Best Of The Aware Show with Norm Shealy, MD, PhD Technology to Heal the Body

Would you like to learn about natural methods of healing? Did you know there are proven, helpful gadgets which can reduce pain? Our guest today is Dr. Norm Shealy who will discuss some of the latest cutting-edge technologies available for pain management, depression, and stress. Since his creation of the TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit for pain control in the 1970s, world-renown neurosurgeon Dr. Shealy has been at the forefront of several new non-invasive devices that have been proven to be effective for pain management. He will discuss some of these amazing technologies on the show.   Dr. Shealy is a Neurosurgeon and former Harvard Professor, and is currently President of Holos University Graduate Seminary, which offers doctoral programs in Spiritual Healing and Energy Medicine. He holds nine patents for innovative discoveries, has published more than 300 articles and 22 books including "Life Beyond 100" and "90 Days To Stress-Free Living." Tune in and learn a relaxation technique that could change your health! Info: www.normshealy.net

Would you like to understand how the stories you tell yourself are affecting your physiology? What impact do they have and what's underlying them? Today's guest is Dr. Sue Morter. Known as "Dr. Sue," she is an internationally acclaimed speaker, master of Bioenergetic Medicine, and thought leader bridging science, spirituality, and human potential. She is the founder and CEO of the Morter Institute for Bioenergetics and host of the podcast, "The Art of Awakening" and Gaia TV's "Healing Matrix." Today she will discuss her brand-new book, "The Anatomy of Awakening: The 5 Hidden Codes to Unlock Your Higher Consciousness and Live Your Divine Destiny." Dr. Sue talks about how we can resolve unresolved emotions that we don't even know we are carrying. She invites us to look at life without our trauma. She believes we are inherently rich, abundant, and healthy. When we choose to incarnate, we may believe we can operate with only certain capacities. We get shut down over the course of life. Under it all, is something completely whole. We can receive these gifts of wholeness which are waiting for us. Many people get there through pain. The unconscious life tends to run our lives. We keep going with these patterns, yet Dr. Sue knows we can evolve. We come here to become more conscious. We can live lives of bliss, healing, and infinite possibilities. She invites us to have the light of our awareness shine brightly. When we allow it, we can awaken. Our filters can disappear and we can live a life of brightness. We can allow these universal energies to flow. Dr. Sue says how we may feel lost, sick, or confused right now. She asks us to take a "time out" and trust that there's more. She discusses her first book, "The Energy Codes" and talks about the imagination of who we are and who we can be. We can animate our potential, awaken it, and not get caught up in duality of life. If we can be present with ourselves no matter what is going on, we can learn to be more compassionate and therefore create a new reality. We can evolve through the imagination. This is what we are truly meant to be living. It's the timeless version of ourselves. We are meant to flourish. We are meant to love ourselves. We can come home to ourselves. It's our true nature. This is Part 1 of the interview. Info: drsuemorter.com.

 Lisa continues her conversation today with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and iconic drummer of The Doors, John Densmore. John reads poetry and explains about the thread which runs throughout each of our lives, if we just tune into it.  This is a way of never being lost. He talks about Ram Dass and how, in the silence, people can really contemplate his deeper words. He further discusses the importance of poetry, and specifically Jim Morrison's poetry, and then reads a special poem that he read to Ram Dass, written in the 1960s by renowned poet Etheridge Knight. He further describes the essence of creativity and the gifts that musicians and artists bring to us. In this uplifting interview, he talks about his latest book, "The Seekers – Meetings with Remarkable Musicians (and Other Artists)." Inspired by mystic G.I. Gurdjieff's classic work, "Meetings with Remarkable Men," Densmore's latest book is a collection of short vignettes of his encounters with musicians such as Patti Smith, Lou Reed, and Janice Joplin, as well as spiritual teachers like Ram Dass, the Dalai Lama, and Joseph Campbell. Info: https://www.johndensmore.com/

 What is the secret to artistic genius? How can some people perform moving pieces of music, or write a thrilling manuscript, or create a deeply emotional piece of art? Do they have unique gifts? Today's guest is Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and iconic drummer of The Doors, John Densmore. In this uplifting interview, he talks about his latest book, "The Seekers – Meetings with Remarkable Musicians (and Other Artists)." Inspired by mystic G.I. Gurdjieff's classic work, "Meetings with Remarkable Men," Densmore's latest book is a collection of short vignettes of his encounters with musicians such as Patti Smith, Lou Reed, and Janice Joplin, as well as spiritual teachers like Ram Dass, the Dalai Lama, and Joseph Campbell. Each a luminary in their own right, Densmore shares stories of the creative thread that runs through each mystic, musician, and teacher as he searched for the origin of creativity and artistry. He shares several experiences he's had with LA Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel and how so much can be learned in the moments of silence between notes. The universal language of music is always a direct connection to one another's heart. This is Part 1 of the interview. Info: JohnDensmore.com.

With the continuing crisis, how will it be possible to have peace in the Middle East? With so much separation, how can people remember their hearts and come together? Today Lisa continues the conversation with Ora and Ihab Balha, a Jewish and Muslim couple living in Isreal who exemplify love, despite the extreme conflicts in the area in which they are living. Together they co-founded "The Orchard of Abraham's Children'' nonprofit organization, a holistic educational and communal organization dedicated to transforming Jewish-Arab relations for a shared future, as well as the "Human First Community Center" in Jaffa, Israel. Today Ora and Ihab talk about the idea of peace, and how it exists; you just need to tap in. Peace is the future. The education system in Isreal is all about division based on religion and culture. This can be changed. By separating Jewish and Arab people, it creates ignorance. By coming together, and going to school together, we can learn about one another. We can enrich each other with our differences and find similarities to connect. Ignorance creates fear and that fear creates violence. An education system can address this by bringing students together. Ora and Ihab talk about how they start with teaching the children, and then the kids bring home information to their parents. They have also started a community center for adults. It's not just early childhood education. It's for the entire family. This can create change. Slowly it becomes impactful. They have an open prayer room and everyone is welcome. People come to visit from all over the world to pray and meditate. The local community branches out to the neighborhood and around Isreal. They have various locations in which they work with Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the global community. People have lost hope, but when they see that it's possible to learn the tools and create peace, they can feel inspired. Ora and Ihab also discuss how the education they've developed helps not only people, but the Earth as well. It's about sustainability. They talk about how we are just stewards of the land; no one actually owns it. We belong to the land. They also talk about their interfaith gatherings and the similarities between the various religions. When they started out, people made fun of what they were doing. Now people take note and are very interested. They want to get involved. It is difficult to shift people's minds in the beginning, but when they see what's possible, they become inspired and want to invest in peace and education. It is possible to change the paradigm and Ora and Ihab are leading the way through their work together. They are working to stop the war and bring peace. They remind us that we are all part of the human family, and it is possible to live in abundance, love, and peace. We just need to open our hearts and come together. If interested in donating and learning more, pls visit: www.orchardofabrahamschildren.org

 Although it seems that we live in a world filled with tragedy, especially as we hear about wars raging in the Middle East, there are still so many people there doing good in the world. In today's show, Lisa interviews Ora and Ihab Balha, a Jewish and Muslim couple living in Isreal who exemplify love, despite the extreme conflicts in which they are living. Together they co-founded "The Orchard of Abraham's Children'' nonprofit organization, a holistic educational and communal organization dedicated to transforming Jewish-Arab relations for a shared future, as well as the "Human First Community Center" in Jaffa, Israel. Ihab Balha explains as a Muslim man how he was challenged to a fight by a Jewish man who came running into a restaurant screaming hateful words toward Arabs. They got into a physical fight. Frequently this many would run into this restaurant shouting the same words and fighting with men there. Eventually Ihab decided to wait for him and attacked him outside. The Jewish man was surprised and said how they should schedule the next fight and invited him to fight at his home. Ihab talks about how they scheduled it, and when he arrived at the man's house, the man broke down about his wife leaving him. This led to a conversation about the importance of love and human connection. Together they talked about relationships and spoke from their hearts. They continued to meet, to talk, and to express their fears and anger. Slowly more Jewish people and Muslim people began to gather with them, just to talk. They decided to have a meeting in the Holy Land between the Israeli and Palestinian people. They were anticipating approximately 10 people. More than 300 showed up. They invited people from various religions including priests, Sufis, and rabbis. One man talked about his daughter being killed by an Israeli soldier. Another person talked about how a Palestinian man killed his son. Together they cried and shared their pain. Afterwards they hugged each other. At the second meeting, more than 1000 people came and for the third meeting, more than 5,000 people of various religions attended. This was essentially the biggest peace project in Israel. They did not talk about politics – instead they talked about being Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. They built bridges. Ora Balha talks about how she met Ihab when she was visiting the Sinai desert in Egypt. They saw each other and immediately fell in love. Even though Ora is Jewish and Ihab is Muslim, they talk about how love "took" them. It took over. They had to rise above cultural and societal differences. Ora moved in with Ihab in Jaffa. Because of the difficulties, they couldn't share this with anyone, including their families. When Ora first met Ihab's father, it was especially challenging. Their families could not get over their prejudices, but every time they met, Ora and Ihab would express only love. Finally, after a struggle of several years, their families accepted one another. It took time, but Ora and Ihab stayed true to their love. They also talked about the importance of choosing love. Even if you are afraid, when you choose love, people can see that and then reflect it. They also discuss what happened when they had their son and how they educated him. He learned both Hebrew and Arabic at home. They celebrated all of each other's holidays. When it came time to send him to kindergarten, they couldn't find a school that was teaching what they were at home, so they decided to start a kindergarten.  They were young and didn't think about the future as much, so they started a very small school in Ihab's father's yard. Two children joined. They brought in both a Jewish teacher and a Muslim teacher.  The community started to hear about them. In the beginning, it was hard, but slowly more children joined. By the end of the first year, 16 children were involved. They opened a second group the following year and a third group by the third year. Currently they now have nine kindergartens, an elementary school, and a community center which focuses on adults. It offers music and activities. They have more than 100 staff members.  They invite people to remember that we are human first. God chooses all of us. We complete each other. Info: www.orchardofabrahamschildren.org

Have you heard of communities where people regularly live to be healthy in their 80s, 90s, and even beyond? Is it possible that cultural beliefs can affect our health and longevity? Clinical neuropsychologist and founder of Biocognitive science, Dr. Mario Martinez, is an expert in the healthy aging process. He lectures worldwide on how cultural beliefs affect health and longevity more than genetics.   In today's interview he discusses ideas such as how our immune systems have their own moral system and how resilience has an immune-boosting factor. He also considers how archetypal wounds affect our DNA and RNA and can be passed through the generations.  His research demonstrates how thoughts and their biological expression co-emerge within a cultural history, even as current science continues to divide mind and body, and ignore the influence cultural contexts have on the process of health, illness, and aging. Cultures that view growing older as positive are associated with increased wisdom and have higher numbers of centenarians living healthier lives than cultures that view aging as a process of inevitable deterioration. He also teaches how joy requires sufficient self-esteem to accept it without self-sabotage.   Dr. Mario Martinez is the author of "The MindBody Code." Learn more about his field of "biocognition" in today's interview. Info: www.biocognitive.com. 

How do we begin to understand the division and the chaos that surrounds us? Lisa continues the conversation today with the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism Andrew Harvey. Andrew is a religious scholar, mystical teacher, and author of more than 40 books, and discusses how to birth the new in times of extreme turbulence.   He explains how the response to chaos is to become more luminous yourself. Find deeper and deeper energy and compassion within yourself and respond from calm and spaciousness. A lighter perspective can deconstruct the narrative. You must change your consciousness. You can only do that when you recognize you are Divine. Your emotions are sacred. These are the gifts of the Sacred Feminine. This is the Law of the Universe. The feminine teaches us how to open to love, while the masculine helps us to structure that love. This gives us power.    Andrew shares how he's been working on his book for several decades and intensely for the past several years. His research, which included very credible sources, helped him to open up connections. He shared a story of finally being able to write the Preface of the book and the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. After he wrote it, he went to breakfast. Upon his return, he found his condo engulfed in flames. He lost absolutely everything including his most beloved feline. It was the hardest suffering he had ever experienced. This was less than one year ago. It completely transformed his life. Andrew talks about how he felt like he had died but then was resurrected. He felt calm after this experience. It opened the door to new possibilities. We are currently living in a severe dark night, but this is what Andrew believes is part of what will give birth to a divine new humanity. We can all become warriors of the new. We now have the chance to change and transform, by working with our self first. This is pure alchemy. We can now recognize the truth and be a source of inspiration. This is Part 2 of the interview. Info: www.andrewharvey.net

In honor of March being Women's History Month, we ask the question -- What does it mean to be a Warrior Goddess? To our guest today, author and teacher HeatherAsh Amara, that means reclaiming both our power and our compassion as women. We must have both of these qualities. It's a renewal of our commitment, passion, and creativity.   Even though women today juggle many roles and often put the needs of others ahead of their own, oftentimes they feel like they're not enough. Women can feel like they are not able to speak up and have their voices heard. Although things may have changed on the outside, on the inside we may still feel self-doubt where we don't honor ourselves deeply. We often put ourselves last, especially when we recognize how women tend to be caretakers. HeatherAsh advises us to take time for self-care. It's so important. She suggests setting up "date nights" with ourselves, whether this means going out to a museum, or taking a long bath at home. HeatherAsh talks about the idea of receiving and recommends that we ask for support, so that we are not placing the entire burden on ourselves. HeatherAsh also offers tips as to how to raise a Warrior Goddess daughter. We must be the role models. HeatherAsh also discusses her book, "Warrior Goddess Training." She'll show you how to release the layers of expectations to finally see yourself for the authentic, perceptive, perfect woman you already are! Info: warriorgoddess.com  

How do we navigate this period of oppression and division? How do we live in modern times with all the chaos that surrounds us? Religious scholar, mystical teacher, and author of more than 40 books, Andrew Harvery, joins us today to talk about how to birth the new in times of extreme turbulence. Andrew is also the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism. We are all experiencing the destruction of the old firsthand, but where do we turn? Andrew offers wisdom by discussing his latest book, "The Magdalene Revolution: The Rise of the Sacred Feminine and the Birth of Radical Equality."  Andrew shares a firsthand experience he had many decades ago involving a vision of Mary Magdalene at her cave in the south of France. He felt an enormous peace in this place, yet he was outraged at how the church had demonized her. Upon leaving her cave, he turned back and saw her in golden light. Andrew believes Mary Magdalene is an essential part of Jesus's story. He understands that she is the sacred partner of Jesus. She was the first to see Jesus after Resurrection yet the Bible, written by men, painted her as a lunatic. Andrew explains how the Sophianic Gospel shows that Mary Magdalene and Jesus recognized the divinity in one another. She helped him come deeper into his body so they could bring in a love force to birth a new humanity. Mary Magdalene's evolution was very complex. In the Gnostic Gospels, it is believed that she was the sacred partner to Jesus. She also had great skill in healing and liberating people. As they grew united in the mission, she became more empowered and more illumined. She taught the Feminine Mysteries to groups of women as she expanded. The Sophianic Gospel talks specifically about Mary Magdalene's sacred spirituality.  Once you bring together the messages of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, you see a life force of love is being birthed. This represents enormous joy and power. It's a whole new level of radiant empowerment.    Andrew believes that Jesus, Mother Mary, and Mary Magdalene are all incarnations of the Divine, fully empowered and sacred. Andrew has done extensive research, and he shows how there are fragments in the Bible that tell the story. He presents a grounded version of how they actually lived. This story is a completion and a missing piece. It is ripe for this time as a vast hunger is rising in humanity. This is an expression of love and connection of all of creation. This is the gift of the Divine Feminine. Spirit and Matter are being healed through this resurgence. This is Part 1 of the interview. Info: www.andrewharvey.net