| Author believes that everyone should tap into their intuition |
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| Written by Melissa | |
 Sherri Zimmerman doesn't believe there is a distinction between the spirit world and the physical one. "I believe that there is only one world - the spirit world," she says.
Zimmerman, 47, the author of two self-published books on mental health,
will teach people how to connect with both worlds in a four-part
lecture series. The seminar will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 24,
and Sunday, July 27, and from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, July 28 and
Wednesday, Aug. 6 at Next Dimensions, 132 Old National Pike. Joining
her are Cathy Everly and Patricia Swan Gibson to share their
experiences.Zimmerman, whose second book is titled "Mental Illness and the Psychic Connection," explains the physical world as the one we are living in. The spirit world, she says, is the one that connects people to each other and to those who have passed on. Women especially, Zimmerman says, often are connected to both worlds, though many don't realize it. The term, "woman's intuition," she says, describes a way of tapping into the spiritual world. Children often don't know the difference between the worlds, she says, because that's when the psyche of a child is formed. But Zimmerman, of Junction, W.Va., says that parents or loved ones who don't understand that connection between physical and spirit world, it can often be misunderstood. And, she says, in some cases, when someone says he or she has talked to someone deceased, it is seen as having a mental breakdown. Zimmerman claims that isn't always the case. She says in some cultures, those people are considered to have access to spiritual wisdom. Many cultures, she says, understand - even revere - those with the apparent ability to talk with the other side. One goal of the seminar, she says, is to help people have a better understanding of the connections between the two worlds. After all, Zimmerman says, "The mind cannot accept what it cannot conceive." What she wants, especially in this harried lifestyle, is for people to reconnect with their intuitions. Zimmerman herself has struggled with the mental illness label for all of her adult life. She had her first breakdown at age 19 following the birth of her first child. "I don't like to call it a 'breakdown,'" she says, "I'd actually like to wipe that word out of the vocabulary. I like to call them 'breakthroughs' because you're breaking through from one world to another.'" Zimmerman says she was diagnosed first with schizophrenia, then later with bipolar disorder. Neither, she claims, was the right diagnosis. And to make matters worse, she says, her prescribed medications made her feel like she was locked inside her own body. "I was literally walking around like this," she says before standing to give a demonstration. She hunches over, lifts her arms about hip level and lets her wrists dangle before shuffling forward. "It was almost like I was in a fog. ... It's like having a dream and being in the dream, but not being awake. ... I was not of this dimension." After recovering from her first "breakthrough," Zimmerman would have several more throughout her life, including one following the birth of each of her two sons. Even with the problems, Zimmerman managed to continue with her life. She earned her barber license and managed several barber shops over the years. Later, while living in Florida, she earned a certified nursing assistant license. And for three months, she worked at a nurse for a state mental hospital. From 2001 to 2006, Zimmerman says she didn't have any "breakthroughs." During that time, she moved to West Virginia in 2005. Although she has struggled, she says she has been able to find the positive through each episode. "It's hard to find the positive when you're going through it," she admits. "But you learn something about yourself each time. You unlock something." That's why she wrote her two books. She published "Success After Insanity: Healing Hearts of the Mentally Ill" in 2000 and "Mental illness and the Psychic Connection" in 2002. In the second book, Zimmerman tells the stories of those who claim to be sensitives and have been wrongly diagnosed with mental illness. She has a third book, "Timeless Health: Ways of Living in an Unscheduled World," scheduled for release at the end of this year. Zimmerman says she hopes that people learn to acknowledge their gifts, whether it is being intuitive, gardening or whatever. She says they are all gifts should be nurtured. As a way to help others that have been through the same things she has, Zimmerman has plans to open Imagine Healing Center in Junction. The name was inspired by the John Lennon song, "Imagine," because of the song's message of peace and love. The center's purpose is not just to work with people with mental illness, but to work with all people who need to reconnect with their spiritual well-being. Imagine Healing Center is set to open by spring 2009, by then Zimmerman plans to have completed her massage therapy license. For her, such a place will help people reconnect with their inner being. "People need (spiritual) health check-ups, just like you would schedule to check your teeth," she says. Copyright: The Herald-Mail |
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