On Becoming Aware of Awareness

     In my blog post titled What Does it Mean to be Mindful (2/3/15), I described the basic principles of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program that I was about to participate in.  Eight weeks flew by quickly, and before I knew it the course had come its conclusion.  However, I realized that it was merely the beginning of what will be a life-long practice on becoming aware of awareness.

     During those eight weeks, I learned about the difference between the stress reaction and the relaxation response and how this can affect both our physical and mental well-being (in both positive and negative ways respectively).  Tools such as the body scan, lying down yoga, and sitting meditation were offered as peaceful alternatives to the angry outbursts, insomnia, and physical distress that often accompany both acute and chronic stress.  The key to my success on this recent journey was to ask myself “What is called for in this moment?” and respond accordingly in a non-judgmental way towards myself and others.

 

 

     Additionally, I learned that with greater awareness to how I react when under stress will afford me the opportunity to respond constructively versus destructively, thereby bringing a sense of inner peace that knows no bounds.  The instructors emphasized that we are all not perfect beings and will have occasional hiccups on our quest for a more balanced existence.  The key to success is to maintain, with due diligence, a meditative practice long after the class has ended.  I encourage any of my readers to consider taking the online MBSR course as offered by SoundsTrue  It is by no means easy to take a look at oneself in the mirror, but the rewards can be great if you stick with it.

     As a way of providing insight into the wonderful world of mindfulness, I leave you with the following Q and A that I completed as part of the final course assessment:

What was your primary intention for participating in this course?

My primary intention was to find the tools I needed to help me to reduce my stress levels.  I was drawn to this course as it would show me not a practice, but a way of life.

What outcome were you hoping to achieve by taking this course?

To find out that I have it within me to be non-judgmental about thoughts, feelings, or encounters with others and myself.

Specifically speaking, what did you get out of the program, if anything?

I learned that I am completely capable of navigating through this large, yet seemingly small world of ours with a more balanced and positive outlook on life.

What are the lessons you will take with you as you move beyond this course work?

The greatest gift I can give to myself is to make time each day to retreat into a peaceful corner of my world.  To be able to breathe deeply, and exhale all that does not serve me well.  The more I practice, the more grounded I will become.

What sacrifices did you make? What were the costs to you?

The only real sacrifice was the time that was needed to put into the practice.  This was never an inconvenience for me because I was more than 100% committed to the course and all it was going to offer me.  I always found the time to make time for myself.

What obstacles did you encounter and what did you learn about yourself in working with these obstacles?

I found that I have an active mind which can wander quite frequently.  Many times my mind will craft and outcome to a future event which 99.99999% of the time never came to fruition the way I imagined it.  More often than not, the outcome was way better than I anticipated.  I learned that through careful attending to my feelings and how my body reacts to stressful situations, I can pause and then respond more appropriately to what is before me at that moment.

How will you continue to practice now that this program is over? Be specific!

The meditation practices that I learned in this course are yet more tools to add to my wellness toolbox to aid me in my continued healing from PTSD.  I have taken up the practice of Kundalini yoga which incorporates meditation into this form.  I will continue with my acupuncture treatments where I meditate during the session to strengthen my resolve.  Furthermore, I will show others the MBSR way (as a personal trainer, firefighter, and peer supporter) as a viable, healthy stress reduction alternative.

What additional resources have you been able to identify that are available to you to continue strengthening your practice?

1. The continued practice of Kundalini yoga.

2. Acupuncture

3. Nutrition response testing to help my stressed organs heal.

4. Chiropractic care.

5. I am going to seek out meditation retreats that are in my area to continue this wonderful journey that I have begun in these last 8 weeks.

6. I will participate in the live day of Mindfulness or use one of the previously recorded versions.

Resources

Meleo-Meyer, F. & Santorelli, S. The MBSR Online Course: An 8-Week Training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.  Retrieved from http://www.soundstrue.com/store/the-mbsr-online-course-3226.html on 2/3/2015.

 

Peer Supporters are the Ambassadors to Behavioral Health

ILFFPS Logo

Last week, the Illinois Firefighter Peer Support Team (under the guidance of Sarah Gura and Matt Olson) held its third training program at the Illinois Fire Service Institute in Champaign. As a team member, I attended the first day of class and had the honor and privilege of sharing my story with the new group of applicants, and they with me.  Listening to a fellow firefighter’s story has always had a profound effect on me and I learn something different, or confirm what I already knew, each time I go through this experience.  Before I share my observations I want to tell you a little more about our team.

     As Program Director Matt Olson put it: “The ILFFPS was the brainchild of Sarah Gura” (a licensed professional clinical counselor) who recognized a population in the State of Illinois that was underserved in the realm of behavioral health, that being firefighters and their families.  Through the collaborative efforts of Sarah, Matt, and a core group of dedicated firefighters who were passionate about behavioral health, the ILFFPS was born.  The inaugural training was held in April of 2014, and as of this writing the third group of applicants are now team members.  This organization is a work in progress, but continues to grow in strength with each passing day.

     The following Mission Statement and definition of Peer Support are taken directly from our website:

Mission Statement

“To serve the fire service family by providing trained peer supporters who can give confidential, appropriate, and supportive assistance” (ILFFPS, 2015).

Peer Support Defined

“For the intents and purposes of firefighter peer support teams, peer support is defined as a service provided by an individual or group of trained firefighters who respond to firefighters in need- whether that need be a personal or professional concern.  Peer support teams will serve as a helping resource for fire service employees and their families.

Peer support also seeks to help fire service personnel reduce stress and diminish the negative emotional effects of this occupation.  Peer support specifically acknowledges the need to address mental/behavioral health needs for fire service employees and their families.  Our goal is to increase acceptance of this need through the practice of peer support” (ILFFPS, 2015).

     These statements define both the team and its mission.  If you would like more information about us please visit: http://www.ilffps.org/index.html.  That being said, peer support has a much deeper meaning to me, something I confirmed this past Monday.

 

     As each story was laid out on the table (so to speak), I could feel the angst as well as see the tears flow from many of my brother and sister firefighters.  Most of the personal pain was the result of bearing witness to the horrors that our profession often heaps upon us.  However, many related about hardships and traumas that were inflicted upon them long before they entered the fire service (personal history can have a direct bearing on how one will respond to or act out upon, should a future incident of a similar nature strike an emotional cord). Coupled together, it is no wonder why so many of us suffer from behavioral health issues.  As I drove home that day, I reflected on my experience and came to a sudden realization:

    Those of us that make up the team are bound by a common thread that the concept of peer support, or behavioral health for that matter, was not discussed in the firehouse when we began our careers. I can only speak for myself in saying that I wished it had existed when I was a rookie, as it would have saved me a whole lot of emotional and physical turmoil.  If I were a betting man (and I am not), I think most of my fellow team members would echo my sentiments.

     We all learned the hard way, and that is okay.  For it is in these trials and tribulations that we will take our lessons learned and answer the call for help with a sense of confidence and compassion that knows no bounds.  It is our fundamental duty as a member of the human race to leave the world a little better off than we found it, and as peer supporters I believe we will do just that.  It is for these reasons my friends why I say peer supporters are the ambassadors to behavioral health. Not only for the fire service, but for all humankind as well.

 

 

References

Home page of the Illinois Firefighter Peer Support Team.  Retrieved from http://www.ilffps.org/index.html on April 4th, 2015.

    

Love and Peace Will Always be Intertwined

     In my last post I told you about the story of a small child, his family, and what seemed to be a mountain of grief that was heaped on them to include not only his battle with leukemia, but also the loss of his grandfather.  In the week that followed my hearing of this story, I continued to wonder why one family would experience such events in a short span of time.  I realized that this situation is not unique to just them, but happens every day in this large, yet seemingly small world of ours.  Still I perseverated on this issue, and as usual the universe spoke back to me loud and clear.

     I watch the television show Chicago Fire, and in the latest installment titled Forgiving, Relentless, Unconditional I found my answer.  The story line revolved around the death of a small child (in a fire) which was caused by the negligence of his own father.  At the end of this episode the fictitious CFD chaplain named Father Orlovsky delivered this eloquent eulogy, and hence the answer to the question I pondered about for days:

“I want to talk to you today about a subject that touches every one of us, loss.  Sometimes we are faced with things we think we just can’t handle- the death of a loved one, a father, a child, and we strive to find the reason behind it all.

 And when those reasons don’t make sense- It’s me.  We question God.  We look up and we say: “God, how could you do this to us?  How can you put so much on our plate?”  But we are not operating on God’s timetable are we?  We don’t understand God’s plan, how can we?  And let me tell you, this is where faith comes in.

Faith can help us see His message in our own lives.  Perhaps this loss is there to teach us not to take the ones we love for granted; to cherish the simple, mundane moments; to love others as fiercely, and as bravely, and as compassionately as we can.

And in that love, human love: forgiving, relentless, unconditional love, you’ll find peace.”

In Health and Wellness,

Tim

A Most Important Lesson About Life: It’s Precious

During my visit last week to see Erin for acupuncture, we discussed the physical, mental, and emotional aspects with regard to my illness.  I told her that on the first day, I felt a “fire” brewing in my belly as I thought about how I contracted the flu.  If I did not mention this in my last post, I picked it up from someone at work who laughed when I “thanked” him for sharing the gift that keeps on giving.  I then related to Erin how I used the MBSR body scan to induce a deep relaxation response that (in combination with Nutrition Response Testing) helped me turn the corner in a couple of days.  It still amazes me how the body has the innate ability to heal itself if we give it a chance.

     Next, we talked about how I stand on a very narrow ledge between where I am now, and jumping back into the roller coaster of emotional outbursts that I had been accustomed to in my struggle with PTSD.  Erin reminded me that it’s good to have this ledge as a constant reminder that my healing will be a lifetime process.  It keeps one from developing a superman syndrome that has become synonymous with life as a public servant.  Our discussion then moved on to a story about a friend of hers who did her own soul-searching in the wake of a couple of obstacles that life had thrown her way.  Here, my friends is where we learn a most important lesson about life.

     Erin’s friend (who is an attorney by trade), has a toddler son who is currently being treated with rounds of chemotherapy for leukemia.  His mother is on a leave of absence from work to take care of her son, as well as two other children.  One day, in the recent past, this young boy’s grandfather paid a visit to see his grandson and had given him a hug.  Sometime thereafter, he passed away.  Erin told me that her friend began to question why life was heaping such grief upon her family at such a critical time.  Did she show great resolve in overcoming her struggles?  The answer to this question is resounding yes.    Erin related that on the day of the funeral, this woman eloquently delivered the closing argument (eulogy) about her father’s life. At this time the family is taking life as it unfolds before them.

        After hearing this story, I can truly say that I know what the phrase “life is precious” means.  Here was I, bemoaning my fate that someone passed on a short-lived illness to me, so what.  In the comparative grand scheme of things that was no reason to become angry.  We are given only a certain number of breaths in this lifetime, and do not know when they will come to an end.  We are not guaranteed the next minute, hour, day, week, month, year, decade, and so on.  That’s why we need to live in the moment-by the moment, and enjoy all that life has to offer.  I am certain that Erin’s friend and her family are doing just that.

     I recently took up the practice of Kundalini Yoga which I will tell you about in a future post.  We end each practice with the Long Time Sun song which is repeated three times in conjunction with a prayer that the student projects as follows:

·         One for yourself, to self-bless.

·         One for someone you know who needs it.

·         One for World peace.

I promised Erin that from now until this young boy heals, I would project this second prayer on his behalf.  You will find the Long Time Sun song (which repeats three times) in the following YouTube video.  When the verse repeats for the second time, and if you feel so inclined, please join me in projecting a healing prayer on his behalf.  It is not important that you know his name (I will take care of that), just know that he exists and needs our healing energy.

 

 

In health and wellness,

 

Tim

Life is My Teacher

     Last week, something happened to me that I had not experienced in over 10 years: I was stricken with the flu.  Over the course of this past week, my mind wandered aimlessly attempting to figure out why such a rare occurrence chose to rear its ugly head.  The more I pondered the question and focused on this illness, the worse I felt.  At some point during the second day of commiseration, the little voice inside my head told me that this would be a teachable moment in my life.  In other words, my moment of interoception had finally arrived.

     Interoception, also known as an internal sense, is something that is stimulated from within the body, such as hunger.  I found a definition on the website The Free Dictionary which best captured the essence of my moment: “sensitivity to stimuli originating inside of the body”.  During this past week, I actually felt the innate healing powers of my body through a conscious awareness of the relaxation response.  Let me show you what I mean.

     For years I have studied the effects of both the stress/relaxation responses and their connection to both acute and chronic disease, as well as recovery from the same (see previous posts titled “Stress, Our Foe” and “Relaxation: Hard to do . . . Necessary for Life”).   My recovery began on the second day of this bout when I utilized a new tool that I recently added to my holistic tool box:  the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) body scan.  A few weeks ago, I told you that I was going to begin the MBSR course as a way to increase the awareness of my life on a moment by moment basis.  As I become consciously aware of how stress affects me, the better I am able to manage it.  So how does the body scan work?

     The body scan, through a series of guided meditations, asks the practitioner (me) to experience how the body feels in the here and now of this practice.  As I lie on my back with my eyes closed, a facilitator guides me region by region starting with the left big toe.   In a systematic manner, we work our way through the lower, middle, and upper portions of the body respectively.  I am told that if the mind drifts, acknowledge the thoughts without judgment, and then bring my attention back to the area of the body with which I am currently engaged.  By the end of this 55 minute session, any aches and pains I carry seem to melt away without a care.

     The amazing part of this healing process is that the very act of attending to the here and now actually gives the mind a job to do, which is all it ever really wants from us.  Rather than living with chaotic thoughts, I was able to quiet the mind and allow the natural healing process to take its course.  After completing this scan, I could actually feel my internal energy working towards homeostasis (balance) as a result of being in a total state of relaxation. This begs the question:  What was my teachable moment?

     The important lesson learned is reflective of the healing as I experienced it.  Remember, a basic tenet of holism views each person as an individual with respect to what protocol he/she responds because there is not a one size fits all category.  It was destiny that brought me to this exact moment in time to teach me that the mind and body are interdependent, rather than independent entities.  Therefore, they do not work separately from each other as one might think.  I believe that a healthy mind can orchestrate a healthy body.  I will leave you, my readers to be the judge of this statement through further exploration into the world of MBSR or similar stress reduction programs.

 

     As a footnote, I leave you with a quote from Eric Allen:

"Everyone is my teacher.  Some I seek.  Some I subconsciously attract.  Often I learn simply by observing others.  Some may be completely unaware that I'm learning from them, yet I bow deeply in gratitude."

Life is my Teacher J

 

References

Meleo-Meyer, F. & Santorelli, S. The MBSR Online Course: An 8-Week Training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.  Retrieved from http://www.soundstrue.com/store/the-mbsr-online-course-3226.html on 2/3/2015.

 

TheFreeDictionary.com (2015).  Interoception.  Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/interoception on 3/1/2015.

Salt: It Adds Not Only Flavor to Our Food, but Our Lives As Well

Wikipedia defines common salt or sodium chloride (NaCl), as a mineral that is essential to not only human function, but is one of our five basic tastes.  Too much can be harmful to our health (blood pressure, heart, etc.), and too little in a recipe can cheat us out of the full flavoring that a foodstuff has to offer (2015). Setting aside the culinary aspect, it begs the question: What other medicinal benefits can we reap from this gift of the Earth?  Today we are going to venture into the world of halotherapy, also known as “salt therapy”.

     Danica Collins, columnist for the Underground Health Reporter, describes the origin of halotherapy as follows:

“Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, prescribed saltwater inhalation therapy for bronchial and lung disorders.  Today, the intentional use of salt for medicinal purposes is called “salt therapy” (also halotherapy, from the Greek word halos for salt, and spleotherapy, from the Latin word spalenca for cave)”.

     Ms Collins further relates that salt caves were used as far back as the mid 1800s to treat and improve the symptoms of diseases such as: asthma, psoriasis, congestion, and sinusitis.  Additionally, the author noted that spleotherapy originated in Poland in the 1950s when healthcare workers discovered that salt miners rarely suffered from tuberculosis. Collins also named a few studies which demonstrated the benefits of spending time in natural salt caves (2015).  Since most of us may not live near a natural salt cave, how can we reap the benefits of the same?

     An increasingly popular movement in the United States is the construction of artificial caves using Himalayan or other equivalent form of rock salt.  Zajac, etal, noted that due to an ever increasing degradation of air quality, people are seeking an environment without pollution that is replicated in a natural salt cave microclimate (2014).  These authors conducted a study of 303 Polish citizens and made the following observations and recommendations concerning artificial caves:

1.      A therapeutic cave uses a salt generator that produces a dry salt aerosol within the room.  This is a purified air which is kept at a temperature between 64 and 71 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity of 50-60%.  When the air crosses the salt walls it releases the microelements: iodine, calcium, potassium, sodium, copper selenium, and bromine.  The authors stated that the inhaled aerosol contains both anti-inflammatory and bactericidal (bacterial-killing) properties.  The above noted conditions are essential in order to reap the most health benefits.

2.      The use of a salt generator is equivalent to being in a salt mine or by the sea.  In caves that were constructed without one, the concentrations of the microelements were negligible.  The time spent in the cave was anywhere from 45 minutes (minimum) to upwards of 2 hours.

3.      A disadvantage to halotherapy is the attached cost, as it may require several sessions to notice improvement.  However, even one session will provide a participant a place to escape from the stresses of life.  Rest and relaxation are the order of the day in the salt cave (2014).

So what is it like to spend time in an artificial salt cave?

Salt Cave in Worth, Illinois

     A couple of weeks ago I visited the Salt Cave in Worth, Illinois.  This business is located in a strip mall unit off of a busy street running through this city, and from the exterior it was a very unassuming place.  I entered the main lobby area which was simply decorated and had a couch, and bench seats where customers can place their shoes, hang their coats, and wait for the next treatment time.  The staff is very pleasant and greets customers as they make entry into the facility.   The treatment is 45 minutes in length and starts every hour on the hour which is paid for prior to entry into the cave.

     After I removed my coat and shoes, the receptionist handed me a pair of blue foot coverings (similar to ones that you might see a surgeon or crime scene investigator wear as part of their professional apparel).  Myself and several other customers entered the cave through a brown, solid oak door approximately five minutes before the start of the session.  The first thing I noted was the lighted, ornate mosaic of dolphins that occupied the back wall of the cave.  The cave itself is designed to mimic a beach scene, and felt as such as I walked on the fine granulated “beach salt”.  Several zero gravity chairs were lined up like soldiers in a formation on the left and right side walls.  Blankets found on each chair doubled as either a covering on a pillow for comfort.  The walls and the ceiling were covered with thick layers of Himalayan salt that resembled stalactites that I recalled seeing as a young teenager in the Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico.

     I descended into my chair of choice in the middle of the left side wall, leaned back, and quickly found myself in the horizontal position.  Even though the room was a comfortable temperature, I felt more relaxed under the cover of a blanket.  Exactly on the hour, the door was closed, the lights dimmed, and soft relaxation music that filled the room added an extra special touch to the experience.  I closed my eyes and began a deep meditative practice which sometimes found my mind drifting off to thoughts of past and future events.  I quickly refocused attention on my breath to center myself once again. 

    Before I knew it, 45 minutes passed by like the blink of an eye.  The lights were brought back to full strength, the door opened, and I exited with a renewed sense of purpose.  As I left the cave I promised myself that I would return to this little piece of “Hawaii” I could call my own, even if for just three-quarters of an hour at a time.  If you do not live near Worth, I highly recommend seeking a salt cave nearest to where you live.  Even if you do not seek the medicinal benefits, the relaxation experience is well worth the trip.  However, before adding this modality to any wellness regimen, please consult with your licensed healthcare provider to ensure that it will safely compliment an existing prescribed treatment plan.

References

Collins, D. (No date).  Salt Therapy A Powerful Healing Detoxifier.  Retrieved from http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/salt-therapy/ on 2/13/2015.

Salt Cave Micro-Climate Center.  Retrieved from http://www.saltcaveworth.com/ on 2/13/2015.

Wikipedia (2015).  Salt.  Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt on 2/13/2015.

Zajac, et al (2014).  Salt caves as simulation of natural environment and significance of halotherapy.  Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24738510 on 2/13/2015.

Note: click on the green box that says open access full text to retrieve the PDF file for this study.

My Forever Goodbye to a Friend

     Today marks the 17^th anniversary of my friend “Little Dicky’s” suicide.  Last year at this time (in this blog), I recounted the events of that fateful night as well as the aftermath that led me down a road to a 16 year struggle with PTSD.  As you may recall, I assembled my own holistic team which included professional counseling, acupuncture, and reiki healing treatments.  Two months into this journey I wrote a letter to my friend with the intention of leaving it at his grave site (see A Letter About the Greatest Lesson in Life . . . Letting Go).  Today marks a peaceful epilogue to this story which I will now relate.

    During the last several days my soul was restless as I anticipated this fast approaching date, which in 1998, was the exact same day of the week (Thursday).  I was not sure how I was going to react when today dawned, but knew in my heart and soul that I was going to finally complete this year long trip around the dark side of the moon and back.  I began the morning with a Kundalini yoga practice to center myself.  This form includes a meditative thought process where the practitioner looks inward towards the deepest part of his/her soul (at least this is my interpretation).  At the end of an hour and fifteen minutes, I was more relaxed than I had been in days.  The greatest challenge for me was going to be an acupuncture session later in the day.

     The last time I met with Erin, I said that when she saw me again it would be the anniversary of an event that brought me to see her in the first place.  Prior to the session, I told Erin that no matter what happens, we will not stop the treatment even if it brought me back to an unpleasant experience. She told me that this was a great attitude, and that all of our hard work together would bring me just rewards.  Today’s healing was a spiritual cleansing and she inserted needles into acupuncture points to form what is known as Buddha’s Triangle.  This type of treatment is reserved for special events such as today, and was going to assist in creating the inner peace that I have longed for over 17 years.  I am happy to report that the session was unremarkable, and Buddha’s Triangle lived up to expectations.  I have finally moved back into the light.

     Immediately following this experience I went to “Little Dicky’s” grave and taped my letter to the granite wall.  As I walked away, I smiled knowing that I would never have to look “over the shoulder of my mind” ever again.  In that peaceful few moments, I had said my forever goodbye to a friend.  I will always remember the time we had together on this Earth, as well as the lessons learned from this life experience.  After all the physical, mental, and emotional struggles I faced, it all boils down to this one phrase: QUIET THE MIND AND THE SOUL WILL AWAKEN.  Know that I am fine- I am well, and ready to walk through the next door on my journey towards a more balanced existence.

 

In health,

Tim