The Newsletter of the Arizona Spiritual Growth Foundation

September 1998 - Issue 6

Excitement is building for a return to a Spiritual Growth routine this month. Those lazy days of summer provide a break as most of us head out of town on vacations and tend to family matters. But now it's time to return a disciplined routine that includes a regular dose of spiritual awareness.

In Tucson, we anticipate four ongoing groups, geographically spread around town at times convenient for all who want to participate.

We will kick off our fall schedule with an introductory lecture at 7:00 P.M. on September 15^th at Sunrise Chapel. We hope many of you in our area will plan to attend. See the announcement brochure in this newsletter.

We hope that all our readers have the opportunity to join with friends in a regular meeting with spiritual soul mates.
 

(Dr. Skinner is Professor of Family and Community Medicine in the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, Arizona, where he conducts classes and seminars in self-empowerment and self healing processes. Dr. Skinner also conducts workshops at a national level. He is fully committed to promoting and to extending Self-Empowerment and Healing as a process that is complimentary to standard biomedical practice.)

I didn't get involved in empowerment and mental and spiritual healing simply from intellectual curiosity or out of my background and interests in experimental psychology and cognitive-behavioral sciences. Instead, it was the other way around. I became involved in the processes as a result of personal and family pain and suffering, and through a commitment that I and my wife, Valerie, have to finding a better way of living.

Once Valerie and I had begun our search, there was no turning back. We found ourselves on an inevitable pathway, and everything in our past now clearly appeared as part of our preparation. We became inspired students and teachers. I became rejuvenated in my study of science as old data took on new meaning.

Our search for healing became our purpose, almost like a commitment we made "out of time." Indeed, it became our life process, for we had several of the most fundamental lessons to be learned. There is no more effective way to learn than through experience, and we had to do our learning the hard way.

More than a year had passed since Valerie's hip surgery, and she still was not walking normally. The treatment was a technical success, yet healing had not been accomplished. After the surgery and the limitations of an artificial hip, Valerie experienced a deep sense of loss, personal upsets, and profound depression and apathy, which was apparent to those closest to her.

Before Valerie's hip problem and surgery, she was a marvel of energy and activity. Although her physical and mental decline had been protracted and gradual, I was disheartened by the change. Moreover, I was afraid that Valerie might never walk normally again, and worse, afraid that Valerie wasn't really trying. Clearly what was missing was the key ingredient: mental and spiritual healing.

In close relationships, when one person is not at peace, others involved often join in suffering. Each unconsciously may become a victim, and both parties feel guilty. Although the situation is experienced unconsciously, the message is clear: "at your hands I suffer."

In our experience, there were many times when we reinforced each other's guilt, fear and sickness, often unknowingly and even with good intentions. We pointed out the other's need for correction, for we saw each other through sickness. Our interactions became a series of perceived attacks, and counterattacks. They were a part of our sickness, not a part of healing.

About a year later, Valerie started to experience backaches and pain, and we suspected it was related to improper walking. This proved to be the beginning of an almost unbearable crisis. Valerie, now in severe pain, agreed to gall bladder surgery recommended by both a confident internist and a surgeon, which unfortunately was based on a false diagnosis. Subsequent to the surgery, her pain became even more intense, and numerous visits to physicians and hospitals led to more false diagnoses, incomplete examinations, and assurance that she was "healthy as a horse." Her pain was diagnosed as psychological because no physical basis for her pain was detected. All of this occurred over weeks and weeks of excruciating pain, sleepless nights, fear, despair, and emotional trauma.
 

Then came the crisis. Valerie's body went numb from the waist down, and she began to stumble and soon was unable to walk. We returned to the hospital immediately and received a new series of diagnoses, confounded by previous false ones. Finally came the discovery: a massive malignant tumor had encompassed her thoracic spine. Emergency surgery was performed after which I was told that Valerie only had two or three weeks to live.
 

As the trauma and shock subsided, our lives seemed to unravel before us. A friend remarked, "There is nothing like cancer to slap you into reality."

Valerie and I confronted almost overwhelming emotional experiences of past grievances, anguish, and guilt, which led to spontaneous releases: from grief and sorrow to forgiveness and love. It was quite literally a miraculous experience. We confronted in our lives the truth about what really matters: forgiveness, love, and relationships. We started to gain a new perspective about life. Ironically, in the midst of our experience of cancer and pending death, we knew intuitively that we had discovered true healing! We realized that the key to healing was to rediscover each other in forgiveness and love. In doing so, I realized that Valerie was healed despite the symptoms of her body. I realized as well that I was healed myself, for I no longer saw Valerie in sickness. In turn, Valerie was able to re experience me and our relationship through forgiveness and love, which was also the key to her healing. As we shared our thoughts and our experiences with each other, the miracle of healing became a mutually shared experience.

Mental and spiritual healing is simple in principle, but it is not an easy process. It is not simply positive thinking. Healing requires a personal transformation. Changing the mind is a miracle that can restore inner peace and happiness regardless of life situations, and healing the mind may or may not release bodily symptoms and diseases. This is the process of healing, a reversal of how we usually think. Communication is the key to changing the mind, to forgiveness and healing, and to the rediscovery of oneness, love, and inner perfection.

The medical prognosis was grave. Valerie was now confined to a wheelchair with loss of sensation and control from her waist down. We were informed by her physicians that she may never walk again, and this she had to confront (and live with) in the face of an even more dire prediction. Despite the two to three week death predictions, of her physicians, Valerie did not agree to die, and she vowed that she would walk again.

A friend referred us to a Christian Science practitioner. Through the practitioner's conviction and support, we began our goal toward inner healing. Valerie became inspired and empowered. Another friend recommended an oncologist, and he brought us new hope and encouragement through medical treatment. Valerie started intense physical therapy in an effort to regain control of her paralyzed lower body, and she also adopted a macrobiotic diet recommended by another physician.

Valerie regained her former enthusiasm and made a commitment to full recovery. She not only survived her acute state of cancer, but she gradually regained control of her legs, and after many months, she was able to walk normally again. Valerie received lots of help in her recovery; however, it is absolutely clear to us that mental and spiritual healing was the key.

We had learned the hard way through experience that symptoms and treatment are manifested in the body, but true healing is of the mind and spirit. We experienced healing within by changing our minds, by a miraculous shift in perception. We continue to have many challenging lessons. Healing is a journey, not a destination. We continue to make mistakes and to learn and grow, but our lives will never be the same. We have learned how to release suffering and despair and to live with inspiration and gratitude. And we teach and we share what we need to learn.

Unfortunately, I have had to learn everything the hard way. My life is characterized in worldly standards by many successes, yet despite an apparently successful career, like many people, who may or may not admit it, I have encountered countless conflicts, guilt and suffering over and over again. I had to hit bottom in some personal and health crises in family, and finally in my relationship with myself, before I discovered the profound conditioning, conflict, guilt, fear, and insecurity that existed in me and that I manifested in aspects of my life. Only then was I able and willing to fully recognize and manifest a better way. Believe me, it has not been an easy trip!

Perhaps you are proceeding through life as I did without fully recognizing your profound, conditioned egocentricity, and you have yet to discover that your pain and suffering in life is actually of your own making. Perhaps you are instead an enlightened being. Permit me to point out, however, that being enlightened in our egocentric world is extraordinarily challenging.

Regardless, you don't have to do it the hard way! You don't have to make the same mistakes over and over again until you finally hit bottom. There are healing processes that you can learn and master through a conscious commitment and without undue guilt, fear, pain and suffering. Unless we learn to empower and heal ourselves, we have nothing that is of lasting value in our own lives and nothing of lasting value to teach or to share with others whom we love.

________________________

Books by Dr. Skinner available now or in progress are as follows: Discovering The Light: - Healing Your Relationships (Self Empowerment, Communication and Relationships(1996); Illumination, Healing Yourself Book II: Mind, Body and Behavioral Health (1995).
 

Frank Rose chaired the annual meeting of the Board of Directors of The Arizona Spiritual Growth Foundation, Inc. on July 17,1998.

The focus of the meeting was directed toward planning for the coming year, but reports on inventory and financial status were presented as required by Arizona Corporation law. Herb Ridlon, the Corporation Treasurer, reported that we maintained our nonprofit status by operating in the red to the tune of $300 for last fiscal year. Inventories of publications and supplies were reported as adequate to meet demand for the near future.

Royalties from the publication of "Enjoying Spiritual Growth" will be delayed as income to the Foundation, because the Publisher has not worked the editing task as previously promised.

In short, your Foundation is poor but healthy. We extend our sincere thanks to all those who have volunteered their time and resources to support the work of the Foundation.
 

Have you noticed how the word spiritual has acquired a new role in your life and language?

Once upon a time it was a word embarrassing to say or even think? "Spiritual people" were those who cloaked themselves in robes of phony goodness.

Then you changed! It became natural to have "spiritual thoughts," to find yourself admiring those friends who never made unkind remarks about others.

Spiritual no longer meant people who always went to church. Instead, you now thought as "spiritual people" those who didn't gossip who didn't twist the truth or try to improve their own self-image by "putting down" any friends who "played it straight."

I do think that many of us rethink our use of the word spiritual through the focus provided in our meetings and the tasks we work.

I miss 'spiritual growth' meetings and look forward to a rigorous set of tasks this month.
 

While on vacation up on Mt. Lemmon, Az., my husband Frank and I love to hike frequently, daily if possible.

As soon as we arrived at our cozy little rental cabin, Frank made out a chart of all the days we would be there, with columns for the length and description of each hike. When we did a 4 mile hike on August 4th, he jokingly suggested that we match the length of the hike to the day of the month; five miles on the 5th, ten miles on the 10th, etc.
 

I grimaced at the thought. We were staying until the 31st!

He was only joking and was considerate of my energy level on any given day. After two strenuous hikes in a row, he kindly agreed that I should stay at home while be hiked alone that day.

The next day, he told me after breakfast that we were going to drive to Whitetail campground and hike on the road out to an overlook. Neither of us had been there before, but he assured me it would be an easy hike.

The parking lot at Whitetail was full of RVs with people walking their dogs and chatting with each other. We parked and began walking. The rock-strewn jeep trail wound up to the crest of a tree-covered hill and then began to descent slowly. To our left we could see Tucson far below us, laid out in neat squares. It was beautiful, with sunlight filtering through the trees, flowers blooming here and there.

The trail gave up all pretense of being a road and became a single track, always going down, beckoning us on.

The voices in my head began clamoring. "Wait a minute! This is no road and it is not easy!" Even though it was beautiful and enjoyable, I would find myself dipping into this negative swamp of resentment and annoyance.

The trail became much steeper on its downward path. We consulted and decided to go on. Eventually we came to a drop-off, where the footholds would be much more uncertain. I stopped. "We can't go any further. It'll be too hard to get back up."

The beasts in my basement were barking about how I had been misled and how hard it was going to be, no matter what. "You were told this would be easy?"

It was a constant process of letting go of negativity in order to enjoy the trail. The beasts were trying to convince me that I had been tricked, betrayed, overburdened.

Frank decided to go further down. He felt he recognized the area somehow. As I stood waiting for him, I became aware of the soothing sound of flowing water. As Frank signaled me to come down to where he was, negativity and delight were see-sawing back and forth in my head. I said firmly to myself "IT is disgruntled but I don't have to be."

Carefully picking my way down the very steep trail, I glimpsed a waterfall to my right. Frank and I stood together, marveling at the magic of this special place. Ahead of us, we could see the stream widening out across the flat rock and then narrowing again into another waterfall. The bubbling sounds were soothing, creating a little paradise.

The proprium (self involved ego) was in the constant effort to take away my awareness and appreciation of the magic and beauty, wanting always to bring the focus back to the idiotic quarrel that it was not an "easy road" we were walking on.

With thunderclouds forming overhead, we began the daunting climb back up to the car. It would be a slog, but how could we doubt that it was worth it, to experience that heavenly place.?

Huffing and puffing back up the trail; mentally working to keep my focus on heaven not hell; constantly letting go of negativity every time it came up, I sweated my way back up to the car by counting each step and resting for one minute after every one hundred steps.

It was so typical of the proprium to try to make a big deal out of something trivial. I would like to go back to that lovely spot some day in a more peaceful frame of mind.
 

We want to keep subscriptions to the "Upper Chamber" free. If you could spare $2 or $5, or any other amount, please send it to:
 

ASGF

8421 Wrightstown Road

Tucson, AZ 85715