A Gift for You
Meditation is a way we can come to see that the only thing that makes us suffer is our own mind. When we Sit quietly we can see the mind to be nothing but conditioned thinking spontaneously arising within awareness. When we attach to this thinking, we imagine it to be real and relevant, we create internal images of self and others and the world. Then we live in these images as if they were real. When we get caught up in these images is to live in an illusory virtual reality, feeling separate from our true nature.
My latest Meditation cd is available for purchase on the meditation page but I'm also giving away a sample download completely for free as a gift to you.
Friends Can Be Good Medicine
by Sheila on October 1st, 2009
In 1982 Californians began seeing billboards and bumper stickers reading ‘Friends can be good medicine.’ Newspaper, radio and even TV spots were also part of the campaign. This simple message was being disseminated throughout the state at a cost of millions of dollars. Who could possibly gain from such an investment?
The remarkable thing is that Friends can be good medicine was a campaign sponsored by the California Department of Mental Health.
A friend of mine worked on that campaign, and he pointed out that the State’s motivation was practical and financial, not ‘touchy-feely’ (despite the fact that Jerry Brown was governor at the time!)
Extensive medical evidence had recently pointed out that people who have strong friendships have greater physical and mental health. The equation was simple:
More friends = fewer patients = greater healthcare savings
Such a practical acknowledgement of the value of friendships was certainly encouraging, but wasn’t it rather self-evident?
Not exactly. Because the core message of the campaign was the need for people to put more creative energy into developing and maintaining friendships. Following the campaign, studies showed that it had a ‘measurable impact on knowledge, attitudes, behavioral intentions, and support-enhancing behavior.’
Put simply, we tend to take our friendships (and family relationships, which was a subset of the campaign) for granted far too often. A simple reminder about the value of friendships went a long way toward encouraging people to make an extra effort to make and maintain contact, to reach out, to connect.
Unfortunately, the successful campaign was never repeated (George Deukmejian, a republican, succeeded the liberal Jerry Brown). But I’d like to extend its legacy. I’d like to encourage you to take on board the key message of Friends can be good medicine, and look at your own friendships and family relationships and ask yourself this question:
What can I do today to reach out to a friend?
Go on. Do it. It’s good for you!
With warmth,
Sheila
Real Freedom Blog is born!
by Sheila on November 18th, 2008
Welcome to RealFreedom
Are you unhappy? Lonely? Lost?
Are you leading what Thoreau called a life ‘of quiet desperation?’
It’s a sad fact that most of us are. This is because we carry around harmful beliefs, hurtful stories about ourselves that become insurmountable obstacles to joy and peace. We are imprisoned in our own minds.
RealFreedom is about breaking this pattern of self-hate, about recognising the lies in the stories we tell ourselves and about creating new stories, new beliefs of our true selves, our true potential for happiness.
Does this seem impossible? Of course it does, because when you are trapped in patterns of self-recrimination, a tortured character in dysfunctional story, it is difficult to even imagine a way out.
Sheila Babikian’s RealFreedom healing process focuses on precisely that: imagining a way out. By offering techniques for letting go of your damaging stories, and developing a new story for yourself, Sheila’s powerful process gives you real freedom from fear, sadness, loneliness and pain and puts you on the path to genuine, enduring happiness and love.
Contact us for more information on Real Freedom