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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.”
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.
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."
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.
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.
Today marks the 17th
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.
The funny thing about the
Universe is that when it speaks to you, it does so in a loud and resounding
voice.As I continue on my journey
towards a more balanced and peaceful life, road signs posted along the way are
the key to this attainable goal.Last
year, I took note as I passed them, but it wasn’t until I had an “ah ha” moment
that it all came together in a neatly wrapped package with a common theme: Be More Mindful.Before I discuss mindfulness, let me share
with you the road signs as they unfolded before me:
1.An article in Time Magazine titled The Art of Being Mindful by Katie
Pickert (2/3/14).I read the article and
found it to be interesting, so I set that issue aside for future reference.
2.Later in the year I had a conversation
with Christina, the Practice Manager at the Natural Health ImprovementCenter-Alsip about centering oneself.Christina is a reiki practitioner who absorbs the energy of others
(positive or negative) as part of this healing art.I asked her what she does to remained balanced,
and she replied “Mindfulness Practices” (12/2014).
3.Two days after this conversation, I
received a subscription mailer to Mindful
Magazine, to which I subscribed forthwith, as this was the “ah ha” that I
referred to earlier.After this moment I
immediately recalled the article in Time Magazine and read it again.
So
what is Mindfulness?
In 1979, Dr. Jon
Kabat-Zinn, PhD, opened a stress reduction clinic (now called the Center forMindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center) that laid the
foundation for the 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course
currently offered either at UMass or online (2015).
MBSR
is a form of meditation that asks the practitioner-student to pay attention to
what is happening in the present moment of your life, rather than fixating on
the past or future events.Dr.
Kabat-Zinn realized that we live in a fast-paced, stressed-out society, which
can fill our minds with scattered thoughts (2015).We never seem to have the ability to just
stop and smell the roses (as the old adage goes) without having our attention
diverted elsewhere.As a society we
become engrossed with what happened in the past, or what lies ahead of us in
the form of future events.The basic
premise of MBSR is to live fully in the present with each activity to which are
currently engaged.
Kabat-Zinn found that when we become more
mindful to life’s moments, our stress levels are lowered (cortisol/adrenaline
levels), thoughts become more clear and focused, we make better decisions, and
no longer let life just pass us by.For
example, if we were to mindfully concentrate on driving (and all the acts
involved with this task), we would arrive safely at our next destination
because we did not shift our focus to answer the latest text or tweet.
Katie Pickert tells us that meditation, or
“the practice of doing nothing and being tuned into your own mind at the same
time . . . research shows it reduces stress and increases focus” (2/3/14).Ms. Pickert listed what she calls the Five
Steps to Mindfulness Meditation:
1.Sit cross-legged on a cushion on the
floor, or upright in a chair with your back straight and shoulders
dropped.Take a deep breath, and close
your eyes.
2.Focus on the air moving in/out of your
lungs, but don’t change the pattern of your breathing.
3.Once thoughts enter your mind (and they
will), acknowledge them, and return to your breath.During the beginning of your meditation
practice, this may happen quite often so don’t become discouraged, just keep at
it.
4.Don’t judge yourself or try to ignore
these thoughts.Just notice the mind has
wandered, and return to your breathing.
5.Start with 10 minutes a day for a
week.The more you meditate, the easier
it will become to keep a focused attention (2/3/14).
The road signs kept beckoning me to be
more mindful, so I made the decision to enroll in the 8 week online MBSR
course.I am also reading the revised
edition of Full Catastrophe Living,
by Kabat-Zinn, which is considered the MBSR bible.In future posts I will share with you, my
readers the basic principles of MBSR as I learn and practice them.My hope is that it will inspire you to do the
same in your quest for a more balanced life.
Even after I made this commitment, the
Universe reinforced this decision with one more road sign.One morning, I read the Parade Magazine that comes with our Sunday newspaper.The cover title was “The #1 Health-Booster in
2015: Politicians, Children, and Celebrities are doing it-Shouldn’t You?”
(1/11/15).I was intrigued enough to
read the full article on the enclosed pages, and wouldn’t you know it: The #1
Health-Booster in 2015 is- Mindfulness.How’s that for the Universe speaking directly at you?
References
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full Catastrophe Living (2nd
ed.). New York: Bantam Books.
From the moment we took
our first breath on this Earth we were given the most precious gift of
life.For this privilege, and
unbeknownst to us at the time, we made a contract with God (however you call or
honor this higher being), the rest of the world, and the Universe to do what we
need to make this a better place live. Most
notably, in peace and harmony with each other.
The Holistic Triangle
Every day the mass media presents us with
stories of fellow beings who abuse this privilege and do not honor their end of
the contract.However, this does not
mean that we should follow in these same footsteps.Quite the contrary, we must do what it takes
to live a more balanced life with respect to the mind, body, and spirit
paradigm (our holistic triangle).Our
very existence is predicated upon the fact that we are all energetic beings who
can project both the positive and negative aspects of ourselves onto
others.Let’s take a look at how this
happens, and what we can do to right the ship (so to speak).Remember this: an imbalance on one side of
the triangle that goes uncorrected, will ultimately lead to an imbalance of the
other two sides, as they are all interrelated.
The
Mind
Mind
Life is not easy, and no one ever told us
it would be.In fact, it can become very
overwhelming and lead to various psycho-emotional conditions such as: anxiety,
panic attacks, depression, and anger management issues just to name a few.These conditions can lend to the projection
of negativity onto the world. Other people can, and do, absorb this type of
energy.Can you remember a time when an
angry co-worker entered the workplace and the entire mood of the group
immediately changed?How did you feel:
ramped up, drained, exhausted?How do
our own moods affect others?
Our life contract asks us to improve the
world in a positive way.One way we can
do this is to seek help. Professional counselors or peer support groups can
assist us in finding ways to balance our emotions, and turn negatives into
positives.If we learn to quiet the
mind, the soul will awaken to a more balanced existence.
The
Body
We often hear fitness
gurus quoted as saying the body is a temple and should be treated with
respect.When it comes to the physical
aspect of our being, we veer off course quite frequently and lose our way.There are only 24 hours in a day and regular
exercise/good nutrition often take a back seat to a job, family
responsibilities, and a multitude of other activities that are connected to the
same.In today’s society, we often reach
for comfort foods, high caloric cravings (refined sugars, processed foods),
alcohol, or soda pop that temporarily numb the ramped up stress response.
Body
Inevitably, our sedentary life style leads
to weight gain, and potentially a negative self-image when we look in the
mirror.We can become depressed (which
brings us full circle back to the mind), become more stressed, eat more, and
continue this vicious circle until the body says “enough!”An unbalanced mind can also lead to the above
scenario, as well as opposing eating disorders such as anorexia and
bulimia.Keep in mind that everything
relates to everything else (rule number one of an anatomy and physiology
class).
So how can we turn this negative into a
positive?Once again, we can turn to
professional counseling or support groups that can assist us in treating the
mental imbalance which may be the underlying cause of our physical
ailments.Also, consider working with a
trained exercise professional, nutritionist and/or dietician who can help you
set and remain accountable to your goals.Sometimes, all we need is a little encouragement to push us from the
nest, and away we fly.Even the slightest
improvement in our self-image will lead to the positivity that our life
contract with the world asks of us.Lao
Tzu once said: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”Be willing to take that first step and the
world will thank you for it.
The
Spirit
Spirit
You can agree or disagree with me on this,
but I truly believe that it is the spirit which drives our very existence as human
beings.Think about the last time there
was a tornado that tore through a small bedroom community.The first images we see are of the extent of
the destruction, as well as the emotionally overwhelmed citizens of the
affected town.The cameras capture
the utter agony as people search for lost loved ones or a family pet(s).Some of the first utterances are “I don’t
know what we are going to do next” or “How are we going to survive?”That my friends, is a broken spirit: one in
which you start thinking that you will never see the light at the end of the
tunnel.I can recall countless stories
like this one, which are revisited by the media on the first anniversary
following the disaster.Curiously, I
observe the same thing: no matter how broken the spirit was initially, and like
a phoenix rising out of the ashes, these communities always rebuild the
foundation from the ground up.The
common thread that bound them to each other was, you guessed it: positivity.
Not every one of us will be faced with a
natural disaster, but a series of events (several deaths or illnesses in the
family, divorce, loss of a job) in a short time span can most assuredly break
the spirit.In order to ground ourselves
once again, we need to nourish the spiritual side of our holistic
triangle.In addition to professional counseling
and support groups, there are several holistic modalities that you may wish to
research and pursue to assist you in lifting your spirit from the ashes:
acupuncture, reiki, massage therapy, chiropractic care, prayer, yoga, and
meditation.
We all have a personal responsibility to
the world, and the best way to live up to our end of the contract is to follow
self-care or preventative maintenance practices to balance the mind, body, and
spirit. Start from where you are and move forward,but do not compare or compete with others. Next, assemble
the best team possible (of your choosing) to help you with these endeavors.This year, I am going to hit the streets and
interview several holistic practitioners who can provide you with the nuts and
bolts of their respective professions. This,
in turn, will give you the knowledge necessary to make an informed decision regarding
your own self-care strategies.Taking
care of ourselves is the best way to make this world a better, and more
positive place to live.
In health and wellness,
Tim
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