For more than 30 years, author Jaqueline Lapa Sussman has applied the techniques of Eidetic Imagery in her work as a counselor, speaker and teacher. One of the foremost Eidetic practitioners in the world, over the last two decades she has been the protégé and close associate of Dr. Akhter Ahsen, Ph.D., the founder and developer of modern Eidetics and pioneer in the field of mental imagery.
Website: www.jaquelinesussman.com
Creative thinkers, leaders, and other individuals who inspire us in all kinds of ways have one thing in common—imagination. Another way of saying that is they are somehow able to tap into the wellspring of images stored in their minds and come up with innovative visions, which enable them to formulate their goals and achieve the mastery needed to realize their dreams.
From the time of the ancient Greeks to modern day researchers in the field of consciousness, the power...
The words “love” and “workplace” are not usually perceived as naturally co-existing. I am not talking about romantic love, but of the natural bonding love that can develop between people who spend hours of the day together in a mutual pursuit, with common goals, such as at work. These more personal feelings do naturally exist, and can often arise among people in the work place, yet there is no frame of reference for them nor, any accepted language to describe them. Nor, is...
One day several years ago, I had a powerful experience in which I understood how a person can impact for the better simply by the power of their presence. I saw how one’s inner feeling states projects an energy that can profoundly impact those around them. I grasped the meaning of Ghandi's words, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” If we want peace in our world, we must first be peaceful within ourselves and as we radiate our inner peace, others feel it and in...
Early last year, my friend Julia was headed to a business meeting. As she entered the door to the conference room where the meeting would be held, she noticed that her secretary Rachel had not provided the room with all the equipment she needed for her presentation. Without thinking, she blew up at her secretary in front of everyone in the meeting. Later, facing a tearful Rachel, she felt ashamed by the outburst, but she could not pinpoint why she had reacted so violently.
We are born into nature and are an inseparable part of it. Yet modern culture with its overemphasis on materialism and hyper-rationality has left us disconnected from the experience of our natural selves. Just as the natural world has been polluted and desecrated, so have we. The purity of our inner essential selves has been tainted and obscured with the thought forms of a superficial, consumer driven society.
The clash of culture with one’s inner nature can be...
"For my grandmother really had the gift of conducting the affairs of state. She knew so well how to organize and administer that she was capable of governing not only the Roman Empire, but also every other kingdom under the sun."
Since the advent of feminism, women have come into more prominent positions of power and authority. In working with hundreds of women and men, however, both in...
The Indian word "Namaste" is an ancient Sanskrit greeting, which has become popularized in the West. It is often said at the beginning and ending of yoga and meditation classes, and even spin classes. More than a mere hello or goodbye, Namaste has a deeper meaning. Spoken as the hands are brought together at the heart center, bowing to the one being greeted, it expresses profound respect. Translated, Namaste means, "I bow to the God within you," or "The spirit within me salutes the...
Recently, I was reminded of the power of gratitude by a synchronistic series of events that occurred when I reconnected with my closest childhood friend. We had been out of touch for forty years, and when, through a fortuitous set of circumstances, we found each other again she flew out to visit me at my home in Connecticut.
Sitting in a train bound for Manhattan one day during her visit, we began to reminisce about our parents. My friend told me that her mother, now in her...
All the world's religious teachings implore us to love one another: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." However, as we grow, and as the world deals us harsh and painful blows, our natural tendency is to close down, mistrust others, and become self-protective. We develop attitudes that separate us from others, allowing us to perceive them as "other" and different from ourselves. This tendency to close our minds and hearts has serious consequences, not only to our personal...
Sex permeates the culture of our children through music, ads, television, shows, films and the Internet. What not so long ago was considered vulgar and pornographic is now viewed as normal and acceptable. Movie stars and popular singers who are our children’s role models dress in sexually explicit and provocative ways. The lyrics of their songs, movie and television themes, and magazine ads are sexually overt and provocative in order to sell the products. Images of women with...
“I was dead, then alive. Weeping, then laughing. The power of love came into me, and I became fierce like a lion, then tender like the evening star.”
True Abundance Is Found In The Heart
No matter what we buy or how much material wealth we
achieve, we'll keep feeling empty if we don't find fulfillment
from within. External measures of success only fulfill us if they
are a product of the expressions of our heart''s...
For this month, I am excited to share an interview I conducted with a dear and longtime friend, Penelope Young Andrade. Penelope is a masterful and gifted psychotherapist, whose fantastic book, "Emotional Medicine Rx" details the importance of restoring the ability to experience all of one's emotions for complete health in both body and mind. She describes how symptoms such as depression and anxiety, as well as...
When I recently meditated upon the Dalai Lama’s words about the role of women today, his sentiments confirmed the vital contribution women have made to all areas of society since the advent of feminism. When I grew up in the 1950s, it was rare to find examples of women in positions of leadership. Whether on TV, in magazines, or on the silver screen, the images of women promoted by the media conformed to the notion of “the weaker sex” requiring the protection and support of a...
Author’s Note: I write a monthly column for Total Health focusing on Eidetic Image Psychology. But for the current issue, I decided to interview my husband, Richard Sussman, a psychotherapist and social worker who specializes in healing marriages and relationships scarred by infidelity. As we spoke, I became increasingly conscious of the difficult web of emotional and psychological factors that each partner faces when dealing with an affair. Based upon years of...
FALLING IN LOVE IS A BLISSFUL LIFE-ALTERING EVENT. It seems to strike us out of the blue. We go along in our daily lives and then meet someone to whom we are at first indifferent, or who may seem interesting in some way. Then suddenly, for no explicable reason, we see them in a new light. It is as if we have been struck by Cupid’s arrow and become dazed. We have fallen in love. Reason flies out the window and we are overcome by erotic feelings, passion and desire....
Physical illness is not an isolated incidence that is separate from one’s mental and emotional states. In fact, thoughts and attitudes trigger physiological conditions. For example, when we have a fearful thought, this thought instantly releases “fear” chemicals to specific locations in our bodies. As a result, we experience rushes of panic in our faces or chests. Similarly, when we have hopeful thoughts, chemicals are released that produce the experience of optimism, which might be...
Feeling fulfilled in one’s work and personal wellness is interconnected. When we do things we feel passionate about we enter into states of high energy that promotes positive health, which involves one’s mind, body and spirit. The mind engages in subtle, complex and powerful interactions with the body, so it comes as no surprise that emotional and mental well-being are directly linked to physical health.
To be whole or, healthy, means, our thoughts, feelings and...
| "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."¨ —Proverbs 17:22 |
All of the worlds’ spiritual and wisdom traditions instruct us to live in accordance with our soul’s deepest intentions in order to live a fulfilled life. These “soul intentions” come to us in the midst of our...
As parents we may think that by loving, spending time with, communicating, and properly disciplining our children we hold the key to their optimal development. This is true, since parents are their children’s strongest role models. However, more fundamental to the formation of our child’s personality development is not simply our child rearing techniques, but who we are as a person. Our own behaviors and attitudes are the primary influences that shape our children’s sense of self,...
Contained within our psyches is a storehouse of natural strength, vitality, creativity, and power. We are all born whole and complete with unique gifts and natural abilities. Each of us has an inherited genetic blueprint of distinct potentials stored within our brains, which holds our pure untainted nature. As babies, we are born whole and complete with all our powers intact. Babies and toddlers interact with the world with joy, playfulness, curiosity, openness and express the truth of...
