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by Jaqueline Lapa Sussman
Total Health:
CHEMICALS of the SOUL
WHAT IS HEALTH?
Total health involves one’s mind, body
and spirit. The mind engages in subtle,
complex and powerful interaction with
the body, so it comes as no surprise that
emotional and mental well-being are
directly linked to physical health. We may
try to eat a healthy diet, take supplements
and get enough exercise, but if we are not
happy, our inner spirit is not in tune, and
if we experience turmoil and friction in
our soul, we are on the road to illness.
Symptoms of illness are signals that
there is something amiss, that we are
divided from the deeper intimations of
our soul’s intentions.
The physical body does not break
down at random, unaffected by the condition
of one’s inner self. Health requires
being in a state of wholeness. To be
“whole” or “healthy” means that our
thoughts and feelings are in harmony
with each other. We are not riddled with
conflicts, but are true to what our insides
are telling us. How we treat others also
affects our health, as the definition for
“wholesomeness,” a word related to
wholeness, is defined as “promoting
moral well-being” and “based on openness
and honesty.” “Disease,” on the
other hand, literally means being ill at
ease. It describes an inner condition of
turmoil or conflict or feeling split within.
Interestingly, the word “holy,” which is
also related to wholeness, is defined as,
“of a unique character, evoking reverence.”
This describes a person who not
only is whole within himself but induces
a sense of wholeness or holiness in
others. So physical health cannot be separated
from one’s mental, emotional and
spiritual well-being.
THE SOUL
The soul or spirit is characterized variously:
by Hinduism as the divine Self, by
Buddhism as the product of conditions
and causes, and in Judaism, Christianity
and Islam as the core of the individual
person partaking of his or her choices
and deeds. However one defines the
soul, traditional wisdom through the
ages has taught that physical health
requires living in accordance with the
soul’s deepest intentions.
For example, Native Americans’ lives
and rituals were oriented to bring individuals,
the community and all of the natural
and spiritual world (including the
earth, plants, animals, and spirits) into
harmonious balance. They knew the
secret of living in holiness and reverence
with nature and each other, in order to
walk in beauty. They saw the oneness of
all of life. Buddhism teaches that sickness
is derived from a process of misunderstanding
from “beginningless time.”
Illness arises from the passions that
result from unreal mental constructions
that separate us from a unified core to all
existence.
According to the Buddhists, the elimination of egoism and possessiveness heals the split at the core of the soul,
resulting in peace and equanimity. Similarly, the Jews have made the connection between the soul and health very clear by saying, “If you cleanse your soul, you will live.” And Christ added, “A house
divided cannot stand.”
SOUL and SCIENCE
These religious and philosophical principles
have been confirmed by science.
Body and mind function as one continuous
interrelated flow of chemicals
and electrical signals. The field of psychoneuroimmunology
studies the correlation
between stress, negative thought,
emotions, trauma and disease. Extensive
research has demonstrated that the brain
responds to negative or conflicting
thoughts by releasing stress chemicals.
These, in turn, negatively affect the body
and its organs, creating a host of symptoms.
Conversely, positive and harmonious
thoughts release chemical
responses that heal and restore the body.
Thus, the way to health is to live in a positive
and wholesome manner that reveres
all of life and its sacredness. To live a
soulful life full of love, generosity,
wisdom and compassion releases a flow
of deeply healing neurological and chemical
signals, thereby inducing health,
well-being and longevity.
MAINTAINING HEALTH
We may not be consciously aware of the
root cause of our illness. At times, selfdoubt
or powerlessness resulting from a
past trauma may prevent us from living
according to our soul’s deeper intentions.
Beliefs absorbed from our parents
or society may cause conflict. Our disease
may be rooted in narcissism, arrogance,
greed or materialism. When our
personality and soul are at odds, whatever
the reason, we cannot stand unified
or strong. We begin to deteriorate and
cannot maintain physical health. Our
symptoms are our psyche’s way of telling
us that we need healing or to be made
whole again. True and lasting healing
occurs when we treat the “whole”
person, which includes bodies, minds
and souls as interrelated and not as disjointed
parts that need fixing. Therefore,
living in harmony means to live in a
manner that we do not injure ourselves
or others through divisive thoughts,
deeds or actions. We are at one within
ourselves and with others.
It is not possible to stay in a positive
state of mind all the time, as our minds,
thoughts and emotions fluctuate from
moment to moment due to events that
occur in life. The problem arises when one
becomes fixed on a particular negative
state of mind, such as fear, anger or hopelessness.
If we become angry or
depressed and remain that way for a long
period of time, the body will be inundated
with injurious chemicals. True health
requires us to be able to pass through
many emotions and their attendant chemicals,
within a moment’s demand, and
return to a more centered functioning, in
which the chemicals are balanced and
ready to move in a positive direction.
The ancient traditions of meditation
and prayer, as well as the more modern
forms of psychotherapy are designed to help in this regard. When we are able to
return to our centers, we are once again
in harmony with our soul’s intention. We
return to the natural state of well-being,
in which peace predominates. We are
once more in tune with ourselves, our
cells and all of life.
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CHEMICALS of the SOUL IMAGE
In interacting with others, our bodies, minds and souls are involved in every
transaction with every person we engage with. Every interaction has a consequence
of increase or loss of health based on our attitude and behavior. We
enhance our health and well-being by creating love and good feelings and we lose
it by creating discord and chaos.
As you read the instructions below, allow the images to form in your mind's
eye and notice how you feel.
- See that you are at a store buying something from a cashier.
- See how you naturally feel towards the cashier? Neutral, open or closed? These are your body feelings while dealing with the cashier.
- See that you are interacting with the cashier and also waiting for the response. What is your mind and body state?
- Waiting for the cashier to respond is waiting for a cue which affects your body in some way. You are in a receptive state of expectation. How do you feel? How is your body?
- See that the cashier is also in a state of expectation regarding you. You have the power to affect the outcome of your interaction.
- Think of the cashier as an extension of your own self. See you touch the cashier with good feelings in some way. How does the cashier respond to you in the image?
- Do you notice the difference in your body when you approach the cashier with positive feelings? This is how you create well-being.
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SEPARATION from the SOUL
Dr. Akther Ahsen, with whom I work
closely, is the leading theoretician in the
field of Eidetic Image Psychology. Eidetic
Imagery treats symptoms through
studying the links between one’s
thoughts, emotions, personal histories
and physiology. Since body, mind and
soul are seen as one congruent whole,
true healing occurs when all parts are
brought together and unified.
Dr. Ahsen states, “The soul is the
center of the body. This is from where all
the health rises. When life first begins,
body and soul are in unison. Then,
through life stresses, they become separated.
This stress disturbs the natural
chemicals in the body. The very idea that
the soul does not exist causes a problem
in creating rationality, which alienates the
body from the mind and soul. When
people become overly rational, they separate
from their deeper sensibilities and
try to force things. This force creates reactivity
in the body. Then the person receives
a resentful cooperation from their bodies,
with increasing weakness. There is a
feeling of loss that they cannot overcome.
The soul is an invisible gene that you can’t
see but has everything in it. It is the seed
that contains all the genetic information
we need to flourish. How does that infinitesimal
thing that you cannot see with the
naked eye have all the knowledge of everything
in it? It is a wonder.”
ACCESSING CHEMICALS of the SOUL
Ultimately, to have total health is to live
with a sense of love and compassion for
ourselves and others. It is to deeply recognize
the oneness within our own
selves and our oneness with all
humanity. The great sages have always
taught that “we are one mind and one
body,” meaning both within ourselves
and one with the world. No matter what
our station in life, we all share the same
desire for happiness and peace. When we
see others as separate from ourselves,
and we live in a consciousness of “me”
first, we create a divided state of mind in which the negative chemicals of fear,
paranoia and selfishness predominate.
Our bodies, minds and souls close
down. Our hearts, endocrine systems
and other physiological functions
respond in kind, ultimately affecting our
health. When we see others as real
human beings, not only our families and
close friends, but strangers, such as a
cashier who is checking us out, and we
experience regard for them, even love,
and have a kind word for them, we are
filled with the chemicals of the soul.
These chemicals, full of joy, love, kindness,
peace and ecstasy contain the ultimate
healing elixirs for the body. We are
at one within and with the world. This is
called total health.
JAQUELINE LAPA SUSSMAN is one of the
foremost practitioners of Eidetic Imagery in
the world. She is the author of Images of
Desire: Finding Your Natural Sensual Self In
Today's Image Filled Society and Freedom From
Failure. She has written numerous articles on
Eidetic Image Psychology. You can contact her
Web site: www.jaquelinesussman.com or email
her at:
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