You Can Heal Your Life

By Louise Hay, published by Hay House, Inc., originally in 1994 (I read the March 2010 reprint)

I’d heard about Louise Hay and “You Can Heal Your Life” for some time before I actually read it. In fact, I didn’t think I wanted to read it. For some reason, I assumed that it would be a weak book and not a lot of use to me. I was very wrong about that. It was only when a very good friend of mine (thanks Andrea) told me how much she liked the book (and her partner also) and then actually lent me her copy of it, that I thought that I must give it a shot.

I was surprised. I enjoyed it very much and I was please to read Louise’s insights into the process of life. There was only a very small part of the book that I disagree with, and the bulk of it was very useful.

Right at the start even, her dedication caught my attention;

May this offering help you find the place within where you know your own self-worth, the part of you that is pure love and self-acceptance.

Wow! That’s the signal that this book is about way more than just physical wellbeing. But then we can’t separate the body from the mind and the soul can we? This is why I liked “You Can Heal Your Life” so much. Louise knows that healing a life (not just the body) requires us to pay attention to our body, mind and soul. We can’t ignore any one of these and hope to have a healthy, happy life.

A significant part of this book is called “The List”, Chapter 15. This is a list of almost all physical ailments and Louise links all of them to thought patterns and belief systems that are at their root.

My Favourite Quotes from You Can Heal Your Life

Right at the start of the book, Louise lists the following;

Some Points of My Philosophy
- We are each responsible for all of our experiences
- Every thought we think is creating our future
- The point of power is always in the present moment
- Everyone suffers from self-hatred and guilt
- The bottom line for everyone is, “I’m not good enough.”
- It’s only a thought, and a thought can be changed
- We create every so-called illness in our body
- Resentment, criticism, and guilt are the most damaging patterns
- Releasing resentment will dissolve even cancer
- We must release the past and forgive everyone
- We must be willing to begin to learn to love ourselves
- Self-approval and self-acceptance in the now are the keys to positive change
- When we really love ourselves, everything in our life works

And some more quotes;

However, that is your past. It is over and done with. What is important in this moment is what you are choosing to think and believe and say right now. For these thoughts and words will create your future. Your point of power is in the present moment and is forming the experience of tomorrow, next week, next month, and so on.

The only thing we are ever dealing with is a thought, and a thought can be changed.

The past has no power over us. I doesn’t matter how long we have had a negative pattern. The point of power is in the present moment. What a wonderful thing to realise! We can begin to be free in this moment!

When people come to me with a problem, I don’t care what it is – poor health, lack of money, unfulfilling relationships, or stifled creativity – there is only one thing I ever work on, and that is LOVING THE SELF.

Loving the self to me, begins with never ever criticising ourselves for anything. Criticism locks us into the very pattern we are trying to change. Understanding and being gentle with ourselves helps us to move out of it. Remember, you have been criticising yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.

For diets do not work. The only diet that does work is a mental diet – dieting from negative thoughts.

Would you dig into yesterday’s garbage to make tonight’s meal? Do you dig into old mental garbage to create tomorrow’s experiences?

Holistic healing includes body, mind, and spirit. You can begin in any one of these areas as long as you eventually include all the areas.

I push my clients because they come to me. I leave my friends alone.

Being aware that we always create all of our experiences, you now begin to say, “I am willing to release the need to be criticised.”

The Intelligence within you is the same Intelligence that created this entire planet. Trust your Inner Guidance to reveal to you whatever it is you need to know.

If you are doing it with your body, you are doing it with your mind.

There is no need to struggle or stress or strain. Just relax and think the appropriate thoughts. Yes, it is this easy.

There is so much love in your heart that you could heal the entire planet. But just for now let us use this love to heal you. Feel a warmth beginning to glow in your heart centre, a softness, a gentleness. Let this feeling begin to change the way you think and talk about yourself.

Think thoughts that make you happy. Do things that make you feel good. Be with people that make you feel good. Eat things that make your body feel good. Go at a pace that makes you feel good.

Meditation in any of its forms is a wonderful way to quiet the mind and allow our own “knowingness” to come to the surface.

This is the only way to change others – change yourself first. Change your patterns, and you will find that “they” are different too.

In each and every one of us is every single quality. While we may not choose to do so, we are all capable of being a Hitler of a Mother Theresa.

I hope these favourite quotes of mine have given you a good insight into “You Can Heal Your Life”. Many of these thoughts are reminiscent of Think and Grow Rich and Present Moment Life Choices – the key to life?.

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Table of Contents – You Can Heal Your Life

Part 1 – Introduction

Suggestions to My Readers
Some Points on My Philosophy
Chapter 1 – What I Believe

Part II – A Session with Louise

Chapter 2 – What Is the Problem?
Chapter 3 – Where Does It Come From?
Chapter 4 – Is It True?
Chapter 5 – What Do We Do Now?
Chapter 6 – Resistance to Change
Chapter 7 – How to Change
Chapter 8 – Building the New
Chapter 9 – Daily Work

Part III – Putting These Ideas to Work

Chapter 10 – Relationships
Chapter 11 – Work
Chapter 12 – Success
Chapter 13 – Prosperity
Chapter 14 – The Body
Chapter 15 – The List

Part IV – Conclusion

Chapter 16 – My Story
Afterword
Deep at the Center

Appendix

Holistic Healing Recommendations
Self-Help Resources

You Can Heal Your Life