.  Under even “light” hypnosis, it can be used to “pull” details from the life of the patient that he/she has forgotten consciously.  (The unconscious memory has everything in it.) 

There are several “tricks of the trade” involved.  After my Relaxation Technique, I used a “deepening” technique that went something like this,  “Now, I want you to imagine and visualize yourself going down an escalator as I count to ten.  One, imagine yourself stepping on and feeling the steps form under your feet.  Two, as you move down, relax even more.  Three, as you go down further, concentrate more and more.  Four, and as you relax more, you can concentrate more.  Five, this positive circle of concentration and relaxation continues as you move down.”

Continue with similar repetitions thru nine, and then, “Ten, step off the escalator into a room.  This room is yours alone.  It is only in your mind, and no one else can ever get into it.  You can make it anything you want.  In this room, you can do anything or visualize anything that will help you to be a better person.  In this room you can remember anything you want.”

Next, I would start the questioning.  For example, a man came to me to try to find a lost valuable diamond engagement ring.  He and his fiancé had broken up, and she had returned the ring to him.  He remembered taking the ring, but when he got home, he couldn't find it at all.   I did the above technique, and then started.

I said. “I want to you to go back in time to the moment when she handed you the ring.  Where were you and she at that time?”

He replied, “We were in her living room.”

“Alright, see yourself taking the ring.  What did you do with it?”

He said, “I'm putting it into my small watch pocket of my jeans.”

“OK, now you are leaving her.  What happened next?”

“I'm getting into my car, and driving home”

“Good, what happens next?”

“I'm going into my bedroom, and changing clothes.”

“Why?”

“I have to go to a baseball presentation dinner.”

“OK, what did you do with your jeans?”

“Oh NO!  I had put them in the washer!”

That was the story.  He went home and found the ring stuck in the washer.  (The usual story of such is that it gets caught in the “U” drain under a sink.)  This illustrates the value of “age regression” as a memory aid.

Of course, it's also useful to uncover the beginnings of phobias and compulsions.  A woman came to me with a cat phobia and asthma.  I did the usual as above, and with a couple of other useful techniques found the problem.  One “trick” is to say, “OK, now you are going back in time.  It is your 15th birthday.  You are awake in that morning.  Do you have asthma?”

She replied, “yes.”  (She had earlier said on intake questioning that her asthma had started very early.  I start well past that so as to get the patient used to going back.)

“Ok, now you are ten years old, just waking up on your birthday.  Do you have asthma now?”  Same answer.
“OK, you are now five years old, on your birthday.  Do you have asthma now?”  Same answer

 I worked back thru 4 and 3 and 2, 1, and started back in months.  I got to the ninth month, and she didn't have asthma.  Still she had no memory of anything that was related.  So, I went to her tenth month, and went backwards, day to day with the same question.  I got to the day when she did have asthma.  Now I asked her, “What happened to you during the last day that caused you to have asthma?  I am going to count to three, and when I get to three, you will remember everything.  One, you're starting to remember.  Two, memory is coming back.  Three, you now remember everything.”

She then related, “I was lying on my back in a crib, and the cat jumped into the crib, and lay across my mouth.  I couldn't breathe, or call out, and I was scared.  I don't know what happened, but I think I hit the cat, and she went off me.”

It was two birds with one stone.  Cat phobia, and asthma caused at that point.  Asthma is often a “protective” device used to keep oxygen in the body.  Most can easily breath in but have real problems breathing out.  This was her case. 

Then, we get to the really interesting part.  Age regression to past lives.  As an agnostic, I don't really know if the many stories I have heard from many persons are true, or something from the universal mind or what?

Probably the single most impressive story is from the man who came to me with two lifelong phobias that he had had since earliest memory.  He was deathly afraid of fire and water.  He thought that these phobias might be from past lives, and asked me to try to find out. 

He was easily hypnotizable, and with little urging went back thru birth to the previous life.  He had been a circus clown, and been burned to death in a circus fire.  It was then simple to go back to a previous life to that.  It seems that he had stolen a horse, and was caught.  The vigilantes didn't have a tree, so they hanged him from a bridge.  The rope broke, and he drowned.  Of course, it took much more time to go thru, and some suggestions from me.  He was cured according to a phone call a week later.

I've had several such interesting cases.  Another was fascinating to me.  Under hypnosis, a man kept saying, “All I can see is a bird”.  I kept after him about this bird for 10 or more minutes, but he couldn't see much more than this bird.  Finally, he said, “It's a black bird, and it's on my shield”. 

I pressed him harder about his shield, and did he have a sword and a horse.  He suddenly screamed, “There's blood all around me, and all over me and my horse.  I'm killing people all around with my sword, and they're trying to kill me!  ” 

I questioned him closely, and it became evident that the date was 1066 at the battle of Hastings as the Normans conquered England.

Is the story true?  I cannot say with any certainty, but it was impressive.

When I gave seminars and talks on hypnosis, I usually finished with doing my Relaxation Technique, and my deepening.  Then, I would say, “In your room, sitting comfortably, I want you to let your mind go out of your body.  Let it go out into space, and as you see earth behind you as that familiar blue and white marble, see space as almost velvety, with stars and planets being very clear and steady.  It's really beautiful out here in space.  Now, you are coming to a white cloud that is getting bigger and bigger, and you are now entering it.  On the other side, there is another blue marble world.  As you approach, it looks like Earth, but as you get really close, you see no huge cities, but beautiful parks and lovely buildings that seem to be a part of the landscape.  As you come to it, and walk about, you notice that the people are all friendly, and the animals are all friendly, and the gardens and parks all around are simply the loveliest you have ever seen.  You are filled with the same sort of happiness that it seems everybody there has.  You are at peace with yourself and that place.”

“Now, it's time to leave, and we are going back into space again.  Ahead of us is that same white cloud, and this time, as we enter it, we make a left turn, and we are now going back in time.  The year is 1700 on Earth, and as we come back to Earth in that time, we are going to each go into a body in that time and place.        I want you to look at your feet, and your clothes, and your surroundings, and have a sense of who you are in that body.  Now, it's time to return.  We are leaving this time and place, and going back thru that white cloud, and back to that blue marble of earth, and back to that comfortable seat, and into your own body again.  As I count to three backwards, you are gong to awaken, not drowsy or sleepy or affected by my voice at all, and you will remember everything you experienced.”

Then, I count, “Three, two, one, awake fully awake.  Now, how many persons really experienced that beautiful planet?” 

About a third or more really did visualize it clearly.  (A few were somewhat angry with me for not leaving them longer!)  Then I asked, “Now, how many persons experienced themselves in 1700?”  Surprisingly, about one third had very good and clear visualizations.  One woman was indignant “I had bare feet, and scratched legs, and I was a serving woman”.  She had a very high opinion of herself in this life obviously.  Needless to say, these stories were very interesting, and varied.  One woman impressed me with, “I was in a dark place waiting to be born.”

Of course, such stories do not prove anything.  They could be products of imagination, or simply scraps of something from the unconscious or universal mind.  However, or whatever they are, taken in bulk from honest persons with no known vested interest, they do prove something beyond our conscious knowledge.  
 
An “Impossible” Story

Here's a true story that is unbelievable to many people.  In reading about hypnosis, I came across an article where a professional hypnotist had claimed that he had been able to increase a woman's breast size using hypnosis.  I dismissed that claim until in 1978; I read an article by Dr Ted X. Barber in the Journal of Clinical Hypnosis about hypnotic phenomena.  This article discussed many different hypnotic phenomena, including several experiments at several different colleges that had all done a similar experiment.  As I recall (at this much later date), each college used 8-12 women, all of whom were somewhat flat chested, and all wanted larger breasts.

All were carefully measured, above and below the actual breasts, and across them at the nipples.  Once a week for 12 weeks, they were hypnotized as a group, and told to visualize things like, “See yourself in a mirror naked with larger breasts.  Admire your larger breasts.  See how good they look, and how good you feel with them.  Now, see yourself dressed in a very becoming dress, and how well it looks on you with your new breasts.  It increases your self-confidence as well. “ 

These comments were repeated several times.  As I recall, the average for all of the various experiments was that 80% actually increased their breast size, and the average increase was 2.1 inches.

Let's take another deeper look at this.  The average success rate for losing weight by hypnosis is considered to be less than 65%.  In other less reported breast size experiments, DECREASING breast size in women with overly large breasts, the success rate was negligible. 

In addition, this suggestion is specific - add body cells to a certain part of the body only!  We have no knowledge if actual mammary cells were added, or only fat cells, but still!!! 

I've won two bets from other psychologists that this story was published in a reputable scientific journal.  I made a hypnosis tape specifically for “breast enlargement”, and heard for a few of the women who purchased it that it did indeed work for them.  Unfortunately, few people report either success or failure.

Why doesn't hypnosis work better on the “lesser task” of losing weight, or losing breast weight?  The explanation is difficult, but in my experience the social “advantage” to women of large breasts inhibits the unconscious from losing this “advantage”.   Some women are “punishing” their selves (or their husbands) by being fat.  (Sort of “love me for me, not for my body”).  Motives of the unconscious mind are often murky and difficult for our conscious minds to understand.  The computer analogy of “garbage in - garbage out” applies here.

Harmful Unconscious Ideas

The unconscious mind can be a force for good or bad.  It apparently doesn't discriminate - again like a computer.  If a virus gets in, it can distort many other programs in different ways.

Let's examine a very illustrative case.  A woman brought in her 8 year old boy for hypnosis for bedwetting.  I did the usual direct suggestion, and told her to keep him off all milk products for at least a week. 

Two days later, she and her son were back.  No success.  This time, I did age regression hypnosis.  He went back (with a little urging) to when he was 4.  He was in bed almost asleep when he heard someone trying to get in his window.  He was so scared that he wet himself, and cried out.  The burglar (real or imagined) left.  The unconscious “logic” to this boy - urination protects from intruders in night.  It wasn't difficult to remove this logic (computer virus), and his mother said that he hadn't wet again a few months later.

The great master of hypnotic therapy, Milton Erickson, once had an almost comic situation that he solved in a unique way.  It seems that a recently married couple came to him because each was a bed wetter.  On their honeymoon, the bed was wet each morning, and each thought the other was very thoughtful in not mentioning it.  After a few days, they each confessed and came to Erickson.

He made them agree to do exactly what he said, and then told them to kneel on the bed when they were ready for sleep and each had to urinate, and then sleep in it.  They came back several days later, and they had kept their word.  He then told them, “Since you did as I told you, tonight you can go to bed normally without the urination, and come back tomorrow”.  The next day, they said the bed was dry in the morning, so he “allowed” them another dry night.  Then another, and then he declared them “cured”.

These two stories illustrate the immense power of the unconscious for both good and bad.  One of the major jobs of the unconscious mind is to “protect” the physical body (home of the unconscious mind) from harm.  If a threat is perceived whether real or imaginary, it goes into action, even if the action may be harmful to itself.
 

The Case AGAINST Raw Frozen Pet Foods

For some 25 years I have alerted the public to the dangers of exclusively feeding heat processed foods. Companion animal feeding has progressed – actually digressed – from table scraps and real foods the family could spare to today’s “100 % complete” processed foods in primarily kibble form, with some canned and semi-moist also available. The foods appear to be scientific and improved, but they’re far worse for the animals. Not only is nutrient value diminished by heat, but a spectrum of toxins is created. Additionally, the singular feeding of processed food has led to the spurious “100% complete and balanced” claim that is both logically and scientifically flawed.
Entrepreneurs have seized upon this information to create a spate of raw frozen (RF) foods to capture a market niche and to fill the demand from consumers wanting a raw alternative to standard heat processed canned, semi-moist and dried pet foods. This market trend, as with most others, may begin with some truth (raw food is the best food) but gets distorted, if not perverted, once economic opportunity enters the picture. This paper will examine the rationale of these products, their economics and dangers. A more intelligent and healthy alternative will be proposed.
Dangers
1. Weakened Pets And Highly Virulent Organisms – A raw state and the presence of moisture in food provide the perfect environment for the growth of pathogenic organisms. Although prey foods in the wild often putrefy and are teeming with microorganisms, carnivores in the wild are immunologically adapted to these organisms and even benefit from the probiotic effects of some. On the other hand, domestic pets eating sterilized heat processed foods are immunologically compromised and are threatened by mutated and highly virulent pathogenic strains created by modern circumstances and antibiotic resistance. Freezing at appropriate temperatures puts pathogens in a state of arrest but does not eliminate them. Although all foods contain some pathogens, unless they are sterilized (requiring high heat or other measures that greatly diminish the nutritional value and create toxins), it is the load of these pathogens that must be of concern to consumers. RF foods are a potential reservoir and vector of large numbers of pathogens.
2. Producers With Only Kitchen Technology – Because of the minimal technology required to produce a RF pet food, essentially anyone regardless of credentials or expertise can bring a product to market. All one needs to do is grind and mix ingredients in a kitchen, package and put in a freezer. There are no controls over the conditions in the kitchen, the quality of the ingredients or the method of freezing. All these factors can dramatically influence the nutritional value and pathogenic and toxic content of the food. But being in a frozen state hides these potential dangers and therefore poses a threat to both pets and the humans who handle the foods. John Doe can make a food under unknown conditions and with unknown ingredients, label, package, freeze and deliver to consumers or stores without one single control monitoring or impeding the process. Regulators may eventually examine the label if they happen to see it in a store (they will never see it if shipped directly to consumers) and object to some terminology or the like; but, all John needs to do is change the label and all will be well. The product could contain every manner of ingredient, be laced with virulent pathogens, and receive the aegis of regulators … and into the market it goes.
3. Raw Frozen Foods Are Not “100% Complete” – Many RF foods make (or imply) the same spurious 100% complete claim as heat processed foods and thus carry with them the same health dangers. Feeding any food exclusively, let alone a nondescript packaged food containing who-knows-what from who-knows what manufacturing environment, is a bad choice if health and safety are of concern. (See The Truth About Pet Foods by Dr. Wysong).
4. Problems Are Ignored By Producers – RF food pathogens include not only bacteria, but fungi, viruses and parasites. Toxins include those from molds (mycotoxins), bacteria and those created by oxidation. In our study of RF products in the stream of commerce, not one producer addressed these concerns with any technological know-how that we could discern, and most did not even acknowledge the problems potentially lurking in their foods.
5. Freezing Masks Inedibles – Raw meat and organ tissue continues to use ATP (source of energy) until it is exhausted and the tissue enters a state of rigor. Endogenous enzymatic activity within the tissue continues to digest the muscle tissue (proteolysis), softening it until it becomes tender and develops the typical palatable taste. This process is retarded by cold. The freezing of properly aged meat presents few problems, however, any residual ATP present in the tissue during freezing will contract the muscle upon thawing resulting in a more unpalatable product. Mixed RF foods would hide this problem.
6. Free Radical Problems Masked – Essential fatty acids and other health enhancing lipids are critical in the diet. Once foods are ground, mixed, exposed to air, light and pro-oxidants such as heme iron and other metals found in plant and animal tissue, the contained lipids are oxidized to chain reaction producing free-radicals, causing rancidity and oxidant toxins. Freezing at appropriately low temperatures slows this process but does not stop it. The temperature in conventional freezers used for RF foods is not insurance against such oxidation. Because the frozen state masks olfactory detection of rancidity, foods that would be otherwise rejected end up being consumed. The free-radical pathology potential can then work its chronic degenerative disease and immune weakening effects.
7. Freezer Burn Indicates A More Serious Problem – Air reaching the meat surface is the cause for the freezer burns that result in the typical grayish-brown leathery spots. Frozen water on the surface or just beneath it sublimates (from solid state directly to vapor) into the air, causing moisture to be lost from the meat over time resulting in discoloration and a dry, leathery texture. Proper packaging helps maintain quality and prevent freezer burn, however most packaging is permeable to air. The prevalence of freezer burn in RF products speaks to the fact that the product is being oxidized and with that creating free radical toxins to lay the seeds for various degenerative diseases.
8. Display Packaging Causes Free Radicals – Light, as well as air, can promote free radical production. Retail display packaging that is clear or light permeable permits light to catalyze the free radical (disease promoting) process.
9. Frozen Products Are Not Inert To Degradation – In frozen storage there is deterioration in organoleptic quality – meat texture, fat turning granular and crumbly, and discoloration. Microbial enzymes also remain active, especially lipases that break down fats increasing their susceptibility to oxidation.
10. Frozen Foods Can Lead To Acidemia – Tissue degradation and oxidation under high heat freezing (above 29° F), which occurs along the supply chain with most RF products, also leads to acidification. Increasing acid consumption can contribute to acidemia that lies at the base of virtually every chronic degenerative disease plaguing modern pets. (See reference below.)
11. Temperature And Time Are Critical – Ice nucleation, as opposed to ice crystallization, is the primary vector in producing a stable, tasty, frozen product. Freezing is a technically complex process based on the optimum combination of temperature and time, amongst other factors. In the wrong processor’s hands, slips in proper freezing care can lead to a microbiologically unstable product and/or a sensory inferior one. Rapid freezing leads to nucleation, thereby preventing undesirable large ice crystals from forming throughout the product. With rapid freezing the molecules don’t have time to form positions in the characteristic six-sided snowflake, so nucleation overrides crystallization. On the other hand, slow freezing (the usual RF situation) creates large ice crystals, which on thawing causes cellular damage to the meat. This in turn causes meat to “drip” – lose juiciness – and form a perfect liquid medium for bacterial growth.
12. The High Risk In Thawing – Thawing is another critical phase in the freezing process as it involves a change from crystal ice to melted water, which upon reabsorption results in microbial reactivation. Pathogenic bacteria inherently contaminate raw meat, fish, and poultry and will begin to multiply again when the temperature reaches just 29.3؛ F – which is below freezing! Thus a product that may appear subjectively frozen could be a veritable incubator of pathogens. When consumers attempt to thaw RF foods, dangers dramatically increase. The surface temperature rises long before the interior is sufficiently thawed to serve. For example, it takes about 15 hours for the middle of a 22-pound turkey to get to 32؛ F. In the interim the surface temperature rises to 53؛ F. In this amount of time there would be about 4 multiplications of spoilage bacteria as well as non-detectable multiplications of pathogens. The FDA Model Food Code (1999) recommends that food be thawed in the refrigerator or in flowing water. Thawing RF food in the refrigerator can be inefficient and time consuming, in addition to occupying refrigeration space required for other food items. Most of all, this lengthy procedure can lead to the risk of cross-contamination when the drip from the raw meat comes in contact with ready-to-eat food stored in the refrigerator. In the alternative, consumers usually put the RF food out at room temperature, creating the perfect circumstance for pathogen proliferation.
13. Undetected Freeze-Thaw Cycles – The transit time of RF food from the processor (or John Doe’s kitchen) to the distributor, to the stores and eventually to the consumer is very critical. Although freezer delivery trucks might putatively maintain stable product temperatures, lack of thermocouples fitted in the truck to show temperature readings, and/or inadequate TTIs (time-temperature indicators) can lead to microbiologically infested products without any visible spoilage signs. If the refrigeration in any part of the supply chain fails temporarily and then goes back to frozen (freeze-thaw-freeze), the consumer would never know of this abuse and danger.
14. Supply Chain Time Dangers – Time is the enemy of nutrition and safety. The longer the time between the farmer’s field and the belly, the greater the potential problems. RF foods create the illusion that time is not a factor. Because the frozen state masks toxins and odors, the consumer can be given the impression of value and freshness when, in fact, they may be getting age and toxicity.
15. Microwave Thawing Dangers – If RF foods are thawed in the microwave as a matter of convenience, the value of the food is greatly compromised. Microwaves can virtually boil the liquid phase within cells and electromagnetically alter important food components rendering them not only useless nutritionally, but toxic as well.
16. Mycotoxins Go Undetected – RF foods, particularly those that are a mix of cooked grains (which of course negates the claim for “rawness”) and vegetables, can contain mycotoxins. None of the producers surveyed addressed this problem.
17. Frozen Product Mixtures Make No Health Sense – In an attempt to cover every conceivable base and not miss any opportunity for profit, many RF producers mix every manner of ingredient. For example, watermelon, grains, persimmons, liver, lamb, etc. Not only would creatures in the wild never eat such a mixed gruel at one sitting, such combinations in the fresh state can cause serious digestive stress. Many of the exotic RF ingredients do not keep well in the fresh frozen state (for example, freeze watermelon alone and see what happens, let alone combining it with meat). Also, the combination of fruit sugars with proteins can potentially create toxins such as glycation end products, acrylamides (particularly in those “RF” foods containing cooked carbohydrates) and reaction products of proteins with plant tannins, phenols and flavonoids. Producers “throwing the book” at RF formulations in desperate attempts to capture market share make evident their motives and their scientific, health and technical naiveté.
18. Parasites Are Ignored – A wide range of parasites can be found within RF foods. Although there is technology in terms of freezing and natural ingredients that can be used to thwart this problem, none of the producers examined employed any of it that we could detect.
Packaging
The best packaging for any food, particularly RF foods, is light- and oxygen-barrier and modified atmosphere flushed. In the absence of this, oxidation proceeds rendering the lipids toxic. None of the producers surveyed employed these technologies that we could detect. Even if they did, the other problems and dangers listed above would remain.
Environmental
We live in an age of pollution and energy diminishment. RF foods require a tremendous amount of refrigeration and equipment all along the supply path. Freezing is energy inefficient and consumes valuable energy resources. Since RF foods are 70% water (at least) there are huge resources wasted in freezing and transporting the tons of this food-contained water through the supply chain. Along with all the equipment, trucking, freezing and frozen water handling inefficiency comes the pollution that parallels such industry.
Quality
In order to make their foods anywhere near affordable, RF producers must search the ingredient market for items that can carry the name of real food but may in fact be only a hollow shell of the real thing. Inferior meat and organ ingredients, heat processed grains and vegetable riffraff (for example “broccoli” on a label may really be broccoli stems – like eating a branch from an apple tree rather than the apple) are used because they are of low cost. That is not to say the marketing brochures and labels do not make it appear as though the brand is not a true gourmet meal. If one reviews the various labels it becomes clear that the race is on to see who can put the fanciest and most exotic ingredients on labels ... as if that is the road to pet health. (It is not.) In a brief ingredient survey this is what we found:
Every manner of “pureed” vegetable
Organic beef, rabbit, chicken, turkey, goat, lamb, duck, pork
Organic honey
Organic papaya, persimmons, blueberries, oranges, apples, pears
Organic yogurt
Organic alfalfa, millet, quinoa and barley sprouts
Wheat grass
Nettles
Bok choy
Cultured kefir
Cod liver oil
Capsicum
Watermelon
The reader is challenged to go to the store and total up the cost of such ingredients. Some of the organic ingredients can cost over $15 per pound. But the RF diets containing them can retail for as little as $2-4 per pound. Take away margins for distributors and retail stores and the producer is selling them wholesale for close to a dollar per pound. Now on top of the cost of ingredients is the production, advertising, packaging, freezing and in some cases a sales force making six figures. Something most certainly does not add up. The only thing that can be missing is true ingredient quality. But how can the label say these expensive ingredients are in the food? All the producer needs to do is put in pinches of the expensive ingredients just to say they are there.
The only economic hope for a RF producer is to create the perception of “value added.” They simply could not put the costly ingredients in the food to any degree and make a profit for themselves and all the middlemen up and down the chain. The price they would have to charge would be ridiculous. In effect, in order to be successful, producers must become accomplished at propaganda, not health and nutrition.
Consumers interested in cutting through to the truth do themselves and their pets a service by going to the grocery store with a list of the ingredients ostensibly in a RF diet. Although some RF diets in the lower price range appear to not be attempting to mislead, consumers should do the math comparing the exotic ingredients in RF pet foods to the prices for the real thing in the store and decide for themselves whether either value or honesty resides in RF products.
Economics
Consumers are under the mistaken assumption that a nondescript package mix of ingredients with an officious label and from a producer posing as a nutritional authority (none of the producers we examined had people at the helm with expertise or credentials) would be the best choice. Little do they realize that they could avoid essentially all of the caveats listed above by simply going to the grocer and buying fresh meats and produce. Pets do not require every nutrient in existence at every meal, as is the impression given by the 100% complete RF producers, and for that matter the rest of the pet food industry. Why would people choose to pay a producer to mix inferior ingredients, package them, label them, freeze them, transport them, advertise them and pay the margin for the producer, the distributor, sales force and the retailer when they can avoid all that cost and put their money into real quality fresh foods? Some people are so convinced that RF manufacturers perform some sort of magic that they will pay to have such foods put in special insulated containers packed with dry ice and overnight delivered! This is particularly ridiculous when one considers that no real convenience – and certainly no health or nutritional value – is added in the process. The consumer still has to go to the store and buy something.
At the grocer a person can buy fresh, raw, untainted meats and produce appropriate for pet carnivores at less than $1 per pound. Slightly out-of-date meats, sale items, trimmings or other still excellent products that cannot be put in the meat case can be even less. True, if you are to purchase the ingredients listed above in perfect human grade organic form (as many RF producers boast) the cost could be far greater. But at least you would know what you are getting. RF foods can cost as much as $7 per pound with an average of about $3-4 per pound (not including shipping to the customer’s door) and most of that cost is going into freezing, transportation and profits through a whole chain of participants. Here is a case where a consumer gets to pay more (a whole lot more) and get less (a whole lot less). Isn’t marketing a wonderful thing?
A Better Alternative
Fresh foods fed in variety are without question the perfect form of nutrition. Appropriately designed supplements to help reduce the risk of food-borne pathogens and oxidation, and to help balance high meat meals and provide a spectrum of vegetable-based nutrients and nutraceuticals can also be of great benefit. Anything less than this is a compromise. The next best alternative is packaged dried raw foods that have incorporated in them food technology to impede pathogens, parasites and oxidation. The low water activity of these products is a great inhibitor of pathogens and the low level of moisture make storage and shipping efficient and environmentally friendly. Good quality table scraps and properly designed dried extruded and canned foods can be mixed into the diet rotation with benefit as well.
Consumers must learn the principles of fresh foods fed in variety and to trust in nature. Every pet owner desires the best for a beloved pet, and is correct in thinking food is an essential element in achieving that goal. But it is incorrect to believe that another person can do more for their pet’s health than they can do themselves. All that is required is a little understanding and use of common sense.
[ NOTE: To that end, the Wysong Institute makes available a free e-Health Letter, a free one-hour CD entitled, “The Thinking Person’s Master Key To Health,” healthy product alternatives designed intelligently with health as the number one objective, and books and recipes for anyone wanting to take control of their own and their family’s and pet’s health.  See www.wysonginstitute.org ]
References:
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FDA Food Code (1999). U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Pub. No. PB99-115925. Washington, D.C. 20250
Food Safety and Inspection Service (2004). FOCUS ON: Freezing. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Washington, D.C. 20250
Klose, A.A., Lineweaver, H., and Palmer, H.H. (1968). Thawing turkeys at ambient air temperature. Food Tech. 22:1310-1314.
Muldrew, K. and McGann, L.E. (1999). Cryobiology - A Short Course. http://www.ucalgary.ca/~kmuldrew/cryo_course/cryo_chap13_1.html
Snyder, O. P. (1999). Thawing At Ambient Temperature On The Counter. Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management, St. Paul, MN.
Wysong, R. L. (2004). Nutrition is a Serious Health Matter: The serious responsibility of manufacturing and selling. Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.
Wysong, R. L. (1990). Lipid Nutrition: Understanding Fats and Oils in Health and Disease. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.
Wysong R. L. (1993). Rationale for Animal Nutrition. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.
Wysong, R. L. (2000-2005). Wysong e-Health Letter. Wysong Institute, Midland, MI. For subscriptions: http://www.wysong.net/subscribehl.shtml, and archived at http://www.wysong.net/archivesehl.shtml
Wysong, R. L. (2002). The Truth About Pet Foods. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.
Wysong, R. L. (2003, January 14). What to do to reverse and prevent acidemia. The Wysong e-Health Letter. http://www.wysong.net/health/post_101_011403.shtml Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.
Wysong, R. L. (2004). The Thinking Person’s Master Key to Health (60 Minute CD Discussion). Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.