|
Neela Sakaria: Thank you for your time Ms. Trafford. Please tell our readers about your professional background. What inspired you to write?
Angela Passidomo Trafford: Ever since I was a little girl, I've always expressed myself through the written word. Being an author was my childhood dream. I've written poetry all my life and found solace and empowerment by creatively expressing my feelings. I am also a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, which occurred only three years ago, after my books. I've also hosted two radio talk shows--one in New York City and the other on the Eastern Seaboard--about 21 million listeners in all. I love life's adventure, nature and our humanity which links us to God. After experiencing a spontaneous healing of cancer 15 years ago and volunteering in the oncology ward at Naples Community Hospital in order to give back in gratitude for my healing, I founded my own practice--Self-Healing in Naples Florida where I've been helping people heal and change their lives here and all across the country for the past 16 years. In 1996 the Collier County Medical Society Alliance designated me an expert in alternative medicine due to my pioneer work at Self-Healing. I attended Aldelphi University majoring in Psychology however all I've achieved has been through life as my beloved teacher.
Neela: You wrote THE HEROIC PATH in 1993, correct? What made you decide to share your own personal stories in the form of this book?
APT: I've experienced dire circumstances and even tragically painful events and illness without people to help me through it, and I've overcome--even triumphed over adversity. I've come through two bouts of cancer, financial hardship, divorce and the loss of the custody of my children. I've gotten well, regained vibrant health and the custody of my children, and raised my sons with self-esteem and unconditional love. They are all remarkable uplifting human beings and successful people. I have gone on to help thousands of others with the love and wisdom on my healing journey with only God to turn toward. There is an answer to the questions of life, and a way to not only overcome but passionately succeed--for every single one of us. My own life is testimony to this absolute fact. How do you overcome, heal and succeed? The answers are found in the pages of this book. I wanted to help other people realize there is a way to change their lives and empower themselves. I wanted someone who desperately needed help to walk into a bookstore and find it in this book, The Heroic Path: One Woman's Journey from Cancer to Self Healing. I've come through the darkness into the light with God's help. Now I have a message to share with others so that those suffering realize there is hope, redemption and even joy when we learn to love ourselves and others.
Neela: As you've just explained, THE HEROIC PATH is your story of strength. But it also provides advice and wisdom to others. Please tell us about the format of the book and how you were able to successfully combine stories with objective advice.
APT: The Heroic Path is a map, a step by step guide on how to overcome fear and the emotional blocks that stymie our progress in life and discover the love within that heals and even uplifts us into the miracles. One day I just woke up with the idea that people courageous enough to take on the challenge of life and health with faith and perseverance deserved to be called heroes. I've met a lot of people in my healing work who have had the faith and courage it takes to change their lives. I was inspired by them, and by heroic author and surgeon Dr. Bernie Siegel, whose book Love, Medicine & Miracles, changed my life and the lives of so many. He is a close personal friend and an inspiration to me.
Writing helps me get in touch with my feelings and realize the actions I need to take which will initiate positive change for me. I've received so many letters from people whose lives and health have been touched in remarkable ways by reading The Heroic Path. People have achieved healing, faith, hope and guidance through reading it, and the wisdom they need to make courageous choices that will help them on their path. This makes me very happy because it was my motivation for writing this very dear book. This book kind of flowed out of me once I realized I was going to come from the standpoint of heroic individuals. I have met so many inspiring people through my work and travels doing workshops and talks. The format basically developed itself as I went along -- as in all creative endeavors. I knew I had found a way out of life's suffering and fear. In showing others what was going on inside themselves under the denial, I was able to combine the stories of their spiritual journeys with the truth I had found inside myself. I further express these journeys of spiritual awakening in my column each week.
Neela: Tell us about your other book, REMEMBERING THE LANGUAGE OF GOD: THE FORGOTTEN PATH. Why is it that you think so many people lack spirituality in their lives? What is it that you hope readers will take away from the book?
APT: Since so many relationships today are failing I am hoping Remembering the Language of God: The Forgotten Path will give people the information they need to develop a loving relationship with themselves, so they can understand and love someone else. Only through individual inner peace are we going to achieve world peace. My emphasis is on the individual and having a successful journey as a human being.
We live in a culture that is fairly devoid of spiritual truth. Our society's focus on money and material comforts has caused the individual to give away his or her power due to false values and beliefs and the desire to avoid emotional pain. Remembering the Language of God was very difficult to write because I took an unconscious process and put it down in words. It was tough working through all the guilt society puts on those of us who speak the truth and are willing to face the consequences in order to live an authentic life.
People today are raised without unconditional love from childhood, and therefore we lose parts of ourselves along the way. Most of us turn to addiction to avoid feeling emotional pain. Our whole society is addictive now. It's difficult for the individual to stand up and reveal his or her own inner truth amidst the denial that surrounds us. That's why to experience the pain it takes to grow is a heroic challenge that changes your life. Those of us who have the courage to grow remember the lost wisdom that has survived through the ages -- "the language of God. This lost language "or inner truth" when listened to by each individual, uplifts our lives into the miracles. Again, I wanted to share the good news with those willing to listen. When people are suffering enough they are open to overcoming the darkness of conventional beliefs and attitudes. When you passionately follow your own inner voice you are led into the light.
I hope readers will gain insight and wisdom from Remembering the Language of God, and the faith to have the courage it takes to change and not just exist -- but truly live. I want to show others how crucial it is to develop our emotional nature because our emotions connect us to God the Creator. One of my favorite sayings is, "If you can't feel it, you can't heal it." The recovery of your emotional self affords wholeness "which is the only respite in life,--and opens your heart to the joy of living." It takes courage to grow and change. I hope Remembering the Language of God gives others the support, wisdom and love they need as inspiration for the spiritual journey back to their authentic nature and the motivation to develop a healthy loving relationship with themselves. Only then can we truly love another.
Neela: You talk about the "permission to enjoy." What does this mean?
APT: Most of us feel too guilty to receive the good in our lives or the positive changes life itself serves up to us. A narcissistic society does not allow us to feel or experience joy. Most of us are unaware of our guilt and pain. Emotional scars are invisible and can only become visible when we feel pain or
become aware of how we sabotage and destroy our own chances for happiness. When we take the spiritual journey home to who we are, we dissolve the emotional blocks within, and heal a wounded demanding ego that demands impossible standards of perfection and constantly causes us to feel "not good enough." When we learn to unconditionally love ourselves, we heal and find inner peace, and feel worthy enough to experience love and joy.
Neela: Are you working on any new projects? Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
APT: My new book is entitled Opening of the Heart: How I Learned to Love Myself. It is a slim chronicle of my journey through cancer and how I opened my heart to the pain of the child within and learned to love and honor myself. This book illustrates in a very personal passionate way how the emotional roots of illness can be found in childhood, how we lose ourselves--and the journey back to wholeness. I am also working on compiling all my columns into a book of wisdom, love and healing insights. I am a nationally syndicated columnist, and my columns are filled with stories of those I've helped to heal, letters from readers and my insightful unconventional responses to queries about universal aspects of love and life. This book will be a pure delight for those wanting to delve deeper into their spiritual journey by studying insightful cameos that express an unconventional yet extremely effective perspective on life and relationship. I am also now completing an audio book of The Heroic Path, which has been requested by readers for years. It's just about finished!
Neela: Thank you and good luck!
Angela's weekly articles appear in the Neapolitan Section of NaplesNews.com.
You can also visit Angela's website at www.self-healing.net.
|
