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“A diagnosis describes where you are, not who you are.”

Bill Pettit, MD

You may have been given a psychiatric diagnosis by a mental health clinician. You may have applied a diagnosis to your client or patient. What if a diagnosis can never be anything more than a description of where a person is at in the Now, in any moment, as a human being? What if a diagnosis has nothing to do with the perfect spiritual wholeness and psychological health that lies below the surface for every human being in all moments?

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

My Statement of Being, Seeing and Commitment

In our biographies, we list our accomplishments, our degrees, and our titles, which explain where we have been. In this statement, I describe what I have realized, who I am, what I see, and what I am committed to.

I Am the universal, intelligent, conscious, creative Energy of Creation and of Life Itself and so are you.

I Am at the core of my being, love and understanding, wisdom and integrity, passion and compassion and so are you.

I See that Love and Understanding are the only things that are real, and that everything else is made up.

I See that ‘spiritual consciousness,’ an understanding of our formless spiritual nature, brings simplicity and clarity to apparent complexity and confusion.

I Am that since 1983 I have frequently witnessed remarkable healings and the realization of wholeness in people who had been labeled and come to believe that they were permanently broken and lacking.

I See that the only person or thing capable of creating mental stress and distress in my life inhabits the same underpants that I do.

I See emotional and/or physical distress as information bearing alarms, emanating from a benevolent and beneficent Universal Mind. This distress serves as a ‘love letter’ with the salutary purpose of summoning me to the stillness of now. In the now, I can more easily hear the formless wisdom within my consciousness and realize what I need to wisely navigate a present life ‘challenge.’ (often given the disempowering label as a ‘stressor’).

I Am and have been, since 1983, a student and sharer both nationally and internationally of the metaphor of the three divine/universal Principles of Mind, Consciousness, and Thought that were gifted to Sydney Banks in 1973. These principles point to the nature and attributes of the universal formless Energy at the source of all creation known by many names (quite often as God).

I Am and have been, since 1965, a student of medicine and neuroscience, and since 1973 psychiatry and since 1983, of their interconnectedness, as seen through an understanding of Universal Principles

I Am, through my final breath and beyond, a powerful, compassionate, persistent global force collaborating in bringing a new level of understanding and thinking, to medicine, neuroscience, psychiatry and all the healing professions.

I Am sharing a new paradigm that is igniting a healthy healing fire bringing miraculous relief of emotional and physical suffering to millions of people, awakening them to live with greater peace, joy, happiness, contentment, love, understanding, creativity, productivity, mental and physical wellbeing.

I Am that I do so with heartfelt acknowledgment, gratitude, and awe for the people whose loving curiosity, tenacious exploration, enduring efforts, and incremental insights have brought medicine, psychiatry, psychology and all the helping professions to a jumping off point that is facilitating this next evolutionary leap forward.

I Am that I have no need to be better than anyone at anything. I Am, however, committed to utilizing optimally the gifts that I have been given to bring more love, understanding, compassion, connectedness, and kindness into the world in an extraordinary way.

I Am aware that I am IT and SO are You! And Ruth and Bill Pettit, my beautiful and loving parents, named me Bill Jr.

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I created this statement as part of my brief work with Steve Hardison. My work with Steve assisted me to see ‘psychological Innocence’ in myself and others at a new level.

This process has freed me to more action and a greater ease in giving and receiving love. I am, even more than before, committed to sharing Sydney Bank’s message of hope and healing.

Bill Pettit, MD

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“You can’t possibly find the secret to human behavior without walking on the spiritual side of life.”

Sydney Banks, The Enlightened Gardener Revisited

My Life's Mission

I am committed to collaborating with others to bring a revolutionary level of understanding and thinking to medicine, neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology and all healing professions.

This new Principles-based paradigm is already facilitating miraculous relief of mental and physical suffering while awakening peace and joy, happiness and contentment, love and understanding, creativity and productivity, and mental and physical well-being.

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“Love and light-heartedness are to mental illness as sunlight and dryness is to fungus. They assist to eradicate mental illness and promote mental health.”

Sydney Banks, The Enlightened Gardener Revisited

Professional Bio

In 1969, I earned my degree in medicine from the University of Illinois [Chicago.] I was a general surgery resident from 1969 to 1971. I served as a flight surgeon in the United States Navy from 1971-74. I was in psychiatry residence from 1974-77, and was Chief of Psychiatry at the U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Base in Connecticut from 1977-80.

Since 1978, I have been board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. I have received additional certifications in geriatric psychiatry, adolescent psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine and addiction medicine.

I have been on the academic faculty of Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical School, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Michigan State University Osteopathic Medical School, Siena Heights University and, since 2017, Creighton University School of Medicine.

I have co-authored peer-reviewed articles on the Three Principles published in the Journal for the Study of Spirituality, Spiritual Psychology and Counseling, and the International Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Practice. I was the lead author of Adverse Cardiovascular Effects of Centrally Acting Psychiatric Medications, a chapter in Cardiovascular Toxicology, fourth edition.

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I acknowledge...

I have been gifted with many teachers/angels who have modeled love for me by their beingness much more than by anything they ever said. Of these, I am moved to acknowledge the following men and women who had the greatest impact on my journey by being love in motion.

Ruth & Bill Pettit - my parents
Peggie, John, Mary, Martha, Patrick - my sisters and brothers
“Mag” Welsh Algren - my maternal grandmother
Marie Algren Conner - my maternal great aunt and ‘godmother’
Sister Michael Terese, Sister of Providence 6th grade
Sister Helen Rose, Sister of Providence; best teacher I ever had at any level
Sue Ellen Shellabarger Pettit, R. N., [1969-2000] author, wife, mother of our four children, teacher, lover and friend.
Ann, Dan, Maggie and Mollie, my children.
Linda Sandel Pettit Ed. D, - psychologist, author, speaker, wife since 2003, teacher, lover, friend and “Grammy” extraordinaire
Father Marion Balsavich – Benedictine monk, seminarian supervisor, long-time friend
Andy Duncan – boxing instructor, mentor, wisdom and love personified
Sydney Banks, spiritual teacher, author, 26-year mentor, friend
Linda Pransky R.N. & George Pransky Ph. D., mentors, colleagues, friends
Judith Sedgeman, Ed.D., colleague, friend
Steve Chandler – author, speaker, colleague, friend
Steve Hardison – coach, mentor, friend

Pam Pappas MD

Integrative Psychiatrist Transformational Coach & Mentor for Physicians, Healthcare Leaders, & Other Creative Professionals

Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
https://drpampappas.com/

There’s so much that I love about my colleague, mentor, and friend, Dr. Bill Pettit. It’s rare to find someone who stands as firmly in the world of conventional medicine as he does, while also embracing spiritual wonder in his life and work. His ability to move easily between these seemingly different worlds is both disarming and insight-provoking.

Bill’s teaching is alive with rich concepts like the practical impacts of mental/spiritual well-being on everyday health, living, and relationships. (Physicians especially need to hear about this!) An amazing curator of facts, figures, and ideas, he shares these in ways that open minds and hearts in both lay and professional groups.

His engaging personality connects on a human level as well, as you can tell he’s lived what he’s talking about. Personally, I’ve learned volumes from him through his webinar-based courses and programs, in-person seminars, and being part of a small group of psychiatrists who met with him regularly for mentoring.

He has helped me shed a ton of personal worry, insecurity, and hurt; time with him is priceless. I am grateful for Bill’s wisdom, generosity, and courage in sharing from his heart. Watch out for his wicked sense of humor though. Your laugh muscles will get a workout -- and could easily end up sore!

I met Bill Pettit for the first time in 2004 and I realized I was in the presence of someone special. What struck me most was his heart – warm, compassionate, loving, welcoming. One feels this presence of love whether Bill is presenting to a large group, talking to small groups, or with you one on one.

Love is simply who Bill is, wherever he goes, or whatever he is doing. And it’s this powerful presence that makes Bill the master teacher and clinician that he is.

What’s also special about Bill is the breadth and depth of his knowledge and wisdom. He authoritatively embodies and integrates the fields of medicine, neuroscience, psychiatry, the healing professions and their shared borders with spirituality.

As a fellow psychiatrist, student, and colleague, I am proud to recommend that you seize any opportunity to participate in Bill’s programs. Your life will be forever enriched.

Child and Adolescent Boarded Psychiatrist

San Diego, CA, USA
robertsolomon.com

“Now is the only thing that exists. Love is the only thing that is real”

Bill Pettit, MD

Mental Wealth Coach Holistic Psychiatrist, Author, Speaker

United Kingdom
https://www.drsranisuraj.com/

“A diagnosis describes where you are not, not who you are” – Dr Bill Pettit.

I use this quote on a regular basis to remind my patients that their diagnosis, circumstances, other people, or their past, can never hurt or limit them and has nothing to do with who they truly are. I love how Bill shares The Three Principles understanding in a way that makes perfect sense both at an intellectual level and at a deeper level. He integrates his understanding of current research, clinical psychiatry, and neuroscience with the psychospiritual when sharing the Principles in a way no one has ever been able to.

Over the years I have learnt so much from his 1:1 mentoring, group mentoring and his free online resources. He has been a great supporter of me and my husband, Suraj’s work and we feel incredibly lucky to have him on our side.

I point my patients and clients to his videos and resources on a regular basis. He is kind and compassionate. He has made a massive difference not only in our lives but the lives of thousands of people across the globe by making the Three Principles understanding so accessible to the field of mental health and beyond.

Dr. Bill Pettit is a highly regarded Three Principles teacher and a mentor to many worldwide. He has led the way in incorporating spirituality into traditional mental healthcare and has shown folks like us how to do the same with grace.

Bill’s dedication and commitment to the Three Principles are evident in all that he does. I have had the great honour and privilege of being mentored by Bill and can say without a doubt that he is one of the most insightful, compassionate teachers of the Three Principles that I have ever met.

If you are looking for someone who can show you how to bring more peace, love, and happiness into your life, then Dr. Bill Pettit is the man for you.

Holistic & Lifestyle Psychiatrist Mental Health Coach

United Kingdom
www.drsranisuraj.com

Angela-Scarano

Angela Scarano, MD

Angela Scarano, MD Neuropsychiatrist for Children and Adolescents Reggio Emilia- Emilia Romagna, Italy

Dr. Bill Pettit is my mentor since I felt that Sydney Banks' understanding of human experience was helping me both at a personal and a professional level.

Bill is a full time creative and empathic helping person. He put his deep intelligence, generosity, and his huge knowledge as a psychiatrist in the service of people and colleagues. His guidance into the three Principles understanding has been essential for me.

Everybody working in the mental health field should learn from him.

I have had the honour of being mentored by Dr. Bill Pettit on several of his courses, and in person over a year in a small group of psychiatrists.

Having worked as a psychiatrist for over 20 years I loved discovering a different way of understanding mental health, which instinctively makes more sense to me than condemning people to feel broken.

Bill shares the insights that Syd Banks had with humour and humility. He makes them personally relevant, and you only need to hear him talk to know that he lives from a place of deeper understanding and love.

As a psychiatrist and psychotherapist working within a system that is based on the premise of mental illness and brokenness, that is devoid of anything spiritual, I have learned a lot from Bill and continue to do so. It is humbling to hear how hard he has worked and continues to work, to bring this message of hope to other professionals and to those he cares for.

Dr. Justine J Croft MBChb

MSc Clinical Psychiatry MRCGP (annual membership now lapsed) MRCPsych. Northwest Institute Dynamic Psychotherapy (NWIDP) Diploma
United Kingdom

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Brian T Fulton D.O.

Clinical Director Cherokee Mental Health Institute (CMHI), Iowa, USA Former Director of Psychiatric Residency Training, CMHI as Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Des Moines Osteopathic Medical School Board Certified in Psychiatry by both AOBNP and ABNP

I first met Dr. Bill Pettit 30 years ago when he interviewed for a job at a public Mental Health Institute where I was working as a staff psychiatrist. As the interview progressed, he revealed a keen interest in a new paradigm concerning mental health. He called this new paradigm The Three Principles and said that his understanding of these principles, Mind, Consciousness and Thought had changed his life as well as the lives of many of his patients. I was skeptical. I was intrigued.

Bill was hired. We became colleagues, and then friends. I watched him interview patients, many of whom were psychotic. He listened. He put them at ease often with the judicious use of humor. He answered their questions about medications; he's an excellent psychopharmacologist. All the while he's teaching his understanding of the Three Principles and how Mind, Consciousness and Thought interact to create our experience of life. He's a master at teaching the Three Principles.

I listened and learned. My skepticism faded. I attended a few seminars where Bill was presenting. I took my wife to one. I took my kids to another. I began sharing my understanding of these concepts with patients. I couldn't reach all patients, but many responded positively. Maybe they seemed calmer, more focused. Maybe they became more interactive with others. Maybe their mood improved.

As for myself, my life became easier. My most important relationships improved. Work became more enjoyable. To this day, the time I spend with patients discussing The Three Principles is the most enjoyable and most gratifying part of my job.

There is a growing amount of research attesting to the efficacy of The Three Principles approach to mental health treatment.

Bill has long since moved on, but we remain friends, speak frequently, get together when we can. He's a truly remarkable man. I hope you get a chance to meet him.