Month: November 2016

My Descent Into Death: A Second Chance at Life by Howard Storm–Book Review and Personal Response

/ Tricia Barker, Author of Angels in the OR / 11 Comments

howard-storm-paintingMy Descent Into Death: A Second Chance at Life by Howard Storm is a fascinating book.  Storm’s experience is unusual, not simply because of his descent into hell and rescue from hell, but also for the many answers he receives to important questions while in his near death state.

During my NDE, I did not experience a hell like state, but I understand how reliving and retelling such an experience would probably be traumatizing.  I admire Storm’s bravery for telling his story openly and for reminding us all of the importance of living a life of service to the world.

One of the biggest life changes I experienced after my NDE is the desire to live in service for others, and Storm describes the importance of service in this beautiful quote,

“The best way to grow spiritually is in service to others.  We will find purpose and development in relationships to other people.  We imagine that we are isolated from others but the opposite is true.  How we interact with others is our soul journey.  What we think we are is not who we are.  How we live lovingly with our brothers and sisters is who we truly are. If you want to grow spiritually, examine how you are expressing love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, patience, and faithfulness toward others.”

Christ:  Howard Storm discusses his profound encounter with the deep love of Jesus during his NDE.  In fact, Jesus is the one who rescues Storm from hell.  After a long stay in the hospital and several months of recovery back at home, Storm recounts a moment where he is called to visit a church for the first time in a long while.  His description of this experience in church is touching.

When Storm enters a church near his home, he sees images of angels and the heavens and immediately falls to the ground in awe and praise. This is not the type of church where people behave in this way.  Storm’s innocence and intense, overwhelming emotion reminds me of how many NDErs deeply desire unification and communion with God in the way we experienced this connection on the other side. His  pure, open, and humble desire for this type of connection with the divine is moving.  This particular section of the book is also slightly amusing because of his wife’s reaction to his public display.  She expresses embarrassment and threatens not to take him to church again.  Luckily, the minister reaches out to Storm and becomes his friend.  Several years later, Storm becomes a minster.  Personally, I would have enjoyed hearing sermons from an NDEr.

Though I did not see a religious figure during my near-death experience, several years ago in a healing cathedral named El Santuario de Chimayo outside of Santa Fe, I felt the loving presence and energy of Jesus Christ.  In that sweet moment, I felt the weight of all of my rebellion against authority figures and churches who did not embody Christ’s love melt away.  I no longer saw Jesus as a part of these people who were abusive, judgmental, sexist, cruel, or otherwise toxic as representative of the true energy and love of Christ. I saw Jesus as a calm, humble, healing, loving force who wants to remind us to be like little children and love each other and our world in simple, straight-forward ways.

Toward the end of his book, Storm reflects on the challenges of working as a minister in a Christian church and writes,

“The biggest challenge that I have found in pastoring a church has been raising the consciousness of the congregation toward compassion for people beyond the boundaries of the church.  The work of the church is not simply to comfort the members of the church; rather, the work of the church is to be like Christ to the world….For reasons that I do not fully understand, I have found this difficult for many Christians to appreciate.”

Answers to Major Questions:  I recommend this book for several reasons.  Storm’s descriptions of how he prays for healing in his life are lovely anecdotes.  However, the most powerful and interesting moments in the book come in his descriptions of the answers he receives to several important questions.  During his NDE, when Storm asks God about war, he learns that heaven’s wish for us is that we never to go to war and to avoid it through loving others aggressively and caring for all people.   This quote from the book sums up part of the reply he experiences from God.

“People have tried to hide their base desire for domination and exploitation through collective pride under the banner of nationalism.  This primitive tribal instinct has blinded you from seeing the divine within other people.  God loves all people as God’s children and wants every one of you to see every person as a child of God.  You are to resist and oppose evil in others and in yourselves by every means possible.  You are to find ways to resist evil by good means rather than killing.” 

Storm continues to ask questions about why wars are allowed to happen, and God replies that we are given free will and says,

“Wars happen because of the spiritual sickness of people.  We are to care about all people and be willing to help heal the spiritual sickness before it leads to the desire to kill.  The way to prevent war is to love aggressively and care for all people.  Sufficient wealth, food, and resources exist for every person in the world.  Wars result not because there is a scarcity of resources, but because of our desire to possess the resources to the exclusion of others.  God loves every man, woman, and child on this planet more than we love our own children.  God wants all people to have food, shelter, meaningful work, and an opportunity to be creative: to learn the truth, have freedom from fear, have self-esteem, be procreative, live in community, find complete joy, trust in God, and become the wonderful people that God created us to be.”

Storm has particular points about the greed in the U.S. and the possible directions our country could take in the future.  This section is a bit chilling, and I certainly hope there are a cumulative mass of people who care deeply for the world in a way that surpasses their own need for gratification.  Power over others seems to be the root cause of much of the sickness in society.

Storm also asks God which religion is the “right” religion and he  is surprised by the answer that there is no right or wrong religion.  Only the religions that promote love for God and others are of value.  Within very loving religions, there might be narcissists, sociopaths, and child abusers leading congregations, temples, or other gatherings dedicated to spiritual matters.  For example, the essential teachings of Christianity can be completely distorted by non-loving individuals.   God communicates to Storm that…

“…our cultural bias is collective egocentric pride.  Since we are finite creatures raised in specific cultures, we are shaped by our culture.  To know God, we have to surrender our individual and collective pride/ego if we are ever to know God’s love.  Too often we claim God’s love for our closed group.  We exclude everyone outside the group as being outside God’s love.  This is opposed to God’s will.  God loves everyone beyond anything we can imagine.”

I could continue to keep typing out all the beautiful, thought-provoking quotes from this book, but if you are interested in Storm’s extensive time spent in heaven and the knowledge he brought back, you will simply have to read his wonderful book.  You will hear about the many lessons from his NDE, including the knowledge that God is always with us and loves us more than we can comprehend and that God wants us to share our journey and emotions with heaven.  I agree with Storms points that self-examination and awareness is an important part of the journey as well as sharing love and truth with others.  May you be blessed and find blessings in this book if you feel called to read it.

See Howard Storm’s website for more of his paintings.

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Authentic Leadership and The Divine Feminine

/ Tricia Barker, Author of Angels in the OR / 4 Comments

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On Being Authentic: Thank goodness for spiritual leaders like Marianne Williamson.  Her honesty about her daily struggles, her political beliefs, and her life is encouraging.  She doesn’t claim to be a fully enlightened being.  She simply shares her truth, and this makes her a highly effective leader.  Though people with “all the answers” might be comforting for a little while, they are eventually dis-empowering.  To me, something seems off when spiritual leaders cast everything in a positive light and do not share their personal struggles or their honest opinions.  For example, if a spiritual leader is an American, perhaps he or she should honestly share whether he or she cast a vote for Clinton, Trump, or a third party.  Maybe some spiritual leaders stayed home and ate ice cream and that would be worth reporting as well.  I enjoy knowing what people honestly think, not in order to be manipulated by their thought process but to know how their mind works.

Some spiritual teachers might want to draw in the biggest crowd, so they do not implicitly state where they stand and offer encouragement after the election results to help us on our journeys.  Though encouragement and empowerment is awesome, I find this stance a little “tricky” or “sneaky.”  I prefer a blatant honesty about one’s journey.  From the beginning, I have known that my expressions will offend some people, speak to others, and mean a great deal to others, but the more authentic I am, the more there is a chance for someone to recognize me as a voice that resonates with their own voice or offers a new perspective.  In a short while, I’ve tasted the hatred that some men have for women who differ politically or spiritually from their own beliefs, but I’ve also heard from many kind men and women who understand my journey.  I teach tolerance for various viewpoints in the classroom, and this type of tolerance is desperately needed in our American culture. I see this all too clearly now.

Divine Feminine:  I think of Marianne Williamson as the priestess archetype of the Divine Feminine, an archetype that is the least understood in our patriarchal culture which all too often subjugates women’s spirituality or recasts natural/mystical practices as “evil.”  Recently, I pulled A Woman’s Worth off my bookshelf and remembered reading it as a young woman in my twenties.  I thought I would be a lot farther along the path by now.  I had no idea I would face what I’ve had to face and overcome in this lifetime.  I also thought I would see a lot more female leaders and examples of the Divine Feminine in our culture than we currently see, but perhaps many of these women are, like me, just now finding their voices.

Several quotes from A Woman’s Worth stood out to me because all too often in my professional and personal life I’ve observed both men and women weigh in heavily and negatively about women as leaders.  For every priest archetype, there is a priestess counterpart.  For every warrior, there is a warrioress counterpart.  And God, that beautiful, all-loving force, that creative center of life is also found in the Goddess.  Our language and history may favor the masculine versions of these archetypes, but the divine feminine is real, valid, and beautiful.  These energies are found in both men and women, so it is to all of our benefits to recognize the Divine Feminine.

Women’s Voices:  The idea of women’s voices mattering as much as men’s voices is of great importance to me, not only for myself but for the thousands of women I have known as a teacher and professor.  I have read their inner-most thoughts, their research, and their responses to life and literature.  Their voices deserve equal space in society.   Williamson’s quote about female power still rings true more than twenty years after its publication date.

“Female power transcends what are known politically as women’s issues.  Female power has to do with women taking an active part in the conversation—whether in the public arena or at the dinner table—and having the same emotional space in which to do so as men.  It means women not having to fear punishment of any kind.  It means women not having to worry that we’ll be considered unfeminine if we speak up.  It means women really coming out to play and getting support for our playing—from men as well as from women….We will not be free until we can speak our minds and our hearts without having to worry that men will crucify us, women will crucify us, the press will crucify us, or our children will be ashamed.” —A Woman Worth

Going forward, may we all pay closer attention to women’s voices and give these voices the same reverence, the same excuses, and the same grace we grant men.  Instead of calling a woman an “angry feminist,” try calling her a passionate voice advocating for basic, decent respect for all people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, political beliefs, or religious beliefs.  Try calling her strong and brave.

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Brief Review of Life-Changing Foods by Anthony William

/ Tricia Barker, Author of Angels in the OR / 4 Comments

My memoir, Angels in the OR: What Dying Taught Me About Healing, Survival, and Transformation, is available for pre-order.  It is a #1 new release in several categories.  I would love your support of a pre-order.  My aim is to help make near-death experiences more mainstream.

Anthony William’s new book Life-Changing Foods: Save Yourself and the Ones You Love with the Hidden Healing Powers of Fruits & Vegetables is a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it.  My favorite section gives in-depth analysis of many different fruits, vegetables, wild foods, herbs, and spices.  Each food or herb profiled is given an overview of its benefits, as well as an analysis of the specific conditions and symptoms that might be addressed by eating more of this food.  Additionally, the emotional support each food provides as well as its spiritual lesson of that food is included.  The many healthy recipes will certainly inspire readers to incorporate more of each food in specific, healing ways.

Food as our Healer:  Years ago, I purchased The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, and enjoyed researching the benefits and blessings of crystals.  Though crystals are powerful, beautiful, and healing, how much more important are the physical, emotional, and spiritual qualities of the food we ingest each day?  After my NDE, I have been deeply enthralled by the senses and food.  Though the spirit world is a lovely place to exist, I can’t help but be grateful for the opportunity to enjoy the senses while living in this body.  Food can be a joyful experience but also a powerful form of healing.

I am immensely grateful for William’s comprehensive look at the healing properties of food.  He beautifully explains the significance of the growth of plants and what qualities and gifts they bring to us because of the way they grow.  Personally, this book helped me connect many ideas that have floated in and out of my consciousness.  For example, I have often thought that if one apple “keeps the doctor away,” then perhaps we need more apples in our diet when we are not well.  According to this book, we should eat more than one apple when possible.  I’ve also thought about soil, rain, and sun quality in our increasingly polluted world, and William addresses this problem early in Life-Changing Foods.

Unexpected Solutions:  Many of the solutions and revelations in this book are not expected and are certainly ones I never imagined.  For instance, did you ever imagine that berries could reverse stains on the brain such as lesions, gray areas, calcification, or heavy metal deposits?  Did you ever consider that cherries might be a liver tonic or think that cranberries might help you better deal with criticism and rejection?  A cranberry dish (with honey and not sugar) might be a necessary food at some family dinner tables over the holidays.

Did you ever think a mango might help you sleep better or that artichokes should be listed in the top ten of superfoods?  We all want to stay young or look younger, and who would have guessed that asparagus is one of the foods that might be a fountain of youth food?  Some foods even live up to their sayings.  For example, “cool as cucumber” is an appropriate thing to say as cucumbers might help with anger issues.  I knew the basic benefits of many herbs, but now I am curious to see if licorice root (not in an alcohol based tincture) might be a great support for Hashimotos.

William also asserts that cruciferous foods like kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts are wrongfully accused of harming the thyroid and causing goiters.  He assures readers that these foods help the thyroid.  Other foods that get a bad rap include potatoes, both sweet and regular, though he suggests not using dairy toppings or frying them. Many humble foods like pears are given the praise they deserve.  Whatever your symptoms might be, you are certain to find a food in this book which might help with your healing journey.

I cannot recommend this book enough.  I enjoyed his first book, Medical Medium, and posted a review earlier, but this latest book inspired me to look at my food with even more love, reverence, and honor.  Feeling more closely connected to Mother Earth is an important reminder for all of us, especially during trying times.

The holidays are often a time of overindulgence, but what better time to start focusing on health. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to have a banana and berry coconut “milkshake” tomorrow and lots of greens, papayas, onions, celery, and cucumbers throughout the day.  May we all glow with greater health throughout the holidays!

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Here is a receipe for berries and cream that you might want to try one morning.

 

Forgive * Love * Heal

/ Tricia Barker, Author of Angels in the OR / 3 Comments

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Update on 1/19/19:  My memoir, Angels in the OR: What Dying Taught Me About Healing, Survival, and Transformation, can be pre-ordered now. It is a #1 new release in several categories.  I would love it if you helped me make near-death experiences more mainstream.

Forgive — Love — Heal

I’m reading Dr. Rajiv Parti’s book Dying to Wake Up, and when he begins to actively heal any remaining depression, fear, addiction, or pain in his life he is given the words forgive, love, and heal.  Like Dr. Parti, I decided to write a short response to each of these words myself.  You might try this yourself as a healing writing exercise to release any negative energy and return to balance.  Dr. Parti describes negative pent up energy as “black balloons” inside the body that need to be deflated and released to attain greater health.

Forgive

Forgiveness is a letting go—all the fire, the flesh, the material angst, the passion, the wronged beating heart, and the gritted jaw are released.   Breath returns like a fall leaf gracefully descending to earth.  In spirit form, there is nothing to forgive—the chains of the flesh are shaken off, so why not forgive what is soon to be forgotten?  Why not stream away from those wounds now?  Do this for yourself—not for another.  The other might be far down a tunnel of life in his or her own dimension of space and time.  Bless that person if you can, but definitely love yourself for breaking free of…

…the anger that makes your hands shake, rage that makes you dream of saying the worst possible words or worse…

Bless yourself for becoming stronger with each disappointment, each wounding of your innocence.  Bless yourself in every moment of your suffering, but most of all board an express jet on an international flight far away from pain.  When you leave, know that you will indeed find a geographical cure except it will be a spiritual one.  And in that new, spacious place you will stare into the expanse hopefully.  When you arrive there full of possibility…

…Stay balanced.  Stay clean.  Stay pure of heart and filled with love all the live long days of your lovely life.

Love

It is acceptable to send love to the one in darkness—the one lost in the mired, toxic soup of ego, judgement, and pain.  It is suggested that you lay down your swords of delusion and embrace a garden of flowers, grounding yourself by standing in the bright green earth wet with dew.  It is permissible to love the unlovable, even if only for a moment.

It is a great idea to love the lost boys and girls you may never meet.  They are wandering the world like broken flags, like weeping doves, like cigarette butts left behind as a clue.

It is allowable to love yourself as you are—unloved or loved by many and known by only a few.  It is fine to breathe just as you are—a child still though grown into a woman or man’s body.  Love the many steps that got you here, and the ones that will carry you onward brightening the path for others.

Heal

You will see something shimmering like morning breaking through dark curtains.  You will throw open the curtains and feel intimately drawn to the sunlight rising over the forest-dense mountains in the distance.  Coffee will not be necessary because your heart will jump quantum leaps into delight and health, ready to meet the day.

That child who you once were—returned.

That dream that you once chased & lost—found.

That hope that withered in the heat—blossoms again.

A few more reflections:  Forgiveness is an immediate trip and vacation away from all that causes pain.  When in spirit form during my NDE, forgiveness happened instantly as there was no more attachment to the form and familiar thought patterns.  Back in form, forgiveness is something I had to continue to practice, especially as I encountered shocking, new wounds. Forgiveness is something we all must continue to practice.  I think of those who are quick at forgiveness like ballroom dancers.  They quick step and glide with a practiced grace into a new, upbeat life.

In the afterlife, love is an experience, a birthright, an all-consuming peace.  In form, love is something we must remember and practice as well.  Like a great musician, when we learn to play love in every situation our world expands and grows more light-filled.

Healing is a topic that is precious to me and the subject of my memoir in progress.  There is healing to be found through access to the divine and the other side.  There is healing to be found in nature.  There is great healing to be found in helping others grow and succeed. There is also great healing to be found in making your own healing a priority.

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Aftereffects of Near-Death Experiences: Psychological and Physiological Changes

/ Tricia Barker, Author of Angels in the OR / 3 Comments

Aftereffects According to IANDS:  I wish that I had a copy of this particular list of aftereffects of NDEs.  The information would have helped me integrate my experience into my life a bit easier.  IANDS researchers claim that 80% of experiencers are forever changed because of their experiences and break the phenomenon down into psychological and physiological changes.  I knew I was changed the minute I woke up from surgery because I cared much more about the spiritual world than the material world.  My future plans were immediately altered.  Mostly, I knew that I wanted my final life review to contain several moments where I helped others.  I wanted to live a life where I was connected to many people, even if I could only help them in small ways.  Before my NDE, I was not a bully or mean person, but I was materialistic, fearful, and judgmental.  I saw how my own fears and insecurities vanished with a connection to purpose and to the divine love of God, and I wanted other people to experience this love and sense of purpose as well.

My Aftereffects:  I made a YouTube video about some of the aftereffects of my NDE including a more spiritual outlook and a knowing that I was immortal soul in physical form, continued out of body episodes, psychic displays, universal love for everyone, kundalini surges and electrical sensitivity which affected the functioning ability of technology and wrist watches.

Psychological Changes:  In the video about aftereffects I spend a lot of time on the sudden development of psychic abilities and spontaneous OBEs.  My spirit form seemed loosely connected to my physical form for a few years after the NDE and any memory of physical trauma or sensory overload could cause me to pop out of form.  Additionally, there were personality reversals such as going from mostly introverted to definitely extroverted, as well as relying more on feelings than rational thoughts.

After the loss of my father, I realized that I could communicate with those in the afterlife. An apparently less-addressed aftereffect is what Holden (2013) termed spontaneous mediumship experiences (SMEs) based on her anecdotal observations.  You can watch her talk about this phenomenon here.  SMEs are a subset of after-death communication.  Some NDRrs are able to communicate with other people’s loved ones in the afterlife and give them messages.  I recently wrote about one instance of this type of communication in this post.

Timelessness is not something I discussed in the video, but I am sure I seemed a bit spacy to many people.  I could happily watch a bird in a tree for thirty minutes and be fully entertained by the beauty of small moments in life.  I was simply happy to be alive and enthralled by my senses.  I did not feel a need to rush; rather, I felt a deep need to fully connect with others and enjoy my life.  I do not see this trait as a negative.  There were so many people I observed once I was back in Austin who seemed rushed, stressed, and upset about the details in their lives.  I wanted to give them some of my peace, but sometimes my smile was returned with an annoyed frown.

Physiological Changes:  In the video, I discuss my energy and my effect on the functioning of technology.  Although I did not read about how many NDErs could not wear watches, after blowing out four watches in a very short amount of time I knew this change had to be tied to my NDE.  My logical mind wondered if being revived during surgery somehow added extra electricity into my body, but on another level I knew this change must be a spiritual change.  Perhaps the timelessness I felt could simply not reside next to a watch continually keeping time.

In the video, I forgot to describe a physiological aftereffect about a year after my NDE. When I returned to Austin to finish my senior year of college, I was ecstatic to be back in town. My energy level was extremely high, and a friend and I were walking along a small neighborhood street. The street lights began to flicker on, and as we walked under the first one, the light exploded. We laughed and kept walking, but the second light also exploded. I told my friend that I thought my NDE caused me to have these types of experiences. My friend said that the lights were probably installed at the same time and were simply going out. I wanted to believe what we were experiencing was a coincidence, but we walked under the third light this light exploded loudly and glass flew in our direction. A little startled, we moved to the other side of the street. The next few lights flickered as we walked by, but did not explode or go out.

Many Changes:  There are too many changes to list, but my life was definitely altered after my NDE.  Though I did not always see auras, there were moments when I would see a purple light around a particular musician playing in a band or a soft pink light around an especially sweet, loving person.  I did not want to seem odd or too different from my friends by talking about these experiences, and I wanted many of the abilities to be toned down so that I could simply live my life and accomplish goals.

In many ways, these changes after my NDE are a blessing.  I have an easier time of integrating a very different type of knowing than the rational, straight-forward way of approaching the world, and I encourage other NDErs and those who are awakening to read about ways to integrate these abilities into your day to day lives.

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A Way Out of Depression:  Give More Than You Receive

/ Tricia Barker, Author of Angels in the OR / 3 Comments

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This may sound like the worst possible solution, and I understand your frustration at hearing these words.  When you barely have the energy to get out of bed, when you don’t want to face the next moment or the next moment, the idea of helping others seems too difficult of a feat.  How can you help someone when you need so much help?

The answer is simple. All around you people have tougher struggles than you do.  In the act of serving them, you find forgiveness for your particular wounds and begin to see the blessings of your own life more clearly.  Your connection to others, however briefly, reinvigorates you and puts you in touch with the divine flow of grace and love from the other side.

During my near-death experience, I saw quite clearly that angels can work through those who are in action.  You might feel this heavenly energy or someone else might feel this energy and benefit from it.  Whether the energy is recognized or not, know that helping the world become a better, kinder place will give you greater self-esteem.  Most near-death experiencers clearly realize that the greatest aspect of love is not what we receive but what we give to the world.  The love that you give is a currency more valuable than money because it is a memory you will be proud to relive both in your life and in your afterlife.

Helping others does not mean inserting yourself into situations where you are not welcomed or giving unwanted advice or opinions.  Helping others does not mean looking for an attractive person to help simply because you want to be near him or her in the hope that this person might like you.  Aim for unconditional, altruistic actions, and do not except anything in return.  Your nobleness of character will be your greatest return, and you will experience more love, perhaps not exactly in the way you expected to be loved but love will pour into your life the more you give.

Open your eyes to the needs of others.  Perhaps there is a disabled veteran in your area who needs a ride to the grocery store or to appointments.  Maybe you could grocery shop for a disabled veteran or elderly person.  My sweet, loving grandmother died of Alzheimer’s disease while I was teaching English in South Korea.  I hope someone, even a kind stranger, visited her in the nursing home and gave her love.  She gave me much love to me through her prayers, unconditional love, and well-wishes.  She deserved kindness and connection in her final moments.  Consider visiting people in nursing homes and listening to them or simply be with them.  Consider becoming a hospice volunteer.  Consider volunteering at animal shelters or building homes for Habitat for Humanity.

In my area, Catholic Charities has served over 100,000 different families in need.  These families may be struggling in poverty or have other needs.  Many immigrants to this country could greatly benefit from someone who might help them fill out forms, learn English, find affordable grocery stores, and learn more about our culture.  The antidote to fear of others is getting to know them and help them.  You will find amazing stories of great struggle and human triumph in a population of immigrants.  I have met several elderly women who are raising numerous grandchildren whose parents have died from diseases or in bombings.  One woman I met and tutored was an Obstetrician in her own country.  I taught her conversational English so that she could find work in a laboratory cleaning lab equipment.  She hoped to be able to return to college and use her degree in the U.S., but the language barrier was a challenge at her at her age.  When you understand that many wonderful people did everything right in their lives and only had the unfortunate luck to be born in an area that suffered a great famine or war, your heart expands to include more people and more places in this world.

Be open to your own spiritual and emotional growth, and miracles will occur.  You might come across a great business idea or the love of your life while in action.  Neither of these things are guaranteed to occur, but the probability is much higher than if you are isolating and not living connected to others. You will definitely feel better about your life in the act of helping others, and feeling better is the first step to creating a better life.

By helping others, you will create more moments of heaven on earth.  One of my favorite photos is a photo of my Creative Writing students volunteering to tutor kids in a low-income school district.  The smiles on my beautiful college student’s faces mean a great deal to me.  I know that they are experiencing the bliss of being of service to others.   I hope you might experience this joy as well.

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Of course, consider being of service to yourself by finding the most nutrient dense fresh, raw, organic fruits and vegetables to eat.  I am a believer in the healing power of food and supplements, and Anthony William’s book Medical Medium recently added much greater healing to my life, but a healing journey is an individual one and different paths work for different people.  Search for therapists, healers, doctors, and teachers who can help you in your personal struggle.  Search for a place of worship that increases the love in your heart for yourself and for others.  Consider a meditation practice.  Definitely reach out for help immediately if you are in a place where you are considering suicide.  The suggestion to be of service is only a part of a much larger picture that is needed to address any of the causes of an underlying condition.

There is much to say on the topic of depression.   I am only suggesting what has worked for me and what I was shown about the power of love in action on the other side.  I have addressed the issue of depression in multiple ways for years, but when I look back at my life I know that my greatest joys in life have been the moments when I helped others.  Keep searching for what will work for you, and consider ways that you might want to make this world a more beautiful place.  I’ll leave you with a blog post offering ten helpful tips for dealing with depression.