This is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. In my previous post, Fighting Parkinson’s, and Parkinson’s Awareness Month, I asked you to share our message of hope. Thank you very much! The number of shares on Facebook and other social media, plus the sharing of our message through emails and word of mouth have amounted to record numbers of people coming to this website every day since the post. I am grateful to all of you for being the beacons of hope for yourselves and others. In your recoveries, you are winning, winning…and winning!
As you know, I periodically ask all of you to let go of your over-thinking, self-judging, self-criticizing, adrenaline-driven minds in favor of your heart-feeling, compassion-feeling, joyful-feeling, dopamine-producing hearts. When I read the comments you have been writing on the blog and the emails I receive, I know one thing for certain: you absolutely are winning, winning…and winning!!!
As you continue to move forward, please do not be afraid of being vulnerable. As Socrates tells Dan in The Peaceful Warrior, “A warrior is not about perfection or victory or invulnerability. He’s about absolute vulnerability.” Part of winning your fight against Parkinson’s is being a warrior who is vulnerable, admitting that you are not perfect, and knowing that your best is good enough.
Vulnerable: Open to censure or criticism.
Let’s take a look at the journey to recovery from Parkinson’s. It begins by announcing, “I have the power to heal myself. I am going to cure myself from a disease the experts say is incurable.” This alone opens you up to censure and criticism from non-believers.
In the middle of the journey, you feel better on the inside, but you are not looking so great on the outside. In the middle, you announce, “I have the power to heal myself. I am going to cure myself from a disease the experts say is incurable. I have faith in my recovery and I understand that there are times when I am going to feel worse and look worse before I get better.” This alone opens you up to censure and criticism from non-believers.
In the end, you announce, “I am cured.” This alone opens you up to censure and criticism from non-believers.
This is why your faith in your recovery has to be more powerful than other people’s opinions about what you should be doing about your Parkinson’s. This is why you have to stop caring what the other people think about you and what you are doing.
It was my final issue from which I needed to let go, from which I needed to surrender, from which I needed to extricate from the very being I thought was Howard Shifke — and just when I let go, totally and completely, surrendering caring what anybody was going to think about me or my having cured myself, I had a shift…and my dopamine flowed, and as it cascaded down my body and through my body, I was transformed from imbalance to balance, from illness to health, from thinking to feeling, from Parkinson’s to cured from Parkinson’s.
For those who haven’t read the final section of the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® because you still are thinking the Qigong exercises are all there is to the Recipe, I ask you to open your minds and your hearts and not be afraid to be vulnerable. Excerpted from the end of the Recipe, here is what it looked like at the end for me:
“‘Dear God, I surrender my ego to you. I surrender my attachment to my Parkinson’s Disease to you. I am not afraid anymore. I no longer fear Parkinson’s. I no longer fear the scorn I may face by being cured from a disease the experts say there is no cure. I no longer fear the people who may say I was misdiagnosed or that I faked having the disease. I am surrendering my ego to you, that part of me that felt I needed to remain attached to Parkinson’s because the experts say once you have Parkinson’s you always have Parkinson’s. I am forgetting about my old self (Parkinson’s) and stepping into my new self (No Parkinson’s).’ I awoke the following morning with my remaining symptoms gone.”
That was nearly eight years ago. You can do it, too!
Fear blocks being vulnerable. You become afraid of the censure and criticism. Faith says it is okay to be vulnerable. Not only is it okay to be vulnerable, it is necessary in this recovery. In the end, complete vulnerability means completely surrendering the person who you think you are and not being afraid what the other people will think when you again become the essence of who you are, on the inside…the new you…the you who has been in there all along but who is covered up by a mountain of toxicity…chip away, day by day…be vulnerable, and do not be afraid.
Here is a quote Sally has shared with me:
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.” Mahatma Gandhi
“First they ignore you” when you say you are going to cure yourself from Parkinson’s.
“Then they ridicule you” when they realize you are ignoring traditional conventions of what to do about Parkinson’s.
“Then they fight you” when they realize how strong your faith is and that you are actually curing yourself from Parkinson’s.
“And then you win,” you cure yourself, in part because you finally realize that those who ignore you, then ridicule you, then fight you about curing yourself from Parkinson’s are nothing more than suffering beings themselves…so instead of being in your mind and caring what they think and then changing what you are doing, you find compassion in your heart for their suffering…and then your dopamine flows.
This, my friends, is why you are winning, winning…and winning!!!
You can do this!
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
Beautiful powerful post Howard. “Knowing” in our hearts we will be healed is powerful when we are feeling it. The challenge I find, is staying in that mindset, but I’m getting there with all your advice and daily discipline .
Big love to all warriors old and new. 🙂
Karen xx
Thank you Howard for that lovely reminder
Thank you Howard for the great post. I have been reading your book. The message of how these concepts did not come easy for you seems to come up often. I am grateful that I (like you) have the ability to change. I am grateful that I (like you) have the ability to choose faith. I am grateful that my best (like yours) is good enough. I am grateful that I (like you) have the ability to cure myself. You did and I will. I am grateful for another beautiful day to work towards my own cure and to just enjoy life. For me, this in itself, is a very winning situation.
Sending love and wishing all a beautiful day.
Debbie
My give my deepest gratitude to you, Howard, because you went on in the face of challenges and absolute impossibilities! You kept on working your way through insurmountable problems that were trying to block you. You, now, under the strength and direction of our Supreme Creator God, daily, give to us and to anyone on the planet who desires this sound and effective path.
Love, blessings, and hugs to everyone here.
Thank you Howard again for your insight. It takes a lot of resolve to ignore what other people think. I find so many have a negative reaction to our problem saying things like ‘how are you coping these days?’. I had a tradesman who came to do some jobs for us yesterday. I don’t even know him personally but he asked me if I am any worse then the last time he was here. Why is it always the negative? Am I just too sensitive to the thoughts of others? I believe that I will be healed when the time is right. There is such skepticism around that I have to keep my mind on my resolve. I just learn to forgive others for their lack of sensitivity. They mean well. I know. Thanks again Howard and love to all you special people who are on this journey.
Veronica 🌱🌺
Hi Veronica,
It can be negative because that is all that is being portrayed from a Western Medicine perspective. It is part of why in my last post I asked all of you to share that this is Parkinson’s Awareness Month and that we have a message of hope.
If all that people are told is that Parkinson’s gets worse, then all that people eventually will say to you is how much worse have you gotten.
It also is why I had to learn compassion in my recovery, and that whatever somebody was saying was about him or her, not about me. Then, it did not matter what the person would say about my symptoms or what I was doing for my recovery, I could smile and say, “Thank you for your concern. I appreciate you caring about me.” Then, we both walked away feeling a little better.
If you want to help change the perception of Parkinson’s from gloom and doom to our message of hope, here is the link from my Parkinson’s Awareness Month post, https://www.fightingparkinsonsdrugfree.com/2018/04/05/fighting-parkinsons-and-parkinsons-awareness-month/. Share it with everybody you know.
We have a beautiful, courageous family here. Why not let as many people as possible know that we exist!
Love and blessings,
Howard
Hi Veronica
I was diagnosed a year ago and have still not shared this with my siblings. I just know that the reaction will be doom and gloom. We do not have any contact other than the odd phone call or text message so I have decided not to say anything and protect myself from the stress and negativity. I have taken a long time to get my mind in a good place . My children and good friends all know and support what I am doing and that’s important to me. Maybe I’m oversensitive too?
Berni x
Berni I don’t think you are being oversensitive , it’s called self protection which is vital on this journey. No one understands this disease, only a self-sufferer (my spelling is rubbish lol )
My motto is “I choose easy” when it comes to who I see and talk too as the rest of the time we are practising strength and courage. You’re doing great lady!
Big love xx
I believe to recover it is necessary to accept you have PD, which means not hiding you have PD. Remember what Tony did just before he recovered. He “announced the world he had PD and that took the pressure off”. This is not easy for PD sufferer since we all try to hide in our comfort zone, but it is necessary.
I feel like this blog was written specifically for me and my issues right now. Thank you for your inspiration. Lots of love to everyone, Mari
Howard, how do I transfer your interviews to Facebook or other ways?
Veronica 🌱🌺
Hi Veronica,
There are a couple of ways:
1. You can highlight and copy this link https://www.fightingparkinsonsdrugfree.com/2018/04/05/fighting-parkinsons-and-parkinsons-awareness-month/ and paste it into an email, or paste it in Facebook, Twitter, or other social medical.
2. You can click this link, https://www.fightingparkinsonsdrugfree.com/2018/04/05/fighting-parkinsons-and-parkinsons-awareness-month/ and click any of the “Follow” “Share” “Tweet” or “G+” buttons at the bottom of the post (above the comments) on a computer or laptop; or, on a mobile device, you can click the link https://www.fightingparkinsonsdrugfree.com/2018/04/05/fighting-parkinsons-and-parkinsons-awareness-month/ and then click any one of the “f Share” “Tweet” “Pin” or “Mail” buttons that appear just below the title of the post.
Thank you!
Love and blessings,
Howard
Lol. I was diagnosed with pd 5 months ago. Been doing the recipe for 4 months. Been doing coaching with Howard for going on 2 months – and I just noticed this wonderful blog. Call me a slow learner!
While l’m gradually getting stronger doing the physical part of the recipe, I’m really most enthusiastic about working through the spiritual part. I figure that’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Thanks to Howard and everyone who contributes to the blog to make it such a wonderful resource.