What I Learned from my 15 minutes of Fame June 27, 2009

What I Learned During my 15 Minutes of Fame

By Tammy Billups

4/06

 

 

It was a beautiful February Tuesday afternoon as I was heading to the park…a bit cold for this southern city (40), but sunny and gorgeous. My time walking/running on the Roswell Park trail is exactly that…my time. It is the time I leave my cell phone in the car and release anything that might have earlier parked itself on my shoulders.  It is the time I get to bond with Mother Earth.  And, it almost always paves the way for a good mood to slip in if there wasn’t one already in place. Sometimes it’s the squirrels playing, or a baby’s smile; or the nod of a friendly passer by… sometimes it’s simply the beauty and smells of nature that brings in that good mood. However it decides to reach me, my intention is to allow it in.  

 

But on this particular day, there was a surprising kink on my routine trip.  Sometimes the divine plan is much bigger than we could have manifested on our own…..we just have to remain open to follow and quickly react to our internal guidance systems. As I rounded the first curve on the trail, I could overhear a very loud, abusive argument between a male and female. It seemed almost unbelievable that a couple would be so vocal in the park. It was disturbing and immediately my heart began racing in fear. As soon as I could see them, I noticed the male was not only yelling at the female, he was also physically abusing her too. She looked very scared and powerless but screaming back all the same. He threw her down on a bench then hit her on the leg….. told her to shut up amongst other things.

 

There might have been a time in my life when walking past this type of scene was the only option I would entertain. I have come to realize that when I don’t walk through my fears to do what I believe is the right thing; I actually feel worse because I will beat myself up about it for days, weeks, maybe much longer. And, when I am able to face my fears, I feel better about not only myself but the outcome of the action also. So, I walked directly over to the couple to intervene and try to help the woman. My body was shaking in fear as I approached them—that fear of the unknown we all feel at times… Will he turn on me? was the question most prevalent in my mind.  I tried to appear grounded as I asked “do I need to call someone??”  I proceeded to repeatedly ask the gentleman to leave, flag down passerby’s until someone called 911 from their cell phone, and tried to comfort and energetically be a pillar for her.  It was amazing to me the amount of people walking by that intentionally distanced themselves from the scene….full of fear to get involved in any way.

 

As it turned out, the argument was staged by ABC’s news program, Primetime Live. They were doing a follow up segment to a previous show called “What Would You Do?” Ironically, I had actually seen the first show and walked away with knowledge regarding what to do when you come upon a case of domestic abuse. Sometimes you never know what you have retained in your consciousness until in the heat of the moment. Apparently, I somehow remembered three tips: 1) Get eye contact w/the abuser; 2) Call 911, 3) Don’t leave—stand firm until the police arrive.

 

Primetime said I stayed with the couple for four minutes. It felt like forty. I will say that each moment I grew more confident I was safe. I guess at some level, we instinctively know that we are in the greatest potential danger the moment you step through your fear, but I got a feeling after standing there a bit that he wasn’t going to harm me.   

 

When the crew jumped out of the vans my heart began racing with fear in a new way… I was going to be interviewed for a nationwide television show.  It was obvious right away the show was going to be on racism based on the line of questioning to myself and the couple I had recruited to call 911, who were being interviewed simultaneously.   I worried about how ABC would twist things so it would be ‘newsworthy’.  Were they going to make the city I love appear to be racist? My personal world is not full of racism, though certainly I realize it is unfortunately prevalent in our world everywhere. I worried about the people walking in the park that day that did not realize the fight was staged, and maybe wouldn’t come back to this beautiful park out of fear.

 

What I didn’t realize that day was that this experience would change me and broaden my viewpoints on many levels. Even before the show aired on 3/23/06, my “list” had already begun taking shape as I was consistently surprised by the reactions of my friends, relatives, and colleagues/clients after I shared the incident with them.  I didn’t expect to learn so much through my conversations with how others reacted to hearing about my experience….let alone what they thought they might or might not have done in the same situation. After the show aired, I received dozens of emails and phone calls… some from grade school friends, classmates, clients and strangers expressing how just seeing an experience like that on TV had a positive effect on their lives… or some of them telling me I was nuts to have intervened.

 

What I learned:

 

1. 1.       People you thought you knew (where they stood on a particular issue) can surprise you with spontaneous reactions that tell you they might just be saying what they think people want to hear… but feel differently inside.

 

1. 2.       When people begin to justify why they would or wouldn’t follow their internal guidance systems, they would probably feel better about themselves if they had pushed themselves to walk through their fear.

 

1. 3.       There truly are no such things as coincidences. We are always in the right and perfect place to learn what we most need to learn and move on to better experiences.

 

1. 4.       That even the smallest of brave acts can actually bring a level of healing to people who need it even if they are simply watching or hearing about the incident. Those who have been abused would like to believe there would be someone that would save them in ways no one has in the past and this makes them feel stronger. Even abusers can have aha moments by seeing someone else’s experience.

 

1. 5.       The fastest way to make a stand for peace in our world is to open a department of peace in your own heart… and feed it daily.

 

1. 6.       When someone actually verbalizes the sentence “I’m not prejudice (or racist)” they probably are and do not consciously realize it or want to acknowledge it.

 

1. 7.       When you spontaneously follow your perfectly wired internal guidance system, you will instinctively know the right and perfect course of action if you have faith. I once saw a saying: “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid”.  I believe this to be true.

 

1. 8.       That any word/title used to negatively describe and stereotype any mass of people is just the same as saying the awful ‘n’ word.    (i.e. Redneck)

 

1. 9.       It takes great courage for people to be open minded and willing to think and speak differently than their peers and family.  

 

1. 10.   Unfortunately fear still guides most people to make choices that keep them from reaching their greatest potential and feel better about themselves. 

 

1. 11.   Not all media chooses to present a negative slant. Sometimes they make a conscious choice to show the best in people because it has the potential to help others.

 

1. 12.   You never know when your next God job will present itself. One has to remain an open channel to taking steps even when you can’t see the outcome. It’s not about the individual getting praise, it’s about being a small part of a bigger message that may have an audience waiting and needing to hear it.

 

 

 

Many have asked me if I would have done the same thing if I had children, or if I hadn’t seen the first show in the series…. or if he’d had a gun, etc. There is no way for me to know how I would answer those questions as those situations did not happen. I know I would have trusted my instincts to guide me to do the right thing for me. And ‘the right thing’ for each person can be different.  

 

Someone asked me what I was most proud of through having this experience. My answer was that I am most proud of having confirmation at being at a time in my life when my fear of NOT doing the right thing is greater than my fear of doing the right thing.

 

James Twyman said it well when I heard him say at one of his lectures “We are all one race: human”.  May this experience and the media highlighting it help more people find the courage to think differently and raise awareness within many.  www.tammybillups.com healing@tammybillups.com

 Since writing this article Tammy was invited to be a guest on the Oprah show (4/08) and Oprah had her read an portion of the article on her show.

 

About Energy Therapy June 27, 2009

How it works…

All of us are familiar with various forms of energy, such as magnetism, electricity and both light and heat from the sun. Another common form is electromagnetic energy which is produced when electricity is passed through a wire coil, creating a magnetic field.

Healing energy can be described as bio-electromagnetic energy because it seems to carry an electrical charge, to have magnetism and to be produced naturally by the human body. Some people can literally see this energy as colors, others hear it as sounds, and almost everyone can feel it.

Vital energy runs through all of life. It connects our bodies with our minds and souls. It links us with other people, with our homes and nature, with the universe and the highest spiritual power. We cannot see this subtle yet powerful force – but its affects rule every moment of our being. When our vital energy is sluggish or unawakened, life seems dull or difficult, work is a chore; our homes never feel quite right. On the other hand, if our energy is running out of control, life is a roller-coaster: we feel constantly stressed and strained, and we seem to exist in a world of arguments and irritability. However, once we begin to recognize vital energy and begin to work with it, everything can change. Our lives can take on fresh meaning and purpose. When our own vital energy is moving smoothly and serenely through us, we can enjoy radiant good health, abundant vitality and a sense of ease in our bodies. Our relationships become honest, exciting and supportive. Our homes become places of serenity and joy, filled with a warm, embracing atmosphere. We start to feel a link of kinship with the whole of creation – from urban cityscape to the wild elements of nature. Best of all, we no longer feel alone in a large, often frightening universe: we become linked to spirit, joined to the source of all energy.

Because energy is a natural force, left to its own devices it will, like water, take the easiest route. If nothing stands in its way, it will flow smoothly and harmoniously, like a river running through a wide, straight plane. If however, it is forced into a narrow, restrictive pattern it will roar fast and furious – like a river forced between steep ravines. If on the other hand, it becomes caught or entangled, it will become heavy and stagnant, like the water in a pool or a sidebend of a river, where it slowly becomes rank and murky. So our aim is to allow the vital energy around us to flow smoothly, taking away any restrictions without allowing it to run too wildly or crazily.

In the near future, I believe energy workers will become a familiar, accepted part of everyday life. We will think nothing of healing our bodies with energy, rather than crude medications or surgeries. Ancient civilizations understood that we are not just flesh and bones; we are infused with a subtle form of energy that cannot be seen by most. Healers from China, India, Tibet and the Middle East all mapped the subtle energy centers and pathways of the body and used them for precise healing. Shamanic cultures from all around the world have shifted energy in their ceremonies often with miraculous results.

For many years complementary and alternative therapists have worked with subtle energy and seen with their own eyes that, by working on the esoteric level, they could bring about huge changes in the physical body. It has been proven that energy therapists can effect physical change. We stand on the brink of an explosion in energy medicine.

This will become the ultimate form of preventative medicine, gently healing emotional trauma and even genetic material before it turns into physical pain and disease.

Examples of Energy Locked in the Body

Energy can be locked in the body in many different ways. It can be locked in on a mental, physical, emotional or spiritual level, or in any combination of these levels. On a physical level, the body absorbs and retains chemicals and unresolved emotions in the cells, muscles, bones and organs. On a mental and emotional level, there are times when memories and emotions which were either suppressed or forgotten are re-experienced and remembered as an individual is receiving a session. If you accept that the body, mind and spirit are always seeking a return to wholeness, it is easier to understand how the healing energy can assist a person in triggering and releasing these blockages. The extra energy provided in a healing session can release trauma locked in the body from accidents, abuse, fear, or loss of a family member or pet.

Chemicals, drugs, alcohol and food contaminants remain in the body much longer than most of us realize and can affect our overall health. Blocked energy can take the form of trauma, fear, anger, hurt, grief, shame, guilt, pain, shock or resentment. Childhood traumas, events that happened or even words that were said a long time ago, can hurt and carry through into adulthood, robbing us of our aliveness and spontaneity. Children raised in homes where alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual abuse or other kinds of abuse occurred develop coping methods in order to survive. These coping methods, while helping a person survive childhood, often lead to or develop into problems as these children become adults. It is not uncommon for these people to either shut down emotionally or to become abusers themselves. When emotional pain becomes so great that a person is unable to deal with it, they tend to shut down and pretend it isn’t there. They might lash out at others, sometimes not even knowing why. The energy is stored of the unresolved trauma by locking it in the body. Even if the situation happened only once, an unresolved and unreleased trauma can become trapped within the body and its energy field, causing tension, stress and possibly pain/disease.

As a person receives energy therapy sessions they can get in touch with the past trauma hence releasing it and all of its adverse affects on their body and in their life. This is a natural process, which allows a person to resolve issues and to become more alive. As we begin to heal and release the pain of our past, we allow more room for love, peace, joy and acceptance in our lives.  www.tammybillups.com  healing@tammybillups.com
 
“The natural force within each one of us is the greatest healer of disease.”- Hippocrates

“More men die of their medicines than their diseases.” – Moliere

Healing Animals with Energy Therapy June 27, 2009

Have you ever wondered about some of the alternative healing modalities and if they can be used to enhance the well being of our furry, finned and winged friends? I believe they want you to learn more about Energy Healing and how it is indeed the cats meow….or at the least dog gone great!

Many people in our society today are aware that Energy Healing can transform lives by releasing emotional wounds behind our physical manifestations and give not only relief of pain but in many cases complete and total healing of the physical body. The pain relief benefits of Energy Healing have been well documented. At the minimum it releases endorphins in the body, which are natures own painkillers. Everyone is energy of course. Everyone has the ability to influence anyone else’s energy system and of course, they do! People and animals have effects on us—some feel more comfortable than others, some energize us and some depress us, some disturb us; this is just one of the realities of life.
The difference between “everyone” and an Energy Healer is that a healer influences energy systems deliberately and with intention, and that is regardless of whether the intention is to use one’s own energy system to make the required adjustments, or to channel universal energy through one’s own system instead. Energy flows where attention goes.
The goal of Energy Healing is to kick-start the body into regulating itself and to smooth out all physical, mental, emotional and of course spiritual disturbances. The words ‘energy’ and ‘energy medicine’ have become buzzwords of the new millennium, but there is really nothing new. The healing works by connecting with energy fields.

The Difference between People and Animals
The main difference between people and animals receiving Energy Healing sessions is just this: Animals are wide open and receptive to allow in the most productive session possible. Animals naturally understand and respond to this non-invasive healing modality for what it is and what it does for them…not because they anticipate any benefits or because they feel safe and assured by the therapist. The response from the animals is the proof that Energy Healing works.

The Placebo Effect
When looking only with Energy Healing on people, skeptics would argue that there is a placebo effect whereby very sick and frightened people so desperately wanted to feel better that they imagined they were better. There may on occasions be an element of placebo effect with humans, but this argument doesn’t hold up at all with animals. Quite simply there is no placebo effect with animals.

Why Animals Need Energy Healing
Animals can suffer from physical problems just like we do, and living a human-created lifestyle can trigger many conditions, including emotional problems. Animals are very sensitive to human moods and to atmospheres in the home environment. This complex soup of energies can be very unsettling for them and will affect their own emotional and mental state. Animals can suffer from stress just as much as humans do. In the wild some stress is necessary to enable the animal to learn how to survive, defend itself, find a mate or seek food. With captive or domesticated animals, stress due to a restricted or unnatural lifestyle, boredom, overcrowding, emotional changes, lack of exercise and stimulation, incorrect diet, over-breeding, grief, fear of humans or abuse leads to a very unhealthy and unhappy animal. Your animal companion may have suffered from some of these conditions before you got it, so it is good to give energy healing to help it let go of all the negative memories and to strengthen the immune system. Energy Therapy doesn’t just target specific areas but the whole being of the animal. Treating the whole body at a deep level has a positive rollover effect everywhere and individual problems may resolve themselves…like negative behaviors and physical manifestations for example. The benefits are endless!!

How Many Energy Sessions will Your Animal Companion Need?
The number of treatments needed will depend on the condition(s) being treated, the age of the animal, and its response to the energy session. Chronic conditions will usually need more sessions than acute ones. If the problem is strictly emotion-based then maybe just one or two treatments, provided there are no other considerations. For therapeutic healing when the animal is healthy, a session every three to four months is normally adequate.

Energy Therapy is suitable for any animal and any condition. It is not a replacement for Veterinary care.

Tammy Billups is a Certified Animal Energy Therapist, and an Ordained Minister. She performs Animal Blessings and offers Nationwide Animal Energy Therapy sessions. www.tammybillups.com  770.552.9877  healing@tammybillups.com

Hello world! June 19, 2009

Tammy Billups is a Certified Energy Therapist for Animals since 2001 and trained at the Center of Integrative Therapy for 16 months to learn alternative healing modalities (Energy Therapy) for People, in addition to ongoing training in many different Energy Healing Modalities to better enhance her trade. She also donates much of her time to increasing awareness around alternative healing modalities for people and animals. She teaches children how to show compassion and kindness to animals at summer camps, and donates sessions to no kill animal shelters.
She studied under world renown Sylvia Hartmann out of the UK for one year; trained and coordinated workshops under Carol Komitor who founded The Healing Touch for Animals ® global organization; in addition to founding and Leading the Animal Healing Ministry at Unity North Church in Marietta, GA for four years.
Tammy has been on local Radio Programs, had several articles published, was on Primetime ABC twice, highlighted in local newspapers, and was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
She is fascinated by relationships between people and their animal companions; and by working with both species via thousands of sessions has made amazing discoveries about The Incredible Connection between People and Animals. (book due out in 2010)   For more information view my website: www.tammybillups.com