Bliss can also be created by choosing to expose yourself to healing vibrational experiences: translation, your favorite music. Research has shown that when we listen to music of our choice, we release more endorphins and experience greater clarity, less confusion and increased well-being. Beside being soothing to our cells, vibrationally, the music forces us to be in the moment, distracting us from focusing on what would cause us further suffering. The result: bliss!

Be sure to consider other types of vibrational sounds on which you can focus. Bliss can be the result of listening to comedy that causes you to laugh heartily. Norman Cousins was one of the first to write about the power of laughter to ease pain and expedite healing, leading to bliss.

Bliss can be evoked even through journaling which uses the powerful tools of imagery and visualization. Make it a practice to write ten to fifteen minutes or more daily and allow yourself to write about something you intend to create, be it your dream job, spouse, family, home or your world. Being fully in the Now as you write, use all your senses to imagine what you want in the future as actually occurring in the Moment. Feel the joy of this and the vibration of this will move through every cell of your being, filling you with pure bliss! And, what is lovely, is that this process enables you to manifest your dreams.

Bliss comes when you give yourself permission to do something you enjoy and about which you are passionate, but which you do not do often, if ever! Taking time to go to a concert, meeting a friend for coffee, driving to the mountains or to the beach to visit friends, shopping, taking a course, learning to play an instrument, taking a luxurious hot bath or getting a massage are some examples.

One of the most assured ways of experiencing bliss is knowing you are making a difference in the life of another. Choosing to be of service by volunteering your time, effort and energy  results in the release of endorphins, making you feel gratified and valued. Consider learning a healing modality, such as Reiki, and using this not only on yourself, but on your pets, as well as family members. You may wish to receive certification in a healing modality and choose to use this as a way you can help others to heal.

Finally, bliss is often the described state of taking time daily or whenever possible to experience going deep within you, into the stillness of your soul. You can do this by learning to focus on your breath, praying, meditating, doing yoga, qui gong and/or tai chi, Engaging in any one of these activities enables you to connect with your intuitive wisdom, which, in turn, connects you with your Higher Power and the recognition that you are a being of Love, worthy of being loved.
Bliss is Love, be it the love you feel for your most significant other, that is, you, or the love you feel for another. May your life be filled with only bliss.

Susan Barbara Apollon
Author of “Touched By The Extraordinary”

©Copyright 2008 Susan Barbara Apollon

“I can roll up in a ball and cry…or I can sow some nets. I choose to sow some nets in the time I have”…Randy Pausch

How amazing you are! It is the choices you make that determine your bliss, joy, peace and even contribute to your being aware of how connected you are to your Higher Power, whoever and whatever that may be. This is real Power! And you were born with the intuitive wisdom to do whatever is necessary to find your bliss.

Though you were born feeling and knowing this bliss, life being what it is, this knowing is something you tend to forget. It becomes part of your life’s journey to realize  - or remember – that you are entitled to live in bliss – and that it is all an inside job! There is nothing outside of you that determines whether you are happy or peaceful. It must come from within.

What is bliss, after all? Personally, being in bliss is my awareness of overwhelming peace, joy and well being, as though I am connected to All That Is. It is not unlike what athletes call “being in the zone,” or making love, or successful meditation, or simply being still. Bliss can be the feeling you may experience when you are in the park on a beautiful fall day, on the beach listening to the soothing sounds of the waves, or listening to your favorite music while on a drive in your car or even seated in your special chair at home.

Remember the moment you held your newborn or your first puppy or kitten and how you felt? That is bliss! You were totally in the present moment, enjoying the experience you were having. Perhaps you can recall the first time you traveled somewhere that you had longed dreamed about?  Or remember that moment you experienced winning a competition for which you had long been preparing? That, too, is bliss.

Of course, when things are going well, it is easier to feel bliss. But, when your outside world feels as though it is falling apart, such as dealing with the impact of the recent financial crises, the loss of a loved one or receiving upsetting news about someone or something about which you deeply care, you can and you must, eventually, find your sense of bliss, peace and well-being by connecting you with the core of your being.

You really do have the power to create your bliss via the choices you make and the image, person or thought on which you choose to focus. We have extensive research to validate that when you focus on your fears, worries, tragedies, anticipated problems and losses, you create an inner state of suffering. Yes, suffering.  And, when you choose to focus on what feels good, you feel good!

Please, do not misunderstand. Life is what it is. There are going to be curve balls; there will be events and occurrences which result in pain and suffering. But, there needs to be balance. In  time, you need to re-create a dominance of feelings of well-being and bliss.  This comes by the choice you make about your mental images and thoughts. Choose carefully! 

Susan Barbara Apollon
Author of “Touched By The Extraordinary”

©Copyright 2008 Susan Barbara Apollon

Remember, your cells are your own personal team of health-workers, with you as their captain. They know what you need for well-being, healing and harmony and they depend on you to meet their needs.. The moment you step out into the fresh air of a feel-good, warm, sunny, breezy day, you begin to release endorphins, enabling you to feel good. Just imagining being outside in your favorite places, doing what you love to do, causes you to release these needed chemicals of well-being which then expedites the healing response within the cells of your body.

One significant point here: despite the fact that excessive exposure to the sun is not healthy for you, exposure to some sunlight can actually sooth and comfort you and your cells, contributing to increased immunity.

Think for a moment about how you feel each time you imagine yourself in a treasured place, be it in your garden or taking your dog for a walk in a neighborhood park. Perhaps you enjoy seeing and feeling yourself horseback riding or fishing in the country or skiing down one of the trails at your favorite ski resort or on a local track? Do you notice that you are aware of the temperature, the warmth of the sun, the breeze caressing your face or the scent of the newest blossoming flowers and trees? Do you notice how good you are feeling?

Your body is finely tuned and sensitive to Truth and Beauty. When you gaze at a beautiful sunset or sunrise, or rainbow, or a newly snow-covered path, or if you happen to pick up the scent of a freshly cut lawn or an exquisite rose bush, the experience is registered as something so beautiful and spectacular that you again immediately produce the neurotransmitters which contribute to feeling wonderful. Why is this?

The answer is this: You are hardwired for bliss! In fact, the research findings of a new area of science, neurotheology, suggest that we are hardwired for God – or spirituality. Consider how often, while participating in some outdoor activity, such as walking or running on a beach or around the neighborhood, horseback riding, skiing, gardening, swimming, taking a drive in the country or biking, you have experienced a connection with your Higher Power, as well as with God.

 It is in these moments of connection that you have a sense of being One with All There Is. You feel more relaxed and actually shift to a higher energetic vibration. You feel more peaceful, more serene, more inclined to pray, and, very often, are deeply grateful for the opportunity to be able to be a part of your experience. For me, this time feels as though I am in the Zone! And I love every moment of it. How does this feel for you?

The essence of this piece is that you have available to you an amazing healing tool: Mother Nature. Make the most of this by choosing to engage in outdoor activities that bring you pleasure in the places you love most. Be conscious of how you feel when you are either imagining or are actually outdoors. Your body, referring to your entire team of loving cells, will appreciate you and provide you with an enhanced production of therapeutic chemicals which will serve your body, mind and spirit. Enjoy!!

Susan Barbara Apollon
Author of “Touched By The Extraordinary”

©Copyright 2008 Susan Barbara Apollon

So many of us like to think that mind, body and spirit are separate entities; truthfully, as a psychologist who works with the ill and the dying, I now recognize that experiencing any kind of physical distress impacts you emotionally, mentally and spiritually. More than two decades of working with patients has shown me that mind, body and spirit are one. Furthermore, you can enable healing on all three levels by choosing to allow the extraordinary into your life.

Before going further, let us first define the word extraordinary. According to the Thorndike-Barnhart Dictionary (Random House), extraordinary is “beyond what is usual, regular or ordinary” and “exceptional to a high degree and remarkable.”

Next, we need to define heal and healing. According to the dictionary, heal is “to make whole, sound, or well; bring back to health; cure.” Healing is “that which heals or cures” as well as “getting well” and “the act of a person or thing that heals.”

Let’s put this together. You are extraordinary (meaning you are exceptional and remarkable); you were born extraordinary, though most of us tend to forget who we are, including the power with which we were born, and why we are here. Forgetting or disconnecting from your natural, inherent power leads to being off balance and feeling incomplete, not whole or well and in need of healing ( to be made whole and balanced).

By permitting yourself to be open to such remarkable and unusual experiences, you are connecting not only with your own wisdom, but with that of the Universe, and, in so doing, you are aligning with the powers of your own inherent intuitive knowing and your own Consciousness or Mind. This means that you can reclaim the power with which you were born, a power which may be forgotten but which is familiar to your whole being and which enables healing (ie .or the restoration of balance, harmony and wholeness) to occur.

For example, consider the following synchronicity: You are concerned about some health issue and intuitively feel there may be a health issue which you feel may need to be checked out. You then happen to be in a library or bookstore when a book falls off the shelf. As you pick it up, you notice that the page to which it opened is one which discusses the very matter about which you have concerns.

It behooves you at this point to consider the possibility of an alignment of your intuitive wisdom with the wisdom of your Higher Power or that of the Universe. This might then lead you to then considering the possibility that the extraordinary might help speed your healing– if you choose to listen to the message. On some level, you (i.e. the power of your thoughts and your intentions) contributed to that book falling from the shelf into your path.

Keep in mind that among your blessings is the fact that you live in an age in which you have scientific and technological advances providing you with powerful medicines and a variety of other kinds of healing aids or support. Yet, even with such strength coming from your physical world, it is your natural-born resources, historically used by shamans and healers, which enable true healing to occur; that is healing at your core and a healing which permeates every aspect of you, including your mind or consciousness, your physical body and your spirit or soul.(TO BE CONTINUED)

Susan Barbara Apollon
Author of “Touched By The Extraordinary”

©Copyright 2008 Susan Barbara Apollon

2. Be open to changing your perspective! The experience of grief and trauma can contribute to your changing your thinking about what is truly important in life. For example, following the occurrence of a significant tragedy or loss, you may find yourself amazed at the decreased importance and attention you give to what were formerly valued items, perhaps a fancy car, china or clothing, or to participation in previously favored activities, such as sports, your job, traveling or entertainment.

3. Recognize the importance of Love in your life’s journey. You may even learn from your pain and suffering that the only thing that really matters is the person you love and your loving relationship with this individual. My husband taught me this years before we married (some 44 years ago!). Walking along a boating dock, the little bag I held that contained his rings and watch slipped from my hands, went through the boards and into the water, never to be seen again. I cried profusely, feeling great guilt, and will always remember his words: “Don’t worry, Susan. The only thing that matters is you. I can replace the jewelry; I can’t replace you.” His love touched, healed and soothed my pain of disappointing him!

4. In dealing with the pain of a tragedy, loss or grief, healing occurs as you discover that you are much stronger than you thought you were. Suddenly, being forced into roles that your ill or deceased loved ones once held, be it holding down a full-time job, paying the bills, maintaining your home or car, or creating your social life, you may find that you are now taking responsibility for areas of your life that you previously felt you were unable to handle.

5. With your new- found sense of personal strength, you may learn that you are more powerful than you had thought, more capable and more resilient. This new awareness may enhance your self-esteem, self-confidence and your belief in yourself. All of these are gifts because they come at a time when you are left feeling powerless, frightened and worried about your ability to survive. Tragedy often validates your ability to be a survivor, one who can handle whatever curve ball may come your way. My patients have repeatedly shared their awareness with me of how much braver and more courageous they feel they are, having proved to themselves they can survive without their loved ones

6. You learn that there are questions that better serve you than asking “Why did this happen?”, a normal response to such events. By asking “What is this teaching me?” and “What is the lesson I need to learn here?”, you find that you have an enhanced ability to cope with such stressful experiences.  For example, such questions often move us from perceiving ourselves as victims to realizing that we have the resources to deal with such challenges. They also move us along in our having a sense of purpose, despite our angst and pain.

7. View the events as challenges or opportunities to learn valuable life lessons; patience, courage, compassion or forgiveness. Asking the previously mentioned questions helps you become more conscious of which life lessons you are here to learn. This, in turn, again, leads to a stronger sense of connection with your own Higher Power or God, as well as a change in your perspective about the meaning of such losses and traumas. Allow your perspective to become broader, inviting in more wonderful possibilities about life, its purpose and whether life continues in a somewhat different form; allow this change in perspective to soothe and heal the pain of your broken heart. (TO BE CONTINUED)

Susan Barbara Apollon
Author of “Touched By The Extraordinary”

©Copyright 2008 Susan Barbara Apollon

The SIXTH STEP : Ask for names of excellent psychologists or social workers with whom you can meet. Why talk? Well, yes, it is good to give expression to your feelings. But, there is more. The value of talking with someone you trust and with whom you are comfortable is that you get to reclaim your power; that is, the power with which you were born.

The SEVENTH STEP: TALK AND LISTEN. In talk therapy, you discover many aspects of yourself that contribute to your feeling of a connection with a long lost friend. But, the additional value of talking to a psychotherapist is that you gain clarity as to what triggers cause you to suddenly shift your mood, as well as a variety of coping devices with which you were born and which you can employ at any time to help you regain a sense of control of your life. You also recognize that you have the power to release and replace the old taped messages from childhood that you have been playing unconsciously.

The EIGHTH STEP …Take time to become conscious of and to actively give thanks for all your blessings. Do this frequently throughout the day, taking nothing for granted. But, be sure to do this from your heart and not your head. Write them and say them aloud and you will feel better!

The NINTH STEP: Remember to harness the gift of your breath. As you take a few minutes throughout the day to focus on following your breath in and out, watching it carry peace and healing into cells in every part of you, while releasing all negativity, you release chemicals in your brain which contribute to your feeling more peaceful and relaxed.

The TENTH STEP: Acknowledge and release past grievances that are holding you back from healing; forgive yourself and others; stay in the Now. Say I forgive me for… and I forgive … for …. When you intentionally decide to release and surrender old hurts, pain and unresolved issues – for your sake and not for the other, you move into the Now where there is only peace.

The ELEVENTH STEP: Be compassionate, loving and kind to yourself and to others. SPEAK KINDLY TO YOURSELF AND TO OTHERS. Words can hurt deeply!

The TWELFTH STEP: Find and follow your passion. Do what makes you happy.

The THIRTEENTH STEP: Pray, say Help me, please, to whomever your Higher Power may be. Help is always available but not often visible.

The FOURTEENTH STEP: See yourself as a VICTOR rather than a victim; see yourself walking through a tunnel and into the Light which is visible at the other end.

The FIFTEENTH STEP: Affirm to yourself frequently: I am getting through this, one moment at a time. I can manage this one minute at a time. I intend to be here for wonderful things and to have a good life. I am loved and I have hope.

The SIXTEENTH STEP: REMEMBER YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER WHAT OTHERS THINK, ONLY OVER YOURSELF! If someone uses you as a scapegoat for their own pain, do not take personally their words. It may be about them!

The SEVENTEENTH STEP: DO THE BEST YOU CAN!

Finally, ALWAYS LOOK FOR THE LESSONS IN EACH MOMENT of your experience, as this will enable you to see your experience from the Higher Part of your Self, the part that recognizes just how very powerful you are.

Susan Apollon
Author of “Touched By The Extraordinary”

Goodbye Sudden Moodswings: Hello Stability, Peace & Life Part 1

The Spindrift Studies conducted in Salem, Oregon, beginning in 1975, were among the first, in a laboratory setting, to validate that prayer works. Since then, prominent researchers including Elizabeth Targ, MD, in 1999, and psychologist, Bernie Grad of Montreal’s McGill University, have conducted powerful  research concerning the impact of mind on mind and mind on matter.

Elizabeth Targ, Ph.D. conducted studies of the effects of prayer on AIDS patients, showing the positive, stunning impact of those who had been prayed for versus those who had not. This research scientifically demonstrated the power of healing intentions. Grad was the first to show that our thoughts and intentions have the power to influence other living things. Larry Dossey, MD, conducted his own research regarding prayer which he writes about in Healing Words and Prayer is Good Medicine, as well as Be Careful What You Pray For.

The bottom line here is that though we cannot prove the existence of God, we have been able to scientifically demonstrate the effect of distant healing intentions and prayer on other forms of life. This is why I pray for my patients and family on a daily basis.

What deeply moved and inspired me was the information channeled to two medical psychologists at a well known New York university which eventually came to be known as A Course in Miracles. Principle #11 of the Course states, “Prayer is the medium of miracles…Through prayer, love is received, and, through miracles, love is expressed.” I have never forgotten these words – and hope that you, too, will forever remember them.

Please, take five to ten minutes each morning and/or evening to light a candle and, then, offer prayers for those who are trapped beneath crushed fallen buildings, those who no longer have a home of their own, and those who are suffering because they have lost those they love. Ask the Higher Power in which you believe that these souls, who include children, adults and animals, be blessed with whatever they need for their highest good.

Your prayerful intentions carry great healing power.. You may even consider asking that those who are not likely to be found and who are slowly dying, be taken sooner than later, so that they will be freed from their indescribable pain. Pray for compassion and for love; pray from your heart. Your sincere, authentic, compassionate healing intentions will be known to and experienced by every one of your own cells – and you, too, will experience healing.

Susan Apollon
Author of “Touched By The Extraordinary”