Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP (Back to Top)

What is Neurolinguistic Programming?
Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) works with the way your brain stores the memory of your experiences. If you thought you saw a snake, your body had the same stress responses had you really seen a snake. Most of our unconscious programming is self-validating:

A person believes something, looks out at the world, sorting for evidence that supports those beliefs - even if the beliefs are not true, or at times when what you have believed was holding you back and limiting your success in life. If we believe that others are not trustworthy, we will look for evidence that proves they aren’t trustworthy. As Robert Anton Wilson says, the brain has two main functions, “The Thinker thinks; and the Prover proves.”

Internal conflicts often result in a sense of driving life with one foot on the gas and one foot on the break: you don't make much headway and you burn up a lot of gasoline! Because NLP works with both the conscious and unconscious processes, you will be able to make changes quickly and easily. To read more about NLP go to http://www.scs-matters.com/scs_nlp.shtml

NLP will enable you to change your unconscious programming, and to replace limiting beliefs with those that will allow you to experience more in your life. Some people want more peace. Others want more creativity. Whatever you really want, the new beliefs are designed to better serve your purpose.

Because NLP works so well, it allows you to eliminate unwanted behaviors and replace them with new behaviors that will allow you to create health in body, mind, and spirit. NLP is your key to better health, more happiness, greater self-awareness, and more awareness of others as well.

You may want to check out the testimonials. on this Website. Remember that these are real folks and real life stories. They had problems just like you. Using the structure of how you have maintained your beliefs, attitude, and behaviors, painful memories will no longer plague you. Dreams you have can begin coming true. Phobias can be eliminted within minutes.

NLP works with the way you run your brain, and you are the one who will make the changes quickly and easily. Sessions are available in person or facilitated over the phone. See "Request a Session" for details.

If you or someone you know has a phobia (spiders, snakes, elevators, needles, dogs, etc.) or undue anxiety (social situations, flying, fear of heights), or suffers from panic attacks, we can eliminate your unwarranted fear in less than an hour ... or it’s FREE!

To learn more about phobias and anxieties, or to discover how much you know already, see The Phobia Quiz. The quiz is in PDF format, so you’ll need the Acrobat Reader to download and print a copy.

With NLP it is never too late to have a happy childhood!

Weddings, Funerals, & Sacred Cer (Back to Top)

Weddings and Partnerships

It is truly an honor to work with individuals as you explore just how you want to experience your ceremony of joining. Outdoor, garden, home… you will choose the setting that expresses you perfectly. The location may bring with it a certain style, such as contemporary or traditional, and you will discover the words that express what is true for you both.

Some couples share a common faith. I am very comfortable working with any of the world’s major religions or spiritual paths. Others come from different backgrounds. You may experience more of a spiritual connection and less of a religious orientation. We will work with your beliefs and your values. The goal is to bring the dreams and desires from deep within your heart and soul. We will work together to create a genuine expression of your love and the hopes you share for your future. You may already have a clear idea of what you want or we may enjoy discovering that along the way.

I began my steps into ordained ministry almost thirty years ago through the United Methodist church. In July 1997 I was ordained in an interfaith program developed by Reverend Betty Lue Lieber and Robert Waldon. My title is Minister of Reunion. The following precepts are the foundation of that program:
†    We are all Spiritual Beings.

†    All life is interconnected.

†    Love is our natural state and the unifying field of all creation.

†    We respect all Beings and honor all Paths.

†    Relationships bring us into conscious awareness of our blocks to love.

†    Forgiveness, freedom from judgment and fear, brings healing and love.

†    As we listen within, we will serve the Highest Good for All.

†    We are all here to learn and teach what we are learning.

†    Creating what is good, beautiful and whole is our true vocation.

A ritual of blending families can welcome children from previous relationships and provide a firm foundation of love and respect. Honoring loved ones who have passed with a candle or a moment of silence may also be appropriate. Each ceremony is created just for you.

“It was a pleasure to speak with you as well yesterday morning! I feel like I can finally rest easy about the ceremony!” - C.W.

People are sometimes curious about interfaith ministries. A friend of mine once shared a story about her grown children who had moved from Michigan to a rural area on the East coast. They had both grown up in the United Methodist system but they had a young family and the church in their new community did not have a children’s program. A neighbor invited them to visit the Presbyterian Church because it had a thriving Sunday school and youth program that would be perfect for their kids. They expressed their concern about the possible theological differences when they met with the pastor. A wise person, the pastor simply said, “Remember that the same moon shines in every back yard.” Osho, a contemporary mystic, says the fingers pointing are many, but the moon is one.

Another way you can come to peace with an interfaith world is to look at it as it is expressed by Huston Smith, professor of world religions:

“The community today can be no single tradition; it is the planet. Daily the world grows smaller, leaving understanding the only place where peace can find a home...Those who listen work for peace, a place built not on ecclesiastical or political hegemonies but on understanding and mutual concern. For understanding, at least in the realms as inherently noble as the great faiths of humankind, bring respect; and respect prepares the way for a higher power, love – the only power that can quench the flames of fear, suspicion, and prejudice, and provide the means by which the people of this small but precious Earth can become one to one another.”--Pg. 390 The World’s Religions

Funeral or Memorial Services

Creating a funeral or memorial service is one of the most sacred facilitations one can be involved in. When a member of a traditional religious community dies, most often the priest or minister or rabbi already knows the individual. Typically the service is rich with liturgy that is familiar to the congregation, including scripture and music and prayers. This can be very meaningful to those who share this heritage and feel both familiar and comfortable with the service. However meaningful, these are often not uniquely personal to the individual who has transitioned.

In contrast to a religious service in a particular faith tradition, an interfaith service can be created by combining aspects that genuinely reflect and honor the uniqueness of the individual who has transitioned and the family and friends who will be participating in the service.

Below are a few components which you might find meaningful and have often been incorporated into such a service:

I am standing upon the seashore, a ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean, she is an object of beauty and strength, I stand and watch until --at length-- she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, "There! She's gone," gone where? Gone from my sight - that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the   place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her; and just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There! she's gone," there are other eyes watching at her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "There she comes." That is dying. -- Henry Van Dyke

The words of Albert Rosewell in his poem Should You Go First ring so very true:
“Should you go first and I remain, To finish with the scroll, No length’ning shadows shall creep in To make this life seem droll. We’ve known so much of happiness, We’ve had our cup of joy; and memory is one gift of God That death cannot destroy.”

Debra’s life and ministry has been impacted by each person who has honored her by inviting her to share in his or her most intimate processes.

Because grief brings lots of emotions along with it, families can find themselves very stressed by creating a service that works for each person involved. This note was sent to Debra after she officiatated at the service of a parent:
Thanks so much, Debra, for your inspirational service, your comforting words and for being our friend. I'm glad you were with us, and put up with us. You're a sincere, caring pastor with a sense of humor. We needed you. L & R

The following is written by a wonderful woman who asked Debra to assist her in the creation of the Celebration of Life ceremony before she completed her transition. It is used by permission. Let yourself be moved by it, as was intended by Donna:

My main philosophy of life is SO cliché that I’m almost embarrassed to say it. I suppose the very reason it could be considered cliché is because it is shared by so many people. In the scientific method, one measure of a hypothesis’ validity is repeatability and reproducibility. If many people independently come to the same conclusion, then this adds to the credibility of the conclusion – however cliché it might end up sounding. I believe the same holds true for that which falls outside the realm of the scientific world. So, here it is, you’ve heard it many times before – LIVE IN THE MOMENT. Four simple words, easy to understand, but in our day-to-day lives the urgency of the meaning gets lost in the shuffle of living.

In times of crisis, we are sometimes reined back and the words can ring with their true meaning. But, beyond a life crisis, I don’t know of any reliable method for hammering this thought into our souls. Even through 6 ½ years of battling a life threatening and ultimately terminal illness, I STILL could not keep it at the top of my priority list, where it belongs. I wish I knew the words to say or the story to tell to galvanize the thought “LIVE IN THE MOMENT” for you – but I don’t. If I come up with something between today, March 9, 2002 and my death, I will certainly let you in on the secret.

For now, I can only offer it as a challenge – be totally involved in your lives at any given moment. Right now is the single moment you have any control over. Focus all your energy in that time and place where you are. Be absorbed with the people you are with. Employ every sense in the experience – LIVE IN THE MOMENT – as best you can.

Baptism or Dedications

One of the basic reasons for baptism is an acknowledgment of your dedication to a life of spiritual ideals. Unlike a cleansing from a sinful nature, this innocence and honoring of the soulfulness of life is the thought behind Reverend Debra's baptism of children. Baptism can be best understood as an intrincinsically personal experience that occurs within us, and in its deepest sense, baptism is a prayer experience with Spirit-an intimate dialogue between an individual and God.

Children are gifts entrusted to us, not as objects to be controlled but as human beings, unique in personality, separate in identity. One parent asked to have the following quote shared during the dedication of his son: “The world becomes different when you are important in the life of a child.” I could not find where to attribute the quote, but I loved that is was on a website called inspired by life.

When the lion cub Simba was born in the story of The Lion King, he was lifted up before the community and tribute was paid to the source of life. A thank you for the nature, was given back to nature. Debra has facilitated such events for adults (full emersion in Lake Michigan at Dawn), children, blended families, and even posthumously. Whether you are part of a formal religious community, or simply see yourself and others as part of the web of life, you may find meaning in an intentional celebration of dedication or baptism.

The following poem's author is unknown but Debra created a poster of it as a Mother's Day gift for her daughter following the birth of her first child:

One hundred years from now it will not matter what kind of car I drove....what house I lived in....how much money I had in my bank account....nor what my clothes looked like. But the world might be a little better because I was important in the life of a child.

Transitions

Probably everyone recognizes that end-of-life issues top the list of ethical dilemmas. Every day families and friends are facing choices because medical care is now able to extend human life beyond what had ever dreamed possible. Technology has taken its place as one of the most powerful tools. Yet, this tool, like all others, is neutral.

In many cases, it is difficult to discern when it is appropriate for an individual to fight to survive, and when it is appropriate for an individual surrender to death. Some clarity and peace comes as we recall that, although the how differs, essentially all cultures teach some manner of eternal life and immortality. Reading from Comments on the Teachings of Jesus from Aramaic and Unchanged Eastern Customs, “Jesus triumphed over physical forces and Death, the enemy of mankind, which can only destroy physical man… His disciples and followers who saw him after his resurrection had also risen to a new power… Life was preparation for the life hereafter and death had a new meaning. In Aramaic the word death mota means not present, but somewhere… The physical body of their Lord had died but his divinity survived.

Not all stories are as public as the family feud over ending life support for Terri Schiavo, but it is often a confusing maze of emotions and logic that greets a serious illness that appears to be end-of-life. Patients most often used to just die naturally, but that is less and less likely to happen in today’s experience. Debra has worked with many individuals and families, including close friends and relatives.

Drawing from ancient and contemporary resources, you can begin to find peace regarding these issues. Hospice work and nearing death awareness research, programs such as Alan Bodkin’s Induced After Death Communication, television shows such as The Medium, based on the life of Allison DuBois, and even your own intuition or experience can help. If you are interested, you can read “We Are Their Heaven: Why the Dead Never Leave Us,” by Allison DuBois. Copyright © 2006, Allison DuBois. Published by Simon & Schuster.

Like making out a will or digging a well, some things are best done before you actually need them. Developing a belief system about life and death that allows you to recognize the part of yourself and your loved ones that is never dies - what is often called soul or consciousness or spirit – and live life with more trust in the future, whatever the future may hold.

House Blessing or Clearings

A quick Google search for house blessings will assure you that every tradition includes an intentional ritual of clearing and blessing the space we live in, work in, and celebrate our daily lives in. Whether one feels most drawn to use Native American language and include the burning of sage and drums or rattles, or the reading of the Hebrew or Christian texts, honoring each space does seem to provide a sense of welcome and peace that is actually palpable.

Debra will create a ceremony that is unique for your home or business space. Blessings might include Roman mythology: Inner transformation is personified by Janus, the Roman god of doors and passageways. Janus, shown with two faces representing the past and the future. Janus was called Master of the Triple Time (past, present, and future).The doorways over which Janus presides were seen as symbols of hope and opportunity.

Combining an ancient understanding of the use of ritual with the current knowledge of the power of intention and the law of attraction, you will be moving through the spaces that you use each day, honoring the use while expanding into the metaphorical meaning of each room. The result will be a conscious awareness of the sacred in what might otherwise be taken for granted.

Hypnotherapy at Borgess Integrat (Back to Top)

Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind we all experience several times in the course of a normal day such as when daydreaming, driving, watching television, or falling asleep.

Hypnotherapy is a relaxing, pleasant way of changing your thoughts and behaviours. You will find it to be very peaceful and even energizing. Because hypnosis is simply an altered level of consciousness, you do not become unconscious. In fact, you may be aware of everything that is being said during your session and you are always in control.

Hypnotherapy has been endorsed by the American Medical Association as an effective form of treatment and will be performed by our certified hypnotherapist.

Hypnotherapy with Debra may help you with:
- Overcoming anxieties, fears and phobias
- Reducing stress
- Weight management
- Improving self-esteem and confidence
- Health issues such as depression, insomnia, memory improvement or pain management
- Smoking cessation
- Sexual problems
- Pre- and Postsurgical
Contact Borgess Integrative Medicine at (269) 552-2282 for more information or to set up an appointment with Debra.

Borgess Integrative Medicine
3025 Gull Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49048

Go to http://www.scs-matters.com/hypnosis-quiz.pdf and learn about how hypnosis will help you.

Healing Touch (Back to Top)

Healing Touch^TM is a process of light touch that is energy-based, rather than focused on muscles or tissues, such as in therapeutic massage. Every known culture has developed forms of energy medicine, and while the metaphors and techniques understandably differ from culture to culture, many of the metaphors and techniques are remarkably similar. Healing Touch does not have a religious context, nor does the effect rely on the client’s faith to work.

Healing Touch^TM has been shown to affect the physical, emotional and mental, and spiritual aspects of an individual, and although energetic therapies have been used for centuries, Western scientific exploration is only in the beginning stage.

Healing Touch^TM is a more contemporary style of several ancient healing practices, including the laying on of hands. The goal in energy work is to restore wholeness through facilitating balance in the human energy system.

What Is The Human Energy System?

The human energy field is based on three principal concepts: the chakras (energy centers), the meridians (pathways of energy flow), and the aura (the bio-electrical field surrounding the body). Although these concepts have not yet been well-accepted in Western scientific thought, they are well-known throughout Asia and have been gaining acceptance in the West as current technologies (such as using radioactive isotopes to test flow along meridian pathways) are used to evaluate medical results achieved by acupuncture and chakra balance.

Taken together, the chakras, meridians, and aura are often referred to as principal components of the subtle energy system that interpenetrates and surrounds our physical bodies. When a person’s subtle energy system is working well, he or she experiences good mental and physical health. When one component of the human energy system develops a problem, however, it affects the other components, creating an imbalance. If an imbalance in the subtle energy system is allowed to continue, the imbalance will eventually be manifested in the person’s physical body and psychological state. [Bowman and Basham, “Healing with Energy,” Section 2]

What Can I Expect?

Working though the human energy system can allow deep wounds to heal.Although Healing Touch^TM can be easily administered anywhere, including over the phone or in what is often called distant healing, for the comfort of the practitioner, when done in person, it is customarily performed on a massage table.

Healing Touch^TM sessions have been shown to:
© Provide relief from physical or emotional pain.
© Create clarity and relief from mental or spiritual stress.
© Promote relaxation, restful sleep, and a sense of well being.
© Accelerate healing from wounds or illness.
© Decrease anxiety, tension, and stress.
© Decrease presurgical anxiety and speed up the recovery process.
© Ease transition or provide peace in times of accelerated change.
© Create clarity of purpose or mission and support your making positive changes in your life.
© Help you reconnect to your core identity and develop self-love.

Janet Mentgen, RN, founded Healing Touch^TM in 1989 as a continuing education program for nurses, other health care professionals, and lay persons. Debra was mentored by Janet Mentgen, and in 1997she received her certification through Healing Touch International^TM. Today Healing Touch^TM has spread and is being taught in universities, medical and nursing schools, and other settings internationally.
http://www.HealingTouchInternational.org
http://www.HealingTouchInternationalResearch.org
http://www.HealingTouchInternationalNews.org

5 November 2007 USA Today published a wonderful article in their Health & Behavior section titled "Healing Touch: A New Patient Outreach Program." You can access the article online at the following URL:
http://www.healingtouchprogram.com/articles/index.shtml .

“From the first moment that Debra touched me, my journey began. I was pointed down a new path and my perception of healing was changed forever.”- TM, Ann Arbor, MI

Prepare for Surgery/Heal Faster (Back to Top)

Debra completed training in Peggy Huddleston’s seminal program, Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster before studying hypnosis and NLP, and Pre- and Postsurgical Support with SCS is indebted to Huddleston’s program and research base. Among the research findings are that those who completed a presurgical workshop using Huddleston’s program were (on average) a greater sense of peace before surgery, 20% less blood loss, 50% less need for pain medication, an earlier discharge (by one to two days), and fewer re-admits.

As Debra learned more about hypnosis and NLP, she began modifying her approach to surgical support, retaining the original benefits of Huddleston’s program while adding the power of change made possible by hypnosis and NLP.

The need for surgery or the discovery of a serious health problem is often a turning point in life, and individuals will do best when they assume an active role in the process of recovery. The SCS program helps individuals turn what might be seen as a life-threatening event into an opportunity for personal growth and an enhanced sense of well-being. It isn’t just a matter of doing better during surgery; it’s a matter of doing better for the rest of your life.

Pre- and Postsurgical Support with SCS brings into consciousness information that typically remains beneath the level of your conscious awareness. You will recognize many ways you can help yourself heal more quickly and completely using guided imagery.

Steps in Surgical Support

If you or someone you know is facing surgery or another serious medical procedure, the steps that help support an individual through such medical procedures are the following:

Relax. Relaxation promotes immune function and allows the body to focus on healing.

Discover what you need to know. Is your physical problem telling you something about your emotional, mental, or spiritual wants or needs? What do you need to know about the problem and the recommended medical procedure? Some prefer to have all the details, while others prefer to rely on expert opinion.

Create positive expectations. Using creative visualization is one way of creating positive expectations. The idea is that we influence what we become by what we think about.

Organize a support group. Your support group may consist primarily of family, friends, and members of your spiritual or religious community. You may also wish to include trusted professionals, such as someone trained in Pre- and Postsurgical Support with SCS, hypnotherapy, or guided imagery to provide encouragement and help facilitate your recovery. Enlist the support of your medical team. Most physicians and other medical staff will be glad to provide appropriate mental and emotional support - especially when they recognize the ways in which such support makes their jobs easier.

Your session may be done in person or over the phone. They typically take about one hour. You will enjoy an accompanying CD set, including an MP3 for your use during surgery. The Pre- and Postsurgical Support with SCS CD is available online at: http://www.scs-matters.com/products.shtml

Pre- and Postsurgical Support with SCS works well during chemo, radiation, dialysis, or other treatment protocol.

For more information visit http://www.scs-matters.com/scs_surgical.shtml