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Page 229
when he inhaled; and moaning, choking, and fluid bubbling when he exhaled. I was afraid he might be choking to death. It was so loud that I couldn't understand why he didn't wake himself up. And then I thought with great trepidation that maybe this was the death rattle I'd heard about. I watched him, frightened, yet fixated. Horrified, yet curious. The very loud, unpleasant sounds continued for what seemed like over five minutes, and then they ceased. I was relieved to see him still breathing! Now, surely he'll wake up, I thought. . . . But he didn't.
So I closed my eyes, and sat peacefully enveloped in the light beside him for what could have been minutes or hours. The next thing I remember was his voice asking, "How long do you do this?" I opened my eyes, saw him looking at me, and answered, "Any time. . . . We're done." And he sat up and said, "Good. I'm hungry. Let's go keep Sandy company.'' And he got up and I followed him into the kitchen for a short visit before leaving.
What a day that was! I experienced sensations that "ran the gamut" of healing experiences I'd had over the past twenty years. . . . Was it energy healing? Spiritual healing? Or coincidence?
Spiritual healing can bring an influx of life force to a person with diminished energy  but ultimately we all have to figure out how to live our lives so that the energy coming into us at least equals that expended. We can do this by increasing acts of self-love (through positive internal dialogue, and activities that enhance our feelings of joy, connection, and self-worth) and minimizing feelings of resentment, guilt, hopelessness, or helplessness. Giving caring attention to others, and participating in meditation and prayer are also ways to enhance our vitality and immunity to disease. Prayer from others is another avenue of love that can assist in the nonlocal mobilization of life force through mind-to-mind connections.
Extending Our View of the Mind
Just as contemporary physicists have been grappling with the role of consciousness in the physical world, health practitioners have been debating the extent to which the mind affects the health of the body. Let us explore how

 
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