McDonald - The Self-Healers Handbook: A Practical Guide to Awakening Your Self-Healing Power

Copyright 2021 by Taleta McDonald

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the author does not dispense medical, or other professional advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of diagnosis or treatment for any physical, emotional, or medical condition. The reader should consult his or her medical, health, or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book. The author specifically disclaims all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

ISBN 978-0-473-58300-2 (paperback)

ISBN 978-0-473-58301-9 (EPUB)

ISBN 978-0-473-58302-6 (PDF)

For every single person whos suffering from a chronic health condition or poor well-being. This book is for you.

Contents

Thank you to all my teachers; Anthony William the Medical Medium, Deepak Chopra, Marisa Peer, Dr Bruce Lipton, Peter Fraser, Osho, Deborah King, Eckhart Tolle, Swami Premananda, my parents Paul and Patricia, and my biggest teacher of all, my beloved daughter Aiyana.

a re you living your life according to your highest values? Are you content with where you are right now? Do you know what you are here on this Earth to do? What does living a healthy and fulfilled life mean to you?

A few years ago, I had no idea of the answer to those questions, but I certainly would have liked to have known how to find that soul-fulfilling inner joy and sense of wellbeing that we all strive for.

The truth is, for many years, I was desperately unhappy in my life, yet I didnt know what to do or how to change my situation until I finally found the courage to break free of my old life.

I had what society often refers to as a good life, and looking in from an outsiders perspective, everything appeared to be perfect. I lived in a big clifftop inner-city house which contained all the things that made my life comfortable. My first article had just been published in a prominent New Zealand magazine, and I had a promising career in freelance journalism ahead of me.

I was engaged and planning my wedding. However, despite everything, I was miserable.

The unhappiness affected my health, and I began experiencing chronic and debilitating attacks of vertigo and dizziness where I couldnt leave my bed for weeks at a time.

I somehow knew that my life had gone drastically off course, and my body was trying to tell me that it was time for a change. I was tired of merely going through the motions of a life, which I had created without any real authenticity to my true self, and I eventually hit rock bottom. But in that moment of despair, I experienced an aha moment that would be the most important turning point in my life.

I knew there had to be more to life than lying in bed and wallowing in self-pity. So, I finally found the courage to take action.

I gave notice on the lease of my house, packed up my most cherished possessions, and sold, gifted, and donated a lifetime of accumulated stuff to charity.

I broke up with my fianc, moved into my campervan, and I set off alone on a pilgrimage of healing and self-discovery.

In a matter of days, I went from having everything to nothing, in a material sense, and I freedom-camped in my campervan around the North Island of New Zealand with only my dog for company.

I ditched the makeup and designer clothes for comfy van attire, showered in cold public showers, ate a simple whole foods vegetarian diet, and the stars and moon became my nightly entertainments.

It seemed the more I simplified my life, the more I was able to reconnect to my true self, away from all the distractions that we often have in life.

From this new space of awareness, beyond societal and familial conditioning, I awakened to who I really was, and I discovered what I truly wanted to manifest in my life, which was radically different from how I had been living.

My passion for yoga was too strong to ignore, so I decided to go to India and learn yoga at the root source so that I could combine my skills as a Reiki healer and use my naturopathic knowledge to help others.

After many hours of research, I finally found a course that resonated with me, and after six months of solitary living in my van, I boarded a plane to India.

My pilgrimage led me to 21 towns and seven states throughout India. I fell in love with the Himalayas and lived in Nepal for half a year. Then the hippy vibes of Byron Bay in Australia called to me. One year later, I returned to India to teach yoga before landing my dream yoga teaching job in Bali.

With a whole lot of new life experiences and soul lessons under my belt, I eventually returned home to New Zealand and established a holistic wellness practice, however, living in a house back in my hometown of Auckland reminded me of why I had initially left, so with my new-found knowledge alongside another year of life lessons, I once again sold and donated all of my belongings, packed my trusty yet well-used suitcase, and boarded a plane back to Australia.

Round two in Australia was a much more enjoyable experience than the first time I lived there. My partner and I bought a 1997 Mercedes Motorhome that we called Bessie, and we set off to do a lap of the country while building our online businesses.

A few months went by, and the Aussie dream felt like it was slowly slipping through my fingers. I didnt find happiness there, and in a twist of fate, I suddenly found myself back in New Zealand, where I eventually decided to make Queenstown my home.

Of all the teachers and people I met along the way; my biggest teacher has been life itself. Six years of soul searching, travelling, and living out of a suitcase certainly brought some lessons!

I am not a medical doctor, PhD holder, guru, or psychologist, and I dont proclaim to have all the answers. The universe is infinite, and those who think they know it all usually have a lot to learn!

Im not suggesting that you need to give up everything and follow in my footsteps either, because everyones journey is different, and we each need to follow our own unique path. However, I sure have picked up some golden nuggets of wisdom along the way.

Believe me, I know what its like to have the odds stacked against me. I was brought up in a working-class family, and as a child, I lived in a tent with my parents, where we often relied on food supplied by community organizations. I became a single mother at 17, and I was reliant on receiving state welfare to survive. I often struggled from paycheck to paycheck to pay my rent and buy food while trying to single-handedly raise my daughter, who suffered from a range of serious health conditions.