My hands and arms were very painful. When I got up in the morning I could hardly stand or walk. I was in constant pain 24 hours a day. In 1979 I was diagnosed with Rhuematoid Arthritis because I had very little range of motion. In 1985 I was diagnosed with a herniated lumbar disc. This was probably why I had a problem with bending over.

I went from doctor to doctor and paid my dues. Nothing seemed to be working until I got involved with alternative health (my first encounter with Touch for Health was in 1979), and started to learn about how muscles work and the cause of my bursitis, RSI, and CTS. I had my last cortisone shot in Oct 1981. In July 1982, while attending the Touch for Health annual meeting, I had another attack of bursitis, but I was in the right place at the right time. Before rushing off to the hospital emergency to get another cortisone shot, I asked an instructor to look at my shoulder, which was very painful. Within 10 minutes I could raise my arm, and the pain was nearly gone. Being a skeptic myself, I had to experience it before I believed it. Amazing but true. My right arm and wrist felt better.

What the TFH instructor did was to work on relaxing the Anterior Deltoid muscle, which was very tight, and also to work on strengthening the Teres Minor Muscle, which was weak. This is called balancing a Reactive Muscle combination. My interpretation of what Bursitis consists of is that the muscles in the arm get so tight that they place pressure on the Bursa, and the Bursa gets inflamed. Relax the tight muscles, which in turn releases the pressure on the Bursa, and the pain goes away. Simple, but effective, once you understand which muscles to work with.

This was so impressivethat my husband Hap and I went on to help many other people with bursitis, RSI, CTS, and other muscle imbalance problems. Since that time we have developed Self-Help Techniques that make it much easier to correct muscle balance problems. The bottom line is that today I am able to do all the things that I couldn't do earlier. I use our Self-Help techniques whenever I start to hurt. Our bodies constantly go in and out of balance; but now I can work on myself whenever I am hurting and get quick relief. These simple techniques also make it much easier to help another person with stress and pain problems.

Now I can do a great deal of work on the computer and use the mouse with no problem. I am hiking 6-10 miles at a time with no stress. But I use the techniques from time to time while computering and hiking to keep my body functioning optimally. As a matter of fact I am 64 years old and am in better health now than when I was in my 30s, 40s, & 50s.

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WORKING ON MENTAL-EMOTIONAL STRESS:  As a child I had a dream of a BEAUTIFUL, HAPPY WORLD. For many years I searched for my dream, but I could not find it. Every job, and every relationship was a disappointment. After repeated failures in finding the love and happiness I sought, I took to drinking and taking tranquilizers to drown my sorrows. My life was not working, and I was extremely unhappy and depressed.

In 1977, at the age of 45, I discovered Ken Keyes, Jr, author of the Handbook to Higher Consciousness . A friend wanted to take a week long training with Ken and wanted me to go with her to keep her company. I had already spent a considerable amount of money going to a psychologist and thought no one could help me, but consented to go just to keep my friend company. After three days into the workshop I finally had the insight on how I could find my BEAUTIFUL HAPPY WORLD. I had been searching in all the wrong places. What I learned was that happiness is not found out there, finding the right person, or accumulating things, but true happiness comes from within. The answers are locked inside our hearts, a prisoner of our fears. My major turn around was in learning how to stop an argument.

The following year I left my job to spend 11 months at the Ken Keyes study center (located in Kentucky at that time) to learn the Ken Keyes methods at a deeper level. It was there that I met my husband, Hap Barhydt. We created a Living Love marriage and started the Loving Life center as a Ken Keyes support group in Los Angeles.

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WORKING ON LEARNING BLOCKS: I was also very dyslexic. As a child in shcool I was labled mentally retarded and the other kids called me "MR" for short. By working with our Self-Help brain integration and balancing techniques, I have been able to solve my problems with dyslexia and have gone on to complete BS and MS degrees in psychology, and a PhD degree in transpersonal psychology. At one time I had great difficulty in reading and would not have been able to do this work.

My BS thesis, MS thesis, and PhD dissertation all dealt with exploring the Ken Keyes Living Love Methods and their use. The purpose of the Living Love Methods is to help people to learn ways to create more happiness in their lives and to cope with stress inducing factors. The PhD dissertation shows how the Ken Keyes methods derive from traditional academic psychology, particularly transpersonal psychology, and explains how the methods can be used effectively.

I have published many articles on "How to Create Happiness", "Loving more Demanding Less", and related subjects based on the Ken Keyes' concepts. I am in the process of writing a book using the concepts of the Living Love methods of Ken Keyes Jr. for practical use. We also teach classes on the use of the Ken Keyes' Living Love methods to help us find more happiness for ourselves and others.

I also enjoy working with children with learning problems, including reading and writing, using the methods I found to correct my own severe reading disabilities.

There are many Self-Help tools out there, and ultimately we have to take responsibility for helping ourselves. Do what works for you. The more tools you have the more you can start to help yourself. Remember techniques such as our Self-Help techniques work when you take the time to learn to do them properly.

I recommend several books to read and study. There are valuable messages in each of the Ken Keyes books. Another book which I highly recomend is T-Neck by bobbi. Don't let the name fool you. T-neck is a spiritual guide who comes to help a boy going to college. This a very dynamic, down to earth book which I quote from many times (page 27): "If someone calls you stupid and you react to it, what you're saying is 'Maybe I am stupid.' If there was no doubt in your mind it wouldn't bother you. . . . Actions are rarely to fault, it's the reaction that causes the problem."

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I love you and support you just the way you are in all your power, magnificence, and unlimited possibilities.

These unique exercises, developed by us from the principles of Touch for Health, are described and taught in our books, and also in our classes and lectures.