LifeQuake™
Ask the LifeQuake™ Doctor Dr. Toni Galardi
Dear Dr Toni:
I have been a compulsive over-eater for over twenty years. I have tried every diet there is as well as hypnosis and talk therapy. Nothing has worked. Is there anything you can recommend — Hopeless in San Francisco
Dear Hopeless:
For starters, let’s stop calling you hopeless. Let’s call you Grace because an addiction can be a source of grace. It pushes us to seek healing. And it humbles us to move beyond traditional problem-solving through the mind into the mysteries of the heart. What is it that your heart longs for, Grace? What deeper hunger are you addressing when you overeat? Are you connected to your life purpose? What things do you do daily that bring you joy? Food represents nurturing ourselves because we aren’t nurturing ourselves in other ways. But it goes beyond that. It represents our connection to our soul, to each other, and to the world at large. How do you take food in, Grace?
I highly recommend setting an intention in the morning before you get out of bed to have a sacred relationship with food that day. Declare an intention that everything that goes into your mouth is connecting with the cells in your body. Experience it nourishing your body and soul simultaneously so that even if you eat junk food, your body can assimilate it without toxicity. I know this is a way-out concept. However, so much of compulsive eating is driven by guilt. If you change the intention of whatever you eat into a thought-form of love, it takes away the pattern of self-punishment through food. By blessing everything you eat with the intention of love, you can see how expressing the act of feeding your soul will change over time.
Take a look at what other blessings you want in your life. Once you have that picture in mind, envision them as already here. Imagine having a career that feels meaningful to you, an intimate relationship with both yourself and a partner and living in a home you love with a community of friends that are mutually supportive. Then surround your morning vision with golden light and joy. This can be done in about seven minutes total. Happy Thanks-Giving, Grace!
Dear Dr. Toni:
I read the stages of a LifeQuake on your website. I seem to be in Stage Four. For seven years, I wanted a change at work but felt I had no energy and was stuck. Then last December, I had terrible bleeding from fibroids and was very anemic and tired. The following month, I was suddenly laid off. I was so relieved. To get clarity, I spent all of March in a work-exchange program in a spiritual community in Northern California. While there, all my back pains went away, and I felt incredible joy—even while scrubbing toilets! I decided to sell my home and move to the community. Then the bleeding got so bad that I almost died. Now I’m getting energy back. I still have some health problem. However, my unemployment payments are ending soon and I have to look for work and get my home cleared out and ready to sell as soon as possible. I’ve lived in this home for over 20 years and it’s scary to give (it) up… I’m concerned about being healthy enough, and being able to do meaningful work for (the community). I just want to live in a healthy and positive environment where I can grow spiritually and help other people realize their potential. I have been blessed with this time off work to explore, network, think, meditate, and purge and I have experienced many wonderful synchronicities. I’m ready to jump into the unknown and be led to my true purpose in life but I could use a little help getting started. Thanks! — Barbara
Dear Barbara:
It certainly sounds like you are being led to your destiny—but the lethargy may be coming from two sources. Perhaps your body is telling you that you need a little more time to rest before embarking on a big move. Secondly, you mentioned purging. That can be hard when done alone. Enlist the help of a friend or temporary worker you can hire to begin getting rid of everything you will not need after this move. Give yourself ample time to do this, perhaps a week or more, and see how you feel at the end of that week. Break this move down into small steps with a timeline. I also would not recommend committing to work that involves any heavy labor in this spiritual community. The pain may have stopped while you were there in March due to your comfort in the new environment, but if you suffered profuse bleeding a month after you returned, you may have overdone it. Listen to your body. If you are still having health issues, let it direct you toward what will ultimately serve you best. Communicate with those in charge, and the community will be served at the highest level. May your journey into your next life be blissful and effortless!
To submit questions for Ask the LifeQuake™ Doctor, contact Dr. Toni Galardi through DrToni@LifeQuake.net (no period after the Dr). For those seeking private consultation, Dr. Toni can be reached at 310-712-2600 or through her website,
www.LifeQuake.net.