Today is a different take on the question “What is Possible?” Warning…don’t listen if you want to avoid growth in the area of death by suicide. Yesterday I was asked to do another episode because it has been a couple weeks. I know this beautiful human was not expecting such a heavy subject, especially knowing that suicide has affected her in such an intimate way. What I didn’t tell her is that 6 days ago a friend of mine on the other side of the country died by suicide. While I’m recording this, he is being buried. This is for you Joe and anyone else who has died by suicide. I’m offering this episode as a way for him to live on, positively influencing as many people who listen to this…

·        Most of us walk around with masks on. Some are more elaborate and cover more than others, but we all do it. Ex. anxiety about work, relationship pain, feeling inadequate as a parent, fearing being a burden, etc.

·        Why do we do it? (safety, acceptance, and love)

·        What if we were seen for who we really are? 

o   Our bodies are just our vehicles. 

·        It is so easy to ask why people do suicide…We are all accomplices in every death by suicide…we are not creating an environment were people feel safe to explore and express themselves fully. They cannot trust that they will be accepted for being a little different than what they were told to be (generations). They cannot trust that they will be loved beyond their problematic vehicles. That’s on me, you, all of us. NO ONE PERSON, ALL OF US!

·        It is so hard to hear, but the most religious and spiritual groups tend to the biggest culprits. 

·        Every time we look down at someone for the way they look or dress, judge them for a tattoo, piercing, hairstyle, judge them for the way their vehicle is not properly working, criticize them for how they “should” be doing things, find fault in how they are coping with their pain 

·        Faulty vehicles (emotional brain). We can see the world as bunch of broken vehicles or see the infinite souls that reside in the bodies. 

·        We know why we do it. We don’t feel safe. When we don’t feel safe, we try to control everything around us or just avoid an distract ourselves so we can create a sense of safety/security within us. 

·        I’m not asking you to start a non-profit, join a group, or volunteer every Saturday. It starts with the way you treat yourself. I may not have shown it today, but I have a lot of empathy for us because I know those who are the most judgement and critical with the world are the worst to themselves. For the group that avoids facing those inner shadows and thinks they are loving others…hear me, listening and understanding communicates love more than telling them what to do or how to do their lives. Again, this is just a reflection of your fears…you fear not being enough for the person in front of you. Again, you feel unsafe. You don’t have to make this about you. Make it truly about them. Genuinely listen, understand, and ask what they need. Most times, by the time you get to the question of “what do you need?” you have already give it to them. You were the gift. 

·        So this is my ask for Joe and all the others who have died by suicide. Treat yourself well enough to where you don’t have to judge others to feel safe. Create a safe, accepting, and loving environment within yourself for yourself so that everyone around you can take off the masks. Otherwise, we may never see who is really beneath the mask.

·        If you need help understanding how to create this type of environment for yourself or others, find a guide. LLT is a self-guided option. 

Continuing our search for answering the question of What is Possible and how to live limitless. I was going to do the next episodes on “Think and Live Longer.” But there was a different plan…

·        Personal story of Other Lives, Other Selves

·        As a therapist, I am always looking for new ways to help people. This is quite unconventional and controversial…here is how I see it: aim is healing. “as a therapist and not a philosopher I am perhaps fortunate in that I am not shackled by the problem of belief of disbelief…for the therapist there is another kind of truth…that which is real for the patient.”

·        Dr. Woolger is an Oxford University graduate from the mid-60s that would eventually immerse himself in Zurich, Switzerland in Jungian Psychology…

·        4 ways to look at past life regression therapy:

o   Psychic: past life readings and mediumship

o   Parapsychological: favors scientific and experimental investigation of past life claims

o   Religious: looking at past lives as an article of faith

o   Psychotherapeutic: using past life regression in the service of therapeutic change

·        “It doesn’t matter whether you believe in reincarnation or not for past life therapy to be effective….it is about the healing power of the unconscious mind.” 95% of daily functioning, according to Dr Lipton. 

·        “It is just a means that may help further emotional catharsis, self-understanding, and healing” = therapy 

·        “The focus is on the person, not the events.” “The healing power of story.” 

·        “The hypnotherapist actively directs and helps rework the stories, images, and fixed ideas that arise from the unconscious in trance states.” Trance – extremely relaxed state that allows access to the unconscious mind. 

·        ”We do not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the dark conscious.” Unfinished dramas of the soul…Insecurity and fear of abandonment, depression and low energy, phobias and irrational fears, sadomasochistic behavioral problems, guilt and martyr complexes, material insecurity and eating disorders, accidents/violence/physical brutality, family struggles, sexual difficulties and abuse, marital difficulties, chronic physical ailments….

·        Practically: focus on the body’s pain (emotional/physical), follow the story that emerges, ask questions AS IF it were a memory, listen for the stories behind or beneath the story (meaning or the “deeper, archaic, lurking fear or trauma”), experience it fully in the body, and then do the work to heal the underlying wound. 

·        No matter what this is an emotional recounting from one’s personal perspective…the pain is real regardless of memory or fantasy. Emotional pain manifests in the physical body if not addressed. 

·        We’ve all had memories of things that didn’t happen the way we remember…but our emotional connection to that memory is real. Could it be a past life? I don’t know. Could it be your body/mind/emotional complex trying to act out the pain in someone else’s story to make it more palatable to address? I don’t know.

·        “For the therapist, what is important is not the literal truth of a story but its psychological truth.” 

·         

·        2007 research article from the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences University of Virginia Health System identified 2500 cases of children claiming to remember past lives. 

o   Most are 2-4 years old and stopping around 6-7 years old. Some of th

Mind Over Medicine. Dr. Lisa Ranking, MD. Last episode we talked about the factors of whole health, how loneliness poisons the body, but loving relationships can heal the body, how overwork kills us, and how positive emotions benefit health

·        Ch 8: How to Counteract the Stress Response

o   Studies have shown 60-90% of doctors visits can be attributed to the stress response

o   Inviting the parasympathetic response. Overwhelming research showing efficacy in treating angina, arrhythmias, asthma, herpes, coughs, constipation, diabetes, ulcers, dizziness, fatigue, hypertension, infertility, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, swelling, PMS, arthritis, side effects of cancer and AIDs, as well as all forms of pain. 

o   Meditation. Personal experience and scientific evidence. Monks dressing themselves in freezing temperatures at 15k feet and dry the sheets instead of dying. 

o   Many types of meditative practice: mindfulness, witness consciousness (observe thoughts), energy meditation (chakras), all the way to altered consciousness. BEING to balance DOING. 

o   Starting a meditative practice: create a sacred space, guided meditations on Spotify or YouTube

o   Other ways to elicit parasympathetic response: creativity, sexual release, time with loved ones and spiritual family, doing work you love, laughing, pets, journaling, praying, yoga/movement, music, gardening, etc. 

·        Ch 9: The Six Steps to Healing Yourself

o   Heal (to make whole) versus Cure (to be free of disease or symptoms). 

o   Step One: Believe healing is possible. Which is why we are discussing “What is Possible?”

o   Step Two: Connect and surrender to the Divine Healer within, letting your inner knowing guide your healing journey

o   Step Three: Surround yourself with healing support

o   Step Four: Diagnose the Root Cause of your illness. Also recognize what purpose the illness is serving

o   Step Five: Write the prescription for yourself

o   Step Six: Treat your fears and resistance (what changes are you afraid to make? Leap of Faith)

o   The rest of the chapter walks you through creating your own personal prescription. 

·        Appendix B: 10 Factors that Support Radical Remission

o   Radically change your diet: whole veggies, fruits, grains, beans. Eliminating meat, sugar, dairy, and refined grains.

o   Take responsibility for your health.

o   Follow your intuition.

o   Use herbs and supplements that resonate with you. Kinesiology. 

o   Release suppressed emotions

o   Increase positive emotions

o   Embrace social support

o   Deepen spiritual connection

o   Identify a strong reason (purpose) for living

o   Regular exercise/movement

·        Short story about “What is possible…”

·        April’s book: Think and Live Longer by Dr. Trip Goolsby MD and his wife LeNae. He started medical school in 1975 and practiced as a medical oncologist until 2013 when he and LeNae transitioned to an integrative clinic. Preview: yourinfinitehealth.com.

Closing: What is one thing you will take away from the episode today? What will you do? 

  Remember: Living Lucky is not living alone…if this helped you, share it. The links are in the notes… Follow us to know when the next episode is available. Please rate the podcast. Live Lucky Therapy is available. My book and workbook are on amazon. Please rate those as well! I appreciate being with you today, and I look forward to discussing Living Lucky more next time.

www.liveluckytherapy.com

Question of the year: What is possible? Mind Over Medicine. Dr. Lisa Ranking, MD. Last episode we talked about the placebo effect, the nocebo effect, and love (particularly self-love) as the key factor in the placebo effect.

·        Ch 4: The Whole Health Cairn

o   Factors to health are not just diet and exercise. It includes relationships, creativity, meaning/purpose, spirituality, healthy sexuality, healthy relationship with money, healing environment…all helps healthy mental/emotional life and lifestyle choices. 

o   Stressors that decrease health: loneliness, unhappy relationships, work stress, financial stress, anxiety, depression, which all can stem from trauma. 

o   Four important emotional experiences for health: Love, Gratitude, Pleasure, and Service. 

o   *The body is the physical manifestation of the sum of your life experiences. 

·        Ch 5: Loneliness Poisons the Body

o   Study of Rosetto, PA where the heart attack rate was ½ the national average and the death rate was 30-35% less too! Concluded that a supportive, tight-knit community was a better predictor of heart health than cholesterol levels or tobacco use. [Versus – Every man for himself/ survival of the fittest]. Safe, accepting, and loving environments all the parasympathetic response to engage. 

o   Another study concluded: Social ties and life expectancy are inextricably linked. Friendships may be more health-inducing than having a spouse. 

o   “When it comes to your health, you are better off single than in a bad relationship.” (medicine or poison)

o   Another study: religious attendance had a protective effect on life expectancy. Mormons have been shown to experience 24% less cancer than the general population. Spiritual connection is a common factor linking radical remission according to Dr. Kelly Turner.

o   Health sexual lives increase life expectancy, lower risk of heart disease and stroke, get less breast cancer, bolster immune systems, sleep better, appear more youthful, get relief from chronic pain, fewer migraines, less depression, and enjoy improved quality of life. If fear drives your sexual experiences, it triggers the stress response. 

o   Feeling lonely can affect your body worse than stress. 10-30% of people feel deeply lonely. John Cacioppo says it is all about altering your attitude toward others versus spending more time with others. Alone versus feeling lonely.

o   Chronic disease and fear-based relationships (aggression, hate, withdrawal of love)

·        Ch 6: Death by Overwork

o   Japan, “karoshi” means “death by overwork”

o   1/3 of America has a work obsession. “Golden Handcuffs.” The British have an average of 26 vacation days, 37 for French, to America’s 14 days per year. 137 countries mandate PTO, but not the US. 

o   Symptoms to look for: backaches, headaches, eye strain, insomnia, fatigue, dizziness, appetite disturbances, and GI distress.  These can lead to overproduction of cortisol -> infection/cancer

o   Doing work you love may save your life. Callings decrease burnout. Creativity increases health. 

·        Ch 7: Happiness is Preventative Medicine 

o   Happiness and Health are inextricably linked. Optimism and Pessimism can be learned. One study suggested that life circumstances only account for 10% of our happiness. 

o   Sometimes we parade busyness as a badge. 

o   Happiness as “the overall appreciation of one’s life-as-a-whole

o   The difference between optimism and pessimism lies in how permanent, pervasive, and personal they perceive good and bad events to be. Optimists 45% less likely to die in the same timeframe as pessimists and 77

Question of the year: What is possible? This question opens you up to seeing life in a new way. Trying to think in new ways, feel in new ways, do things in new ways, and even relate in new ways. How has your journey been going so far? This question has forced me to look at some of the walls I’ve had placed around me to help me “feel” safe, accepted, and loved. It has forced me to understand the meaning of life in new ways. From an evolutionary cell biology perspective, Dr. Bruce Lipton discussed how single cells came together to form larger organisms that ultimately became humans because they saw the benefit of working together needing less energy and getting all their needs met. I know we are only 2 months in to our year of limitless, but I’m already feeling some big shifts. How about you?

·        Mind Over Medicine

o   Dr. Lisa Ranking is an MD who left her profession to study with all the alternative healing modalities and the research of each, as well. 

·        Key messages: 

o   Let go of control. Surrender. DEEP TRUST. Be proactive and let go. You will either willingly or unwillingly enter a place of uncertainty…worldviews will unravel…this is the space between stories

o   Unhealed trauma in your body’s system will hold you back from curing your body

o   The longest journey you will ever take is the journey from your head to your heart.

§  “There is no illness of the body apart from the mind.” – Socrates

o   “When it comes to the healing process, some crossover between the mystical and the physiological is at play, and that the common ground that connects the two seems to be the great and powerful minds, as well as what you might call the spirit or the soul.” 

o   Every healing journey starts with a leap of faith…

·        Ch 1: Optimizing the Placebo Effect

o   “What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of the mind.” – Dhammapada

o   Research shows: 40% of headaches, 50% of colitis, >50% of ulcer pain and pain in general, 40% infertility and even 71% of sham surgeries have all benefited from the placebo effect. Seem most effective with immune system issues, but nearly all clinical trials demonstrate the placebo effect. 

o   Theory of why does placebo work: expectation, classical conditioning (white coat), rituals, nurturing care, other treatments while in studies, or disease resolves on its own. 

o   Psychological stress and the sympathetic vs parasympathetic nervous system 

o   Spontaneous Remission Project: 3,500 references. “proof that almost no disease is incurable”

·        Ch 2: The Surefire Way to Make Yourself Sick and Prevent Disease Remission

o   “People have the power to think themselves sick.” NOCEBO EFFECT.  Anxiety à Illness

o   “The brain is perception, but the mind is interpretation.” 

o   Subconscious mind and core beliefs. Why toxic positivity doesn’t work (all conscious mind i.e.5%)

o   “Somewhere in the intersection of hope, optimism, nurturing care, and full partnership with the empowered patient, a recipe for healing lies.”

·        Ch 3: The Healing Factor that can make all the difference

o   “The secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient.”

o   Research shows that “the right person to support your healing journey is crucial.”

o   Research shows optimism and positive interactions along with TRUST in a provider are key.

o   Love as the placebo…or the cure… Get a glimpse of it from others, but it is really about self-love…parasympathetic response is allowed to rest, digest, and heal.

Jim Kwik Limitless: Upgrade your brain, learn anything faster, and unlock your exceptional life.  

·        Mindset (The WHAT); Motivation (THE WHY)

·        Methods (THE HOW)

o   Focus – “If you can’t concentrate you can’t manifest” It is something you can learn!

§  It isn’t your mind that is moving, it is your awareness (distraction, multitasking, clutter)

§  Instead: Breath, Do something that has been causing you stress, schedule time for distraction 

o   Study – 4 Levels of Competence (Unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence (practice makes progress)

§  Habits: employ active recall, employ spaced repetition, manage the stated you’re in, use your sense of smell (rosemary, peppermint, lemon), Music for the mind (Baroque – Handel, Bach), Listen with your whole brain, Intentional note-taking/use own words **Capture & Create (capture notes and create your impressions)     

o   Memory – “serves as the foundation for every action you take now and… in the future”

§  Motivation to remember. Rote memorization takes too long and is inefficient. 

§  Visualization; Associations; Emotion; Location (create stories out of the information you need to remember, crazier the better)

§  LOCI Method: pick 10 places in your room and walk through it in your mind with info

o   Speed Reading – average 150-200 words/minute. Reading efficiency: speed and understanding. 

§  Speed reading is a skill and practice. Faster reading forces you to focus more. Read without the voice in your head saying the words. Use your finger (25-100% rate increase). Try counting while reading to drown out reading voice in head. 

o   Thinking – Different types of intelligence (Dr. Howard Gardner, Harvard)

§  Spatial (pilots); Bodily-Kinesthetic (gymnast); Musical (Mozart); Linguistic (writers); Logical-Mathematical (Einstein); Interpersonal (therapists); Intrapersonal (Gandhi); Naturalistic (zoologists)

§  Learning Styles: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic

§  Decision-making 40/70 Rule (Colin Powell). Don’t make a decision with less than 40% or more than 70% of the info.

§  EXPONETIAL THINKING – looking for the root cause of issue and thinking in a different box. “Creating a billion-dollar company is simply a matter of solving a $10-billion dollar problem.”

Closing: What is one thing you will take away from the episode today? What will you do? 

 Remember: Living Lucky is not living alone…if this helped you, share it. The links are in the notes… Follow us to know when the next episode is available. Please rate the podcast. Live Lucky Therapy is available. My book and workbook are on amazon. Please rate those as well! I appreciate being with you today, and I look forward to discussing Living Lucky more next time.

www.liveluckytherapy.com

https://www.facebook.com/LiveLuckyTherapy

https://www.twitter.com/blakesuzelis

https://www.instagram.com/liveluckytherapy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-suzelis-2a741015/

youtube.com/@liveluckytherapy

The Gift of Luck book and workbook:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=blake+suzelis&crid=2MJ1CH6TNASTC&sprefix=%2Caps%2C183&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_1_0_recent

Jim Kwik Limitless: Upgrade your brain, learn anything faster, and unlock your exceptional life.  

·        Mindset (The WHAT):

o   Limiting Beliefs, we believe. (Name them, What are the Facts (not opinions), New Belief). Negative emotions limit too. “Positive emotions broaden your sense of possibilities…allowing you to build new skills.” 

o   How our values and meaning influence our behaviors and self-talk.

o   Ch 6 – 7 Lies of Learning

§  Intelligence is Fixed. “Intelligence is fluid.”

§  We only use 10% of our brains. This is laughably wrong. We use 100%, but some parts of this muscle are stronger.

§  Mistakes are Failures. “There is no such thing as failure. Only failure to learn.”

§  Knowledge is Power. Knowledge x Action = Power

§  Learning new things is very difficult. Once you learn HOW to learn, it is like any other process.

§  Criticism of others matters. “It’s not your job to like, love, or respect me. It’s mine.”

§  Genuis is born. Genius is made through deep practice.

·        Motivation (THE WHY) = Purpose x Energy x S^3

o   Ch 7 – Purpose – a goal is what you want to do and the purpose is the reason why. Life purpose comes from passion (the rediscovered authentic self that has been buried beneath other people’s expectations). Purpose is relational. Starts with self (I AM) identity and self-love.

§  Means value – means to an end

§  End value – usually love, acceptance, safety. (We make decisions based on emotions). 

o   Ch 8 – Energy – “Mental and physical vitality is the fuel needed to drive your action.”

§  Brain Foods, Exercise, Positive Self-talk, clean environment, positive peer group, new learning, stress management, sleep.

o   Ch 9 – Small Simple Steps (S^3) repeated lead to habits and goals. 3 questions to consider: 

§  How strongly do you want to break the habit? How established is the problem? What are the consequences of breaking the habit?

§  Establishing a morning routine to start.

o   Ch 10 – Importance of FLOW state. Absolute effortless concentration and focus where actions just flow. 4 stages of FLOW: Struggle, Relaxation, Flow, Consolidation. “Motivation without flow leads to burnout.”

·        Of course, the book has more…

Closing: What is one thing you will take away from the episode today? What will you do? 

 Remember: Living Lucky is not living alone…if this helped you, share it. The links are in the notes… Follow us to know when the next episode is available. Please rate the podcast. Live Lucky Therapy is available. My book and workbook are on amazon. Please rate those as well! I appreciate being with you today, and I look forward to discussing Living Lucky more next time.

www.liveluckytherapy.com

https://www.facebook.com/LiveLuckyTherapy

https://www.twitter.com/blakesuzelis

https://www.instagram.com/liveluckytherapy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-suzelis-2a741015/

youtube.com/@liveluckytherapy

The Gift of Luck book and workbook:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=blake+suzelis&crid=2MJ1CH6TNASTC&sprefix=%2Caps%2C183&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_1_0_recent

Jim Kwik Limitless: Upgrade your brain, learn anything faster, and unlock your exceptional life. In this first segment, we discuss the first four chapters of the book. 

·        “I believe the ultimate adventure we are all on is to reveal and realize our fullest potential and inspire others to do the same.” Transcending – ending the trance (learned programming). 

·        Step #1: Believe you are unlimited. “What do you want to be? What do you want to do? What do you want to have? What do you want to share?” Learning is our superpower.

o   Einstein: “No problem can be solved with the same level of consciousness that created it!”

·        Limitless Model:

o   Mindset (possibility) – often a low believe of yourself, your capabilities, what you deserve, or what is possible (the WHAT)

o   Motivation (purpose) – lack of drive, purpose, or energy to take action (the WHY)

o   Method (process) – ineffective processes (the HOW)

·        Blocks to Limitless: Four Horseman of our age: 

o   Digital Deluge (overload) – overconsumption without digestion

o   Digital Distraction (distraction) – multitasking: train our distraction muscle

o   Digital Dementia (forgetfulness) – relying on technology to remember for us results in breakdown of cognitive abilities. 

o   Digital Deduction (default thinking) – everyone else telling us what to think results in poor critical thinking skills, problem solving, and creativity. 

·        Step #2: Believe your brain has virtually infinite storage. Neuroplasticity explains how anything is possible. 

·        FASTER Method to learn anything quickly:

o   Forget about your limitations

o   Act. Learning is not a spectator sport. Consumption vs creation. 

o   State-dependent learning. Connect emotions with learning to help remember

o   Teach others what you are learning

o   Enter it into your schedule

o   Review through repetition

·        What is your driving question(s)? Prepare this before reading: How can I use this? Why must I use this? When will I use this?  

 Closing: What is one thing you will take away from the episode today? What will you do? 

 Remember: Living Lucky is not living alone…if this helped you, share it. The links are in the notes… Follow us to know when the next episode is available. Please rate the podcast. Live Lucky Therapy is available. My book and workbook are on amazon. Please rate those as well! I appreciate being with you today, and I look forward to discussing Living Lucky more next time.

www.liveluckytherapy.com

https://www.facebook.com/LiveLuckyTherapy

https://www.twitter.com/blakesuzelis

https://www.instagram.com/liveluckytherapy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-suzelis-2a741015/

youtube.com/@liveluckytherapy

The Gift of Luck book and workbook:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=blake+suzelis&crid=2MJ1CH6TNASTC&sprefix=%2Caps%2C183&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_1_0_recent