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I Know Who I Am, Now What Do I Do?

I hope you watched my last video on the Enneagram to find out who you are and how you’re wired. If you didn’t, please click here to take the free Enneagram test, because I think you’ll be blown away!
And in this video, I talk about what to do with this information. Okay, you’re a Two, now what does that mean? If you’re giving and giving, and aren’t taking care of yourself, what can you do about it?
This information has been some of the most important of my life for understanding myself and others, and for having compassion for myself and others.
Watch the video to see how this information can change your life.

This is the second video on the Enneagram and in this one I’m going to talk to you about how to become the best you can be, meaning if you’re a Six, how can you be the best Six you can be?
I hope you watched my last video on the Enneagram and I hope you’ve taken the test to find out which Number or Style you are, because if you haven’t, this video isn’t going to make a lot of sense. So if you haven’t taken the test, stop now and take it here. It will take about 10 minutes.
Okay, so now that you know your number, or what I prefer to call Style, what do you do with that?
I’m an 8, we’re the fighters. The lie I’m wired to tell myself is “Life is hard, I have to do everything on my own. There’s no one to help. I have to fight for everything I have.”
Could that be any more depressing or any more rooted in the energy of Everything Is Wrong?
Eights are the fighters. They’re the ones that automatically get angry. They also always think they’re right. Now they’re also into justice and into fighting the good fight, but we are mainly just wired to fight.
My ex-husband, who I was married to for 20 years, is a 9. The peacemaker… peace at any price. So can you imagine, here’s me, an 8, fighting about everything, married to a 9, whose whole thing is peace at any price. It was sort of crazy-making because what always seemed to happen, is that all of our fights were never about the issue at hand, they were always about how it wasn’t okay for me to be angry. Nines don’t like anger.
The problem was, I actually bought into the idea that something was wrong with my anger. At this time in my life, I had decided I wanted to be a “spiritual person.” Somehow I had bought into the idea that being a “spiritual person” meant being sweet and compliant, and never getting angry. That I should be trying to act like a Goddess all of the time and speaking in a breathy voice, saying things like, “That’s so beautiful.” I never did any of that because I knew it would be completely phonybut I aspired to it.
I didn’t want to get angry.
I didn’t want to lose my temper.
Ironically, this was at the same time that I was becoming well-known as a divorce attorney. People would call me on the phone and say, “I hear you’re a real bitch. I want you to be my lawyer.” They actually meant it as a total compliment.
So hear I am on the phone, thinking “something is really off.”
When I finally found out about the Enneagram and realized that I am wired for this, I felt a kind of liberation. I realized that there was nothing wrong with my anger. That it was an important part of my life force. It had enabled me to survive a rough childhood, to build inner strength, and to take care of myself. I began to view my anger as an asset, not a weakness or something to be ashamed of.
Now with this knowledge, I also started working on ways to modulate my anger so that I wasn’t spewing it out all over everyone all of the time, but I also stopped trying to shove it down. I stopped being ashamed of it, and I stopped hating myself when I got angry.
And guess what happened? As soon as I stopped thinking there was something wrong with my anger, I stopped getting angry with everyone.
If we had been more consciously aware, the 8 and 9 combination could have been really great for both of us. Nines need to learn how to set boundaries and eights need to learn how to soften up their boundaries and just stop fighting.
The good news is that 6 years after my divorce, I met a 7 and we were married last year. He is so much fun, because he’s a 7. He also doesn’t ever want to be told what to do and there’s other stuff, because there’s always stuff going on in a relationship, but knowing all of this, we both step back all the time and go, “wait a minute – oh, that’s just your 8 stuff or that’s just your 7 stuff” and it makes such a huge difference in how we interact with each other and treat each other.
So how about you? What can help you best move into healing? Let’s go through each style
And remember, there are no good and bad styles.
The biggest thing is to focus on the parts you like. No one is completely healed or unhealed, we’re all a composite.
Style 1 – The Perfectionist

  • Stop demanding that everything must be perfect.
  • Relax more.
  • Feel more compassion for people.
  • Stop using the word “should.”
  • As I used to say to one of my coaching clients who is a One, “Finished is better than perfect.”
  • Appreciate that you are one of those people who wants things done in the best way possible.

Style 2 – The Helper

  • Stop doing the things that you don’t want to do.
  • Take care of yourself.
  • Appreciate that you are full of love and genuinely want to help other people.
  • Stop doing the things that you don’t want to do. If you truly want to do something for someone, do it without any expectation that they will return the favor. If that’s okay with you, then proceed.
  • Take care of yourself. Do things that really feel like splurges and take care of yourself (get massages and manicures, buy yourself flowers, take time out alone).
  • Appreciate that you are full of love and genuinely want to help other people.

Style 3 – The Achiever

  • Decide what do I truly want?
  • Don’t be so concerned about what other people think of you.
  • Stop buying things that you think will impress other people.
  • Stop working to the point of exhaustion.
  • Allow yourself to feel vulnerable.
  • Appreciate that you are hardworking and dependable.

Style 4 – The Romantic Adventurer

  • When you start thinking that you are better than everyone else, stop it!
  • Focus less on the idea that other people don’t understand you and instead make an effort to understand them.
  • Create a morning exercise routine and then stick to it.
  • Appreciate the fact that you are a very creative person and that you have a deep capability to connect with other people.

Style 5 – The investigator

  • Remember that it’s impossible to know everything about everything.
  • Stop trying to prove that you know everything.
  • Stop correcting people when you are in small groups.
  • Take up some kind of creative activity that will get you out of your head.
  • Appreciate the fact that Albert Einstein was a Five.

Style 6 – The Loyalist

  • Do things to counteract your pessimism and anxiety (physical exercise, meditation, reading inspirational books, music that makes you feel good, finding upbeat friends).
  • Take yourself off the hook for the anxiety that you feel.
  • Learn to cultivate trust in other people by first cultivating trust in yourself.
  • Appreciate the fact that you are responsible and hardworking and loyal.

Style 7 – The Enthusiast

  • Finish what you start.
  • Each day make a list of two things to accomplish so that you always feel that you are getting things done.
  • Realize that you don’t have to do everything or have everything right now.
  • Don’t be afraid to face reality.
  • Appreciate the fact that your basic disposition is one of happiness, optimism and generosity.

Style 8 – The Aggressor

  • Rush to give in even when you “know” you’re right.
  • Stop fighting with everyone.
  • Understand that not everyone is against you.
  • Forgive slights by reminding yourself that most people are just doing the best they can.
  • Be vulnerable.
  • Appreciate the fact that you are strong and self-reliant.

Style Nine – The Peacemaker

  • Set boundaries.
  • Understand that conflicts need to be dealt with.
  • Exercise or do other things to help you come more fully into your body.
  • Do things that will help you to really feel and express your emotions.
  • Stop spending so much time in front of television screens or computer screens.
  • Appreciate the fact that you are open-minded, diplomatic, and receptive.

The key here is to start taking yourself and everyone else off the hook. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have boundaries or that you don’t take responsibility for what you do. Quite the contrary, what I’m advocating is that you see how you’re wired and embrace all of it.
In our retreats here in Sedona, we use the Enneagram all the time because it gives people such insight, especially with couples. I can’t tell you the number of times that people get this information and they’re like “oh my gosh, this explains everything”.  
Just a few weeks ago we had two people come who had been fighting non-stop during their whole marriage. He felt like nothing he ever did was good enough, she felt like nothing he ever did was good enough, he was constantly angry with her and of course, she hated all that anger. It turns out she is a One (the perfectionist) and he’s and 8 (the Aggressor, the fighter).
When we discussed the two Styles with them, they both said, “Isn’t that how everyone is?” because we make this assumption that everyone reacts the way we do. She said “Doesn’t everyone want to have everything be perfect?” and he said, “Doesn’t everyone lash out in anger when they get upset?”
She really got it how her perfectionism was driving him away and he really got it how his anger was keeping them apart. With their other sessions, she was able to let go of some of her perfectionism (and also saw how it came from things that had happened during her childhood from her mother who was also a perfectionist).
We dug deep and found some of the core wounding that led to a lot of his anger and released it. Underneath the perfectionism and the anger, they discovered they really did love each other and when that happens, it really helps those things melt away. They took themselves off the hook and they took each other off the hook, and when you do that, everyone feels happier.
So that’s a lot! I hope you got some insights into who you are and how you can get happy and stay happy. And if you got value from this video, please like it, share the video with your friends and subscribe to our channel.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

The #1 Secret to Keeping Love Alive (It’s Not Communication)

Happy Valentine’s Day! The day of love and lovers.

In the very recent past I have learned from one of my practitioners what he and I (and my husband) have all come to believe is the #1 thing that you either have or don’t have in a relationship, that makes it or breaks it… and that is…

Are you nurturing each other?

Does your beloved nurture you?

Are you nurturing your beloved?

It seems like a simple question, but it’s not at all. Because it’s about a way of being. It’s a decision you’re making in every moment.

Do you truly want to nurture your beloved?

Do you want to nurture them in the way they want to be nurtured?

Or are you constantly picking at them, criticizing them and thinking nasty thoughts about them?

As most of you know, I was a divorce attorney for over 20 years and now I’ve done couples work in Sedona for over 17 years. It appears to me that relationships are either mainly in the “I love you” zone or the “you drive me crazy” zone. And it seems like once you’ve rounded the corner into the “you drive me crazy” zone, there’s not much going back unless you really do something about it.


There are basic problems that seem to show up a lot when the nurturing factor isn’t there. And in my experience, there are things that seem unique to women and unique to men. This is also borne out in John Grey’s Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus series of books (so please don’t write me that I’m stereotyping — I’ve watched this for over 37 years!).

If you’re a woman, do you…

  • complain a lot to your partner?
  • complain a lot about your partner to other people?
  • take everything over because he won’t do the stuff you want him to do in the way you want him to do it?

Sorry, ladies, I see you do this a lot, especially the taking over part, because you’re so darn competent!

If you’re a man, are…

  • you not engaging emotionally with your partner?
  • there times when you simply tune your partner out?
  • there times when you sit and listen, and then start rattling off unasked-for- advice?

Sorry, guys, I see you do this a lot, because you are about helping your woman (but it doesn’t help when she just wants to unload).

These are danger signs. Big signals telling you, “STOP! You’ve got to do something here.”

If you’re a woman, put some brakes on the complaining and stop doing everything because he’s not doing it right.

If you’re a man, start listening and start really engaging emotionally. Easier said than done, right?

The biggest thing is, you both have to make this basic decision –

“I love this person and I want to nurture them.”

What’s that going to take?

  • Willingness
  • Dropping your resentments about what’s happened in the past
  • Coming back into loving connection

Again, I know that these are all easier said than done. But if you’re finding that you’re out of the Nurturing Zone, you can recognize that and you can do something about it. You literally can shift everything around by making the simple decision –

“I want to nurture this person and I’m going to figure out how to do that.”

Like I said, this is easier said than done. Letting go of past resentments is usually pretty difficult for both parties and that’s usually what’s holding one or both of you back from really getting into and staying in the Nurturing Zone.

Or maybe you don’t have clarity about what you truly want. It’s hard to go out of your way to do something for the other person when you’re not 100% sure that you want to be with them.

Let us help you get back into the Nurturing Zone. Come to Sedona and do a Couples Retreat. Give it to yourselves as a Valentine’s Day present. Wouldn’t that be the most amazing present you’ve ever had? Coming back into the love and connection that brought you together in the first place?
Call us and connect with one of our Angel Guides. They’ll connect with both of you separately and really dig deep to discover what’s keeping you out of the Nurturing Zone. Then they’ll put together a retreat that’s custom designed for exactly what you need and want, and to bring you back into the love, connection and sizzle that you crave.

Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada, call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you. 

You might also like to download your free copy of our “Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats.” That will give you a real idea of what we do and how it works. But even if you don’t do this, please – for the sake of your relationship – do SOMETHING to get yourself back into the Nurturing Zone.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

How to Find Out Who You Really Are

For so many years, I hated myself because I would get angry. I somehow thought that if I was REALLY a spiritual person (and by that I meant not a phony spiritual person, because I had seen a lot of those), then I would never get angry at anyone, ever. The worst part was, I would hate myself when I did get angry and I would tell myself all kinds of terrible things about myself that simply weren’t true.
Then I found the Enneagram and discovered that I’m an Eight, and I’m wired to get angry, but I’m also wired to be loving, caring, strong and compassionate. The Enneagram opened up a whole new world for me in understanding and having compassion for myself and even better, having understanding and compassion for others.
This might be some of the most valuable information you’ve ever received, so watch the video now:
The basic idea of the Enneagram is that there is Nothing Wrong with you and there’s nothing wrong with anyone else, we’re all just wired differently to behave the way that we do. This is a big one to wrap your head around and I can hear you out there saying, “No, Debra that can’t be true, this person is terrible and this person is a liar, and this guy is a jerk.”
AND I WANT TO PUT IN A BIG CAVEAT HERE AROUND THE QUESTION:
What if a person has done something, like broken the law or is abusive? Isn’t that wrong?
In our discussion that Nothing Is Wrong, I’m not advocating that we go through life without boundaries, rules or laws. I was an attorney for over 20 years, and I have a deep belief in the rule of law. People who have violated our beliefs of what is moral or ethical (murder, rape, violence, theft, etc.) are to be held accountable, and their actions are not to be condoned.
But here, I’m talking about you. You and the people who are around you – your husband, your wife, your children, your friends, the normal everyday people that you run into, the people who are in your life.
And the concept that I’m talking about is that when we drop judgment about ourselves and others, it’s amazing what happens.
As Christ said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
But that’s so hard to do when this person and that person are acting like such jerks!
This is why I love the Enneagram. Because it teaches us that we are wired to be who we are and everyone else is wired to be who they are. And it moves us into compassion, which allows you to shift how you look at yourself and others.
The Enneagram originated in the Middle East hundreds of years ago and was brought to the West by the Crusaders. Because monks kept the process alive during the Dark Ages, many Roman Catholics are aware of the Enneagram.
The Enneagram is a system for deeply understanding your basic personality…
What makes you tick?
What drives you?
What makes others tick and drives them?
It helps you to see that your quirks and patterns are just part of who you are and how you’re wired.
Here’s how it works. You take a test. It tells you which number you are – there are 9 numbers. I prefer to use the word “Style,” because people generally don’t like to be called “Numbers.”
Each Style represents a deep belief that an individual uses to help navigate their life, but these beliefs are actually lies that are holding the self back from a connection with happiness, love, and contentment. You aren’t telling yourself this lie consciously; it’s an unconscious belief that is usually buried very deeply. When you discover the lies that you are telling yourself, it’s as though the entire world opens up. When you discover the lies other people tell themselves, it brings you to a deep level of understanding and compassion for them.
When you are still operating your life based on a lie, you are operating as your unhealed self. Once you see the truth, you can move toward healing.
This information is vital because it tells you how you are wired. It helps you see that some of your quirks and patterns are a deep part of who you are and that you don’t necessarily choose them. It doesn’t mean that you don’t accept responsibility – quite the contrary. By taking total responsibility, you can take this information and use it for transformation.
In an interesting book I read about the Enneagram, the author said that there is an “initial shock” in finding out exactly who you are – and he’s exactly right. It was a shock to find out not only how I do things, but to also discover how other people do things.
And that’s another interesting part. I see all of the time how almost everyone assumes that others will react in the same way that they do to a particular situation. Nothing could be further from the truth. In a small group that we organized around the Enneagram in Sedona, we made a point to talk about particular situations and our individual reactions to them. I was stunned to discover how differently people responded. A situation that would make me incredibly angry, for example, would be absolutely no problem for someone else.
At this point, I want you to take the test. The information is here on the video for the website you go to to take the free test. I don’t want your test to be influenced by any of the things I’m about to say in talking about the different Styles.
Go here to take the test now.
If you hit a question where you’re not sure, answer it as you would have at the age of 25. If you’re younger than 25, just answer how you feel, if you’re older than 25, answer it as you would have at age 25.
Stop and take the test. It will take about 10 minutes.

Start here after you’ve taken the test.
Did you take it? If you didn’t, stop and take it because it’s really, really important.
Now you know what number, or what I will call your Style, you are.
What I’m going to do is go through each of the Styles and talk about the healed aspects and the unhealed aspects. Now – I don’t know anyone who is completely healed or completely unhealed. We kind of go back and forth at different times.
It’s also important to understand that there are no good or bad numbers. Nothing Is Wrong with any of the Numbers or Styles. It’s just the way that we’re all wired to navigate the world. Everyone is different and everyone is uniquely fascinating.
Style One – The Perfectionist
The lie they are telling themselves is, “Everything has to be perfect for me to be happy.”
It’s easy to see what a set up this is for having an unhappy life, if you are telling yourself that “Everything has to be perfect for me to be happy.”

  • Unhealed Ones are: critical, controlling, anxious
  • Healed Ones are: ethical, honest, high-principled, ambitious

You know if you are a perfectionist or if you have one in your life.
Style Two – The Helper
The lie they are telling themselves is, “I have to do things for people for them to love me.”

  • Unhealed Twos are: passive aggressive, possessive, manipulative, irrational
  • Healed Twos are: warm, loving, caring, giving, adaptable

Healed Twos are fantastic friends — they will do things for you and care for you, but if they’re unhealed, they give with a hook… they’re always expecting something back and they won’t tell you what they’re expecting back. They’re the ones who say, “If you really love me, you know what I want and I shouldn’t have to tell you.”
And the Two’s out there are sitting there going, “Well, yeah,” and the rest of us are going, “No, tell us what you want, we love you, we want to give it to you.”
Style Three – The Achiever
The lie they are telling themselves is, “I must work hard, do well, and look good to be happy.”

  • Unhealed Threes are: driven, dishonest, pretentious, vain, consumed by what others think about them
  • Healed Threes are: optimistic, efficient, energetic, practical

These are the people who have to have designer everything, but they are also the most social and a lot of fun, and usually very, very successful, because they’re achievers.
Style Four – The Romantic Adventurer
The lie they are telling themselves is, “I must be different and special to matter.”

  • Unhealed Fours are: depressed, moody, self-absorbed, temperamental
  • Healed Fours are: romantic, expressive, supportive, compassionate

Fours think they’re special and they think that nobody gets them; healed fours are very romantic and creative.
Style Five – The Investigator
The lie they are telling themselves is, “I must know everything about everything in order to be happy.”

  • Unhealed Fives are: stubborn, negative, secretive, distant, arrogant about what they know
  • Healed Fives are: independent, inventive, wise, perceptive

Einstein was a 5.
Style Six – The Loyalist
The lie they are telling themselves is, “By being loyal to someone or something else, I will be taken care of.”

  • Unhealed Sixes are: anxious, controlling, paranoid, insecure
  • Healed Sixes are: loyal, practical, responsible, self-reliant, team players

Sixes are the most anxious, I mean think about it – if you believe your happiness lies with someone else, that can put you in a state of constant anxiety. But if they’re healed they are wonderful team players; they are great employees.
Style Seven – The Enthusiast
The lie they are telling themselves is, “I must avoid pain to be happy.”                                                                                      

  • Unhealed Sevens are: possessive, manic, restive, narcissistic, scattered and don’t want to look at problems
  • Healed Sevens are: spontaneous, versatile, enthusiastic

Sevens are the Happiest of the Styles. One of my good friends is a 7 and she is so much fun to be around.
Style Eight – The Aggressor
The lie they are telling themselves is, “I have to fight for everything I have.”

  • Unhealed Eights are: angry, aggressive, confrontational, grudge holders, think they are right about everything
  • Healed Eights are: courageous, direct, self-reliant, self-confident, decisive

I’m an 8. I’ll talk more about that later.
Style Nine – The Peacemaker
The lie they are telling themselves is, “I must have peace at any price.”

  • Unhealed Nines are: stubborn, obsessive, judgmental, complacent, passive-aggressive, defensive
  • Healed Nines are: creative, accepting, trusting, supportive

Nines are doing everything they can to control situations so as not to disturb the peace

So that’s a lot to take in. Sit with it a little while and in the next video, I’m going to talk to you about how all this can help you and I’ll tell you all about How I Went from Being an Unhappy Eight and Stopped Fighting with Everyone.
I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did and if you got value from this video, please like it, share the video with your friends and subscribe to our channel.

And if you want a more direct path to getting and staying happy – then go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.
Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at 928/204-5988.
You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

Do you have a Divine Connection?

Do you feel happy or unhappy?

The answer might actually come down to a different question —

Are you connected or disconnected?

I believe all of us come onto the planet with a divine spark, a divine connection. And then for many of us (myself included), it can get muddied up along the way as we go through life. And once that happens, it can be virtually impossible to live a really happy, contented and connected life.

Watch my video to find out about your Divine Connection and what you can do to reclaim it.

If you’ve been following along, you know that in these series of videos, I’m talking about concepts from my book, The Journey to Happy– How Embracing the Concept that Nothing is wrong can transform your life.
In my book, I talk a lot about Connection, because I believe that’s what’s causing a huge amount of problems that people have today. People feel disconnected from other people, even from their own families… they feel disconnected from the larger society… many people even feel disconnected from themselves, and I say that because so many people hate themselves or dislike themselves. 
And then there’s the disconnect that results in all the negativity it feels like we’re surrounded by all the time.
What causes that? Why do people come at things from either a “glass half empty” or “glass half full” point of view? We know from the Enneagram (which I talk about in some other videos) that some of this is about how we’re wired, but there are also things that happen to us as we go through life.
My own personal belief is that when we come onto the planet, we all come here – and I mean all of us come here – with a divine spark, a divine connection.
The Bible says that we are created in the image and likeness of God. Hinduism teaches that our Souls are Godlike.
I see this Divine connection that we all have as this beautiful jewel that is perfect and strong, and cannot be destroyed.
But then stuff starts to happen.
Mud & Gunk get splattered all over until all we can feel is the mud and the gunk
until it gets buried so deeply that we don’t even realize that it’s there anymore. All we can see and feel is the mud and the gunk. We lose that connection to the Divine and that feels really awful. It’s in that disconnected state that people can do some pretty terrible things.
I don’t know if this story is true, or just a teaching that I’ve heard many times, but I love this story… A monastery in Asia had a large, beautiful statue of the Buddha made entirely of pure gold. There was a war and the monks knew that their monastery was about to be invaded. They decided that to save the statue, they would cover it over with mud and make it look like a simple ceramic statue. Many years passed and after a few generations, everyone completely forgot that the statue was made of gold. One day the statue was being moved and it was dropped. The stucco cracked. And underneath was the beautiful brilliant gold!
I especially love two things about this story. The primary thing is that the “real” Buddha, the golden one, is hidden underneath all of the gunk. Just like with you, the real (golden) you is underneath all that gunk. The other part is that it takes a cracking in the exterior coat of gunk for the real you to burst forth and be seen.
I believe the trials and tribulations we all experience are just a set up for the cracking to take place. I had to reach my lowest point before I started to crack. Alcoholics Anonymous talks about hitting “rock bottom” before addicts are willing to do something to heal their addiction. The Bible talks about God being able to more easily come through “the cracked vessel.”
If you are reading this and are in a place in your life right now where everything seems to be wrong, let me tell you that I feel your pain. That’s exactly where I was almost 20 years ago when I first came to Sedona. Every area of my life was messed up – work, marriage, money, body… I know how awful it is. I know what it feels like to not want to drag yourself out of bed to face another day.
But the truth is, sometimes that can be the most incredible place to start, being the cracked vessel, because it means you can allow your Divine Connection to get activated again.
Because – and here’s the important part – it’s always been there, it’s never gone away, it’s always been with you. It’s that beautiful jewel that is perfect and strong, and cannot be destroyed.
So how can you connect back up with it? The first part is to start believing it’s there in first place.
Can you do that? Can you take that Leap of faith?
I’m not saying you have to do a complete 180 degree turn here, but could you just try this idea on for size? Because I’ll tell you, there’s a lot of relief when you do that. Just sit with the idea that you have this Divine Connection, that it’s really there and you just to have to connect with it.
And then you’re probably going to need to do something with clearing the mud and gunk… I’ve given you a bunch of processes in these series of videos for how to start doing that with things like Discover the Patterns, Enneagram, and Meditation.
But if you have some heavy duty mud and gunk like I did, you may want to think about coming out Sedona to do a retreat, because we’ll clean that gunk out and bring you back into connection in just a matter of days.
We had a woman here a few years ago who told us, “I hate everything. I hate my husband, I hate my kids, I hate my job. I hate everything. And I’m mad at everybody.”
When we dug a little deeper, we discovered that what was really going on was that she was mad at God. She had two really wonderful, loving parents and they were both killed in a car accident when she was young. She was in the car and she was hurt, but she wasn’t killed. That, of course, completely shattered her world and it resulted in her being so angry because, of course, her thinking was, how could a loving God have done this to her? He must hate her, so okay, she hated him right back.
She also had this huge amount of grief and guilt over the fact that she lived and her parents died, and that resulted in her hating herself for having survived. So here she was, walking around all these years with all this mud and gunk, all this hate, guilt and shame. Of course her Divine Connection felt like it was completely gone.
We did a bunch of sessions with her to clear out the mud and gunk. First to help her to see that the car accident was not her fault. She of course knew that mentally, but before this, she didn’t really get it on a deep level, she didn’t really believe it.
And then we helped her to clear out all that hate, guilt and shame.
But the best part came during her Inner Journey with Breath. The breath took her into the altered state and suddenly, she was there with both her parents. She told me it reminded her of the Harry Potter book where he saw both of his parents in the mirror. She totally felt their presence and was completely filled with love from both of them. But then she said something else happened…
She was filled with this deeper knowing, this deeper love, and she said she felt what seemed to her to be the presence of God. I asked her to describe it and she said there weren’t really any words, that the best way to describe it was that she felt completely filled up with love, that this huge hole that had been there forever felt like it was filled. She was sobbing during the breath journey and she was crying when she was telling me about it because it was so incredibly beautiful.
She came out saying, “It’s so weird, I came here hating everyone, including myself and God, and I’m leaving here just full of love for everyone and everything.” She had made that connection with that Divine part of herself. That was a few years ago and it still feels very real and strong for her.
We all have that – we just have to believe it and take steps to connect with it.

I hope this video makes you feel a little happier and if it did, please like, share the video with your friends and subscribe to our channel.
And if you want a more direct path to getting and staying happy – then go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.
Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at 928/204-5988.
You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

How to Have a Personal Breakthrough Just by Breathing

I discovered Breath Journeys in 1991. It is one of the most powerful processes I have ever done and I continue to use it to this day. It is a huge part of the retreats that we do here at Sedona Soul Adventures because people have such huge awakenings when they do it.

But did you know that a psychiatrist in the United States was part of developing the connected breathing process because he was trying to replicate the incredible, spiritual experiences his patients had with LSD before it became illegal? Watch my video, I think you’ll find it fascinating.

    In these series of videos, I’m talking about concepts from my book
    “The Journey to Happy– How Embracing the Concept that Nothing is wrong can transform your life”…
    Processes that can help you feel a lot happier right away and help you to flip the switch into a better feeling state.
    In the last video, I spoke about how doing 5 minutes of deep breathing every day, and doing deep breathing throughout the day, can really make a difference in your life.
    Today, I want to tell you about a very special kind of breath that has literally changed my life and changed the lives of thousands of people.
    It’s a form of breath that I call Inner Journey Breath. You might find similar methods that are called Rebirthing, Connected Breath or Holotropic Breathwork, all of these are somewhat similar.
    It’s a process where you do connected breathing, meaning there is no stopping between the inhale and exhale and what happens when you do this is you do not hyperventilate. Instead, if the process is done correctly, you can literally go into an altered state of consciousness. 
    I first found this in 1989, but the process that I first found was called Rebirthing. These processes were pioneered and developed by Leonard Orr and Sondra Ray for Rebirthing and Stanislav Grof, who is a psychiatrist. Grof had used LSD with his clients when it was still legal and his clients had incredible, transformation experiences going into these altered states.
    One of the people who used LSD in this way was Cary Grant, of all people, and he talks about how life changing it was for him. After LSD was outlawed, Grof believed there had to be a way to replicate the experience and he started studying the Vedas and other texts, and learned about the yogis in India who were able to do such incredible things with their breath. When he did this with his patients, they had absolutely remarkable experiences.
    So… What happens? It’s different for everyone.
    In over 25 years that I’ve been doing breathwork, I’ve experienced:

    • Seeing visions
    • Release of emotional pain
    • Release of energetic blocks
    • Release of birth trauma
    • Release of physical pain
    • Connection with my High Self
    • Connection with my Angels & Guides
    • Connection with souls who have crossed over
    • Receive information on problems and situations
    • Sense of peace
    • Enormous gratitude
    • Deep knowing that All is Well and Nothing Is Wrong

    Over the past 16 years, we have developed a process here at Sedona Soul Adventures that we call Inner Journey with Breath. It’s a very important process that we do with almost everyone who comes here to do a Soul Adventure because it’s so incredibly powerful.
    We have had so many people over the years who have had such incredible experiences because for many of them, it is the first time in their lives that they have truly experienced the Divine – feeling like God is truly with them and part of them, and truly experienced their own Divine nature.
    We had a medical doctor here a number of years ago and her breath journey was just out of this world! She saw visions, she actually communicated with her mother who had crossed over, and then she saw and felt and truly experienced the perfection that was her. She went home and told her other doctor friends about what had happened and they all said, “They must have given you a drug, did you drink anything during the session?” And she said yes, she drank water and they said, “Yes! They must have slipped LSD into your water.” Which, of course, we did not do.
    Another woman got finished with her breath journey and at the end as she was talking about her experience, she said “I felt like I levitated.” Her practitioner teased her a little and said, “Yes, you were about 3 ft off the ground,” and she said, “I knew it!” She really felt that she had levitated.
    Another person when she got done, lifted up the mat she was lying on and said where is the electrical cord that made the mat vibrate so much. She was vibrating so much that she was sure that there must have been electricity making it happen.
    But for me, the most wonderful occurrences are those when people really experience that highest part of themselves, and when they really experience the Divine on all levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
    Have you ever had an experience like that? There really aren’t words to describe it.
    I first discovered this back in 1989 at a really low time in my life. I had recently gotten divorced, I had jumped immediately into another relationship that was disastrous, I was working way too hard… but the biggest thing I suddenly discovered was my Co-dependency. One of my good friends actually staged an intervention and I entered a 12-step Co-dependency treatment program. It was an outpatient program that was supposed to go for 4 weeks, but at the end of 4 weeks they decided I needed to do at least 6.
    It helped me a lot ,but at the end of the 6 weeks I just felt terrible. They kept telling us “you will always be like this” and that was just really depressing. I decided to treat myself to a massage with a new therapist I had heard about. I went for the massage and told her what had been going on with me and it turned out she was actually a Rebirthing practitioner. I did one session with her…I went into the altered state, I experienced the Divine and my own perfection, and I can hardly describe the Joy and Love that was just suddenly gushing through me.
    Back then, it was felt that you needed to do the process once per week for 10 weeks with a certified practitioner – and I did that with her. Every week my joy and happiness was just increasing exponentially.
    One of the after care things I was doing from my Co-dependency treatment was to go to meetings each week of Adult Children of Alcoholics. Every week we would each go around the circle talking about how we were doing and everyone every week had the same old stories, the same struggles and the same difficulties.
    After the very first breathwork, I described my experience and then the next week I talked about it again. After the third week of gushing about all the love, joy and happiness I was feeling, the person next to me said, “Well, I’m not feeling as good as DEBRA is,” and after the next week, I realized I just couldn’t go back there again. Everyone else was still stuck; none of them were interested in even trying the breathwork, they were just interested in staying stuck. Which was fine, it’s a free country, everybody gets to be just as miserable as they want.
    But I had found what seemed to me to be the path to everything I was looking for and that was over 25 years ago. I still do breathwork regularly, in fact I just did it again a few weeks ago. It’s amazing to me how different it is every single time.
    But the best part is that this has become a cornerstone of the work that we do here at Sedona Soul Adventures. People have such incredible experiences and then we teach them how to continue to do it at home. I love it so much when someone emails me and tells me about an amazing experience they’ve had.
    Don’t start doing this on your own. A breath journey is not something that you should do on your own. It’s not like the yogic breath or the breath of fire that many people are familiar with in yoga. It’s a connected breath and one that is designed to take you into an altered state, so doing it alone when you do it for the first time, is never recommended. In fact, Dr. Grof believes no one should ever do it alone because so many people have abandonment issues that come up, that when they come out of the altered state and they’re alone, that can be traumatic.
    The most important is to do the process with someone who is specially trained in doing this process. If you want to find someone in your area, try searching “Breathwork practitioner” on Google and hopefully you can find someone.
    Or even better, come to Sedona and experience the Breath Journey as part of your Soul Adventures. We have so many fantastic breathwork practitioners, they will lead you on an incredible journey.

    I hope this video makes you feel a little happier and if it did, please like, share the video with your friends and subscribe to our channel.
    And if you want a more direct path to getting and staying happy – then go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.
    Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at 928/204-5988.
    You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

    You Don’t Have to be “Perfect” All the Time – Here's What to do Instead…

    How are your New Year’s resolutions going? If you’re like 82% of Americans, you’ve already broken them, but no worries!

    Watch my new video on “How to Use the 51% Rule,” because it’s all about how you don’t have to be “perfect” all the time to have a fabulous, amazing, rewarding life. Isn’t that a relief?

    And I think you’ll love the simple things you can do to “stay in the 51%.” Have a listen.

      Today I want to talk to you about the 51% Rule.
      When I first started on my spiritual path, one of the things that I was lucky enough to figure out was what I call, the 51% Rule. Simply stated, the 51% Rule acknowledges that, with all this stuff you’re trying to do and this energy you’re trying to move, if you just stay on the path of your Journey to Happy at least 51% of the time, you’re going to have an amazing, incredible life.
      You don’t have to be perfect. Sometimes you’ll be at 60%, other times at 20% – because you’re human. But, as you learn to stay in the energy of Excited Expectation a majority of the time, you’ll hit the tipping point and be over the edge.
      And when that happens, you’ll have momentum on your side.
      For many people, when they first start out on their spiritual path, sometimes they think, “Oh, this is going to take forever, and I’ll never be able to do all this all the time.”
      And that’s right. You won’t be able to do all this all the time.
      But here’s the good news. So much of all this is about taking yourself off the hook. You don’t have to be perfect all the time.
      And remember, Nothing is Wrong if you aren’t perfect all the time.
      If you can hold yourself in the place of feeling good at least 51% of the time, your life will start to transform dramatically. And the best part is, the percentages even out — meaning that there will be times you will be feeling at 65%, sometimes even at 85%, so even if you mainly stay in the 51-55%, you will start maintaining that vibration of wonderful, juicy, delicious joy!
      The trick is to not dip back into the 49% very often. So have an arsenal of things ready to do when you start to feel yourself go into that dip. Things that kind of automatically make you feel good, or at least a little better. Things that can flip the switch into a better feeling state. That’s all it takes, just feeling a little better. Don’t expect (or demand) that you must go into total bliss and joy, just do something, ANYTHING to make yourself feel a little better.
      Here are some things that work for me:

      • What are you grateful for? Writing down a list of things I’m grateful for and thinking about each thing. This is actually one of the Stepping Stones I talk about my the book, keeping a Gratitude Journal.
      • Pet your dog or cat. Petting my dog and feeling a huge surge of love for her always makes me feel great.
      • Listen to music. Listening to certain songs that just always make me feel better. The old Johnny Nash song, “I Can See Clearly Now” does it for me every time
      • Watch movies (or something else guaranteed to make you laugh). If I’m at home, there are certain movies that just crack me up and I’ll put them on and fast forward to the scenes that make me laugh out loud.
      • Watch YouTube Videos. There are some videos on YouTube (usually involving babies, cats, or dogs doing something funny) that make me laugh and start to feel better.
      • Meditate. Sometimes meditating (particularly a guided meditation) can make me feel great, but if I find my mind going a mile-a-minute, I stop the meditation and move onto something else (like music). If it’s not making you feel a little better right away, try something else. That’s why I recommend having an arsenal of different tactics.
      • Go outside. Going outside in the sunshine and appreciating the beauty of the sun (or the stars) and how incredible and big life is, always helps me.
      • Get moving. Dancing and really moving (I recommend being alone for this!). What does the bumper sticker say? Dance as if no one is watching. That really moves the energy!

      What are things that work for you? Have an arsenal of things that you can use to keep you in the feel good energy most of the time.
      And remember, take yourself off the hook. You don’t have to be perfect 100% of the time, you just have to get to 51% and stay there most of the time. That’s the Journey to Happy.

      I hope this video makes you feel a little happier and if it did, please like, share the video with your friends and subscribe to our channel.
      And if you want a more direct path to getting and staying happy – then go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.
      Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at 928/204-5988.
      You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

      How to Have a Kick-Ass New Year!

      HAPPY NEW YEAR!
      Please take just 7 minutes to watch my video, because if you follow these simple steps, you truly will have a Kick-Ass New Year!

      And that’s my prayer for you — that you have a happy, exciting, fulfilling New Year with everything coming to you that you want. If that doesn’t quite seem possible to you right now, then you need to do something about that. Because if you don’t believe you can have everything you want, then you can’t — it’s as simple as that!
      And if you don’t know what you want — same thing. If you don’t know what you want, you can’t get it.

        Okay, I know that we all say this each and every year, but really, I just can’t believe that 2018 is over and I really can’t believe how quickly it all went. With everything that has happened this year, it just feels like everything is speeding up to a level that we almost can’t even fathom. And the reason it feels like that is because that’s exactly what’s happening.
        Everything is speeding up.
        But here’s the thing – most people seem to talk about that as if it’s a bad thing. I want to talk to you today about how not only is that not a bad thing, it’s a good thing and here are some ways that you can take advantage of everything speeding up.
        There are all kinds of scientific explanations of things that are going on right now, including an increase in the Earth’s frequency, called the Schuman Resonance. I’m not going to go into all the scientific stuff, I just want to talk about that feeling that most of us have, that everything is speeding up and going faster, is true. We experience it all the time with our technology, but we also just experience it in our lives, most notably with how quickly time seems to be passing.
        I want to encourage you to use this energy for yourself for this New Year, to harness it and utilize it. Instead of resisting it, use it. Befriend it.  
        So, how can you do that? The first way is to get clear on what you want.
        I’m not talking about regular New Year’s Resolutions, which are usually too unspecific, too grandiose and not realistic. 
        I’m talking about Realistic Attainable Measurable Goals. Start by going through all of the important areas of your life:

        1. Body
        2. Work
        3. Relationships
        4. Money

        Get laser-focused on what you want this year. Work on all of these if you’d like, or maybe just take one or two to work on – that increases the likelihood of success. Really focus – that’s what will make all the difference.
        After you have gotten laser-focused on exactly what you want to accomplish, then write this down somewhere where you will see it every day, so you can keep feeding it into your subconscious. Studies have shown that just by writing it down, you increase the likelihood of it happening by 50%… 50% just by writing it down!
        Next, develop your game plan. What do you need to do on a monthly, weekly and daily basis to make this happen?
        Some goals lend themselves better than others to this. But for example, if you want to write a book by the end of the year, you’re going to need to write X number of chapters each month to make that happen.
        So, develop your game plan and then break it down into monthly, weekly and daily chunks.
        Finally, and here is my favorite part – the part that I think is the most important one and the one that I know will give you the most bang for your buck: Spend three minutes each day Meditating about these things, Fantasizing about these things and Feeling and Knowing that they are happening.
        Here’s the best way to do this:
        Set the timer on your smartphone for 3 minutes. Doing it for only 3 minutes will help insure you do this every day. And setting it on your timer will stop you from thinking about how much time is left.
        Close your eyes and put your hand over your heart with the intention of bringing in Heart Coherence. It’s not necessary for you to completely understand what that means and I’ll be talking about it in a later video, so for now, just set that intention.  
        Start breathing deeply into your heart. Think of something or feel something that makes you feel good.
        Feel gratitude. Feel love for someone. Think about your dog or your cat – that always works for me.
        Just do something briefly that is going to bring you into a peaceful, easy feeling.
        Now start thinking about the things you want to have happen and start fantasizing about these things, and feeling and knowing that they are in the process of happening. See the energy, this faster, higher vibration energy that is speeding up everything on the planet right now, and see it feeding these goals and desires. See it amp them up as they come to you faster.
        Next, see yourself as if these things have already happened. What do you look like? How do you talk? How does your body move? Feel the excitement that you’ll feel as they start to come true. Feel the gratitude that you’ll feel as they start to come true.

        Ask yourself the question “What do I need to know right now?” Breathe and listen to the answers.  
        Just as the timer goes off, take a final deep breath and feel the knowing, the absolute knowing that this is happening. Open your eyes and write down any answers, thoughts or ideas that came to you.  
        Consistency is the Key. If you do this consistently, and I mean every day, I think you will be amazed at what will happen.
        Because you are being focused and you’re energizing your goals and desires with this speeded up energy that is on the planet right now. And even better, you’re utilizing that energy to bring your goals and desires to you even more quickly.
        So that’s my New Year gift for you. I hope you’ll do it and I’d love to hear your success stories as they happen.

        I hope this video makes you feel a little happier and if it did, please like, share the video with your friends and subscribe to our channel.
        And if you want a more direct path to getting and staying happy – then go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.
        Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at 928/204-5988.
        You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

        Why You Should Watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” this Christmas

        Merry Christmas! Wow! Here it is again!
        Watching the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” is one of my holiday traditions. Watch my  5-minute video to find out why… and why I firmly believe you should watch it too.
        It’s all about second chances.
          It’s Christmas and one of the Christmas traditions that I’ve had for many years is to watch the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” each year. If you don’t do that, or especially if you’ve never seen the movie, you have to see it and I hope you’ll watch it again. There are 2 reasons why I want you to watch it or watch it again… 
          Because it will make you feel good. It will fill you with Christmas cheer. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry, but mainly it will just make you feel good and that’s what all of this is all about. 
           
          But here’s the other reason why I want you to watch it – it’s because of the backstory and of what happened with the movie and why it’s such a wonderful story about second chances. 
           
          The movie came out in 1946, the year after the end of the second World War. It stars Jimmy Stewart, a very famous Hollywood actor and he was just back from serving as a pilot in the war. It was directed by Frank Capra, a very famous Hollywood director who also served in World War II. 
           
          It’s the story of George Bailey, a small town boy who has dreams of traveling the world, but when his father dies unexpectedly, he has to take over the family business, a savings and loan company that makes home loans for people who don’t have a lot of money. 
          He falls in love, gets married and has children, but he always feels he never really got to live the life he wanted. Then his uncle loses some of the savings and loan money, and George is faced with ruin.
          It’s so seriously awful that he’s thinking about suicide, he’s about to jump off a bridge, when an angel is sent down from heaven to help him. The angel jumps in first and George saves him, and then the angel shows George how life in their small town would have been without him.
          George sees the incredible impact he’s had on the lives of so many people and he truly appreciates all the love he has in his life. His life is saved but even more than that, it’s completely renewed. He has a second chance at his life. 
           
          The movie came out and it was a flop. It got mixed reviews and very little box office time. It went into that place of the forgotten movie. And then a weird thing happened – the copyright lapsed and the movie went into the public domain. That meant television stations could show it, at no cost. Suddenly this once-forgotten movie started to be shown every year at Christmas and for many people, myself included, it’s a Christmas tradition each and every year. 
           
          Both Jimmy Steward and Frank Capra always said it was their favorite film they had ever made. 
           
          So just like George Bailey in the story, the movie got its own second chance and is now a beloved classic. 
           
          Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t it a wonderful Christmas story to know that even if we’re in the pit of despair like George was, we can have a second chance?
          All it takes it to look around and appreciate what we have, to recognize the love that we have in our lives. 
           
          So please, watch the movie, feel the love and I hope you have a very merry and joy-filled Christmas. 

          I hope this video makes you feel a little happier and if it did, please like, share the video with your friends and subscribe to our channel.
          And if you want a more direct path to getting and staying happy – then go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.
          Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at 928/204-5988.
          You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

          How Deep Breathing Can Make You Happier

          You’re going to be amazed at the incredible benefits that can happen for you, simply by doing 5 minutes of deep breathing every day. Watch my 7 minute video.
          Especially at this busy time of year, taking some deep breaths can help enormously!
            In these series of videos I’m talking about concepts from my book “The Journey to Happy — How Embracing the Concept that Nothing is wrong can transform your life.”
            I hope you’ve been following along with these videos about the concept of Nothing is Wrong, because that will make all this make a lot more sense.
            I’m talking to you here about a Radical way to start living your life. A way that can make you happier than you ever felt possible.
            It’s the concept of living your life from the knowing and understanding that Nothing Is Wrong.
            To recap…
            It’s not what’s happening to us that is causing most of the problems in our lives, it’s our reactions and responses to what’s happening.
            How you’re thinking about it.
            How you’re talking about it.
            How you’re feeling about it.

            What  I’ve found is that the more I drop my resistance, the more I am able to go with the flow, the happier I am and the more things have happened that are almost miraculous.
            It’s a shift out of the energy of Everything is Wrong and into the energy of Nothing is Wrong that changed everything in my life.
            The question is, how can you do that? How can you flip that switch?
            In these videos I’ve been giving you lots of processes about how to flip that switch and today I’m giving you another one — Deep Breathing.
            If you try this, I think you’re going to be shocked at what it can do for you.
            I’m going to be talking to you about 2 ways of doing this:
            The first is to start each day with 5 minutes of deep breathing.
            Studies have shown so many benefits for breathing deeply, including reducing anxiety and stress.
            If you are one of those people who feels worried or anxious, or you get angry easily, doing deep breathing can really help.
            When we take short, shallow breaths, we’re triggering the fight or flight mechanism that’s wired in our brains, and our body thinks there is danger near. But when we are taking slow, deep breaths that signals the body that you are in relaxation mode, what some people call the Relaxation Response. This puts you at ease and reduces the anxiety that you feel.
            And then the long exhalation connects with your nervous system and tells it to calm down.
            At the same time, deep breathing slows your heart rate. When you do the deep breathing, you pump more oxygen into your cells. This lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and improves circulation.
            The ultimate result is more energy to complete the tasks you are doing, while simultaneously lowering your heart rate and helping you to calm down.
            And again, at the same time, deep breathing improves your energy level. As I said, when you do the deep breathing, you pump more oxygen into your cells. With more oxygen you have more energy.
            Our modern world is really hard on our body, especially our lungs. Air pollution, smoking, all kinds of things can lead to lung problems. With the deep breathing, it forces oxygen into the deepest parts of your lungs and breaks up particles and residue that may be there… cleansing the lungs and possibly preventing you from getting sick as often as you normally might.
            Deep breathing can also help improve lung capacity and performance.
            What I recommend is spending 5 minutes each day doing Deep Breathing.
            Just sit quietly, relax, and set the timer on your smartphone for 5 minutes, so that you won’t be thinking “is the 5 minutes up yet?” Just breathe deeply for 5 minutes. It might help to really visualize your lungs filling up with air and being cleansed.
            Feel the relaxation that happens almost automatically. I hesitate to call this a meditation because so many people react to that word, but if you do this consistently, you will go into a meditative state, meaning a state where you feel happy, relaxed and alert. Isn’t that great?  
            If you start to actually go into an altered state, meaning you feel really light headed and you feel like your consciousness is changing, stop breathing so deeply – we’re going to talk about that next time, because that’s a whole other area of breath that is incredible.
            Do 5 minutes of Deep Breathing every day and you will start to see incredible changes in your life.
            In addition to doing 5 minutes each day…
            The second part is to do deep breathing when you start to feel stressed, angry, anxious or low energy.
            All of the things we talked about will be helped immensely if, during the day, you do a little bit of deep breathing. I know for me, it helps me so much when I start to get upset, to just stop and take a deep breath.
            If you watched the video on the Enneagram, you know I’m an 8, the Aggressor, so I’m wired to get angry. And I mean, sometimes I can just go from 0 to 60 in a snap! And if I say something or decide something when I’m angry and upset, that just doesn’t help anybody.
            When I get triggered, and you can feel it, can’t you, that feeling that’s somewhere in you, you can feel it and if you start noticing it just a little, and take just a nano-second to STOP, take a deep breath – and maybe another one – and sometimes I’ll invite the other person to take a deep breath with me… then I can slow down, calm down and not say or do something that I’m going to regret.
            Try it and let me know how you do.

            I hope this video makes you feel a little happier and if it did, please like, share the video with your friends and subscribe to our channel.
            And if you want a more direct path to getting and staying happy – then go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.
            Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at 928/204-5988.
            You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

            Stop! Don't Have That Affair!

            If you’ve been with me for a while, you know that I was a divorce attorney for over 20 years in Omaha, Nebraska. Now, and for the past 16 years, I’ve been working with couples to help them stay together and have fantastic relationships.
            In all these years of working with couples, I can tell you that the most destructive (but easiest to avoid) problem is cheating. It can ruin everything and it can be almost impossible to come back from.
            Watch my 6 minute video – it might change your life and save your relationship.

            If this issue has been haunting you, I first want to say that I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for your pain, hurt and anguish. But I also want to tell you that there’s hope. I know it. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen the healing take place and people come out the other end.
            We’re all human. We all make mistakes, and sometimes the mistakes are more vicious and horrendous than we think we can bear, but you can bear it. You can make it through it.
            If your partner has cheated, you’re at a crossroads. You need to decide what you are going to do. I urge you to get help with this. This is one of the most critical times in your life, and the decisions that you make now will be affecting you (and your family) for the rest of your life.
            What do you truly want? What do you need? Now is the time to really be looking for your own healing as well as the healing of the relationship.
            Certainly, a retreat (where you immerse yourself in your healing) is the best choice. What makes our retreats so unique and special is that they are customized for each couple and the sessions are all private, not in groups.
            We spend a lot of time talking to each of you separately before you come to Sedona to uncover all of the issues that need to be healed. We then custom design the retreat for exactly what the two of you need.
            During your retreat, you’ll work in private one-on-one (or two-on-one) sessions. We have over 40 practitioners, many of whom have over 20 years of experience working with couples.
            The privacy of the sessions is so key. Many people don’t feel comfortable in a group setting and they don’t want to talk about their most private issues in front of a bunch of strangers.
            There is also a strange dynamic that can sometimes happen in group settings where the group seems to “take the side” of one person, identifying one as the “good guy” and the other as the “bad guy,” and the other person can feel ganged up on. That doesn’t help the healing!
            The privacy of the one-on-one sessions and the skills of our practitioners truly create a space where both parties feel safe.
            We have helped hundreds and hundreds of people come through this difficult time and come out the other side. Give us a call, we can help. Or click below to speak with one of our Retreat Guides:
              If you’ve been with me for a while, then you know that I was a divorce attorney for 20 years in Omaha, Nebraska.  
              And since 2002, I’ve had Sedona Soul Adventures where we work with individuals and couples, and many of the couples we work with are on the verge of divorce.
              So I’ve been working with couples since 1979 and I can tell you that one of the most destructive things that can happen to a relationship is infidelity. I’m sure that sounds pretty obvious, but I think in our world today, I don’t hear very many people saying what I’m going to say to you today, which is: Stop! Don’t have that affair.
              When I was a divorce attorney that was an all too common theme, and now with Sedona Soul Adventures, it’s something that we see over and over again, and if this is something that is happening in your life, I want to ask you to stop and really think about what you’re doing.
              You really need to know that once an affair happens, nothing will ever be the same again. Are you willing to risk your entire life for this, because that’s what happens. You’re risking Your marriage. Your children. Your peace of mind.
              You’re even risking your Financial well-being because divorce and its aftermath are very expensive.
              But the biggest thing you’re risking is the trust that you have with your partner. And once that trust is broken, it’s really difficult to put it back together.
              We had a couple here a few weeks ago who were here as a result of the wife having had an affair 10 years ago. 10 years ago! They had done a lot of therapy, but they just could never get past this. She hadn’t been unfaithful again for 10 years, but that wasn’t enough. Once that trust is broken, it’s just so difficult.
              When they came to us, we were their last ditch attempt at saving their marriage. In fact, he had already moved out and filed divorce papers. What we discovered really surprised us and them. We figured out that the problem here was about control. I’ll call them Linda and Mike, but that’s not their real names. Linda grew up in a family where her father was in the military, so he was very rigid and controlling. She was looking for a way to get out from under all that control, found Mike when they were both 19, she got pregnant and they both felt they had to get married.
              Not surprisingly, it turned out that Mike was even more controlling than her father. And Mike admitted that not only was he controlling, but he was also very critical of her. Ten years into the marriage, after all the controlling and criticism, she had an affair. They could both see that this wasn’t the result of her not loving Mike, it had to do with her trying to finally break free from all the control and all the criticism she had had her entire life. When Mike got that, it just shifted everything. He was able to finally forgive her and even more importantly, she was finally able to forgive herself.  
              After their final session, they decided they wanted to do a recommitment ceremony. We did that with them on Oak Creek, it was so beautiful and we all talked about how incredible it was that just the week before Mike had filed for divorce.
              Their marriage was saved but look at all the years of pain and suffering they both endured. Don’t do that. Don’t do it to your family. Don’t do it to yourself.

              I hope this video makes you feel a little happier and if it did, please like, share the video with your friends and subscribe to our channel.
              And if you want a more direct path to getting and staying happy – then go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.
              Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at 928/204-5988.
              You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.
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