Niro Asistent

by: Asistent, Niro Markoff
...
Niro Asistent is a therapist with a private practice in New York City.In 1985, Niro tested HIV positive and facing a death sentence, she created her own treatment program of emotional therapy, daily meditation and healthy diet and exercise.It was obviously successful because since 1986, she has tested HIV negative.Niro has been trained in Gestalt therapy, energy balancing, breath therapy and eastern meditation.She is the founding director of SHARE, The Foundation for Self Healing AIDS-Related Experiment and she is on the Board of Directors of ECAP, Exceptional Cancer Patients, and is a counselor of ARRIVE, a program for substance abuse prevention.She travels and lectures throughout the United States and Europe sharing the technique that worked for her and many of her clients.She is author of a recent book: Why I Survive AIDS.DIAGNOSIS: HIV POSITIVE

In 1985 my lover was tested for HIV and his result came back reporting that he was highly positive.
...
I learned that if I wasn't doing what was expected of me I would be rejected, I would not belong, so I lived a life of providing for others what they wanted me to say, and bit by bit Niro was at the bottom of the list, and then I wondered why I was living in a state of misery and disharmony.

The first account is based on an interview with Niro Asistent; the second is based on George Melton's book Beyond AIDS: A Journey into Self-Healing.

Niro Asistent is the founding director of the Self Healing AIDS Related Experiment - SHARE.Based on her own experience of self-healing, SHARE offers those with life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to heal themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually.Since its creation in 1987, it has been a forum for long-term survivors and those in remission from AIDS and AIDS- related complex (ARC), a condition which is ordinarily an early stage of this terminal illness.Niro, formerly diagnosed as having ARC four years ago, is in full remission, no longer testing positive for the HIV virus.

Born in Belgium in 1945, Niro moved to the US in 1979 and began training as a therapist, studying Gestalt, Primal and Breath therapy as well as energy balancing and meditation.She was the director of a meditation center in Montclair, New Jersey.

In May of 1984, Niro developed a urinary infection.Involved in a difficult relationship with a man with a history of bisexuality, and taking care of two children from a previous marriage, she assumed at first that the infection and other health complications were merely the result of stress.However, her companion was later diagnosed as having AIDS, and tests on Niro's blood would reveal she was carrying the virus.Severe fatigue, diarrhoea, high fever and yeast infections resulted in an ARC diagnosis in 1985.

In shock, Niro said, her training in therapy and meditation "went out the window".Numb, overwhelmed with anger, she could think only that her life would soon end, and chose deliberately to prepare for her death.Niro returned to meditation, seeking to re-establish inner calm.Now that each day was sacred, she made conscious choices, focusing on living in the moment, on doing things for herself, doing what felt good.Walking along the beach, experiencing the ocean, became a vital part of her daily routine, creating within her a deep connection with nature.She made a point of accomplishing at least two or three tasks each day to maintain a sense of purpose.Intuitively, she incorporated Nada Brahma, a form of humming, into her meditation.As she would later say, this humming stimulated her thymus gland into producing T-cells, white blood cells that defend the body against infection.Because dying in a beautiful body was important to her, she took great care with its treatment.

During this time, Niro was forced to attend to herself alone.Her companion had died and her children, who were initially kept ignorant of her condition, were living with friends on the west coast.Since she was classified as having ARC, Niro was not considered in critical enough condition to be admitted to special medical programs for AIDS.But despite her expectation of death, symptoms began to subside.Diarrhoea was the first symptom to disappear, and then the night sweats as Niro gradually approached the turning point of her experience with AIDS.

That occurred during one of her strolls on the beach when someone she refers to as her "master" appeared to her.In that moment, Niro says, she experienced oneness with him, feeling fully integrated and complete with him.She was filled with the sense of "being fine", and speaks of this experience as her satori.

A slight fever was now her only remaining symptom, and Niro went for another test.The results were negative - six months after her first diagnosis.

In her teaching, Niro sees Self- realization as the aim - rather than trying to achieve a negative test result.Her students undertake the process she teaches not with a fear of dying, but out of a desire to live.Acceptance of everything is vital, she says - saying "yes" to the moment, living in the moment.As aspects of one's past and present reveal themselves they are seen as tools towards discovering Divine Purpose.Niro emphasizes "owning, not ridding", "embracing, not changing".She focuses on the expansion and contraction which is the rhythm of the universe and speaks of the balance between expansion (meditation) and contraction (facing repressed anger, despair, sadness) that is the common element in long-term survivors.

Every self-healing, Niro says, has its own signature.For her, the crucial element was that she had "the incredible advantage of not knowing that one can heal from this disease - it never crossed my mind.
...
"It is in true total acceptance of something," Niro contends, "that transformation can happen.

The first account is based on an interview with Niro Asistent; the second is based on George Melton's book Beyond AIDS: A Journey into Self-Healing.
...
Niro Asistent is the founding director of the Self Healing AIDS Related Experiment - SHARE.Based on her own experience of self-healing, SHARE offers those with life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to heal themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually.Since its creation in 1987, it has been a forum for long-term survivors and those in remission from AIDS and AIDS- related complex (ARC), a condition which is ordinarily an early stage of this terminal illness.Niro, formerly diagnosed as having ARC four years ago, is in full remission, no longer testing positive for the HIV virus.

Born in Belgium in 1945, Niro moved to the US in 1979 and began training as a therapist, studying Gestalt, Primal and Breath therapy as well as energy balancing and meditation.She was the director of a meditation center in Montclair, New Jersey.

In May of 1984, Niro developed a urinary infection.Involved in a difficult relationship with a man with a history of bisexuality, and taking care of two children from a previous marriage, she assumed at first that the infection and other health complications were merely the result of stress.However, her companion was later diagnosed as having AIDS, and tests on Niro's blood would reveal she was carrying the virus.Severe fatigue, diarrhoea, high fever and yeast infections resulted in an ARC diagnosis in 1985.

In shock, Niro said, her training in therapy and meditation "went out the window".Numb, overwhelmed with anger, she could think only that her life would soon end, and chose deliberately to prepare for her death.Niro returned to meditation, seeking to re-establish inner calm.Now that each day was sacred, she made conscious choices, focusing on living in the moment, on doing things for herself, doing what felt good.Walking along the beach, experiencing the ocean, became a vital part of her daily routine, creating within her a deep connection with nature.She made a point of accomplishing at least two or three tasks each day to maintain a sense of purpose.Intuitively, she incorporated Nada Brahma, a form of humming, into her meditation.As she would later say, this humming stimulated her thymus gland into producing T-cells, white blood cells that defend the body against infection.Because dying in a beautiful body was important to her, she took great care with its treatment.

During this time, Niro was forced to attend to herself alone.Her companion had died and her children, who were initially kept ignorant of her condition, were living with friends on the west coast.Since she was classified as having ARC, Niro was not considered in critical enough condition to be admitted to special medical programs for AIDS.But despite her expectation of death, symptoms began to subside.Diarrhoea was the first symptom to disappear, and then the night sweats as Niro gradually approached the turning point of her experience with AIDS.

That occurred during one of her strolls on the beach when someone she refers to as her "master" appeared to her.In that moment, Niro says, she experienced oneness with him, feeling fully integrated and complete with him.She was filled with the sense of "being fine", and speaks of this experience as her satori.

A slight fever was now her only remaining symptom, and Niro went for another test.The results were negative - six months after her first diagnosis.

In her teaching, Niro sees Self- realization as the aim - rather than trying to achieve a negative test result.Her students undertake the process she teaches not with a fear of dying, but out of a desire to live.Acceptance of everything is vital, she says - saying "yes" to the moment, living in the moment.As aspects of one's past and present reveal themselves they are seen as tools towards discovering Divine Purpose.Niro emphasizes "owning, not ridding", "embracing, not changing".She focuses on the expansion and contraction which is the rhythm of the universe and speaks of the balance between expansion (meditation) and contraction (facing repressed anger, despair, sadness) that is the common element in long-term survivors.

Every self-healing, Niro says, has its own signature.For her, the crucial element was that she had "the incredible advantage of not knowing that one can heal from this disease - it never crossed my mind.
...
"It is in true total acceptance of something," Niro contends, "that transformation can happen.

The first account is based on an interview with Niro Asistent; the second is based on George Melton's book Beyond AIDS: A Journey into Self-Healing.
...
Niro Asistent is the founding director of the Self Healing AIDS Related Experiment — SHARE.Based on her own experience of self-healing, SHARE offers those with life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to heal themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually.Since its creation in 1987, it has been a forum for long-term survivors and those in remission from AIDS and AIDS- related complex (ARC), a condition which is ordinarily an early stage of this terminal illness.Niro, formerly diagnosed as having ARC four years ago, is in full remission, no longer testing positive for the HIV virus.

Born in Belgium in 1945, Niro moved to the US in 1979 and began training as a therapist, studying Gestalt, Primal and Breath therapy as well as energy balancing and meditation.She was the director of a meditation center in Montclair, New Jersey.

In May of 1984, Niro developed a urinary infection.Involved in a difficult relationship with a man with a history of bisexuality, and taking care of two children from a previous marriage, she assumed at first that the infection and other health complications were merely the result of stress.However, her companion was later diagnosed as having AIDS, and tests on Niro's blood would reveal she was carrying the virus.Severe fatigue, diarrhoea, high fever and yeast infections resulted in an ARC diagnosis in 1985.

In shock, Niro said, her training in therapy and meditation "went out the window".Numb, overwhelmed with anger, she could think only that her life would soon end, and chose deliberately to prepare for her death.Niro returned to meditation, seeking to re-establish inner calm.Now that each day was sacred, she made conscious choices, focusing on living in the moment, on doing things for herself, doing what felt good.Walking along the beach, experiencing the ocean, became a vital part of her daily routine, creating within her a deep connection with nature.She made a point of accomplishing at least two or three tasks each day to maintain a sense of purpose.Intuitively, she incorporated Nada Brahma, a form of humming, into her meditation.As she would later say, this humming stimulated her thymus gland into producing T-cells, white blood cells that defend the body against infection.Because dying in a beautiful body was important to her, she took great care with its treatment.

During this time, Niro was forced to attend to herself alone.Her companion had died and her children, who were initially kept ignorant of her condition, were living with friends on the west coast.Since she was classified as having ARC, Niro was not considered in critical enough condition to be admitted to special medical programs for AIDS.But despite her expectation of death, symptoms began to subside.Diarrhoea was the first symptom to disappear, and then the night sweats as Niro gradually approached the turning point of her experience with AIDS.

That occurred during one of her strolls on the beach when someone she refers to as her "master" appeared to her.In that moment, Niro says, she experienced oneness with him, feeling fully integrated and complete with him.She was filled with the sense of "being fine", and speaks of this experience as her satori.

A slight fever was now her only remaining symptom, and Niro went for another test.The results were negative — six months after her first diagnosis.

In her teaching, Niro sees Self- realization as the aim — rather than trying to achieve a negative test result.Her students undertake the process she teaches not with a fear of dying, but out of a desire to live.Acceptance of everything is vital, she says — saying "yes" to the moment, living in the moment.As aspects of one's past and present reveal themselves they are seen as tools towards discovering Divine Purpose.Niro emphasizes "owning, not ridding", "embracing, not changing".She focuses on the expansion and contraction which is the rhythm of the universe and speaks of the balance between expansion (meditation) and contraction (facing repressed anger, despair, sadness) that is the common element in long-term survivors.

Every self-healing, Niro says, has its own signature.For her, the crucial element was that she had "the incredible advantage of not knowing that one can heal from this disease — it never crossed my mind.
...
"It is in true total acceptance of something," Niro contends, "that transformation can happen.