Copyright©1982, 1984 by Louise L. Hay Expanded/Revised Edition Copyright©1988 Louise L. Hay

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com • Published

and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au • Published

and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk • Published

and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za •

Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com • Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use—other than for “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews without prior written permission of the publisher.

The authors of this book do not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the authors is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the authors and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Heal Your Body—Printing History

First Manuscript Printing, What Hurts, May 1976

First through Fourth Printings, Heal Your Body, Second Edition, 1978–

1983

(ISBN 0-87418-05-5)

Fifth through Twelth Printings, New Revised Version, Third Edition 1984–1987

(ISBN 0-937611-00-X)

72nd Printing (Expanded/Revised), August 2007

10 09 08 07 76 75 74 73

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments/Dedication

Preface

Introduction

The Point of Power Is in the Present Moment

Mental Equivalents

Replacing Old Patterns

Healing Affirmations

Spinal Misalignments

Further Comments

Loving Treatment

Epilogue

About Louise L. Hay

DEDICATION

I have long believed the following: “Everything I need to know is revealed to me.” “Everything I need comes to me.” “All is well in my life.” There is no new knowledge. All is ancient and infinite. It is my joy and pleasure to gather together wisdom and knowledge for the benefit of those on the healing pathway. I dedicate this offering to all of you who have taught me what I know: to my clients, to my friends in the field, to my teachers, and to the Divine Infinite Intelligence for channeling through me that which others need to hear.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to acknowledge Robert Lang, M.D.; Associate Professor of Medicine, Yale University; Pete Grim, D.C.; and René Espy, D.C., who all shared their ideas and wisdom with me.

PREFACE

Little did I know when I first wrote the original version of Heal Your Body that today I would be writing a Preface for the 67th edition. This little blue book has become an indispensable item to many. I’ve sold hundreds of thousands of copies, far beyond my vision in the early days. Heal Your Body has opened countless doors and created friends for me everywhere. Wherever I travel, I meet people who show me well-worn copies carried constantly in their purses or pockets.

This little book doesn’t “heal” anyone, but it does awaken within you the ability to contribute to your own healing process. For us to become whole and healthy, we must balance the body, mind, and spirit. We need to take good care of our bodies. We need to have a positive mental attitude about ourselves and about life. And we need to have a strong spiritual connection.

When these three things are balanced, we rejoice in living. No doctor or health practitioner can give us this unless we choose to take part in our healing process.

You will find many new additions in this version, and it is also cross-referenced to provide more input. I suggest that you make a list of every ailment you’ve ever had and look up the mental causes. You’ll discover a pattern that will show you a lot about yourself. Select a few of the affirmations and do them for a month. This will help eliminate old patterns that you’ve been carrying for a long time.

INTRODUCTION

In this newly revised edition, I want to share with you one of the reasons why I know that disease can be reversed by simply reversing mental patterns.

A number of years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer of the vagina. With my background of being raped when I was five years old and being a battered child, it was no wonder that I’d manifested cancer in the vaginal area. Having already been a teacher of healing for several years, I was very aware that I was now being given a chance to practice on myself and prove what I’d been teaching others.

Like anyone who has just been told that they have cancer, I went into a total panic, yet I knew that mental healing worked. Being aware that cancer comes from a pattern of deep resentment that is held for a long time until it literally eats away at the body, I knew that I had a lot of mental work to do.

I realized that if I had the operation to get rid of the cancer but did not clear the mental pattern that created it, then the doctors would just keep cutting Louise until there was no more Louise to cut. If I had the operation and cleared the mental pattern that was causing the cancer, then the cancer wouldn’t return.

When cancer or any other illness returns, I don’t believe that it’s because the doctor didn’t “get it all out,” but rather, that the patient has made no mental changes and so just re-creates the same illness. I also knew that if I could clear the mental pattern that created the condition called cancer, I wouldn’t need the doctor. So I bargained for time. The doctor grudgingly gave me three months, at the same time warning me that my life was endangered by the delay.

I immediately began to work with my own teacher to clear old patterns of resentment. Up till that time, I hadn’t acknowledged that I harbored deep resentment.We’re often so blind to our own patterns. A lot of forgiveness work was in order. The other thing I did was to go to a good nutritionist and completely detoxify my body. So between the mental and physical cleansing, in six months I was able to get the medical profession to agree with what I already know: that I no longer had any form of cancer. I still keep the original

lab report as a reminder of how negatively creative I could be.

Now when I hear about someone’s illness, no matter what dire their predicament seems to be, I know that if they’re willing to do the mental work of releasing and forgiving, almost anything can be healed. The word incurable, which is so frightening to so many people, really only means that the particular condition cannot be cured by “outer” methods and that we must go within to effect the healing. The condition came from nothing and will go back to nothing.

THE POINT OF POWER IS IN

THE PRESENT MOMENT

The point of power is in the present moment . . . right here and right now in our minds. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve had negative patterns, an illness, a rotten relationship, lack of finances, or self-hatred. We can begin to make a change today. The thoughts we’ve held and the words we’ve repeatedly used have created our life and experiences up to this point. Yet, that is past thinking; we've already done that. What we’re choosing to think and say, today, at this moment, will create tomorrow and the next day and the next week and the next month and the next year, and so on. The point of power is always in the present moment. This is where we begin to make changes.

What a liberating idea. We can begin to let the old nonsense go. Right now.

The smallest beginning will make a difference.

When you were a tiny baby, you were pure joy and love. You knew how important you were; you felt that you were the center of the universe. You had such courage that you asked for what you wanted and you expressed all your feelings openly. You loved yourself totally—every part of your body, including your feces. You knew that you were perfect. And that is the truth of your being. All the rest is learned nonsense and can be unlearned.

How often have we said, “That’s the way I am,” or “That’s the way it is.”

What we’re really saying is that it is what we “believe to be true for us.”

Usually what we believe is only someone else’s opinion that we’ve accepted and incorporated into our own belief system. It fits in with other things that we believe. If we were taught as a child that the world is a frightening place, then everything we hear that fits in with that belief we will accept as true for us—for example: “Don’t trust strangers,” “Don’t go out at night,” “People cheat you,” and so on. On the other hand, if we were taught early in life that the world is a safe and joyous place, then we would believe other things, such as: “Love is everywhere,” “People are so friendly,” and “Money comes to me easily.” Life experiences mirror our beliefs.

We seldom sit down and question our beliefs. For instance, I could ask myself: “Why do I believe that it’s difficult for me to learn? Is that really true? Is it true for me now? Where did that belief come from? Do I still

believe it simply because a first-grade teacher told me so over and over?

Would I be better off if I dropped that belief?”

Stop for a moment and catch your thought. What are you thinking right now? If thoughts shape your life and experiences, would you want this thought to become true for you? If it’s a thought of worry, anger, hurt, or revenge, how do you think that this thought will come back for you? If we want a joyous life, we must think joyous thoughts. Whatever we send out mentally or verbally will come back to us in like form.

Take a little time to listen to the words you say. If you hear yourself saying something three times, write it down. It has become a pattern for you. At the end of a week, look at the list you’ve made and you’ll see how your words fit your experiences. Be willing to change your words and thoughts and watch your life change. The way to control your life is to control your choice of words and thoughts. No one thinks in your mind but you.

MENTAL EQUIVALENTS:

The Mental Thought Patterns

That Form Our Experience

Both the good in our lives and the dis-ease are the results of mental thought patterns that form our experiences. We all have many thought patterns that produce good, positive experiences, and these we enjoy. It’s the negative thought patterns that produce comfortable, unrewarding experiences with which we’re concerned. It’s our desire to change our dis-ease in life into perfect health.

We’ve learned that for every effect in our lives, there’s a thought pattern that precedes and maintains it. Our consistent thinking patterns create our experiences. Therefore, by changing our thinking patterns, we can change our experiences.

What a joy it was when I first discovered the words metaphysical causations. This describes the power in the words and thoughts that create experiences. This new awareness brought me an understanding of the connection between thoughts and the different parts of the body and physical problems. I learned how I had unknowingly created dis-ease in myself, and this made a great difference in my life. Now I could stop blaming life and other people for what was wrong in my life and my body. I could now take full responsibility for my own health. Without either reproaching myself or feeling guilty, I began to see how to avoid creating thought patterns of disease in the future.

For example, I couldn’t understand why I repeatedly had problems with a stiff neck. Then I discovered that the neck represented being flexible on issues, being willing to see different sides of a question. I had been a very inflexible person, often refusing to listen to another side of a question out of fear. But, as I became more flexible in my thinking and able, with a loving understanding, to see another person’s viewpoint, my neck ceased to bother me. Now, if my neck becomes a bit stiff, I look to see where my thinking is stiff and rigid.

REPLACING OLD PATTERNS

In order to permanently eliminate a condition, we must first work to dissolve the mental cause. But most often, since we don’t know what the cause is, we find it difficult to know where to begin. So, if you’re saying, “If I only knew what’s causing this pain,” I hope that this booklet will provide both a clue to find the causes and a helpful guide for building new thought patterns that will produce health in mind and body.

I’ve learned that for every condition in our lives, there’s a need for it.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t have it. The symptom is only an outer effect. We must go within to dissolve the mental cause. This is why willpower and discipline don’t work. They’re only battling the outer effect. It’s like cutting down the weed instead of getting the root out. So before you begin the New Thought Pattern affirmations, work on the willingness to release the need for the cigarettes, the headache, the excess weight, or whatever. When the need is gone, the outer effect must die. No plant can live if the root is cut away.

The mental thought patterns that cause the most dis-ease in the body are criticism, anger, resentment, and guilt. For instance, criticism indulged in long enough will often lead to dis-eases such as arthritis. Anger turns into things that boil, burn, and infect the body. Resentment long held festers and eats away at the self and ultimately can lead to tumors and cancer. Guilt always seeks punishment and leads to pain. It’s so much easier to release these negative thinking patterns from our minds when we’re healthy than to try to dig them out when we’re in a state of panic and under the threat of the surgeon’s knife.

The following list of mental equivalents has been compiled from many years of study, my own work with clients, and my lectures and workshops.

It’s helpful as a quick-reference guide to the probable mental patterns behind the dis-ease in your body. I offer these with love and a desire to share this simple method of helping to Heal Your Body.

HEALING AFFIRMATIONS

SPECIAL SECTION

Spinal Misalignments

So many people have back problems that are so diversified that I felt that it would be helpful to list the spine and all the vertebrae as a separate category.

Please study the accompanying spinal chart with its information. Then cross-reference the chart with the mental equivalents listed below. As always, use your own wisdom to ascertain the meaning that is most helpful to you.

CHART OF EFFECTS OF SPINAL MISALIGNMENTS

SPINAL MISALLIGNMENT

FURTHER COMMENTS

I’ve learned that children—and animals, too, because they’re so open—may be largely influenced by the consciousness of the adults around them.

Therefore, when working for children or pets, use the affirmations both for them and for also clearing the consciousness of the parent, teacher, relative, and so on, who may be surrounding and influencing them.

Remember, the word metaphysical means to go beyond the physical to the mental cause behind it. As an example, if you told me that you had a problem with constipation, I’d know that you had some sort of belief in limitation and lack and, therefore, were frightened to let go of anything out of fear of not being able to replace it. It could also mean that you were holding on to an old, painful memory of the past and wouldn’t let go. You might have a fear of letting go of relationships that no longer nourish you, a job that’s unfulfilling, or some possessions that are now unusable. You might even be stingy about money. Your dis-ease would give me many clues to your mental attitude.

I’d try to make you understand that a closed fist and a tight attitude cannot take in anything new. I’d help you develop more trust in the Universe (the power that supplies your breath) to provide for you so that you could flow with the rhythms of life. I’d help you release your patterns of fear and teach you how to create a new cycle of good experiences by using your mind in a different way. I might ask you to go home and clean out your closets, giving away all the useless stuff to make room for new things. And as you were doing this, I’d ask you to say aloud, “I am releasing the old and making room for the new.” Simple, but effective. And as you began to understand the principle of release and letting go, the constipation, which is a form of gripping and holding on, would take care of itself. The body would freely release that which was no longer useful in a normal way.

Perhaps you’ve noticed how often I’ve used the concepts of love, peace, joy, and self-approval. When we can truly live from the loving space of the heart, approving of ourselves and trusting the Divine Power to provide for us, then peace and joy will fill our lives, and illness and uncomfortable experiences will cease to be in our experience. Our goal is to live happy, healthy lives, enjoying our own company. Love dissolves anger, love releases

resentment, love dissipates fear, and love creates safety. When you can come from a space of totally loving yourself, then everything in your life must flow with ease, harmony, health, prosperity, and joy.

A good way to use this book when you have a physical problem is to: 1. Look up the mental cause. See if this could be true for you. If not, sit quietly and ask yourself: “What could be the thoughts in me that create this?”

2. Repeat to yourself (aloud, if you can): “I am willing to release the pattern in my consciousness that has created this condition.”

3. Repeat the new thought pattern to yourself several times.

Whenever you think of the condition, repeat the steps.

LOVING TREATMENT

This closing meditation is helpful to read daily, as it creates a healthy consciousness and, therefore, a healthy body.

DEEP AT THE CENTER OF MY BEING, there is an infinite well of love.

I now allow this love to flow to the surface. It fills my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being, and radiates out from me in all directions and returns to me multiplied. The more love I use and give, the more I have to give; the supply is endless. The use of love makes ME FEEL

GOOD. It is an expression of my inner joy. I love myself; therefore, I provide a comfortable home for myself, one that fills all my needs and is a pleasure to be in. I fill the rooms with the vibration of love so that all who enter, myself included, will feel this love and be nourished by it.

I love myself; therefore, I work at a job that I truly enjoy doing, one that uses my creative talents and abilities, working with and for people whom I love and who love me, and earning a good income. I love myself; therefore, I behave and think in a loving way to all people, for I know that that which I give out returns to me multiplied. I only attract loving people in my world, for they are a mirror of what I am. I love myself; therefore, I forgive and totally release the past and all past experiences, and I am free. I love myself; therefore, I live totally in the now, experiencing each moment as good, and knowing that my future is bright, joyous, and secure. I am a beloved child of the universe, and the universe lovingly takes care of me now and forever more.

And so it is.

I love you.

EPILOGUE

The last major revision of Heal Your Body was in 1988.I still get mail asking for the mental patterns for the latest dis-eases of the moment, such as fibromyalgia; however, I see no reason to add any more patterns.

I’ve learned that there are really just two mental patterns that contribute to dis-ease: fear and anger. Anger can show up as impatience, irritation, frustration, criticism, resentment, jealousy, or bitterness. These are all thoughts that poison the body. When we release this burden, all the organs in our body begin to function properly. Fear could be tension, anxiety, nervousness, worry, doubt, insecurity, feeling not good enough, or unworthiness. Do you relate to any of this stuff? We must learn to substitute faith for fear if we are to heal.

Faith in what? Faith in life. I believe that we live in a “Yes” Universe. No matter what we choose to believe or think, the Universe always says yes to us. If we think poverty, the Universe says yes to that. If we think prosperity, the Universe says yes to that. So we want to think and believe that we have the right to be healthy, that health is natural to us. The Universe will support and say yes to this belief. Be a “Yes person, and know that you live in a

“Yes” world, being responded to by a “Yes” Universe.

If you find yourself with some sort of dis-ease that’s not listed in Heal Your Body, become your own investigator and healer. Ask yourself: Is it one of the forms of fear, or is it one of the forms of anger? Are you willing to release those thoughts? Are you willing to replace those thoughts with positive affirmations?* Loving yourself will also contribute greatly to healing your body, for love heals.

So how do you love yourself? First of all, and most important: Cease all criticism of yourself and others. Accept yourself as you are. Praise yourself as much as you can. Criticism breaks down the inner spirit; praise builds it up. Look into a mirror often, and simply say: I LOVE YOU, I REALLY LOVE

YOU. It may be difficult at first, but keep practicing, and soon you will mean and feel what you say. Love yourself as much as you can, and all of life will mirror this love back to you.

By the way, fibromyalgia is fear showing up as extreme tension due to

stress.

— Louise Hay, 2007

(*My book I CAN DO IT ® will give you a lot of affirmations to get you started until you learn to create your own.)

ABOUT LOUISE L. HAY

Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical lecturer and teacher and the best-selling author of numerous books, including You Can Heal Your Life and I Can Do It®. Her works have been translated into 29 different languages in 35

countries throughout the world. For more than 25 years, Louise has assisted millions of people in discovering and using the full potential of their own creative powers for personal growth and self-healing. Louise is the founder and chairman of Hay House, Inc., a publishing company that disseminates books, audios, and videos that contribute to the healing of the planet.

Websites: www.LouiseHay.com® and www.LouiseLHay.com®

ALSO BY LOUISE L. HAY

BOOKS/KITSColors & Numbers

Empowering Women

A Garden of Thoughts:

My Affirmation Journal

Gratitude: A Way of Life

(Louise and Friends)

Heal Your Body A–Z

Heart Thoughts

I Can Do It ®

Inner Wisdom

Letters to Louise

Life! Reflections on Your Journey

Love Your Body

Love Yourself, Heal Your Life

Workbook

Meditations to Heal Your Life

(also in a gift edition)

The Power Is Within You

Power Thoughts

The Times of Our Lives

(Louse and Friends) You Can Heal Your Life

(also in a gift edition)

You Can Heal Your Life Affirmation Kit

You Can Heal Your Life

Companion Book

COLORING BOOKS/

AUDIOCASS ETTES

FOR CHILDREN

The Adventures of Lulu

Lulu and the Ant:

A Message of Love

Lulu and the Dark:

Conquering Fears

Lulu and Willy the Duck:

Learning Mirror Work

CD PROGRAMS

Anger Releasing

Cancer

Change and Transition

Dissolving Barriers

Feeling Fine Affirmations

Forgiveness/Loving the Inner Child

Heal Your Body (audio book)

How to Love Yourself

Life! Reflections on Your Journey

(audio book)

Loving Yourself

Meditations for Personal Healing

Meditations to Heal Your Life

(audio book)

Morning and Evening Meditations

101 Power Thoughts

Overcoming Fears

The Power Is Within You

(audio book)

The Power of Your Spoken Word

Receiving Prosperity

Self-Esteem Affirmations

(subliminal)

Self Healing Stress-Free Affirmations

(subliminal)

Totality of Possibilities

What I Believe/Deep Relaxation

You Can Heal Your Life(audio book)

You Can Heal Your Life

Study Course

Your Thoughts Create Your Life

DVDsDissolving Barriers

You Can Heal Your Life Study Course

CARD DECKSHealthy Body Cards

I CAN DO IT® Cards

(a 60-card deck)

I CAN DO IT ® Cards for Creativity,

Forgiveness, Health, Job Success,

Wealth, Self-Esteem, Romance(each

deck has 12 cards)

Power Thought Cards

Power Thought Sticky Cards

Power Thoughts for Teens

Wisdom Cards

CALENDARI Can Do It®Calendar

(for each individual year)

All of the above are available

at your local bookstore, or may be

ordered by visiting: Hay House USA:

www.hayhouse.com; Hay House Australia:

www.hayhouse.com.au; Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk; Hay House South Africa:

www.hayhouse.co.za

Hay House India:

www.hayhouse.co.in

Louise’s Website:

www.LouiseHay.com®

We hope you enjoyed this Hay House book. If you’d like to receive a free catalog featuring additional Hay House books and products, or if you’d like information about the Hay Foundation, please contact:

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P.O. Box 5100

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Document Outline

Cover Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments/Dedication

Preface

Introduction

The Point of Power Is in the Present Moment

Mental Equivalents

Replacing Old Patterns

Healing Affirmations

Spinal Misalignments

Further Comments

Loving Treatment

Epilogue

About Louise L. Hay