by Trish Mazur, Marine Charter Co-ordinator, Gold Coast, Australia

I would personally like to thank Serge Benhayon (and all the Universal Medicine practitioners).

Reading statements like Serge Benhayon is ‘anti-exercise’ or ‘anti-mainstream medicine’ just does not correspond with the experience I have had with Serge and Universal Medicine (UniMed) at all.

Firstly, Serge doesn’t tell me what to do or think (sometimes I wish he did – but that wouldn’t be me deciding what is right for me!): neither does he say Western medicine is bad – far from it. What he has made me aware of is that I have responsibility for my own health and way of living. Combine that with Western medicine, and the way I see it, I have the best of both worlds.

Yes, when I first attended a Universal Medicine workshop, I admit I thought “No way is this for me”. Why? Because I was presented the truth… and we all know that the truth isn’t always nice to hear.

I didn’t want to hear, for example, the possibility that the alcohol and drugs I used recreationally were to numb my feelings and take the edge off life. I wasn’t ready to ask myself why I needed to take the edge off life. It didn’t suit me, and I didn’t want to face that possibility, so I carried on living the way I was living until I could no longer pretend it was OK. I had to face what I knew deep down was true, and that what Serge had presented all along ­– without judgment, criticism or pressure – was true for me.

When I met my partner, he too drank and used recreational drugs. I had to decide for myself whether or not I was going to accept that in my life. When I realised I didn’t want that in my life, yes, our relationship nearly finished: but years later we are still together – not because of Serge Benhayon or Universal Medicine, but because of the choices my partner and I made for ourselves in our own lives.

After all, how can you blame anyone else for your own choices? If you do, isn’t that just being irresponsible, a way of reacting to the outcomes of choices that haven’t turned out to be in your favour?

It’s been claimed by some that Serge Benhayon is anti-exercise – another false accusation, which is far from the truth. My partner and I live, and have always lived active lives, including surfing, which my partner has in common with Serge and his amazing sons Michael Benhayon and Curtis Benhayon.

It’s been said also Serge Benhayon is anti-mainstream medicine. But recently my partner had knee surgery. Serge and all the other Universal Medicine practitioners he had been seeing for healing sessions were (and always have been) pro the surgery, and are now providing him with supportive treatments, which are helping the healing process.

Similarly, I have never, ever in my five years of going to Universal Medicine heard Serge Benhayon (or anyone else for that matter) claim that they can or will heal breast cancer, or any other illness.

Science is wonderful but doesn’t however provide the full picture. We have all read the newspapers, or listened to health professionals; and still I am sure that most, if not all of us have heard contradictory messages.

We need to take responsibility now for our own way of living, not wait for someone to rescue us. I have found there is a knowing inside us that we have disconnected from. For example, we get advised by one lot of health professionals on what to eat; then it seems like the next day we hear something different. Wouldn’t it be simpler if we just tuned into what was right for us?

In my experience Serge has always avoided telling people what to eat – all he presents is to listen to your body and feel what is right for you, and you’ll get to know what you need and what is right for you. I find this changes all the time according to what my body needs, and it will be different for everyone – hence my partner and I don’t eat the same things at all times. It’s really just common sense, isn’t it?

To me it is simple – how can taking responsibility for one’s own choices, health and way of living, be harmful to you or anyone else for that matter? Taking responsibility is about being truthful. Truth is one of the biggest things missing in society, and unfortunately in the recent media articles as well. To me, as the media has the power to touch and reach so, so many people, it has one of the biggest responsibilities to represent truth.  Maybe one day, truth in the media will be a consistent part of life.

Again, I am eternally grateful to Serge Benhayon and all his family for inspiring me and so many others to be true to ourselves, as well as having the courage and integrity to do what I couldn’t do until I heard Serge’s presentations – to be true to myself, no matter what.