Choices and Illusions (29 page)

He added: “Character is simply a combination of all the virtues

which have been the basis of American life.”

Character is a hallmark of great champions. Character is devel-

oped. Character requires an earnest effort to be, to live, to think, and to act according to a code of conduct that dictates honesty and integrity in all things. no higher act of honesty exists than that

which is necessary in order to stand back and say, “I know I did my very best!” Self-honesty can be one of the most difficult characteristics, and yet the most rewarding, a person can ever develop. The

words attributed to Pythagoras ring as true today as ever:

“Above all else, know thyself!”

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Change

Words and truisms can be interesting. When I was very young,

the words “all men are created equal” disturbed me. What on

earth did it really mean? It was obvious to any child that all men

were indeed not created equal. Adults who truly wished to settle

my concern over this foolish matter gave me many answers. Their

typical answer went something like, “In the eyes of God, all men

are equal.”

Taking Pride

Although this answer did provide some comfort, it nevertheless

failed to register at every level of my being as “true.” Then one day the answer was put to me another way. It went something like this:

Imagine a rocket scientist who after much work launches an inter-

stellar voyager. Imagine the pride he feels in the accomplishment.

now imagine a so-called menial laborer. On his hands and knees

for endless hours, he scrubs and polishes a floor. He has worked so hard and with so much pride that he has scrubbed his knuckles

raw. now he stands back and beholds his labors. The floor abso-

lutely glistens—every square inch of it. It never looked this good

even when it was new. now, I was further instructed, which man

senses the most pride, the rocket scientist or the floor scrubber?

Even at a young age, I recognized that questions such as this

one were obvious. If both men did their absolute very best and

knew it, putting their whole heart, mind, and soul into their work, their pride of accomplishment would be equal. To the degree that

they compromised their very best, to that precise degree their sense of accomplishment would be diminished.

Risking Change

In this day and age, change can also mean risking reputation

and even our livelihoods. Is it unscientific to include the spiritual component in science? I don’t think so. Again I hark back to a word of William James:
pragmatic.
Is science capable of investigating pragmatic outcomes? The answer is clearly yes.

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I have experienced personal attacks for some of my work and

know firsthand that when we stand outside the established norm

(establishment), we may find ourselves standing alone, at least

for a while. I am also fortunate to know many who stood with

me and supported my work, even in the darkest hours. Today the

technology and methods I have discussed for changing a person’s

inner beliefs, known now as InnerTalk, have been demonstrated

effective in dozens of studies. Today the mind-body-spirit connec-

tion is so well established that denying it is absurd. Still, whenever individuals ask me to recommend a health-care professional who

will treat them holistically rather than mechanically, I remember

just how short in supply these professionals are, and then I think

of dr. Cristian Enescu.

dr. Enescu is a prominent neurologist in new Jersey whom I

have the great pleasure of knowing. He was gracious enough to

write the Foreword to this book and has used many of the tech-

niques in it to improve his life and that of his patients. Rather than tell you about him, I will let his own words, shared with my office in an interview, tell his own story. My wife, Ravinder, wrote the

introduction and conducted the interview.

Dr. Cristian Enescu

For several years now, Dr. Enescu has been sharing InnerTalk with
his patients and periodically would call us to share some of his amazing
stories. We are thrilled that he managed to find time in his busy schedule
to work on this interview with us.

Why did you choose to become a doctor?

Mathematics was my best subject in high school, and I had

thought that I would become a mathematician or engineer. How-

ever, during my last year of high school, an “inner voice” was

telling me that I should choose a career in which I could “help”

people. It was because of this “inner voice” that I started pursuing medicine as a career.

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Where did you get your training?

I graduated with honors from medical school in Bucharest,

Romania, in 1983. Six years later I moved to Greece for just under a year, where I worked as a researcher. In 1990 I moved to the United States, and after working as a research associate in the neurology

department at the City of Hope Medical Center in California, I

entered an internship program at Brookdale University Medical

Center in Brooklyn, new York. I then went on to do my neurology

training at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan.

Why did you become a neurologist?

during my year in Greece, I had the privilege of meeting a

prominent Greek neurologist, Spyros Skarpalezos. We spent a great

deal of time discussing neurology. Then during my first year as an

intern, I met another neurologist, Miran Salgado, who explained

to me the spiritual aspect of neurology. You see, neurology deals

directly with the brain, the brain and the mind are inseparable,

and the mind plays an important role in all healing. So, while as a doctor I could help people, as a neurologist I could maybe discover how my patients could use their own minds to help in their own

healings. neurology allows me not only to understand how my

patient’s brain is functioning, but it also gives me the opportunity to study and experiment with my own brain.

How did you first hear about InnerTalk?

during my first year as an intern, my life was busy—too busy! I

needed to find ways to relax and to speed up my own recovery pro-

cess so that I could function better. I searched the Internet and came across InnerTalk. I was amazed by what I read. If the information

were really true, then InnerTalk had to be really important for all mankind. Of course I had to try this technology for myself. The first programs I tried were
I Am Relaxed, Using Both Halves of the Brain,
and
Synchronicity.
What I found was that previously I had known nothing about relaxation. The InnerTalk programs helped me to relax more

deeply and made me aware of a much greater reality. My InnerTalk

programs became my personal oasis of quietude. I went on to get

many more programs, and I benefited from all of them.

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What were the benefits you gained from InnerTalk?

I am an avid reader and had learned about deeper states of

relaxation, which lead to a heightened awareness of reality, but I

had been unable to achieve this. With InnerTalk I was finally able

to put into practice what I had previously only heard about. I then started exploring the more spiritual programs, such as
Opening

Up to a Higher Power
and
Using the Force,
and I worked through the
Self-Hypnosis
course. However, it was the
Path to Mastership
library that truly changed my life. You see, before using InnerTalk, I was

a successful doctor, but there was no depth or real meaning to my

life—there was no spiritual connection. I felt that there had to be something else in this life—something was missing. Since using

InnerTalk, my life has changed dramatically. I found new joy in

living, and my life became a fascinating adventure, like a huge

jigsaw puzzle with pieces falling into the right places one by one.

In my practice everyone noticed the change in the message I

was delivering to my patients. The financial aspects of my practice, though still important, became completely eclipsed by the daily

search to find ways to awaken my patients’ minds. My purpose for

becoming a doctor was not just to be successful but also to truly

help people, and now I feel I am doing just that.

With InnerTalk I was finally able to put

into practice what I had previously

only heard about.

When and how did you start introducing your patients to InnerTalk?

I had experienced so many personal gains from using InnerTalk

that I wanted to teach my patients about this wonderful tool. Of

course, this is not promoted by the mainstream medical system,

which wants to preserve itself. Physicians are expected to prescribe only drugs. All other alternative ways of healing are discouraged.

In my case, I provide my patients the standard neurological care,

and then I offer my own insights about mind healing. I had already

made the observation in my own patients that those patients who

were optimistic simply got better quicker and depressed patients

got worse, regardless of the treatment protocols used.

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Behind my desk, my patients see a large sign that reads: “Every

day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” during each

exam, I make sure I am playing an InnerTalk program with gentle

music. My patients feel more relaxed, and I explain to them the

importance of being in a healing atmosphere. I then explain the

importance of the mind in self-healing. The sign on my wall is

there because of some work done by a French hypnotist. He found

that patients who repeated this affirmation every night got physi-

cally better, while those in the control group did not experience

the same gains. I tell all my patients about this research and other such studies. I then go on to explain to my patients that InnerTalk is one of the most powerful tools to access the power of their own

minds. Most people have no idea how much control their subcon-

scious minds have over their lives.

“Every day, in every way,

I am getting better and better.”

There are some older people, maybe because of their mental

decline, who are not as open to these ideas, so I do not go into

these new ideas in much depth. However, their families invariably

are interested, so I do discuss it with them. The fact is the mind is powerful, and the mind is capable of healing the body. Health care

is a team effort. As the doctor I can run the test and prescribe the medicine, but the patient must take responsibility for being positive and for creating his or her own health. I teach all my patients how to use guided imagery to picture themselves well. This technique

is cheap, has no side effects, and is incredibly powerful.

With everything I teach my patients I explain the importance of

being consistent and patient. Some of my patients tell me that they will try these new techniques, and I tell them not to “try” but to

“do.” Some of my patients want to know exactly how quickly they

will see the results of these techniques. I tell them that it all depends on how much effort they put into it. not that playing InnerTalk

programs takes effort, as you simply play it in the background. But you do need to put the program in your player and turn it on! I recommend that they use the nature format at night while they sleep

and the music as much as possible during the day.

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I should tell you, too, as I tell all of my patients, that I have no financial incentive to tell people about InnerTalk. I do not do it

for money—I do it because I believe in InnerTalk and its ability to access the power of the mind.

How responsive were your patients to these new ideas?

Some patients are very responsive to these ideas. They put into

practice all I have taught them, and they get better. When they

want to thank me for the benefits they have realized, I have to

explain to them that the merits go to them. It is the power of their own minds that has led to their health improvements.

In some instances, patients may be afraid even to own up to

the power of the mind. They simply do not want to deal with the

possibility that they may be able to heal themselves. To acknowl-

edge that is to acknowledge that maybe they created the sickness

in the first place. You have to be honest with yourself before you

can access the power of your own mind. In these instances I tell

my patients to watch for the signs. The fact is, we all encounter

instances when what we expected to happen does in fact happen.

If we expect the worst, we often receive just that. If we expect the best, then that is often what we get. I will also suggest some books or movies that may help them to become more open to the ideas I