We are all powerful beyond measure when we learn to work with God or as Zukav would say, the unseen guides surrounding us. Knock and the door will open. That is straight out of the Bible. If you want something with all your heart, God will provide it, but we have been living backward – we’ve been focusing on what we don’t want.

I ask people how they want to feel, and they tell me, “I don’t want to be anxious.” Unfortunately, God doesn’t hear the word don’t and focuses on the anxiousness. If you don’t want to feel anxious, how do you want to feel? Now God can work with you.

And sorry to you 12 Steppers. I worked at 12 Step facilities for 6 years and saw so much relapsing that I made a commitment to open up my own residential facility and did so 12 years ago. In the 12 Steps, issues weren’t addressed at the root, but at Basic Steps Mental Health, that is all we do. Healing comes through love, and since God is love, real healing comes from God.

We ask people to take a recent emotional reaction and ride it back in time to the first time they remember having it. Current reactions actually have roots from our past, and when you talk with that younger part inside of you, and treat it with tender care, healing is at hand. That is what this practice is based on, and boy have I seen miracles taking place – especially when I worked at the Mental Health Urgent Care Center in Long Beach, California. We were the first of its kind, treated roughly 25,000 people a year, and love sure healed these folks – or should I say God.

Studying both spirituality and psychology showed me how these two subjects merged together so gracefully. The approaches I use are evidence-based and address a problem at the level it presents itself in. If you have a physical issue, a physical intervention is needed. For example, you cannot counsel away hallucinations, here medication is necessary. There are mental approaches to test if you are logical in your thinking. Others that help you be more positive than negative. Of course, my number one modality is the emotional realm. That is where applying love to hurt heals. I am known for my inner-child work and healing through play. Why not have some fun as you interact with that four-year-old version of yourself that suffered abuse? It worked for me and changed my life to the point where I could give back and help others who have suffered the same.  

Lastly, there are spiritual interventions if you feel like you are being damned, have no purpose in life, or have any spiritual beliefs.

The interesting thing is perhaps half of my clients don’t have any spiritual beliefs. I think they appease me as I show them some spiritual items. But when these tools work, they are enticed. Maybe, they think, this crazy guy has a real point here.

Why is the subject of God so taboo? If we talk about God or death it makes our mortality real. Those with no beliefs face an existential crisis when only nothingness faces them after they die, so this subject is avoided in school, at home, or with friends. But talking about God is very healthy. Why were we born? What is the meaning of life? Is life just a coincidence and after we die is there only nothingness? Perhaps there is a purpose in all of this.

The opposite of God is fear. Fear is the belief that there is no God and we don’t have the capacity to deal with what is presented to us. How do you find God? Simply sit, relax, listen within, and ponder certain questions. Meditation calms us down and allows us to connect to our wise inner voice. For newcomers to meditation, focus on an object like a flame, a crystal, or a flower. Simply view it and let your thoughts fade.  

We often talk about mindfulness in our program. Mindfulness is the realization that everything around us is God/love. Walk in love, communicate in love, work in love, play in love.

As an athlete, my teammates always told me to get angry. I refused, knowing that anger constricts the muscles and causes injuries. Being surrounded by love gives us the ultimate strength – as I marveled at my teammates with incredible feats on the field, running, and at bat. Mindfulness in sports was demonstrated in the last World Series where the Dodgers beat the Yankees. That team was a loving unit that enjoyed being around each other. It was that compassion that permeated throughout their playoff run and secured the championship!

Love heals? Oh, you bet it does, and in your darkest hour when you feel you just can’t cope, embrace the fearful part inside of you. Tell that part of you that you are there for them and love them.

Carl Rogers, the founder of the Person-Centered psychology approach, who was famous for his encounter groups and bringing together Israel and Egypt, believed that his psychology fell short and that one day a future approach would take into account the health of our soul. Enter Spiritual Psychology.