by P.H., Brisbane, Australia

In response to the recent media reports regarding Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon:

I have been associated with Universal Medicine for about four years. In that time, I have never heard any mention of ‘curing’ cancer. What I have heard are teachings that encourage people to live in a more loving and harmonious way, with themselves and with others. I have witnessed many resolve long-term issues through this process. I have seen my own life develop and change as a result. My own personal journey has allowed me to build a life that is more loving, and while there is always room for improvement, I feel better on many levels in my life as a result of attending workshops, retreats and sessions with practitioners of various esoteric modalities.

I have received breast massages from women who exhibit high levels of integrity and personal accountability in the way in which they deal with clients. I have felt supported and nurtured in this process as I have worked towards developing a more nurturing way of living with myself.

While attending workshops I have never heard Serge tell people to leave relationships. In fact, I have heard him encourage people to stay in relationships and work on bringing more love into the way they live their own lives and see what happens in the relationship, if they are able to. With regards to the criticism from the ‘nine men’ (as quoted in news articles) who claim that their wives ended their marriages after becoming involved with Universal Medicine, one has to question what was the quality of the relationship before the wife initiated an end to the relationship? And statistically, one in three first marriages ends in divorce in Australia. I cannot see how what has happened to these nine men is outside of those statistical averages, regardless of what they claim to be the reason the marriage ended.

In consulting practitioners working with esoteric modalities I have never felt pressured to commit to future appointments – that decision always being left to me to make. Suggested supplements have always been affordable and only a few, not hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Also, in being aware of the Esoteric Practitioner Association’s (EPA)* Code of Ethics, I know that I am consulting individuals who live what they practise and hold themselves to the highest levels of scrutiny.

By stark contrast, I have consulted, and at times worked for, ‘alternative’ health providers who structured their business plans on the number of visits they can ‘milk’ from their clients, prescribing expensive supplements and various other charges (e.g. in-house x-rays, referral to in-house masseurs, etc.). I often discovered that these providers drank alcohol in excessive amounts, often working on clients while hung-over, smoked cigarettes, used ‘recreational’ drugs and had questionable relationships and dysfunctional families. I have even consulted conventional medical practitioners who had an interest in a ‘holistic’ approach to health and discovered many of the same problems.

So why should so much criticism be levelled at an organisation that has standards as high as those of Universal Medicine? Could it be that what the critics are seeing is holding up for inspection the way in which they live their own lives? Those of us who have made the changes to our lives know that there is a truth in what is presented. But we do this out of consideration for ourselves, not because we are told to. Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon do not tell anyone what to do. There is no set of instructions. It is up to the individual to feel, and in so doing make choices that they feel are right for them.

By contemporary standards, I am a modern, educated and intelligent woman. I hold degrees from a number of institutions, I have held positions of respect and authority in the workplace, and have been consulted for my expertise and experience in various industries. While these elements are not how I see myself, they are what the modern world considers when regarding me and my points of view. I am known for not ‘suffering fools’, and have often been labelled a cynic. So why do I not eschew what Universal Medicine teaches and promotes? Quite simply, it works. It is simple, it is achievable, and it works. It does not mean that I have not questioned some of the things I have heard, because I have. But the fact that I am allowed to question is proof that this is not a ‘mindless cult’ with ‘followers’ who do nothing but obey instructions. There are elements of what has been presented that I do question, but I feel into the truth of what is true for me and follow that, not what others say. And it not only works for me…. I have seen friends’ health and lives improve, I have seen others change over the years of my involvement to be more of who they truly are, beautiful in their living with themselves. This cannot be a bad thing, surely?

Rarely does one meet people who ‘walk their talk’. Moreover, rarely does one meet someone who is consistent in their mood and demeanour, who treats all with an equal level of care and love, and who offers such truth in not only the words that they present but in the way that they live and conduct themselves. This I have found in my dealings with Serge Benhayon. Serge is no cult leader, no guru. He is a man living honestly and openly and offering the same knowledge he has gathered to all, for the betterment of all. He does not present doctrine or dogma, he presents what he feels to be true. And in so doing, allows the freedom for all to decide what is true for them from what he presents. Does someone like this challenge us and our way of thinking? Of course. Does someone like this deserve to be derided in the press without fair consideration? Of course not.

Print media and some questionable on-line writers have misconstrued and twisted the little bits of information that they have gleaned from people either with an ‘axe to grind’ against Universal Medicine or from third-hand hearsay. These are questionable journalistic standards at a time when much of the print media internationally is under review for illegal practices. Which group would I rather be associated with? One that does not fully research a story and prints mistruths, or one that encourages me to improve my life by being more loving? The choice is clear – for me anyway.

* The EPA (Esoteric Practitioners Association) is the internal accreditation arm of Universal Medicine. It was instigated by Universal Medicine to monitor and accredit the modalities that were founded by Universal Medicine.