A Personal Story

I have been involved with Attitudinal Healing since 1985 and before starting HeartLight I served as the Executive Director of two other Attitudinal Healing Centers.  Let me share with you one example of what I have experienced during that time.

I remember vividly the day that an elderly couple walked into my office.  The wife was very quiet and in obvious emotional pain. The husband paced angrily about the office, not speaking.  As we talked, it was revealed that they had just learned that their only son was gay and dying of AIDS.  The devastation of this was magnified by the fact that their religious beliefs condemned not only their son, but also them for “allowing” him to be gay.  If ever there was a clarion call for Love this couple was giving it.

We sat and continued to talk and I invited them to participate in our support groups.  The wife jumped at the chance and the husband was a bit more resistant.  After all, what would others think of him should they know about this situation?  In spite of his trepidation, they begin to attend the groups and with each week their hearts opened. As each week passed Bud, the husband, begin to transform from shame, anger and bitterness to sharing from his heart.

They had been attending the groups for about three months and it was the week after Thanksgiving. I received a phone call from Evelyn, the wife, to let me know that their son had called the previous day.  While she had talked with him, Bud had paced back and forth nearby.  She told her son that she thought his Dad had something to say and handed to phone to Bud. In that conversation, Bud told his son, for the first time in 41 years that he loved him and accepted him as he was.

This is Attitudinal Healing. This is the power of Love to overcome fear, judgment and prejudice.

In Light,

Dr. Rusty Barrier