The Dangers of Adderall

The cover story in this weeks’ Sunday New York Times is titled Drowned in a Stream of Prescriptions.  It’s a tragic story about a young man, a good student and president of his college class, who recently committed suicide after becoming addicted to Adderall, an A.D.H.D. medication.  Richard did not have A.D.H.D. but was easily able to procure prescriptions for Adderall from several different doctors.  I read the article and was shocked to learn how simple it was for Richard to get prescriptions for a medication that treated a condition he did not have. 

 

Wow!  I guess I’m pretty darn naïve.  Yesterday afternoon I spoke about this article with the Mother of two college students.  She informed me that her daughters tell her  “many kids take drugs meant for A.D.H.D.” Apparently these drugs make it easy to stay up all night to study. 

 

A clinical neuropsychologist, named DeAnsin Parker, made the following statement in reference to Adderall.  “Stimulants will help anyone focus better.  And a lot of young people like or value that feeling, especially those who are driven and ambitious.  We have to realize that these are potential addicts—drug addicts don’t look like they used to.”

 

To be ambitious is OK.  As a matter of fact, most people consider ambition and competiveness to be desirable traits.  Don’t we all feel happier if we perceive that we are reaching our potential?  It’s been said that work should be to adults what play is to children. We should enjoy our work and wish to do well at it. Parents want their kids to achieve and kids want to make their parents happy. If an ambitious and driven kid feels blocked or thwarted she is going to look for a solution.  What a tragedy that too often the solution is medications.

 

In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I write about the incredible benefits of physiological balance.  When the mind-body-spirit is balanced potential is more easily reached.  Understanding the essence of physiological balance and suggestions on reaching this desirable state are offered in our book.  One of the interventions we suggest, and the one I wish to write about today, is the Transcendental Meditation technique.

 

Increased inner control, decreased anxiety, relief from insomnia, improved job performance and increased job satisfaction are only a few of the myriad positive benefits gleaned from practice of the TM technique.  Increased well being and improved grades are also reported after learning this meditative technique. TM is a positive solution for the competitive kid who feels thwarted.  Drugs are not!

 

Millions of people worldwide practice the TM technique but word needs to get out to millions more.  If you know of someone who is using a stimulant to stay up all night and study, someone who doesn’t have A.D.H.D., but who just simply wants to do well——-please tell her to get online and click on TM.org——–do that first and then click on Amazon and order copy of Healing Depression the Mind– Body Way.  Non-drug solutions do exist!

 

As always, Sandra and I wish you perfect health and happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

Meditation: Transcending Darkness

My husband, Bud, and I learned the TM technique in 1984.  We first heard of TM in the 60’s.  A great deal of scientific research was done on the TM technique in the 60’s and 70’s.  Frequently we would notice a news article about the remarkable scientific findings related to the practice of this technique.  We would comment to each other that the research was interesting and didn’t this TM stuff sound great.  We hoped it was helping a lot of people!  We had no interest in learning ourselves until 1984.

In the winter of 1984 a respected friend told us of his experiences with TM.  Our friend encouraged us to learn.  We listened to him, thought his comments were interesting, and promptly forgot the conversation.  Several weeks after this conversation, our friend who lived in LA at the time, called.  He said a conference on TM was going to be held at the Renaissance Center in Detroit. He urged us to attend.  Since our friend was planning to be in town attending the conference we decided to go as well. 

I think our experience of hearing about TM, not doing anything about it, hearing of TM again, and forgetting what we heard is typical. Most of us need to hear of something new a few times or even several times before we embrace it.  It is also human nature to embrace a new idea when we hear it from someone we know and admire rather than from a stranger. I think, too, that the media bombards us with information about a myriad of things we should or can do to improve our well being.  After a time we begin to discount information. 

My husband and I did attend that conference with our friend, and I remember the experience well.  I remember the room where the conference was held, and I remember specific conversations I had with people there.  I believe I remember my thoughts and feelings, experienced that long-ago evening, because I sensed we were learning about something that would dramatically alter the success of our lives.  It was an extremely important event for us. 

At the conference we were impressed by the presentation of a voluminous amount of research on the TM technique.  It seemed that there was no reason to turn our backs on the opportunity to learn.  Our only concerns regarded the time commitment of 20 minutes twice a day, but we gleaned from the speakers the information that we would not be giving up time.  We would be gaining time.  The researchers told us that the practice of the TM technique would help us to be more energetic, to think more clearly, perhaps to sleep less, and to be able to accomplish more not less.  Over the years we have learned that this is true.

Immediately after we learned TM, we realized that this technique was extraordinarily powerful.  We realized immediate effects and we clearly sensed that the benefits would be cumulative.  We realized this but neither of us thought much about it.  We simply meditated. Meditation became a regular part of our lives.  A few months after we began meditating, Bud and I noticed changes in each other.  When we commented on these changes we both realized that we did feel quite different from how we had felt in the past.

The experience of ourselves is what we know. How we feel, how we experience ourselves is our reality.  When the experience of self changes, and changes significantly and permanently, it changes by degrees.  Because we are changing from within, we do not have full realization of the change until it is so profound that it is noticeable to others.

In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I discuss several ways that the TM technique is helps us to change. Transcendental Meditation has the following proven benefits.

1.      Dissolving Deep-Seated Stress

2.     Providing Deep Rest

3.     Alleviating Anxiety

4.     Expanding Awareness

5.     Increasing the Internal Locus of Control

6.     Enhancing Physiological Adaptability

7.     Enhancing Psychological Adaptability

8.     Purification of the Mind

9.     Integration and Personal Growth

Each of these benefits translates into a holistic change in the mind-body.  For instance, when we expand our awareness we acquire a wide-angle lens with which to view life.  Expanding awareness opens the “shutter” in the mind’s eye.  When we have a panoramic view of an event, our understanding is enhanced.  This deeper viewpoint gives us more flexibility in the face of change, allowing the stress of life’s transitions to roll off our backs more easily.  When stresses roll off of us more easily then we are not inclined to be reactive to others.  Our relationships improve and we don’t integrate stress into our physiology.  Our health also improves.  These are profound changes. 

The TM technique has been shown to increase physical, emotional, and psychological resiliency.  What can be better than increased resiliency?  To be able to roll with life’s punches and spring back to action without integrating stress into the physiology is a great gift.

I hope you are not going to be like Bud and me and have to hear about TM over and over before you decide to take the plunge.  Positive research on this technique is still being reported in scientific journals and the technique is available for all interested parties.  GoogleTM.Org to learn more and locate a teacher in your neck of the woods.

Our family is delighted to welcome a new meditator into our fold this week.  Blessings to Ivy, age 13.  She recently decided to learn TM. The TM technique will provide a natural basis for Ivy’s formation of her adult identity.  It will give her increased energy, self-confidence and a general feeling of well-being.  She’ll be able to recognize how people can be identical at their core and yet uniquely different in their personalities. This recognition will help her to have positive relationships throughout her high school experience and beyond.  We believe that practice of the TM technique will help Ivy sail through adolescence unencumbered by the stresses many teen agers experience. She’ll be able to access her internal wisdom, rid herself of stress, and reach her full potential! Bud and I are filled with joy for her!  We hope all of you decide to learn TM too!

As always, Sandra and I send our best wishes for health and happiness,

Nancy

Words: Powerful Vehicles Connecting Us to the World!

Last week we put up a piece by Molly Beauregard.  Molly contributes to a blog titled Tuning the Student Mind.  Check it out!  Tuning the Student Mind offers interesting reading about issues young people are dealing with and their perspectives on life and living.  I remember that many years ago a neighbor of mine, who was much older than I, advised me that as I aged I should stay in touch with the way young people think.  In that way, she said, “You won’t get stuck in old and rigid thought patterns.”  Good advice!  The young can keep us current with changing perspectives.

 

This week we won’t have a guest contributor.  I’m here to write our blog and as always I want to write about a phenomenon that interests me, in the hope that it is also of interest to you.  Today I want to share a few thoughts about speech.  Yes, speech!  I’ve been thinking about speech a lot lately.

 

Speech is the expression of both the heart and mind together.  It is a delicate medium and cannot be forced.  If we stress and strain to make our speech pleasant or powerful we will come across as insincere and will be ineffective. It is our intelligence and purity of heart and mind that makes our speech effective.

 

Whether we talk a lot or have a quiet nature matters not.  Our speech reflects our inner feeling life, shows our values, and is the foundation of relationships.  It is the tool that connects us to the world at large.  With proper speech we can turn an enemy into an ally.  With hostile or angry speech we can lose a loved one or destroy a child’s self esteem.

 

Do you remember the program called Scared Straight?

This was a government program in which ex-convicts or former drug addicts spoke to young people who were either on the fringe of trouble or had been in trouble with the law.  The idea behind the program was that hearing about prison and the problems delinquency leads to would help troubled youth straighten out their lives before it was too late.  There was a good bit of enthusiasm about this program.

 

Several years after its inception a study assessed the success of the Scared Straight program.  Much to the surprise of some and the dismay of others the study revealed that the kids involved in the Scared Straight program had a higher incidence of delinquency than those troubled youth who experienced different types of interventions.

 

The communication theorists were not surprised at this outcome.  You see we reinforce what we speak about.  Negative speech reinforces negativity while positive speech reinforces positive behavior.  The outcome of the Scared Straight program has been used as a strong lesson for parents.  If you want to help your child change in a positive direction encourage her to move in that direction.  Keep your speech positive; delete negativity, and you, as a parent, will be successful in helping your child achieve positive goals.  Of course, don’t overdo—but use the tool of speech to guide and encourage positive behaviors.

 

The story of the Scared Straight program is indicative of the delicacy of speech.  Attitudes, culture, expectations, feelings—-all are conveyed through speech.  Words are similar to hands molding clay and one wrong word can leave an indelible impression.  On the other hand, if heart and mind are connected and mind is clear then proper speech will ensue.  Proper speech will be the foundation for an atmosphere forming a fertile field for the growth of full potential, love, and positivity in all areas.

 

Who doesn’t wish to speak powerfully?  I think we all have this desire.  The Transcendental Meditation technique shaves off the stress we accumulate through daily living.  Through regular practice of TM we naturally and effortlessly increase the unity and purity of heart and mind.  Speaking usefully is an art that belongs to the contented mind and heart.  The TM technique can help us to achieve this contentment, therefore, increasing our effectiveness in the world and our ability to speak pleasantly and powerfully.

 

As always, Sandra and I wish you happiness, perfect health, and effective speech that brings you a meaningful, powerful and supportive connection to the world.

 

Setting Your Sails!

You can’t turn the wind, so turn the sail.

 

Does this African proverb imply that we should “go with the flow”? Going with the flow, a frequently spoken about concept, is not always easy to put into action.

 

Doesn’t each and every one of us wish that one or another thing could be different from how it is?  Perhaps life is grand, but still you wish for a different house, more money, a different job, different co-workers, or that your child or spouse would change in one way or another.

 

Wouldn’t you like to turn your sail to take advantage of the prevailing winds? Don’t you intuitively know that going with the flow is helpful but not always easy to do?  Sandra and I believe that making this shift in thinking requires more than a switch in mind-set.  It requires internal change.

 

In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way we recommend meditation to change the internal world. We all need assistance if we are to go with the flow and maintain our equilibrium in spite of having heavy winds toss us about.  Meditation is the perfect assistance.

 

We all (at least sometimes) make the mistake of thinking that the external world (the wind) needs to change in order for us to be happier or to enjoy life more.  This simply isn’t so.  It is the internal world that is calling for change, and meditation is the most effective technique by which to accomplish internal change. If we meditate we will be better able to set our sails to take advantage of the wind.  The internal strength we secure through meditation will help us to not rail against the prevailing winds but to go with the flow!

 

In spite of all the meditation techniques that are available, we strongly recommend the Transcendental Meditation technique.  We realize that different forms of meditation work for different people, but our primary reason for recommending the TM technique is that it has been rigorously evaluated for efficacy.  In addition, unlike some forms of meditation, the TM technique does not require adherence to any belief system—there is no dogma or philosophy attached to it, and it does not demand any lifestyle changes other than the practice of it.

 

If practiced regularly, the TM technique will inevitably yield positive results.  Research has shown that this technique works no matter what the expectations of the practitioner are.  It’s a bit like holding a tennis ball in your hand and then letting it go—the ball will fall to the ground whether you believe it will or not.  It the same way, the TM technique will affect your physiology whether you expect it to or not.

 

Because the regular practice of the TM technique affects the central nervous system it positively affects every aspect of human performance. Certainly it affects our ability to develop positive traits that disallow the seeding of a depressive mood.  In other words, it helps us to set our sails to take advantage of the wind; to sail on with the flow and not get blown over.

 

A study analyzed the effect of the TM technique on the development of self-actualization.  As defined by this study, self-actualization includes the following qualities:  an open, receptive, and caring attitude; cheerfulness and good humor; a predominance of positive thinking; spontaneity and freshness of appreciation; self-sufficiency; loss of fear of death; and an acceptance of self, nature, and others.

 

Pick up a copy of Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way and read the chapter on meditation to learn more about how the Transcendental Meditation technique can assist you in setting your sails to take advantage of the wind!  There is a fee to learn this technique.  The training to become a teacher of Transcendental Meditation is a six month long residence course.  However, no one is ever sent away and arrangements will be made if you wish to learn.

 

Contact the organization to find a teacher near you.  TM.org

 

We send you our best!

 

 

Negativity and its Destructive Power

 

Illinois State Police stand guard on Michigan Ave., Chicago, during a protest march as a part of this weekend’s NATO summit Sunday. Security has been high throughout the city in preparation for the NATO summit, where delegations from about 60 countries will discuss the war in Afghanistan and European missile defense.

My husband, Bud, and I spent the weekend in Chicago.  This metropolis, on the shore of Lake Michigan is a spectacular city.  We love to spend time there.  The architecture and cultural life delights us with its excellence and variety.

You may have read that this week NATO is convening in Chicago.  A convention of this size and power invites not only worldwide delegates, but also protestors wanting to be heard by the individuals in power.  Thousands of people lined the streets and parks in Chicago.  And, what seemed to us like thousands of police also marked the sidewalks and surrounded the beautiful parks.

In 1968 the violence between police and anti-Vietnam war protesters in the streets and parks of Chicago gave the city a black eye from which it has yet to completely recover.

Let’s all hope that the NATO convention doesn’t trigger the same type of breakout.

In 1968 it was the police, not the protesters who were held primarily responsible for the violence.  This was because of their reactions to a perceived threat.  Certainly the police in 2012 also perceive the protesters as threatening.

We saw police carrying bully clubs in their hands, angry scowls on their faces and we heard them yelling at sign-carrying protesters. These experiences reminded me of the power of negative interactions and how negativity can bring about violence.

We could feel tension in the air and sense a growing anger.  I heard one woman carrying an “end all wars sign” call out to a policeman who was corralling her off the sidewalk, “Why do you treat us like this?  We aren’t mad at you.  We are here for peace.” I’m sure there were some serious troublemakers in the protesting crowd, but the ongoing reactions from the police (that Bud and I observed) seemed over the top.

The Chicago police definitely desire peace and safety.  I’m sure in many ways they have done and are doing a terrific job.  However, if the reactions on the street that we observed are indicative of their general attitudes and behaviors then they will certainly bring about, at the least, some unnecessary skirmishes.

How we react to perceived threats is always pivotal in meeting our goals. I know the policemen’s goal was to insure a peaceful city but I wondered if they were unwittingly sabotaging themselves.  Watching their behavior I was reminded of how well meaning parents often sabotage their goals for their children by becoming oppositional and negative when they perceive a threat to family values.  I was reminded of the skirmishes that often occur between parents and children—-especially parents and teen-agers.

I was also reminded that industrial psychologists believe that one person carrying a negative attitude and exhibiting negative interactions can cause tremendous problems in a total work force.  I was reminded of how easily the human being becomes oppositional when he is threatened.  Unfortunately opposition usually brings about that which we desire to avoid as it increases opposition in the people we are opposing.

In sum:  I was reminded of the power of opposition and negativity when it exists in our personal lives.

My thought processes led me to a mental review of research on the TM technique and how that technique is helpful in creating peace.  Practice of the TM technique has been shown to create increased peace in families, in the work place and in society at large.

Scientific research informs us that negativity and oppositional tendencies are reduced through practice of the TM technique.  Ample research shows that meditating families are, in general, significantly happier than non-meditating families.  Research also shows that meditating families are able to avoid becoming caught up in escalating conflict.  Of course meditators experience stress but their physiologies are able to brush stress off instead of incorporating it into mind and body.

Many companies now suggest and support the practice of the TM technique for their employees.  Research shows that absenteeism, accidents and substance abuse are reduced while efficiency and productivity in these businesses increases.

In addition, at least ten large-scale studies, carefully controlled for all demographic influences known to affect crime, have demonstrated that when one percent of a population practices TM, the crime rate in that city or country drops markedly, as do the suicide and accident rates.  One study found a significant overall drop in crime rate in a sample of forty-eight American cities and reported results in the Journal of Crime and Justice.

There is no doubt that the TM technique helps the individual, the family and society avoid negativity and oppositional tendencies.  It helps us to avoid conflicts and tension and to resolve differences in a peaceable way.

In Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I discuss how the practice of the TM technique helps the individual in a myriad of ways.  In general we focus on the helpfulness of this technique to avoid and to treat depression.  Do you want to know more about the power of this technique?  If so I suggest you click on TM.org and read some of the impressive research that has been done on the effects of this practice.

You don’t need to be a protester in Chicago carrying an anti-war sign to make an impact on society.  Instead you can begin by creating peace within that radiates outward to all around you.  May I suggest that you investigate learning the TM technique?  One does have to pay to learn but no one is ever turned away for lack of funds.  Check it out.  Again—-that website is TM.org—-

As always, Sandra and I wish you perfect health and happiness.  Today we also wish you peace in your relationships, your work place, and in society at large!

Women, Violence and Meditation

On March 31^st The David Lynch Foundation hosted a sold-out conference at New York City’s Air and Space Museum.  CNN anchor Soledad O’Brian was conference chair and the title of the conference was “Women, Violence and Meditation.”

 

The main focus of the conference was the scientific research on the helpfulness of one form of meditation, Transcendental Meditation, for victims of trauma.  The use of the TM technique to heal anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies in persons who have experienced trauma was explored.

 

Dr. Fred Travis, a neuroscientist from the Center for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition explained to the group that traumatic stress creates a veil of fear through which a person experiences the world.  “You are hyper-vigilant, vulnerable, you think people don’t understand you,” said Dr. Travis.  “Because this is what your brain is telling you.”

 

According to neuroscience traumatic experience turns on the amygdala, the non-verbal area of the brain and the seat of the fight or flight response.  To recover Dr. Travis said, “We need an experience that is the opposite of trauma—an experience that is holistic and not fragmented, an experience that is silent and not chaotic.  When a person transcends, moves beyond thought and emotion, during meditation the fear signals from the brain get turned off.”

 

“Why did this happen to me?” is often the biggest question and main source of confusion and pain that a victim of trauma, rape or abuse must live with.  We can’t always explain the reasons for acts of violence, yet through the regular experience of peacefulness gained through meditation we can overcome its effects.

 

Deep within us—beyond the subconscious—is the silent transcendental field of our awareness, which remains untouched by life’s negative impressions. Meditation moves us from the surface busyness of the mind to this field.  It does this in an effortless, natural and easy way.  From the regular practice of this experience arises a power of reassurance that can pervade every fiber of our being, so that we become whole—healed and at peace.

 

Does it Really Work?

 

A handful of controlled studies support the effectiveness of the TM technique in alleviating PTSD.  There has been research ranging from Vietnam War Veterans to soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

According to a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed piece by W. Scott Gould, Deputy Secretary of the Veteran’s Administration, “Transcendental Meditation has received substantial attention at the Department of Veteran Affairs, the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health.”  He says the VA has embarked on a series of clinical investigations into the effectiveness of all forms of meditation.

 

Tara Wise Jones, executive director of the National Women’s Veteran’s Association of America said that Transcendental Meditation saved her life.  “It calmed my mind, helped to restore my nurturing nature, restored my femininity and has helped me to become a better thinker.  Once I learned, I didn’t have to depend on anyone else, it makes me feel good inside mentally and physically.”

 

In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I suggest practice of the TM technique for healing depression.  We give a review of significant research and explain the process of learning. This technique must be learned through a trained teacher.  The fact that such a subtle yet powerful mental technique can be taught at all is amazing, but of course it cannot be learned from a book.

 

TM does work.  It does heal anxiety and depression and we hope that you will look into its benefits.  You can learn more about the TM technique through Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way or online by clicking on tm.org.

 

As always, Sandra and I wish happiness and good health for you!

 

 

Oprah and the TM Technique

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This article, by Oprah, is a lovely testimonial to Transcendental Meditation.  She tells us that the results of her staff practicing TM have been awesome.  Better sleep.  Improved relationships with spouses, children, co-workers.  Some people who once suffered migraines don’t anymore.  Greater productivity and creativity all around.

After reading Oprah’s words did you wonder how and why closing your eyes and practicing the TM technique twice a day has such profound effects?

 

What the Dickens is the TM Technique?

 

TM involves the use of mantras—sounds whose vibratory effects on the nervous system are said to be especially beneficial.  The mantra is not something one uses to focus his or her mind.  The term ‘transcendental’ indicates that in TM the mind transcends even the subtlest impulses of the mantra and other thought.  The key principle behind the mantra is that sounds have an effect on the physiology. The mantra, even repeated silently, produces the sound.

 

But what exactly is this effect?  Why do millions of people practice and benefit from this technique?

 

Scientists have learned that TM produces a completely different pattern of physiological activity than do other forms of meditation. Overall physiological rest and relaxation combine with an enriched blood supply to the brain.  In other words, the physiology acquires deep rest, several times deeper than sleep, and this rest serves to create physical, mental, emotional and psychological health and wellbeing.  As a matter of fact, TM practitioners, as compared to non-meditators of the same age and demographics, go to the hospital 56% less often for illness or surgery.

 

Since the TM technique, which produces a state of restful alertness, has a direct effect on the central nervous system, the benefits are to every aspect of human functioning.  In Chapter 9 of our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I discuss the particular benefits of the TM technique in relation to depression.  These effects are profound.

 

We also discuss the process of learning TM and the training required for one to become a teacher of this technique (a six month residence course).  Certainly we realize that different forms of meditation work for different people, but our primary reason (and, I think, Oprah’s primary reason) for recommending the TM technique is that it has been rigorously evaluated for efficacy.  In addition, unlike some forms of meditation, the TM technique, as mentioned before, doesn’t require adherence to any belief system.

 

If practiced regularly, the TM technique will inevitably yield positive results.  Research has shown that this technique works no matter what the expectations of the practitioner are.  It’s a bit like holding a tennis ball in your hand and then letting it go—the ball will fall to the ground whether you believe it will or not.  In the same way, the TM technique will affect your physiology whether you expect it to or not.

 

Many scientific studies, conducted over a period of several decades, demonstrate that the TM technique yields physiological benefits and that it anchors us and broadens our horizons.  As a result we are healthier and we are able to view life with more depth and breadth.  Meditation is a key agent of vitality!

 

Oprah ends her article telling us that Glinda the Good Witch was right:  “You’ve always had the power.”  Glinda (and Oprah) are right.  You do have the power.  It lies within and is only covered by the stresses of living everyday life.  With deep rest and the practice of a technique helping us to transcend the static of everyday thought, we can access the stillness and dynamism that lies within and reduce the effects of the stress that’s always there.  In this way we tap into our potential, enhance our awareness and live life in a fuller and happier way.

 

Sandra and I thank Oprah for reminding us about the benefits of the TM technique!  And,

as always, we wish you perfect health and happiness!  We send our best to you, hoping you feel your best!

Surviving the Holidays—Emotionally, Physically and Mentally!

The majority of people look forward to the holidays.  They feel excited and hopeful that they will be surrounded by love and good will.  Oftentimes this dream comes true!  But, sometimes people become stirred up by being with the family.  Buttons get pushed and family members become reactive to each other.  Holiday time can be stressful if we allow ourselves to be triggered and reactive to our family members.

Give yourself a talking to while you are preparing the food you will take to your family dinner!  This “conversation” should remind you to focus on your own behavior, your own interactions, and not on the interactions and behaviors of others.  You will digest the emotional experience of being with the family more easily if you keep your attention on yourself.  Be who you want to be within the family and don’t react to triggers from others!  This is how you will protect your emotions and be able to leave the gathering enveloped with that desired feeling of warmth and good will.

There is a lot of food to digest at holiday dinners but remember we also digest experience.  In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I write about digesting experiences.  We recommend the regular practice of Transcendental Meditation to help us with this task.  The TM technique has been shown to remove stresses from the physiology and regular meditators are less reactive to others.  They also recover from all types of stressors more quickly than non-meditators.  Read Chapter 9 in our book to learn more about the amazing benefits of the TM technique.

The mind, body and spirit is one seamless energetic system and no matter where we intervene we affect the totality.  We also suggest you not overeat this holiday season.  If you eat too much you’ll end up feeling sluggish and tired.  After all, your body doesn’t know about holidays—it only knows that suddenly it is expected to process an unusual amount of food. Of course it is going to have trouble with this task and leave you feeling fatigued.

According to Ayurveda (and modern medicine) if we overtax our system and don’t fully digest our food we build up residue.  Is it any wonder that January is the time that depression often announces its presence? Yes, depression happens for a wide variety of reasons, but overeating and overdrinking during the holidays can be one of the variables for the onset of depression.

This holiday season strive to interact with all family members from a grounded state of being.  In the end, the only thing that can deeply bother you is your own behavior—so react from a calm place.  And pace yourself with eating and drinking!  If you follow these prescriptions you’ll have a blessed and joyful holiday!  We wish you the best!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image from http://ticklesandtimeouts.blogspot.com/2010/12/5-ways-to-keep-it-simple-admist-holiday.html

Addiction and Transcendental Meditation

This semester I am teaching a course at the Michigan School of Professional Psychology.  Tomorrow my students and I will discuss addictions.  In preparation I’ve reviewed my knowledge of this topic and compared the viewpoints of traditional psychology with the Ayurvedic perspective.

Experts in Ayurveda would not disagree with mental health professionals regarding the causes of addiction.  At the same time, the Ayurvedic perspective on causes and healing for the addicted person are profoundly deeper than what modern psychology offers.  They are deeper because they address the energetic level, the elemental imbalances and the unique constitution of the addicted person.  There is no-one-size fits all in Ayurveda and the focus is always on the person (and their energetic imbalances) instead of the symptom.

Psychology informs that in the beginning of the addictive process the addict feels power over feelings, others and circumstances but gradually the addiction overpowers the addict.  Over time feelings of fear and shame replace feelings of power.  When fear and shame become overwhelming the addicts’ only defense is to increase the consumption of alcohol or drugs in an effort to retrieve the feeling of power.  The greater the effort the addict makes to have power over the addiction, the more the substance overpowers them.  Ultimately and paradoxically, the addiction renders the addict totally powerless.  Reduced to powerlessness addicts lie to themselves about their need for the addiction and they sustain their lie with more addictive behavior.  It is a classic vicious circle and is often interrupted only after the addict has reached a bottomless pit of despair.

Ayurveda informs that if our lifestyle does not conform to the laws of nature we will accumulate elemental imbalances in our mind-body.  It is human nature to lean toward the imbalance.  Some people will lean toward an addiction in an effort to stabilize.  Of course this is an incorrect attempt but our thoughts, emotions and behaviors reflect our degree of balance or imbalance.  Without intervention the addicted person will continue to use substances, therefore increasing physiological imbalances.  These imbalances will continually affect the addict at the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels of their being.

Are you scratching your head wondering what I mean when I refer to the laws of nature?

We human beings are an aspect of the natural world but we are capable of straying from what nature dictates is the appropriate life style for us.  The sunflower has no choice but to turn its head toward the sun.  In this way it survives and flourishes.  We, on the other hand, possess an intellect that gives us choices.  Unlike the sunflower, we often forget that we are an inherent part of the natural world and are subject to its laws.  We make mistakes in many of our daily choices about food, sleep, exercise and how we use our time.  The mistakes are often made unwittingly; nevertheless, the body is adversely affected. In this way we block our ability to experience happiness and all too often reach for a substance which we erroneously believe will fill the missing gaps.

In other words, cows don’t eat pizza at midnight!  Or no other sentient being messes up their prana or energy flow as humans do!

In addition, everyday life is stressful.  According to Ayurveda we ingest experience as well as food.  If we are subject to upsetting or horrific experiences, and don’t have a tool to help us to regain balance we are vulnerable to reaching for a substance to fill our emotional and mental needs.

Ayurveda agrees with western thought that the causes of addictive behavior are genetic tendencies, a lack of personal power and unhappiness.  At the same time these causes are tied to elemental imbalances in energy flow.  The Ayurvedic belief system leads to treatment options which are profoundly helpful.

Research has shown that in general residential treatment for substance abuse has no greater effect size than out-patient treatment.  Research also shows that AA has been enormously helpful to many substance abusers.  It is helpful because it offers a twelve step program which the addict can effectively utilize and it offers a relationship that nourishes and strengthens the mind and spirit.

AA can be supplemented with the regular practice of Transcendental Meditation or the TM technique can be exceedingly helpful on its own if AA isn’t, for one reason or another, for you.  A meta-analysis of studies on reducing alcohol, nicotine and drug consumption found that the Transcendental Meditation program produced a significantly larger effect on reducing substance use compared to conventional treatments and prevention programs specifically designed for substance abuse.  Moreover, in contrast to the time course of conventional programs, whose early effects tend to decrease precipitously in the first three months following completion of treatment, the time course for the Transcendental Meditation program showed that lower levels or use of abstinence patterns were maintained or increased up to 2 years later (the longest period studies).  Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly. 1994; 11: 11-84.

In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I help you to identify your elemental nature and any possible imbalances.  If you are balanced and healthy then substance abuse will not tempt you.  If you are in the throes of recovery we suggest you pick up a copy of our book and read Chapter 9 Meditation:  Transcending Darkness and learn more about the TM technique.  This technique will be helpful to you no matter where you are on the continuum of health and wellness.

As always, I wish you the best for perfect health and happiness!

Nancy

Is Your Child Having a Successful School Year?

In new shoes and with scrubbed faces the children march off to the first day of school feeling full of anticipation and excitement.  Parents are hopeful that their child will have a successful school year and will be guided by a competent, kind, inspiring teacher.

After a few weeks of school the initial excitement lessens and teacher, parent and child settle in to the reality of what this year will bring.  By mid to late October problems, if there are any, have shown up.

Finding out that your child is not adjusting well to school can be a devastating experience.  Parents often feel in a quandary as to how to handle a difficult situation.  After all they believed they were doing a fine and good job of parenting (and they probably were) before they learned of the problem.  Being faced with a problem triggers feelings of inadequacy and sadness in most parents.

Problems come and go.  No matter how hard we try to avoid problems they will come knocking at our door.  Growing up is a difficult process and helping someone to grow up is every bit as difficult. But, problems can be handled and overcome.  We gain strength through effective dealing with problems.

School problems can range from mild to severe and many helpful solutions exist.  Our children are our greatest national resource and a wide variety of professionals are available to help child and parent. Ayurveda can be a helpful adjunct to any solution that you have implemented.   Whatever Ayurvedic interventions you add to your lifestyle will simply enhance the well-being of you and your child.

Common sense tells you that anxiety will handicap your efforts to help your child. We communicate our state of being through our interactions and if you communicate anxiety your child will become nervous about herself.  This nervousness will only get in the way of success and problem solving. In Chapter 9 of Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I discuss the Transcendental Meditation technique.  According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in 1989 the TM technique reduces anxiety more than twice as much as any other technique (when compared with two decades of stress-related studies).  When only studies with strong research designs were considered, the TM technique was shown to reduce anxiety more than four times as much as all of the other techniques. TM can be a marvelous life aid.  It can help you to alleviate your anxiety, to keep stress at bay and empower you to help your child overcome problems.

Following are a few health related suggestions you can integrate into your life style.  These will enhance your child’s well-being.  Enhancing physical, mental and emotional health will be an asset to whatever solution you are implementing to help your child overcome school problems.

1.  A nightly foot massage is enjoyable and will help your child sleep more soundly.  The massage stimulates marma points for sound sleep, and often helps reduce frequent awakening.  Using sesame oil (www.mapi.org) on the soles of the feet (and on the head if desired) is said to help the development of all the tissues.  It seems to smooth out psychological upsets, like anger or frequent nightmares.  Many parents report that their children become sick less frequently after they institute this practice.
2. Outdoor games and exercise are good for the growing child’s body and mind.  Children should exercise as much as they like.
3. Children need more sleep than adults, of course, but Ayurveda believes that they will derive more benefit from their sleep if they get it earlier at night rather than later in the morning.  Ayurveda recommends a bedtime of 8:30 (or earlier for school-age children.  Many parents keep their children up later partly because the parents’ long work schedules do not allow them to see their children until late at night.  The cost—children who doze through class at school the next day, and whose growth process may be affected by sleep deprivation —is unacceptable.
4. Between meal snacking is normal for children; they often need the extra food, since their bodies are growing rapidly.  They should, however, snack on healthy, balanced foods rather than junk food.  In a natural setting, the sweet tooth, a universal among children, is essentially a craving for sweet fruit, which is of course healthy.  In our unnatural environment cultural influences can start to divert that natural “wisdom of the body” away from healthful and toward unhealthful cravings.  Parents should use common sense in handling this.
5. A routine for meals is important.  The whole family should sit together at the evening meal every day.  If it is at all possible to arrange to eat lunch and breakfast together, this makes a real difference for them, too.  According to Ayurveda, children feel more se cure and happy when they eat with their parents, which means that the food they eat has a healthier effect.    Children should be allowed to eat as much or as little as they want at a meal, rather than either clean the plate or control their appetites.  As long as the food we serve is freshly prepared, wholesome, and delicious, children’s palates are usually trustworthy.  While children should eat what they like, some foods are good staples for most children.  These include:
6. Cow’s milk, which helps nourish all the tissues.  According to Ayuveda the milk should be taken warm and previously boiled.
7. Dried fruits, especially dates, figs, and raisins (best soaked overnight before eating).
8. Nuts, especially almonds, coconut, and walnuts, are good.
9. Puffed cereals, such as puffed rice and wheat.
10. Parents should not rely on these foods only:  children should have a balanced, varied diet, so that they get all the different kinds of nutrients they need.

(The above suggestions were taken from Contemporary Ayurveda:  Medicine and Research in Maharishi Ayur-Veda by Hari Sharma and Christopher Clark)

We know that some of these things take extra time and extra effort and that it isn’t possible to do them all.  But adding any one of these steps incrementally will have a positive effect on your child’s development and ability to be alert and successful in school.  And that will make your job of parenting easier and ultimately more rewarding.”

 

Sandra and I wish you perfect health and happiness. We wish your children success in all their endeavors and hope that this school year inspires each child to grow in wisdom and in mastering school material!