Read this only if you refuse to have fun – or if it’s too hard to watch a funny inspirational movie…
 

 

Do you sometimes want to scream…

“NO! I don’t have the energy to have fun.
Leave me alone!”

 

Sometimes if you’re sick, just the suggestion of allowing more play and fun into your life might seem very threatening or somehow disrespectful. Or it might even seem that your caregivers or those who suggest it aren’t appreciating how serious your situation is.

All these feelings and thoughts need to be honored. I call it “Honoring Your NO.”


Honor Your “NO”

 

It is so important to acknowledge what is going on inside your body and not to deny or pretend that you’re happy and that everything is going great, when perhaps it isn’t.

Of course it isn’t – if you’re not feeling well or if you’re in horrible pain or overwhelm.

If you need help with “Honoring Your NO,” I have created an audio CD designed especially to walk you through your NO’s and to have fun with it (if you’ll let yourself).

We also teach a Chakra Dancing Class to help you find the “NO” movements in your body and to discover what happens when you do. (This class is based on a combination of the work of my teacher, psychiatrist Dr John Pierrakos, Core Energetics, and Yoga.)

Or maybe what you’re feeling is more like…

“NO! I don’t have the energy to say ‘Yes.'”

 

Once you have honored all the parts inside you that are saying “NO” or the parts that could be feeling resentful or angry, a funny thing happens… a space opens up. Things start to relax a bit. At that point, it may be time to consider the possibility of letting a little fun and play in, or considering watching a funny movie.

I have had many patients over the years who have said, “Susan, I don’t even know what it means to play or have fun. How do you do that? The thought of watching a funny movie leaves me cold.” Or, “I couldn’t even begin to think of a funny movie, don’t stress me.” This is why we’ve created our book “The PLAY Formula.”

Stephen’s Story

 

Stephen, for example, explained that he had never laughed or played as a child. His father was away at war when he was born and he believed that his job was to care for his mother, who was lonely and frightened. Of course, he was much too young and it wasn’t his job, but no one had told him that. So he had to grow up much too fast and he believed that he had to do it all by himself.

He came to our workshop with severe depression and chest pains hoping to find some solutions because his medications were no longer working very effectively. Fun was not an option.

At first it was extremely difficult for him to grasp that it was no longer his job to take care of the family. He still believed that he had serious business to take care of. But as he slowly understood how the events that had happened before he was born had nothing to do with him, he was able to let go and allow the flow of life back in.

Stephen’s story illustrates how sometimes children can hold on to old family traumas and tragedies and bring them with them into adulthood from a sense of loyalty and love. Difficult events and situations that happened a long long time ago continue influencing their life.

The child may also have decided that, “If it happened to my parents or grandparents then I must suffer, too.”

Or… “If I let go of their burden, I won’t be a good child.”

That’s not true.

If terrible things happened to family members, your job is to let these old issues go so that you can heal. Allowing more fun and play into your life is a good way to do that.

Your family wants you to be happy – no matter what. I am absolutely certain that if you decide to let go of old suffering, that your family and ancestors will celebrate. The best way that you can honor your family is to thrive and to be an inspiration to your friends and family.

After years of being very contracted and serious, Stephen is starting to expand and grow and has discovered that he’s actually incredibly funny. He’s balancing the yin with the yang.

“Play is mandatory, not an elective”

 

According to oncologist, Dr. Carl Simonton, “Play is mandatory, not an elective.”

This is one of the reasons that he invited the “Power of Play” Team, Rahla Kahn and Richard Rossner, to teach a segment in his renowned Cancer Wellness Retreats.

The motto of this husband and wife team is, “Humor, Healing and Hope”. Their work is inspired by Norman Cousins and Carl Simonton. They have been asked to teach “Play” in many different venues throughout America including the corporate world, the military and non-profit foundations, such as the Wellness Community in Santa Monica. They help you to “Find your Yes when the NO shows up.”

Rahla remembers the core message of Norman Cousins: “He laughed himself well using comedy movies.”

She also claims that “The Power of Play” is an aphrodisiac! Let us know what your experiences are.

“Healing is a Team Sport”

 

Our own “official” slogan is “Healing is a team sport…It’s all about support”?

Well it’s a lot easier to have fun and play when you have support. In our foundational “Core Light Program: The Five Elements to Release Trauma” we practice what it would have been like if we had had all the support that we needed as children. What if your parents had had support? Would they have been able to have more fun and play more with you? In our workshops we support people in releasing the old baggage so that we can get back to the state of the five-year-old where play can be so much fun and incredibly healing.

With support, fun, and play we can feel more connected to our bodies; the chi or energy can flow more easily and we can feel better and more engaged in life – by having fun. What a concept.

I always encourage my students to find a way to have some “Fun and Play, Every Day”.
What can you do in your life to create more “Fun and Play, Every Day?”

Honor Your No, CD

“Honor Your NO!” CD
If you need help with “Honoring Your NO,” I have created an audio CD designed
especially to walk you through your NO’s and to have fun with it (if you’ll let yourself).

 

 

 

The P.L.A.Y. Formula

If you’re willing to consider allowing some fun and play into your daily ritual and are ready to upgrade your life, our lightheartedly serious primer, The P.L.A.Y. Formula:™ Boost Your Immune System in 4 Easy Steps, is here to assist. Visit our website PLAYFormula.com if you’d like support now!