In my previous post, “Fighting Parkinson’s, and your internal energy flow,” I explained how the physical part of the Recipe gets the body reconnected with the brain. Today, we will look at how the mental and spiritual aspects of the recovery come into balance with the necessity of opening your heart.
This recovery from Parkinson’s is a soul, mind, and body cure. It is not focused on symptom relief or disease management. It is focused on people becoming cured of Parkinson’s Disease. As you saw in my last post, there are many things you can observe to know how well your body is recovering, and if you are willing to lose your Adrenaline-driven mind, then you can clearly see how much calmer your life is and your symptoms are.
Click here for “Fighting Parkinson’s, and you are doing well in your recovery,” and you will be able to see so many ways in which you are healing and of which you were unaware.
Okay! The necessity of opening your heart. What exactly is opening your heart, and why is it necessary? I will begin with the second question. It is necessary because it is what releases your dopamine. As you know, I have been saying from the beginning that your dopamine is not depleted, just blocked, and following the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® unblocks it.
So now we get down to the crux of what this recovery journey needs…you to open your heart.
Opening your heart means deeply accepting yourself. Understanding that you hold all the keys to all the doors inside you. Deciding that you are so important a being in your own life that you are willing to throw convention to the side and love yourself, feel joy, accept your life, surrender that anybody owes you an explanation for what is going on in your life, be grateful, have compassion for yourself and others, have forgiveness for yourself and others, and truly understand that this life is a gift and that you are going to make the most of it every day, even with Parkinson’s…true gratitude for the gift of this life!
That is opening your heart!
I am certain that each of you will feel the dopamine release each time you experience love, joy, compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, surrender, contentment, and gratitude. And, each time the dopamine releases, you inch closer to your cure.
Think about this: When you are feeling anger, frustration, resentment, emotional stress, anxiety, depression, worry, and fear, does it make your symptoms appear worse? Of course it does. Why? For two reasons. First, you are closing your heart…close your heart, close your dopamine flow, increase your symptoms. Second, the energy that has been holding your symptoms in check has left your body and gone to your mind. As a result, there is not enough energy in your body to hold the symptoms in check, so they exhibit themselves in a worse way.
My friends, join me in opening your hearts…open them to yourselves and to the others. You are not your Parkinson’s symptoms. You are so much more than a bunch of symptoms. You are beautiful, special beings, filled with love, joy, compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, surrender, contentment, and gratitude. Opening your heart unleashes these emotions as your dopamine cascades through your body and you start to see your light at the end of the tunnel.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” In the Parkinson’s world, this equates to “Be the cure you wish to see in yourself.”
Do not wait. Live your life as if you already are cured. Be that change, be that cure. Open your heart, let your dopamine flow, and be your real self.
You can do this!
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
Thank you Howard for the blog very encouraging. 5 months today doing the recovery and I’m feeling very positive. I still get the shakes in my left side but I feel it changing. Blessings to everyone 😀😀
Wow wow wow, this is huge thank you Howard, I think I am finally getting it!!
I’ve recently started to feel a deep sense of peace and tranquility and it feels wonderful, it’s there regardless of what else may be going on around me. Even though my tremor and other symptoms are out of control at times, I feel tranquility, joy and happiness for life in general and all that it includes.
With deep love and gratitude to all
Margaret
This is so wonderful, Margaret ❤️
Thank you so much Lynn!
I love the way warriors encourage each other, it’s so energizing and motivating. Reading others comments also is awesome and really brings home the fact that we’re not alone in this journey, we’re very much connected. Wishing you speedy recovery , love, peace and joy
Thank you Howard for this wonderful post! I’ve read it several times, and will read it again and again. And as I was reading it a third time, The doorbell rang and it was flowers from my son for Mother’s Day and I wept with Joy! ❤️
Hi Howard, thank you for all the encouragement. Yesterday morning was great, I got up with so much ease, both from the bed and the chair after breakfast( without holding on to the handles). It was like the good old days. Well, after doing the recipe and other qigong moves, everything fell apart and found myself with worse symptoms the rest of the day. I broke down and cried. Sorry but it was hard to take. Your blog today reinforces what I need to work on. Thank you, thank you sir
Well, as always your blog posts are extremely timely. Although I go through times of frustration or disappointment when the symptoms are more activated, I can usually switch my perspective pretty quickly and move to gratitude and appreciation for all the wonderful gifts and opportunities that are available to me as this diagnosis has given me the invitation to focus on my spiritual aspect and relationship to my Higher Power.
I just celebrated my 70th birthday and received so much love and acknowledgment from all my dear friends and family. I became acutely aware that they accept me unconditionally easier than I do myself, I still have work to do. I also am challenged by my high need for control, so surrendering to the current moment and what is occurring is also a priority.
Without all of you I would feel isolated and depressed, but I know we are on the right path. By the way, everyone said I do not look 70, that is because I am doing the “recipe”. Love and light to all
I wish there was a formula for opening the heart, like there is for the physical part of the recipe. I need to detach my joy from Parkinson’s – it’s as if I can only experience about 65% max of the good stuff (mental, spiritual, emotional) while my body is out of sync. I will accept myself when I haven’t got PD, I will love my life when I haven’t got PD … completely the wrong order, I know. I am astounded by your patience when you explain over and over again, with loving kindness, what we need to do to heal and I’m still faffing about. I could cry. In fact, I probably should – a big hug for you, Howard, and some dopamine for me! God bless you. If anyone’s a gift, it’s you.
I find your posts really helpful Val. You put into words exactly what I think and feel but I can’t seem verbalise it – thank you. Cynthia x
Nice of you to say, Cynthia. Thank you. It can be taking a risk to open up but Howard has provided a safe space for us to respond to his blogs and learn from him and each other, so I’m grateful for that. I sometimes feel like the voice of negativity. So let me say, I do have a sense of humour as well! You express that you can’t seem to verbalise your thoughts and feelings. I have learned that if you want to articulate something from your authentic self, you need to turn the filter off.
Bless you Howard for your continued support. I recently saw the film Stir Crazy. Richard Prior and Gene Wilder get locked in a cell with a scary serial killer in an attempt to break them. When the guards return they are all friendly playing cards. I thought the scary killer was like PD. We must learn to subdue it with love, compassion and acceptance then we have no fear of it. For the last 10 or so days my symptoms suddenly got really bad after 5 months and 1 week of your recipe and my extra qi gong. It has been hard but I have no fear even if like Marie said-sometimes we have to fake it. My love and respect to you all.
Thank you Howard for your relentless love and support!
I have noticed that if my heart is full of gratitude it feels very open and there is no room for negativity! However my challenge is to keep my heart open when my symptoms are raging or appear to be worst!
I have learned from Howard to say ‘dear God, thank you for the healing that you are giving me. This is very difficult and I am asking you to please give me the strength and perseverance to help me get through it so that I can keep a positive attitude and open heart throughout the healing. I am not asking You to take away the discomfort as I would imagine that there is a lesson in here somewhere for me and I will do my best to learn the lesson.’
Thank you Howard. I am grateful.
Much love to all my PD fellow travelers,
Ola
Hi Howard and everybody.
I have been a bit down on my self lately. Not feeling very popular or loved, waking up a bit anxious, just off my game a bit fatigued and lacking drive. I have therefore, realising the issue been trying to be kind and loving to my self over the last few days, this improved my sleep last night. To do this I have been telling my self I am great and a lovely person, and trying to believe myself, particularly at the start of meditation and when I go to bed and wake up. Reading your blog has enforced this need. This morning lying in bed I told my self I am lovely and I focused that love on my hand, normally I think of my heart, but focusing on my hand stopped my tremor for a little while and it felt wonderfull. After getting up and during my meditation I mentally listed all my family friends and acquaintances, those I love as well as those not so close at the moment. I included myself in the list many times and felt mentally positive towards them all. I feel more focused and more content ready to face my day. It is hard to love and value yourself, but very much needed and worth doing. Thank you for being there everybody, and thank you for helping me focus Howard I find your blog and peoples comments a great asset in my recovery.
Love and regards
Graham.
Dear Howard
Thanks again for your encouragement, as every day needs the power to start
again with your mentioned positive thinking, thank you very, very much!!
Thank you Howard for always being there to motivate!
Reading the comments on this post brought me to tears. You are all such dear souls, and I can relate to much of what you say. And it makes me wonder if lack of self-love is at the root of PD. Is the opening of the heart center the way to reverse it?
There is a saying, “a rising tide lifts all boats”.
So as I make more of an effort to be thankful, grateful, forgiving and loving, I’m sending love to Howard, and a tidal wave of ❤️ love to you all.
Great blog entries everyone!
As Howard says, this really must be the crux of the matter: maintaining positive thoughts, love, gratitude and good humor to bring out the dopamine.
I wish everyone the best of luck as you seek to laugh and love yourselves to success!
Chris
Yes! Great blog and great responses. Hearts are being opened. I really like the Gandhi translation – “Be the cure I wish to see in myself.” Thank you for that Howard.
I share the same struggles as many of you here. Thankfully my joy and gratitude are up and I’m not frustrated.
Love and blessings to everyone here. We really can take off our old selves and put on new selves. Our new drug free Parkinson’s free selves. It’s just not very natural or intuitive (for me). Off with my old self! The new me is alive inside and he doesn’t have Parkinson’s! Hallelujah! All will be well…
Another great post on “Opening the Heart”
I realized that if I do not compare my present condition with other normal people around, than I am at peace and feel much better. Therefore, I must Open my Heart more often and accept the condition and live life to the best of my ability. The support and love from family also helps in opening the heart.
God bless.