For those of you who want to know more, powertohealit.com created this alphabetical glossary. Use the search engine at the top of the page to find the terms you’re looking for, download the glossary to your computer, or print it for use as a reference.

Archetype - Basic personality patterns that are lived out from deep inside the collective culture and individually. The accepted use of archetype is to refer to a generic or defining example of a personality type, i.e. a warrior, caregiver or teacher. In the analysis of personality, the term archetype is often broadly used to refer to a stereotype, especially an oversimplification or epitome of type, i.e., the "greatest" warrior, caregiver or teacher. These archetypal patterns run deep and can be accessed using hypnotic work, meditation or psychotherapy to promote healing and self understanding.

Authoritarian hypnosis-An approach to hypnosis that emphasizes mind control methods, i.e. where the hypnotist is viewed as having special mental powers with which he is able to cause the subject (the person being hypnotized) to become vulnerable to the suggestions of the hypnotist. A well-known example of authoritarian hypnosis is stage hypnosis. Mind control methods do not take into account the free will of the subject. They are very seldom used in clinical settings.

Belief system - A person's philosophical framework for receiving, generating and sustaining knowledge. An individual's belief system is highly subjective and dependent upon their experiences, education, general levels of awareness and individual neurology. A mentally active, neurologically sound individual will evolve his/her belief system numerous times over the life span.Remaining open to the reconstruction of one’s belief system is essential to individual wellbeing and to growth in social welfare.

Bell, John Stewart - Born June 28, 1928 in Belfast Ireland, Bell was a physicist who became well known as the originator of Bell’ Theorem, regarded by some in the "quantum mechanics" community as one of the most important theorems of the 20th century. Bell’s Theorem scientifically proves that in order for normal cause and effect to exist, all parts of the universe must be connected to each other instantaneously at a subatomic level, faster than the speed of light with no time lost at all (something the physicists call "superluminal").

Bio-Electromagnetic (BioEm) energies - A field or fields of electromagnetic energy generated by the human body, having characteristics similar to light.Understood as a function of subtle energies generated by the human mind in the form of thought and emotion, as well as a function of activity in specific organs (i.e. the heart and brain) and of specific energy centers located in the spine and extremities.

Biophysics - A field of scientific inquiry that understands the body and biological processes using the theories and tools of physics. In particular, the understanding that the chemicals which comprise the body and all bodily tissues, organs and processes are composed of atoms and subatomic energy. The energy field of the heart was documented by Einthoven over a century ago. His research led to the electrocardiogram and won him the Nobel in 1924. A quarter of a century later, Berger measured the electrical fields of the brain, resulting in the discipline of electroencephalography. Biophysics provides the scientific foundation for energy medicine.

Biofield therapies - The term given to a class of energy therapies that involve strengthening, clearing and balancing the human body's bio-electromagnetic energy fields as a means to heal physical, psychological and spiritual problems.

Bohr, Niels - Born October 7, 1885, Bohr was a Danish physicist who made fundamental contributions to our understanding of atomic structure and quantum mechanics for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1922. Bohr is widely considered one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century. He was the first to prove that electrons travel in discrete orbits around an atom’s nucleus and that the the chemical properties of every element are largely determined by the number of electrons in each of these orbits. His extensive work on the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics led him to the principle of complementarity: that quantum (subatomic) energy phenomena could be separately analyzed as having several contradictory properties that operate within a single intelligent framework. His investigations led him to conclude that energy at the quantum level appears to be governed by one vast thought, expressing itself as quantum energy, which then masquerades as a complex physical universe (see unified field theory).

Cathartic release - In psychology, cathartic release refers to the release of stored-up or repressed emotions.

Chakra - Chakra is Sanskrit for "wheel". In Hindu and Buddhist medicine, chakra is the term used to refer to an energy center in the body. In both systems, major chakras are aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head, with numerous lesser energy centers located in other parts of the body and extremities. Each chakra is associated with specific physiological, mental or spiritual functions. The Hindu scheme has seven major chakras. The first chakra is located at the base of the spine and is responsible for storing basic biological energy. The second chakra is located near the genitals and fuels procreative functions. The third is near the sternum, supports organ health and serves as a location for storage of strong emotion. The fourth chakra surrounds the heart, powers the heart and lungs and serves as a storehouse of emotions relating to love, relationships and human virtue. The fifth charka is in the throat, powers the thyroid and is associated with personal expression. The sixth center is in the forehead, at the point between the eyebrows, supports neurological health, and stores understanding of deep meaning and purpose in life. The seventh chakra is at the crown of the head, supports sophisticated brain functions and is associated with a person’s overall spiritual evolution.

Clinical psychology - The application of principles and methods from various branches of psychology as a way to study, measure, evaluate and treat mental, behavioral and emotional problems. The psychological science base is rich, embracing models and theories covering: human sensation, perception and cognition; the neuro-biological bases of behavior, thought and feeling; processes of human development; the structure of personality; the structure of human consciousness; learning processes; environmental conditioning processes; social conditioning processes; family dynamics; behavior and personality disorders, and much more. Individual psychotherapy, consisting of one-on-one verbal communication between the psychologist and the client, is the primary treatment modality used in the practice of clinical psychology, though interventions may include behavioral re-education, environmental manipulation, group psychotherapy, couples therapy or family therapy.

Cognition – The mental process by which a person perceives, interprets and attributes meaning to their experiences.

Cognitive-Behavioral therapy - A type of psychotherapy first developed by psychiatrist Aaron T.Beck in the 1960s. Beck came to the conclusion that the way in which his clients perceived, interpreted and attributed meaning to their experience - a process known scientifically as cognition - was a key to therapy. Beck showed that a person's emotions and behavior result from their thought processes. He developed a list of "errors" in thinking that could cause or maintain problematic emotions and behaviors, including arbitrary inference, selective abstraction, over-generalization, magnification (of negatives) and minimization (of positives). Most of the advances in the field of psychology over the last 30 years have been in the domain of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Contemporary cognitive-behavioral therapy seeks to identify and change "distorted" or "unrealistic" ways of thinking, and thereby to change emotion and behavior.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) - CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of mainstream conventional medicine in the West. Examples include: mind-body medicine, homeopathic medicine, naturopathic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, herbal remedies, nutritional supplements, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, and biofield therapies. These interventions are considered to becomplementary medicine when they are used together with conventional medicine (as when meditation is used to reduce a patient’s pain following surgery). The same interventions are described asalternative medicine when they are usedin place of conventional medicine (as when a person is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of undergoing surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy). Integrative medicine combines treatments from conventional medicine and CAM for which there is some high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness. For more information on CAM, go to the website of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health at http://NCCAM.NIH.GOV.

Conscious mind - Ordinary day-to-day awareness. How people experience themselves and life in general on a "known" basis, i.e. the thoughts and feelings that people are typically aware of.

Conventional medicine – Medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and by health professionals such as psychologists, physical therapists, nurse practitioners and registerednurses.

Delusion - Commonly defined as a fixed false belief, used to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception.

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) - Invisible lines of electro-magnetic force that permeate and surround anything through which energy flows. The earth produces EMFs, as does a thunderstorm, as does the human body. The human body is composed of energy: from the quantum energy that forms the basis for electrons, neutrons and protons - the building blocks of chemical composition, cellular structure and function - to the electric nerve impulses that govern the human heartbeat. EMFs in and around the human body (or any organic life form) are called bio-electromagnetic energy fields, or BioEM energies. Even human thought and feeling are composed of energy: when a patient is connected to an electroencephalograph (EEG), his/her brain activity is measured in the form of energy waves whose amplitude and frequency correlate with various states of consciousness (i.e. waking or sleeping, anxious or calm); recent technological advancements (MEEG and FMRI systems) now allow us to observe the subtle electromagnetic energies associated with different ways of feeling and thinking as they emanate from the human brain. Likewise, energy flowing through the body creates BioEm fields whose composition, size and fluctuation correlate with various states of physical, mental and spiritual health. If a person's BioEm energies are strong, clear and balanced, then his/her physical and psychological health are likely to be good, and vice versa.

Empowerment - The process of increasing the spiritual, mental, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities.

Energy Medicine - One of four domains of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) identified by the National Institutes of Health (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of NIH, or NCCAM). It is based on the understanding that illness results from disturbances in the body's bio-electromagnetic energies and that these disturbances can be addressed via electrical or electromagnetic stimulation. Many of the body's electrical systems and electromagnetic fields are well-known, well-documented, and the focus of established conventional medical interventions. The application of lasers and magnetic pulsation can be described in terms of specific, measurable wavelengths and frequencies that have been found to be therapeutic for healing damaged tendons, repairing aneurisms, destroying cancer cells, and breaking-up bone-based scar tissue.

Expressive techniques (expressive therapies) – Intentional use of the creative arts as a form of therapy, based on the proven assumption that creative expression, movement and use of the imagination are healing to body, mind and spirit. Most forms of creative expression have an equivalent therapeutic discipline: art therapy, dance therapy, music therapy, drama therapy (or psychodrama), and expressive writing are examples.

Freud, Sigmund - Born May 6, 1856, Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist best known for his theories regarding the subconscious mind and his ground-breaking work in the field of psychoanalysis. His model of human consciousness looked like an iceberg: conscious mind is the tip of the iceberg, the part above the water; the subconscious mind (or unconscious mind), like the part of the iceberg that is hidden below the surface, is many times larger and more powerful. He was the first to theorize that the key to mental health rests in the ability to uncover repressed memories and distorted thoughts that exist in the subconscious mind. He is often called "the father of psychoanalysis" for his pioneering work developing "the psychoanalytic method" as a means to help people gain insight into their subconscious memories, emotions and motivations. He popularized concepts like "defense mechanism," the "Freudian slip" and " ream symbolism".

Gatekeeper - In psychology, a psychological wall that prevents the flow of knowledge, memories, or other information from one level of the mind to another. There are two gatekeepers in the mind. One filters content flowing between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The other gatekeeper filters content flowing between the subconscious and super-conscious minds. Hypnosis moves both gatekeepers out of the way by calming the mind, at which point the gatekeepers simply relax and slide out of the way, allowing access to the content of the conscious, subconscious and super-conscious minds at the same time.

Hypnopompic state - A deep hypnotic state that naturally occurs just before waking up.

Hypnogogic state - A deep hypnotic state that naturally occurs just before falling asleep.

Hypnosis - A state of altered mental attention which can be self-induced or induced by another person (a hypnotherapist or health care professional trained in hypnosis). During hypnosis a person is able to focus all their attention, concentrate intently on a particular subject, and experience increased knowledge about the subject, including knowledge contained in his/her subconscious mind and super-conscious minds. Hypnosis is a natural state of mind, common to all human beings. The trance, or focused state of mind under hypnosis, can vary from a light state to a heavy or "deep" state. A light state of hypnosis is experienced whenever a person is concentrating on something so intently that they lose awareness of their environment, as is the case when you go to your local cyber-café and sip coffee over your laptop, so engrossed in what you're doing that the noise in the cafe fades into the background. An example of medium hypnosis exists in the case where a consultant, his mind engrossed on developing a new proposal as he commutes home, is unaware of the details of the drive, perhaps even unaware of having driven, right up until he pulls into his driveway (called highway hypnosis). An example of deep hypnosis exists in a case where a person is induced into full anesthesia without medication, using the power of the mind to block what would otherwise be excruciating pain in a normal state of consciousness.

State-of-the-art clinical hypnosis utilizes the natural ability of the focused mind and the mind's willingness to accept positive suggestions to improve health and well-being. Medical research reveals a growing list of ailments that are positively affected through hypnosis when it is properly utilized by a trained professional for clinical purposes: 1) reducing or eliminating anxiety-related disorders, especially phobias, 2) alleviating many ailments, especially those with a psychogenic component, such as ulcers, colitis, asthma, arthritis, dysmenorrhea, fibromyalgia, and hypertension, 3) altering automatic responses to old trauma via "release" of subconscious experience of previous trauma and restructuring subconscious reaction to further "cues" of trauma, 4) eliminating unhealthy habits, such as smoking and overeating, 5) alleviating chronic pain and achieving full anesthesia, as in the case of painless childbirth, 6) improving clinical outcomes related to medical and dental procedures, and 7) enhancing learning, from improved memorization to receiving/understanding complex insights regarding physical, psychological and spiritual issues.

Hypnotic guided imagery - Use of imagery to guide an individual into a hypnotic state, deepen the hypnotic trance state and aid in accomplishing specific goals for healing during hypnosis. Use of guided imagery during a hypnotic induction helps the subject (the person being hypnotized) to move their attention away from the outside world and toward a relaxed and focused inner awareness. It can be used to deepen a person’s trance state and to heighten bodily awareness under hypnosis and is therefore integral to hypnotic processes which are focused on reducing physical and mental stress, healing illness or injury, inducing pain relief (analgesia) or full body anesthesia. Guided imagery is also used effectively to help achieve specialized goals under hypnosis, such as weight loss, smoking cessation and behavior modification.

Hypnotic Induction - A formalized group of words, phrases and imagery that move a person's attention away from the outside world and toward a relaxed and focused inner awareness (a hypnotic state). There are many different types of inductions. Certain inductions work better for particular personality types. Inductions also vary depending on the depth of trance state that is desired and the type of work that is to be accomplished while the subject is under hypnosis. A simple induction has three parts. The first part is a basic focusing and relaxing procedure, often a ten-to-one countdown using a variety of voice modulations and prompts. The second part is a bodily relaxation procedure, often a progressive relaxation method using direct suggestion. The third part involves deepening the trance state, often through the use of hypnotic guided imagery.

Integrative medicine - The term used to describe the combined use of conventional medicine with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for which there is some rigorous research-based evidence of safety and effectiveness. An example would be using meditation following heart surgery to reduce pain, expedite post-surgical recovery, manage stress and help maintain continued heart health.

Intuition - A form of ready, accurate insight that arises independent of a person's previous experiences or empirical knowledge.

Jung, Carl - Carl Gustav Jung, born July 26, 1875, was a Swiss psychiatrist, a colleague of Sigmund Freud, and founder of analytical psychology. His broad and unique approach to psychology included the application of rigorous scientific method but also emphasized understanding the mind through exploring the worlds of religion, philosophy, mythology and symbolism. Jung’s work focused heavily on the "unconscious," which would include the subconscious as Freud defined it, plus something that Jung called "the collective unconscious" astorehouse of latent memory traces inherited from man's ancestral past, a past that includes not only the history of man as a separate species but our pre-human ancestry as well, the whole history of human evolution. Jung discovered that this collective unconscious is shared by all people and is therefore universal, and he understood it to be the foundation upon which the individual subconscious mind and ego are built. According to Jung, included in the collective unconscious are "archetypes" or basic human personality patterns that we live out from deep inside ourselves and the collective culture.

Kabat-Zinn, Jon - Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Dr. Kabat-Zinn has conducted numerous studies and published several books which focus on mind-body interventions that promote healing. His Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, an eight week course that combines meditation and hatha yoga, has been demonstrated to effect positive changes in brain activity, stress reduction, improved emotional processing, better immune functioning and symptom amelioration in people who suffer from chronic pain, stress-related illnesses and/or a wide range of chronic diseases, including breast cancer. Over 200 medical centers and clinics nationwide and abroad now use the MBSR model. Dr. Kabat-Zinn received his Ph.D. in molecular biology in 1971 from MIT.

Magnetic Pull - A process that occurs naturally during the use of any scientifically-based meditation technique, during which neurological energy is withdrawn from the peripheral nervous system, concentrated in the spine, then channeled upward to the brain. The practical result of magnetic pull during meditation is that the meditator experiences a withdrawal of sensory awareness from the outside world (because there is less energy in the peripheral nervous system), is thereby able to limit sensory distractions to achieve a calm inward focus, and has more energy available to support mental and spiritual functions (which are locused in the brain).

Meditation - Methods for calming and focusing the mind. Meditation is the mental "laboratory work" through which persons come to master their own mental and physical states and achieve the expansion of conscious awareness. There are many secularized forms of meditation that are effectively used in contemporary society for therapy and relaxation. Recognizing the need for meditative practice in the stress and strain of modern life, secular psychology has produced a variety of therapies (e.g. Gestalt Therapy) that represent secularized versions of classical religious meditative disciplines. For example, certain forms of humanistic and transpersonal psychology have championed the expansion of human potential through meditative techniques like biofeedback. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Dr. Herbet Benson and other researchers in the health sciences have identified a number of therapeutic benefits to be derived from meditation, including: 1) improved rates of recovery from a variety of illnesses (especially those with a psychogenic component, such as such as ulcers, asthma, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and hypertension), 2) improved circulation, vitality and stamina, 3) management of chronic pain, 4) stress management, 5) improved clinical outcomes associated with dental and medical treatments, 6) reduced anxiety, fear and depression, 7) greater mental clarity and peace of mind, and 8) experience of insights relating to one's social, psychological and physical well-being, as well as answers to questions regarding the meaning and purpose of life.

There are many schools of meditative practice, with the following approaches common: 1) body preparation (via progressive relaxation, yoga, Tai Chi, etc.), 2) specific postures, 3) set opening phrases or patterns of prayer, 4) chant, 5) concentration on single word mantras, sounds or repetitive phrases, 6) use of the breath and breathing to calm the mind and focus attention, 7) methods of mindfulness designed to erase the "mental static" created by intruding thoughts and feelings, 8) means for withdrawing attention from the senses and all external stimuli, and 9) methods for achieving one-pointed concentration on the object of one's meditation, whether it be improved health, greater mental clarity and peace, or God.

Contemporary meditative methods evolved mostly from ancient religious sources. Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Judaism, Sufism, Sikhism, Christianity and other spiritual traditions have long utilized meditation to expand the human consciousness in order to achieve the unifying of an individual's life and being with ultimate, Universal Truth. Spiritual meditation equates with mastering and focusing the mind so as to achieve perfect concentration on God (or Tao, Brahman, Nirvana, Jehovah, Allah, depending on religious perspective). Spiritual meditation is understood to depend for its result on the action of God's grace (the western perspective) or on the essential unity between the individual human soul and the Universal Soul of God (the eastern perspective).

Medulla Oblongata - The brain stem, located at the base of the brain. This part of the brain directly controls breathing, blood flow, heart beat and many other essential functions. In Eastern medicine, Hindu and Buddhist medicine specifically, this area coincides with an important energy center - the medullary center - through which energy flows into the body.

Mind-body medicine - Techniques designed to enhance the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and health. Mind-body medicine focuses on the interactions among the brain, mind, body and behavior and the ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual and behavioral factors directly impact physical health and wellbeing. Mind-body intervention strategies that are thought to promote health include hypnosis, meditation, yoga, cognitive-behavioral therapies, tai chi, group support, autogenic training, and spirituality. Some mind-body approaches have been documented to be effective and are considered mainstream, i.e. cognitive therapy, hypnosis, meditation, and expressive therapies. Other mind-body techniques, like prayer, though widely considered effective, are still being researched for their effectiveness.

Neuroscience - The scientific study concerned with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and pathology of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Neuroscience focuses chiefly on an investigation of the brain and central nervous systems, with special focus on how we perceive and interact with the external world, and how human experience and biology influence each other. The scope of neuroscience has become very broad over the last two decades, signaling a convergence of interest in the fields of psychology, computer science, statistics, physics, medicine, sociology and economics. There are several sub-specialties within the field of neuroscience. Cognitive neuroscience addresses questions regarding how psychological and cognitive functions are produced by neural circuitry, and vice-versa. Social neuroscience focuses on the brain’s interaction with the environment. The termneurobiology is sometimes confused with neuroscience. The former term refers to the biology of the nervous system, and the latter term refers to the science of neural circuitries and their relationship to mental and physical functions in the human body and the surrounding environment.

Philosophy - A discipline concerned with the critical examination of the rational grounds for our most fundamental beliefs and logical analysis of the basic concepts employed in the expression of such beliefs. Philosophy is perhaps the oldest and most highly regarded of the sciences. It has been a recognized discipline since the days of the ancient Greek philosophers and has evolved over more than 2,500 years based on the questions that have been relevant to society at any given point in time. What were once purely philosophical pursuits have evolved into the modern day specialized fields of psychology, sociology, linguistics, and economics. Philosophical rigor informs all modern sciences, medicine, mathematics, politics and linguistics.

There are four main branches of philosophy: ethics (moral or right living), metaphysics (the essential nature of things), epistemology (what counts as genuine knowledge) and logic (the correct principles of reasoning). Each branch has several sub-classifications. For example, within metaphysics, "ontology" is the inquiry into the meaning of existence itself, and "philosophy of mind" is an inquiry into the nature of the mind, consciousness (awareness), mental functions and properties, and their relationship to the physical body.

The vast body of philosophy is divided into historical time periods and classified by particular schools of thought. A survey of philosophy is unfortunately beyond the scope of this summary.

PRN - Latin for "pro re_nata," literally meaning “for the thing born,” but used in medicine to mean "as needed". Most often used in the administration of medication, when a patient or their caregiver is allowed to administer doses of medication outside of prescribed levels on an as-needed basis.

Progressive Relaxation - As used in hypnosis, refers to progressive relaxation of the body using one or more methods: a 10 to 1 countdown, direct suggestion, focused breathing, guided imagery, or progressive tensing and relaxing of muscle groups. Progressive relaxation techniques are often utilized as part of a hypnotic induction, but may be used at any time during hypnosis to promote further relaxation and deepen the trance state. Outside of hypnosis, PR techniques can be self-induced or utilized with the guidance of another person, such as a psychologist, social worker or physical therapist. They reduce stress, anxiety and physiological tension in the body, and have the added benefits of lowering pulse rate and blood pressure.

Psychogenic - In medicine, of mental or emotional origin. Refers most often to the psychological stimulus for disease or illness in the body. Certain illnesses, such as asthma, arthritis, fibromyalgia, heart disease, hypertension and ulcers are considered to have a strongpsychogenic (mental) component. Severe stress, depression, anxiety, grief, or trauma are known psychogenic factors that contribute to the onset and severity of physical illness. Not to be confused withpsychosomatic illness, which is the artificial creation of symptoms caused by mental processes of the sufferer without physiological cause. With psychogenic illness, the illness also has a biological basis - it is real.

Psychotherapy - An interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to help clients deal with a wide-range of mental and emotional problems. Typically, therapy takes on the overall focus of increasing one’s sense of well-being and reducing subjective discomforting experiences and thoughts. There are a wide range of techniques used in psychotherapy based on experiential relationship building, dialogue, communication and behavior change. These techniques are designed to improve the mental health of a client or to improve relationships (such as in a couple or family). Most forms of psychotherapy employ the use of spoken conversation ("talk therapy") with the inclusion of specific therapeutic techniques. Some forms also use various other techniques of communication such as the written word, psychodrama or other expressive therapies. Psychotherapy occurs within a structured encounter between a trained therapist and client(s). Therapy is generally used to respond to a variety of specific or non-specific manifestations of clinically-diagnosable problems or crises. Treatment of everyday problems, by contrast, is often referred to as "counseling" though this term is often used interchangeably with "psychotherapy".

Quantum mechanics (and quantum energy) - The branch of physics that deals with how energy behaves at the atomic and subatomic levels. It derives from the word "quantum" (Latin for "how much") and “quanta” the discrete subatomic energy packets that are the building blocks of light waves. Accepted theories of quantum mechanics were established during the first half of the twentieth century by Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger and others who wanted to explain the behaviors and characteristics of quantum (subatomic) energy, which behaves in ways that cannot be explained by classic Newtonian physics, classic theories of electromagnetism or Einstein's general theory of relativity. Quantum mechanics led to a number of accepted and important theories. Planck's quantum hypothesis explained how the energy radiated by an atomic system is proportional to the radiant energy generated by each discrete energy element in the system. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle resolved what had been a major quandry regarding the inability to precisely locate electrons in an atomic unit. Einstein built upon Planck's work to show that an electromagnetic wave such as light also consists of tiny energy particles called photons. This led to the theory of wave-particle duality in which particles and waves were neither one nor the other, but had certain properties of both. While quantum mechanics describes the world of the very small, it also helps explain how certain "macroscopic"quantum systems behave, such as superconductors. Quantum mechanics is regarded widely by professional physicists as the most fundamental framework we have for understanding and describing nature.

Quantum super-position - An established characteristic of electromagnetic energy fields at the quantum level. Every organism, place and thing in existence possesses its own electromagnetic energy field(s). At the quantum (subatomic) level, these fields generate energy waves that possess the potential for a wide range of tendencies or possibilities. The wave-particle duality theory of quantum mechanics shows how, when these fields interact, the fields formulate energy particles that transfer momentum and energy between the two fields. Simply put, the energy fields between two objects emit and absorb exchanged particles, in effect playing a subatomic game of "catch" at the point they encounter oneanother. When that happens, the undifferentiated waves of energy contained in both fields are altered, discrete energy particles are created and a specific outcome, one of many possible tendencies that existed in the original energy waves of both objects, will occur.

Religion - Religion has so many meanings that it is almost ill-advised to capture its essence in a single definition. Dr. Levy prefers the following description, drawn in part from The Encyclopedia of Religion: A push toward ultimacy, deepest truth and transcendance that provides norms and power for living. When distinct patterns of behavior, a shared history, codified doctrines, rituals and sacraments are built around this type of depth dimension, the resulting structure consitutes “religion” in a recognizable form. Organized religion generally refers to an organization of people who share a prescribed set of beliefs, ethical standards and rituals, usually taking the form of a legal entity. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or spirituality, but these latter terms are more closely associated with personal conviction or a personal belief in the sacred or holy, not necessarily associated with organized religion.

Repetition compulsion - A repetitive pattern of flawed thought, feeling, and/or behavior that has dire consequences for health and wellbeing. Unresolved difficult experiences or emotions create impressions in the subconscious mind which lead to repetitive, negative tendencies of thought, feeling and behavior. People who suffer from repetition compulsions are prone to react in a specific way to a particular situation or stimulus, even when their response is harmful. One example consists of a woman who was raised by an emotionally distant father, who in adulthood, repeatedly pursues intimate relationships with men who are emotionally unavailable.

Repression - The psychological act of excluding feelings, thoughts, fantasies or desires from one's conscious awareness and attempting to hold or subdue them in the subconscious. Repression is usually an unconscious mechanism (we do it without being aware of it) that can be detrimental to mental and physical health. People tend to repress an experience they find painful, terrifying, difficult, shameful, or otherwise challenging. We often dismiss or deny painful emotions as a means to maintain psychological stability, or because we simply don't have time to deal with them in the face of our responsibilities. Unfortunately, powerful feelings, thoughts and desires that are repressed in this manner remain in the subconscious mind, where they sabotage our psychological, spiritual and physical wellbeing (see psychogenicillness). Repressed emotion can be safely released through the use of psychotherapy, hypnosis, expressive therapies and other tools of contemporary psychology.Repression is not the same as thought suppression, which is entirely conscious and thus can be more readily dealt with.

Stress - A response of the sympathetic nervous system which arises when a threat is perceived, or there is an unacceptable disparity between your expectations/needs and what you actually experience. Stress activates the sympathetic leg of the nervous system and the release of stress hormones that amp-up production of adrenaline and divert blood flow to the large muscles. The body needs this power because it "thinks" it has to run away from or fight something. This is the so-called “fight or flight” response. When you are in this response mode, blood flows more to the heart and large muscles and correspondingly less to the digestive system and other vital organs that are not immediately necessary for a fight or flight. The immediate effects are dry mouth, motor agitation, sweating, heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, enlarged pupils, sleeplessness, and mental anxiety.

There is such a thing as good stress - the challenges posed in our lives have the potential to enhance our physical and mental functioning. However, if stress is chronic and excessive it eventually causes harm. Chronic stress can cause anger or rage, fear or terror, fragmented or distorted thinking, impatience, emotional lability (erratic emotional states), memory loss, anxiety, and depression. Stress is closely associated with hypertension, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, gastro-intestinal disorders and other health problems. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, two-thirds of office visits to family doctors are for stress-related symptoms.

Subconscious mind - An aspect of the mind that operates outside of ordinary conscious awareness but which exerts tremendous influence on how we feel, think, perceive and behave. The subconscious mind is a hidden storehouse of memory, deep feeling, desires, motives, thought and other aspects of mind of which most people are not aware. It contains a catalogue of one's life experiences, along with the thoughts and feelings associated with important events in the past, all of which are stored in the form of subtle impressions in the subconscious mind. When, in the course of day-to-day experience, specific conditions arise that "cue" the content of the subconscious, these subtle impressions can surface into conscious awareness. The subconscious also comes to the fore any time a person is doing something by rote memory, like brushing their teeth or driving a car - things people do "without even thinking about them" (in which case, the subconscious mind is doing their thinking for them). In psychology, certain forms of psychotherapy (the psychoanalytic method in particular) and hypnosis are used to access the content of the subconscious mind, often for the purpose of releasing repressed emotional pain and distorted thought. Within the field of psychology, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were early pioneers who developed models for understanding the subconscious mind (sometimes referred to in the literature as “the unconscious” though the unconscious and subconscious minds are not one and the same).

Super-conscious awareness - A state of mind characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior awareness which is frequently accompanied by penetrating intuitive insight, emotional (and sometimes physical) euphoria, and occasionally, visions. Although the experience is usually brief in physical time, such experiences can last several days or more, can recur with frequency, and in the spiritually advanced person, can be maintained with constancy. Subjective perception of time, space and/or self may strongly change during this state of conscoiusness. The euphoria experienced in this state of mind, sometimes described as a state of ever-new joy, is referred to as "bliss" (the Eastern religious model) or "ecstacy" (the Western religious model). From the scientific perspective, super-conscious awareness is a level of mind that is capable of discerning and influencing subtle energy fields.

Super-conscious mind - Levels of mind, existing in every human being, that are infinite in power and capacity. There are two levels to the super-conscious mind: individual super-conscious mind and universal super-consciousness. Individual super-conscious mind is a level of "thought" or consciousness that is capable of sensing and influencing electromagnetic energy fields. Using this level of thought, we have the power to control our own personal electromagnetic energy fields (BioEM energies), as well as the electromagnetic energy fields associated with other people, places and things. People of faith refer to this level of mind as "soul" or spirit. The form of thought that is required to access the individual super-conscious mind is intuitive thought, which dawns on us as a deep, immediate, and accurate sense of knowing something that we could not necessarily know through simple logic. The intuitive thought of individual super-conscious mind is a gateway to an even larger field of intelligent energy - the universal super-conscious mind - a single mammoth conscious energy field that exists back behind the near infinite number of individual electromagnetic energy fields that make up the entire universe. This reality is sometimes referred to in physics as "The Unified Field"- a single quantum (or subatomic) field that behaves in predictable, intelligent ways to create and sustain the forces that drive the structure and functioning of the universe. Within this field, everything in the universe is instantaneously connected to and reacting to everything else. People of faith refer to universal super-conscious mind as God (or as Jehovah, Adonai, Tao, Nirvana, Sat, Brahma, or other terms depending upon their religious perspective). Both the scientific humanist and the person of deep faith access universal super-conscious awareness via meditative thought.

Unified Field - In physics, the unified field is understood to be a single field of energy whose characteristics can explain and unify all four existing physical forces in nature: 1) strong nuclear force (the force responsible for holding quarks together to form neutrons and protons, and holding neutrons and protons together to form nuclei); 2) electromagnetic force (the familiar force that acts on electrically charged particles); 3) weak nuclear force (responsible for radioactivity), and; 4) gravitational force (a long-range force of attraction that acts on all particles with mass).Notable physicists have been pursuing a unified field theory since the early 1800’s and many important discoveries have resulted from their efforts, but they have yet to formulate a consistent theory that combines general relativity and quantum mechanics. In recent years the quest for a unified field has largely focused on string theory and its derivatives, such as M-theory. The Unified Field theory is sometimes confused with the Theory of Everything (TOE) which attempts to explain all four fundamental forces in nature together with the theory of general relativityand the nature of elementary particles that form matter.

Yoga - Sanskrit for "union", refers to one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy that describes the path to enlightenment(or knowledge of God). Hindu texts establishing the basis for yoga include the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and many other. In India, Yoga is seen as a means to both physiological and spiritual mastery. Since the Bhagavad Gita was written, the main branches of Yoga have been classified as: Hatha Yoga(attaining enlightenment through assanas [postures] and breath control), Karma Yoga(attaining enlightenment through good works), Jnana Yoga (attaining enlightenment through wisdom), Bhakti Yoga(attaining enlightenment through devotion), and Raja Yoga(attaining enlightenment through a balanced spiritual life that has meditation as its hub). Outside India, Yoga has become primarily associated with Hatha Yoga, though Raja Yoga has been popularized in the West by Paramahansa Yogananda.

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