Neuro Linguistic Programming

What is NLP? 
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.

Night Terrors

What are night terrors and How is it best to deal with them? 
Night Terrors usually occurs in childhood and children often grow out of them but they can occur during adulthood. This type of frightening dream occurs in a particular time during the sleep cycle. Sometimes, during this period, the person might cry out, scream or shake, they might shout or lash out. They might also get up during their sleep and walk around, as though they are awake, but they are in fact, fully asleep. They can often be triggered by a stressful experience. In children, they should be allowed to take their course, in adults, they might require a relaxing bedtime routine, sleep without interruption from outside noise. 

Taoism

What is Taoism? 
Taoism was founded by a Chinese sage who worked it is believed as a librarian, and whose name was Lao Tsu. He lived 2600 years ago in ancient China, at a similar time to when Confucius lived. The teaching of Taoism is received through a book titled the 'Tao Te Ching', (reputedly) written by Lao Tzu who also wrote a large number of poems through which he imparted his teachings. There are many extraordinary myths about his life: that he was born fathered coupling between his mother a shooting star, and that he was born after an 82 year gestation with white hair and a long beard. The aim of the method is to achieve a high meditative and relaxed state, which provides inner harmony, poise and contentment. 

Sleep Paralysis

 

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. 

Dr Iain McGilchrist

Recorded at St James's Church, Piccadilly, the Blake Society Lecture features Dr Iain McGilchrist who is the leading expert on left brain/right brain research. We hear so much in the New Age 'I am analytical, I must be 'left' brain' or 'I am artistic, I must be right brain'. Watch this video, simply put, it is far more complex than that - we use different areas of our brain all the time! Even more complex than presented - a left handed person has their hemispheres reversed! 

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate Nostril Breathing is also known as 'Anuloma Viloma'. 

An established relaxation technique! 

1. Sit in a comfortable position. You middle finger of your right hand is placed on your forehead while your thumb rests on your right nostril, your ring and little fingers rest on your left nostril.
2. Inhale and exhale. Then close your right nostril with your thumb while inhailing through your left nostril for a count of 5 seconds. 
3. Close both nostrils and hold your breath for 5 seconds.
4. Lift your thumb and exhale through your right nostril for 5 seconds.
5.  Inhale through your right nostril, hold, close the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril.

Yoko Ono & Sean Lennon Launch Artists Against Fracking + video

Artists Against Fracking has been launched by Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon as a new coalition of artists, musicians, filmmakers and public figures opposed to hydraulic fracking. The growing coalition now includes more than 180 members, including Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Anne Hathaway, Alec Baldwin, Marina Abramovic, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cindy Sherman, MGMT, Wilco, Bonnie Raitt, Liv Tyler, Mario Batali, Roberta Flack, Robert De Niro, Mark Ruffalo, Uma Thurman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and many others.

Qabalah

What is Qabalah? 
A Rabbinical mystical Philosophy of ancient origin and handed down by word of mouth, the Qabalah (sometimes spelt Kabbalah or without the 'h' in either spelling) refers to the Creative source by four letters, YHVH, often pronounced as Yehovah, as the name of god was too holy to be spoken. The source is shown as a diagram, a glyph, called the 'tree of life', with ten aspects, from the physical world to the immaterial. These ten aspects, known as sephirot or containers, are, at their highest, altruistic and are required for an ethical life and show the importance of truth, compassion, justice, serenity, wisdom, charity, joy, trust, commitment, and other spiritual values which create a living, thriving tree which provides fruit, materials for building, etc., for the whole of the community. In the teaching, these spiritual values also bring health, wellbeing, respect and honour. They can be reversed by those who wish to devote their lives to evil and would represent lies, sadism, injustice, narcissism, etc., and represent a tree which bears only self serving uses. No-one would ever wish a new horn baby to grow up to be greedy, hurtful or self-serving. We all want that child to have a loving disposition and treated with care, kindness and respect. The Qabalah is a way to understand how to live a life with beauty, productivity and to make the world a better place. It also explains how to understand other people, and assess their integrity. 

Saving Planet Earth

We live on a planet which is overpopulated by human beings. Most people feel powerless to do anything to save our planet from global warming with extreme weather, pollution of seas, soil and air. The over population by humans decreases numbers of all other species, sometimes to the point of extinction. We need biodiversity, we need tropical forests, we need clean oceans and clean air for our health and the health of those yet to be born.

However, even the smallest change, when a nation gets involved, can make a huge difference. Our human population has grown from 3 billion in 1060 to 9 billion in the next 20 years.

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. If you eat vegetables and fruits instead of meat, you help the planet!

26,500 Species Facing Extinction

Wildlife trafficking is cruel and ruthless. This global trade is one of the greatest evils of our time. Over 1000 rangers have been murdered trying to defend wildlife. 

Over 2,500 species are imminently in danger of extinction. The extraordinary pre-historic pangolin has been living on the Earth for 80 million years. This is the most trafficked species in the world as body parts are sold on the black market. More than 1 million pangolins have been stolen from the wild since 2000. The Sumatran Tiger, this magnificent big cat needs to be saved for posterity. Only 500 remain in the wild. Every species needs a core number to produce offspring that are not inbred. These incredible big cats are slaughtered for their fabulous skin, bones and teeth which are used in Asian traditional 'medicine'. Theey are also at risk for habitat loss due to palm oil production, coffee and acacia plantations. The Coral Reef is dying, home to many wonderful species, such as the ray, sharks and turtles and numerous fish species. 50% of the coral reefs from around the world have died in the past 30 years. This is a small selection of our dying biodiversity as a result of human ruthlessness. 

Gaia - Our Planet Earth

We live on a beautiful, astounding and intelligent planet. The Piping Plover draws predators away from her nest by feigning a broken wing. Dogs follow the direction of our gaze, chickens are measurably upset when they see their chicks buffeted by the wind, mosquitos can do simple addition and subtraction and sticklebacks identify individuals and remember them! Is this not a planet of unrecognised intelligence, creativity and abundant life! We live on an extraordinary, finite and unique planet. In 1979, the British scientist and NASA consultant (and perhaps the most well known environmentalist), Professor James Lovelock, suggested that our planet is a living being, that breathes, lives in every living species, and will one day die. He named his study of the planet, the Gaia Theory, after the Greek Goddess of the Earth. James Locklock wrote the book 'Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth which is highly recommended to readers of Mind Body Spirit Magazine. The ecology of our planet must be the New Age paradigm and James Lovelick was fifty years ahead of his time in noticing the interdependence of all species on each other and the importance of protecting from pollution our seas, air and soil.  

Weight Loss Hypnosis

 

This is a weight-loss hypnosis video created by Zoe Featherstone with text by Wendy Stokes for salt, sugar and fat reduction. 

Save our Bees!

Despite the US and the UK resisting, bee campaigners are celebrating the European Union prohibition on the use of systemic pesticides which have been demonstrated to be toxic to bees. A total of 15 of the 27 European member states voted for a 2 year ban on neonicotinoids and 300,000 people in the UK signed a petition to bring in a ban. Most bumblebee species are declining and 6 species have suffered an 80% reduction in numbers in recent years. In the past 100 years, 20 British bee species have become extinct and 35 British bees are currently at risk of extinction. This is due to several factors, not just the chemicals which reduce their immune system capabilities, but loss of habitat plays a large role as does the removal of honey from hives and replacing it with sugar water which provides none of the valuable nutrients for bees throughout the winter, and does not provide the antibacterial that is needed for them to fight diseases. With 98% of wild flower meadows vanishing since 1950, we need to plant flowers that will help bees to thrive. They play a crucial role in plant pollination.  

Dealing with Depression

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.
Suggestions: breathing exercises, walks in nature, meetings with friends, an uplifting book, dancing, gardening, handicrafts, exercise, join a club, travel, volunteering.
Learn more, and conquer this affliction without drugs...

Environment Health

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.

Increasing Human Population

"The more people on the planet - the fewer other species can survive."

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. 

Relationship Breakdown Advice

 The statistics for relationship breakdown are so enormous that it shows how difficult we find maintaining a relationship. Even with someone we have a lot in common with, there are common dangers that can cause difficulties. Many relationship difficulties lead to relationship breakdown. Men and wwomen have some similarities in finding their relationship difficult, but there are also differences. If you offer equality in relationships, listen, care, be determined to make it work, it will have some staying power. When things go wrong, try to speak about it, whether it is a power play, jealousy, generalised anger, or whatever, work at it and have good will and be determined to make it work. 

Narcissism!

 

What is Narcissism? 

This is a common condition. They are your work colleagues, your family and friends, your neighbours and others than you come into contact with throughout the day. The condition is often abbreviated to NPD, the shortened form of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. We all have some aspects of these personality traits, especially when we are upset or under stressful situations. 

Dealing with Difficult People

There are many techniques for managing people you find are difficult to deal with. Many would prefer to leave a situation rather than use the methods that have been tried and tested over time by others and have been found to work in the majority of cases. However, sometimes, yes, it is necessary to leave a situation where someone's patterns are honed to get the best of yours. Whether it be a parent, spouse, child, work colleague, it is usually a power issue. Do not give away your power. Have clear boundaries. Remain distant and obscure if necessary. Knowledge is power. Use affirmations to contradict your soft natured patterns. Keep your sense of humour. Don't try to fix them. Say 'no' and mean it!

Thought Field Therapy

 

Energy can be changed, and we can use techniques for changing our mind set, our emotions and our physical reactions. TFT is short for Thought Field Therapy and is one of the methods used to do this. Don't knock it until your have tried it! 

John Gray on Health and Happiness

In a personal message to the Administrator of the Mind Body Spirit Magazine, John Gray writes "So much of my work can be summed by saying, "If you don't know your past, you will not know your future! I try to help people move forward by looking at their past mistakes and removing the blocks that are holding them back from finding happiness. Basically, unloading their baggage so they can enjoy their future (which is usally a combination of parents, siblings, friends, exes, etc) and is also the basis for most of my health work - unloading the baggage from past health decisions, which can be a combination of poor diet, not enough exercise, genetic traits and even prescribed medications.

What is Hypnosis

For weight-loss hypnosis by Zoe Featherstone, click on the arrow!

If your only contact with hypnosis has been seeing a hypnotist perform on stage, then you might think hypnosis is simply a form of entertainment. While hypnosis can be used for entertainment (and some people have made a lot of money doing just that!) it´s only part of the story. Hypnosis is so much more than that.

Believe it or not, hypnosis is entirely natural. Any ideas you might have held about it being a mysterious art should be disposed of completely. The image of a caped demon forcing you to look into his eyes and subequently turning you into a zombie, incapable of doing anything other than what your 'master' commands, is a lot of nonsense. It might make for good television or stretch the special effects department working on a Hollywood blockbuster, but in truth these represntations are little more than exaggerations of certain aspects of hypnosis.

Ecological Footprint

Our ecological footprint is a measure of our communal consumption levels in terms of the Earth's surface measured in hectares which are needed to support us. This figure includes crops, such as palm oil and soya, and land for animals for food, harvesting timber, catching fish, etc., and is caused through burning fossil fuels, deforestation, etc.
Bangladesh is 0.5 hectares: UK is 5.4 hectares; and USA is 9.5 hectares!
Rich countries are responsible for the greatest consumption of carbon dioxide but poorer countries are being affected most seriously.