Recently, I re-discovered something very significant about myself—something I hadn’t even realized I’d lost. The impetus for my re-discovery was a forum I attended on Health Realization (based on the 3 Principles of Understanding) presented by Cindi Claypatch, Director of the Health Realization Training Center in Minneapolis, MN.
Going in, my curiosity had been piqued by the promise of learning about a philosophical model for daily living that would “offer ways in which people can stay clear and grounded and better navigate through their challenges, creating the lives they desire and assist others.” That sounded pretty good to me! It turned out to be something of an epiphany.
If you don’t know what Health Realization (HR) is, allow me, with an assist from Wikipedia, to share a brief overview.
In the HR model, all psychological phenomena, from severe disorder to glowing health, are presented as manifestations of 3 operative “principles” first formulated as principles of human experience by Sydney Banks. The 3 principles are:
1.Mind – the universal energy that animates all of life, the source of innate health and well-being.
2.Consciousness – the ability to be aware of one’s life.
3.Thought – the power to think and thereby to create one’s experience of reality.
Using a movie projector as a metaphor, “Mind” is the electricity running the projector and “Thought” represents the images on the film. “Consciousness” is the light from the projector that throws the images onto the screen, making them appear real.
According to HR, we experience our reality and circumstances through the constant filter of our thoughts. Consciousness makes that filtered reality seem “the way it really is.” We react to it as if this were true. But, when our thinking changes, reality seems different and our reactions change. Thus, according to HR, we are constantly creating our own experience of reality via our thinking.
When we are having insecure or negative thoughts, we tend to experience our reality as stressful. But HR allows us to choose not to believe these thoughts, thus quieting the mind down and permitting positive feelings to emerge. HR also teaches that we have health and well-being already within us (we are all born with “innate health” that can never be taken from us), ready to emerge as soon as the noise in our mind calms down. When this happens, we can connect with our common sense and intuition, tapping into the universal capacity for creative problem solving or “inner wisdom.” The end result of practicing the 3 Principles is an expansive sense of emotional freedom and well-being.
Getting back to my previously mentioned epiphany—listening to Cindi share her personal story and experiences with HR caused a reaction that reached the top of my “AHA” scale. Though the room was filled with people, I felt like she was addressing me personally, as if she had been observing me all my life and picked this exact moment to offer this incredibly simple and common sensical solution to all my fears and woes. I hadn’t been this jazzed about my personal health since I stopped eating red meat over twenty years ago! I wasn’t about to look this gift horse in the mouth, so I made a commitment right then and there to take action.
Fast forward to June 2nd, of this year. I enrolled in Level 1 Health Realization Training (dragging my wife along ’cause it’s just so cool and I’ve a spot of evangelist in me). We’re both very excited to be studying with Cindi Clapatch and look forward to quieter minds and optimal health and well-being. I am already experiencing the benefits as I incorporate the 3 Principles of Understanding into my daily practice.
I look forward to sharing my experiences and insights as I continue on this leg of my journey. Stay tuned for updates.
Cheerio!
Richard
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