How to Heal Yourself When No One Else Can Read online

  About the Author

  © Craig Vershaw

  Amy B. Scher is a leading voice in the field of mind-body-spirit healing. As an energy therapist, Scher uses energy therapy techniques to help those experiencing illness and those in need of emotional healing. She has been featured on healthcare blogs, CNN, Curve magazine, Elephant Journal , and the San Francisco Book Review . Scher was also named one of The Advocate ’s “40 Under 40” for 2013. She lives in California and can be found online at AmyBScher.com.

  Llewellyn Publications

  Woodbury, Minnesota

  Copyright Information

  How to Heal Yourself When No One Else Can: A Total Self-Healing Approach for Mind, Body, and Spirit © 2016 by Amy B. Scher.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  As the purchaser of this e-book, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. The text may not be otherwise reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or recorded on any other storage device in any form or by any means.

  Any unauthorized usage of the text without express written permission of the publisher is a violation of the author’s copyright and is illegal and punishable by law.

  First e-book edition © 2016

  E-book ISBN: 9780738747286

  Cover art: iStockphoto.com/41606416/©embra

  iStockphoto.com/16357774/©Vectorig

  iStockphoto.com/9457829/©Vectorig

  Cover design: Ellen Lawson

  Interior illustrations: Mary Ann Zapalac, except the Healing Tree on page 233 by Llewellyn Art Department

  Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Scher, Amy B.

  Title: How to heal yourself when no one else can : a total self-healing

  approach for mind, body, and spirit / by Amy B. Scher.

  Description: Woodbury, Minnesota : Llewellyn Worldwide, [2016] | Includes

  bibliographical references and index. | Description based on print version

  record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2015043634 (print) | LCCN 2015039069 (ebook) | ISBN

  9780738747286 () | ISBN 9780738745541

  Subjects: LCSH: Energy medicine. | Mind and body therapies. | Healing. |

  Self-care, Health.

  Classification: LCC RZ421 (print) | LCC RZ421 .S34 2016 (ebook) | DDC

  615.8/51—dc23

  LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015043634

  Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

  Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to current author websites.

  Llewellyn Publications

  Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

  2143 Wooddale Drive

  Woodbury, MN 55125

  www.llewellyn.com

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  For my clients, who are the bravest bunch I know.

  These words are all for you.

  Acknowledgments

  To Charlotte Phillips, my wife, my best friend, and my person. You are the biggest, most incredible surprise of my life, and proof that the universe knows exactly what it’s doing. Thank you for always being the “wind at my back” and never “the spit in my face.” You graciously love me through all my moments and there isn’t anyone I’d rather love back. You and me against the world, baby.

  Thank you from the bottom of my overflowing heart to my family: the Fockers (on both coasts and in the UK). There are no words that accurately describe our clan, our crazy, our love. Your support and entertainment are something I don’t know how I got lucky enough to have. You are a tribe that I never want to be unglued from.

  To my MB (mama bear), Ellen Scher: Thank you for editing until your eyes boycotted, and then editing even more. But mostly, thank you for your unconditional everything. Our late-night phone calls in hysterics over some very questionable typos made for moments that exist only in a whirlwind of mother-daughter love. You are my hero.

  There is no adequate way to thank Steve Harris, my literary agent, my friend, and half of the coveted Team 22. I remember emailing you once to ask if you’d still be my agent even if our project didn’t sell. I didn’t have to wait five minutes for your reply: “You are my author ’til death do us part (or until you don’t want me no more).” I waited for you almost my enti re life and you did not disappoint. Thank you for being all I ever dreamed of in an agent. Thank you for being honest when my writing was “too boring” to show editors. Ha! You were right. You’re always right. And thank you for also being one hell of a cool lunch date.

  I offer my deepest gratitude to the team at Llewellyn, particularly Angela Wix, my editor, who saw something special in me among a very crowded world of authors. I can’t thank you enough for your kindness and patience and for helping me to get to the freakin’ point just a little bit faster. Where were you my whole life? You are simply, literally, the best. And to Andrea Neff, a massive thanks to you for your exquisite talent, focus, brilliant insight, and attention to detail. You helped me to make this book even better than I imagined.

  Immense gratitude to the following individuals who, because of their contributions, made this book possible. Melissa Gentzle: you’ve always believed in me more than I do, and it never goes unnoticed. You are a cheerleader like no other, and you’re gonna be an amazing mama for it. Julia Montijo: who edited sample chapters into the wee hours even though you had your own “big girl job” to do, and also for teaching me that when you grow up, you get to make the rules. Cheers, my love! Amanda McAulay: who made me eat lunch and gave me pep talks unconditionally. Thank you for embracing my crazy and being a truly wonderful friend. Nadine Nettman Semerau: we are the only two left in our writers club, but we have proved it was well worth hanging in there. I still can’t believe the crazy awesomeness that has unfolded for us and I can’t wait to stick together for more. The 84th Street neighborhood crew: you edited, organized dinners, and kept my life real when I was stuck at my desk. You are the best neighbors two girls could ask for. TMW: thank you for being the very best listener I know, and for having my twin brain so I never have to explain anything but you still always know what I mean. Dale Paula Teplitz: thank you for changing everything I ever believed about teachers. You are absolutely exceptional. Kate Kerr Clemenson: thank you for flying halfway around the world to save the day when I needed it the most, and for sticking around when you realized what you were in for. Reality check accomplished. Sara DiVello: my “partner-in-writing-crime.” I can’t thank you enough for the phone calls (ohmygosh, the phone calls) and for the countless number of times you had to say, “Seriously, you’ve got this.” And for the times you also said, repeatedly, “Yes, really. You do.” You’ve made me believe in instantaneous friendship. I hope we write many more books together and always have each other’s literary backs.

  I can’t go without sharing my never-ending gratitude for the insatiable Shannon Sheridan. How can I thank you for planting those seeds so many moons ago, way before I was ready to water them? This book only bloomed because of you.

  And finally
, thank you to my circle of angels on the other side. You know what you’ve done.

  Contents

  List of Exercises and Techniques

  List of Images

  Introduction : How to Rock This Journey

  Section I : An Introduction to the Energy Body and Self-Healing

  Chapter One : My Success Story

  Chapter Two : My Approach to Mind-Body-Spirit Healing

  Section II : A Tried-and-True Healing Process

  Part One : Surrender, Accept, and Flow

  Chapter Three : It’s Time to Stop Fighting

  Chapter Four : Create a Solid Healing Foundation

  Part Two : Identify Blockages

  Chapter Five : Get Answers from the Subconscious Mind

  Chapter Six : Learn the Language of Your Body

  Part Three : Change Your Relationship with Stress

  Chapter Seven : Clear Unprocessed Experiences

  Chapter Eight : Release Harmful Beliefs

  Chapter Nine : Transform Unhealthy Emotional Patterns

  Chapter Ten : Address the Real F-Word (Fear)

  Section III : Final Insights and Encouragement

  Chapter Eleven : Create Your Unique Map for Healing

  Chapter Twelve : Keep Moving Forward

  Book Club Discussion Questions

  Additional Resources

  Exercises and Techniques

  These are the exercises and techniques that you will learn throughout the book. The five main techniques are indicated with an asterisk.*

  Chapter 3

  To gently let go:

  Chanting

  Graceful Begging

  Chapter 4

  To organize your energy system:

  Grounding Outdoors

  Grounding Indoors

  Trace Around the Eyes

  Tap Your Thymus

  Inch Your Way to Better Thoughts and Feelings

  Chapter 5

  To get answers from your subconscious mind:

  The Standing Test (Muscle Testing)

  The Arm Test (Muscle Testing)

  Chapter 6

  To connect with your body:

  A Thank-You Prayer

  Speak Lovingly to Your Body

  Use Sticky Notes

  Move and Direct Energy

  Chapter 7

  To clear unprocessed experiences:

  Thymus Test and Tap *

  Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) *

  Chapter 8

  To release beliefs:

  The Sweep *

  Chakra Tapping *

  Chapter 9

  To transform unhealthy patterns:

  Accept Your Humanness

  Call It Out

  Forest Fire Visualization

  Throwing Stones

  3 Hearts Method *

  Chapter 10

  To repattern the fear response:

  Heartbeat Thymus Tapping

  Use the Panic Point

  Nose Breathing

  Panic Pose

  EFT or Chakra Tapping

  Triple Warmer Meridian Trace

  Create a Safe Place

  Chapter 11

  To have a guide for your healing journey:

  Use the Healing Tree Illustration

  Images

  Chapter 2

  Triple Warmer Meridian

  Chapter 4

  Eye Trace

  Thymus Gland

  Chapter 6

  The Seven Chakras

  Chapter 7

  EFT Tapping Points

  Top of the Hand (Gamut Point) and Fingertips

  Chapter 9

  3 Hearts Method

  Chapter 11

  Healing Tree

  Disclaimer

  The publisher and the author assume no liability for any injuries caused to the reader that may result from the reader’s use of content contained in this publication and recommend common sense when contemplating the practices described in the work.

  Introduction

  ***************

  How to Rock This Journey

  Imagine you are a beautiful, sprawling tree. You have a big, strong trunk, roots that stretch deep into the earth, and branches that reach toward the sky. One day, you notice something isn’t quite right. Your leaves are brittle and full of little holes, and your branches are drooping with heaviness. Upon inspection, you can’t find any obvious reason for this change in your state of being. You start to panic immediately and take better care of your leaves and branches. You spray them and medicate them and more, but nothing changes. The leaves you are working with are merely the visual result of whatever the problem is with your tree.

  The soil of this tree represents your foundation. The soil is where it all comes from. It’s who you really are at the core. It’s the sum of all the things that have influenced you. All the rocks and rubbish that have gotten mixed right in with you will affect every part of the tree. Everything in that soil becomes part of your being.

  The roots of your tree represent the energy system and pathways. If your soil is full of imbalances—just as a tree’s soil could be full of environmental stressors—those roots will become imbalanced from your soil, too, and affect your entire beautiful tree. It may take some time for its effect to reach your leaves and branches, maybe even years. But eventually it will.

  The leaves of your tree represent your organs, glands, muscles, body systems, chemicals, and hormones. By the time you find those little holes in your brittle leaves, you will not be able to bring the tree back to health by treating the leaves directly. You can’t just spray the problem away. True healing will not come from caring for your leaves in retrospect. It comes from going deep into your soil and correcting the base from which the tree grows. You have to come back to who you really are by clearing away those old energies that are contaminating your base. You just have to clean up that soil.

  How This Book Will Help You

  The biggest stumbling block to harnessing our own self-healing power is knowing what to address—in other words, knowing how to heal. This is true whether you feel emotionally imbalanced or those imbalances have affected your physical body, too.

  The process I am going to guide you through in this book will show you how to heal. You will learn how to clean up your soil following a model that has been successful for myself and hundreds of others, through the client sessions I’ve conducted. You don’t need to be sick to use this book. In fact, this book is not about illness; it’s about emotions and energy. And those are two things that each and every person can benefit from balancing for a greater sense of well-being. Remember, cleaning up your soil is the end game, your only goal. And cleaning up that soil can change your life.

  While there are countless energy therapy techniques out there today, many require another person to act as an aide for your healing. In this book, you’ll learn some of the self-application techniques I used in my own healing. Some will be ones that I learned during my journey, and some will be ones I created. All of these techniques will give you full power over your journey. You will not need to depend on another person to help you perform or practice any of them. It’s all in your hands, baby!

  You’ll learn several main techniques for changing your relationship with stress:

  • Thymus Test and Tap

  • Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

  • The Sweep

  • Chakra Tapping

  • 3 Hearts Method

  Outside of the main techniques, you will also be learning others that will help carry you on your journey. You can find a complete list of all the exercises and techniques in the front of this book. When I teach you the techniques, there will always be explicit instructions. That’s the only way I can communicate the ideas to you. If you see the instructions as merely suggestions, though, you’ll get so much more from them. If you feel called to do something a slightly different way, then do so. It’s likely it will work for you better that way. I personally tweaked and put the �
�Amy twist” on every technique I learned. If you want to do this too, you have my permission to go wild. The types of deviations I made to techniques during my own healing included things like using my right hand instead of my left hand, holding a pose or technique for a longer or shorter period of time than stipulated, skipping a certain part of an exercise, and more. All of these alterations are okay. There isn’t a single technique I use with my clients or myself that is exactly how it was taught to me.

  No matter what techniques you use to clear energy blockages, always know that finding what to clear is more important than what energy technique is used for the actual clearing. That’s what we’ll be discovering together in different ways throughout this book. This will be the most effective approach and will give you freedom from worrying about doing each technique perfectly. Once you know what to clear, you are free to integrate any energy healing techniques you currently use into the various aspects of healing.

  How to Use This Book

  This book has been written in part as an exploratory process, in part as a how-to, and the rest as stories, insights, and examples to keep your soul full while your healing is happening. The examples I share are from real sessions in which my clients volunteered and/or gave me permission to tell their stories. Even so, each client’s name and identifying details have been changed completely to fully protect their privacy.

  Many of the stories you’ll read are from my time in India, which taught me lifetimes of lessons, and I intend to pass them along to you for your own journey. I have outlined lots of different things you can explore to help you lead a happier, more fulfilled and peaceful life in a content body. It may feel like there is a lot for you to work through, and maybe there is. But it can be done, and there is no time limit. Tread gently, my friend. Be easy on yourself.

  The most effective way to understand my approach is to read, learn, and practice what I share in the order it’s presented, from start to finish. It’s the best way to absorb the big picture, concepts, and techniques. By the time you have finished the book in its entirety, you will have deep knowledge of my approach, and may then continue your work by going back to any parts of this book in any order you wish. In addition to reading and practicing at your own pace, I invite you to find others interested in doing this work so you can support each other along the way. When I was healing, I did it completely alone and often wished I had a group of like-minded people to share and discuss all my new discoveries with. That’s why, at the back of this book, I’ve provided a list of book club discussion questions. I encourage you to find a tribe, talk about what you’re learning, hold each other’s hands, and make healing a team effort. Whether you do this alone or with a group, embrace the guidance that resonates with you, fully into your life. Make it a part of who you are and use it to make what you already have richer. This book shouldn’t be treated like a to-do list. Let your brain adjust to the concepts and keep your heart open as you allow things to process. You will likely find you are led to things not even outlined here. When you get that nudge, it’s your intuition and the universe whispering, “Follow me.” Just know it’s safe to go.