Dealing With Bereavement

Everyone will, at some time in their life, experience a close, loved one dying, 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. 

Letting Go - French style!

In France, they have a tradition of making time live, to create a setting of pleasure and relaxation. Fabrice Midal's book 'C'est La Vie' describes 'how to' and praises this as an art form from France. It describes how you can find your inner joy, of being in the moment, of finding comfort and beauty and a little romance. 

The Value of Work

If you want to prosper, enjoy your work. I love working! Being productive! Being busy! I accomplish so much! Every moment of every day, I get through so much! I feel healthy, powerful, productive, fulfilled, learning, and I earn money too and I help other people and myself! Work - yes please! Whether volunteering, paid or unpaid, work is the answer! 

Jenni Roditi interview

I would like to introduce Mind Body Spirit Magazine readers to Jenni Roditi: 

Please tell us something about yourself Jenni:

I’m a vocalist and composer and I live in North London. I studied composition at the Guildhall and Brunel University, which I adored and which provided me with the technical tools which still underpin my musical work. I’ve written two chamber operas, and a variety of other orchestral and choral works, and continue to compose alongside my teaching and therapeutic practice.

Stephen Wollaston - an interview

Introducing Stephen Wollaston, also known as Santoshan to Mind Body and Soul Ezine readers. Please tell us something about yourself please:

Santoshan: During the 70s I played electric bass guitar in 'Lady June's Elysium’ (the singer, Lady June, was quite known at the time) and I also played in the Wasps, who were one of London’s first punk groups. I stopped playing to concentrate on graphics work to make a living. My creativity surfaced with the ability to write, particularly after becoming close friends with the ex-Benedictine monk and medium Glyn Edwards, who asked me to co-author a book with him. Around that time, I took a degree in religious studies and a post-grad certificate in education, and interest in English language and transpersonal psychology. I began teaching humanities subjects as well as English language. Yet I have continued to enjoy graphics work and have written on various interrelated spiritual topics. I have released eight books to date.  

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. 

Quantum Psychology

What is Quantum Psychology? From its New Age roots, a new, holistic psychology is emerging that examines the individual parts of our human nature, and then puts them together into one, comprehensive whole. The result is new insights into our human nature and our ability to transform ourselves, the societies within which we live and the planet.

The "puzzle pieces" that make up Quantum Psychology come from Eastern philosophy and Western science. The East contributes the knowledge and practices associated with yoga, meditation, karma and reincarnation. Western science contributes the insights into the natural world that come from quantum mechanics, complexity theory, systems theory and psychology. Fit all the pieces together and what emerges is a psychological map that explains personal growth and techniques that allow us to be our own counselors, therapists and gurus.

Kabbalah Spring Cleaning

Spring time is great opportunity for us to do internal purification for the soul and spirit. There is no need to probe deeply into the depth of the soul to know that quite a few "spiritual toxins" are accumulated in our thoughts and feelings, casting shadows on our inner light, and dim it.

We are hoarding anger on a daily basis, and if we do not remove it from our system on time (when still young ...), we may develop animosity towards anyone and anything that exist in our environment, act furiously, and our judgment and decision-making abilities may be ruined. Sometimes we may suffer bad mood and mental/emotional restlessness that are originated in our internal imbalance.

Spiritism

During Spiritualism’s heyday, philanthropists, political activists, (including vegetarians and animal welfare activists), and all kinds of intellectuals and Establishment figures believed that spirits in the Afterlife could be contacted to aid learning and help those in the physical world live a better life. Queen Victoria and the royal family are said to be ardent believers. Spiritualism’s ‘Pope’, the flamboyant socialist Hannen Swaffer (who opposed capital punishment and always wore a hat) was an ardent campaigner for Spiritualism. 

Gemba

 

What is Gemba? 

What are Runes?

Runes are letters of an alphabet that developed from extremely ancient illustrations, each of which once had a specific meaning. These gradually developed into an ancient form of writing, which can be traced back from markings that appeared on rocks as early as the neolithic period. Among the signs engraved on these early Runes were parts of the body, weapons, animals and variations on the square, circle and swastika.

Later on, these symbols became simplified into abstract hieroglyphics,  wich were composed of lines that no longer resembled specific objects. In addition to being used to communicate ideas, Runic letter images were considered so powerful and magical that they were inscribed into tools, weapons, rocks, altars and personal items. In addition, from these earliest of days, these magical markings were inscribed into wooden pieces that were thrown down and "read" as an early form of fortune telling. 

Peak Experiences

In studying accounts of peak experiences, Maslow identified a manner of thought he called "Being-cognition" (or "B-cognition"), which is holistic and accepting, as opposed to the evaluative "Deficiency-cognition" (or "D-cognition"), and values he called "Being-values" He listed the B-values as:

• Truth: honesty; reality; simplicity; richness; oughtness; beauty; pure, clean and unadulterated; completeness; essentiality
• Goodness: rightness; desirability; oughtness; justice; benevolence; honesty
• Beauty: rightness; form; aliveness; simplicity; richness; wholeness; perfection; completion; uniqueness; honesty
• Wholeness: unity; integration; tendency to one-ness; interconnectedness; simplicity; organization; structure; dichotomy-transcendence; order
• Aliveness: process; non-deadness; spontaneity; self-regulation; full-functioning
• Uniqueness: idiosyncrasy; individuality; non-comparability; novelty
• Perfection: necessity; just-right-ness; just-so-ness; inevitability; suitability; justice; completeness; "oughtness"
• Completion: ending; finality; justice; "it's finished"; fulfillment; finis and telos; destiny; fate
• Justice: fairness; orderliness; lawfulness; "oughtness"
• Simplicity: honesty; essentiality; abstract, essential, skeletal structure
• Richness: differentiation, complexity; intricacy
• Effortlessness: ease; lack of strain, striving or difficulty; grace; perfect, beautiful functioning
• Playfulness: fun; joy; amusement; gaiety; humor; exuberance; effortlessness
• Self-sufficiency: autonomy; independence; not-needing-other-than-itself-in-order-to-be-itself; self-determining; environment-transcendence; separateness; living by its own laws.

A New World View!

THE GREAT TRANSITION FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO SOLAR AND WIND

The worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way.

As fossil fuel prices rise, as air pollution worsens, and as concerns about climate instability cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new world energy economy is emerging. The old economy, fueled largely by coal and oil, is being replaced with one powered by solar and wind energy.

The Evolving Energy Transition: In the United States, the energy transition can be seen in the hundreds of utility-scale power plants under development or construction in the Southwest. Iowa and South Dakota are each generating at least 26 percent of their electricity from wind farms. The share in Iowa could reach half by 2018. 

The Tale of Robin

 It is nearly April, and the first light of dawn breaks across the horizon, painting the sky in hues of pink and yellow. I perch on the back of a garden bench, my favourite spot; the air is crisp, filled with the sweet scent of awakening life. Spring has arrived, and with it, an orchestra of sounds fills the garden, a melody that stirs my heart and urges me to sing.

Each morning, I awaken to the gentle rustle of leaves and the soft chirping of my fellow bird friends. The garden is a canvas of colours where daffodils and hyacinths stretch toward the sun, their petals yawning in a joyous greeting. Butterflies flit about, their delicate wings splashing colour here and there. I can feel the excitement in the air; nature and I are stirring.

Sunk Cost Fallacy

 

The Knights Templar

 Since the earliest days of Christianity, there was a desire to see the holy places where the prophets, the disciples and Jesus himself taught and died and rose from the tomb. St Helena, the mother of King Constantine, went in search of ancient holy sites and relics. When Jerusalem was taken by Islam, Pilgrims who set out for this long, dangerous and arduous journey were often robbed and sometimes killed on route. Seeing this difficult situation, nine French knights, all related, formed in 1118 AD a brotherhood for the protection of these dedicated pilgrims. They were led by Hughes of Payens and Godfrey of Bouillon. The Templar title comes from accommodation on Temple Mount given to them and for their defence of this holy site. They rose to prominence during the time of the first Crusades. These were a series of wars fought under the banner of Christ either for the recovery of the land or in defence of Christian holy sites. They wore a white cloak with a red eight pointed Maltese cross on the left shoulder. In 1130, with the support of Saint Bernard and money coming from the Christian world, their meteoric rise began. They were to become a major political and financial fighting force.

Loneliness Book Extract: Ben Lazare Mijuskovic

Extract from 'Loneliness: In Harm’s Way*'  I attended this symposium and these are the verbatim notes of a talk at Brunel University, London on 30th October 2015:  The speaker wished to convey four things: (a) that all human beings are innately and universally lonely; (b) why this is so; (c) the consequences of loneliness; and (d) what can be done about it - its remedies!

         "The twin principles I propose to defend are that all we feel, think, say, and do occurs between two emotional and cognitive poles in human consciousness, between the solipsistic insularity of loneliness and the intentional desire to transcend it by attaining intimate attachments. The two terminals of consciousness constitute the dynamics of repulsion and attraction, which continually guide us through our passions, thoughts, and actions. After the biological drives for air, water, nourishment, sleep—and before sex---are met, the most insistent psychological need and motivational drive in human beings is to secure an intimate relation to other self-conscious creatures, whether animal, human, or divine. In effect, I wish to replace Freud’s principle of libidinal energy with the anxiety of isolation.

The Great Transition

THE GREAT TRANSITION FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO SOLAR AND WIND

The worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way.

As fossil fuel prices rise, as air pollution worsens, and as concerns about climate instability cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new world energy economy is emerging. The old economy, fueled largely by coal and oil, is being replaced with one powered by solar and wind energy.

The Evolving Energy Transition

In the United States, the energy transition can be seen in the hundreds of utility-scale power plants under development or construction in the Southwest. Iowa and South Dakota are each generating at least 26 percent of their electricity from wind farms. The share in Iowa could reach half by 2018.

Texas, which now gets 10 percent of its electricity from wind, is building huge wind farms and the long-distance transmission lines that will enable it to sell low-cost wind-generated power in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

Cargoes - A Poem

Cargoes by John Masefield

I am choosing poems I remember from my childhood...

Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir,
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,
With a cargo of ivory,
And apes and peacocks,
Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.

Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus,
Dipping through the Tropics by the palm-green shores,
With a cargo of diamonds,
Emeralds, amythysts,
Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores.

Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack,
Butting through the Channel in the mad March days,
With a cargo of Tyne coal,
Road-rails, pig-lead,
Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays.

Preoccupied Attachment

 

Rapid Transformational Therapy

 

What is RTT? Explanation here! 

Non Violent Language

 

What is NVC? 

Non violent communication is a new method of dealing with conflict. Often communication can escalate when conflict is not resolved. If you would like to speak with someone in a way which respects their point of view but also gets your point of view across in a way which is not inflationary, this is the way to go about it! 

Chronic Pain

How to deal with constant pain and discomfort - Chronic pain can be very disabling and can cause sleeplessness, anxiety and depression. Even mild pain, when it is constant, can be very debilitating, and can affect relationships, because often those who have never experienced pain, do not understand. Taking medication from your doctor can cause addiction problems, as many pain killers lose their strength to bring relief over time. However, there is much that a person can do to improve their own health and wellbeing. 

The Consciousness Revolution by Ian Legg

Bruce Lipton speaking about consciousness! The human brain has an estimated 100 billion neurons. Each neuron consists of a vast collection of atoms and an even vaster collection of subatomic particles. It operates like a computer but is much more powerful. Most office computers have the capacity to community with outside computers such as vast data banks, through a "modem" connected to a telephon line. The human mind, under certain circumstances, appears to have this same capacitiy. It appears that it can be triggered to interact with other minds and universal forces. Famed psychologist Karl Jung called this the "Universal Consciousness". World famous Biologist Rupert Sheldrake refers to it as the morphogenetic field. We call it The Super Mind

The Goddess Dewi Ratih

From the Moon Goddess Diary by Nicci Garaicoa: Dewi Ratih the Hindu Moon Goddess.

Dewi Ratih is worshipped throughout Indonesia and Bali for her breathtaking beauty and grace. Legend has it that the giant Kali Rau fell desperately and completely in love with her as she was the most beautiful of all goddesses; however, Dewi Ratih did not love him back and refused to marry him. He was enraged and tried to steal immortality from the Gods so he could pursue and win her heart. But his plan was discovered and the King of the Gods, Dewa Wisnu, followed him to cut off his head with his magical disc but he was too late, and the immortal drink had been taken and Kali Rau’s head became immortal. 

Resilience

The Power of Resilience in a Time of Extremes

If you’ve ever been on a journey of any kind, then you know the routine. To prepare for the trip, you first get an idea of where you’re going. You check the weather conditions, study maps, and then pack what’s needed to keep your routines alive while you’re traveling.

The key here is that when you know where you’re going, you know what to take. And when you find yourself going somewhere you’ve never been, you prepare for the unknown. It’s this simple idea that’s at the heart of this book.

Our Journey

We’re all on a journey, and it’s a big one. Our journey is leading us to a place no one has ever been. There are no travel guides or Internet trip advisors

Before 4000BC

Around this date, patriarchal culture began to supercede the previous matriarchal cultures. The most ancient deity was a female, known as the Great Goddess, and her full figure statuettes are found internationally and described as 'Venus' figurines. She was described as Ishtar in Mesopotamia, as Astarte in Phoenecia, as Iset in Egypt. It is said that her culture was peace loving, where the weak and disabled were cared for and where the planet was regarded as sacred. 

Matthew Fox

Who is Matthew Fox
Father Fox is a theologian, writer, and teacher who emphasises the importance of our planet and its species, under the banner of Creation Spirituality. He was a Roman Catholic monk of the Dominican Order for 34 years but was dismissed for heresy by Cardinal Ratzinger. So he became an Episcopalian priest and continued his teaching and writing, winning many awards and accolades.

Martine Batchelor - Buddhist teacher

As a young person, Martine was politically active due to her socialist family background. She wanted to travel and hitchhiked through many countries on her way to India and Thailand and worked in an unskilled capacity to support herself. She stayed in a Buddhist monastery in Korea for 10 years and became a nun. She had prolonged periods of deep meditation and solitude and studied under a Zen tutor and was instructed to ask herself 'What Is It?' and later 'Why did the guru say 'no'!' She learnt to 'bear beyond strength'. It is not what you say you are - but what other people find you to be which is of relevance and wisdom and compassion motivated her. She wishes to live without harm to others or herself. When her Master died, she left the monastery and returned to Europe. 

Who or What is the Shekinah?

“I learnt it all, hidden or manifest, for I was taught by Wisdom, by her whose skill made all things.”    ~ Wisdom of Solomon, C1st BCE, trans. Schäfer.

The Shekinah is the primordial light of creation, the heavenly glory of divine wisdom and the inspiration for prophecy. She is also the world soul, manifest through the divine sparks of her light which comprise human souls and thus unites us all.  With roots in the wisdom goddesses of the ancient world, the Shekinah is the manifestation of feminine divinity from the unnamed Wisdom Goddess of the Hebrew Bible and early Jewish wisdom literature found in the Jewish mystical systems known as the Kabbalah and in Merkavah mysticism.

Sociopath!

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.

Abraham Maslow

Who was Abraham Maslow?
He (1980 - 1970) was born in New York and was the son of a Russian Jewish immigrant. He is one of the founding fathers of human potential and peak experiences. He studied the Native American culture and taught psychology at Broklyn College and was part of the humanistic psychology movement with Margaret Mead, Alfred Adler, Erich Fromm, Karen Horney and other visionaries of the era. He worked at the Esalen Institute where he was one of the principal mentors in the 1960s. He did not study mental illness, but believed that the study of healthy individuals gave the greatest potential for growth and development of the individual. He was interested in 'self actualised' people, those who are exceptionally healthy, fulfilled and successful, who are balanced, calm, loving and just. His work influenced business, management, marketing, education, health care, and theology. 

Recycle, Renovate and Restore

What should be recycled?

Aluminium foil, batteries, cans and tins, cooking oil, electrical equipment, engine oil, glass, mobile phones, paper, printer cartridges, Tetra Pak cartons, tyres, paint, plastics, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.
Home composting involves garden leaves, food waste, paper, etc. These biodegradable items can be saved from incineration and will provide good quality soil for the next year. Much of the soil on sale in garden centres is from irreplaceable peat bogs from places such as Ireland, so try to buy, if you must, non peat soil. Limestone pavements are also popular rocks seen in garden centres which are precious natural habitats, and get a water butt for the collection of rainwater.

Oppositional Defiance Disorder

What is Oppositional Defiance Disorder?
Does your child always refuse to do what it is told and insist on saying 'no' to all it is asked to do? This is very common in children around the age of two years old when they are learning what 'no' means. What is more serious is that children grow into teenagers and then adults, and when this difficulty is not picked up early, it can have disasterous consequences. These people have some characteristic behaviours, including resentment, defiance, blaming and psychopathy. ODD is a personality disorder that needs treatment. 

Anger Management

  Anger is a natural emotion which humans and animals feel for a number of reasons, such as a result of injustice. However, it is also very common when a threat is perceived - the fight or flight response, either run away or turn and fight the perceived opponent. Often these reactions are aggressive, and can make an already difficult situation even more difficult. There are many ways to deal with angry feelings. Often underneath the anger are feelings of grief and fear. If you are an angry person, relax and deal with the situation at a later time when you are not overwhelmed by what is happening. Learning a few simple steps can put an end to over-reacting.

Mind Mapping Demonstration

Designed by the late Tony Buzan in the 1970s, this is a very useful way of collating psychological material. This video demonstrates how to create a 'mind map'. I use them all the time as a writer to organise the information for my feature articles. The most simple form is a spidergram, which has been available since my childhood days.

Increasing Your Contentment

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 go of fretting about past mistakes- forgive yourself and move on.

How to Make a Vision Board

 

You can skip the advert at the beginning of the video.

Your brain will work tirelessly to achieve the statements you give your subconscious mind. And when those statements are the affirmations and images of your goals, you are destined to achieve them!

Creating a vision board is probably one of the most valuable visualization tools available to you. This powerful tool serves as your image of the future - a tangible representation of where you are going. It represents your dreams, your goals, and your ideal life.
Because your mind responds strongly to visual stimulation-by representing your goals with pictures and images-you will actually strengthen and stimulate your emotions...  and your emotions are the vibrational energy that activates the Law of Attraction. The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words,” certainly holds true here.
If you have already defined your dreams, it’s time to illustrate them visually.

Christian Salvation by Tim Heaton

In the season of Lent, the 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Day, it is traditional for Christians to embark upon a course of Bible reading, study and meditation as a way of preparing themselves in mind and spirit for the great festival of Easter. (The six Sundays of Lent are excluded, hence the popular understanding of Lent as matching the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness.)

One of the best-selling Lent Courses of all time (and currently #1 in popularity on Amazon UK) is Tim Heaton's "The Long Road to Heaven", which uses the brilliant film "The Way" starring Martin Sheen as a springboard into discussion about Christian understandings of salvation. In the film, Sheen plays a bereaved father walking the Way of St James to the shrine of the Apostle at Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain - carrying his son's ashes.

Heaton's book ends with a short story called "El Camino", which is reproduced here, and which Church Times, the world's leading Anglican newspaper, said "could stand alone as a powerful and moving allegory of salvation."

Humanistic Psychology

The basic principles behind humanistic psychology are simple:

1. Someone's present functioning is their most significant aspect. As a result, humanists emphasize the here and now instead of examining the past or attempting to predict the future.
2. To be mentally healthy, individuals must take personal responsibility for their actions, regardless of whether the actions are positive or negative.
3. Each person, simply by being, is inherently worthy. While any given action may be negative, these actions do not cancel out the value of a person.
4. The ultimate goal of living is to attain personal growth and understanding. Only through constant self-improvement and self-understanding can an individual ever be truly happy.

Letting Go - A Sample Ritual

 We all have things in our life that are outmoded, no longer useful or just a nuisance. Letting go of difficult people, things or situations can be a process that takes time. If you have something you want to change, performing a ritual for 'letting go' can make it happen quicker and easier. Using string or cotton, tie one end to yourself and another to another person representing someone or something you wish to be released from. Call out your discomfort and feelings of control and entrapment. Cut the tie that binds you and speak about how free you are and use affirmations 'I am free'. 

For more information: http://www.wisebrain.org/LettingGo.pdf

Can You Be an Ocean Elder?

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. 

Indigenous Kogi Shamans

Perhaps you have never heard of the Kogi people or knew that they regard themselves as the Elder Brothers to the rest of the world? However, the leaders of this tribe from Colombia, who are known as the “Mamas,” spoke out in a BBC documentary back in 1990. From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers’ Warning was directed by Alan Ereira, and was made as an urgent message for the people of the world, in the hope that big changes would be made.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

 

What is DBT? This video explains!

Richard Bandler and NLP

Richard Bandler is the co-founder (with John Grindler) of Neuro Linguistic Programming and here he is speaking with a person who has painful memories. His attitude is more comedic than therapeutic but it demonstrates the method that is used to wipe away a memory. This approach is not specifically classed as a 'therapy'.

Pulsing

What is Pulsing Therapy? 

Pulsing as a style of massage with soft movements and rhythmic rocking. It gently releases tension, harmonises, energises, and nourishes. It is bodywork without being painful. It is powerful yet soft.

Rhythms are the breath, peristaltic digestive rhythms, the heart beat, the rhythms of sleep and wakefulness, brain rhythms, hormonal, endocrine and many others within the body and mind.  

Pulsing was developed in the mid 1970s by Curtis Turchin who was originally a Postural Integration therapist. He took some aspects of the Trager Approach to create a stretching and lifting style of bodywork to rock the client's body in order to release tension and stress. It is Rhythmic and meditative. Ideal to relax hyperactive children, Aspergers and other disabilities.  Releases tension! 

Carl Jung - Helping Psychology

Extraversion-Introversion is a key component of what makes up the human personality. More aggressive and gregarious individuals are generally referred to as extraverts, while introverts tend to prefer solitude and worry less about being social. By no means are introverts lonely people, they simply prefer to socialize and work in smaller groups. Extraverts live to meet new people and constantly expand their circle of friends, and they often do this quite actively.

“Codependency No More” Book Extract

Codependency Patterns: Think they are responsible for other people, for other peoples feelings, thoughts, actions, choices, once, needs, well-being, lack of well-being, and ultimate destiny. Feel anxiety, pity, and guilt, when other people have a problem. Feel compelled to help a person solve a problem, such as giving unwanted advice, giving suggestions, or fixing feelings. Fear when the help isn’t effective. Anticipate other peoples needs. Wonder why others don’t do the same for them. Find themselves saying yes when they mean no, doing things they don’t really want to be doing, doing more than their fair share, and doing things other people are capable of doing for themselves. 

     Not knowing what they want or need or, if they do, tell themselves what they want and need is not important. Trying to please others instead of themselves. Find it easier to feel and express anger about injustice done to others, rather than injustice has done to themselves. Feel safe when giving. Feel insecure and guilty  Feel safe when giving, feeling insecure and guilty when someone gives to them. Feel sad because they spend the whole lives giving to other people and nobody gives to them. 

Primal Therapy

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.

Naikan Therapy

Naikan Therapy was developed by a Buddhist monk in the 1940s. It involves self examination, looking inside and is an aid to mental health. It asks three questions:

What have I received from this person?

What have I given to this person? 

What trouble have I caused this person? 

Milton Erickson

Who was Milton Erickson?
1901 - 1980 Erickson was a hypnotherapist who was successful due to his personal experience and innovative mind. Pacing, intense listening, acknowledgement and acceptance of the client's perception, is a vital tool to change. Respecting another's way of seeing the world! Families, work environments, politics, health, schooling, all can benefit from pacing - a person centred method! He described their ongoing experience, what they felt, thought and saw. It gave access to the unconscious mind. The Milton Model was a way in which he used vague words to produce a trance like state in his clients.

Improving Your Sleep

One of the greatest complaints physicians hear is that patients have poor quality sleep. This either comes in the form of insomnia, or feeling tired after a full night's rest. 

LomiLomi Foot Massage Demonstration

Arthur Janov

Who was Arthur Janov? 

Arthur Janov was a Californian psychotherapist who developed the theory of Primal Therapy. John Lennon and Yoko Ono were clients. Primal Therapy involved screaming, crying and expressing early abuse. 

Internal Family Systems

Alexander Technique - Breathing

 

What is the Alexander Technique? 

The Alexander Technique is a simple and practical method to focus our attention on everyday activities and use our body properly. Frederick Mathias Alexander (1869-1955) was an Australian therapist who showed how bad habit reflect on our health. (He spent some time in London UK where he treated actors to stand and move well, breathe properly, add to their energy and ability to perform to the best of their ability. Aldous Huxley was one of his patients. He also visited America and developed an international reputation.) When our body is subject to stress or habit, it develops 'body armouring' which can be relieved through exercises, self-awareness and repatterning. It has no side effects.

Person Centred Therapy

 

What is PCA? 

Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was the founder of Person Centred Approach otherwise known as Client Centred Therapy and this developed into Student Centred Learning and additional practices. He developed this method of counselling and therapy to counteract a patriarchal, dominant and overbearing and sometimes abusive power dynamic that therapists and teachers had in the past. He came from a Christian background in the USA and researched the data in order to find out which type of therapy helped the client to recover most from neurosis and even more serious mental illness. 

Paradox of Choice

What is the paradox of choice? The more choice we have, the more difficult the decision. 

Pilates

What is Pilates?
Exercise which lengthens and stretches the body using all the muscle group is both relaxing and health giving. Pilates practitioners have an individualised programme for their specific needs. There is an emphasis on body posture and balance and on good breathing technique. The method began in Germany in 1880 when Joseph Pilates pioneered this health method due to his physical frailty as a child. He was interned on the Isle of Man where he devised this method of health and eventually worked as a boxer, circus performer, self defence teacher and body builder. He worked in Germany with Rudolph Laban , setting up,his first studio in New York.

Giant Cell Arteritis - An Elusive Odyssey

Mind Body & Soul Book Review - Giant Cell Arteritis - An Elusive Odyssey by James Rupp. 168 pages, published by Lulu. 

This book is dedicated to Pearl Rupp, James's wife, whose photo fronts the text. We are introduced to Pearl and to her illness, Giant Cell Arteritis - inflammation of large and medium blood vessels - and its related, disabling condition, Polymyalgia Rheumatica. We read of symptoms, tests, scans, diagnoses, flare-ups, procedures, medications, treatments, X-rays, biopsies, disabilities, complications, drug conflicts, and the advice of numerous doctors and health care workers. There are confusions, speculations and assumptions and doctors who argue with each other about who has most wisdom in treating this extraordinary illness which requires an individualised care plan.

Dealing with Depression

How to deal with depression! 

Depression is a lonely existance that other people often 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...

Sleep Paralysis

 

What is 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. 

The Hakomi Therapy Method

Using mindfulness for self study. No questions asked but experiments can be conducted with mindfulness and awareness to process unconscious vulnerability about how the client is truly in the world to release and change suffering to receiving nourishment and crating peace of mind.

Richard Barratt on Communal Values

 

Instead of being 'The Best IN the World', we need to be thinking of being 'The Best FOR the World!' Richard Barratt was a Civil Engineer for 20 years and then became involved in Eastern Philosophy, the work of Abraham Maslow and the importance of personal and societal transformation. To transform ourself - and our world - our soul needs to be activated. Our conditioning creates discontent, but by working on ourself, we become contented. He suggests there are 7 levels of consciousness which lead to a new paradign for leadership. 

Yoga Is Skill In Action

The basis practice of yoga is self-inquiry which, through this process, we create change within ourselves. Before I started practicing yoga, I was more selfish and immature. The grass always seemed greener on the other side of the fence. Yoga changed my world perspective and philosophy in a way that has helped me live my life with more grace and integrity. I care for myself and others more deeply, my eating habits have become conscious choices and my friendships have evolved. I no longer spend time with people who are addicted to drinking and drugs, or those that spend their time gossiping about other people. I look for people who help me feel good about myself and those who are more happy and have goals in their life.

Sustainable Lifestyles

Jonathon Porritt reflects on sustainability: Governments are failing to meet their responsibilities on climate change and population explosions, pollution, global warming and vital loss of trees. In the USA, it is often city mayors who are making the running, sometimes with the active support of state governors. It was Mayor Bloomberg of New York who succeeded in forcing climate change into the presidential election, endorsing changes he immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In China, there’s an extremely active network of eco cities, enthusiastically competing amongst themselves for government support and new industry investments.

Calm Down Easily with Zen

No matter what is happening, we do not have to react impulsively, but can learn to respond quietly and appropriately. Giving into automatic negative reactions is usually u productive and it’s important to learn how to diffuse negative emotions. The steps offered are simple, but powerful. The more we practice them the stronger we become.

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. 

Family Constellations Theory

 

Family Constellations Therapy is a powerful method to solve difficult feelings and situations that occur in families. The therapy takes place in a group with each person representing a family member. Similar in some ways to Psychodrama, it can be powerfully insightful and cathartic and bring about change in relationships.