You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. HayMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
I once held a great respect for Louise Hay, but in her recent publishing years, she has proven herself to be as much of a fraud as the authors she promotes, including the charlatan Sylvia Browne, former Amway star Jerry Hicks (with his wife Esther who speaks for "nonphysical"), plagiarist Neale Donald Walsch, and phony PhDs Doreen Virtue and Caroline Myss. This book, though including some practical advice that she has pulled from Aaron Beck's work in cognitive therapy, contains an overwhelming amount of woo that makes outrageous claims regarding the power of mind. She disregards science and logic in exchange for dubious pseudoscience that encourages self-blame and guilt regarding disease. This wouldn't bother me so much had the dawn of her career not been acquired through her claim to AIDs patients that they too could heal themselves if they got rid of their "bad thinking". Nowhere in these books does she speak of any AIDs patient's miraculous cure due to her work. And since this book, she has yet to offer any credible evidence that it can do this.
I am appalled by this, not because it offers false hope, but because she is preying on a demographic of desperate people who are looking for answers. She claims to have these answers, but offers no proof beyond anecdotes and testimonials. This is no greater than the testimonials of Christian Science (incidentally their leader Mary Baker Eddy was known for having kidney stones in her old age and relying on morphine to ease the pain even though her text claimed they should rely solely on God for relief). This is one of the most irresponsible feats that has ever been accomplished in publishing, and though I believe it could bring many some emotional relief as they use the processes that have been sampled from cognitive therapy, I also believe that it will and has brought to many a sense of guilt and self-blame regarding the tragedies of their lives.
This book will claim a science to healing, but there is no institution (including Hay's) that offers hard proof of these facts. And if you will read the disclaimer in the beginning, you will be reminded that this author is not to be held accountable to your failure in using these principles.
Due to this book, Louise Hay has now created one of the largest New Age publishing houses in the world. And she has made it clear through the authors she publishes that she is more concerned about the bottom line of her company than she is people's well being. It is a shame to say that this modern Mary Baker Eddy, known as the affirmations guru, is nothing more than a charismatic charlatan.
If you do decide to venture into this book, do so with critical thinking skills and remember that this author will take on no responsibility for your success or failings in these teachings. Also look at the credibility of her own healing, which can be explained as a lie, misdiagnosis, and perhaps, if she is correct, divine healing. Her words will likely validate you, send you swooning into good feelings, and overwhelm you with the presence of love as she constructs an imaginary world where you create your reality through your thoughts. Just make sure when you set this book down to leave that world behind as well.
View all my reviews
xoxo
Kyra
thanks for that excellent review! kudos to you for standing for critical thinking!
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and the kudos points ; )
I have just been deleted by several facebook friends for saying in a rant about toxic New Age wank that "Louise Hay needs to go and align her Third Eye with her Arse Chakra and suck on a piece of Rose Quartz - coated with cyanide".
ReplyDeleteMaybe its your bad energy that has got you deleted. lol
DeleteEmma,
ReplyDeleteLol. Nice one. What? You're fb pals didn't like a sense of humor?
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI had a reading by the supposed "Theo Group" Sheila Gillette. It was a pack of lies, bogus, deceiptful nonsense. Money makers her and her husband. Unhappy miserable people preying on the desperate and needy.
Evy
Hey Evy,
ReplyDeleteCare to share about your experiences with Sheila Gillette?
Absolutely!!!! A bogus $360.00 "reading". I posted something in Horizon Magazine and will most definitely share this with you as well. It is amazing how they cheat people of their hard earned monies. Sheila is a miserable, unhappy woman.
ReplyDeleteEvy
Hey again Evy,
ReplyDeleteI don't know how readings work, but were you able to get your money back?
I actually was not suspicious of Gillette until I heard her in an interview (the one I discuss in my other post on her), and I was amazed at what a clear huckster she was. It made me all-the-more suspicious of Abraham, considering that is who they allege inspired Esther to meditate and communicate with Abe.
We had a reading in August 2010 by THEO Angelic Group channeled by Sheila Gillette. We waited so long for this much anticipated reading. We were positive, wrote our questions to maximize our reading with THEO and patiently waited for almost 3 weeks after we paid for our reading. I purposely did not go to work that day because Sheila does not channel on week-ends nor evenings. My husband had been downsized since March 2010. Our reading was scheduled for August. It was such an anticipated reading. We listened faithfully to their 7th wave shows every Tuesday evening after their broadcast. We were excited. The day came. I asked one question at a time. There was something weird about this reading. I got no goose bumps and felt that Sheila was straining her voice. I could hear her clearing it. This feeling of something not authentic, I kept ignoring these feelings during my reading.I would put it aside and allow more positive thoughts during the reading to permeate The answers Sheila gave me were predictable. At one point she asked me are you finished with your asking? It was just 20 minutes into the reading way before the hour was up. We spent $300.00 .This was a sacrifice for us because my husband had lost his job and we needed to know how things would work out for him. We wanted to get most of our concerns addressed.
ReplyDeleteWell.. we were and have been sooo disappointed! 100% of the reading was bogus. There was a question I asked about my going to work with a specific person within a 1 week period from the reading. Sheila (“THEO”) firmly stated that the lady would call and we would be having a conversation and that I would be going to work with her. Well.. the lady NEVER called, the position was filled and I never went to work with her much less heard from her ever again. Sheila (“THEO”) gave specific time frames for other questions asked which were supposed to have happened within days, some within weeks. We have waited months NOTHING, We acted on something based on this reading which backfired big time! TILL THIS DAY!
I called Rhonda Atkins, her assistant, and expressed my dismay. She said to give it time that things do come to be. Most of the things we asked were to be determined within a specific time frame. These positions and these people are no longer available. I then spoke with other people from the Abraham -Hicks community whom I knew had scheduled themselves also to get a reading by THEO. They had their reading a month or so before us. At the time we didn’t know them. They informed us their reading was totally bogus. They lost all respect for “THEO” group. I thought since THEO was the angelic realm that had predicted that Esther(Abraham teachings) would be engaged in this magnificent Abraham teachings that this would be a worthwhile thing to do. After I spoke with Rhonda Atkins, I called Sheila and Marcus and left several messages. I did not hear from them . I emailed them and cc Rhonda telling them how disappointed we were several months after . They decided to delete our email from their THEO weekly recordings. We never heard from them. I feel Sheila lied to us.
Beware of the THEO group via Sheila Gilette. Perhaps she may have been able to Channel THEO at one time. Something is terribly wrong now. It is deceitful. Disingenuous and it needs to be told.
Evy
We would love to have a reading by a reputable person. At this time we are gun shy given our distatesteful experience. We so trusted Sheila Gillete. WE PUT ALL OUR EGGS IN THE BASKET.
I was forthright and up front and asked to have my credit card credited. hat did not happen. Next thing I knew they deleted me from sending me their weekly/daily messages! That was validating the fact that there's no substance to their law of attraction/willingness. if I was no threat to them, divine guidance would have resolved it all instead of deleting me from their subscription. LOL,LOL they saved me some time LOL
ReplyDeleteEvy
That doesn't sound pleasant at all. I'm sorry to hear that you had such a jarring experience with them. It does seem in line with how these sorts of people work. I would call and demand for my money back. Fortunately, Sheila Gillette has a high enough profile that she can't run and hide like most of these New Age charlatans can. If you are persistent, I think that she could be talked into giving you a refund.
ReplyDeleteAbraham's Original recordings were so different from todays. They were full of truth. We manifested many great thing following their suggestions.
ReplyDeleteWe absolutely loved Esther and Jerry Hicks Their truth resonated with us. We felt great when we, listen to their early recordings and watch their DVDs. Esther’s voice qqas soothing, full of hope and well being. Well we attended a workshop in august 2010, We meditated, arrived full of love, well being. However, there was something missing. I didn;t get goose bumps, the energy was not the same as that experienced in their earlier recordings. I was disappointed. I never went back. I feel ABRAHAM did come to Esther during a time when she was in deep meditation. I wonder if she has lost that venue with all the traveling, desire to be more connected with the day to day hum drum and grandkids etc?
Evy
However, Beware of the THEO group via Sheila Gilette. Perhaps she may have been able to Channe It is deceitful. Disingenuous and it needs to be told.
We would love to have a reading by a reputable person. At this time we are gun shy given our distatesteful experience. We so trusted Sheila Gillete. WE PUT ALL OUR EGGS IN THE BASKET.
You know... Perhpas I will since... I have their home number. she called me from that number and we saved it. I called several weeks ago she was nasty, ugly and demanded I call the regular number. Perhaps I will tell her that I will denounce her anyway and post everywhere that she is a scam. Had she been authentic,,, I would be GRATEFUL
ReplyDeleteEvy
I remember calling a man named David and speaking with him about this in detail as well.
ReplyDeleteEvy
Hey Evy,
ReplyDeleteI'm skeptical of Esther's early channeling days because they seem so similar to those of a false doomsday prophet. In 1988, she had those predictions about a great realignment that was to cause very specific disasters across the world, simultaneously. Abraham said they had expected it to happen in 1989, and when it didn't, they had expected it to happen in 1990. Eventually they said their expectation of the timing had been off but that the event was still on the way. Finally, they just stopped selling the tapes and books that discussed the predictions.
Hmmm, after reading one of Easther's workers experience with both of them... I have no respect fro any of them. My intuition payed off! I am glad I have an inner knowing that I listen to. THANK YOU KYRA FOR SHARING!
ReplyDeleteEVY
Hmm thank you so much for sharing. Such lack of integrity and uthenticity! I never knew about that. Anyway... we have taken the good and have moved on. Thee's divinity in all of us. Formal religion does not resonate with us neither do this scammers. Jerry may be very sick. Let ABRAHAM and his own thinking cure him. These are people who claimed they didn;t have yo have health insurance! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR POSTING, YOU KNOW... REGARDING THEO.. I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THEM. I JUST WANT PEOPLE NOT TO ENABLE THEIR ADDICTION,
ReplyDeleteEVY
Thank you, Evy,
ReplyDeleteI think by your sharing your story, someone else will be able to make a better informed decision before having a reading from Gillette.
Be appreciative that none of the things "Theo" predicted came about by sheer chance. If they had, you could have ended up paying for several more $300 sessions. That's what people like Gillette bank on. They make a few predictions, and if one of them happens, then the person is hooked and keeps going back. I'm sure there are people who are hooked on Gillette because of a few lucky guesses she made early on. You are one of the fortunate ones.
Thank you for this gift of bumping into this site. What about John of God? What's your take on him?
ReplyDeleteEvy
Thank you for being willing to discuss your experience.
ReplyDeleteI have actually never heard John of God and don't know much about him, so unfortunately, I don't have an opinion. My channeler knowledge is pretty much confined to Ramtha, Abraham, and Theo.
Just look at all that energy wasted. Have you ever thought that this 'New Age' way could have helped others. Do you even care about that, or are you so consumed by your own negativity that you can't see beyond your own life?... Perhaps this way is not for you... perhaps it is working for others though...
ReplyDeleteI really have to agree with you. I am not sure how positive thinking can "hurt" someone, but your disdain and need for "proof" let me know that you are not familiar with the term "faith". I can see that you are not a spiritual being but rather a factual one, which is fine and you have your right to your beliefs but to slander and discredit people that think positively and help others think positively astonishes me. If I choose to purchase a book to find hope and think positively how is it possibly harmful to you? There are many people out there that you could witch hunt, but an 86 year old woman that has written books to help with positive thinking? A woman that built herself and her business from the ashes, really? If for no other reason she has my respect BECAUSE she is a smart business woman. Surely there are more deserving targets out there for you? Good luck to you and I hope you find a better use of your energy. One that will serve people in a positive manner rather that a way for you to spew hatred around.
DeleteI have a letter of written permission from Hay House Publishing to give away FOR FREE all of the You Can Do It CD's I wish! About the Aids comment. It has been scientifically proven that cancer and disease cannot survive a high alkaline body. I went from robbing drug dealers for a living to opening a rehab and doing a box office movie and I credit the teachings of Louise for my success. Her teachings helped me love and believe in myself and that was the foundation I needed. Until we believe we will, will will not. Your negative beliefs are why it won't work for you. Let go of them and give it an honest try for 90 days and you will retract ALL of this nonsense!
DeleteAngela Abbott,
DeleteI would be very interested in seeing the studies that scientifically prove that cancer and disease cannot survive a high-alkaline body. I do a lot of research in studies of this sort, but I have not seen any empirical research that suggests that this is possible.
I don't think that Louise can be blamed for what others have or haven't overcome for themselves. I understand being angry about someone you trusted letting you down, but spewing anger is telling of what is inside of you. And for someone who supposedly respected and admired Hay before this book, it seems you hadn't gained anything if you're so filled with negativity. You may think she's taking advantage, but most people are not blind and can make up their minds for themselves, just as you have. You see, the point that Loise hay wants people to accept is that your thoughts do make your world. It isn't to judge them and make them wrong for helping in some way to bring on illness. It's to empower. It's to say, you are capable of creating thoughts that will make you feel and experience life in the best way you can. Not everything can be controlled and I don't think she ever said they could. Just as you've created angry thoughts within you that most likely created physical symptoms of anger and created a negative mind set that led to you wanting to attract even more negativity from others who'd join in your rantings. You created that. And that's her point. She's not the first to notice that what you think effects your life, your choices, your body, your perspective, your health. Doctors already know that stress leads to health issues. There is without a doubt a mind body connection. It's too bad that you took offense rather than curiosity and responsibility for yourself and ownership of the power you do have over your life. I don't believe that my thoughts can solve everything what with the millions of other conflicting thoughts the rest of the world has. What is true is that Louise is sharing information. What she has learned and lived. It's easy to think of scientist or physicians in the medical world are the authority, but it really wasn't that long ago that we were using mercury, a toxic substance, to fill our cavities or labotomizing people, or saying that homosexuals suffer from mental disorders. There is so much we as humans have left to learn. You say that Loise's writing will take you to an "imaginary world" where your thoughts create your reality. That's not imaginary. Wake up. First of all imagination is one of the greatest forces on this world and second, your thoughts made you write this rant in the first place. You created a bitter side of yourself. That came from you. So ofcourse you shouldn't expect loise to take credit for failing or accomplishments. Because it isn't her that makes your life the way it is. It's you. Things happen out of our control, but we can heal ourselves. Wether it's with healthier lifestyles or thoughts, it seems to be a more positive direction to be pointed in that prescription drugs, bitterness, despair, jokes that bring others down, and disempowerment. If you think that you have something more important to say, where's your book, where's your answer? You don't need to look for proof from Lois, you prove it in your self or you don't. Stop victimizing your self. That's the saddest part of your rant. You've left everything in her hands to prove she can help, to save your health, give you a different solution than heal yourself with your thoughts. The whole while not realizing that she's trying to tell you that all you need to do is go inside of your self for your answers. And if that sounds too hippy or too loving or "swooning in good feelings"( which by the way is a good thing) then obviously you were in the wrong section of the book store. It may be spiritual but It's called self help for a reason.
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous,
DeleteThanks for the comment.
You may think she's taking advantage, but most people are not blind and can make up their minds for themselves, just as you have.
My writing a blog about how I feel in no way inhibits people from making up their own minds. If anything, it just offers another perspective to help them reach their own conclusions.
You see, the point that Loise hay wants people to accept is that your thoughts do make your world.
There is a certain, philosophical level I can agree with this on. However, the fact is, though a person may believe that they don't have cancer, and that may be their reality, if you will, if they actually do and die from it, it doesn't really matter what their reality was.
Just as you've created angry thoughts within you that most likely created physical symptoms of anger and created a negative mind set that led to you wanting to attract even more negativity from others who'd join in your rantings. You created that. And that's her point.
Well, I appreciate you taking the time to join me in my little angry nucleus.
Doctors already know that stress leads to health issues.
I do not claim that there is no mind-body connection. My issue is the sort of exaggerated mind-body connection that Louise Hay claims exists.
What is true is that Louise is sharing information.
As am I.
It's easy to think of scientist or physicians in the medical world are the authority, but it really wasn't that long ago that we were using mercury, a toxic substance, to fill our cavities or labotomizing people, or saying that homosexuals suffer from mental disorders.
I have never claimed that scientists or physicians are beyond error. My only claim is that the scientific process allows for us to catch mistakes and eventually correct our biases or erroneous conclusions. Certainly, there are errors being made within the medical community even today. My problem with those like Louise Hay is that the only "proof" offered is in the form of anecdotes, which any crackpot fraud can offer effortlessly for any nonsensical idea.
Wake up.
I wasn't asleep when you wrote this, and I am not asleep now, but it's likely that I will lie down for a good night's sleep in a few hours.
First of all imagination is one of the greatest forces on this world and second, your thoughts made you write this rant in the first place.
I have not denied that there is power in the imagination. I have denied Louise's claims about what that power has the ability to do.
xoxo
For all the time spent on breaking down nearly each point of my comment to you, which by the way wasn't joining you in anger even though I'm sure that would make you feel better to think someone would stoop low with you, your responses seemed like funny feeble attempts to make a come back. Not sure if that was on purpose but you did sound more rational that your first rant. You actually didn't sound like you disagreed with Louis Hay much at all. Which is odd compared to the "disgust" you said you had initially. Well that's great! If you had sounded so rational and reasonable the first time you "shared information" I think it actually would have been constructive rather than full of negativity. It's hard to respond to some of your retorts i don't agree with because a couple of them make such little sense it seems like a waste of time to try to show you that. But I think it's fair to say that you back pedal a lot when faced with facts that contradict your initial rantings but you know make sense. But most importantly, I think the reason why what you're saying sounds so offensive to people who don't agree with your negative opinions, is because it misrepresents Louis Hay. It puts her in a shadow that really is only cast by the negativy inside of you that you wanted to spread just because your experience doesn't match to the one Louis describes, not promises. And really you're no authority to deny her claims as it sounds like it's bases on a person to person basis. Based on the effort and experiences they have. You can't deny what you don't know. You don't know what that power of the mind can do and that's unfortunate for you, but it doesn't say it isn't possible for others who do have that power. Try not to be so bitter maybe. Maybe then you will realize that you thoughts are more powerful than you realized. Maybe the answer to fix your problem doesn't have to be found outside of you. Maybe it will take more than just a thought, which I think she encourages as well. But to deny the foundation of what she's teaching is basically denying your own power. If that's fine with you, that's fine with me.
ReplyDeleteHey again Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply.
...your responses seemed like funny feeble attempts to make a come back.
...or attempts at clarifying my positions.
You actually didn't sound like you disagreed with Louis Hay much at all.
I very much so disagree with her, for the reasons discussed in the post above.
But I think it's fair to say that you back pedal a lot when faced with facts that contradict your initial rantings but you know make sense.
I can't imagine what in my statements are considered back tracking. I assure you, my statements support my original post.
And really you're no authority to deny her claims as it sounds like it's bases on a person to person basis.
And Louise Hay has no authority to make her claims because she has no proof that they are even true.
xoxo
ReplyDeleteLight and love ;).
DeleteGreat articulation of what should have been said long time ago and accepted as the main stream truth instead of Louise Hay's work. I used to be young and her biggest fan but with time I set to prove my own beliefs by adhering to every word in her books and in the books of others alike. I also declared of my beliefs aloud and brought them up with people who criticized me I resented them and saw them somewhat of a lesser individuals. In my quest to find those who did support Louise Hay's way of thought I found an MS patient and his family, amazing people with the purest of hearts I had the pleasure of knowing who blamed themselves for not being loving or believing enough to heal the MS. I found a wonderful beautiful giving woman who was abused as a child and instead of acceptance she practiced denial, hiding behind feeling as if it was has way of thinking that got her abused and molested; I blamed myself for the autoimmune disease I was BORN WITH, saying I must have done something in my past life to deserve it. I refused medications, wasted way too much money on alternative medics (not to say all of it is bad)... The result? I came to resent Hays irresponsible claims and the life it had me lead. I revised, reversed and changed a lot of my thinking but am now regarded and an angry less of a person by those still fighting to right to wrongs in their life using Louise's methods.
ReplyDeleteI believe she did not work out her issues and dragged people down with her. She might have been innocently misled by her own experience but it does not make her less responsible in admitting the shortcomings of her method. The popularity of her books must have convinced her that she was right and erased every drop of doubt she might have had regarding the validity of her claims.
Overall, it's important her take ownership of out thoughts and choices and Louise taught me that. However, if her books were guided by common sense and pointed out the ambivalence in thinking it is "all in your head" they could never make glorious promises or sell 40 million copies. Or more.
I found this discussion interesting. I have never really dug Louise Hay, simply an energy thing. I have an inbuilt resistence to gurus, and New Age stars for some reason. I do not follow human beings due to the "feet of clay" syndrome. I do sense and listen to my Higher Self, for want of better words. Anyone who pontificates about Spirit, has a touch of the egocentric, attention seeking fantasist to me. But I have met some amazing channelers saying that who do it automatically and free. Who express God's love in their every day life. Anyone who lectures on God from a podium does not attract me. On the other hand, I have gone on my own spiritual search. I found basic therapy very helpful when it comes to defusing my negative perceptions and thinking modes. Also regular meditation and spiritual practice is useful, as long as one does not shut oneself away in a rarified world, because life tends to hit for six in such cases, it happened to me.However, I also sense that all these gurus serve us too, we learn as a result of experiencing them. We do learn that we are are powerful creators and our thoughts create resonance and attract situations or refute them, so even though I do not like the New Age blurb, I get some aspects of creative thinking. But narcistic New Age Gurus have never, ever been my thing. They always fail because they become corrupted by their self importance, their ego, and fail in their own spritiual growth and evolution. I have met more enlightened people than they doing every day jobs, mothering families, driving cabs, cooking great food, being wonderful friends, caring people who would never claim to talk to God, but express God just by being alive. Misery does make us look for answers, yet I have never found them in a New Age guru, but in my own heart and yearning for truth. And also in the beauty of life and friendship around me. I do believe in experimenting with energy, and therefore am interested in some of the new healing techniques, such as quantum healing, and I love Reiki. I also like my yoga teacher, and friends who teach me about life, God and love more than anyone. I also find my son to be a great spiritual teacher, and think, I do not have to pay him anything to mirror my inner world back to me. I also am "psychic", in that I can sense and feel others energy, that is why I don't dig Louise Hay. I respect her knowledge but not her energy vibe, I am glad that people are questioning her, because that is necessary. Questioning and doubt are good things. They express the other side of the coinc. Anyway, to cut to the core, I always take those who make million dollar claims about God with a pinch of salt. Thanks for the discussion and for listening.
ReplyDeleteHi there. I came across this blog after I starting searching for critical views of Louise Hay. I have bought into her stuff in the past but lately have become fed up with the heavy marketing of Hay House products by email.
DeleteYour reply sounds really sane & grounded, & echoes a lot of my own experiences with finding ordinary people doing regular jobs to be much kinder than these guru types. And at the end of the day, i think human kindness is what really counts for a lot.
I've pretty much stopped reading all the new age/spiritual books for a while now & I'm just enjoying reading stories, novels etc, which i also find i can learn a lot from.
This is new age movement. no basic and no guidance whatsoever to believe this lady ( Hay's). I just can't imagine how people are being misguided by her teaching. So sad...
ReplyDeleteKyra my dear, I read your blog and I cannot believe how horrible I feel. The negative energy, pointing fingers, shame and blame is just horrible. First we need to take responsibility for everything that happens in our life. We can’t go around pointing our finger at everyone blaming them for everything that has or hasn’t happened in our lives. We are the captain/creator of our lives. Some of the people you mentioned in your blog I’m aware of however; don’t know much about them. The other folks I know very well, have read their books, watched their videos and taken training. I LOVE them. I am grateful to these people for shining as bright as they do to give us guidance. Counselors can only give each of us the tools to use to heal our lives, Life Coaches do the same thing to inspire us to make the needed changes in our lives so we will aspire to fulfill our dreams. Sure there are people in this world that will look at the easiest way to make money. There are horrible scamming thieves in every profession. As a psychic-medium I do my very best to give folks the loving guidance to heal, answer questions or give comfort or closure. I know that each thought and action changes our future. How can anybody give you scientific proof of Angels, of miracles or even God? You have to believe and once you really believe in your heart you will see what is right before your very eyes everyday. I see miracles everyday. I see people changing and healing them self with positive thought, positive changes in their lifestyle. I don’t need to try and prove anything to you or try to convince you of anything because I know the truth. I have peace. I’m sorry you are so angry, bitter and hurt that is a very dark uncomfortable place to be. I pray you find peace and love one day my dear. I also must say I agree 100% with Angela Abbott because I have seen the healing within myself, disease can’t live in a high alkaline body. I wish you all well.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting discussion. In 1986 I was at rock bottom in my life and picked up You Can Heal Your Life. I had nothing to lose so I tried the methods in the book, and was astonished at how some affirmations came true almost immediately while others I am still waiting for almost 30 years later.
ReplyDeleteI decided to investigate why sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. I have found the answer to that question and I am satisfied.
I've been a holistic healer for almost 30 years, but I have never told anyone to give up their regular physician. You have to find what works for you. If your house is on fire, your first call should not be to the feng shui expert. Begin by managing the symptoms, but use holism to dig into the root causes. All the healing arts have their place in restoring oneself to balance. Illness is the manifestation of a complex web of causes, and winding those back to the source can be like untying the Gordian knot.
I would just like to find ONE legit source that can verify her claim of healing her own v-cancer. She said in one interview that "It was 30 years ago. I can't remember exactly what stage the cancer was at."
ReplyDelete(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3348269/How-positive-thinking-helped-me-beat-cancer.html)
As someone who has cancer right now, and can medically verify it, I guarantee you that you remember what stage you're diagnosed at and I will presume that will be true for life, absent any dementia etc.
I've found that many in the New Thought movement do not walk their unconditional love talk. You should see how fast they scatter and abandon when the "c" word comes in to place, but since I have it, I must deserve it and given it to myself.
Thank goodness I woke up from all that nonsense. An ethical naturopathic doctor told me to take allopathic treatment because so many alternative "cures" are there because people are trying to make a buck off of vulnerable people. I am totally disgusted by the wasted time I spent on all that hooey and am glad to be back on terra firma.
Yes, Louise Hay, give me measureable PROOF that you healed your own cancer using your methods. If it is so I can avoid chemo and all that other stuff. Hurry up though.
:-D
I wish there was some kind of proof too. Perhaps she was misdiagnosed in the beginning. There must have been some kind of medical records, that she would have wanted to have as proof, surely? Her philosophy is great, but this doesn't sit right.
DeletePerhaps she went to a doctor and just did not give any credit to the real source of healing. The number of people who credit God with their healing is astounding. I recall one "guru" commenting that after twenty plus surgeries, he healed himself. Without doctors most people would be dead or likely suffering severly.
DeleteThis isn't just about cancer, to which I'm facing a potential diagnosis.
ReplyDeleteThis is about someone pitching the tyranny of positive thinking upon those who are desperate and needy. There is much to be said in psychology about what human beings will do, or believe, when they are in pain. The interesting thing is that pain brings growth. The issue I have the with the tyranny of positive thinking is that it encourages us to REPRESS our emotions, which is unhealthy and can make us sick or, if we can't pull ourselves out of a 'negative thinking', we are blamed and stigmatized by it. It is INCREDIBLY dangerous to imply that one can 'positively think' their disease away, whether it is mental or physical health, and ti's dangerous to pathologize negative emotions to the point of completely obliteration from our psyche.
Anything that asks us, whether directly, indirectly, covert or overt, to repress our humanity, is a fraud. Period.
Awesome job, Kyra. That some people think anyone exercising their critical thinking skills, as have I, is "negative" or "not spiritual", then that serves to underscore how vital our critical thinking skills are. This "Puffy Pink Cloud" of ceasing to actually think critically (granting most education systems discourage critical thought as a rule) is not of any "new age" most people in their right mind would ever wish to contribute to. And this leads to people that, instead of answering genuine concerns about parity and consistency, rather use the well-worn emotional coping mechanism of labeling and blaming across a dialectic of "good" and "bad", "normal" and "abnormal", distinctions woven from an utterly delusional landscape. An ounce of critical thought on the order of so grand a life is more spiritual than not, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMagical thinking is a very well known human problem, that born of modern conditions of smog and toxic psychology that inhibits brain development itself more apt than not to think itself "normal" - because that is what the brain does best - adapt.
Such a brain must defend itself, therefore, from any suggestion that its basic assumptions may not be consistent or even productive, and it will often do so very aggressively, even in the name of "Love".
It is not a crime to not know everything, or to make assumptions, or even to make money on one's assumptions and the assumptions of others.
But nor is it crime to question people, especially in the realm of healing, as an absence of truly critical thought about our lives and minds is what largely makes us sick in the first place.
Re: Louise Hay. She has many positive affirmations. What concerns me, however, is that she very specifically matches various factors from a broad spectrum of emotional states with various specific diseases. This is just not logical or medically sound. Any qualified healer or doctor can tell you that any kind and range of disease can be created by any number of deficiencies, traumas, and toxins or stress. I don't blame Louise Hay. She is doing her best. We all need to do our own due diligence.
And you, Kyra, have helped people do that. If that is not about "Love" then I would question the sanity of anyone making ad hominem attacks on you or anyone asking what used to be sensible questions before the "new age" of military-grade propaganda (with, yes, lots of spiritual bons bons).
Like you, I also highly question the sanity of all the writers and "doctors" you mentioned. There are many ways to treat cancer (if it is not your time), and these "doctors" mention almost none of them but "thinking one's self well". Man, the money you can waste is endless. However, people often do get a benefit because most developmental disorders in our society thrive on being helped by anyone in "authority" by "icons" of "spirituality" and "health". These are often provisional control-based therapies. Yes, I too would LOVE to see the statistics on improved survival rates. Are they better than the independently set 2 percent for chemotherapy, which largely causes more cancer than it cures. *Note. If you have cancer, check out any antioxidant (which is largely anticarcinogenic), vitamin C and B17 in wheatgrass. Remember, thought that stress produces acidity in the body, which can also be carcinogenic. We need to carefully consider very many factors in our society, as we have more propaganda than oxygen most of the time. Responding to this, today, is very much a part of improving our immune system to all diseases, biological and sociopolitical.
Follow the dollar, Hay House are just like large corporations making more and more money...where does Hay House millions go? Also be very aware of 'Conversations With God' bullshitter Neale Donald Walsch I went to a seminar of his where he said he could not work with Deepak Chopra as 'we dont think the same way' and he admitted he thought he could do these type seminars after watching Eckhart Tolle, so did he start getting messages after that??
ReplyDeleteThe seminar cost £60 and they could not offer refreshments at all 3 breaks many other things to mention but I wont as I am not wasting anymore time on charlatans! !
Booooooo to kyra and all the other haters. Here's a thought; you can be an eagle or you can be a duck—the choice is yours.
ReplyDeleteHere's another thought; if everyone thinks the same way and does the same things—limiting themselves in fear, arrogance, and lack of curiosity—our world would be filled with drones, robots who are self-indulgent assholes that don't let themselves think out of the box and just keep on abusing other people, animals and the planet (...oh right—that's what our world is all about now).
People like Hay and some other authors you mentioned are far too spiritually advanced for you to truly understand or to experience for yourself. This isn't critical thinking—you're just spreading your opinion from a negative mindset.
Who do you think you are limiting yourself and the rest of us with your depressing, angry, immature thoughts?
This book is making its way through my families hands at this point. I read the book and am underwhelmed. I have had a sever mental illness for as long as I can remember and I feel a bit insulted by this woman's take on "illness". I was a kid, trying to be a kid, when I was hit with my disorder, and no amount of positive anything has ever made it go away...it just is.
ReplyDeleteI always advise people to look deeply into the background of all of these so-called "gurus". Even with the book "The Secret", once I started looking into these preachers, or examples of a "turnaround", I realized that most of these goons came from affluence or have as many holes in their stories, and characters, as a block of swiss cheese.
What most of us laymen look for are examples of those who truly attained spiritual, mental, and financial success that started from the BOTTOM. This is usually never the case. Dig deep, study these characters, and then try and take their "magical works" seriously.
I like her, but I can see how her work would be controversial. Personally I just take some of her more extreme claims with a grain of salt. If it were true in the literal sense, then I suppose immortality through positive thinking would be possible.. lol. :x But I definitely believe our thoughts have a real impact that is far more powerful than most people believe.
ReplyDeleteHi Kyra,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled onto this blog and noticed that you haven't posted recently. I hope you will take up the torch again since woo is still prevalent. I used to belong to Unity and was greatly exposed to the scams that you are bringing up here. They are successful scams because even the gurus have convinced themselves that they are aligned with "truth." At the heart of the matter is arrogance and perhaps the need to be seen in high regard, plus lots of money. Louise Hay's book has that infamous chapter in which people get to place judgement on those suffering with illness. It's not intention, but that's the results. Though it is scientifically shown that stress and mental illness can cause physical illness, it does not necessarily manifest for the reasons she mention. Her chapter has all the tell tale signs of classic, literal use of analogy. "Having foot trouble?" You're having trouble moving forward in life. "Having eye trouble?" What is it you do not want to see? This is all too simplistic, having roots in outdated thinking prior to advancement in science. It overlooks genetics, chemical exposure, errors in cell duplication, and physiological reasons that can be studied tested and retested for confirmation - some reasons are yet to be scientifically discovered. Such simplistic new age approaches give the illusion of being an expert and offering easy to understand reasoning that humans who want personal control can latch onto. Long ago, plants were selected for medicine based on their physical appearance - jack-n-the-pulpits resembling phallic body parts were used for libido.etc. Frequently, medicine by analogy resulted in death, illness, but also provided a trial by error approach leading to unexpected results - such as bark leading to asprin.We know certain plants are toxic because someone long ago decided to eat it and suffered the results.
We are pattern seeking beings due to our evolution and innate drive to keep ourselves safe. We see what looks to be a threatening animal in the grasses and we react. Not reacting we take the risk of being killed - so better safe than sorry. We see a series of dots. . . . . . and we fill in the blanks to make a line. Someone tells us part of a story and we fill in the details because not knowing is uncomfortable. All this woo you write about here is a reaction to these human flaws in thinking - the need for answers in unknown situation, the need for control, the need to be the expert, arrogance, the need for meaning in an otherwise meaningless situation. Many of us do not have the time, intelligence, nor patience to study, in-depth the science behind disease, yet volumes of journals, books and information fills up buildings called medical libraries at our local university campus. Many prefer the quick meaning people like Hay offer up.
Keep thinking critically and you will find truth beyond empty words and promises.
Kathryn