Depression is a lonely existance, because other people don't understand. It is a low energy illness, a feeling of meaninglessness, guilt, shame, worthlessness and hopelessness. It is not just a state of mind, but an illness, a disability and can sometimes lead to suicide in very serious cases. Advice does not usually work, even when meant well because the person is often totally unable to take it. There is much the person can do to help themselves, but they need to feel well enough to find them for themselves.
Learn more, and conquer this affliction without drugs...
Sleep
paralysis is a sleep state where the person thinks they are awake, but
cannot move their muscles. They have very vivid dreams that they think
are true life. It is very common and the person loses good quality
sleep, feeling very tired throughout the day. Stress tends to make this worse. Create a stress-free bedtime routine where you have a light meal, listen to some gentle music or a relaxation meditation. Organise your life for the morning when you awake and forget the stresses of the day.
Lack
of sleep has many causes; it could be from noise, from anxiety, from
habit or from medications (just to name some possiblities). You could
have difficulty getting to sleep or you could wake early. The result of
lack of sleep can lead to exhaustion, cause traffic accidents, increase
moodyness. Do not use medication - sleeping tablets - these have very serious side effects. Use natural methods. Create a bedtime routine, do not do anything stressful before bedtime, listen to a tape or gentle music, and make sure your bedroom is a place of peace and tranquility.
American, Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was the founder of this method of counselling and therapy and came from a Christian background. He researched the data in order to find out which type of therapy helped the client most. He discovered that all methods were beneficial if the counsellor portrayed three vital qualities - a non judgemental attitude, a genuine concern and had empathy for the client's problems. He did not attempt to diagnose or interpret the client, but gave patient support and considered responses to show that he understood what the client was saying on a deep and caring level. This a humanistic and existential method is often called 'Client Centred Therapy' and this caring response should be available to the client whatever method is being used. The object being to improve the client's life, so they are able to have better relationships, be able to work and enjoy their life and this state is called 'fully functioning'. From this 'student centred learning' or 'learner centred teaching' developed.
"The 21st Century Revolution - A Call to Greatness" by Bruce Nixon is book is for people all over the world who
want to prevent the environmental catastrophe and create a happier, fairer,
more peaceful world. It will help you make sense of the situation,
find solutions and decide how you can participate in bringing about the
radical changes that are needed.
The greatest challenges in human history
Climate Chaos and Destruction of the Eco-system
Growing Economic Injustice
Resolving Conflict without Violence and Valuing Difference
Radical Reform of out-dated Democracy
And, that key part, the need for “ordinary people” to inform and empower themselves.
All these are interrelated; everything is connected. For instance the
tragedy of mass migration results from this mix. So this book offers whole system analysis and whole system solutions.
We are learning from the ancient tribal peoples - age old wisdom - that we must care for what we have or we will lose it. Shamanism is the original form of contact with nature spirits for the health and wellbeing of individuals and the tribe. All who heard the voice of God, prophets, sybils, seers and others, such as Moses, Jesus, Muhammed, were the equivalent of shamans. Eco shamanism is about listening to the nature spirits and caring for and protecting nature. Our unique and finite planet is in danger due to humankind's use of resources, and lack of awarerness with regards to how we dispose of toxic substances. Protecting the seas, the soil and the air is now a priority as is conserving the biodiveersity of our planet where every species relies on each other.
The higher self is a part of ourself which is beyond and transcends the individual ego, beyond the self serving and selfish aspect of the self. It is understanding and appreciating the sacred and avoids religious dogma and traditions. Altered states of consciousness can be experienced. Spiritual development and values such as serenity, self understanding, joy and gratitude are part of the bigger spiritual picture.
Primal Therapy is a form of psychotherapy based on relieving the repressed feelings that result from childhood trauma or abuse by giving vent to the pain through the voice, often by crying and screaming. This allows the trauma, which might have been hidden from others for a lifetime, to be fully experienced, heard, to be exorcised, and then for the person to be supported and cared for, thereby healing the pain on the past, a process of catharsis. Dr Arthur Janov (born 1924), a psychologist and therapist, is the creator of this therapeutic technique and his book which describes his ideas, beliefs and the method of this therapy is titled 'The Primal Scream'. He also his written other books on psychotherapy. He was very influential in the 1970s, especially in California, and had some very high profile clients, such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
What is EFT? Emotional Freedom Technique, also called 'tapping' is a very popular method of controlling anxiety, depression, discomfort or pain. You can use the method at any time or place that you feel comfortable. Using affirmations whilst tapping on acupressure points of the body will help ease personal difficulties of all kinds.
What is Eurythmy? This is a sacred dance or rhythmic and meditative movement where legends and myths are re-enacted. It was created by Rudolf Steiner, who formed the Anthroposophical Society when he broke away from Theosophy where he was a General Secretary of the German branch. Steiner was born in 1861, son of a railway worker and was mainly self taught and by his secondary school, he was teaching other pupils and he gained entry to University of Vienna where he studied sciences. His meditation practice was established by the time he moved to Berlin where he edited a literary magazine.
Permaculture offers a natural and sustainable gardening philosophy, developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978, it has taken off as a means of looking after plants and animals holistically and organically. Energy is conserved, rain water is used rather than reservoir water, natural compost is used too. Prince Charles, next in line to the British throne, is very interested in using these permaculture methods. Three core laws apply:
Care for the earth: Provision for all life systems to continue and multiply. This is the first principle, because without a healthy earth,humans cannot flourish.
Care for the people: Provision for people to access those resources necessary for their existence.
Return of surplus: Reinvesting surpluses back into the system to provide for the first two ethics. This includes returning waste back into the system to recycle into usefulness.The third ethic is sometimes referred to as Fair Share to reflect that each of us should take no more than what we need before we reinvest the surplus.
1. Let of toxic people in your life- in my
experiences, they drain me of vital life energy. I found healthy relationships
are better.
2. Let g of fretting about past mistakes-
forgive yourself and move on.
3. Let go of the need to be right- I had to
ask myself how this was serving me and found
that it wasn’t
4. Let go of feeling sorry for yourself- I
found my “pity parties” didn’t get me much mileage. I only became good at the
martyr-victim role which didn’t serve me well in my relationships.
5. Let go of negative self-talk- This is like toxic
people in our lives. Switch to positive self statements and see the
change.
6. Let go of the need to impress others- Most people
really don’t care. And if they do, are they what you want in business or
personal relationships?
7. Let go of limiting beliefs - Like #5, this
restricts your ability to move ahead. Set goals and an action plan to accomplish
them. You will find limiting beliefs will not achieve the goals.
8. Let go of need to please everyone- You
cannot please everyone. Just please yourself and you will be
happier.
9. Let go of gossip and complaining- this is
like toxic relationships. Cut this out.
10. go of worrying about the future- you
cannot control the past or future. Be in the present and live fully.Robert Matuszak
Most people feel powerless to do anything to save our planet from global warming, pollution and over population by humans, that decreases all other species, sometimes to the point of extinction.
However, even the smallest change, when a nation gets involved, can make a huge change.
These are the major daily household pollutants: convenience plastic and polystyrene packaging; synthetic clothing with nylon, polyester, acrylic, etc.; plastic microbeads in toothpaste and cosmetics; wet wipes and nappies. Add to this cell phones, palm oil, air travel, nuclear disasters and accidental oil spills, deforestation, and you can understand how our unique and finite planet struggles to maintain its wellbeing, the wellbeing that we are all dependent upon, approaching 7 billion now and many more billions in the future whose health will definitely be affected.
White Rhino
We can live simply, leaving a light footprint on our world. We do not need to see our worth in terms of the accumulation of material objects. We can see ourselves in terms of our worth to other people in great need across the world, and to other species that are dependent on our understanding. We can be the person we are born to be without material possessions and see others not in terms of their material wealth but judge them by other more mature criteria. Our life can be about who we are as an individual in our own right, our personality and character, and understand others likewise.
Queen Noor of Jordan is speaking about how pollution of the oceans affects everyone's health and how we must not be complacent in handing on to the future generation, a planet that can sustain life. Everyone can play a role in creating a healthier planet. Many countries in the Middle East are affected by water issues and climate change.
What is a Sociopath? We have all heard this word, but many of us do not know its meaning! A sociopath is someone who has the hallmarks of extreme selfishness, lack of empathy and lack of conscience. Sometimes the word is used interchangeably with the word 'psychopath' and the words 'antisocial personality disorder' is also often used by professionals. They appear in all walks of life; doctors, lawyers, accountants, politicians, etc., etc., and are manipulative, impulsive, unkind and mean, they have a sense of superiority and entitlement, are judgemental and often bully others into submission. They are also narcissistic and think or speak about themselves in exagerated terms. It is thought that 3 - % of the population have this defect in their character. There is no suitable medication to treat it. Anger management can help.
Everyone will, at some time in their life, experience bereavement and for as many individuals there are in the world, there are different ways to deal with this inevitability. For every death, we will be reminded of all the others. Whatever the circumstances, death can come as a huge pain for some, and for others a relief if the loved one has been suffering great hardships. Grief is a part of life and after a period of sadness, we should recover and move on with our life, because this is what our deceased loved ones would want for us, to lead productive and caring lives.
Dr Milan Ryzl from Prague and Dr Vladimir L Raikov, two Soviet psychiatrists made an interesting discovery. They hypnotised volunteers and told them they were a reincarnation of a famous person from the past. After the hypnosis sessions, the volunteers continued to believe that they were an important person in the past. This is not very surprising, but what was of interest, is that for those who were told they were a person with a considerable talent, that the volunteer developed this talent when it had not been in evidence in their oridnary life. A woman who was told she was the Rennaisance artist, Raphael, developed very good artistic skills. Others developed music and literary abilities. The two doctors managed to cure someone of alcoholism by hypnotising him to imagine he was his mother, full of anxiety and distress to see her son ruin his life.
This whirling dance of the dervishes is conducted to produce a trance state where the dancers gain meditation union with the Divine. The word 'dervish' is a 'holy man' of the Islamic faith who follows the mystic path of the Sufis. The dervish, Jalal al Din Rumi, was taught whirling by Shams of Tabriz. He was a Sufi poet from Persia was born in Northern Afghanistan in 1207 and wrote 25000 poems of great wisdom and profound spirituality, often based on love and transporting the reader to mystical states. Rashad Field travelled widely through the Himalayas and also studied Sufism in Turkey where he was initiated into the Mevlevi Order of Dervishes. He is the author of a series of esoteric books which are highly recommended for those interested in mysticism.
This video meditation created by Jo Barnard with text by Wendy Stokes is taken from meditations in The Lightworkers Circle Guide - A Workbook for Spiritual Groups. The meditation might cause a light trance, so do not drive a vehicle. Allow 30 minutes to fully relax without interruption. Make yourself comfortable, take a couple of deep breaths, close your eyes and exnjoy the experience. www.wendystokes.co.uk
Anyone who wants to know the human psyche will learn next to
nothing
from experimental psychology. He would be better advised
to
abandon
exact science, put away his scholar's gown, bid farewell to his
study,
and wander with human heart throught the world. There in
the
horrors
of prisons, lunatic asylums and hospitals, in drab suburban
pubs, in
brothels
and gambling-hells, in the salons of the elegant, the Stock
Exchanges,
socialist meetings, churches, revivalist gatherings and ecstatic
sects,
through love and hate, through the experience of passion in
every form
in his own body, he would reap richer stores of knowledge than
text-books
a foot thick could give him, and he will know how to doctor the
sick
with
a real knowledge of the human soul. -- Carl Jung (from "New
Paths in Psychology", in Collected Papers on Analytic
Psychology, London, 1916).
Sadly, the more the human population increases, the more other species which share our planet are decreasing in numbers, many to the point of extinction. This is because other creatures need virgin land to survive. They are hunted for many reasons, our need for land to grow plants and raise domesticated animals reduces their precious habitat, and mining cuts through their areas with large vehicles on fast roads that cause numerous painful casualties. They can suffer from pollution, infections and fires, their lives are a struggle for food and water and shelter. As the human population grows, our seas become polluted with plastics, fish eat the plastic and enter the human food chain, contributing to our ill health. Toxic waste enters our air by incineration causing breathing problems and the soil becomes contaminated by buried rubbish. As all 7 billion people are aiming for fridges, cars, all kinds of cosmetics and other chemicals, we need some international agreements to limit, polythene, polystyrene, and other non biodegradable substances.
NLP was developed in the early 1970s by John Grinder, a linguistics expert at the University of California, and Richard Bandler, a Gestalt therapist and computer programmer. Together they made a study of three leading therapeutic practitioners, Fritz Perls, Virginia Satir and Milton Erickson. They discovered that patterns could assist learning and development and that these could be applied to psychology in the areas of education, business and counselling.
