Here are the questions Lilian answers during the interview:
The book is based upon the connection between stress and Parkinson’s. Can you elaborate
on this connection?
What’s the most common misconception about Parkinson’s that your book challenges?
This book features interviews – why this format, and what makes these stories so compelling?
What are some practical stress reduction strategies readers can implement after reading your book?
Many people feel hopeless when diagnosed with Parkinson’s. How does your book
address this?
Can you share a brief, inspiring story from one of the interviewees?
What makes this book essential reading for everyone, not just for those with Parkinson’s?
Many people with Parkinson’s feel isolated. How does your book foster a sense of community and shared experience?
Parkinson’s is traditionally diagnosed as a disease which only gets worse over time. This book challenges that view..
Interviews of people with a Parkinson’s diagnosis from around the world reveal that it does not have to be this way. Instead, hope and self-reflection can be part of the solution to a better life.
People can recover or improve, not via quick fixes or miracles, but with supporting psychotherapy and an understanding of why the body, due to chronic stress or trauma, has ended up reacting the way it does.
Below are listed the resources she discusses on the shortcut to hope and healing.
“As the middle of July approaches I am intensely aware that almost 1 year ago my husband was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. I reflect back on this deeply emotional year and am actually surprised at some of our learning and growth plus the continuous challenges. And interestingly, I am also aware of a new sense of joy and intimacy in our relationship.
But our year did not begin that way. I go to a school of healing. One that teaches that energy follows thought and physical illness may be a result of our beliefs. Through our physical illnesses we have an opportunity to heal ourselves in the areas of our lives where we have previously been stuck or have held unconscious negative thoughts about ourselves and our lives.
I was very aware that in my school the line of thought may be, ‘What is it your husband needs to learn from having Parkinsons?’ and indeed a classmate did ask me that, although in a very loving and concerned way. What are his beliefs about Parkinsons?
I had read the book by Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life where she correlates probable beliefs about Parkinsons to fear and an intense desire to control everything and everyone. Another author, Karol Truman, adds to this with several more possibilities: lack of inner communication, fear of not being able to control and not understanding a fear you have which stops you from believing in what you do and say.
I gently asked my husband if any of these feelings or beliefs resonated for him but nothing did at the time. As an outside observer, I was wondering about the possibility of the lack of communication with his inner or real self.
As the year unfolded, a big struggle for my husband was what to say when people talked to him about Parkinsons Disease. Someone once said to him very sincerely, ‘I am sorry about your diagnosis’ and my husbands response was to laugh.
I discussed this with him and suggested that laughing may have been a way not to feel a deeper emotion. We also talked about how his response to illness is an opportunity to teach others and help them to connect with their own vulnerabilities, insecurities and feelings about illness.
The other day we were invited to a party and my husband was nervous that Parkinsons would be discussed. We decided to do some role playing to help him come up with some responses.
I said to him (as someone previously did to me), ‘You know, people with Parkinsons do not have the tremor when they sleep. He replied, ‘Oh, have you slept with someone with Parkinsons? I burst out laughing. Yes, that would be a good response to that.
Then I asked him what his plans were for the future now that he had Parkinsons and he burst out laughing. ‘I am sorry’, he replied. ‘It is just too serious a question not to laugh.
Then I got a little tougher. I said, ‘I am sorry about your diagnosis’ and he very quietly and gently said, ‘I am sorry too.
In several of your articles about Parkinson’s, it is stated as fact that by the time one experiences the first symptoms of Parkinson’s, 60-80% of the brain cells in the Substantia Nigra area of the brain have been destroyed. If this is a medical fact then how does it stand to reason that the body is merely out of balance or suffering from toxins? Is brain cell regeneration really possible?
I believe that the body can be out of balance but has it suffered the reality of irreversible damage? It is important to have a positive outlook but I also think it is important to be realistic.
I hope I do not sound overly direct because I appreciate all you are doing and have found much of your information to be thought provoking and helpful.
Thanks, A.G.
The estimate that 80% of the dopamine producing cells have been destroyed comes from autopsies of people found to have degradation in the substantia nigra. A startling proportion of persons are misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s – estimates vary from 25% to 33%. It is a tough diagnosis to make and it is easy for doctors to miss the mark on this call.
This means that although the person has symptoms that are like the symptoms of Parkinson’s, they are not being driven by a dopamine deficiency. It may simply be that the myelin sheath coverings around the neurons are clogged by toxins or obstructed by trauma to the tissues. Or, other factors may be at play.
I personally believe that we find ourselves trotting down a dead end alley much too often if the “problem” of Parkinson’s is defined as a dopamine deficiency. The body can always produce sufficient dopamine under the proper conditions. Brain cell regeneration is not only a possibility but a proven fact. And, the body can always generate new cells and rejuvenate itself. Healing becomes possible when the symptoms are viewed in a broader context of health and wellness rather than death and destruction.
At the most basic level, all healing rests on the foundation of thought forms. When we focus on what is not possible, nothing becomes possible. When we set out intention for change and renewal, anything is possible.
I think it is a mistake to focus on the cells that have been destroyed in the body. Cells are being born every micro second. The body can reconstruct anything – cells, neural pathways, tissues – you name it. When we focus on what has been destroyed, we have sunk into the negative thought form trap which leads us into nagging thoughts that recovery is impossible. This is why I wrote the Five Steps to Recovery.
Robert and I have recorded interviews three times in the past:
September 2016: Five years no medications. Parkinson’s improving. How I had gone for 5 years without meds and was doing well using exercise and yoga
January 2017: Wholistic (or holistic) how different PWPs approach their treatment.
October 2018: Shifting the Parkinson’s disease mindset.
This is my fourth appearance on the show today, and I still hold to my beliefs.
EXERCISE. EXERCISE, EXERCISE. I cannot exercise as hard as I did before. Gradually I had to walk more and jog less. Could only 3 – 4 miles.
More convinced than ever that MINDSET/ATTITUDE is the key, PARKINSON’S IS A CHALLENGE, NOT A CURSE.When I was formally diagnosed, I was 70 years old. Life expectancy for me was 84.1. Well, now I’m 82.4. In a year and a half, I will have reached my life expectancy.
YOGA remains critical.
WAIT UNTIL you really must take Levodopa. Levodopa induced dyskinesia (LID) is a real deal and can be disabling. Google it on YouTube.
Let’s look at my life since we last met, year by year.
2018 – I shot a video titled So High So Low for the “I HAD A DREAM PROJECT” where I hiked a three mile walk trail and climbed a thousand feet.
That year I also went to Uganda to demonstrate the practices I used to manage so long without meds. (Robert, this is quite a tale, plus I have pictures.)
2019 – After directing the local Parkinson’s support group, I resigned so new blood could take over.
BUT: New symptoms emerged that I didn’t know about:
Anomia: a language specific disturbance arising after brain damage whose main symptom is the inability of retrieving known words. But it’s not dementia!
Pseudo Bulbar Affect Crying or laughing excessively upon feeling any deep feeling.
Dysphagia: difficulty or discomfort in swallowing as a symptom of disease. It starts out with mucus as postnasal drip. Get to an OT!
Oily, flakey skin
Sleep disturbances. Fall into deep sleep in the middle of the day. And then don’t sleep well at night.
Pain in bed at night. Interfered with sleep.
2020 – It was a remarkable and horrific year. PANDEMIC!
No more yoga classes! No gym with weightlifting. Social interaction approached zero.
2021 – Then, a condition worse than Parkinson’s emerged: Major Depression.
March 2021 – Fell and shattered right knee – 16 days in hospital.
July 2021 – Fell and broke my right hip.
August – Severe depression, I became suicidal.
September – Chose to have a course of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT)
October- It worked, and my PD improved a lot.
The falls were due to the antidepressant I was taking may increase fall for people with Parkinsons.
LESSON: Make sure you MD goes through all meds in case a med might make falling more likely
My story with Depression
Family history is strong.
Parkinson’s did not cause my suicidal depression, genetics and environment did.Antidepressant medication failed to work and led to my falls!
2022 – I returned to my new normal. And that’s where I am today. I just have more symptoms and feel weaker.
I followed up with PWPs who I have advised in the past.
It became clear to me: I want to coach people with PD.
On Parkinsons Recovery Radio today. Fred Phillips offered his insights into how he gets immediate relief from a variety of his Parkinson’s symptoms. His solutions for Parkinson’s symptoms are novel and profound. Do you ever have difficulty when walking with:
Freezing?
Standing up?
Shuffling?
Slowness?
Leg Cramps?
If so, I strongly recommend that You listen to my interview with Fred today. Click the arrow below to hear the replay. Fred has discovered some powerful, yet simple solutions to these
symptoms that have helped him enormously.
One of now over 70 pioneers of recovery I have hosted on Parkinsons Recovery radio, Fred also previews his 10 step protocol for recovery.
I receive the following question every day: “What is the best treatment for Parkinson’s”?
The truthful answer is that the best treatment for Parkinson’s depends on what
is causing the symptoms. There is one treatment for Parkinson’s, however, that
promises to result in positive gains on some level:Transformation of beliefs
about healing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
I have permission to share the following essay which speaks to the core of this issue.
It was written by Rev. Eva Gabrielle. In my view the essay is well worth copying and posting in a place that you see every day as a reminder of the important role beliefs
“Illness is a curious thing. We can die from it, or learn to live through it.
You may think me crazy, but I think we pick our illnesses. We choose to slowly exit, or stay and learn how to live well.
I am choosing how to live well. Some day I will be done with PD, I will declare I am well and say I was cured by this or that.
Belief is what cures us anyway. We may take the best supplements and medicines in the world, but if we do not believe we can be healed, we won’t be. On the other hand, we may chant for 3 years off and on, decide we are cured and we are because we believe we are.
Or eat chocolate ants, and declare ourselves cured. Then we can write a book about it. People will eat chocolate ants and still be sick. Because of that they will declare you a fraud.
Look at how many people have gone after John Pepper!!
I was a New Thought minister for 24 years. Unity minister. I taught Science of mind and how to work it. It continues to be a fascinating study and experiment. I don’t have any sculptures nor painting to show for my work, but I know I have touched people’s hearts.
I am getting bored with having PD. I don’t want to go to doctors anymore.I really don’t want to take meds for it. But I am afraid to quit carb/leva 10/1000 x4 a day.
Many people who currently experience the symptoms associated with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease focus their primary attention on therapies that have helped other people in similar circumstances reverse their own symptoms. They have set in motion their own health affirmations.
Such a strategy of recovery can be invigorating and yield exciting victories. There may however be an undercurrent process which ultimately undermines your success with reclaiming your health. What in the world might this be?
Most people do not acknowledge that there is often an unconscious process that undermines a positive intention to heal. Since the process is entirely unconscious it is hidden and thus impossible to detect. Why might a person’s subconscious be undermining their positive intent to recover?
There are many reasons of course, but the person is getting something out of being sick that they would not get if they were well. Perhaps they are getting disability payments or special attention from family and friends. Perhaps they finally have a perfectly justifiable excuse to quit a job they have never liked doing. If a person is getting something out of being sick, it will be virtually impossible to heal.
I believe that everyone has unconscious processes at work. We all wind up sabotaging our best and highest intentions at one time or another. I know I do. The first step in paving a clear and unobstructed pathway down the road to recovery is to acknowledge that unconscious processes do exist that undermine our good intentions. The second step is to take a minute out of every day to state your intention to recover with a clear and loud voice.
My suggestion is to print out the health affirmations below, attach them to your refrigerator and say them out loud each and every day for 40 days.
My intention is to maintain health and wellness for myself.
I admire and model people who are healthy.
Health makes life more enjoyable.
I am healthy when I do what I love.
I deserve to be healthy because I add value to other people’s lives.
I receive compliments and gifts from others with an open heart.
I am grateful for the health I have now.
Opportunities to reverse any and all symptoms always come my way.
My capacity to reclaim full health and wellness expands each and every day.
If there is no unconscious current which is undermining your recovery, the task of saying the statements above for 40 days will strengthen your intention and facilitate your recovery. If, on the other hand, there is an unconscious process at play which is undermining your good intention to reverse symptoms, you will not succeed in saying the statements out loud for 40 days. You might succeed for 30 days – but suddenly you skip a day.
Saying the health affirmations above out loud only takes a minute each day, yet you forget to do it. It was not because you did not have enough time!
When you realize that you “forgot” to state your affirmations, you will know that there must be something that you are getting out of your disease that you are not acknowledging.
And if this is the case, what do you do? Acknowledge that there must be part of you that does not want to get well. It is no big deal. We all sabotage ourselves in one way or another. The most important step is to acknowledge it.
Then, simply begin saying your affirmations again starting with day one. See if you get through 40 days without missing a day. If you succeed, celebrate your success with paving an unobstructed road to recovery. If you forget again, start the 40 ritual again. Maybe three times will be a charm.
If three times is not a charm, why not simply accept the reality that you are getting something out of being sick that may actually be worth all the trouble?
I wrote a plea in my newsletter for help in changing the false belief that Parkinson’s Disease is “degenerative.” What follows is one of the many responses I received. Brad gave me permission to post the statement that follows. His theme is – I Ignore My Parkinson’s Disease. Be prepared to be inspired.
Why is it we “fight” cancer, but we must “accept” Parkinson’s Disease? I never accepted anything, that is why I continue to work, exercise, live normally, etc. Mostly I ignore my Parkinsons Disease. I skip my drugs whenever possible. I am too busy to be bothered with degeneration.
It has not made me very popular with the medical establishment. Parkinsons Disease is exceedingly psychologically and emotionally sensitive. When our mind is preoccupied with growth, involvement, concentration (“recovery” mode), our symptoms abate. When we are upset, angry, anxious (“degeneration” mode) our symptoms are exacerbated.
As most athletes and artists know, in order to accomplish something, we must first “visualize” the possibility.If we do not believe something is possible, it will never be so. If we believe, anything is possible.
When my symptoms caused me to lose my ability to bicycle ride at a high level of performance, I fought back and reversed those symptoms. Last fall, my girlfriend and I rode six or seven difficult “century” rides (100 miles in one day), including one back to back days for the first time.
I still have Parkinson’s Disease, but I can do anything I choose to do by simply deciding to let nothing stand in my way. Simple put – I Ignore My Parkinson’s Disease
Below is an email I have permission to post anonymously regarding transforming the false belief that Parkinson’s is degenerative. It is all about Transforming Beliefs about Parkinsons Disease.
This posting is anonymous for a very smart reason. The person does not want to be thought of as someone who has a “disease.”
I do believe that we can change the belief template, as you say. I am doing this every day with my qigong practice, walking, reading, talking about changing the information that my mind receives, being in the chi field of possibilities. And it is hard work sometimes.
When symptoms change or strange new sensations show up, it’s so hard not to go into fear and dread. Mostly the qigong practice gives me tools with which to hold all this. And most of the time I can say this is just my mind thinking thoughts that are not the reality. And most of the time I am really happy and optimistic about reversing my symptoms.
I am very lucky in the three years since diagnosis they have barely progressed, mainly tremors and some lack of dexterity in my right hand. But some days the tremors feel more frequent or stronger, I’ll be tired a lot, and I wonder is it getting worse? How to not always think about it is the question, because it is visible when the tremors are happening. I find that taking a vigorous walk always makes me feel better, and when I’m not too tired the qigong practice is magical too.
Thanks again for your excellent vision and work. Count me in as someone intending to change the paradigm for healing.We work together transforming beliefs about Parkinsons disease
I tuned into the recorded version of your interview with Leif who discussed his life with Parkinsons disease. I could not listen to it for very long as the part where he experienced much difficulty moving around and talking, and when he apologized– it really bothered me. So I exited the show.
I can honestly say that he dashed my hopes somewhat. I felt somewhat frightened and depressed. I was hoping to hear the voice of the motivated, and strongly positive author, “Leif”. Didn’t expect ‘off times”. It recalled to me the supposed later stages of this condition, and of how dreary a future this condition could prove to be for me. ( Now maybe I should have stayed on line and listened to all — but I couldn’t.)
However a good thing. It re- emphasized to me how very important it is for me to listen to my own body and deal with it day by day, and not fixate on what may/may not happen to me in the future, down the road. Each case of Parkinsons Disease seems to be different depending on so many influencing factors. Everyone seems to go through this neurological condition differently.
Now for me after my diagnosis in’ 98, I am fairing well, all things considered. But it takes effort to stay well and it takes time, and it takes attitude! I used to receive mail from the Parkinson’s organizations here, inviting me to attend meetings having to do with: falling, drooling, freezing, depression, suicide, support for spouses, making a will etc. Talk about gloom and doom. So I unsubscribed to such mail.
I make a practice of staying away from websites, articles, presentations of the same persuasion, because they are not helpful at this time and may never be– who knows. It is just more positive for me to practice and adopt a lifestyle that channels my energy and thoughts in a more positive way, to surround myself with people and circumstances that celebrate life — sunshine, nature, spirituality, music, friends, travel, vegetarian food, exercise, breathing, laughing yoga. Some may say that I have my” neck stuck in the sand” , “to face the music”, “to accept my disease”. I think not.
In the days and weeks following my diagnosis in ’98, I spent many a day and dark hour, dwelling entirely on this “di sease”. I found myself buried in a very dark place, a deep hole, thankfully I was able to crawl out. I never wish to return there!
So sorry( my opinion), that Leif experienced ‘off times’ during his talk, because he had a wonderful message to convey. I did read some excerpts from his book, and I do share in, and believe in much that he writes. Now maybe the rest of the show was entirely different, but….
Just someone sharing her thoughts having and dealing with” Parkinson’s” recovery.
Linda
What a fascinating report of your reaction to my life with Parkinsons disease interview with Leif this week. at the time of the interview Leif had Parkinsons for 21 years. He leads a very full, rewarding, happy and joyful life. Since being diagnosed with Parkinsons he has started his own business which has become very successful. Parkinsons has transformed his life. A replay of my interview with Leif follows:
Your experience listening to the interview is a true testament to how easy it is to be sucked into the dark and dreary negative belief template about Parkinsons that continues to linger out there in the ethers. As you so eloquently describe, it is so easy to be trapped by the negative belief template. Crawling out of it can sometimes feel like the challenge of breaking out of jail.
I think the actual experience of listening to my interview with Leif patterns your same experience over the years since your own diagnosis eleven years ago. Deep depression initially followed by a determination to engage the activities that help you feel great everyday. You are probably wondering what happened in the second part of the interview?
Leif took a mere ten minute break in the interview to meditate by breathing and grounding. His symptoms vanished. When you hear the second part of the interview you hear a voice of strength and power (though of course English is not his native language). It is a true testament to the reality that by setting his intent to move out of fear and paying attention to his body, his symptoms vanished in a flash. Healing happens in the moment. You do not have to wait years.
His symptoms were up during the first ten minutes of the interview because it was a stressful experience. After all, he was not just have a friendly chat with me. The interview was being recorded. Thousands of people will hear the interview. Once he was able to relieve the stress of doing the interview, all of his symptoms resolved.
Listening to the process of my interview with Leif who discussed his life with Parkinsons disease is really the same experience you have had over the years as you successfully were able to shift from being trapped in the belief template of fear into a belief template of health and wellness. You both are doing quite well indeed now, but it was also a struggle for both of you in the beginning. I suspect this is a familiar process for many people.
Thanks again for sending in your thoughts. You have helped so many people by telling us all about your own experience with Parkinsons.
