This article was originally published in the Nov/Dec 2019 issue of Miracles Magazine, published by Jon Mundy and the One Mind Foundation.
Whether you’re dealing with a tick bite, a sprained ankle, or scary scan or biopsy results, you have a divine opportunity.
Health scares were my #1 biggest anxiety trigger starting at a very young age. When I reached adolescence, I remember getting sick to my stomach when diagnosed with mono, not because of the mono but because of my fear. Later, I remember the terror of finding breast lumps multiple times over multiple years. My list of health scares, both seemingly “real” and purely in my head, goes on.
Because I’ve been through this pattern so many times (and I’m still here, ha ha), I felt moved to share some deep insights that have been truly helpful to me. I invite you to read this article and engage in a mind-cleanse, allowing these ideas from A Course in Miracles and also my book, From Anxiety To Love, to sink into your being.
Fear is presenting you with an opportunity.
First of all, if you’re currently dealing with a health scare, you have an incredible opportunity that you usually don’t have when things are going well, so look at this time as a fabulous opportunity for growth. This is essential. You have a chance to allow intense fear to catapult you into peace by repurposing this experience, so it leads to spiritual growth instead of letting the experience just yank you around from fear thought to fear thought. Whatever you are facing, be determined this time to allow this opportunity to expand your awareness by asking Truth to lead you deeper than ever before.
Turning to the Holy Spirit is everything.
An anxiety trigger such as a health scare is simply the ego trying to get you to forget your soul. Fear is the ego’s breeding ground, and by giving your attention to what is false (fear in any form), the belief in ego is strengthened. “The ego becomes strong in strife” (FIP T-5.III.8:8).
But in the middle of a health scare, everything you believed you knew of Truth (e.g., you are not a body; only Love is real) might feel like empty platitudes. However, the part in your mind that knows the Truth, the Holy Spirit (who I call your Inner Therapist), remains unchanged and unphased by external circumstances. This part of you is undisturbed and, with willingness, you can begin to experience your Inner Therapist even during a health scare. It is your task to turn to the Holy Spirit, and with as much willingness as can be mustered, give everything over to It. Everything! Hand over what you are afraid of, and what you love. The Holy Spirit then looks past every illusion and upholds only the truth.
“The Holy Spirit never changes His Mind.” (CE T-5.IX.4:5)
The Holy Spirit is ALWAYS fixated on God. Therefore you can be sure that even if you feel like you are lost in fear, there is part of you that remains wholly steady. As I dedicated myself to undoing the ego and the health scare pattern, I began to notice that even though there was part of me that was terrified, there was a part of me that was quietly witnessing everything unfolding. This part of me knew that no matter what happens in form, “I am.”
My favorite way of touching this quiet, still part of my mind is by utilizing the prayer, “Here I am, Lord.” In ACIM, Jesus gave this phrase to Bill to focus on, as he was having trouble with mind wandering during meditation (CE Cameo 1). You can utilize this prayer by sitting quietly and repeating “Here I am” to yourself. Each time your mind wanders, bring it back to this phrase. Feel the meaning behind the words. You are showing up to rest in God.
Give your body to Spirit.
In ACIM, Jesus tells us that “I can be entrusted with your body and your ego only because this enables you not to be concerned with them, and lets me teach you their unimportance” (FIP T-4.I.13:4).
As our identity seems completely fused with the body, we make the body very important! Thinking of it as unimportant is almost incomprehensible. And Jesus knows how mesmerized we are by the body because he was tempted to believe in the ego and the body himself:
“I could not understand their [the ego and the body’s] importance to you if I had not once been tempted to believe in them myself” (FIP T-4.I.13:5).
But the bodily identity is not who you are; it is just a learning device. Your true reality has remained unchanged despite appearances. Every moment when my fear grew strong during a health scare, I didn’t dismiss it, I didn’t minimize it, I didn’t make myself try to “feel better” by telling myself that my body would be okay. Instead, with great willingness, I gave my body and every aspect of my life as “Corinne” to my Inner Therapist, trusting that I CAN learn the unimportance of the body. I asked to learn the right perception of the body (FIP T-8.IX.1:6). You can do this too. As you do, your true identity will become clearer and clearer to you because you’re not tightly holding onto ideas about who you are. You are willing to be taught (FIP W-pI.126.10:3).
Let Jesus be your model for how to think.
Jesus is your brother and your equal. You can learn to think like him.
Let this idea sink in deeply: The Mind in Jesus that decided for God for him, is the EXACT SAME Mind that is in you, right now. You and Jesus share the same Mind! This is unprecedented GOOD news.
“The Mind that was in me is in you” (FIP T-5.VI.3:2)
Even though Jesus was tempted (just like us) into believing the importance of the ego and the body, he showed us that the decision for God CAN be made. And so you can make this same decision because your mind is like his mind (FIP T-5.II.9:1).
And you don’t even have to make this decision alone! He’s here to help:
“It was only my decision that gave me all power in Heaven and earth. My only gift to you is to help you make the same decision” (FIP T-5.II.9:2-3).
So when you are triggered into fear, afraid for your health, remember that this is simply the wrong voice. And Jesus gives us specific instructions for what to do:
“When you are tempted by the wrong voice, call on me to remind you how to heal by sharing my decision and making it stronger” (FIP T-5.II.11:1).
Take action by literally turning to Jesus or your Inner Therapist and saying, “Help me. I am willing to share your decision for God. Show me the way.”
Remember that the miscreations of the mind do not really exist.
Pause for a moment to search your mind for beliefs that any form of sickness is caused by your thoughts. Do you believe that sickness was caused by negative thinking? Or your sickness is an expression of unconscious guilt?
The Course teaches us that all sickness is from unconscious guilt and the cause of anything is at the level of the mind. I have found it very helpful to look at unconscious guilt with the Holy Spirit as it surfaces, because that is where I am in my learning. Yet, there is a far better “protective device” when we realize:
“The miscreations of the mind do not really exist” (FIP T-2.V.1:5).
That means that guilt, fear, sickness and any form of suffering is a state which does not exist. It is part of a nightmare and that’s all. We BELIEVE in these miscreations and so we make them real for ourselves (such is the power of our belief) but they do not exist in Truth. Allow yourself to feel the power behind the words. If the miscreations of the mind do not exist, that means you remain exactly as God created you. You are unchanged, despite any appearances that may be showing up to catch your attention.
Be willing to stop worshipping the god of sickness. Fixate on the Truth instead.
The “god of sickness” comprises our belief in bodies, illness, separation and death. Appearances of illness or going through a health scare serves the purpose of simply keeping us loyal to the god of sickness.
Peeling your attention away from the god of sickness and towards the Truth can feel like an enormous effort, but remember, you are not doing this alone. You have God and all angels supporting you. You rule your mind, which you alone must rule (FIP W-pII.236), and you can choose again. You are a Holy Son of God. Thoughts about sickness, medical tests, and test results will seem to be utterly compelling witnesses that you have pulled off the separation from God. You haven’t.
Instead of thinking of yourself as a body, begin to think of yourself as a Mind. And instead of seeing everyone around you as bodies, be willing to see them as this Mind as well. Not an ego mind, but as the Mind you are in Truth. You as this Mind are perfect. You are exactly as God created you, right now. You are eternal, whole, and wholly innocent. This is who you really are. There is no guilt in you. And there is no guilt in others. Sickness is impossible. There is no cause for fear. Nothing you have thought or believed apart from the Truth has had any effect on you. And it is your task to remain willing to allow your perception to be healed, so you can teach others through your example that there is nothing to fear.
Please share your takeaways from this article in the comments below. 💖
Click here to listen to the audio version of this article on my podcast.
Dear Corinne
Thank you for this wonderful article. I love love love the reminder that I am as God created me now! No additions, just removal of the illusion of fear.
Thank you Bright Light💖
Thank you Cróna! I’m so glad it was helpful. xo
Hi Corinne
Thank you so much for see such a helpful reminder. I will listen to the podcast too.
I lost my mum 19 Jan and a health issue came up 2 days later which has really stirred up ego fears. ACIM has been life changing for me too but the health anxiety area is one I really need the reminders for. Very grateful that you are writing about it.
I know Teachers of the Course don’t need to hear “Thanks” but that’s what I’m saying, just for me! I’ve been a student for many decades since I’m so hung up about the “price” you must pay for the release of fear – courage. That in and of itself is the obstacle! What worries me most is being in a situation where courage is called for to protect someone or something (my cat) for example. I once witnessed an fatal accident where a 3 yr. old child was hit by a car whilst standing in the middle of a street. I was waiting for an oil change and saw her (child) step out in the street. Her mother was a distance away – calling her back but I could see she wasn’t paying attention. I could have ran down to the street to pull her back – risking myself, possibly both of us, but did nothing. This was one opportunity of which you refer, as I understand it, that I failed, still paying a price for (guilt). Story of my life. I feel I am a “coward” and don’t stand up for myself nor others. I’m a senior now and can’t get around as I once could but still have a voice. The past is gone but I am still staring down the “end of that barrel” type of thing! Someone told me long ago, “You only do what you’d rather do, than not do, under your prevailing awareness”.
Hi Erich!
That idea about the “price” you must “pay” for the release of fear reflects a belief in sacrifice. It is great that you have uncovered that. The next step is to take it to H.S. and ask for help in seeing it differently. There is NO sacrifice in any way, and any strain that enters simply reflects our “unwillingness” to heal, which we must access and look at with H.S. as well!
That situation you mentioned sound very tragic. But I’m also hearing a call for love. I would suggest working with this prayer, written by my friend and teacher, Nouk Sanchez: “Holy Spirit, help me to forgive MYSELF for using ___(insert the situation)___ to unknowingly attack myself, and to separate from your love, as my Holy Self.” You are NOT guilty Erich. We always only do the best we can at the time, and no matter what you did or didn’t do, the outcome may have been the same. I do hope you will work with that prayer above…. it is time for you to embrace your complete innocence.
Hi Corrine
You speak of “touching this quiet, still part of my mind is by utilizing the prayer, “Here I am, Lord.” In ACIM, Jesus gave this phrase to Bill to focus on, as he was having trouble with mind wandering during meditation (CE Cameo 1). You can utilize this prayer by sitting quietly and repeating “Here I am” to yourself. Each time your mind wanders, bring it back to this phrase. Feel the meaning behind the words. You are showing up to rest in God.
I dissociated from my feelings and live in my head. I sit quietly repeating here I am and don’t feel anything . Never been able to go beyond the thinking mind and connect to the HS . Suggestions ?
Hi Elyse!
I’d suggest trying to find some situations where you can access your feelings. For the purposes of this being ACIM focused, let’s pick the feeling of love. For instance, do you love animals? Or do you have a photograph that brings back a memory of feeling love? Or can you think of someone or something that brings up a feeling of love? I’d suggest trying to find something through which you can access the feeling of love. Then let that feeling of love be what you focus on during your meditation. God/Truth is there, right in that Love.
Hi Corrine : )
I have suffered from debilitating health anxiety for most of my life. It has gotten significantly worse over the past 10 years. It is unclear to me from the article whether the message is by turning towards God our bodies will be healed or if it is not to be afraid of illness because we are not our bodies. Either way as a mom of 3 and full time nurse it is soooo hard to make peace with the possibility of one of my many many health fears resulting in disability or death. It literally feels impossible to do this. Without sharing my whole sad story, due to sexual trauma and very dysfunctional relationships as well as a long history working n adult entertainment before becoming a nurse I am so attached to the idea that the only way I get validation/love is through sexuality and my body. Aging though I’m only 43 is intensifying fears that I will become worthless or invisible. I am hyperaware of everything going on in my body at any moment and worry even the slightest symptom or imbalance will destroy my health. My fears were realized 2 years ago when I had thyroid cancer and you would think surviving it would relieve my fears and empower me but instead it left me all the more focused on my body, living in fear of missing something. Any advice would be so welcome
Hi Julie,
Thank you for your honest and open sharing. Here are some thoughts. First, my message is that we need a complete transformation in how we see ourselves and we can’t make that transformation alone (we need the Holy Spirit!). Through this spiritual work, we have experiences that teach us we are something much greater than a body. As we come to experientially (not intellectually) know who we truly are, the idea of sickness becomes foreign so the thought of illness holds no fear. When there is no fear or guilt, sickness has no ground to stand on. The body heals because we see it for what it is (wholly neutral).
All that sounds nice, right? But let’s be honest… we MUST be where we are. Factor in your children, your work as a nurse, the pandemic, this is a lot! There are a lot of layers of fear coming to the surface right now (for some of us it feels like it is all at once and can be overwhelming).
Two things come to mind that I’ll offer. The first is – go for the guilt. What I mean by that is to look at any and all layers of guilt that you might be carrying (and look at this WITH the Holy Spirit – remember – we’re never “looking” alone). Make a list if you need to. Ask for help in seeing each layer of guilt differently. Guilt fuels anxiety. The more you get honest about guilt and look at it with Spirit, the less of a hold it has on us.
Second, I’m not sure if you’ve considered this before, but doing some trauma therapy (like EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) or Somatic Experiencing can be VERY helpful for unlocking anxiety patterns that hijack us in the present. We can do these while inviting Spirit into the process. I see these healing modalities as a way to let more light in and Spirit can work through them very powerfully. Doing this type of treatment for any past trauma (sexual trauma, even the trauma of going through thyroid cancer) can really help.
I’m holding you in so much light and love!