Heal Your Body A-Z: The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Way to Overcome Them

by Louise L. Hay

Arranged in an A-to-Z format, this step-by-step guide looks at the reader's specific health challenge, the probable cause for this health issue, and the information needed to overcome it by creating a new thought pattern.

Genres: Health, Self Help, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Reference, Medicine, Psychology

123 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1998

About the author

Louise Hay was born to a poor mother who married Hay's violent stepfather. When she was about five, she was raped by a neighbor. At fifteen she dropped out of high school without a diploma, became pregnant, and on her sixteenth birthday gave up her newborn baby girl for adoption.

She moved to Chicago, where she worked in menial jobs, before moving in 1950 to New York. At this point she changed her name and began a career as a fashion model. She was successful at this, working for Bill Blass, Oleg Cassini, and Pauline Trigere.

In 1954, she married Andrew Hay, but after fourteen years of marriage Louise was devastated when Andrew left her for another woman.

Hay said that she found the First Church of Religious Science on 48th Street, which taught the transformative power of thought. Hay revealed that here she studied the metaphysical works of authors like Florence Scovel Shinn and the Religious Science founder Ernest Holmes.

In the early 1970's Hay became a Religious Science practitioner. In this role she led people in spoken affirmations meant to cure their illnesses. She also became popular as a workshop leader.

She studied transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his university in Fairfield, Iowa.

In 1977 or 1978 she found she had cervical cancer, and she concluded that its cause was her unwillingness to let go of resentment over her childhood abuse and rape. She refused medical treatment, and began a regimen of forgiveness, therapy, reflexology, nutrition, and occasional enemas, and claims she rid herself of the cancer. She declared that there is no doctor left who can confirm this story, but swore that it is true.

In 1976 Hay wrote a small pamphlet, which came to be called "Heal Your Body." This pamphlet was enlarged and extended into her book You Can Heal Your Life, which was published in 1984. As of February 2008, it is still on the New York Times best sellers list.

Around the same time she began leading support groups for people living with H.I.V. or AIDS that she called Hay Rides. These grew from a few people in her living room to hundreds in a large hall in West Hollywood. Her work with AIDS patients drew fame and she was invited to appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Donahue" in the same week in March, 1988.

You Can Heal Your Life immediately landed on the New York Times Best Sellers List. More than 35 million copies are now in print around the world in more than 30 languages and has been made into a movie.

Louise Hay established Hay House Publishing. It is the primary publisher of books and audio books by Deepak Chopra and Doreen Virtue, as well as many books by Wayne Dyer.

In addition to running her publishing company, Hay runs a charitable organization called Hay Foundation that was established in 1985.

Information courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would love to say that I believe in this stuff (there's a HUGE "but" coming) BUT while I do think there's some truth to the "mind over body" way of thinking, I don't think you can really wish away a cyst or cancer. I wish you could and I do think a positive attitude can go a long way but when I get sick I want to make sure I have a good, qualified physician taking care of me, not this book.

[Mamey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Louise Hay! This book is a great addition to those particular books that you will go back to often. Reference books, is what I call them. I love her philosophy and her concepts of what you say becomes your life. Very powerful. As I read through some of the health issue's I've experienced, I had to really be honest with myself and admit alot of uncomfortable things about myself. It was eye-opening and hopefully will stick and remain with me forever so I can continue to grow and improve my life.

[Gwendoline Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more simplistic than I imagined, I nonetheless enjoyed this book. Hay essentially distills all ailments as falling into two buckets--expressions of anger or expressions of fear.

“The mental thought patterns that cause the most dis-ease in the body are criticism, anger, resentment, and guilt."

The idea is that you look to your physical ailments to give you clues about your emotional and psychological health. Hay offers up mantras to counter what your ailments reveal.

A few of the ailments that speak to myself, family, and friends:

- Addictions: Running from the self. Fear. "I now discover how wonderful I am. I choose to love and enjoy myself."

- Ankles: Inflexibility and guilt. Ankles represent the ability to receive pleasure. "I deserve to rejoice in life. I accept life's pleasures."

- Anxiety: Not trusting the flow and process of life. "I trust the process of life. I love and approve myself."

- Appetite, Excessive: Fear. Needing protection. Judging emotions. "It is safe to feel. My feelings are normal and acceptable."

- Arms: Ability and capacity to hold life's experiences. "I lovingly hold and embrace my experiences with ease and joy."

- Back, Lower: Fear of money, lack of financial support. "I trust the process of life. I am taken care of."

- Back, Mid: Guilt, stuck in all the stuff back there. "I release the past. I am free to move forward."

- Back, Upper: Lack of emotional support. Feeling unloved, holding back love. "I love and approve of myself. Life supports and loves me."

- Bad Breath: Anger and revenge thoughts. Rotten attitudes, vile gossip, foul thinking. Experiences backed up. "I release the past with love."

- Blood Pressure, High: Long-standing emotional problems not solves. " I release the past."

- Asphyxia: Fear or refusal to take in life fulling. Not feeling the right to take up space or even exist. "It is my birthright to live fully and freely. I am worth loving. I now choose to live life fully."

- Cellulite: Stored anger and self-punishment. "I forgive others and myself. I am free to love and enjoy."

- Constipation: Refusal to release old ideas. Stuck in the past. Sometimes stinginess. "As I release the past, the new and fresh and vital enter. I allow life to flow through me."

- Deafness: Rejection, stubborness, isolation. What don't you want to hear? "I listen to the Divine and rejoice at all that I am able to hear."

- Diabetes: Longing for what might have been. A great need to control. Deep sorrow. No sweetness left. "The moment is filled with joy. I now choose to experience the sweetness of today."

- Diarrhea: Fear, rejection, running off. "My intake, assimilation, and elimination are in perfect order. I am at peace wtih life."

- Elbow: Represents changing directions and accepting new experiences. "I easily flow with new experiences, new directions, new changes."

- Emphysema: Fear of taking in life. Not worthy of living. "It is my birthright to live fully and freely. i love life. I love me."

- Astigmatism: "I" trouble. Fear of really seeing the self. "I am now willing to see my own beautify and magnificence."

- Myopia: Fear of the future. "I accept divinve guidance and am always safe."

- Fat: Oversensitivity. Represents fear and a need for protection. Cover hidden anger and resistance to forgive. "I am protected by Divine Love. I am wiling to grow up and take responsibility for my life. I forgive others and create the life I want."

- Fat Arms: Anger at being denied love. "It is safe for me to creat all the love I want."

- Fat Belly: Anger at being denied nourishment. "I nourish myself with spiritual food, and I am satisfied and free."

- Fat Hips: Lumps of stubborn anger at the parents. "I am willing to forgive the past. It is safe for me to go beyond my parents' limitations."

- Fat Thighs: Packed childhood anger; often rage at the father. "I see my father as a loveless child, and I forgive easily. We are both free."

- Feet: Represents our understanding of self and others, life. "My understanding is clear, and I am willing to change with the times."

- Gum Problems: Inability to back up decisions. Wishy-washy. "I am a decisive person."

- Gas: Gripping. Fear. Undigested ideas. "I relax and let life flow through me with ease."

- Indigestion: Gut-level fear, dread, anxiety. Griping and grunting. "I digest and assimilate all new experiences peacefully and joyously."

- Joints: Represent changes in direction in life and the ease of these movements. "I easily flow wtih change. My life is Divinely guided."

- Knee: Pride and ego. Inflexibility; inability to bend. Fear. Won't give in. "I am flexible and flowing. Forgiveness. Understanding. Compassion."

- Left Side of Body: Receptivity, feminine, taking in, women, mother. "My feminine energy is beautifully balanced."

- Neck Problems: Refusing to see other sides of a question. Stubborness, inflexibility. "There are endless ways to do and see things."

- Psoriasis: Fear of being hurt. Deadening the senses of the self. Refusing to accept responsibility for our own feelings. "I am alive to the joys of living. I deserve and accept the very best in life. I love and approve of myself."

- Insanity: Fleeing from the family. Escapism, withdrawal. Violent separation from life. "This mind knows its true identity and is a creative point of Divine Self-Expression."

- Right Side of Body: Letting go, giving out, masculine, father, men. "I balance my masculine energy easily and effortlessly."

- Round Shoulders: Carrying life's burdens. Helpless and hopeless. "I stand tall and free. I love and approve of me. My life gets better every day."

- Skin Problems: Anxiety, fear. Old, buried guck. I am being threatened. "I lovingly protect myself with thoughts of joy and peace. The past is forgiven and forgotten. I am free in this moment."

- Snoring: Stubborn refusal to let go of old patterns. "I release all that is unlike love and joy in my mind. I move from the past into th enew and fresh and vital."

- Sore Throat: Holding in angry words. Swallowed anger. Stifled creativity. Feeling unable to express the self. "I release all restrictions, and I am free to be me."

- Stiffness: Rigid, stiff thinking. "I am safe enough to be flexible in my mind."

- Stomach Problems: Dread, fear of new, inability to assimilate the new. "Life agrees with me. I assimilate the new every moment of every day."

- Teeth Problems: Indecisiveness, inability to break down ideas for analysis and decision. "I make decisions based on principles of truth, and I rest securely knowing that only right action is taking place in my life."

- Varicose Veins: Standing in a situation you hate. Discouragement. Feeling overworked and overburdened. "I stand in truth and live and move in joy. I love life and circulate freely."

- Wrist: Represents movement and ease. "I handle all my experiences with wisdom, love, and ease."

- Wisdom Teeth, Impacted: Not giving self enough mental space to create firm foundation. "I open my consciousness to the expansion of life. There is plenty of space for me to grow and to change."

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great, easy to access book if you are looking into alternative approaches to health and wellness. It's based on metaphysical philosophies of health and disease (dis-ease). I highly recommend it if you are looking to improve your quality of life, better understand your body, and are able to keep an open mind.

[Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great reference tool. I'm a massage therapist and energy worker, and when I introduce clients to the idea that emotions could be contributing to their physical health, it's a powerful thing! A must have for any Lightworker, Bodywork, Massage Therapist, Reiki Master, etc.

[Wanda Barras · Rating 5 out of 5]

makes perfect sense

This book was an easy read. Ms Hays’ ideas make perfect sense. Do get this book. You won’t be sorry.

[Dawn Sahms · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a well-meaning co-worker. I enjoy self-help books and am always open to different perspectives, but Heal Your Body A-Z pushed me far beyond my limits of belief — and patience.

Hay’s premise that every illness is tied to some unresolved emotional trauma or negative thought pattern is, quite frankly, infuriating. I was stunned by some of the claims made — for example, that her vaginal cancer was caused by being raped. The implication that trauma creates disease feels not only irresponsible but downright harmful. I’ve known people blindsided by cancer diagnoses, and suggesting they subconsciously willed it into existence through emotional baggage is deeply offensive and dismissive of real-world medical complexities.

While I do believe that our mindset can influence our health to a degree — stress, diet, and mental wellness are all real factors — this book takes it to a level of absurdity. Babies with cancer? Cellulite caused by stored anger? Come on. There’s a fine line between exploring mind-body connections and just blaming people for their suffering.

If you’re looking for grounded advice or evidence-based self-help, look elsewhere. This one left me madder than a hornet and deeply concerned for anyone who might take its contents as literal truth.

Filed under: How to say you're insane without saying you're insane.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This handy reference guide covers a variety of ailments, their root mental causes, and new though patterns you cna use as affirmations to relieve your problems. It isn't always easy to believe that physical problems are the result of "stinking thinking", but as I read through the list of physical problems, Identifying those that have plagued me in my lifetime, i noticed a pattern. Nearly all of the physical problems I have experienced relate to an inability to let go of the past or an inability to move into the future. At the end of the book, the author points out that there are really only two root causes for dis-ease: Anger and Fear. This book would be a valuable resource for anyone open to the concept that mind really is over matter.

[Cortney Durbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting stuff. I looked up my ailments and saw a very distinct pattern of alleged thought processes that made perfect sense for me. In my case (according to her ailments and their causes) I don't trust the universe, have a hard time letting go of the past, and harbor a lot of anger and resentment. I'd say that's extremely true.

I think this book is a great guide and tool for getting one thinking more positively!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was suggest to me by my daughters therapist. I love it! It has some very interesting information in it. Even if you are not "new age" minded it will give you a great deal to think about. It connects feeling and psychology to physical ailments. We are finding out more everyday that this type of science has merit. I am a very logical and science fact based person and this book still spoke volumes to me.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first place I or someone I know has an ailment. This book really helps illustrate the mind/body connection. I often find that the spiritual meanings make a lot of sense. I've not had much success with using the suggested affirmations to correct the problems--but that's my fault because I haven't put in the effort of saying them. Overall, a very interesting book and a must-have for the spirit junkie's library.

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viewing it from the perspective of doing inner work to listen to messages you're not allowing yourself to hear, this is a great reference guide. You don't need to believe that XYZ thought causes condition XYZ, but in general you'd be hard-pressed not to resonate with the emotions and deep-seated beliefs linked to a particular physical state. And for that reason, this book is a great springboard and reference guide.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only good for people who are open to hoke-pokey ideas like self-healing through positive affirmations (like me!) Although I agree it does seem pretty funny to read introspective reasons for having gonorrheh and positive affirmations to correct the problem. (I would just say the reason is not a need for punishment for being a "bad" person, just the result of having unprotected sex.)

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

While some of what this book proclaims make sense, it’s a bit problematic for me in several areas. I think, for starters, it’s a simplification. And when I saw that “death” was listed as something you could cure with your thoughts, it was hard for it to keep credibility for me. There are better Louise Hays books to read.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I checked out a summary edition of this book two years ago and thought it a joke. Somehow I came across the full version and actually found it very interesting this time. I guess I not as narrow minded as last time I looked at it. Heh.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has the listing of diseases and metaphysical causations that Louise's little blue book contains, but the feel of the book is much richer. The tactile experience is far superior. I much prefer this book.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Enlightening!

What an insightful book to guide you along shifting your perspective to heal physically and spiritually. Everyone should take the time to get to know themselves and what their body is trying to tell them.

[Anastasia D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been supporting my loved one in healing process of his health, and we've investigated the epigenetics of the disease. Of course, genetics, chemical imbalance, the environment pay role in it. However, our mind, our thoughts play quite important role - and that's what this book is about.

[Anandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye-opening and soul-healing. I could not get through this book with a dry eye. There is truth in how we manifest dis-ease in our bodies through our thoughts.

[Laura Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reference book and I enjoy going through it whenever I have an ailment to see if maybe there is a spiritual reason why I have attracted it.

[Kerissa Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I review this book often and love the insight that it gives. Always true to what's going on in my life and helping me shift my perspective.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easier said than done

What she said makes sense but can be tricky to apply to one's life. That self love is something we should all strive for.

[Juanbpf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely accurate for me...

[Sara Al Blooshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explains why we feel what we feel, and to remove pain and move forward. Excellent guidelines to follow for a healed body.

[joann L. Hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review

An interesting starting point to determine the metaphysical connections of many ailments. Contains many positive affirmations specific to the ailment.

[Livi Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve practiced mirror work you’d probably find this a bit useful.

[Daniela Radovic Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

After so many years having it, still my 'bible' for all psychosomatic answers :-) Keep it close by, always. One of those books I really enjoyed gifting to friends and family.

[Braulio Bazán · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante si se le mira con flexibilidad y reflexión ...

[kathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible, interesting, and it works

[Beatrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Thank you for this. This book enriched ne and opened me up to a new understanding of my body and mind. Gratitude 🙏