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*Adya Sampradaya comes from the Sanskrit Language. Adya means original or primal. And Sampradaya means cherished knowledge given forth carefully. Each edition features articles on healing and personal growth, traditional wisdom from around the world and the news that affects our lives. "Ben Oofana is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. He walks his talk and it all comes from his heart." "Ben helped me get my life back. When we first met I was a confused, angry and broken person and my body reflected all of this pain. I was also very determined to heal. Session by session, Ben gently and patiently guided me through the process of opening up to the pain, releasing it and replacing it with what was important to me. I began to feel less fragmented, more whole; living less in the past and more in the present.
Ben’s medicine is strong; it is a process that requires commitment and taking responsibility for yourself.
That is true healing.'
"I had a very difficult childhood and before meeting Ben I often felt that I was looking at the world through a window, or that it was only a dream. I also had a low tolerance for stressful situations and would be completely worn out after a tough day.
After two sessions with Ben I noticed that I no longer had the feeling of being separate from the world around me and I cope with stress and conflict much more easily now."
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Why Some People Heal and Other Don’t Every culture has its own distinct consciousness and I feel fortunate to be able to spend time in different countries and work with people from so many diverse cultural backgrounds. I’m fascinated by the many different ways that people think, feel and engage with the world. Being immersed in so many distinct cultures has broadened my perspective and forced me to examine my own ways of doing things. I’ve also noticed that there are certain traits or characteristic within people from different cultures that make them more or less receptive to healing. South Asia is an incredible paradox. Some aspects of the traditional South Asian culture can be very repressive. The caste system is still very much intact. There is often a very clear lack of boundaries and people can be way too involved in the lives of others. And there are many small minded people who are very much entrenched in the unhealthy aspects of the culture. But there’s also incredible ancient knowledge and power and there’s tremendous beauty. I also encounter a lot of very highly intelligent, progressive, open-minded people who are working to effect positive change in society. Many of South Asians are also incredibly warm, loving and generous. People will often take you into their homes, give you a place to stay and feed you, even when they barely have enough money to feed themselves. Of all the cultural groups I’ve found people from Central and South America and South Asia to be the most responsive people I have ever worked with. People from these cultures have an openness and malleability that makes them very responsive to healing. Their bodies are usually much less armored. It also helps that there is a cultural context that makes people from these parts of the world more receptive to this kind of work. People from ancient cultures tend to live closer to nature and are more in touch with their bodies. I usually don’t have to say that much because they have a greater intuitive understanding of the changes that are taking place within their bodies and minds. They really feel what’s happening and they catch on so quickly. Many South Asians struggle just to get by. Sri Lankans often move into their homes long before they are ever completed. I was staying with a family outside of Colombo, Sri Lanka. There was no front or back door on the new home they had recently moved into. Someone always had to stay at the house to make sure other people didn’t come in and empty the home of all the family’s possessions. A construction crew showed one evening to plaster the walls. The crew continued to work through the night. The father fell at some point and was badly hurt. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t really move, so the men in the construction crew had to carry him upstairs to his bed. The father was still in a lot of pain when I woke up the next morning. He asked me if I could help him, so I set up a table and went to work. The father told me after the session that he could feel the pain being pulled out of his body. He began to move his body as if the accident had never happened. The father started to prostrate himself at my feet to say thank you. I was standing there saying "Stop that! …get up, get up, I’m just another person, I’ve worked to develop this gift." A friend of mine living outside of Mumbai, India was from suffering various complications resulting from diabetes. I felt bad seeing what he was going through and so I offered to help. My friend responded very well to the healing sessions and the word started to go out. He started telling people. Those people came to do sessions, then they told other people and it kept going from there. I didn’t have access to a phone, but people knew where I was staying and would have messages delivered to me requesting that I work with them. People from the various ancient cultures are more likely to recognize spiritual gifts because they have an openness and sensitivity about them. These kinds of healing practices have been a part of ancient cultures for many centuries and are a normal part of everyday life. People from these cultures engage in powerful ceremonial healing practices and do other kinds of daily practices to develop their body and mind and to deepen their connection with the higher power. These practices are so much a part of their daily life that it becomes part of who they are. These individuals may not look very sophisticated. They may even come across as primitive, but they embody a wisdom and power that most people in our modern fast paced world could not even fathom. Almost all of the esoteric traditions have died out in Western Europe. Those of us who grew up in Western developed nations are not rooted in the esoteric traditions and we may have a very limited context for healing. And then there’s so much misinformation and that only adds to people’s confusion. Many of have us internalized a lot of spiritual concepts from all the spiritual books we’ve read and the workshops that we have attended .. .but we’re often lacking in depth and substance. And there are those who jump from one healer or modality to another.We may need to explore different healing modalities to determine which ones will best address our needs. And we also need to really do the work and stick with the practice or modality long enough to determine if it really does benefit us. It can be very difficult for us to make that determination in one session, especially when our bodies are so saturated with years of stress, unresolved issues and emotions and the toxins that accumulate from all the garbage that we put in our bodies. We can add in new practices or therapies along the way, but we also need to continue to work with the practices or modalities that have that have benefited us thus far. The circumstances many of us find ourselves in are often far from ideal. Sometimes it’s important for us to make the best of our situation. Many of us are really stressed out, because we’re working excessively long hours, getting very little rest, we have little, if any, down time and we have way too much on our plate. Our body and mind need rest, and we need the space to digest what we think, feel and experience. Burning at both ends eventually catches up with us. Our kidneys, adrenals and other vital organs become depleted. And that accelerates the aging process by causing our bodies to break down at a more rapid pace. Personal issues are often pushed to the back burner when we’re extremely busy or under a lot of stress, because we have no time to process them. We may find it difficult to even access our feelings and issues during these times. It may not be the best time to resolve core issues. But the healing sessions still help to alleviate the stress by replenishing the life force within the internal organs and repairing damage within the physical and subtle bodies. People have often told me that the sessions helped them to hold it together during the really stressful times. I did a few sessions for a professional woman who was working excessively long hours freelancing in the corporate sector. She spent most of her evenings and weekends binge eating as she sat in front of the television. She structured her life in such a way that made it nearly impossible for her to be present with the feelings, sensations and issues that she held within her body. She made very little effort to help herself, yet she would complain that she wasn’t making any progress. Many of us have heard stories about the faith healers who worked all kinds of amazing miracles in their tent revivals. And many people are still expecting God to come down and instantaneously takes away all of their afflictions. Some healers have the ability to go into the body and instantaneously remove tumors or resolve other health issues. But they don’t necessarily do anything to resolve the underlying source of the problem and many of these conditions eventually remanifest. It’s usually not intentional or even conscious, but much of our suffering is self-induced. Yet many of us are looking to be absolved of all personal responsibility for our lives and the choices we continue to make on a daily basis. Some of us are not willing to honestly look at ourselves, face the issues or change the behaviors that are causing the problems. In essence, we are saying "…Please fix me…just take away my problems …but please don’t make me face the issues …I don’t want to change …I just want to continue to be unconscious. We all have a tendency to form unrealistic expectations along the way. But that doesn’t have to be a problem if we remain open so that we can learn from experience, modify our expectations and be willing to change our approach so that we can attain more favorable results. Miraculous changes happen when people’s bodies and minds are open and receptive. People here in the United States and other developed nations tend to be more stressed out, over stimulated and to have shut down more of their feelings. Many people’s bodies become saturated with the accumulation of unprocessed stresses, issues and emotions. The body-mind becomes very dense or "armored" from all the years of accumulation. That shuts down much of our sensory awareness so that we perceive less of what’s happening and it makes us less receptive or responsive to healing. It can take considerably more time (five to ten sessions) just to dissolve the armor. The armor needs to be dissolved to create the kind of malleability that makes a person receptive to healing. It’s really amazing to see the changes in the people who do stick with the process. Their intuition and other sensory capacities open up. They become much more integrated as they digest the years of old conflicted issues and emotions that that makes it possible for them to be much more present in their bodies. Those of us who live in developed nations tend to be a little more intellectually sophisticated. But we have also learned to live in our heads and that’s caused us to become more disconnected from our feelings and our physical bodies. People of all nationalities or cultural backgrounds often fail to critically examine their beliefs. These beliefs may then interfere with their healing process. Many people are afraid to open up to their underlying issues or true feelings because they feel that it will cause them to attract some form of negativity into their life. I’ve been working with a woman who recently lost her job. She told me that she didn’t want to allow herself to experience her feelings of anger, because she was afraid that she would be putting that energy out into the universe and that’s what would end up coming back to her. I then explained to her how that approach would cause her to become even more disconnected from her own feelings. Those feelings would then be trapped in her body and she would increase the likelihood of creating even more of these kinds of situations in her life. People often say that you shouldn’t give any energy to anything that is negative or unpleasant. But the various parts of our subconscious mind have their own separate processes of thought and feeling that operate outside of our conscious awareness. Our subconscious mind is far more powerful than our conscious mind. And these feelings and issues continue to churn beneath the surface and attract more of what we do not want into our lives. This is why it’s so important for us to feel what we truly feel in response to what’s happening in our lives. Feelings and emotions need to be digested and we need to come to some kind of resolution with the issues that affect us , so that we can truly heal and integrate all aspects of ourselves.I recently did a session for an artist who had suffered with depression for years. She told me how the depression left her feeling immobilized at times and she had gained a considerable amount of weight. Conflicted emotions, issues and stresses accumulated within her body-mind over the years because she didn’t know how to process them. She could feel a thick heavy putrid mass of accumulated issues, emotions and physical toxin within her abdomen as I walked her through the breathing practice. She said a number of things indicating that she felt better after the session. I explained that healing is a process and that subsequent sessions would enable her to digest more of the backlog of unresolved issues and emotions that had accumulated in her body that were contributing to the depression. I also emphasized the importance of working with the breathing practices between sessions. She told me that she thought that healing was a one shot deal and that she would think about doing another session. I called once to check in on her. I left a message on her voice mail, but I never heard back from her. People may initially respond to the impulse to seek healing. But most people do not understand the processes of their own body and mind. And many do not follow through when their experience does not match their expectations. Some people are unwilling to face their issues and emotions. And they have a tendency to run when their feelings and issues begin to surface. The feelings and emotions that surface can be intense, and people may initially experience some discomfort as the body and mind clears itself of toxicity. Fear can easily take over when the backlog of unresolved feelings and issues come to the forefront. It’s important for us to exercise common sense at these times. I let those that I work with know that I am available if they need me and that they can call. The unpleasant emotions will subside and the issues will begin to sort themselves out. And those who are willing to make the journey will find themselves becoming much stronger and more resourceful. Healing doesn’t necessarily happen the way that we think it should. We all need to examine our own beliefs or expectations about healing from time to time. The process may not be as dazzling as we had initially assumed and we may feel worse before we feel better. Our mind needs to go through a process of reorganization from time to time to give us a context to help us make sense of what is happening. This will also help us to align ourselves with the healing taking place within our body-mind so that we can utilize the gift that is being offered. I’m very familiar with the different stages of the healing process that take place within people and I do whatever I can to help people to understand what’s going on. Sometimes I feel sad to see people continue to suffer needlessly, but some people are not very receptive. They lack the willingness to learn or the commitment required to make the changes that are necessary facilitate healing. I met Jan at the health food cooperative in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was highly intelligent in many respects, yet her cognitive functions were seriously impaired as a result of having contracted meningitis some years back. Jan had a lot of difficulty concentrating and conveying what she was thinking. She would say a few words and then completely lose track of what she had intended to say. I found it very frustrating to listen to her in the beginning, because it took seemingly forever for her to complete a thought. Jan had a strong desire to heal and she was open to trying out different approaches. She had a very strong unpleasant reaction to the first session. People occasionally experience healing crisis as a result of the sessions. I’m very familiar with the kinds of reactions that people experience as their bodies and minds start detoxing, and I can usually offer suggestions to alleviate the discomfort. But I wasn’t sure what to make of Jan’s reaction since I had never worked with anyone who had suffered from meningitis before. Jan’s discomfort began to subside and she noticed that she was functioning better. She called me to say that she felt that the work had helped her and she wanted to know when she could schedule another session. I worked with Jan consistently during the time I was in New Mexico. She also began to work with an Ayurvedic Physician and the combination greatly augmented her healing. The changes that took place were truly amazing. There was a dramatic improvement in Jan’s cognitive function. Jan began to assume a leadership role in some of the local community service organizations. Jan’s concentration improved tremendously. There were still some slight delays, but she began to sound fairly normal as she spoke. I’m always thankful for people like Jan who are willing to assume responsibility for their healing. They follow through and do the sessions that are needed, they work with the practices I give to do as homework or they do other complimentary practices. These practices make it possible for them to activate the healing powers that reside within their own body and mind. They also make changes in their diet, they work to improve their situation or do whatever else is necessary to facilitate healing. It’s very gratifying for me to see people heal, to realize their potential and get to a better space in their life. I see people heal from anxiety and depression. Others heal from emotionally traumatic disorders, digestive and respiratory disorders, heart disease, brain trauma resulting from head injuries and a wide range of other conditions I began training at the age of twenty with Horace Daukei, who was the last surviving traditional doctor among the Kiowa Indian Tribe. I’m currently training with the Chinese Master Li Tai Liang. I have also trained with other powerful, highly skilled and knowledgeable people. All of these individuals have their human frailties, but I go into the experience with the assumption that these individuals know far more than I do in their respective disciplines. And I make myself totally open to the understanding and power they have to offer. I really listen to what they say. I do the practices that they give me to do and then I find workable applications in my life for the things they are teaching me. And I continue to learn and grow. One of the things I liked about being in Germany is that the people I worked with tended to show more commitment to what they’re doing. They’re more likely to understand that healing is a process and to assume personal responsibility for their part of the healing process to do the practices that I give as homework. Many of us who live in the United States or other western nations find it very strange to see Muslim women fully covered by abayas or burkas. It seems very repressive and unnatural to us. Some of the women I meet from these countries tell me that they feel much happier here , because they have more freedom to live as they chose. Others are still very much attached to their traditional value systems and chose to remain veiled even after they immigrate to the West.I was, for the longest time, so naïve as to assume that everyone would want to heal their ailments, emotional wounds and issues and fully open to life. People tell me that they want to heal, but many of us are not very congruent. And we find that we are either unwilling or unable to do the work is necessary for our consciousness to evolve. We may sincerely want to change, but that cannot happen until we learn to work with our feelings and emotions to gain access to the underlying source of the issues that are deeply rooted in our subconscious. We may even derive some form of gratification from our suffering. In some instances we develop a strong attachment to our conflicts, confusion, ignorance, drama, suffering and other self destructive tendencies. We may become so identified with our struggles and suffering that it becomes part of who we are. We then feed off of drama and confusion and we continue to generate more of it in our lives because it’s the only way we know how to feel alive. Our drama and confusion can also serve as a diversion so that we don’t have to face the real issues. Our bodies will eventually reflect these issues because they are a reflection of our consciousness. The light of the soul is buried underneath the many layers of density that accumulate within us, and it will remain there as long as we continue to suppress what we feel and avoid our issues. We often cling to our suffering because it is so familiar. We hold onto what we perceive of as safe even though it may be excruciatingly painful rather than surrender to the experience of healing. Ironically, many of us finally get what we have always wanted when we surrender to that which we found so terrifying or had resisted for so long. Through the act of surrender, we come to a place of greater peace, well being and realization of the divine presence within. It’s normal to experience a certain amount of resistance as our feelings and issues begin to surface. Our internal resistance is a sign that we are getting close to the underlying source of the problem, but some people completely circumvent their healing process before they have the chance to fully heal because they don’t want to feel their true feelings, face the issues or go to these places within themselves. Others discontinue the sessions as soon as their symptoms disappear. They just want to get well enough to where they can go back to the way things were and to not have to address any of the real underlying issues. These conditions are more likely to remanifest when we fail to resolve the underlying source of the problem. Most of us are only realizing a very small fraction of our potential. That has a lot to do with our fear of change and resistance to our own feelings, emotions and issues. Many of us do not have a context for developing spiritual power, and we may have very few models to aspire to. People from many ancient cultures did all kinds of intensive ceremonial healing practices throughout their lives. Many of these individuals developed a level of mastery and possessed truly remarkable gifts and personal attributes as a result of their consistent effort and dedication. And they continued to develop throughout the course of their lives. Following the example of those who have attained a level of mastery will make it possible for us to increase our sense of possibility for ourselves and realize our purpose and potential. One of the biggest impediments to healing is our fear of and resistance to own feelings, emotions, issues and the realities of our lives. Many of us have learned to run away when we see or feel something that is upsetting or situations that are frightening. We often deny the feelings and the parts of our experiences that we do not want to face. The tendency to run away from things often brings about more of the experience that we are trying to get away from. But some of us have done it for so long that we don’t know how to do anything else. Some of us grew up in situations where it may have been too painful to feel or acknowledge what was going on. We had to deny our perceptions in order to survive, but that also caused us to disconnect from our core self. Many of us have become very adept at disconnecting from parts of ourselves. We do this on a daily basis whenever we deny the feelings and realities of our lives. Parts of our brain begin to disengage causing our intellectual and emotional range to diminish. That clouds our perceptions and impairs our decision making capabilities. It makes it difficult for us to perceive what’s going on within ourselves or the impact or our actions upon the lives of others. It also prevents us from developing many of the coping skills or other resources that we need to be truly functional. Healing initiates change and we sometimes find ourselves in new and unfamiliar territory. The process requires honesty, courage, a willingness explore and to face whatever feelings and issues come to the surface. Feelings and bodily sensations may initially feel foreign to us. It can feel very uncomfortable as all the conflicted feelings, issues and other imbalances begin to work their way up into our conscious awareness. Some people become fearful because they do not understand the stages of the healing process. But all of these things need to surface so they can be digested. It’s the only way these parts of us can ever heal. It’s important for us to learn to trust the process, to just step in and figure out how to handle matters and really do our best. We will find it easier to flow with what’s happening when we remember to breathe into the apprehension, fear, resistance or any other feelings that surface. We grow stronger as we learn to deal with the feelings and issues that surface and the realities that play out in our lives. Powerful generative forces of nature continually flow through children and that makes it easier for them to change, adapt and move readily from one stage of development to the next. Conflicted issues, emotions and the stresses of daily life tend to accumulate within us as the years go by. This accumulation can make us feel lethargic and causes us to desire things that are not healthy for us. The unprocessed issues and emotions act like cement by keeping us stuck in the same patterns and that reinforces our fixation by creating a powerful resistance to change. The resulting inertia makes it harder for us to find the motivation to get up and do things. Our brain also has a tendency to become habituated to familiar ways of doing things. Many of us want to get to a place where we feel comfortable so we can just hang out. We resist change because it represents the unknown. Change also stirs up all the uncomfortable feelings and issues that we have tried so hard to avoid. The problem here is that we can only sit still for so long before we begin to stagnate. Muscles atrophy when we fail to make use of them. Similarly, our resources begin to disappear if we fail to put them to use. New and challenging situations cause us to grow by requiring us to make use of our available resources. They also force us to develop new resources and capabilities. Many of us do have a strong conscious desire to change the things that we don’t like about ourselves or our lives. However, our resistance to our feelings and issues keeps our consciousness bound in limiting or dysfunctional patterns. That arrests the growth process by preventing our consciousness from evolving. We have to really feel our true feelings and resolve the issues for all the parts of us to heal and evolve. Our healing process will not follow a straight trajectory. There are periods in our lives when we feel ourselves growing and things are moving along nicely. Issues begin to surface at other times and then it can be difficult to make sense of what is happening. There will be moments where we lose all faith and doubt the process taking place and some of us give up at this point. I’ve been doing intensive healing practices for years. There have been many times when difficult and painful issues would surface. And often I’ve wondered if I was getting anywhere. Another part of me was also cognizant of the progress I have made, so I continued to take steps to heal whenever the opportunity presented itself. I kept going through the vision quest and doing all the other healing practices. I initially did all these things as a matter of personal survival. Life has gotten much better over time, but I continue to work with these practices at every available opportunity. I can feel that more of my soul is present in my body and that the presence of the higher power flows through me. I also find that I continue to develop greater resources and capabilities. I’ve felt a lot of fear and apprehension in the days leading up to the vision quests. I have even asked myself "Do I really need to keep doing this?" I could feel that part of me wanted to make excuses and flake out, but I remember how the tribal elders always said that the process has already begun once you agree to go on a vision quest, work with a native doctor or do any other form of ceremonial work. I would then follow through and honor my commitment. I have always been so thankful after having made it through another vision quest. It helps me to work through huge volumes of conflicted issues and emotions. I feel much stronger and I continue to develop other resources and capabilities that I need to fulfill my purpose here in life. I would have really missed out on all of these rewards if I had been foolish enough to allow my fears and hesitations talk me out of this opportunity. I was talking with an indigenous healer from Mexico who was telling me that he didn’t like to work with nonnative people. He went on to say that "…so many of them are so out of touch with themselves and they really don’t understand what’s going on in their bodies and minds. The powers and beings that facilitate the work initiate a powerful healing response, but some people don’t understand the process. They tend to become fearful when the feelings and issues begin to surface and they have to really face themselves. They don’t follow through with their appointments and they interrupt their opportunity to get the result they truly desire. What people fail to understand is that they are creating more complications for themselves …and they end up setting themselves back." Native people did not have all the modern medical interventions. They relied upon the assistance of other forces or beings for their survival. American Indian Elders and people from other ancient traditions approached their ceremonial practices and their native doctors, shamans and priests with reverence and respect. Native elders said that we have a certain level of responsibility anytime we open ourselves up to this level of power. And they always emphasized that these ceremonial healing practices are the most direct connection that many of us will ever experience with the higher power. Native people were totally committed any time they engaged in these healing practices. They understood that that the healing process had already been set into motion by the beings that facilitate the process once they agree to participate in a ceremony or work with one of the native doctors. Native people sometimes postponed their involvement in some of the ceremonies if there was a serious issue such as a death in the family, but they always came back to fulfill their commitment at the first possible opportunity. I can relate to the frustrations that many indigenous healers experience when they try to work with people from outside of their own culture. Lots of people here in the United States are drawn to Native American spiritual practices …or so they think. But few have ever experienced the kinds of powers and beings evoked in traditional native practices. And many are so resistant to being in their bodies and feeling their true feelings. Practices are an integral part of everyday life for many people from the various ancient cultures. These practices are just as much a part of their daily routine as it is for us to get up in the morning and brush our teeth. People chant mantras, do various forms of moving meditation such as yoga and tai chi, breathing practices and other forms of meditation. People from ancient cultures may also engage in various ceremonial and healing practices or performing austerities such as fasting alone in the mountains for four days and nights without food or water. Many of us who live in this modern fast paced world have tremendous focus and commitment when it comes to our work. This level of commitment is often required for many of us to survive. But we may be left feeling so brain dead by the end of the day and we may find that we have very little energy left to do much else besides sit in front of the television and vegetate. Many of us lack focus when it comes to caring for ourselves, and we end up neglecting many of our basic needs. Our bodies and minds tend to be so much more stressed out, armored, shut down and disconnected. And it usually requires greater effort for us to create the receptivity and responsiveness that will make healing possible. You can mitigate the impact of the stresses by remembering to breathe into the emotions, feelings and sensations that you experience in your body as they arise. This will help you to dissolve the layers of armor and digest the backlog of emotions that are stuffed down in your body. This will also make you much more responsive to the healing so that you can experience more powerful results much faster. I’ve been working with Chris for some time now. Chris told me that he couldn’t really anything when he first began to work with me. He told one of his best friends that he wasn’t sure if anything was really happening. The friend, who initially referred Chris to me, was also receiving healing sessions. He encouraged Chris to focus his attention in whatever part of the body that I happened to be working on at any given time. Chris said that it was a real struggle at times. His mind kept going off into all kinds of scenarios and he would get lost in the continual internal chatter. He also said that many of the feelings and sensations that he experienced were very foreign to him. Chris said there were also times when the stuff coming up felt extremely uncomfortable, and that he had to get used to the intensity of the feelings that were emerging. But Chris was persistent and he continued to bring his awareness into any feelings or sensations that he felt in his body. Chris said that bringing attention to the feelings and sensations gave him a greater lucidity. The process is helping him to recognize his tendency to get caught up dramas that play out in his life. He’s also becoming more conscious of his mind’s tendency to generate and get lost in stories.
Chris says that focusing on the feelings and sensations during the healing sessions makes it possible for him to participate in the healing sessions. And he feels that he has been able to develop a relationship with the beings and powers that are facilitating the healing. He can feel the issues and emotions dissolving so that they do not congeal or harden like cement. Chris also says that going deeper into the feelings and sensations stops his mind’s tendency to editorialize or interpret other people, his interactions with them, situations and issues through the old negative filters. He said that enabled him to stop taking things so personally. Chris was also saying that it has become much easier for him to resolve issues and move forward in his life. I see all kinds of amazing potential as I look into people’s bodies and minds. But most people will never realize their potential or fulfill their purpose because it is submerged beneath so many layers of stress, pain, confusion and unresolved issues. I do whatever I can to facilitate the emergence of the core self during the time I have to work with each individual. I cannot predict what will happen, but I’ve seen many people go through all kinds of amazing changes. I did a few sessions for the woman with heavy substance abuse issues , who was working as a stripper. She didn’t show up for one of her sessions, and I lost track of her for a while. But then I ran into her on a few occasions, but she was using very heavily at the time.She called me one day and told me that her back had gone out and that she was in a lot of pain. I went over to her home, did two sessions for her within a few days time and that got her on her feet again. She would then call me up from time to time, tell me how the sessions brought up so many issues and that it felt really horrible. Then she would tell me how various issues were working out and about the changes that were taking place in her life. She cut out most of her substance use and began to clean up other aspects of her life. After some time she told me "…I can’t keep going in that club …it feels so horrible." That’s when she quit stripping. She had been developing as a singer and songwriter during this time. She developed a following and began to tour as an artist and make recordings. Traditional forms of medicine practiced in different parts of Asia place a lot of emphasis on prevention. Many people from these cultures do various practices on a daily basis to maintain their health and to develop their body, mind and spirit. Western Allopathic medicine is focused primarily on treating the symptoms of the illness. Many of us Westerners have a tendency to ignore or forget about our bodies until they begin to experience serious health issues. By then it may be too late to do anything constructive. And people may find themselves in situations that cannot for which there is no solution. Undigested issues, emotions and the stresses of everyday life accumulate within us. We become very dense, disconnected and our sensitivities start to shut down. Our physical and subtle bodies break down at a more rapid pace and we age prematurely as a result. When you understand the impact of the stress that we are subjected to , you begin to realize that we need all the help we can get. Most of us need monthly or at least bimonthly massages and healing sessions to help us digest the stresses, issues, emotions and our life experiences. Consistent body work and healing sessions slow the aging process by reducing the negative impact of the stress upon us. It will give us the opportunity to eradicate the source of many imbalances before they turn into chronic or degenerative disease processes. Our commitment to ourselves also ensures that we continue to grow and to develop new resources to meet the challenges that we face as we go forward in our lives.©Copyright 2008 Ben Oofana. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. |