Asthma Free in 21 Days: The Breakthrough Mind-Body Healing Program

By Kathryn Shafer

Is it really possible to reverse the painful, debilitating symptoms of asthma and to reduce your dependence on doctors and medication--in Just 21 days?

Conventional medicine offers no real solution to the seventeen million Americans suffering from this disease. But in this remarkable book, Kathryn Shafer, Ph.D., and Fran Greenfield, M.A., share their natural alternative, the FUN program (Focus, Undo, Now Act!), that can help you break the bonds of asthma forever in only minutes a day!

Kathryn Shafer's triumph over life-long asthmais a testament to the power of mind body healing. This approach allowed her to successfully run the entirety of the New York City Marathon without medication. Her astounding victory became the seed for the FUN program. Together,Fran Greenfield and Kathryn Shafer reveal the intimate relationship between asthma and personal freedom in this self-guided, breakthrough method, which many of their clients have used with miraculous results.

This "masterful, innovative, and successful program for the treatment of asthma" (from the foreword by Gerald Epstein, M.D.) introduces:

• Over forty exercises, including visualizations, for immediate symptom relief
• A blueprint that redefines your relationship with asthma
• Three twenty-one-day healing plans that can be tailored to your own needs
• A unique mind body perspective on exercise-induced asthma, nutrition, and environment
• A fun guide developed especially for kids!

Along with a wealth of real-life success stories, these strategies can prevent panic, clarify the meaning of symptoms, increase energy levels, and achieve a deeper healing than you ever thought possible. Whether used as a complement to conventional medicine or as a medication reducing alternative, this program empowers people of all ages to live more active, fulfilling lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9780062116710

Kathryn Shafer

Kathryn Shafer, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., maintains private practices in West Palm Beach, Florida, and New York City, teaches courses in social work, and consults for hospitals, substance-abuse programs, and mental-health centers. A graduate of the American Institute for Mental Imagery, she lectures and conducts workshops throughout the United States and abroad. Fran Greenfield, M.A., is a mindbody therapist with private practices in New York City and on Long Island. Creator of the renowned "Imagine Being Well" program, she conducts trainings and workshops for healthcare professionals and the public throughout the United States. She also writes for publications including the New York Times.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Fear is the lock, and laughter the key to your heart.

CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH, SUITE JUDY BLUE EYES

Without breath, life is impossible. With limited breath, it’s exhausting and frightening. Yet every day more than seventeen million Americans, almost five million of these children, along with millions of other asthmatics throughout the world, struggle to breathe freely.¹ This natural function of breathing in and breathing out is one that most people take for granted. But for asthma sufferers, too often it’s a complex, mystifying, and unnerving event.

The disease we call asthma knows no boundaries. It affects people from all walks of life. They come from rural areas, small towns and large cities, all climates and cultures. No two are identical. But the one thing they have in common—attacks of asthma that leave them gasping for breath—binds them together in an immediate and meaningful way.

No longer is this illness an oddity. Asthma ranks sixth out of all diseases as the cause for hospitalization and first in hospital admissions and emergency room visits for children. It invades the lives of the young, the middle-aged, and the elderly; male and female; all racial groups; and every social and economic segment of the population. More than one billion dollars are spent annually on this complicated, life-threatening illness. And day by day its threat increases.

Until recently asthmatics depended on conventional Western medicine for treatment. Yet despite decades of research, the medical model can offer only temporary relief and no real solution. To preclude and suppress symptoms, it advocates the use of bronchodilators, steroids, preventive aids, and pulmonary devices. But little interest has been expressed in natural alternatives, which it considers unproven and ineffective. The light at the end of the tunnel has been obscured by this limited point of view, one that encourages the patient to take a submissive role in the healing process. Such an outlook neglects the premise that asthmatics can do a great deal more than medicate themselves to lessen the severity and the frequency of their attacks.

It is not surprising that asthmatics, who in the past saw themselves as victims, have begun turning to alternative approaches.² Our current health care system, based on the authoritarian model of expert and patient, has relentlessly furthered a victim mentality. This results in a sense of helplessness and even embarrassment. In plain words, asthmatics are taught to believe that they should:

1. Hand over all important health care decisions to those experts who are medically knowledgeable

2. Depend on prescribed medications to prevent, address, and suppress symptoms

3. Admit no responsibility for or meaningful relationship to their illness

4. Regard anything other than allopathic medicine as suspect and/or unreliable

5. Be compliant patients and accept asthma as a life sentence

The burgeoning interest in natural remedies and mindbody medicine has generated a new model of healing, one that encourages responsibility for our own well-being and fosters an awareness of the true meaning of health and healing. Health means more than freedom from symptoms of disease. It means being whole. While curing may remove physical symptoms, it provides only superficial relief, leaving the roots of disease untouched. But healing goes much deeper. It involves the integration of mind and body—a unification so seamless we have deleted the usual hyphen from the word mindbody throughout the book to reflect its true meaning.

This is essentially different from the conventional medical viewpoint, which sees the body as a machine, focuses on what’s wrong with it, and then tries to fix it as quickly as possible. Instead, this process turns you toward the illness and encourages listening nonjudgmentally to what it may be telling you.

No doubt conventional medicine makes a valuable contribution to our lives, particularly in emergency situations. However, routinely prescribing inhalers, bronchodilators, and steroids creates dependency and does not substantially alter the disease or get to its source. Asthma, which has been challenging medical science for hundreds of years, has yet to be looked at as anything more than a dangerous and discomforting symptom, or addressed through a whole-person, mindbody vision. Although some experts do admit the role of psychological stress in triggering and exacerbating asthma symptoms, the mind has only barely been tapped as a method for prevention, symptom relief, and healing.

In contrast, mindbody medicine addresses not only our physical symptoms but our emotional suffering as well. To make the power of the mind available for healing, Asthma Free in 21 Days introduces a system called the FUN Program. Using the acronym fun may surprise some readers. But we have thoughtfully chosen it as the core, healing stance of this program and have used it successfully with our clients in private practice and in workshops throughout the country. fun, a quality too often missing in the lives of asthmatics, far from trivializes asthma. It is, in fact, an antidote to the constriction and seriousness of asthma’s symptoms. fun stands for Focus, Undo, and Now Act, each segment of which is discussed and demonstrated throughout the book.

Recent research by Dr. Lee Burk, a neurologist at Loma Linda University in California, has definitively shown the positive effect of laughter, joy, and fun on our immune response and physiology. Burk, whose work in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, the scientific study of how emotions are related to immune function, is widely published, and calls mirthfulness the frontier of frontiers. Clearly, even the bastions of medical science have begun to acknowledge what we propose in this book: that there is an intimate relationship of body and mind, of emotion and health. And that having fun embodies a genuine healing effect in our lives.

The FUN program provides the growing population of asthmatics with a mindbody healing system that is effective and safe. With the permission of our clients who have participated in this work, their personal stories have been included. Emily, the nine-year-old child; Bob, the law student; Linda, the therapist—each wanted to gain freedom from the fears and restrictions that asthma imposed, and it was through this work that each became able to live an active, joyful, revitalized life.

By seeing the asthma from an emotional, social, and spiritual perspective, asthmatics begin to lay the groundwork for living freely and authentically. This is a process that goes beyond temporary, mechanical symptom reduction. Instead, it helps you to discover the symptom’s meaning and to make sense of the suffering that had previously seemed random and painful. Once engaged in this new stance, you become able to shine a powerful light into the darkness. And what seemed to be only wishful thinking—such as reducing or dispensing with medications and living a more spontaneous life—is suddenly possible.

The program and techniques we present here allow asthmatics to make an amazing turn. After much pain and frustration with asthma, children as young as six as well as people in their senior years have learned to use a repertoire of simple tools for creating a better quality of life, not just for themselves but for their families as well. The benefits you enjoy once you begin to use this program include significant relief from physical symptoms; freedom from old habits and limited thinking; higher energy levels; overall health improvement; and joy in living. It can take less than two minutes to notice a change, and once this change has begun it becomes fulfilling in ways that go far beyond the asthma. Relationships, energy, and productivity are affected. Anxiety, fatigue, and depression are transformed as well. And as long as the work is maintained in your everyday life, the transformation remains lasting and powerful.

Our message is simple: you can become your own authority. This involves being willing to trade unconsciousness for awareness, subservience for autonomy, slavery for freedom. No disease process, prognosis, or limitation is carved in stone; neither is the game plan that you use to address it. This does not mean that you should throw away your medications and disregard your doctor’s advice. However, it does mean that there is no right or wrong way to deal with asthma, only your own way. When you allow the asthma to speak to you, it can serve as your compass. This compass can lead you toward a place within yourself that holds the information and wisdom for creating an effective recovery plan and beginning to live an asthma-free life.

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS BOOK?

Many people may find this program useful: adults and children with asthma, relatives and friends of asthmatics, and all health care professionals who are interested in a more open, creative approach for their clients, patients, and/or for themselves. This work is meant to be shared. Although the program was originally developed for asthmatics, those who suffer from other disorders and difficulties can make excellent use of it as well.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Just as there is no right way to deal with asthma, there is no right way to read this book or to follow this program. How you approach it is up to you. Do the exercises in the order they appear in the text, or return to them after you have gotten an overall feel for the program. Underline passages that interest you, or write notes in the margins as you go along. Whether you have just been diagnosed with asthma or have had it for years, you start by committing to the program for the next 21 days. During this time, pay attention to the changes that occur (large or small, emotional or physical) in your health and your daily life. Healing isn’t static; it’s an ongoing process. So if you like what you see, follow up your initial commitment with additional cycles and a consistent practice of the work to maintain its beneficial effects.

The exercises throughout the book address asthma in several ways, and the benefits you receive are both short and long term. Some exercises elicit immediate relief of symptoms. Others bring about a deeper healing by expanding your awareness and allowing you to see the asthma in relationship to your life as a whole. Any of these may become part of your healing plan. Those used for immediate symptom relief will be marked by this symbol: * Yet the system is flexible. While some exercises may be designated for deeper healing and awareness, they often provide immediate relief as well. If this occurs, make a note of it.

Many healing processes have been included in this book, but there’s no need to overwhelm yourself by trying to do them all at once. For one person, a daily practice might involve doing only one exercise, while another person might use four or five. Many people like to increase the number of exercises as they go along until they find what feels right for them. In most instances, we advise you to use the imagery exercises for 21 days. This is no arbitrary number. In many traditions it is viewed as the amount of time it takes to break a habit. If the symptom, habit, or disorder has not disappeared after 21 days, additional cycles may be added. If you are satisfied before the 21 days, you may stop a particular exercise sooner, though we recommend completing the whole cycle.

Every practice or exercise in the book has proven valuable, yet the only way to experience this work is to actually use it. Quite simply, what you get out of the program will be in direct proportion to what you put in. In this respect, mind medicine is not so different from regular medicine: when you follow the prescription as advised you are far more likely to get the results you’re looking for.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

In chapter 1, Kathy shares her personal story from the time she was diagnosed with asthma at the age of fifteen months until she defied the odds and crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon in 1996.

Chapter 2 presents an overview of asthma including: a simple definition of asthma; a discussion of who is at risk; its triggers and effects; and a brief description of the kinds of treatment available. It informs you of the differences between conventional and nonconventional medicine and provides a description of mind medicine, particularly of mental imagery.

Chapter 3 sets the stage for creating a new relationship with asthma. It shows how to pay attention to your personal experience with this disease, and it includes a mindbody questionnaire. This questionnaire gives you a chance to discover life-enhancing information about making changes that will allow you to breathe freely and fully.

Chapter 4 introduces the process of mental imagery, a technique and a stance, that is both practical and healing. You’ll learn about its history, along with recent research on mental imagery, including the Lenox Hill study run by Dr. Gerald Epstein, which showed a stunning 47 percent improvement in pulmonary capacity of the participants using mental imagery. You will also begin to experience the benefits of imagery; you’ll learn how to start doing it on your own; and you’ll find examples of how imagery can be used as a comprehensive tool for healing. The exercises here and throughout the book work quickly, some in less than two minutes. As the title states, in the 21 days it takes to complete them, you can actually become asthma free. In addition, this chapter introduces you to the Committee, those false selves who sabotage your progress while at the same time insisting that without their advice you could not possibly survive.

Chapter 5 introduces FUN, the healing stance that is the heart of this program. fun is powerful mind medicine. It emphasizes the importance of joy as the core emotional element for healing asthma. It teaches you how to Focus, Undo, and Now Act in your own healing interests. When you expand your awareness regarding asthma with the fun techniques, you begin to recognize the beliefs and emotions that feed its roots. It’s at this point you can choose to reverse your symptoms. Having fun is never frivolous or unnecessary if you want to heal; it’s actually essential to living asthma free.

Chapter 6 introduces the process of Focusing, the first part of the FUN program. Focusing is a process of expanding your awareness and becoming conscious of your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and actions. This is done without judging or being attached. You observe and listen to asthma symptoms as valuable indicators. The mindbody connection is demonstrated through exercises and techniques that bypass the logical, judgmental mind. Focusing is the first step in the process of paying attention, which is an absolute necessity for genuine healing.

Chapter 7 describes and demonstrates the process of Undoing, the second part of FUN. Undoing goes far beyond coping strategies. It shows you how to reverse illness and difficulty; how to Undo past traumas through imagery, and how to vanquish symptoms by using a newly researched writing technique. Here the emphasis is on Undoing those core beliefs that make asthmatics feel separate and limited. Through special exercises and the shared experiences of others, this popular myth of abnormality and limitation is put to rest.

Chapter 8 illustrates how you may Now Act to seize the moment and transform the program into a lived, active experi ence. We provide you with techniques that motivate action—not just any action but the kind that generates healing. This chapter demonstrates how Now Acting in meaningful ways allows you to enter more fully into the present instead of living falsely in the future or the past. This, along with a perspective of nonattachment to the outcome, helps you to leave behind the pain of your old story while beginning to live and breathe freely in the here and now.

Chapter 9 presents research on childhood asthma, along with experiences of children and parents dealing with this disease in their everyday lives. Examples and suggestions show how kids can use the FUN approach to help themselves do more than just reach for medication. One particularly moving story tells of Emily, a nine-year-old girl who made her own personal journey of recovery using the techniques shared in this book.

Chapter 10 gives kids a chance to do their own thing by providing them with a special FUN Guide for Kids. Exercises designed especially for children will show them how to create their own imagery, which adults can do too.

Chapter 11 offers a unique mindbody perspective regarding three important concerns: exercise-induced asthma, nutrition, and environment. This expanded mindbody view opens new possibilities and options. For the first time, the various types of asthma are presented here in relationship to your entire life experience instead of being seen as automatic triggers.

Chapter 12 presents you with three 21-day healing plans that are flexible and comprehensive: one general plan for adults, a second for those with exercise-induced asthma, and a third for kids. You may choose to follow any of these just as they are, customize them for yourself, or take on the responsibility of creating a plan on your own. The Complete Index of Exercises, also contained here, helps you to do just this. All these plans are a form of self-care that designates you as the primary care provider. They afford you a practical process for living asthma free.

The essential tool for healing is listening—with both the heart and the mind. Listening to your symptoms is a way of listening to yourself. When you cease to analyze and judge what goes on in life, you can suspend the habits of blaming, comparing, or complaining, and you can instead create a space between you and your difficulties. Releasing these mental habits expands your awareness and cultivates a healthier outlook. Once you take responsibility in this way you may quite naturally generate a healing that is far deeper than you have ever thought possible.

We encourage you to use this new perspective as a way to trust yourself and your natural sense of what you want and need. When you are your own authority, the approval of others becomes far less important. You begin to live life as who you really are—acknowledging your body as your fundamental truth and your symptoms as its messages. When you listen to it openly, you will be moved and surprised by how much it knows.

CHAPTER 1

FROM VICTIM TO VICTOR

I can see clearly now the rain is gone;

I can see all obstacles in my way;

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind;

It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day.

JOHNNY NASH, I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

November 6, 1996. It is the morning of the New York City Marathon. I wake while it is still dark. To protect myself from the unseasonable early autumn cold, I dress in several layers of running gear. Suddenly, moments from my past come flooding back. It’s then and now all at once.

I am five, crying because I want to play outside with the other kids, and my mother forbids it. I am sixteen, sneaking away from my friends to take my medication. I am twenty-five, angry because I can’t run without carrying my inhaler. Then suddenly, it’s last night. I am watching them paint the finish line in a wide, red swath across the black pavement of Central Park. The lights of the city begin coming on in the surrounding buildings. I have a hard time believing I’m finally here.

I exhale and come back to now, to this minute, this second, to the sound of Sting on the radio. For a few moments I sit there with the music, just inhaling the sound. Then I close my eyes and imagine doing what I’ve been told my whole life was impossible: I see myself crossing the finish line triumphant, breathing freely, completing the race that for years I’ve hoped and prayed I would one day be able to run.

My goal is simple: to run through all five boroughs of my favorite city, to have fun, to complete the race, and not to get caught up in the competition. How well I do, how long it takes, isn’t important. Just running this marathon and completing it is enough!

At 10:45 A.M., twenty-nine thousand runners wait to begin. The sunlight glints off the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and I feel an excitement so electric my body vibrates. At the sound of the starting gun, we begin the race. Through the noise of the helicopters overhead, I hear the voices of the crowds on the opposite shore, the pulsating music, and words shouted in more languages than I can count.

As I run I sense changes in the pavement beneath my feet, in the neighborhoods, the odors, the play of shadows and light, and at this moment, life is perfect. I am exactly where I want to be, doing what I have dreamed of doing for years.

The doctor’s words stun me. "You will never run a marathon," he says. I ask more questions. I argue. He shrugs, looks at his watch, and reminds me that I am lucky to be alive. I have never forgotten his voice. Wish he could see me now.

I remind myself to go easy. After ten miles my right leg, the one I fractured during a nearly fatal accident two years ago, begins to hurt. I concentrate on maintaining my own steady rhythm. I imagine breathing in the blue line painted along the course, the same blue line I visited the day before; somehow this eases my pain and carries me forward.

Thirteen point one miles. I’m halfway there. The summit of the Pulaski Bridge is quiet, suspended in time, with the towers of Manhattan looming beyond.

Fifteen miles. We approach the 59th Street Bridge. Thousands of us pound across the grating toward Manhattan, where crowds line the streets. They hand us chocolate, apples, and oranges that we reach out and grab. At 83rd Street and First Avenue, my sister waits for me, along with some friends. They smile and shout out my name; they are