As one opens up to the pain of the past one heals so that one can move into the future.
Healing the body/mind with the willingness to feel
I can feel both dance and music changing and healing my brain’s neurons
I managed to get out and dance at a 5 Rhythms event. That’s ecstatic dance inspired by Gabriel Roth. That perhaps has been my biggest victory. I danced for a full hour and stayed at the event for 2 hours. Another VICTORY. First time out in the evening. First time sustaining high intensity exercise for a whole hour too.
We looked very much like the folks in the above video. Without the white clothes. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
What makes you feel good and healthy?
Being healthy is really just about living well…no need to call any of it therapy as far as I’m concerned…WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD AND HEALTHY? Find out and do those things. That is all. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
You can’t heal what you don’t feel
There are many ways people try to avoid unpleasant feelings, and addictions top the list. Engaging in obsessive-compulsive or addictive behavior pushes unpleasant thoughts and feelings out of conscious awareness. Sometimes, that can seem like paradise; unfortunately, the long-term negative effects outweigh the short-term gains of numbness and forgetting, as once the drug or activity is over, all those painful feelings come back. Let’s face it, if addictions really worked, we would all be addicts. Who doesn’t want a bit of relief from life’s stresses? The problem is they are a short-term fix. It takes great courage to move through dark emotions but ignoring them, or sweeping them under the cognitive rug, just makes them less accessible for healing.
You Can’t Heal What You Don’t Feel
By Nicole S. Urdang, M.S., NCC, DHM, Holistic Psychotherapist. Printed with the permission of the author who retains copyright. Can you imagine a life without one of your five senses? Maybe, but it certainly isn’t something you would joyfully embrace. Even if having all five senses means you sometimes see, smell, hear, touch, or taste… Continue Reading →
Psychotropics cause birth defects, you can’t heal what you don’t feel and more: Saturday news and blogs
Psychotropic medications can cause birth defects — ScienceDaily —Ah, sweet memories of my psychiatrist insisting I should have babies while I emphatically told him I thought I was a stupid idea. I was on at least five meds. Two of them the classes spoken about here. The two researchers found that 42 percent of adverse… Continue Reading →
Speaking Out About Research Misconduct: Live and Learn Inc. and Open Excellence/Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care
by Will Hall, Monica Cassani, and Dina Tyler
In the world of innovations in how we treat survivors of psychiatric crisis, Live and Learn Inc and Open Excellence/Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care do valuable work. Live And Learn is a research company owned by Laysha Ostrow that collects and analyzes data on the viability of alternative mental health treatments, and Open Excellence/FEMHC is a philanthropy started by patients’ family members that channels funding into promising projects. They’re colleagues with us in the broader “critical psychiatry” movement ((Will was one of the original founding board members of Open Excellence/FEMHC) and we’ve all known each other for many years. At the same time, after collaborating with Live and Learn and Open Excellence/FEMHC on a past project, we are left very concerned by apparent ethical irregularities, including possibly crossing the line into research misconduct and plagiarism.
psych survivors, professionals and trauma healing
What happens when you go to an enthusiastic but frankly ignorant trauma oriented helper of some kind? what can happen for the most sensitive that trauma dynamics can be played out with the therapist and they have no idea what’s happening. Retraumatization at the hands of such folks is common. Some of us get lucky but many of us don’t find folks we can work with. This is okay and we need to learn to trust ourselves if that is the case.
~~ don’t chase and don’t run away from feelings ~~ (and yoga teacher training update)
first! thanks to those of you who have made donations towards my yoga teacher training. I’m now officially enrolled. I’m excited. It’s the first ongoing commitment I have made (outside of my home) in 10 years. I was explicit about my limitations and they remained enthusiastic about my participation. I will continue taking donations. I’ve paid for one third of the $3000 tuition fee. I have until June to finish paying in monthly installments. Any help will continue to be much appreciated. ***and now some regularly scheduled odds and ends for your perusal:
Tobacco, addiction and healing
I never quit smoking and I don’t smoke anymore. What I did was start mindfully smoking. I started to feel every bit of the smoking process — both the deliciousness and the toxicity of the smoke as it entered my mouth, into my lungs tingle in all my cells. I smoked every cigarette like it… Continue Reading →
Everything matters 