When I started working with Al Scaglione, I was twenty-two. I had had stomach ulcers since I was thirteen, a spastic colon since I was eighteen, and a titanium-fortified wall around my heart. I didn't trust myself or like myself very much. And it was through Al Scaglione's teaching that I saved my own life. I can't put into words the gift of insight this man is blessed with. He truly sees the internal scars his students possess. At best I can say he is a psychiatrist, a healer, a teacher, and a loving father all at once. He doesn't do the work for you, nor promise you paradise. He deals in life. He taught me how to live. Through his methods of relaxation and concentration, he taught me to confront my pain, my anger, and my guilt without being afraid. It has been a fight. But, it's been a fight I needed to have. I was never alive. I was simply a mask of myself. I don't need that mask anymore. I've dealt with anger and I didn't kill anyone. I've balled my eyes out and no one laughed. I let others see my shame and guilt and no one thought the less of me. He taught me how to live without feeling suffocated. I began to see who I was without all my armor and baggage. Somewhere along the way, I discovered that I loved myself. J.L.