---

Dear Louise,

     I have been experiencing acute pain on and off for five years. It occurs on my right side, extending from my lower back, up to my shoulder, neck, and sometimes down my arm. It feels as if my muscles are wound up or frozen. In addition, my ribs feel as if they are constricting, and I have trouble breathing. I get powerful headaches and have difficulty sleeping. At night, I cry great choking sobs to get some relief from the tension. I am feeling completely worn out.

I have sought numerous treatments and advice from a variety of sources, as well as addressing many personal issues. Yet, the fact that the symptoms keep recurring obviously means that I have not acknowledged the real cause. What is my body trying to tell me? How can I heal myself? How is this experience linked to my life’s purpose?

— B.B., Australia

Dear B.B.,

     When we carry a heavy load of guilt, we subconsciously look for punishment, and punishment creates pain. Perhaps this is what is happening to you. I would ask what incident occurred in your life around five years ago? Do you continue to carry guilt over this incident? Perhaps it even goes farther back than five years. Does it have something to do with your father or a father figure? Whatever it could be, you need to forgive yourself.

     If you can make amends, do so. If not, just send the other person a lot of love. Remember, we are all doing the best we can at any given point in time and space, according to where we are in consciousness. If we could do it differently, we would. Wake up in the morning forgiving yourself. Whenever you see yourself in the mirror, say “I forgive you, and I love you. It is time to heal now.” Do this every day for at least a month. I am sure it will help.

Dear Louise,

     First of all, many thanks to you for your books. I use your affirmations all the time. In one book, you mentioned having a “checklist” for starting and leading a discussion/self-help group. Could you print this list in your next column? My friends and I want to do this.

— W.H., Liechtenstein

Dear W.H.,

     Thank you. Many people have started small weekly study groups with their friends using my book You Can Heal Your Life, and have had great success in improving the quality of their lives. I support you in your efforts to share the message of self love and healing with others. Here are a few tips for running a support and/or study group:

     1. Go slowly. Use only one chapter of the book per week, less if there is a lot of discussion. Have each member of the group read one page aloud, and then open the discussion for sharing.

     2. Create a safe, nurturing environment for your group. When one person is speaking, there are to be no interruptions or cross talk.

     3. Keep an open, nonjudgmental mind. Be certain that everyone understands that anything that is said is strictly confidential. People must feel safe.

     4. Do not take breaks; it tends to dissipate the energy. Meetings generally last about two hours.

     5. Tell the group members that their homework for the week is to read the next chapter and see how it applies to their lives. Open the next week with this discussion.

     6. A “love offering” can be accepted in order to cover expenses.

Dear Louise,

     I have had two chronic problems, and I would love to hear your opinion about their emotional and/or spiritual causes. First, after twenty years of intestinal problems (gas, bloating, diarrhea, colitis), I found a wonderful holistic practitioner and we discovered that I was lactose intolerant. I have been symptom free until recently. I am a single working mother of two children, two seriously ill parents, and a seriously ill boss. I know that stress can relate to colitis, but there must be an underlying emotional pattern that causes this lifelong problem.

     Second, I am overweight. I exercise regularly, eat a low-fat diet, and watch my blood pressure and cholesterol because heart disease runs in my family. My family of origin includes a lot of alcoholics (which I am not) and compulsive eaters (which I am). I heard recently about insulin resistance and read that chronic digestive trouble and food allergies are also symptomatic. What do you know about insulin resistance?

     Thanks for all you do and the loving light you beam on us all.

— K.E., Palm Beach, FL

Dear K.E.,

     You have so much on your plate, and I feel that this has been true for most of your life. It is hard for you to “stomach and digest” all that is going on. Even though you try your best, it is impossible for you to heal your family or your boss. No matter how sick you get, that will not help them get well. The little child in you is still trying to make everything better. We are all under the law of our own consciousness, which means that we all create our own lives by the way we choose to think and believe. Your parents may be ready to leave the planet, and serious illness is a socially acceptable way to go.

     Yes, it is true, on a physical level, that insulin resistance can contribute to chronic digestive trouble. It is good to work with a health professional on that. However, you need to forgive the past in order to move on. Please read Chapter 7 of You Can Heal Your Life. Study it daily for a month. Do the exercises several times. The answers you seek are in this chapter. You must be committed to doing this work on yourself in order to have the entire Universe unfold before you. Everything you desire is waiting for you. You really are worth it!

     Affirmations to use include: “I have high regard and respect for myself. I support and love myself unconditionally. As a result, I am safe to express all that I am!”

---

Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical teacher and the best-selling author of numerous books, including You Can Heal Your Life, Empowering Women, and Letters toLouise. Send your questions to Dear Louise Column, c/o Hay House, Inc., P.O. Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Please visit the Hay House website at www.hayhouse.com. For information on becoming a certified teacher of Louise Hay’s philosophy, call Patricia Crane at 800-969-4584 in the U.S. and Canada, or 714-969-9383 internationally.

---

Next Article

Return to This Month's Index

Go to the Home Page