FOREWARD
One of the definitions of journey is travel or passage from one place to another – also referred to as a trip. If we give the above definition some thought, we have already embarked on a journey of fourteen words. I love journeys. Our bodies may at times remain static, but our mind has “left the building.” Even the mundane
of trips has imbedded within it the possibility of adventure. We miss many adventures because we fail to look through the “possibilities window.” We then experience the old saying, “I was at the train station when my ship came in.” Learning to notice and realize that there are no ordinary moments sets the stage for learning new things.
Black Belt Healing is one of those special journeys that, given your attention, will bring the adventure into view. The “possibilties window” is accessible and we are able to start and see how and learn why the Art of Mind-Swords works towards healing:first with necessary guidance and later quite independently. Dr. David Nelson has successfully brought to life the Art of Mind-Swords through his knowledge, creativity, use of language, and visualization! The techniques and strategies are presented in an easy to follow, systematic process that allows the practitioner to utilize the material contained in the book.
As a long-time martial artist and PhD psychotherapist, I have worked to bring psychology and martial arts together. This has not always been an easy task due to the differences in Eastern and Western philosophies of energy flow and power of thought. The dojo or training place is an ideal platform for the meeting of these somewhat divergent ways of thinking about curing and healing. The well-defined definitions of these terms in Black Belt Healing go a long way to help dissapate the myths that surround hypnosis as well as other healing strategies involving the use of thought energy. Dr. Nelson has done quite well at bringing demystification, simplification, and utilization of the subject to an open, well-lit area.
This book does much more than present a method of pain management: this book creates an excellent new paradigm for living that includes a wide variety of guided and self-improvement strategies. A well-trained martial art instructor is in an excellent position to help students as well as non-students deal with some pain or achieve other goals that we have set before ourselves. Having said this, I would like you to enjoy this particular journey as well as the many adventures that lie ahead as you move through Black Belt Healing.
Grandmaster Stacey A Shook, PhD
Founder of Fu Chen Kung Fu
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