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Rick Burnett:  What is A.D.I.O. - you talk about this beginning on page 58 of the Possibility Living book.  How do you define A.D.I.O.

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:  A.D.I.O. stands for Above, Down, Inside, Out.  It is a concept for principles for our life.  If we have an issue with physical health, or an issue with emotional illness, or an issue with spiritual illness, we can find the answers to these questions in the Above, Down, Inside, Out approach.

Rick Burnett:  Can you give us a visual explanation - paint a picture for us.

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:   For instance, we talk about the father's love in the book quite a bit.  We know that God's love for us comes down into us, dwells within our heart.  In that love we can share that love and a healing touch and compassion with other people - that's the Above, Down, Inside, Out approach.

Rick Burnett:    Would you like to add to that Robert?

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:  I have heard Doug speaking on this ADIO topic for 10 years now.  My understanding of the whole philosophy is very similar to the philosophy we use at the Crystal Cathedral.  The term we use at the Cathedral is:  "one to one for one" - which happens to be the address of the Cathedral!  We didn't realize what we had until much later.  Our address at the Cathedral is 12141 Lewis Street.  We had wanted to have an address that had meaning and twenty years later we realized we had an address that had all the meaning in the world!  One - from God coming down to you, two one four one.  God, to you for others "12141."  It's the same philosophy as Above, Down, Inside, Out.  That's the message of the Crystal Cathedral - God coming and inspiring us to help us be all that we can be so that we can help others. 

Rick Burnett:  Dr. DiSiena - how did you come up with this concept - ADIO?

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:  Frankly, I did not originate the concept.  In his book published in the 1920's, B. J. Palmer first wrote about ADIO.  However, even before that, it was really Jesus who talked about the Above, Down, Inside, Out concept.  When we accept Christ into our heart - it's about the spirit inside.  So, this is really a concept that was promoted 2,000 years ago. 

Rick Burnett:   B.J. Palmer actually used the words A.D.I.O?

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:  Yes, B.J. Palmer used those words.  He believed that the Above, Down, Inside, Out message was the most fascinating concept he had ever come up with in Chiropractic. 

Rick Burnett:  So, Chiropractic originally and is still concerned with the Spiritual and what the body can do to heal itself.

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:  Absolutely!  We know that the body always heals on the inside.  We use the example of a fractured arm.  You can fracture an arm - you can put a cast on it and do all kinds of things to prevent further damage.  However, the reality is that God implanted in the body the wisdom for the body to actually knit that bone back together - it always heals from the inside out, never from the outside in.

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:   The same is true with any kind of an injury.  If you have surgery, the surgeon's knife wounds are corrected with the stitches - the stitches help, but it is the body which knits the wound back together. 

Rick Burnett:   I was always led to believe if you have a problem, the doctor can give you some medicine to fix it. 

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:  Exactly that is outside, in.  Because, the idea was that we were sick from the outside in - so, therefore, if we were sick from the outside in, then it was thought we needed to get well from the outside.   It goes back to the germ theory.  If we believe that germs actually do cause disease, then let's take something from the outside that will fight the germ.  The reality is that germs only infect sick or diseased people.  So, you have to be sick on the inside.  Germs are merely the opportunistic vectors of disease.  They are not in and of themselves the cause of disease.  Therefore, for us to be well, we need to be well on the inside.  By getting well on the inside, the ability for us to fight off the germs has been increased - therefore, we won't get sick.  That's why you can have a wife and a husband sleeping intimately in the same bed and one gets the flu and the other doesn't.  How could that be?  Because one person was well on the inside and the other was sick on the inside. 

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:   The illustration that Jesus uses which I think fits in so perfectly with that is the parable of the sower.  For those who are not familiar with the parable it is about the kingdom of God being spread.  You can use that same parable and put a reverse twist on it - the negativity, or the disease, or the bacteria, if it lands on rock and if we are solid as a rock physically, it will just wither and die - it's not going to take root and grow.   If you try to grow a lawn on asphalt, you're not going to do very well.  Some of the seed will be eaten by the birds, some will be washed away and it's not going to take root.  If we can be solid rock, built on a sure foundation, then the seeds of negativity and disease will not take root and grow.

Rick Burnett:   In the book you talk on page 58 about how we can embrace ADIO and live it.  Would you both comment please?

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:   I think the first step is asking Jesus to come into our heart.  In the beginning of the book, Robert talks about this.  Jesus stands at the door and knocks and we just have to let Him come in.  Once He comes in we have that spiritual connection, we have the mighty counselor and healer with us who wants to do the best for us.

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:   The foundation I believe, as does Doug, is Spiritual.  As a result, our spiritual foundation of a healthy life comes from a philosophy that has a proper perception of who God is.  If our perception of God is one that cares for us, one that is a loving father - that's going to be totally different than the person who sees God as "the grand patrolman in the sky making sure that nobody gets out of line or that he's going to "zap" you with all kinds of problems.  That's a totally different perception from a perception of God as a loving father, caring for His child.  Those are two completely different perceptions.  What we need to realize is that God IS the loving father, so Jesus Christ, who wants to guide, direct and help us, tells us.  That doesn't mean He's going to give us everything we want.  For example, I don't give my children everything they want.  My son would like to have a Ferrari; he's only 13 years old!  On the other hand, there are certain things my son needs, and I make sure he gets all the things he needs; such as the proper foods, proper nutrients, a warm bed at night, clothes on his back, a proper education, and of course the list goes on and on.  Every father knows that and wants to give the best to their child.  What we need to remember is that we have a Father who wants to give us good things.  A Father who wants to help us be strong and healthy  - A Father who truly does love us!

Rick Burnett: How does living ADIO affect our body?

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:   If it begins spiritually, suddenly our mindset changes so that we can have peace and confidence.  Our stress levels drop because we're not worried about what is going to happen because we know that all things work together for good.  So our stress levels drops a few decibels.  That is a tremendous benefit to the body.  Doug, what does stress do to the body?

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:  Stress is like a toxin to the body.  It literally destroys the body from the inside out.  Therefore, we become more susceptible to illness, disease, cancer and heart disease.  The immune system is effected in a very, very negative way. 

Dr. Robert A. Schuller:   So, we need to address the whole area of stress.  If we're going to be physically healthy, stress has to be one of the top factors we address.  I believe the best way to address stress is from a theological and spiritual perspective, because I believe stress is perceived danger.  When we realize that God is in control, that we're not in control, and that through God all things will work together for good, suddenly that stress level drops dramatically.

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:   That is part of why we need to live in faith - because that faith will overshadow fear.  Fear is false expectation appearing real - so it's that perceived "something" that might happen to us sometime in the distant future that is unhealthy.

Rick Burnett:   On that note, are there different kinds of stress?  Based on what you're saying it sounds like stress is strictly negative.  There is a reason that our bodies trigger a stress mode.

Dr. Douglas DiSiena:   Well, obviously if there's a tiger chasing you, you would want to have stress because your body would produce certain hormones which would produce energy so you could run away.  Obviously, there are times when stress occurs - but, how many times in the last week were you confronted with a tiger?   We have whole chapter later on in the book devoted to stress, and I'm sure we'll be talking more about it in a future interview.