Healing Your Relationship with Wealth – An Interview with Dr. Verlaine Crawford

What if the life you keep dreaming about is only one belief away?

Most of us carry two competing voices inside us, one that wants more money, more love, more freedom, and another working just as hard to keep us safe and small. In this conversation, Dr. Verlaine Crawford shares the story of a stranger in an elevator, a book that changed everything, and a list of impossible goals that came true within months. She opens up about surviving a stabbing, a broken foot, and the recent loss of her husband of fifty years, and how she learned to turn every hardship into proof that we shape our own reality.

Whether you’re chasing a bigger dream or just tired of feeling stuck, this dialogue offers a simple, practical way to find the beliefs holding you back and finally set them down.

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What was your childhood like growing up in Iowa?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: We lived in the country about a mile from the town of LeClaire, Iowa. Our house sat on a little hillside overlooking the river, with forty acres of forest behind us where the neighborhood kids played cowboys and Indians, gathered nuts from the trees, and explored together. There was also a beautiful stream where I loved to spend time. Being in nature has always been a major part of my life, and I still cherish that feeling of simply being immersed in it.

I was raised Presbyterian, and I loved the music, the sense of community, and the overall feeling of the church in LeClaire. Everything about that experience was very positive. The message was that Christ was your friend—someone who was always with you. That belief helped me tremendously as I grew up and later faced many of life’s challenges.

When I look back on my childhood, I remember it as a lovely time. I truly enjoyed every minute of it.

Your childhood sounds beautiful, but I also know you faced some very serious challenges. When you were twelve, you experienced a terrible accident, and not long after that, your family went through significant changes. Yet you still look back on those years with gratitude. What helped you develop that perspective?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: When I was twelve, my dad asked my younger brother and me to mow the lawn before I left for summer camp. He had the big mower, and I had a smaller one. As I was walking up the hillside, I turned around because I thought my brother was farther behind me than he actually was. Instead of continuing up the hill, I stepped directly into the mower. Back then, the safety guard wasn’t on it, and I severed my little toe and badly injured the top of my left foot.

The hospital was about a half-hour drive away. I remember sitting in the car and reaching down to feel my foot because something felt terribly wrong. One of the men riding with us said, “Don’t worry. Your little toe is right here in my pocket.”

The accident changed my life. I couldn’t walk properly for nearly a year, and everything became difficult—from going to school to simply living day to day. My mother struggled deeply with what had happened. She and my father argued constantly, and eventually he suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized.

About a year later, we were together at a family picnic. My dad asked me how I was feeling, and I told him, “Much better.” The very next day, he left our family.

I understood why he left. I just didn’t understand why he left me behind. I was very much like my father. He was a peacemaker who avoided arguments, while my mother had a fiery temper, and eventually my younger brother did as well. Losing my father was incredibly difficult.

Not long afterward, we moved from Iowa to California. Everything had changed, but then something wonderful happened. Two men who had worked with my mother had purchased a hotel in Carmel and invited us to spend Christmas there. At the time, we were living in Fairfield, an Air Force town that never really felt like home because people were constantly coming and going.

When we arrived in Carmel, the Christmas lights were glowing, and it was absolutely beautiful. The next morning, the sun was shining over the beach and this charming little English-style village. I fell in love with it immediately.

From that moment on, I made it my mission to convince my mother that we somehow needed to live there. She eventually got a job at the language school in Monterey, we found an apartment in Carmel, and I attended Carmel High School. I would study at the beach, surrounded by the ocean, and it became one of the happiest chapters of my life.

Looking back, I think that was when I first began developing the mindset that has stayed with me ever since. If I could keep a positive attitude and remember that God was always with me, I could move through even the hardest experiences. That faith carried me.

Ironically, shortly after we moved to Carmel, I was involved in another accident. A car struck ours on a quiet side street, and I was thrown from the vehicle, breaking my right arm—which, of course, was my dominant hand.

I’ve had an interesting life filled with accidents. But now, because I believe we create our reality—mostly through the subconscious—I see them differently. Consciously, none of us thinks, I want to have an accident today. But in my own experience, my subconscious seemed to use those moments to slow me down. I’ve always wanted to move quickly, accomplish more, and make things happen. I rarely gave myself permission to rest.

I’m getting better at that now. I’m still learning because I genuinely love creating and getting things done.

Despite everything, I loved high school. I took every class I possibly could. At one point, I thought I wanted to become an astronomer, so I studied physics, trigonometry, and everything related to the cosmos. I was fascinated by cosmic theory, and it all seemed to fit together somehow.

Today, with what we’re learning through quantum physics, it makes even more sense to me. I still find it absolutely fascinating.

In 1966, you met a man who introduced you to a book that became a turning point in your life. Can you take us back to that moment?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Absolutely. I was twenty-two years old, living in an old apartment building in Los Angeles and working at an advertising agency. One day, I was riding the elevator, feeling very sad because I had a friend in the hospital who wasn’t doing well.

A man in the elevator noticed and said, “You know, I was in even worse shape than you a year ago. I had lost everything. Then someone told me to make a list of everything I wanted and write down the date by which it would happen.”

I thought, Okay… But he insisted on showing me what he meant. He rode the elevator back down with me, and outside was a white Thunderbird convertible.

He pointed to it and said, “That was the first thing on my list.”

Then he told me he owned an office building a few blocks away and wanted to show me that too. In those days, growing up in Iowa, it didn’t occur to me that getting into someone’s car might be dangerous. People were trustworthy where I came from, so I climbed in.

We drove around the corner to the building. He unlocked the door and showed me that every office was rented. At first, I assumed he must be the janitor because he had a key. Then he said he also owned the penthouse apartment across the street.

I remember thinking, Yeah, right.

When we got back to my apartment building, I figured that was the end of it. But a few minutes later, there was a knock on my door. He handed me a book and said, “Read this—and make your list.”

The book was As a Man Thinketh by James Allen.

Before I even read it, I made my list. It was completely outrageous. I wrote that by a certain date I would be modeling, appear on television, live in an apartment at the beach, and be driving an XKE Jaguar on my birthday. None of those things matched what I believed was actually possible.

Then I read the book, and I was fascinated by its central idea—that as we think, we create our reality. It made sense, yet part of my mind still questioned it. So I folded up the list, put it in a drawer, and forgot about it.

About a month later, the first item happened. An old acquaintance called and asked, “Would you like to be on television?” It was for a computer dating show. There wasn’t any pay, but afterward we’d have dinner at the Magic Castle.

I’d always wanted to visit the Magic Castle, so I agreed. The dating show itself wasn’t very successful—none of the matches really worked—but I had been on television, just as I’d written.

The second item on my list was modeling. One day I overheard people talking about auditions for a stage production of The Fountainhead, a novel I had loved in college. I asked where the auditions were being held, and they said Capitol Records.

When I arrived, the woman conducting the auditions looked at me and said, “You’re awfully young for this role. Why do you want to be an actress?”

I told her, “Actually, I want to be a writer.”

She left the room and returned with the president of Keynotes magazine. After talking with me for a while, he asked, “How would you like to be an assistant editor?”

Suddenly, I had a completely new job at Capitol Records.

The magazine’s art director, Mary Ann, then asked me, “How would you like to model for the magazine?”

It still amazes me because just yesterday I attended an art class here in Laguna Woods, and who should be standing there but Mary Ann—the very woman who had asked me that question all those years ago.

How long had it been since you’d last seen her?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Oh my goodness… almost fifty years.

She really hadn’t changed that much, and we recognized each other immediately. We’d become close friends back then. I even stayed with her parents in Holland while traveling through Europe. It was an incredible reunion.

The next item on my list was living in an apartment at the beach. One day, my mother and I drove up the coast and ended up in Belmont Shores. There was this darling apartment for rent—only $110 a month, which was very reasonable even then. It had a beautiful garden, and the beach was right across the street. I’d have parties there with some of the bands from Capitol Records. It was a wonderful time.

Then I started dating a man who owned a yellow XKE Jaguar. On my birthday, he handed me the keys and said, “Why don’t you drive us to the restaurant?”

He had no idea about my list.

People don’t normally hand over the keys to a Jaguar, but that’s exactly what happened. The funny thing is, I had never written that I would own an XKE Jaguar. I had simply written that I’d be driving one on my birthday.

That entire experience completely shifted the way I thought about reality.

I came to believe that we create our reality through our thoughts, but even more importantly, through our beliefs. Our beliefs generate our thoughts, our thoughts generate our emotions, and our emotions influence the actions we take.

At twenty-two, I didn’t have many limiting beliefs around any of this. I simply thought, That would be nice, put the list in a drawer, and let it go.

From that point on, my greatest quest became understanding why this works—and why sometimes it doesn’t.

Over the years, I’ve encouraged many people to make their own lists. Some experienced extraordinary, almost miraculous results. Others came close, but not quite.

I remember one woman who wrote that she would be married by a certain date. She started dating and met several wonderful men, but she wasn’t married by the deadline she had written down.

Later, I learned that she hadn’t dated anyone in twenty years because she held very negative beliefs about men. Even though she didn’t achieve the exact outcome she had written, something remarkable still happened. She had begun moving beyond those deeply rooted beliefs.

That became the real lesson for me.

Since then, my life’s work has been understanding how our beliefs shape our reality—and what keeps us from creating the lives we truly desire.

One statement on your website really stood out to me: “Everything is an illusion, so why not pick a vision that is empowering?” What does that mean to you?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: It comes back to what we’ve learned through quantum physics. Everything is energy. For at least the last fifty or a hundred years, we’ve known that we are made of energy, and everything around us is made of energy.

In a sense, reality is an illusion that we’re creating by compressing energy into experiences and physical things through our thoughts and our attention. It’s a little like painting. You have a palette filled with different colors. If you place red on the canvas, red appears. Or if you plant an acorn, you’re going to grow an oak tree.

So if reality is like a field of possibilities, why not consciously choose something you want to experience—something you want to see, feel, and create?

People sometimes tell me, “That sounds too simple, Verlaine. It can’t really work that way.”

But I’ve watched it happen over and over again.

The question isn’t usually why it works. The question is why our lives stay the same. They stay the same because we hold powerful opposing beliefs. Those beliefs compete with each other, and the one with the strongest emotional charge—and the longest list of perceived advantages—keeps us from moving toward what we truly want.

Your chapter in The Awakened Healer is titled “Healing Your Relationship with Wealth: Integrating Opposing Beliefs”. I imagine the three biggest areas people want to change are relationships, health, and money. Can you explain what you mean by “opposing beliefs,” particularly around wealth?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Yes. First, it’s important to understand that wealth is energy. It doesn’t necessarily mean having a huge pile of money, although that’s certainly one expression of it.

I’ve experienced many forms of wealth that had nothing to do with money. I’ve traveled extensively, and in many cases, I was actually paid to travel. I was invited to teach in places like Japan, Hong Kong, and Bali, and people covered my expenses while paying me to be there.

That’s wealth.

Wealth is really your ability to receive energy—to receive experiences, opportunities, support, and the things you’d like to have in your life.

So what are opposing beliefs?

One example is: If I become wealthy, I’ll have to pay high taxes.

What’s fascinating is that these opposing beliefs aren’t bad parts of you. They aren’t trying to sabotage you. They actually believe they’re protecting you.

One hundred percent of the time, even if they’ve made you sick or miserable, they still think they’re helping you.

That’s what makes them so difficult to change.

Some examples might be: “People will ask me for money,” “Having wealth will create more work,” or “Others will judge me.” What are some of the most common opposing beliefs you see around money?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: One of the biggest is the fear of losing love.

A part of you may believe: It’s safer not to have money because I need love more than I need wealth. If I become wealthy, people will only love me for my money instead of who I really am.

Another belief is that wealth is confusing or overwhelming. Someone might imagine winning the lottery and immediately think, Now what would I do with all of that? It would be too complicated.

Others believe that if they had enough money, they’d become lazy. They tell themselves, Not having money keeps me motivated. It pushes me to work hard and accomplish things.

The list is amazing.

I once asked an audience of about five hundred people to make two lists: the advantages of having wealth and the advantages of not having wealth.

What I’ve consistently found is that when someone isn’t financially prosperous, their list of advantages for not having wealth is almost always longer.

Why?

Because our beliefs become our programming.

People believe things like, You can’t be spiritual if you’re rich.

Those kinds of beliefs quietly run our lives.

So these are mostly subconscious beliefs. Consciously, we think about all the wonderful things money could provide—travel, freedom, experiences—but underneath that are all these perceived advantages of not having wealth, like avoiding taxes or people asking for money.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Exactly.

I have one friend who becomes uncomfortable every time I mention money. She’ll immediately say, “Please don’t talk about money. Rich people are terrible.”

Well, if that’s your belief, guess what you’ll notice?

You’ll only see terrible people with money.

That’s what beliefs do. They filter reality.

My mother used to say, “All the good men are either married or buried.”

Thanks, Mom.

If that’s your belief, you can walk into a room filled with twenty wonderful, kind, intelligent, available men and never notice a single one of them.

The same thing happens in every area of life.

People tell themselves, I’m too old to start a new career.

I actually experienced that when I was fifty. I interviewed for a position, and afterward someone told me, “I think you’re a little too old for this job.”

I went home and decided, Absolutely not. There is no way I’m too old.

Now I’m much older than I was then, and I still don’t consider myself old. I honestly feel about twenty-five—well, maybe thirty-two.

It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve gone around the sun. You’re only old if you choose to believe you’re old.

Going back to your statement, “Everything is an illusion, so why not pick a vision that is empowering?” How do we actually choose an empowering vision for our lives?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Start by asking yourself what genuinely excites you.

What feels fun? What sparks your curiosity?

For me, it’s travel. Right now my vision is returning to Europe—to Florence, Italy, where I’ve been before. I imagine walking through Tuscany again and feeling the energy of those beautiful hills. That’s an empowering vision for me.

A few months ago, I asked a fourteen-year-old boy what excited him, and he couldn’t think of anything. He was deeply sad.

If someone finds themselves in that place, I truly encourage them to seek support. Talk with a counselor. Get help. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help when your energy feels that low.

Later, after I learned more about his life, I understood why he felt the way he did.

I asked if he enjoyed drawing because he was very talented. He shrugged and said, “Sort of.”

Sometimes the first step is simply reconnecting with something that brings even a little bit of joy.

If you can’t immediately find an empowering vision, keep asking yourself, What would be fun? What would make me say, “Wow, I’d love to do that?”

That’s how I’ve approached every new chapter of my life.

When I wanted to move into a completely different career—even becoming an executive—I studied people who had already done it. I read books. I watched movies. I observed how successful women carried themselves, how they thought, how they behaved.

In many ways, we’re all actors and actresses on the stage of life, just as Shakespeare said.

That perspective also helps me look at everything happening in the world today.

People often say, “Things have never been this crazy.”

I don’t believe that’s true.

The world has always had its share of chaos. We simply have far greater access to information now, so we’re exposed to much more of it.

The confusion we see outside ourselves often mirrors the confusion happening inside us. We all carry competing beliefs, conflicting ideas, and internal struggles.

The people around us are experiencing the same thing—sometimes to an even greater degree.

You introduce a process in your chapter called the Infusion Integration Process. I walked through it while reading your chapter. Can you explain what it is and how people can experience it for themselves?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: I’d love to.

Before I explain the process itself, I want to share why it became so important to me.

I first learned the foundations of this work at an NLP workshop—Neuro-Linguistic Programming—back when it was just being introduced. The workshop was taught by the people who had originally developed many of these concepts at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

During the workshop, they demonstrated an integration exercise, and I volunteered to participate.

It completely dissolved the PTSD I had been carrying from a traumatic experience in which I had been stabbed in a parking garage. That event had left me living with overwhelming fear.

I once saw a television program that described different levels of fear—left-hand fear, right-hand fear, and then total fear. I had total fear. It’s incredibly imprisoning because you can’t go anywhere without feeling unsafe.

After doing the integration, that fear was gone.

The basic idea behind the process is that each of us has many different parts within us—what I call subpersonalities. Over the course of our lives, these different parts develop their own beliefs, motivations, and ways of trying to protect us.

I like to picture it as a pirate ship.

We imagine we’re the captain of our ship, but meanwhile, the crew is below deck planning a mutiny. Every so often, one of them starts yelling, “Let’s charge a trip around the world on a credit card!” Another has a completely different agenda. Inside us are all these different parts, each operating from its own beliefs.

Another image I like is a large mansion with many rooms. Each room represents a different part of ourselves, and each one spends its time collecting evidence to support its own beliefs. It’s constantly hanging new pictures on the walls that say, See? Here’s more proof that I’m right.

That’s what our minds naturally do.

People often assume these parts exist only in the subconscious and are therefore inaccessible.

I don’t believe that’s true.

You can simply ask them—and they’ll answer.

The way I teach the process is by assigning one part to each hand. One hand represents one belief, and the other hand represents the opposing belief.

Since we’re talking about wealth, let’s use that as our example.

One hand represents the part of you that genuinely wants abundance—more than enough money, opportunities, property, investments, whatever wealth means to you.

The other hand represents the part that’s preventing that wealth from coming into your life because it sincerely believes it’s protecting you.

That’s the fascinating part.

You look at that part and think, You’re working against everything I want.

But from its perspective, it’s actually trying to help.

If you’d like, everyone watching can do this exercise with us.

Choose one hand to represent the part of you that loves the idea of having abundant wealth—millions of dollars if you like.

Now choose your other hand to represent the part that’s preventing that wealth because it believes it’s keeping you safe.

Then begin making two lists.

The first list is the advantages of having wealth.

The second list is the advantages of not having wealth.

At first, people usually think that the second list won’t contain much.

They’re almost always surprised.

Let’s do a little coaching session here, Verlaine. I wasn’t expecting this, but I love it.

Okay… the advantages of having wealth?

Well, flexibility. Freedom. The ability to help my family, friends, and causes I care about. Being able to hire people to do things I don’t want to do. The opportunity to travel more. Helping my parents as they get older and helping my children as they move into adulthood. And honestly, just not having to worry about money all the time.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Those are wonderful.

I also like adding the idea of having money flowing into your life—not just receiving one large sum, but experiencing a continuous flow of abundance. There’s something very freeing about that.

Now let’s talk about your other hand.

Ask it, What do you think you’re doing for me by keeping my wealth below the level I’d really like?

Well… taxes immediately come to mind. I think about paying higher taxes.

Another big one for me is the amount of work I associate with becoming wealthy. I already work ten or twelve hours a day, and my immediate thought is, that creating significant wealth is going to require even more work. How could I possibly work any harder?

There’s also the whole world of investing and money management. Sometimes it just feels confusing and overwhelming.

Those are probably my three biggest ones.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Those are very common.

What about the spiritual side?

Many people carry the belief that becoming wealthy somehow means becoming materialistic or less spiritual.

I don’t consciously feel that one, although maybe it’s there underneath. One thing I do notice is that people often tell me I give too much away—that I overdeliver and provide too much value.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: That’s very interesting.

Often we’ve experienced situations where we felt someone took advantage of us, so another part of us quietly decides, I’m never going to do that to anyone else.

Even beliefs like that can influence the way we receive wealth.

Let’s continue the exercise.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: One of the beliefs you mentioned was that creating significant wealth would require working even harder. Let’s see what happens if we begin changing some of those assumptions.

If you’re following along with us, close your eyes and keep your hands separated.

I’d like to speak to the part of you that sees advantages in limiting the amount of money flowing into your life.

Imagine that taxes are no longer a problem—that they can easily be managed while you still enjoy abundant wealth.

Imagine you don’t have to work harder. In fact, imagine you work less while receiving more.

Imagine you have trusted people helping you with investing and managing your finances, so that everything feels simple and supported.

Imagine you never have to worry about being taken advantage of, and you never have to wonder whether you’re giving too much away. Everything feels balanced, healthy, and aligned.

Imagine having the time to truly enjoy your life.

Now ask that part of yourself:

“If all of that were true, would you be willing to change your behavior and allow large amounts of wealth to flow into my life?”

You’re talking about changing these beliefs—not just changing my behavior?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Exactly.

We’re talking to the part that’s been holding onto those beliefs, not the part that already wants abundance.

Now, with your eyes still closed, imagine that this protective part of you goes to the most creative place within your being.

You might picture it as a beautiful room filled with golden light. Perhaps there are magnificent computers containing every answer in the universe, along with loving angelic beings who make those answers available whenever you need them.

Allow this creative part of you to discover three new ways of accomplishing its purpose without limiting your ability to receive abundance.

You don’t need to know consciously what those three ways are.

Simply allow them to emerge.

Imagine yourself becoming more flexible.

Imagine giving generously without fear or anxiety.

Imagine feeling completely comfortable around people with wealth, while also feeling deeply connected to those who have less. Money no longer determines the quality of your relationships.

See yourself traveling, caring for your parents, supporting your children, and helping others in ways that feel joyful and effortless.

Experience the freedom of no longer worrying about money or the flow of energy into your life.

Imagine taxes being easy to manage.

Imagine working less instead of more.

Imagine having wise people helping you invest and manage your finances.

Imagine becoming even more spiritually connected as your abundance grows.

Imagine using your flexibility and resources to help others, giving generously because you genuinely want to—not because you feel obligated.

Now invite every part of yourself to look at these new possibilities and make sure they truly create a win-win outcome for your whole being.

Next, hold your hands about a foot apart, facing one another.

In one hand, see the part of you that has worked so hard to create value, help people, and build something meaningful.

In the other hand, see the protective part that has been trying to keep you safe by limiting your wealth. Perhaps it believed, If I become a multimillionaire, I might lose myself. I might forget what really matters.

Thank that part for trying to protect you.

Now slowly bring your hands together until they touch.

Interlace your fingers.

Bring your hands to your heart.

Imagine every part of your being gathering around these two parts, surrounding them with love and healing.

Then imagine your Higher Self shining light down upon them, filling both parts—and your entire being—with love, wisdom, and integration.

Now see these two parts walking together down a beautiful path.

They arrive at a peaceful hillside overlooking green meadows, a gentle stream, blooming flowers, butterflies, and singing birds.

They sit together on a bench and begin talking.

Watch them discover how they can work together from this point forward.

Notice them sharing their strengths, combining their wisdom, and creating abundance that serves the highest good.

See wealth becoming simply another tool—something you can use wisely and joyfully.

Sometimes it may appear as money.

Sometimes it may arrive as extraordinary opportunities.

Perhaps someone invites you to stay at a beautiful home on the French Riviera.

You’ll be amazed by the many ways abundance begins flowing into your life.

Thank these two parts for coming together.

Let every part of your being know that you’re willing to listen to them, communicate with them, and help them work together in harmony.

That’s where true wholeness begins.

Thank you so much. That was beautiful.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Thank you.

I’d also like to add something.

Over the years I’ve come to believe that beliefs are almost like crystallized memories held within the mind.

When opposing beliefs are integrated, it’s as though those crystals melt.

That’s why I don’t believe this is something you have to repeat over and over again. Once the integration happens, a new way of being naturally begins to emerge.

How has this process transformed your own life over the years?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: The very first time I experienced it, it completely dissolved the trauma I’d been carrying after being stabbed and having my lung collapse. I truly believed I was dying during that experience.

After the integration, the fear simply disappeared.

Suddenly I could travel again. I could go places by myself. I could walk into stores without anxiety. I could even watch scary movies without my hands sweating.

It changed my body.

It changed my emotions.

Most of all, it gave me my freedom back.

From that point on, I began using this process whenever I felt emotionally triggered.

I’d simply ask, Here’s the part of me that’s upset, and here’s the part that isn’t. What’s really happening? What are these parts trying to accomplish?

I’ve used it through many of life’s greatest challenges.

My husband John, the love of my life for fifty years, passed away last year.

Even then, I asked myself, What are the gifts within this experience? What are both parts trying to teach me?

I should also add that I continue to experience a beautiful connection with him. I still feel in contact with him, and that has brought me tremendous comfort and a deeper understanding of what exists beyond this life.

I’ve used this process with my health as well.

When I broke my ankle last November, I asked, What could possibly be the benefit of this?

One answer that came was, You won’t be driving the car with the bad wheels. You won’t be out driving during the busy Christmas season.

Sometimes, when we’re deeply upset, we simply want to force the two parts together without listening.

But each part has something important to contribute.

For me, this process has brought better health.

It has brought greater wealth.

It has brought deeper love.

And it has strengthened what I call the fourth cornerstone of life: self-expression.

People often overlook that one.

There is profound healing in creating.

Whether it’s painting, dancing, singing, writing, or any other form of creative expression, when the energy of Source flows through you in a creative way, that very energy becomes healing.

You’ve recently started painting, which is remarkable because you began later in life. Tell us about that journey.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Yes! I started painting when I was seventy-seven.

My biological age—the number of times I’ve traveled around the sun—is eighty-two now. But there’s no way I feel eighty-two. I’ve simply made that many trips around the sun.

I absolutely love painting. I have some of my artwork on my website, and people often tell me how beautiful the paintings are. I have to admit—I love them too.

I’ve also written two books of poetry. I’m planning to take a ceramics class, I’m relearning the piano, and I’m going to learn Italian.

Those are the kinds of things that create a new life.

I’m creating a new life again because my sweetheart is now on the other side. So I ask myself, Who do I want to become? How do I want to show up? What do I want to do for myself—for the love of myself?

I think that’s incredibly important.

Fall in love with yourself.

I remember watching a wonderful English film where a gentleman was standing in front of a mirror while his butler stood behind him. He said, “James, when you fall in love with yourself, you begin a lifelong love affair.”

I thought, Yes, exactly.

And then I realized something else.

Fall in love with life.

I remember walking through Rome after meeting a young man in Florence. I thought I was in love with him, but then I realized it wasn’t just him. It was the feeling itself. Everything looked brighter. Everything felt joyful. I was happy for no particular reason.

So I made a decision.

I’m going to fall in love with life.

And I have.

Thank you for sharing that—and for taking us through the Infusion Integration Process. Before we finish, I’d love to talk about your award-winning book, A Planetary Vision: A Planetary Renaissance Is Possible—One That Embraces Both Science and Spirituality, Technology and Nature, Individuality and Unity. What is the book about, and who would benefit from reading it?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: The ideas for the book began coming to me after I started channeling in 1987. Opening to those higher dimensions expanded my understanding of the universe in ways I never expected.

Around that same time, I became involved with an organization called LINC—Leaders in the New Civilization. Through that work I had opportunities to visit the United Nations in Geneva and participate in many exciting conversations about humanity’s future.

That’s when I began developing what eventually became A Planetary Vision.

The book is really an expansion of the same principles we’ve been discussing today—how individuals create reality—but viewed on a planetary scale.

One of the central ideas is the creation of twelve global councils that would serve as a collaborative framework for managing humanity’s future.

These include councils focused on the environment and animal species, basic human needs, health and medical research, education built on creativity and imagination, the arts, commerce and trade, government and protection, communications, transportation, energy, artificial intelligence and technology, and finally, space exploration.

The vision is that these councils would exist at local, national, and international levels.

In some ways, the United Nations already reflects pieces of this concept. But my vision is more integrated, with every council including representatives from the other disciplines so that solutions are created collaboratively rather than in isolation.

The book begins with the individual—our relationship with ourselves, our families, our education, our work, and our communities—and then expands outward to humanity as a whole.

It’s intended as a blueprint.

Not necessarily the blueprint, but one possible vision we can continue refining together.

Right now, many people simply look at the world and say, “Everything’s a mess.”

That doesn’t help create a better future.

If we truly create our reality, then why not begin with a new vision for humanity?

Maybe someone will create an even better one.

But I believe this is a meaningful place to begin.

You’re entering a new season of life. You’ve recently moved, you’ve published this new book, you’re part of The Awakened Healer, and yet you’re still open to working with people one-on-one. What does that work look like?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: I’ve had the privilege of working with people all over the world.

For example, I taught workshops in Tokyo and Osaka, spending two weeks in each city leading seminars as well as private sessions.

What I love most is helping people recognize their own potential and bringing together the parts of themselves that have been preventing them from living the lives they truly want.

I think of myself as a mentor and a coach.

My professional background has also given me experience in many different industries. I eventually became head of marketing in the high-tech industry, but I’ve worked with organizations ranging from International Paper and local restaurants to AT&T and even NASA.

Marketing may seem unrelated to personal growth, but understanding people, communication, and potential translates into every area of life.

If you’re a business owner, I believe I can help you.

If you’re simply someone who wants to live a fuller, richer life, I believe I can help with that too.

I honestly think people would benefit simply by spending time with you. Your joy is contagious.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Thank you.

You know, it’s wonderful to be happy for no particular reason.

And I think that happens when you stop carrying around everything that has happened to you.

If we have time, I’d love to share one more exercise. It’s called the Rose Meditation.

Absolutely.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Imagine you’re standing on top of a beautiful mountain overlooking a deep canyon.

Near the edge is a large sheet of glass, about the size of a sliding glass door.

Now place on that glass a picture representing something you’d like to release emotionally.

Let’s use a car accident as an example.

Next, place a beautiful rose in front of the picture.

As you watch, allow all of the color—the emotional energy—to drain from the picture into the rose.

The rose grows larger and larger as it absorbs the emotion.

Soon, the picture is only a black-and-white image. The emotional charge is gone.

Now send the rose high into the sky.

When it’s far above you, let it explode.

Pop!

Out of that one rose come dozens of little roses bursting like fireworks.

I added that part because it’s fun.

Now decide whether you want to keep the black-and-white memory.

Personally, I usually don’t.

I simply tap the glass, watch it shatter, and see all the pieces fall into the canyon below.

One man once objected and said, “Glass lasts a thousand years.”

So I told him there was a little machine at the bottom of the canyon that rolls over the glass and turns it into dust.

Problem solved.

When I first learned this meditation, I asked my guides, “If I release these memories, won’t they disappear forever?”

The answer I received was, “They’re always available in the Akashic Records. You’re simply no longer carrying them in your subconscious.”

That changed everything for me.

So I started lining up lots of pieces of glass.

Old health issues.

Financial struggles.

Broken relationships.

Anything I no longer wanted to keep reliving.

One by one, I drained the emotion into the rose, watched it grow enormous, sent it soaring into the sky, and watched it burst into thousands of roses before releasing the remaining images into the canyon.

I don’t walk around carrying all those stories anymore.

If I need them, I can access them.

But most of the time I’d rather enjoy the trees, the flowers, and the beauty of the sky.

Because those painful memories are just stories.

The more we replay them, the more we continue living inside them.

Instead, ask yourself, What did I learn?

Maybe you became stronger.

Maybe you learned resilience.

Then let the story go.

That’s the recipe.

Thank you for sharing that. It’s funny you mention roses because the channeling message I shared yesterday was entirely about roses as symbols of joy. The message invited people to look closely at a rose—to really notice its beauty—as a way of reconnecting with joy itself.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: I love that.

I absolutely love roses. I have many rose bushes growing outside my home.

And you’re right—when you really look into a rose, you’re almost looking into the universe itself.

The spiral of the petals is so incredibly beautiful.

I could look at them forever.

Where’s the best place for people to connect with you online?

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: The best place is CreativeLifeAdventures.com, which is my blog. There’s a great deal of information there, along with many personal stories.

I also have my personal website, VerlaineCrawford.com, although I’ve been most active on Creative Life Adventures.

People can also find me on Facebook, where I post regularly. I’m on Instagram as well, though not quite as often.

Verlaine, thank you so much for spending this time with us. I genuinely feel like I’m walking away from this conversation changed, and I know our readers will as well.

Dr. Verlaine Crawford: Thank you so much for having me. I truly appreciate it.