He came into very deep understandings of the mind-body connection early in his career, when he suffered multiple spinal fractures in being knocked off his bike by a speeding car. He was given very strong advice from several neurosurgeons to have extensive surgery, with warnings that without surgical interventions he was likely to end up paralyzed from the chest down. Despite these dire predictions, he refused surgery and chose to use conservative physical measures and intensive meditative and imagery exercises. His personal success was a big boost to him in furthering his holistic career.