Emuna Therapy

Returning Home

A teenage girl was separated from her classmates while hiking in the woods. They sent out a search party. After a few days they finally found her; but no one could believe what they discovered.

With Blessings for a good Shabbos,

Dr. Zev Ballen

You're a Star

In this week's video lesson I speak about a common sense way of avoiding costly mistakes and become the shining star that you were created to be. I hope you enjoy it!

With blessings,

Dr. Zev Ballen

 

Expect The Best

Research shows that if you expect people to treat you well they are more likely to do so. If people with all their flaws reciprocate your good vibes imagine what Hashem does for people who expect him to be kind, generous, protective etc.! 

Bye the way, if you'd like to be friends on facebook don't be shy. All you've got to do is request it here!

 

Reducing Emotional Reactivity

So much of our suffering in life comes from our fighting with and trying to control everything. When we keep doggedly striving to make things turn out "right", G-d usually has something else up His sleeve. Here's the type of training you need to have psychological freedom and a satisfying life.

By the way, if you'd like to be friends on facebook, don't be shy. You can connect to me right here!

Have a great week!

Dr. Zev

 

Waking up

One of the great privilege's of speaking to people, as I do, is that I get to hear about so many miracles. Here's one I don't think I'll ever forget!

 

By the way, if you'd like to be friends on facebook, don't be shy. You can connect to me right here!

Authenticity

 

Photo by Himanshu Khagta

Let's talk a bit about authenticity. Authenticity describes the way we act towards ourselves, and to G-d, with the focus on how we need to be in order for us to be happy, and to be happily serving G-d.   We can only be happy and serve G-d happily, if we are connected to our real feelings, and what's really going on inside of us. This may sound a little strange, but our real feelings are Hashem - because Hashem is the truth, and the seal of Hashem - as we're taught by our Sages in so many places - is truth.   The trouble is, a lot of us are out of touch with our real feelings. Underneath all the makeup, behind the façade, underneath all the roles that we play, and all the things that we think we are - that's the truth. That's the real us, and we have to let ourselves "be" who we really are.   That means being the person we really are with the intelligence we really have; with the money we really have; with the piety we really have. We aren't putting on any pretenses, we're just being the real thing. And as soon as we do that, we start to connect to Hashem, and to truth, and to that sense of tremendous empowerment that comes from being authentically "us", and really connected.   Fearlessness   Judaism is a religion of taking action, of doing things. Each of the 613 mitzvoth is training us to do something, and to get a result. The doing is where the magic is, where we get results. We all know that talk is cheap, and that we can't just think or imitate our way into a better life.   We have to do.   We have to see what we want, and see what is preventing us from achieving our goals and aspirations - what's blocking us? What's controlling us? Once we can start to answer those questions, then we can move on to the next stage of the process, which is using the tools I'm about to teach you to be able to take action, and to move, and to push through whatever is stopping us.   If this sounds a bit scary, don't fret or back out: most people are infinitely stronger than they, or their therapists, think that they are. Continue reading here... Don't stop here - there are so many more articles to choose from courtesy of Breslev Israel: Avi's Party - By Rabbi Shalom Arush Instant Genius - By Rabbi Lazer Brody The Carob-Tree Mentality - By Tal Rotem The Dress - By Rivka Levy Divine Soul, Divine Body - By Yael Karni Playing With Fire - By Racheli Reckles Go For It - Yehudit Bell My Purim Miracle - By Chaya Golda Ovadia Efrat: Little America - By Dovber HaLevi Beyond Logic - By Rabbi David Charlop Bye the way, if you'd like to be friends on facebook don't be shy. All you've got to do is request it here! With Blessings, Dr. Zev Ballen

No Secrets

Why keep your personal "deficits" a secret -  there's nothing to feel embarrassed about - they are your greatest assets! It's the subject of this week's video lesson and my gift to you!

Wishing you a great week!

Dr. Zev Ballen

 

Fulfilling Our Deepest Needs

Humans have eight emotional needs that must be fulfilled in one way or another - healthy or unhealthy. In this broadcast, I speak about this in relation to three couples and one individual receiving Emuna Coaching. I'm bringing this to you, courtesy of Breslev Israel. It's our gift to you!

Have a great week,

Dr. Zev Ballen

 

Traveling Beyond Pain

 

image credit:Luke Bryant

If someone is out at sea on a clear day and he can normally see two or three miles into the distance, if he is asked to see a ship that is 5 miles away, he will squink his eyes in order to see a further distance. Rebbe Nachman says that by narrowing the opening of the eyes the vision is less dispersed and one can see further. People also tend to tightly shut their eyes in order to escape from pain such as underdgoing a painful medical procedure. Its as though they are trying to shut out this world and put themselves in a better place.

Rebbe Nachman says that if you want to be able to see even further into the next world you need to do more than squink but tightly clench the eyelids closed . By doing that you are making a clear statement that you want to lock out the materialistic physical world. By doing this you can look past the physical world into the next world where there is no pain and suffering.

I heard from Rabbi Noson Maimon that hisbodidus (personal prayer) is a good time to clench you eyes tightly. This is a process of self-nullification that allows you to travel as if you were on a rocket ship to the next world where everything is totally good.  Looking down from the next world, the good and "bad" look pretty much the same.

Every blessing,

Dr. Zev Ballen

"Poor Memory" Helps Learning

 

image credit:dm74

Research shows that learning only occurs when we're forced to work hard to remember something. The opposite is also true - when we recall something quickly without effort no learning occurs. (How Memory Works) It has also been found that making the effort to remember something in multiple contexts and settings aids memory more than remembering it in one place.

This is why after you learn a lesson in emuna, it is so helpful to switch to another setting and work at recalling what you learned on your own. This is the meaning of of Rebbe Nachman's advice to turn your learning into prayer. Through the process of reviewing what you learned and applying it to your own life, you will make that new wisdom your own. It is good to stay on one theme , for example - love of others - for a while, and speak about it to Hashem in multiple places. This will enable you to recall your commitment to applying what you learned; and you will find yourself doing it where ever you go!

- Dr. Zev Ballen