My Journey Back

Holistic Therapies Saved My Life!

by Ronnie Allen, Ph.D.
Copyright 2001, Ronnie Allen, All Rights Reserved

On November 14, 2000, the universe threw me a curve that I am sure is going to change my life forever. At 7 P.M. I took my son David and,Lisa, his girlfriend to a brand new buffet style restaurant. The food was inedible, spoiled and cold and everything was sent back. We then came home where I saw clients and prepared to go to work the next day. Nothing unusual.

bob02At 1:30 a.m. I awoke from a deep sleep as my airways constricted. I anxiously told my husband, Bob, to call 911. I immediately fell unconscious.

What follows is my journey to recovery integrating all of the healing modalities in alternative therapies in my life’s work for the past eight years that I had to embrace with passion every moment of every day in my one month of hospitalization. It confirms my mind/body/spirit/soul explorations in that this is what helped me return from near death. Western Medicine could not have brought me back alone.

It was food poisoning by a contaminant in the food I consumed and when EMS arrived seven minutes later I was already turning blue. Four paramedics worked on intubating me and in the process broke a part of my trachea. Because there was an air tube inserted, air was rushing into me. I blew up to what appeared to be 600 pounds of air. David pinned a pouch of some of my crystals onto my gown as EMS was putting me into the ambulance. He packed the rest on my night table to take to the hospital.

Thank God, I live three blocks from a hospital. The universe manifested for me the right doctor at the right time. He was Hindu and involved in Eastern methodologies and totally committed to mind/body/soul/spirit medicine.

I was about twenty seconds from being pronounced dead, as my heart had stopped. The ER staff was about to use the defibrillators, when my heart kicked in moments before they were placed on my chest. A tracheotomy was ordered which I had on November 15th. I was placed on ventilators, feeding tubes, catheters, IV’s and suctioning devices. I was unconscious for almost five days but the doctors had help unbeknownst to them.

The Pleiadian Emissaries of Light, my spirit guides and Archangel Raphael were present. I was seeing them in flashes and montages. Colored lights encompassed me with red, pink, and green overlapping. I remember being very calm because I knew I was being healed. Red tubes were surrounded by a row of gold dots right in front of me. Red is for the physical healing and life preserving vitality. The gold dots were attempting to seal it in. The tubes were flowing freely like octopus tentacles in the ocean. Those were probably the ventilator, and NG tubes.

After five days, I became somewhat aware of my surroundings. When I became conscious, returned to the earth plane that is, I found my arms strapped down, and I couldn’t open my eyes, nor could I move from side to side or turn my head. I realized I must be in a hospital. I knew I had to find a way I to communicate. I realized I could kick my legs, and that’s how I got the attention of the nurses.

The doctors feared brain damage and for two weeks they would not tell my husband a prognosis or how I would function if I survived this ordeal.

I was beginning to hear the voices of the nurses and my visitors. I realized I could mouth words, not audibly however, and I could be somewhat understood. I had no idea of which hospital I was in and I knew the hospital I wanted to be in, and this wasn’t it. My cousin, Ilene, was with me and I motioned to her that I needed to write. Not being able to see, and poorly coordinated, they gave me a clipboard, paper and pen. I started to write my demands and as difficult as they were to be read, the staff, with Ilene’s help, were able to decipher what I wanted to say. It was time for me to take control of my own healing. I had the head nurse call my primary physician to see if they could transfer me to his hospital. He spoke to me, knowing I couldn’t answer and told me that this hospital was the best for me and that I couldn’t be moved. I had no idea how critical they thought I was. However, I knew better.

I kept trying to open my eyes, which wasn’t happening since I was still so swollen. When I did, it was amazing. I didn’t have my glasses, but my vision seemed better than usual without them. At first it was a little blurry but then I realized I was seeing auras. The ICU walls were white, perfect for aura vision. I woke up with more psychic vision than I had before. Everyone’s aura started flashing at me in at least three levels or more. Wherever I looked I saw bright and healthy auras. There was no sludge. Everything ran like clockwork in the ICU. The staff was incredible and everyone knew their jobs with 100% accuracy. The passion these people had for their jobs showed in their auras. I was finally becoming alert.

I had so much that I wanted to do for my own healing and I was not able to express it fast enough.

Now I was able to see and write and I gave my husband lists of what to bring so that I would be finally able to take charge of my own regeneration. I had regressed to diapers, couldn’t walk or take care of my simplest bodily needs. My crystal pouch had somehow disappeared, but I had my others put into a container that I kept on my bed. They were, Rainbow Hematite, Aragonite, Kunzite, Green Calcite, Smokey Rutilated Quartz, Moss Agate, Petrified Wood, Dendritic Agate, Apache Tear, Peach Aventurine, Aquamarine, Picture Jasper, Moldavite, Lepidolite, Amethyst, Amazonite, Citrine, Red Jasper, Fluorite wand, Cuprite Chryscocolla, Emerald, Black Tourmaline and Rainforest Rhyolite.

My list of books included prominent authors in healing such as Depak Chopra, Richard Gerber, Barbara Brennan, Diane Stein, Ted Andrews, Cyndi Dale, Dr. James and Phyllis Balch, Dorothy Kreiger, Gary Zukav, Amora Quan Yin and Katrina Raphaell.

Next came my vitamins and nutritional supplements. I took more at home prior to the trauma, but I wanted to proceed more cautiously here because of all the medications and possible drug interactions.

I had my husband bring to the hospital my multi vitamin, Ultra Complete for Women and Women’s Wellness both from Andrew Lessman, Immunector from Nature Source, Green Tea extract from NAC, Pau D’Arco Tea, Green Tea and Astragulus Tea. The Ultra Complete is a Multi-vitamin complex and the Women’s Wellness is a menopausal formula with soy, Green Tea and other herbs. Immunector has been a life saving stress release source that is irreplaceable. It is used to heal trauma to the body, build up the immune system, and help heal cancer and AIDS patients. It contains egg yolk, lecithin, SUMS, chlorella, Astragulus, Ligustrum, Echinacea, Schisandra, Shitake and Coenzyme Q10. Pau D’Arco Tea is a natural antibiotic, which I consumed to lessen the infection around the trach. My doctor approved all of my supplements and I spread the taking of them throughout the day.

At this point I was still bed ridden and I still had huge amounts of swelling and yellow fluids coming out of my pores. Many doctors from the hospital who had seen me when I was unconscious and who didn’t think I would make it, came up to see me and speak about my mind/body healing strategies amazed at my ability to bring myself back to functioning so quickly. We communicated about my books and crystal energy that almost everyone I came into contact with was drawn over to feel.

From the time I began my journey using alternative therapies I have become aware of every part of my body and how it would function when at it’s optimum. I utilized everything I know. I did chakra meditations, which were often difficult to complete because people were always interrupting; some concerned about my concentration, some curious. I found that after midnight was the best time for meditations because there were less disturbances and interruptions.

I went through training in crystal healing by a protégé and colleague of Katrina Raphaell and I integrate her crystal healing body layout systems in my practice for my clients as well as myself. I placed my crystals on my chakra points and did self-healing. Lepidolite on my third eye, Amazonite near my throat chakra, Kunzite and Green Calcite on my heart. Citrine on my solar plexus. Red Jasper on my navel, and Smokey Quartz on my root. I worked with the chakra’s on my palms and feet as well as above my head. In my practice I work with the thirty-two chakra points, but due to my lack of mobility many of them were not physically accessible to me. I rubbed Aquamarine all over me to allow my pores to emit more fluids so that I would revert to my normal size. Dendritic Agate was rubbed all over my legs to help them regain strength. I lost all muscle tone so that when I held my calf or thigh my fingers would meet. On my crown chakra, I worked with my beautiful ISIS wand, which unfortunately became lost in my transfer from the hospital to rehab. Reiki was more easily done at night, which helped me to regain the strength in my legs and opened and balanced my chakras as well as regulated my bodily functions.

I gave myself no alternatives but to heal. With pure intent I held my focus to concentrate in the direction I wanted to go. Everything I did was calculated and every moment was spent on my healing.

After twelve days I was given a trach with which I could speak. Three days later I was moved to the “step down” unit. The energy was so negative from the other patients and grieving relatives, I knew I couldn’t stay there. I reached the nursing supervisor who tried to convince me that there were no other beds. I did some cognitive coaching and goal setting with her and she realized that a move would be in my best interest as well as the hospital’s. It took her three hours to manifest a room for me and I was in a semi-private room by 1:00 a.m.

That night, the trach fell out. The doctors decided to leave it out and covered my three-inch by two-inch hole in my throat with a bandage. I was told it would take eight weeks for the wound to close up. I recovered in half of that time with Reiki, psychic surgery and lots of carrot juice.

My first day in my semi-private room began physical therapy. I needed to be taught how to stand and gain the strength to hold my body upright. I did goal setting strategies, crystal healing and meditations. In addition to putting crystals in my socks, I put them into the pockets of my therapist’s coat.

Three weeks after this ordeal began I was walking with a walker around the hall and getting dressed by myself. It was time to go to a rehab hospital. My insurance company wanted me sent to a nursing home, rather than to a more rigorous rehab setting. They felt I was too sick and they made a paper decision on my case. No way! I fought all the way, giving the social workers the specific dialogue to get what I wanted. I didn’t let anyone find the easy way out! My friends came and we did group meditation to manifest the rehab hospital I wanted. It worked. Two major rehab hospitals wanted me. I started an appeal to overturn my insurance company’s decision. I convinced my physicians who were on my side from the start that they had the capabilities to accomplish what I wanted. I won!

After a week in rehab, I was walking with a cane and becoming more self-sufficient. I was ready to go home, one month to the day, December 14th, 2000. What made the difference was all the love and support of my family who came each day to participate in physical and occupation therapy with me, and brought protein drinks, carrot juice and all the healthful foods I’m used to at home.

Coming home was a shock. I was not prepared for the “lowness” of everything. In the hospital everything is higher: chairs, toilet seats, beds. My legs were not strong enough to lift me up from a seated position or allow me to go upstairs. Coming into my house was a nightmare. I tried my side entrance with my husband, but I fell and couldn’t get up. I crawled up three steps into my kitchen, crawled through my dining room into the living room where I grabbed onto my couch and pulled myself up. I knew that my journey back to everyday life as I knew it was just beginning.

davidbabyAgain there was a battle with my insurance company but my reputation preceded me, so it was a battle easily won. I insisted on physical therapy at least twice a week. In addition I had two of our massage therapists, who are also physical trainers, work with me once a week.

By January 7th, I graduated and I reached the limit of what could be done housebound. I joined a bodybuilding gym, which my husband and son attend, (this picture shows David in 1980) and this became my second home.

They both trained me and I started with no weight on the machines and now, June 2001, I’m up to sixty to seventy pounds.

I went back to work March 23rd, after being home for four months. I defied medical science in the speed of my recovery, the doctors believing I wouldn’t be able to resume my professional duties until September 2001.

Research has shown that having a job you love hastens recovery time and that is indeed true.

davidmomI believe in a holistic approach to healing. No one modality alone is enough to heal a person in totality. In the hospital I needed the spiritual and parapsychic sciences to push me forwards. I also had a tremendous support system of family and friends who with their unrelenting prayers and well wishes in calls and visitations supported my goals and my vision for healing.

Once I came home, crystals and meditations alone would not have been sufficient. They guided me to what I needed to do and gave me the strength and support to carry through. It was the hard work in the gym and a sound nutritional program that gave me the capabilities I needed to resume my life the way I expect to live it, with passion, optimism and success. Life is a balance, and I achieved that in my journey back from near death.

This article was published in Unlimited Human, The magazine of The International Association of Counselors and Therapists, 2001, Vol. 10 Issue 4, pages 21-23.

No part of this article may be copied without express written permission of its author. A book deal is being pursued.