Sometimes, It Doesn't Have to Make Sense!

I can be stubborn. (Stop laughing!) And, I'm not afraid to admit it. Sometimes it works for me, and unfortunately, sometimes it gets in my way. On one occasion this past fall, it almost led me to make a really poor decision. The worst part is, I would never have known what a poor decision it was, or what I would have missed out on, had I made it.


So, here's the problem: My head. 
I think too much. I analyze. I try and figure everything out. I line up all my ducks. I make my pluses and minuses list. I go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until I'm exhausted, and sometimes I even avoid making a decision and let the chips fall where they may, and consider that my decision. You see, things have to make sense to me. If they don't make sense, if I don't see how everything is going to work, I get "Yes" phobic.


In September, when I least expected it, certainly wasn't looking for it, and didn't want it, a dog came into my life....and let me just say for the record, I was NOT ready!!!! I did NOT want to be tied down!!! I did NOT want to lose my freedom!!! I did NOT want to take care of anyone else!!! I did NOT want to clean up poopie messes, go to the vet, find people to babysit, feel guilty when I have to leave him alone for the day, overnight with someone, or God forbid have to get coverage for an entire week if I travel.


I did NOT want to face decisions regarding vaccination, heart worm or worry about deer ticks. Did I mention that I was NOT ready??? Oh yeah, while we're on the subject, I did NOT want to love something so much again, like my last dog Scruffy and have to watch him get old, sick and die. No, I did NOT want to re-live the pain of letting go of something I loved, all too soon.


So, there I was....with all my reasons why I wasn't ready...which no one blamed me for...after all, all my reasons were reasonable; they made perfect sense. So then, why on God's green earth did I say yes???? Why did I agree to go see that little ball of fluff in the first place? And why oh why, did I agree to take him home and care for him til death do us part?


It's simple...my heart screwed up my plan. I picked him up, he melted in my arms, the rest is history. He was mine.


Seven months later, I can't imagine my life without Max. When I think back to how sure I was about NOT being ready, all I can do is laugh and Thank God I let my heart open again, just in the nick of time.


Love is a risk, isn't it? But let's face it, the payoff is big! So can be the payoff for saying "Yes", when all your "reasons" point to NO. Sometimes, it doesn't have to make sense.


The truth is, the greatest things that have ever happened to me, happened only after I got out of my own way, when I said YES, even though I was scared to, and when I trusted in something bigger than all my reasons.


I have learned that every decision we make is made from either Faith or from Fear, and that it's okay to be afraid, as long as I do it anyway.....

I wish you the many blessings that come, with decisions made from Faith!


To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,


Donna Gershman ALSP


PS. You can heal, and you don't have to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing an issue, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840 for a free telephone consultation.

Getting Out of Here Alive

Lately, I seem to be preoccupied with the subject of death.

(....What did she just say???? Did she just say the "D" word?)
Okay, hear me out...

Look, I realize that death is not everyone's favorite subject....and it's certainly not mine, but it's on my mind a lot these days. Maybe it's because I lost a friend recently, or because this past year I had a close call myself, or maybe because I am dangerously approaching the big 5-0. I'm not sure, but the thing that I am realizing more than anything, is that I have spent most of my life dodging the subject. I don't want to think about it, face it, and least of all, embrace it. That would be like a direct invitation to the grim reaper, himself. I will have no part of it! I will get out of here alive, if it's the last thing I do!!! In fact, I have decided to skirt death altogether. Who's with me?

The truth is though, I'm just plain tired of running from it, avoiding it at all cost, resisting it, worrying, obsessing, freaking, negotiating, bargaining, bartering, being a good little girl, and all the other things I do to fend it off. Let's face it, it takes a lot of energy, energy I could be using for something more inspired.

Maybe it's just time to stop running....to accept it, to look death straight into it's little beedie eyes and say,
"I surrender, take me already!" It would probably be a welcomed relief from all these "death deferring" antics of mine. Who knows, maybe then I can really begin to live.

I don't know about you, but a lot of what has scared me about death is not knowing what's going to happen.
Wait....isn't that the SAME EXACT reason I have for every fear of mine?

This has me thinking: Maybe I do know how it's all going to end. Maybe I can deal with the idea of death, the same way I deal with everything else in my Life.

When a situation presents itself to me, first, I ACCEPT what IS.

Then I TRUST what IS.....

(in other words, I trust that what IS, is not happening for no reason at all, and is not meant to be a punishment, but rather happening by Divine Purpose.)

Next, I EMBRACE the idea that what IS, is actually good, and is for me.

(so, I don't  need to resist what IS, because that just leads to more pain).

Finally, I OPEN to seeing the gift in what IS.

This formula has helped me through many events in my life, that at first seemed like insurmountable challenges, with the result being Grace and Ease versus suffering and struggle.

Of course, death seems like a pretty sizable challenge. Not your everyday variety of letting go, is it?
But, I'm pretty sure that's why it comes last.....

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a physical, emotional or spiritual issue, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840.

Grace Lives Here

In my home in California, I have a painting with three words on it; "Grace lives here". It's one of my favorite pieces of art. It was painted by a dear friend of mine and fellow practitioner, Stephanie Dawn.

When I first started my practice, I hung it in my office where I saw clients, so that I would always be reminded that "I, of my own self do nothing", and that I could lean into the quality of Grace for anything I might need.

The Dictionary defines Grace as;

The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God, and/or the Spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.

Although the word is often associated with Christian faiths, I believe that Grace is a Spiritual Quality inherent to us all that is available to us 24/7.

It's often implied that Grace is a quality that comes and goes, sometimes with us and other times not. For instance, it's operating when we are in God's "good" Grace and not operating when we "fall" out of Grace. I would venture to say that if you believe in a punishing/rewarding God, one that shows favor to you sometimes, and withdraws it other times, then you would also experience Grace that way.

We might even think of Grace as a single, isolated event that occurs. For instance, when we experience something falling into place easily, we might associate it with Grace. On the other hand, when we aren't experiencing Grace, it is when things feel difficult and challenging or even a struggle. You might wonder, where's the Grace then? Where's God then?

What if we take God out of the equation completely? Is Grace available to those who do not believe in God? Or is that an exclusive experience reserved only for those who believe?

I think of Grace as the Divine perfection and order of the Universe, always happening whether we're aware of it or not. For me personally, the goal is to become more aware of it...to see its mark on all things and all experiences. Imagine looking for the Grace and expecting it? Imagine knowing that Grace is happening right now...

How would you then perceive whatever is occurring?

If you can accept the quality of Grace in your life as a constant, then you can experience it that way, in every moment.

How is Grace operating in your life right now?

When things appear challenging, are you willing to turn your attention to the Grace that is available? If you can welcome Grace into your moment by moment awareness, then you too will know that "Grace Lives Here."

The other day, in the midst of a particular challenge, a long florescent light bulb fell out of my closet and hit me squarely in the head. "Where's the Grace now, right?"

I stopped for a moment and realized that the "light" was literally hitting me over the head, trying to get my attention. It was time to turn towards it!!!

Even in your darkest hour, Grace is always happening. Don't let a single moment go by without noticing it, and being Grateful for its constant support in your life.

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone!  If you or someone you know needs support in healing any physical, emotional or spiritual issue, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840.

We Will Remember, Susan.

You may have noticed that many of my blogs are written on airplanes. This one is no exception. This time I am on my way to Los Angeles to attend the memorial service of my friend, Susan J. Paul. Today, I am moved to tell you about her.

I met Susan about 7 years ago when she came to sing at my Spiritual Center for the first time. She floored us with an original song of hers entitled, “My Soul Sings Out”. The congregation went nuts for her, giving her a rousing ovation that seemed to last forever. It wasn’t hard to see she was special.

Susan passed away July 19th at the age of 48. In the years that I knew her, she taught me many things. She embodied the Spirit of creativity like no one I had ever known. She oozed creativity. Not only did she think outside the box, she had no box at all. To be in her company was to be in the company of greatness. I don’t say this lightly.

And yet, in all honesty, at times I found myself in judgment of her life. I wanted her to sing more, get “out there” more, share her gifts with the world more. In my mind, she wasn’t always “doing” enough! It was selfish of me, really. I wanted the world to know her, and to be blessed by her gifts, especially her music.

Since her passing, there has been an outpouring of love from people all over, expressing their deep appreciation for how she touched their lives. Several have spoken of her big smile, the twinkle in her eyes, the many happy memories they shared, and the joy they felt when they were with her. Interestingly, no one has spoken of bullet points on her resume. They speak of who she was and how she made them feel.

Susan was in deed a sweet soul. She never had an unkind word for anyone, and even in the midst of her own challenges, she always took an interest in others, often lending an ear and offering kind and encouraging words.

I now know, if Susan had never written or sung a single song, if she had never painted any of her amazing works of art, she would still have lead a completely successful life because she was truly the embodiment of Love.

To her family and friends following her progress on her “Caring Bridge” page, Susan’s final message was simply, “Love”. That’s what she stood for, that’s who she was, and that’s what she gave so freely.

What she accomplished in her life or what she didn’t somehow has less significance to me now. What really mattered all along was the love she brought and left behind for us.

I could never forget my friend Susan J. Paul. Her love is engraved in my heart forever.

For the rest of us still here, I wish us all the realization that what we do on this earth, or what we don’t do, matters much less than who we are, and how we touch the lives of those around us.

I’m convinced that the most successful we will ever be in this life, is when our hearts are open wide and we allow ourselves to be the generous givers and receivers of love, we were always meant to be.

Susan has taught me since her passing, to let my heart and the love I share be my single greatest legacy on planet earth. Without that, what I do and what I accomplish matters not. Mother Teresa once said, "If it's not done with great love, it doesn't count".

I wish you all an open heart with which to Love and Be Loved. This is all you will ever need to truly be successful in this life.

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. I have included a link to a YouTube video tribute to Susan. If you are interested in her music, you may find it on iTunes or through http://www.rembarecords.com/

PSS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition, injury or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840

Just like Zach

Recently, I was sitting on an airplane next to a very intelligent 10 year old boy named Zachary.

Everyone in his family calls him Zach, but I’m not sure he’s totally sold on that name. He is reading Harry Potter and explaining to me all kinds of things from gravity to his favorite poultry; it’s dark turkey, he only likes the dark meats. He also has a loose canine that’s causing him some trouble, canine as in a tooth, not a loose dog, (I foolishly made that mistake), but he only has trouble with it when he eats crunchy things like hamburger flavored Pringles, like right now. Come to find out, Zach has earned 258 AR points in school. AR stands for accelerated reader points, for reading books voluntarily.

He has read the entire Eragon series, and has told me they have a 4th book in the works called, Shur’tugal. I have learned more on my short flight from Norfolk Virginia to Dallas, than I have learned in months, even with an active use of google.

I just told him I was a healer, and he made it a point to tell me that advil is NOT for chicken pox, and that the most sensitive part of the human body is the fingertip, which I did not know.

I am struck by how much he knows already at age 10, and how interested he is in everything. He is genuinely passionate about life. Did you know that there are a million black and brown bears just in Amerty Alaska, alone? I am suddenly inspired to know everything too, just like Zach. I am suddenly inspired to earn hundreds of AR points, just because. I am suddenly encouraged by the world’s future. I know it’s in good hands.

How do you stay inspired? I believe that staying interested in life is the great “youth-er”.
It’s difficult to become old, crotchety and obsolete when you stay interested in life.

Zach just mentioned that his pastor told him that if you can channel the power of God, you can cure any disease or illness. He said that’s probably why I do what I do, because I can.

There is a bible passage that says “you must enter the kingdom of heaven like little children”. I believe this means that to experience the Consciousness of “Wholeness”, we must first become open, innocent and curious; just like Zach.

To the Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition, injury or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840

Turbulence

A couple of years ago, after a month of traveling, I boarded a red-eye flight from California to return home to Massachusetts. Although I had a connecting flight, I imagined being able to sleep most of the way. My first flight to Dallas was uneventful, just like you hope for. The connecting flight from Dallas however, was not.

About an hour into the 3 ½ hour flight, in seemingly perfect weather, my plane started to shake and be tossed uncontrollably in the jet stream. I’ve certainly experienced turbulence before while flying, but nothing like this. The pilot attempted several quick maneuvers to avoid it, but to no avail. We were told not to leave our seats under any circumstances, and to keep our seatbelts fastened. The flight attendants remained in their seats, as well. For the next two hours, we had virtually no relief from the constant thrashing about of the plane. Other than the loud racket of carry-on luggage banging in the overhead storage compartments, you could hear a pin drop from the passengers on board.

I prayed for a full two hours non-stop. I prayed for the plane. I prayed to live. I prayed for the pilot, the passengers, and the skies to quiet. I prayed for peace, calm, knowingness. I prayed for faith. I prayed for everything I could think of, in every way I could pray.

Several times, I had morbid thoughts of the plane being torn apart, or plummeting through the sky and crashing, and I would quickly erase the thoughts and start over, praying for peace. I prayed every imaginable form of prayer from the begging and beseeching prayer, to the bargaining prayer, to my most commonly used affirmative prayer and finally to the “this is not happening to me” denial prayer.

It must sound funny, but denial prayers are powerful. Saying “No, I will not accept this experience for myself”, or “No, I will not go down this road in my Consciousness”, has saved me on many occasions. I often say, that our beliefs are what form our experience. Therefore, where we dwell in our thoughts, and subsequent feelings is critical.

I found myself literally battling my own thoughts, swinging between the morbid ones, to the positive thoughts, and to everything in between. “Make a decision”, I remember thinking. “Choose a side already!” But my fear would not subside.

I battled until I became completely exhausted and surrendered. Then something gave way in me, and for a single moment, I felt absolutely no fear.

I had touched something very deep inside, a place that was beyond the physical, and that was completely un-harmable. I knew this place. It was oddly familiar to me, and in it I knew I would be alright, no matter what happened, even if I was to die on that plane.

A peace that goes beyond all human understanding came over me. I glimpsed my eternal connection to all Life. I was Free.

The plane continued to be tossed violently, but I no longer was. My experience from that moment forward changed. I’m not going to say that I enjoyed it, but I will say it no longer had any power over me.

Just minutes before we landed, we got our only other communication from the pilot. He said that it was the worse turbulence that he and his co-pilot had experienced in 15 years, the worst in their career flying. Mine too.

When the plane finally landed, and I made it into the terminal, I cried tears of gratitude for my life, for the power to see beyond all human experiences, and for touching the place within me that is always rock solid, anchored, fully awake, un-shakable, un-botherable, un-harmable and which stretches far beyond my physical life on planet earth. This is the same place that connects us all.

Just days after my return home, the Haiti earthquake struck. Like many, I had been watching the stories coming out of the rescue effort. I couldn’t help but notice a common denominator in several of the stories about survivors that were pulled from the rubble days and even weeks afterwards. When interviewed, each one said they were not afraid. They knew they would be found alive. One woman was even singing while they were pulling her out. Her song was “Do not be afraid of death”.

If and when Turbulence occurs in your life, whether it’s an illness or something else, just know, there is a place within you right now that is more real than anything else. It can never leave you or forsake you. It will love you, comfort you, guide you, and see you through, come what may. I believe this to be the place, that when touched, brings about a complete healing. Give it your full attention and the turbulence before you, will become powerless.

To the Truth that Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition, injury or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840.

Becoming You

This past July, I moved back east after living full time in Los Angeles for the last 23 years. I grew up in Connecticut, so living on the east coast was not unfamiliar to me, but it had been a long time and it would most certainly be a big change from LA.

The night I arrived, my girlfriend picked me up at the airport and drove me out to my new home in Western Massachusetts, located on a beautiful lake in the country. It was midnight when we arrived. There were no street lights and it was pitch black out. I could see almost nothing. I got out of the car with my suitcases in hand and stood on the gravel covered ground beneath me. I will never forget that moment.

Although it was too dark to see around me, I could see thousands of stars in the sky above. I could smell the clean crisp night air. I could feel the healing waters of the lake just feet away, and I could hear the absolute silence. In that moment, I realized how far removed I had become from my own true “nature”, without even knowing it.

I dropped my suitcases to the ground and cried like a baby…..

I was home now, and somehow my body knew it. Within a few short weeks, I felt better than I had felt in a very long time. I felt more myself.

I read a quote recently from novelist and Nobel Laureate, Elie Wiesel. He said, “When you die and go to heaven, our maker is not going to ask, ‘Why didn’t you discover the cure for such and such? The only question we will be asked in that precious moment is, ‘Why didn’t you become you?’”

What does it mean to become more you?

Our natural state of being is Joy, Unconditional Love, Peace, Harmony, and Wellness. This is who we are and what we are. We can not be separated from these qualities, but we can be distracted from them, as in my case, or even worse we can deny their existence altogether. But no one can steal them from us and no situation has any power over them. Every quality we could ever need to be whole is already contained within us.

Imagine a closet inside of you, with all these qualities hanging on hangers, monogrammed with your name on them, wrapped in beautiful paper and bows, and in unlimited supply. These are gifts that have been given to you from the very beginning, only you might not have known it. What would keep you from accepting them now?

All of us inherited this same closet inside of us, filled to the brim with all that we need including courage, strength, wisdom, clarity, faith, trust, creativity, prosperity, guidance, support, love, peace, joy, etc…. If we don’t acknowledge them, they will remain in our closet collecting dust, and we will remain in denial of our gifts, still pretending we don't have them. This is a recipe for feeling less than.

What would it take for you to become more you???

In part, it would take you acknowledging what’s inside your closet, accepting the gifts as yours, and then allowing yourself to wear the gifts you’ve been given…in essence, to show them to the world. They are your true authentic nature.

To become more YOU, it would also take letting go of the stories and beliefs that somehow you are broken and or missing something you need. You have Everything. You ARE everything. You are One with the One. There is nothing more powerful than that.

You are the beneficiary of your own filled-full and overflowing closet of gifts. The more you are willing to accept these gifts as yours, the more you will experience them firsthand in your life, and the more YOU, you will become.

In fact, spiritual law says you must receive the gifts within you first, in order to receive outside of you (in your life). In other words, you can’t keep denying who you are and expect to experience fulfillment in your life.

So here’s the formula:
Experiencing your filled-full closet = your fulfillment.
(Try saying that three times fast!)

The root of all illness, by the way begins in the denial of your true authentic self (rejecting your closet). Today, you can choose to open up your closet of gifts and try one quality on for size.

If it’s wellness, then claim wellness as your birthright. Know it is who and what you are, and nothing, no one or no situation can ever change that. Accept the quality of wellness as yours now, despite whatever may be going on in your life, or whatever diagnosis you may have been given. Again, these qualities are not conditional on your experiences.

To change your experience, you must change how you see YOU. As compelling as an illness may seem, the reality of who YOU are, far out weighs any condition you may have. It may sound crazy but it’s the Truth, and it’s the place in consciousness you must go and dwell in, in order to heal.

Claim it, Re-claim it, Exclaim it, whatever you need to do until you know beyond any doubt that Wellness is the reality of who you really are. In that consciousness, dis-ease won’t have a leg to stand on.

Today, you can come out of the closet and become more YOU than ever before, by accepting the gifts that are your own true Divine Nature.

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition, injury or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact me directly at (818)904-6840.

The Absolute Bottom Line to Healing

Can you think of anyone in your life, who has been completely, unconditionally loving with you? Most people are lucky if they can think of even one person. I guarantee you this, if there has been one, you will likely never forget this person and how they made you feel.

I remember a pivotal story that Michael Beckwith, the Founder of The Agape International Spiritual Center told me and a fellow Practitioner Colleagues many years ago. He told us of a Prison Warden in California who consistently had the lowest rate of recidivism of all Prison systems in the state. Recidivism is a relapse into crime. His prisoners were least likely to return to crime, once they were released back into society. He apparently held this record for many years before someone finally asked him what he attributed his success to.

He basically said that he believed in the inherent good of all people, no matter their behavior.

When he would meet an inmate for the first time, despite whatever crime they had been convicted of, he would commit to identifying at least one positive trait about them. For some, it was very difficult, and he would have to look very hard to find something redeeming in them.

Once he identified the trait, no matter how obscure, he would then call the prisoner by that trait, rather than their name. For instance, in the case of an inmate who was good with numbers, every time he would see him he would say, “Hey, Mr. Math.”

Over time, what he began to notice was that the particular trait would become magnified in their behavior. Eventually, it started to effect their overall behavior, they would become more confident in themselves, and reveal more positive qualities.

It may seem obvious, but people do better when they feel better about themselves. Not when they're constantly reminded of what’s “wrong” with them.

So, are you wondering what all this has to do with healing your body? Everything.

That one person in your life, who loved you unconditionally, modeled to you how it feels to be truly loved just as you are, from the bottom of your tiny toes to the top of your funny little head. They loved you without judgment.

How many of us can honestly say, that we do this for ourselves on a consistent basis? Do you feel unconditionally loved by YOU? Are you kind, understanding, compassionate, forgiving, patient, and generous with yourself? Do you focus on the good in you? My guess is, “not so much.”

The absolute bottom line to health and wholeness lies in our ability to love and embrace ourselves “whole-heartedly”, without exception. In fact, I believe that this is our one true lesson plan on planet earth.

This may sound airy-fairy to some, or too esoteric, but the human body responds to feelings of well-being, and vice versa. Just for a moment, try telling yourself over and over again that you are “Perfect Just As You Are”, and then feel how your body reacts. Does it get stronger or weaker?

Now tell yourself, that "You're Not Good Enough” over and over again, and then see how your body feels. The body will undoubtedly weaken with the negative thought.

Now imagine what having negative self beliefs over your lifetime will do, and how it will affect how your body feels, and of course how you live your life.

When it comes down to it, you are solely responsible for how you feel about you. Not your parents, not your spouse, not your grandparents, your kids, your first grade teacher,  your Aunt Mabel or your first boyfriend or girlfriend.

If they were not able to love you unconditionally, it was because they were not able to love themselves unconditionally. How 'bout you? Are you willing to do this for you?

It’s true that we are our own worst enemies. We know that. So, why do we expect everyone else to treat us better or love us better, than we are willing to for ourselves?


Today, you can begin to get yourself out of the “prison” of your own making, by letting go of judgment for yourself. Start by telling yourself that today is a new day, the past is the past, and it’s okay to love yourself right now, just as you are.

Be willing to forgive yourself for not always being your best, or for carrying thoughts about yourself that were ultimately self destructive.


The fact is, the minute you decide you are worthy of loving yourself, will be the same minute you will align yourself with Universal Love, the greatest healing power available. You will have just opened up the gateway for your healing, (the same gateway that you erroneously closed, by withholding love from yourself through negative self judgment).

The practice of self forgiveness is an essential part to healing any physical condition. Thankfully, you don't have to know how to do it, your simple willingness to, is all you need. 

Be like the prison warden, and focus on what’s “right” about you. No matter what crime you think you committed, today you can break out of your self imposed prison, by releasing self judgement. Free yourself, once and for all, to live a life of health and well being.

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition, injury or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact me directly at (818)904-6840. 

The Decision of Your Life

In speaking with a friend today, I was reminded of a story. Many years ago, as I was studying to be a Practitioner/Healer, I had an accident. I was getting an oil change at a service station that had just opened near my home. When the mechanic called me over to show me my air filter, I wandered unwittingly behind the back of my car and proceeded to fall 15 feet into the underground mechanics pit.

As I was falling into this dark hole, I heard myself say, “Oh my God, I’m falling, Oh my God, I’m falling” and on the third time, “Oh my God, I’m falling”, I realized that I had no idea how far I was falling or if I would live. Then I heard myself say, “Ok, is this a big deal, or not a big deal?” The next thing really surprised me. I heard a completely different voice and it said “ You decide!”

So, I did.

I said to myself (while still in mid-air), “Ok, not a big deal! Not a big deal!” Then I hit the bottom.

I landed on my back and hit my head on cement. I might have been out for a minute. I’m not sure. All I remember is hearing screaming around me. When I finally opened my eyes, there was a man leaning over me wailing. He was clearly panic stricken. So, I said, “Are you alright?” He went white.

I proceeded to get up, wipe myself off and climb an extended ladder that had been thrown down in the hole. When I got to the top, a crowd had gathered. They stared at me like they were seeing a ghost. I asked, “Do you have a ladies room?” A man just pointed with his mouth open.

I went into the ladies room wondering what the fuss was all about. Why were people staring at me? Hadn’t they ever seen a person fall before? Before I left the ladies room, I took a quick peek in the mirror to check my makeup. There was blood coming from my head, arm and leg and I was standing at a 90 degree angle, bent over like a table.

I didn’t think much of it at the time, except that it explained the stares I had gotten.

I went out to the register, paid for my oil change, had a few brief words with the owner of the garage reassuring him that I would not be suing him, but that he needed to make sure that this never happened to anyone again, and then got into my car to leave.

The day after the accident, I had no visible scratches, cuts or bruises, my back was straight and I was walking perfectly. I was not sore at all, nor did I have any lasting injuries. I was fine. Perfect, in fact. No one would have ever known I had fallen down a 15 foot hole and lived to tell about it. It was a miracle. A miracle, based upon my own decision, for this event not to be a “big” negative, drawn out, dramatic, feel sorry for me, deal.

I decided I had nothing to gain by being injured and in pain, even if no one would blame me if I was. I mean after all, I fell a long way down. I could have milked it for everything it was worth.

More importantly for me though, I learned the power of decision. I learned that I could decide the outcome of my circumstances. I had choice on how to experience it.

Everyday, we are given the same opportunity, to decide. Do I believe that I need to get a cold because my child brought one home? Do I believe that I am susceptible to germs and therefore powerless from getting sick. Do I believe what the doctors are telling me more than my own internal guidance? Do I believe my illness is more powerful than me? Do I believe the prognosis is what determines the outcome? Will I give my power to fear? Do I believe I can heal? Do I believe I will heal? The answer to all of these questions is:

YOU DECIDE.

You’re that powerful. Use your power to express the highest in you. Use your power to thrive in the world. Use your power to feel good about you.

It’s up to you, and no one can decide for you.

Today, you can take the first step, by making a very big decision. Decide that you are WORTH being healthy, and that you DESERVE to feel good, no matter what.

You are a unique individual. There is no one else like you and you have gifts even you don’t know you have. You are here for a reason and a purpose. You are important and essential to the world (whether you know it right now or not). No matter how you may feel about you, you are way better than you think you are.

I believe in you. Do you believe in you?

YOU DECIDE.

To the Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't have to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition, injury or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact me directly at (818)904-6840 

The Purpose of Illness

Many years ago, I worked with a woman who had cancer throughout her entire body and was preparing to die. She told me how she had been fighting the disease for years, had done every treatment, and now she was at the end. I listened to her story carefully and when she was done, I asked her one simple question. I asked if she could think of any small way that the cancer had changed her life in a good way. She looked at me in disbelief but then in earnestness, took several moments to think about it.

Finally, she responded, “Well, I’m on disability.” I marveled at her honesty, and proceeded to tell her that in actuality, she did not have a health issue at all, she had a prosperity issue.

We then prayed together, and in the prayer I never mentioned her body or the cancer at all. I simply prayed for her to know more prosperity in her life. She returned two weeks later to tell me that she was cancer free, and that her Doctors did not know why. But, she did.

She’s alive today, not because of me, but because she was willing to be radically honest with herself. The Truth will indeed set you free.

Illness always serves a purpose. Sometimes, it’s a wake up call; a sign that it’s time to pay attention to ourselves on another level, one we have most likely been avoiding.

Illness can serve us in many ways. It can be as simple as helping us to get out of work. Sometimes, we just need time off, but for whatever reason, we can’t seem to give ourselves permission to take it, so we get sick and then are forced to. This is much more socially acceptable in our minds than asking for a mental health day, or telling the boss that we’re tired and need to rest.

Other times, like with my client, illness can be meeting a deep unconscious need. When you really think about it, being sick gets us off the hook from a lot of things, like responsibility, expectations, or having to step into our greatness. It also gets us things like attention, love, compassion, understanding, forgiveness, patience, support, money, companionship, and caretaking, to name a few.

There are actually a zillion ways an illness can serve us, but no one ever wants to admit it, because it seems wrong to want these things, in the first place. The truth is, we have every right to want these things and to have them. But, we justify why we can’t just ask for what we want, “I can’t take time off right now, I’m too busy at work. I’ll look selfish, or like I’m not a team player.”

In the case of my client, she was more afraid of being homeless than of being sick. She was tired of taking care of herself and struggling. Disability paid for her to live without having to work anymore. I know it seems radical, but these are deep unconscious needs we are talking about. No one would make the decision consciously to get sick with cancer just to get out of having to work. It’s what our sub-conscious does, to meet an unmet need.

If you are willing to be honest enough with yourself and identify what need in you is being met by the illness, then you will have the opportunity to meet that need in another way. If you can say for instance, “I feel very alone and need my family around me”. Then you can ask for that and know you deserve to have it, without creating an illness to meet that need.

Obviously, to prevent illness, we must be awake to our needs, be willing to give ourselves what we need, when we need it, and know that we are deserving of that.

Illness is not a random act. It holds a purpose. Find that purpose, meet it head on, and you will be on your way to health once again.

To the Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. Don't Suffer: If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact me directly at (818)904-6840.

Your Power to Heal

I'd like to share something personal with you. Call this a coming out of the closet story, if you'd like. Almost 20 years ago, I developed a skin condition on both of my legs that was painful, persistent and embarrassing. It would not go away. I refused to wear shorts because my legs were simply covered with red bumps, yet wearing slacks caused them more irritation.


I went to two Doctors who told me the exact same thing...word for word. "You have Eczema. There is no cure for it. You'll just have to get used to it". I was absolutely struck by the fact that both of these Doctors, although several miles apart from each other, actually spoke the same words to me. I really couldn't get over the coincidence of that. But here I was, standing in front of the 2nd Doctor, as she parroted the other doctor.


So, I said to her, " Oh really? You know what, Doctor? I don't think you should tell people that there's no cure for something. I think you should simply say that YOU don't know what it is"....and then I promised her that I would cure my own eczema. She just stared at me with pity on her face. I believe that may be one of the last times I ever went to a Doctor.


This was certainly a pivotal event in my life, and one I am truly grateful for now. It literally launched my journey as a healer. I was not aware of that at the time. I was simply out to cure my skin condition, come heck or high water. All I knew was that there was NO WAY I was just going to get "used to it" and have it for the rest of my life. It took several years of trying various things that didn't work, but I did eventually heal it.


I started with all the obvious external things like checking for allergies from my products, in my home, in the environment, in my foods. I went off of all wheat, dairy, sugar, yeast, anything white, and a zillion other foods. None of it worked. The Eczema stayed even when the other things were gone. It was like the uninvited guest who wouldn't leave, except it wasn't funny.


It began to really interfere with my life. I started to limit certain activities, especially outdoor ones. People would ask me, "why are you wearing pants when it's 105 degrees out?" I went through periods of depression, and feeling hopeless. I felt there was no where for me to turn.


No one had a cure for eczema. I knew it was up to me to heal. I tried different lotions, and medications everything from oatmeal based things to cortisone, to herb mixtures I had to place in my bath and apply to my legs for several hours. Nothing. I tried acupuncture, Chinese herbalists, and various healers. I had exploited what seemed like every course of treatment over several years, but nothing was working.


Then in 1995, I started my studies to become a Licensed Spiritual Practitioner through The Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles. The program called to me, if you know what I mean. I almost was driven to do it, but from a very quiet place within me. It seemed to be a program literally designed with me in mind. I had been a spiritual loner my whole life, up until then. I was always interested in what was going on in the invisible...behind the scenes of life. I knew there was something more happening, than I was privy to on some level. I wanted to know what it was.


I had always wanted to help people as well, and counseling came naturally to me. People always looked to me for strength and support, and I was there. So becoming a Spiritual Practitioner (or therapist), was the perfect answer to a lifelong desire. I embarked on the program like a sponge in the Pacific Ocean. It fed me on every level, and I couldn't get enough of it. Once the answers started coming to me, I was insatiable with my learning.


I loved becoming a Practitioner, and I have loved Practicing and working with clients more than anything in my life. What I didn't know at the time, was that my studies would hold the answers for the eczema, as well. Looking back, I now believe that when you sincerely seek an answer to something, it is given, just not always in our preferred timeframe.


I learned a lot about healing. I learned to get myself out of the way. In other words, I had to let go of everything I thought I knew or didn't know and simply become an available vehicle for the Universe to use, to the highest good for all. I learned that everything is energy and that energy vibrates at different frequencies, and that in order to heal a condition, you have to raise your vibration above the vibration of the condition, so that it can't sustain itself. I learned that the Universe does everything through me, and that I can't take the credit for any of it. I learned that no disease has any power unless you give it to it, with your beliefs and your fears. I learned that the key to healing is to know without a doubt in mind, that we humans are way more powerful that any condition, and to take our power back from it. I learned that the power of the mind to heal is astounding and unlimited. I learned that disease is something we humans create when we are not fully aligned with our Spirits. I learned that we can un-create it, as well. I learned that helping someone heal their bodies and take back their life is a Sacred Practice, that I am grateful for every day. I learned to heal my eczema. I learned to heal Cancer. I learned to heal everything that came my way, because all of it was NOTHING, compared to the power we EACH have been given.


Today, I desire more than anything to teach people what I know, so that they too can realize their inherent power, to deepen their faith in their own ability to heal, and to never again feel powerless to any illness or disease. It is my dream that someday we will react to a diagnosis of cancer much like we were told we had a hangnail, because we will no longer fall prey to the false belief that IT'S somehow more powerful than us.


I feel blessed for witnessing what other people call "a miracle healing" on a regular basis. In my mind, all it is, is a person's natural wholeness re-emerging after a temporary state of forgetfulness of who they truly are, and the power they hold. I wish for you all, this same awareness, so that you too can live a life forever free from illness, and live freely the life you were always meant to live.


To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,


Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. Don't Suffer! If you or someone you know, needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or call my office at (818)904-6840.

Are Your Feelings Making You Sick?

Interestingly enough, feelings can be both the culprit in causing illness and disease, and also the key to their cure. Longstanding "negative" emotions such as anger, resentment, bitterness, disappointment, grief, etc...can break down the body's defenses and create a ripe climate for illness to occur over time.


On the other hand, we are now being taught the value of having our feelings, as well. Knowing how you feel at any given moment, feeling those feelings and giving yourself permission to express them in a healthy way, allows you to get them OUT of the body. Repressing feelings, creates toxins that ultimately hurt us.


So what's the trick? How do we balance our emotions? How can we make sure that we're not indulging them to the degreee that they are doing damage, and how can we make sure that we're not avoiding them and pushing them down, just to discover later that they've been slowly eating away at us?


I'm sure we've all come in contact with an occasional person who likes to tell the same "poor me" story over and over again, who maintains the stance of being a victim, or who goes through life being angry and resentful, and always blaming others for it. In my experience, the really verbal ones are usually not the ones who create serious illness, it's the people around them who do, that harbor resentment for feeling like they've  had to listen to it ad-nauseum. I say this tongue and cheek, but truthfully being a pushover, people-pleaser, or not having good boundaries is not good for your health, especially if you secretly harbor resentment over it.


The key to balancing emotions is RESPONSIBILITY. Being responsible for how YOU feel, means not blaming others for being who they are, where they are in their own growth and development, doing what they do, or saying what they say.....no matter how deeply it may contrast with your own values and belief systems. People are allowed to be who they are. You don't have to like it or agree with it, but YOUR feelings are simply put, not caused by them. They're caused by your own beliefs.


Sometimes, your beliefs cause good feelings like when you believe you ran a good race, and celebrate your achievement. Other times, your beliefs can cause bad feelings like when you think you should have beat last year's score, even though you won the race, but you feel disappointed in yourself. In either case, your feelings are of your own making, a product of the way you think. They are neither right or wrong, but some will support you and keep you healthy more than others.


The extremely good news here, is that you have complete dominion over your feelings. You "thought" them up, and you can un-think them up, as well. Change your mind and you will change your feelings, especially the toxic ones.


In the ideal scenario, you will choose to have your feelings, allow them to run their course without self-judgment, with the willingness to release them if you find yourself re-circulating them over and over again.


You can also choose to examine the root of negative feelings, by looking at the underlying beliefs that created them. For example, maybe you have feelings of regret because you believe you made mistakes and should have made better choices in your life. Replace that belief with one that supports you rather than judges or condemns you. Try taking on a different belief like "everything that happened in my life led me to greater awareness and to making better choices now". Come to acceptance, and release the old belief and feeling.


If illness occurs, be willing to look at what's happening in your life and address the issues that cause you the most dis-stress. Disease, since it takes longer to manifest in the body, is usually associated with a more longstanding issue, unresolved feelings, or a pattern of negative beliefs. There is a good possibility that these issues are at the root of the condition. If you are willing to re-frame your past experiences, and release the old negative feelings, you will find yourself standing at the threshold of your own healing.


Be courageous, face your feelings however painful, be willing to change the way you see your past or present circumstances, and you will begin to feel better immediately. I promise you, your body will thank you for it!


To the Truth that Sets Us All Free,


Donna Gershman ALSP


PS. Don't Suffer! If you or someone you know, needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or call my office at (818)904-6840.

What's a Healer DO Anyway?

People ask me all the time what a healer actually does. The answer is "absolutely nothing", and the good ones do that really well. The less we do the better. The minute we think we have to fix something, that doesn't really exist in the first place, we're doomed and so are our patients.

So what do I mean by it doesn't really exist in the first place? Here is patient x, and she has end stage cancer and I'm saying to you that it doesn't exist!!! Have I lost my mind? Of course I have! And I have lost everything my mind would want to tell me about that too, like it's deadly, or very serious at the very least, and that we should be scared. A healer who's any good, will wipe all of that from their consciousness and begin to tell the truth about what REALLY is, and what really is, is that patient x is whole. That's right, whole. I said it. Even though they may be experiencing something called cancer or diabetes, or hypertension, or HIV/Aids or anything else for that matter, they are whole. It's true. I'm not lying, and no, I'm not naive or crazy, for that matter (well, maybe a little). I'm just a healer, who's good at knowing what to know, and un-knowing what is actually detrimental to know.

 Michaelangelo's "David" was created in the artist's words by removing the material around the Masterpiece that did not belong. He simply removed that which was covering it up. The "David" was already whole and perfect. Michaelangelo, the healer/artist saw it's inherent perfection and called it forth.


We all have the capacity to do this in our own lives, to see the masterpiece of who we are, and to remove the self beliefs that are not congruent with that. When working with disease or illness, a good healer will know the person's innate perfection more than they identify with the outer condition of disease, and they will assist the patient in knowing the same. You would be so surprised how well the body will respond to that information. In fact, it's all it needs to feel good again. Sound too easy for you? I understand. We humans like to suffer and struggle sometimes to feel like we did something.

The fact is, a person's body will correlate to the person's beliefs and subsequent feelings about themselves and their world. To the degree that a patient is willing to see themselves as whole, perfect and complete they will begin to experience that in their body. Oftentimes, this is a process of greater and greater awareness and understanding, and greater and greater releasing of the beliefs that no longer serve them. The trick is an open mind and a willingness to look under the hood, to be radically honest with yourself about what you really think and feel, and to forgive yourself and all others that you believe have hurt you. A letting go of old pain will release old pain in the body.

Let's face it, most of who we are, lies in the invisible; our thoughts, our feelings, our connection to the universe. Our body is the only thing physical about us. In order to heal the body, we must go beyond just the physical, and look to the rest. If and when illness occurs, take it as a nudge from the universe that it's time for you to get honest with yourself about who you really are, and release the stories you have been telling yourself that bring you pain and resentment.

One thing I know for sure, if you are willing to do just that, like your life depended on it, you Will heal. In fact, you have absolutely nothing to lose, and absolutely everything to gain; your true self and the life you were always meant to live.


To the Truth that Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP


PS. Don't Suffer! If you or someone you know, needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or call my office at (818)904-6840.