Spiritualist’s tips to ease travel stress

Christopher Elliott: Focus on uplifting aspects of a trip, even in small ways

Pete A. Sanders Jr. is a time traveler. Not in the H.G. Wells sense of the word, but in a metaphysical sense.

Sanders is an expert on vortex energy and meditation. He’s the founder of a nonprofit organization called Free Soul-Mind Body Education in Sedona, Arizona, that teaches spiritual healing principles.

So what’s he doing in this travel column? Well, it turns out Sanders has a valuable perspective on ordinary travel. His insights include strategies for reducing stress, avoiding confrontations and finding positive energy no matter where you go.

Sanders did a four-year hitch as a Navy officer, which took him around the world, and he remained an avid traveler after leaving the service. And Sanders has an MIT degree, which keeps him grounded even when he’s at cruising altitude – or crossing a dimensional threshold.

“I’m all about getting away from the woo-woo,” he says, “and getting to the wow-wow.”

So, about time travel. Sanders says it’s not as dramatic as the sci-fi version from the movies. You can train yourself to travel forward and backward in time through meditation. Forward time travel is about seeing possible timelines – futures that may or may not eventually happen but that can guide your actions now. Backward time scanning can help you clear old hurts that are degrading your quality of life, even on vacation.

❚ How to reduce stress when you travel: Sanders, who is the author of several books including “You Are Psychic!: The Free Soul Method,” spends a lot of time talking about stress. In travel, a seemingly never-ending cycle of hassles and delays can make travelers feel like hamsters on a wheel.

“To counter that, I recommend rapid mini-meditations that unwind you and help you lower your blood pressure,” Sanders says.

He recommends taking seven breaths as you visualize unwinding a tightened spring. It takes less than minute. It’s also a matter of shifting your attitude – from beating up on yourself (”I should have!”) to enhancing your serenity with a sense of purpose and progress (I’m learning more about how to ...”). A positive attitude can also help.

❚ Moderation makes for a better trip: Sanders says travelers miss the rest and recharge opportunity when they try to soothe their distress with overeating, overdrinking and rushing to see everything. Add all those together, plus the inevitable stress of travel, and you have a potentially combustible mix of draining effects.

“A vacation should be about more than expanding your waistline,” he says. “It should enhance your well-being.”

Take a hike, he says, but leave some time for quiet reflection when you arrive at the summit. Spend time with the ones you love instead of watching TV or shopping. These principles apply to virtually any vacation.

❚ Look for positive energy: Among Sanders’ areas of expertise are the legendary energy vortexes in Sedona. Vortexes are believed to be energy centers that are conducive to healing and meditation. The red rocks, blue sky and lush, green vegetation in central Arizona make the vortexes all the more memorable. But Sanders says you can find vortexes everywhere when you travel and benefit from their positive energy. The roof garden of a high-rise hotel can be an energy vortex, for example.

“Just take the elevator to the top floor,” he says.

Maybe Sanders has found a deeper truth for all travelers, not just those seeking spiritual enlightenment. In a sense, everyone has a choice between positivity and negativity. Focusing on the uplifting aspects of a trip, even in small ways, can lead to a more enlightened spiritual journey.

Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate. Contact him at chris@elliott.org or visit elliott.org.