Steven G. Ayre MD
History has shown that alignment with principles targeting development of a certain kind of spirit can result in Olympic triumph, success in commerce, political victory on an international level and recovery from hopeless progressive diseases. Such is the spirit of achievement. For those recovering from serious illnesses, the promise and reward is not simply about personal satisfaction; it is about pioneering and becoming a resource for others who suffer from similar conditions. These sentiments come from a book, “Power vs. Force” by psychiatrist David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. The intent of my own writing here is to provide instruction and inspiration towards attaining such levels of achievement.
Different people start from different places when looking at the challenge being presented here. Remember, all one can do is one’s own best; everyone is at least capable of that. And that is all you need to get going. The practices described here will involve your emotions. There are really only two fundamental emotions one can feel: one of these is love, and the other one isn’t. Saying this is a way of giving primacy to the feeling of love here. Operating through the stimulation of brain chemicals called endorphins, love is good for the immune system and that is what is good for overcoming disease. It’s a pretty simple equation.
That other emotion that isn’t love is fear, along with its allies of panic, dismay, paranoia and a few others. A little poem I read once relates these emotions to love in this way:
‘Paranoia. A doubting fear. Born of the fear
that the love that we know, we need, we have, we are,
will not be mirrored in him, her, you, they, me, we two.”
Five Truths about Fear
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Handling fear is basic to the growth process. Understanding this is the first step. Accepting it is the second step. And acting on these things is the final step. Specific exercises for doing this “inner work” will follow below, and in other accompanying materials. Remember, all you need to do is the best you can. These little truths about fear come from a useful book entitled, “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway” by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. Actually, these truths pretty much sum it all up as far as handling fear is concerned.
Developing a spirit of achievement is not just about facing fear. Underlying these practices is the sincere desire to engender lovingkindness in and around oneself. This is the targeted emotion that strengthens the immune system. Having a clear vision of this connection between love and the possibility of achieving physical wellness is something precious, something to be continually nurtured.
It is important to note my use of the phrase “possibility of achieving physical wellness” here. Life and love are most certainly shrouded in mysteries that confound our common understandings and expectations of things. There are reported circumstances with patients where their work leads to an inner healing, an acceptance of their being loved for who they really are. Love is that important. It is as if these individuals manage to come to the completion of some larger cycle of things within themselves, creating results that simply don’t include physical healing. I can make no moral judgment on these things. They are reported clinical experiences observed in the practice of medicine, events that transcend our understanding of the world and its appearances.