To heal ourselves and others, we need information. We need to get to the bottom—to the root cause—of our illnesses and pain, whether it’s physical, emotional, or spiritual. And we need to find out what the most efficient and effective means of healing will be for each of us individually.

We get information about ourselves and our environment in two very different ways: One is through our normal five senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. The other is through an expanded state of awareness, where we perceive beyond the limitations of our body and mind and feel that we are part of the vast universe around us, connected to All That Is. In this state, we have access to unlimited information.

Perhaps you have had such an experience while hiking in the mountains or watching the waves roll in at the beach—nature can certainly ease you into an expanded state of awareness. Or maybe you’ve reached it through exercise or prayer or music, or through making love or being present at the birth or death of a loved one—events where you felt deeply connected to another person. Please keep in mind that I’m referring to naturally expanded states, not ones of artificial expansion from drugs, which can damage the human energy field, sometimes permanently.

Oftentimes, an expanded state has come upon me while mountain climbing or cross-country skiing in the wilderness. But the surest route to heightened consciousness is meditation.

I was once on a yearlong meditation retreat with a spiritual teacher, receiving instruction in ancient Hindu sutras, which are highly condensed texts (usually short phrases or even single words) that are memorized in order to produce specific effects. Students are instructed to focus on these sutras while meditating. Having been admitted to the program at the 11th hour, I’d had no opportunity to read books or quiz friends as to what I could expect. And since the 200 students were instructed not to discuss the sutras among themselves, I simply showed up each day ready to sit silently and await instruction.

Once the last sutra had been whispered to me, I began quietly repeating it in my mind. Suddenly, I noticed my whole body become very hot, as if it were on fire. The heat became more and more intense, and I began to vibrate—just a little at first, and then a great deal. I felt my body expand . . . and expand . . . and expand . . . until it seemed that there were no longer 200 separate people sitting on the floor, but one vast body. It was as if we were so linked that we were all one, beating with one heart. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I had, for a brief moment, experienced the unified field, where we are all intimately connected.

Once you have experienced a direct connection to this energy, you will not want to live without it. It truly feels like home.