A Mother's Love for "Heal Your Body"

I have a health practitioner’s love, a woman’s love, and a mother’s love for Louise Hay’s book, Heal Your Body. I first learned about her book 15 years ago. I had been diagnosed with ovarian cysts and was working with natural remedies to avoid surgery. In a session with my energy worker, out came the book, and I received my first affirmation to help my energetic body align with my healing process. Until that moment in time, I had never fully appreciated what the term “mind-body connection” meant.

Reproductive organs are associated with creativity. I realized that I had been years without dance, and that I needed to go back to dancing and other expressive activities in order to heal my body. Over a year later, through a combination of many alternative modalities, the cysts were gone, and I was dancing again.

I love the way the book works. Look up a physical ailment, condition, or part of body, and you’ll also find probable emotional causes and an accompanying affirmation. The mind-body connection relies on the energetic imprint of certain emotions or mindsets to create a favorable or unfavorable physical condition.

If I have unresolved back pain, Louise says it can be a result of feeling unsupported or overburdened. By repeating the affirmation: “I know that Life always supports me” and sending focused awareness, I can shift the energetics of my back to be more self-reliant, more confident, and more capable of holding up my own body. The book also provides specific details of the condition – which area of the back, whether there is itching or pain, and even a map to see what organ’s emotions are connected to which vertebra. The more I explore the different emotions of the condition, the clearer my own involvement becomes.

Most cultures have an energetic mapping of the body and methods of healing the mind-body connection. China has meridians, India has chakras, and the U.S. has auras. There are a multitude of tribal versions all over the world. In his landmark book, Cross Currents, author Robert Becker discusses the emergence of electromagnetic medicine. He offers a concise scientific explanation for these traditional models, as well as the placebo effect, biofeedback, and shamanism, all of which rely on the mind to control the physical body.

Louise has added her own system to this list of multicultural approaches, and in my opinion, it is by far the simplest. The best thing about her book is that you do not have to understand the magic behind it, nor pay anyone to administer anything. You take five minutes to look up your affirmation(s) and then say them to yourself whenever you remember, or write them down where you will see them every day.

Of all the healing arts I love, saying affirmations is my favorite. I love the way they sink in slowly, from the moment you read them forward, into a future unknown, in which the patterns of the mind change and evolve. It is an efficient form of medicine; however, it is not always easy to face the emotions that we project onto ourselves. It gets even trickier when we start examining the emotions we project onto our children.

My best example of this is when I first tried using the book with my four-year old daughter. Amelia had always suffered from bouts of athlete’s foot, and I decided to have her say the affirmation to heal her condition. I opened Louise Hay’s Heal Your Body, and that was the moment of shock. The condition, according to this new age bible, is related to “Frustration at not being accepted. Inability to move forward with ease.”

Hmmm. Who, I wondered, is making my kid feel like she is not accepted and cannot move forward? The truth sank in and I realized it was me. Ouch. Enjoying mommy’s game, my daughter readily repeated the affirmation as I read it from the book, “I love and approve of myself. I give myself permission to go ahead. It’s safe to move.”

I’ve used this little book for a decade. It taught me to create an emotionally healthy home with as much intention and introspection as possible. Just like the affirmations I read to myself, this one continues to hit me in new ways all the time. In fact, it hits me every time I find myself being overly critical with my daughter, scolding her too harshly, or expecting too much from her, precocious as she may be.

Here is my solution. I say the affirmation: “I love and approve of Amelia. I give her permission to go ahead. She is safe.” Not only do I say it, but I learn to live it. Some moments, when I am challenged beyond my capacity, impatience and judgment replace kindness and peace may be momentarily broken. But compassion returns, towards myself and my offspring, and peace is restored. My mission can only be to try my best to be positive.

Am I trying to say that I can heal Amelia’s athlete’s foot, just by changing the way I think about her? The answer is yes. In addition to the creams or other topical concoctions I may use, this emotional body balance is a necessary part of the path to healing. As of right now, her feet are doing great. Her bouts with athlete’s foot are less and less frequent. When it does happen, aside from the eucalyptus oil I apply, there is a moment of reflection in which I remind myself to be kinder, more patient, and less disapproving with my sweet little girl.

You can be sure I am not the only one who believes in Louise Hay. Since its original release in 1978, Heal Your Body has been reprinted millions of times in many different languages, and also appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. A quick peek on Amazon will show you a huge variety motivational books that Louise has written, including books specifically for parents and children.

Consider buying the book for two reasons. The $4.49 that you spend will save you and your children thousands of dollars in therapy bills. And cliché though it may sound, connecting your own body and mind will help you connect to your child.

Rachel Thomas is a mom, a teacher, and a health counselor. She works out of her wellness center, Hidden Garden, in Costa Rica and from her second home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.