Love - Newlife Therapy  

Introduction, aims, intended outcome 

The New Life Center was created to serve the needs of patients of all types of illnesses, psychological or physical. All are welcome, and there is no fee. Ages range from ten to over ninety ( Table 1.) The greatest percentage have been cancer patients ( Table 2). The premise is that the psychological and physical aspects of illness are inter-related. The principal aim of the program is to inspire and empower the patient to use his mind, spirit and emotions to overcome the negative mind-set that may have originally caused or continues to promote the illness. The intended outcome is that the patient will change his attitude, see himself as being well, become happy and allow the body and/or mind to heal itself. Our aspiration is to achieve as high a cure rate as possible.

The New Life Center was founded on a vision of love, and combines traditional Chinese Chi-Gung, physical fitness, creative dancing, singing, art appreciation, group care, counseling, and a series of physical-mind-soul courses for the patients. The purpose is to encourage all our dear friends to have a positive and optimistic attitude toward life; arouse internal perception, ignite faith in the internal power of self-healing, and affirm self-esteem. By means of these activities, the patients rekindle their passion and hope toward life, and the shadow of death recedes. Through unselfish love and care, they are led out of a state of fear and depression, advancing the process of recovery to a normal, healthy life.

Method and Design

The New Life Center staff consists of a core group of volunteers. Patients who have a desire to be a volunteer are also trained. These volunteers create and carry out the programs. The programs are continuous and a patient can join at any time. The programs are centered around a fundamental belief that love is the cause of healing. An attitude of love for one¡¦s self, and love for others is actively promoted. A short blessing recital is conducted to open and close major segments of the program. This allows for mental focus and thanksgiving for an opportunity for a new life. The main elements of the program are:

 A)  Group and Individual Counseling

This is the locus from which patients feel the love and compassion of the volunteers and can share their general or intimate concerns, with the group or with an individual. Volunteers make themselves easily accessible for this all-important aspect of the healing process.

  B) Spinning meditation

It is a technique of relaxing the body and mind, and a variation of what the ¡¥whirling dervishes¡¦ do. The object is to completely relax the mind by endeavoring to exclude negative thoughts, visualizing one¡¦s connection to the cosmos, and allowing the body to spin naturally. It has both physical and mental benefits.

C)   Spinal curling

Based on the Chinese theory of meridians and acupuncture points, spinal curling is a technique of re-aligning the human body and spirit. It is a slow, forward-leaning ¡¥bow¡¦ with a purpose to adjust each vertebra, and draw in life and energy to the body. In conjunction with proper breathing and relaxation, the body will naturally unflex.

D)   Universal Loving Hands

Also based in Chinese concepts, the basic idea is that through the power of touch, one¡¦s love can be transmitted to another person. A typical patient will have a great amount of internal stress from work, relationships, or the fight against the disease. It requires the participants to first focus on thoughts of love and respect for the next person. With no specific massage technique, this gentle, intuitive approach releases tension and moves both giver and receiver into a healthier state of mind and body.

  E)  Weekly activity schedule

There are additional activities intended to bolster the creative abilities of patients, such as singing, dancing, flower arrangement and calligraphy. Hiking in the nearby mountains, culminating in the ascent of the tallest peak in SE Asia (Mt. Jade) has challenged many patients and given them a sense of achievement, and attracted media attention (Table 3).

A variety of motivational speakers also visit to inform the group how they can change their life pattern; trust their body¡¦s ability to recover, and how to use it to recover from disease.  

Table 3

Results

 Since its inception four years ago, the New Life Center has had the good fortune to give positive assistance to over 6200 ¡¥family¡¦ members. And although 120 of our family have succumbed to illness, we were able to assist them to improve their quality of life for their remaining days. The New Life Association is confident of the usefulness of its loving approach to healing. Please see the small representative list showing the progress of some in our family group. (Table 4).

Table 4

Evaluation: 

A fair evaluation of the Love-Newlife therapy indicates that it is remarkably effective for those patients who are able to take its concepts to heart and diligently practice them. The majority of people who participate, benefit in one way or another. The most successful ones practice daily, at home as well as the Center. The change from a negative to a positive mental process results in an elevated mood, greater happiness, and more positive social relationships. There is a corresponding heightened immune system response. Some have resulted in total remission of cancer ( Table 5.)

Impact of the Program:  

From its humble beginnings four years ago, the New Life Association has with unstinting effort caused its name to be known in the Taipei area. Now it has Centers in three other cities in Taiwan. But this would not have been possible without the support of philanthropic organizations, local businesses, and private contributors, as well as free publicity from the local newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations. There are 2000 people currently active in our ¡¥family¡¦. Numerous academics have come to investigate what the Association does to produce such results, and this in turn has drawn more patients, and this interest is chiefly the result of word of mouth.

Follow up and future plans 

The New Life Association aspires to send out its love by establishing new Centers in other cities in Taiwan and also other countries. It is our conviction that paying attention to mental health by focusing on expressing love, compassion, and positive thinking will result in greater mental and physical health for the public. Currently 100 people are in training for responsible positions here in Taiwan and possibly abroad. The full course of training requires two years. The New Life Association has already made presentations in various countries, and plans to do more, in both developed and undeveloped nations.