Louise Lynn Hay (October 8, 1926 – August 30, 2017) was an American motivational author, professional speaker and AIDS advocate.
At 15, she dropped out of University High School in Los Angeles without a diploma, became pregnant and, on her 16th birthday, gave up her newborn baby girl for adoption.
In 1954, she married the English businessman Andrew Hay (1928–2001); after 14 years of marriage, she felt devastated when he left her for another woman, Sharman Douglas (1928–1996).
[1] Hay said that about this time she found the First Church of Religious Science on 48th Street, which taught her the transformative power of thought.
[1] Hay described how in 1977 or 1978 she was diagnosed with "incurable" cervical cancer, and how she came to the conclusion that by holding on to her resentment for her childhood abuse and rape she had contributed to its onset.
She reported how she had refused conventional medical treatment, and began a regimen of forgiveness, coupled with therapy, nutrition, reflexology, and occasional colonic enemas.
[1] In 1976, Hay wrote and self-published her first book, Heal Your Body, which began as a small pamphlet containing a list of different bodily ailments and their "probable" metaphysical causes.
[11] Its mission is to build futures and support organizations that enhance the quality of life for people, animals, and the environment.
The movie also features notable speakers and authors in the field of personal development including Gregg Braden, Wayne Dyer, Gay Hendricks, Esther and Jerry Hicks, and Doreen Virtue; it was directed by Emmy Award-winning director Michael A.
The 2021 documentary film Another Hayride, built entirely from archival footage and narrated by writer/minister David Ault, explores how Louise drew hundreds of gay men with AIDS by teaching them self-love in 1980s Los Angeles.