Hold On to Joy For Dear Life

Judith A. Swack Ph.D. • November 29, 2023

Kathleen finished her Ph.D. in 3 ½ years instead of 5 by taking a heavier course load than required, spending 7 days a week doing research, and writing her dissertation. One month before her dissertation defense, she discovered that her post-graduation job had fallen through. Expecting to start the new job immediately, she had used up the last of her funds. Already exhausted, the prospect of having to find a new job was overwhelming. The next morning she woke up with the peculiar and insistent sensation of wanting to die.

Hoping the sensation would just dissipate, she ignored it, and continued studying for her defense. The feeling persisted. On the advice of a girlfriend who convinced her that this feeling was not normal, Kathleen saw a psychiatrist. He informed her that she was depressed and prescribed an antidepressant. He also cited a study in which rats continually run through mazes with no rest and no reward all became depressed. (You can tell a rat is depressed when you put it in a new cage and it does not explore.) Until that moment, she had never realized the importance of joy.



Over the years, my clients and I have explored the importance, cultivation and preservation of joy. Joy rejuvenates and refreshes us. It makes us glad to be alive. But joy is fragile. Joy can be poisoned or destroyed in many ways.


We discovered that at the body level, Kathleen was blocked from feeling joy because of phobias from early childhood experiences with her family. She was afraid that if she felt joy she would be:


  • disloyal to her family and rejected
  • criticized for being lazy
  • let her guard down and be attacked.


At the unconscious level, Kathleen poisoned her joy by having internalized her mother’s bitter habit of having to find something wrong with everything. Whenever there was an occasion for joy, Kathleen found herself compulsively focusing on and magnifying anything that could possibly be wrong.


It required 1 ½ years for Kathleen’s depression to lift completely. She cleared her dysfunctional family patterns and internalized bad habits with HBLU methodology. She also made significant lifestyle changes (nutrition, rest, exercise), and participated in weekly fun activities with friends. She found a new job, continued to advance her career, and met and married a wonderful husband.

Joyce had different strategies for destroying her joy. She believed her elementary school nuns who taught that everything in life had to be hard to be worthwhile. So, she discounted the gifts and accomplishments that came naturally to her and chose as her career the field she found to be most difficult (rather than most enjoyable). She also believed the teaching that we’re all sinners and suffering is the way to get to heaven, so you’re not allowed to feel too much joy. After clearing the religious brainwashing with HBLU, Joyce changed careers.


How do we protect and preserve our joy?
It is important to not only clear patterns to experiencing joy but to actively cultivate joy. Joy can come from exceptional experiences such as falling in love, getting married, having a baby, or traveling. Joy can also come from everyday experiences such as hearing beautiful music, wearing clothes or colors that you like, seeing something beautiful in nature, feeling your body’s joy that you are exercising, etc.


  • My clients and I have devised the following Joy Strategy:
  • Notice when you are feeling joy.
  • Pause what you’re doing in that moment, tune inwards, and take a deep breath.
  • Savor the feeling of joy. Drink it in. Feel it filling and nourishing your body.
  • Acknowledge with gratitude the things in the world that bring us joy.
  • Do something everyday that brings you joy. On days when you’re feeling lousy and life feels hopeless or difficult, find at least two things to remind you that joy exists all around you and let that experience be your oasis.


What is HBLU ™ ?
HBLU ™is an innovative, rapid, and powerful new mind/body/spirit healing methodology developed by Judith A. Swack, Ph.D., a Biochemist/Immunologist, Master NLP Practitioner, Mind/Body Healer, and leader in the field of Energy Psychology. HBLUTM integrates biomedical science, psychology, hypnosis, Neuro Linguistic Programming, applied kinesiology, and other energy psychology techniques with original research on the structure of complex damage patterns. HBLUTM is so effective because:


  1. The client’s deepest wisdom guides the healing,
  2. It has menus of well characterized patterns and effective healing techniques,
  3. It clears blocks to success at the conscious, unconscious, body, and soul levels.


HBLU ™ helps people rapidly achieve the results they want to live full, happy, healthy, and satisfying lives. Maybe it can help you, too.

Dr. Swack and her associates work with people in person or by phone. Healing from the Body Level Up, Inc. is located in Needham, MA. Call 781-444-6940 to book an appointment, order a free information package, and order audio and videotapes. Visit our website at www.HBLU.org.


Boston Women’s Journal April/May 2008

Nothing Is Impossible.

By Copyright 2025 Judith A. Swack, Ph.D. • January 31, 2025
James ’s brother, Samuel , sustained severe traumatic brain injury from a car accident. He spent the year going to many doctors for treatment, but could barely function. Samuel complained that not only did standard medical care not help him, but the doctors ignored and mistreated him. Whenever James suggested any complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, chiropractic, or HBLU, Samuel immediately came up with excuses as to why going for that kind of treatment was impossible. (Notice that he didn’t claim that that kind of treatment wouldn’t work. He just made it impossible to get there.) James said, “Even though I feel really guilty about it, I’ve stopped trying to help him because he makes everything impossible.” Monica ’s 25-year-old son, Ed , suffers from such severe debilitating Crohn’s disease that he couldn’t finish high school, can’t work, can’t leave the house, and can barely leave his room. Traditional medical care and medication is not helping. Monica and her husband bought him a dog thinking that would cheer him up, but Ed does not interact with it. Monica has suggested and made appointments for many complementary therapies such as nutrition, naturopathy, family therapy, and HBLU, but Ed refuses to go to these appointments. Monica experiences guilt and deep sorrow that her son is so ill, and she and her husband haven’t been able to help him. Valerie ’s partner, Nancy , is 200 pounds overweight, suffers from ADD and severe anxiety, and hates her job. Nancy had been on medication for the ADD and anxiety, but when her psychiatrist retired, never attempted to find another provider and let her medication lapse. When Valerie suggested that Nancy find new doctors and get back on medication to help her mental function and treatment for overweight, Nancy refused to make any follow-up phone calls or emails. Although they had gotten engaged in the Spring, by Fall, Valerie had asked for the ring back. Valerie said, “I don’t think I can live with her if she refuses to take care of herself and won’t let me help her.” What do James, Monica, and Valerie all have in common? They feel deep sorrow, guilt, and frustration that they can’t help someone they care about deeply. But the people who are suffering are also trapped in a pattern that continues to cause them suffering. Both the impotent helpers and the perpetual sufferers are trapped in a seducer strategy called, “I’m impossible.” What is a Seduction Pattern? Seduction patterns are some of the most energy draining, perverse, and frustrating patterns a person can experience. People with seduction patterns get tricked into doing things they don’t want to do. They are unable to leave bad relationships, jobs, family, or other upsetting situations.
A woman is sitting on a couch talking to a psychologist.

November's Miracle

By S.C. LICSW • November 20, 2024
It’s that time again, where I get to shout out another amazing woman. Dr. Judith Swack has changed my life! In fact she has changed our family’s life. I found her in summer of 2023 . There was so much unhealed shit and my body was paying for it. I am 46 years old, and I have been in therapy on and off since I was 13. I’ve had some lovely therapists. I’m also a therapist myself. And I can honestly, wholeheartedly say, NOTHING has ever helped with lasting changes as much as Judith. She’s one of the smartest women I’ve ever met - she’s a neuroscientist + an energy healer. And the work she does - what we do in session - cannot even really explain it. It’s weird as f*ck. And it works!! In the past little over a year, I have managed to change a couple of behaviors I have not been able to change in 20 years. no exaggeration, and not for lack of trying. One of my 11 year old sons was paralyzed by fear of spiders - had a phobia, happened to be with me one day when I had an appointment and was going to wait in the waiting room, she said he could come in even though she doesn’t work with kids. I kid you not, she fixed that sh*t. In one session. He still doesn’t like spiders, but he isn’t frozen in fear anymore - he can get a tissue and pick it up and move on. This is unbelievable. And remember last week when I Saturday spotlighted my financial coach and how my husband’s feeling lonely in that part of our marriage is now getting resolved? Well, before I reached out to my financial coach to begin with, my husband and I had a joint session with Dr. Swack, where she helped heal a piece of our relationship which we’ve been stuck, going in circles for years! That clearing gave me the energy and thought to reach out for financial coaching to begin with… And if you need any convincing that this is the person for healing from trauma, I invite you to reach out and speak with my husband himself…. I % believe in all this energy healing etc, but he is a very logical, rational, no bullshit guy. He doesn’t do therapy. Talk therapy never worked for him, and he thinks it’s a complete waste. And I couldn’t explain this to him - how this is different or what it is. Nor did I try. I didn’t even ever suggest he should go… But when he saw our son get cured of the arachnophobia, and our son is very similar to him, no bullshit, rational, logical, and he said it worked, and we saw it worked he decided to try it… He decided to give it sessions… I think to prove to both of us it was all bullshit. He came home from the first session livid. But decided he would go back. He also came back from the second session angry, and told me all about how he yelled at Dr. Swack and told her it was bullshit… AND how she didn’t give a f*ck what he thought …”it doesn’t matter if you believe it or think it’s bullshit, I’m not talking to your rational mind, I’m talking to your subconscious” she’s told him numerous times… And suffice to say, he’s been about 9x now, and he too, is operating fundamentally differently. Our marriage is operating fundamentally differently. Traumas and patterns we have both carried and acted upon for years seem to be being dissolved. It’s really wild. If you are seeking a trauma healer or healing for anything, I can’t recommend Dr. Swack higher. I once asked Dr. Swack how to explain what she does to people, and she said “tell them I work with your subconscious”. I don’t think that really explains it fully… or maybe it does… either way it’s amazing. S.C. LICSW

The Relationship Readiness Stages

By Judith A. Swack, Ph.D. • April 8, 2024
One of my favorite projects is getting people happily married. To do that I did quite a bit of original research and discovered that just as there are psychological child development stages, there are 3 psychological relationship readiness stages.
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