He was dying.
The doctors told him not to take a single step if he didn't have to, because he could drop dead at any moment. The year was 1952 and he'd just had his second heart attack. Add to that a perforated ulcer, kidney stones, chronic jaundice, and crushing migraine headaches, and there wasn't much the doctors could do. So they sent him home to die.
This brilliant and capable man ... physicist, engineer, successful businessman, and patron of the arts ... had come to the end of the road.
He had just turned 43.
Every day, thousands of people are told they don't have long to live and there's nothing that can be done for them, so what makes this guy special?
Well, for starters, he didn't die! But what really makes Lester Levenson remarkable is the "medicine" he used ... not only to survive, but to live a full and happy life in robust health.
Lester Levenson made a conscious decision to let go of what was killing him.
How'd he do that? By figuring out a way to systematically and consistently release any and all negative feelings he experienced. And in a matter of months, he got better.
Huh? That was it? No surgery? No drugs? No, his health care miracle was entirely the result of consistently releasing all negative feelings whenever they came up. In his words, he got rid of "all feelings that weren't love" ... and what remained was completely life affirming. That's what made him well.
But there has to be more to it than that, doesn't there? Well, yes ... and no. Lester (I feel as if I know him personally from listening to his recordings) went on to teach his technique for releasing, which has come to be known as the Sedona Method. Yes, there's a specific technique and a philosophy of life behind it that enables you to master the process. But, no, there's not that much to it.
It's about as simple as it can be ... and it isn't something you use just to help you deal with physical illness. Whenever something isn't working in your life, you can bet there are negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, and poisonous emotions dragging you down. Release them and everything starts working. You feel better, even if the circumstances haven't changed. And lo and behold, good things start to happen.
When I work with clients I often simplify the process by asking three questions around whatever's bothering them and keeping them from attaining a happy healthy state of mind, body and emotions.
The first question is, "Could you let it go?" The answer is always yes, by the way.
"Will you let it go?" That's tougher, because we hold on to the hurts and the anger, the righteousness and the victimhood. There's a payoff to holding tightly to these things, but at what cost? For Lester, it was his health.
"When?"
How about NOW or real soon? Because you'll feel better.
And what if the negative feeling comes back? Just release it again ... and again ... and again right then and there until it doesn't come back any more.
Now, this is the point at which I reveal to you that I am not a master of the method, not by a long shot. But I just KNOW, deep down that releasing negative emotions and moving up "the emotional scale" is the holy grail of feeling good and being happy. The trick is to do it consistently. Every time the negative emotions come up, you release them.
It takes commitment. Lester's commitment came from staring death in the face. Most people, in contrast, tend to think they have the luxury of indulging their debilitating thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. And maybe we do to a point, but again, at what cost?
The spiritually aware throughout the ages have always admonished us to live in the present. Be here now. Let go of the anger, sadness, and regret over what's past. Free yourself of anxiety about the future. Millions of people try to do this by taking drugs, drinking, and pursuing other ways of masking their discomfort and dis-ease.
The key to living in the present is through continually releasing, releasing, and releasing some more. What fills the place left by the negative thoughts, beliefs, and emotions? The happy stuff. The life affirming stuff. An appreciation for the miracle of existence. What's left is love. Love of life. Love for yourself. Love for others.
When my osteopath says, "The only thing that heals is love," I think that's what he means.
That's what healed Lester, physically and spiritually. He died of old age in 1994 at the age of 85 after a great life spent enjoying life and being a contribution to others.
Sounds like powerful medicine to me.
Love,
Denise
