Stress and Brain Tumors

“If I am the creator of my own reality, then why do I have a brain tumor?”

As someone who believes that we do create our own experience, this question might be asked of me by my mother and my sister, both of whom have found themselves with brain tumors. At the age of fifty, my mother’s life was taken after about ten years of debilitating seizures from an inoperable benign brain tumor. It was as devastating blow to our entire family, but it was especially traumatic for my younger, triplet sisters, who were only nineteen at that time. Even more shocking was that just a few years later one of the triplets also developed an inoperable brain tumor, however, hers was malignant. No explanation, no cause, no clue from doctors as to why a healthy 23 year old girl would have a brain tumor. It’s been over fifteen years since of testing, radiation, chemotherapy, a variety of drugs and the constant interruption in the quality of her life with seizures.

Science has not yet figured out what causes Brain Tumors or the origin of many other diseases for that matter. Nevertheless, people find themselves with illnesses like brain tumors, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis and even the common Canker Sore. Theoretically, however, most doctors do concluded that STRESS is a key factor to a long list of medical ailments, especially in woman.

From a medical perspective, Wikipedia encyclopedia defines stress as the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. In other words, outside world forces impinge on each and every one of us. Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow. Conversely, stress can cause us significant problems when we don’t take appropriate action. When outside stimuli causes us to feel stress, we release powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us to take action (the fight or flight response). If ignored, prolonged, uninterrupted, unexpected and unmanaged, stress can cause damaging health issues.

Metaphysically speaking, the law of attraction, along with other universal laws, demonstrates ways in which cause and effect are related, as well as guidelines for behaviors that will enhance our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth. Its core premise is that our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions produce a certain energy or vibration that attracts like energies or vibrations. In other words, with all of that, we create our own reality.

Considering the lead question, one might conclude that impacting stresses my mother experienced early in life could have resulted in certain thoughts and feelings, like fear or low self-esteem, which held a certain vibration that over time attracted a physical result in a brain tumor. And then one might further conclude that if my sister’s focus was so intently on the fear of getting a brain tumor or, even worse, dieing from one, could have been the ultimate reason she has one. Of course, fear based thoughts and feelings are not conscious ones, but are hidden in the shadows of our subconscious mind. If asked, I am sure both would agree that they would have never deliberately asked for this condition. However, the significant conclusion here is not that they didn’t choose a brain tumor but that they did not deliberately choose health. The illness was, therefore, by default.

Perhaps if more people knew this it would inspire them to pay attention to their thoughts and feelings, especially when under stress. Knowing how important thinking and feeling good meant, they would take appropriate action to relieve stress, like exercising regularly, eating more healthfully, doing meditation or other relaxation techniques, taking structured time outs, and learning new coping strategies. In the end, creating a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle depends totally on the willingness of a person to make good choices with clear intent, to make any changes as needed, including managing stress, and most importantly, to trust in the process.

The chain of pain can be broken. My mother’s death, and even my sister’s current condition, is not in vain. It is the catalyst for my spiritual awakening and my journey into understanding life and death. It has fired a passion in me to learn and grow and to teach and help others to be empowered. My mom may be gone, but I have hope for my sister.

In my workshops, the main question I ask is, “What’s your attractor factor–stress or success?”

Coincidences = Destiny

Although I have not yet officially authored a book, I am inspired to write and publish one. This inspiration comes from almost two years of throwing myself into helping a friend and colleague publish his. Self-publishing a book was not something I thought much about doing. However, the universe did find it appropriate to connect me with the now author of Simple Happiness, Jim Ryan.

A financial planner turned motivational speaker talking all over Long Island, Jim found himself writing his empowering thoughts and ideas on paper. A mutual friend, who was working for him at the time, periodically typed his notes into chapters. When she got to the chapter entitled, "Me Meditate?" she decided he needed to meet me as I regularly teach meditation. The day Jim came to my meditation circle was the same time that I was writing inspirational messages about joy. He was talking happiness; I was talking joy. The union was very synchronistic, but we did nothing about it.

Several months later, I ran into Jim at a harbor park in Northport where I proceeded to invite him to join a community committee called "consciousness in the courtyard." The group was expected to gather monthly for an open forum to expand awareness about our little spot in suburbia. Turns out, Jim and I were the only ones showing up at the meetings. It soon became apparent that the universe was bringing us together for a greater reason. We just weren't sure why. His book's theme of happiness again matched my insight about the vibration of joy so we began to pursue a business relationship with a goal of getting his book published, as well as using my marketing skills to promote his speaking career.

As a side bar, it is interesting to me that with all the hype about the "Secret"--the law of attraction--what is not made very clear is that most often we are not aware about what we are actually asking for. We say the words but we feel something else. And then, when our true request shows up, we are clueless. I have figured out the good news about missing the boat; another one shows up afterwards. Even when we miss it twice, by the third time it shows up we begin to take notice. Coincidences, or synchro-destiny as Deepak Chopra calls it, is the universe's way of confirming your order. It is up to you at that point whether or not to accept the delivery when it comes...and to then take the appropriate action!

And that is exactly what Jim Ryan and I did. We took a leap of faith into the world of self-publishing. It was a territory never explored by either of us. But here we are a blink of an eye later; his book successfully published. Not only selling on Amazon.com and subsequently paired with the bestselling book "The Secret," Jim was recently a featured author at Book Expo America, the countries largest book market trade show. You can listen to his BEA PodCast here.

I still don't have a manuscript written for a book, but I do think about it and have placed my order for a #1 bestseller. Deliveries are already beginning to be show up in the form of ideas and coincidences. It feels good just to know my book is on its way!

Consider It All Joy...Even The Trials

Okay, it is not so easy to consider it all joy. The following quote was recently brought to my attention by a dear friend during our weekly fellowship. It comes from the new standard edition bible, James 2:1. His letter reads, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Wow, that's a lot to chew! And that is what my new MagsJoy Blog is all about: digesting the idea that everything in life is happening for a higher reason; that life is really suppose to be all joy. Although taken from the bible, my forum is not a religious one. It is more of a "mindful" journey into self exploration and realization; stretching ourselves beyond intellectual thought into a reality of possibilities. Finding clues of wisdom within ourselves, in each other, and even in a world filled with shadows, pain and suffering.

I encourage and challenge you to pull up the shade in the porthole of your mind, to step back and allow yourself to view life from a window of light. At first, it won't feel easy. The light will be bright and it may be blinding. In time, however, the rays of dust will settle and you will begin to see what you could not see before...and you may find you enjoy this new, lighter attitude.