Addiction field is finally embracing holistic treatment

There was a time not long ago when addiction professionals would chuckle upon hearing a colleague talk of providing “holistic” treatment.  Or when a treatment center would provide an hour of yoga for the newly recovering addicts -- mostly to keep them busy while the staff planned the next talk therapy session.

Today, it would appear that some of the most prestigious treatment centers can’t move fast enough to be associated with the term, now that more are seeing how complementary therapies can help improve upon the success of traditional treatment strategies. Later this month, about 1,000 professionals are expected to attend a conference in Las Vegas called “Holistic Treatment: Changing the Way We Look at Recovery—Body, Mind & Spirit.” A state conference, sponsored by the Wisconsion Association on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, is titled "Science, Treatment & Wellness in Collaboration for a Holistic Recovery" and is coming up  May 10-12 in Middletown.

Holistic treatment is here for sufferers of addiction in a bigger way than ever before. And although recovery people have long preached the three-part nature of the bio-psycho-social affliction, most of the focus was still on talk therapy and Twelve-Step meetings.

Now acupuncture, massage, yoga, nutrition and other complementary methods are included in the treatment mix as authentically healing. I want to say a good word for alternatives to talk therapy which are much more inclusive of the whole self -- and include mind-body therapies like psychodrama -- it's been around for a while but now with many new innovations -- plus tapping, Systemic Constellation Work, Somatic Experiencing, EMDR and others.

Foods and delicious recipes that fight cancer

We already know that the quality and selection of food affects our weight, energy and emotional health. Now there is a resurgence in natural care options, including diet, that are available for people with cancer.

I just received these titles from Mercedes Dzindzeleta, a Racine massage therapist and bodyworker who has been researching alternative cancer treatments and adjuncts to cancer treatments. Her discovery of several cookbooks for cancer survivors and patients is worth sharing.

These new cookbooks are attractive and show wholesome and healthy foods of all kinds. I had the opportunity to taste the resuilts of one recipe, a soft-as-a-cloud sponge cake sweetened with maple syrup --  delicious!

The queen of these cookbooks appears to be Rebecca Katz, author of "The Cancer Fighting-Kitchen" and "One Bite At A Time." Both focus on immune-building recipes with easy-to-find ingredients that stimulate appetite and address treatment side-effects including fatigue, nausea, mouth and throat soreness, and low blood counts.

Another new classic is "Foods to Fight Cancer: Essential Foods To Help Prevent Cancer"  by Richard Beliveau.

Ed Tick on the traumatic wounds of war

"The traumatic wounds of war take over the entire consciousness." -- Ed Tick, author of "War and The Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans From Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

Here is a video worth watching:

True stories of the need for the new health care law

One question that I've been asking myself lately:

How can people be  angry about more people recieving health care?

Watch the newspapers, the blogs and the evening news, and we learn that many are not only angry, but violently and extremely angry, about the passage of the new health care bill. In many cases, the anger is focused toward misinfomration -- ideas about what the health care bill does and doesn't do -- that aren't even correct.

As a health professional myself, I have had front row seat for more than 20 years to see people who are denied care for many reasons -- insurance companies who do not cover pre-existing conditions:

Insurance companies who do not think a diagnosis is "serious" enough to merit treatment. People who through no fault of their own lose their jobs and therefore lose their insurance. People who cannot find a full-time job with benefits, no matter how hard they look. People who have amazingly high deductibles of $3,000 or more before any reimbursement is considered. People who are limited to number of psychotherapy sessions they may receive for the year.

I can't share the names and details due to my professional pledge of confidentiality but I can share the story of a close friend whose young adult daughter will be covered by the new law. See the Associated  Press story, 2 Million Eager For Health Care On Parents' Plans.

The new law isn't perfect and there is discussion about the best way to implement it. But it demonstrates progress and inclusion and makes our country healthier.

As the for the extreme reactions, I remember, as a psychotherapist, that the left brain logic is currently on vacation while the right brain fear takes full stage. I pray that the right brain of all those who are panicked can be soothed.

Trauma-informed care is newest trend

I'm gratified to receive lots of positive comments about Saturday's training program for professionals on "Treating & Healing Trauma With Action Methods," which you'll see in my next e-mail newsletter.Watch for more training dates for experiential modalities for addressing trauma.

News of best practices of addressing trauma is rapidly growing, as we understand more about the brain and how it is impacted by traumatic experiences, whether abuse, war or natural catastrophe. Now there are new laws about the importance of current education.

The National Center for Trauma-Informed Care was created in 2005, and it is funded by the Center for Mental Health Services. It assists publicly-funded agencies, programs, and services in making the important cultural shift to a more trauma-informed environment — an environment that is intended to be more supportive, comprehensively integrated, and empowering for trauma survivors.

In addition, the NCTIC has facilitated a Facebook Group called Trauma-Informed to promote dialog about trauma-informed care and to foster the sharing of knowledge and resources through this social marketing network.

When you're riding the roller coaster, you don't think about stupid

Stupid?

That’s what lots of people have been saying when they found out that former Racine mayor Gary Becker purchased a batch of girlish-sized lingerie just two weeks ago.

If he hadn’t purchased the lingerie – or at least hadn’t been recognized and reported for the purchase – he might have walked away with probation at Wednesday’s court sentencing.

However, when the presiding judge found out about the lingerie purchase, he decided to revise his sentence to three years in prison, accompanied by extended post-release supervision. The former mayor was sitting before the judge, charged for his plan to meet and have sex with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl – but who turned out to be an undercover agent setting him up for an Internet sting.

Stupid?

As the judge noted, it’s not a crime to purchase women’s underwear at a department store in the local mall.

However, this man isn’t just any shopper. This is a man who was charged with a serious sex-related crime and had attended an expensive treatment center to address what is most surely a situation of compulsive sexual behavior. Within the context of this scenario, this purchase brings up a number of flags – flags that the judge appropriately noted and then questioned this man’s ability to adequately address and control his behavior.

All addictions – whether they involve alcohol, drugs, compulsive overeating, risk-taking sexual activity, gambling or whatever – are self destructive. The risk-taking behavior typically flares even higher during times of stress, when the rush of terrible excitement overrides the underlying slow-brewing anxiety.

Let’s put it this way: When you’re flying up and down the roller coaster’s steep curves, you don’t think about mowing the back yard, if you remembered to take the garbage out or the amount of the balance in your bank account.

Though we have no way of knowing Becker's exact reason for his choices, here are some general points to consider:

The person doesn’t consciously plan to be self destructive. The person isn’t even typically stupid. But he or she isn't able to manage the extreme pain and inner stress in what we would consider healthy and appropriate ways. In this case, we can imagine that a person would be rightly anxious to walk up the steps of the county court house, walk into a court room and face the judge who would determine the next chapter of a person’s life.

Many, many people who suffer serious addictions and compulsions are able to make significant changes and enjoy lives of peace and productivity with motivation, willingness, humility, support and the right treatment options. And others struggle and flounder. If there is anything good about this unsavory situation, it is the opportunity to learn more about how people use self-destructive behaviors to escape the reality of their inner world and how challenging it is to make changes.

Stupid?

More accurately, a painful and sad situation for all concerned.

A fresh new look at what we're eating on March 2

A special shout out to endorse “Fresh - New Thinking About What We’re Eating,” a movie by Ana Sofia Joanes, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, at the Gifford Elementary School, 8332 Northwestern Ave. (Highway K) Racine. The movie will be followed by a presentation by Will Allen of Milwaukee’s Growing Power who was recently named one of “100 History Makers in the Making.”

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the program is sponsored by Eat Right Racine, a new lively non-profit started by a group of health-oriented mothers who want to encourage everyone to pursue good nutrition. Keep in mind that good nutrition not only nourishes our bodies, it also helps our minds, thoughts and feelings function at their best, giving us good mental health.

Download poster here to share with others.

You are more musical than you think! Sound healing shifts your vibration for the better

We are now learning that sounds -- which are really vibrations that go deep to our core -- can heal or disrupt.

Sound healing is among the newest forms of energy healings, with practitioners creating sounds with Tibetan singing bowls, tuning forks, the voice and and other means. Hope V. Horton and Gabrielle Laden, whose business Sound Accords focuses on the quieting qualities of sound (what may seem like an oxymoron at first read), will teach a workshop, titled Singing Metals, March 19-21 in Madison, Wis.

Here are 10 simple ways to change your energy with sound, excerpted from their larger article on Turning Into the Big Picture with Sound, Vibration and Music.

1. Make spontaneous sounds throughout the day. If something hurts, say "ouch." If something pleases you, laugh out loud. If you have to sneeze, do it as loudly as you can. These kinds of sounds help our bodies to release and re-balance. Stifling them adds to the build-up.

2. Notice the sounds in your environment. What effect do they have on you? What can you do to minimize sounds that make you feel on edge and maximize sounds that nourish you?

3. Use music with more awareness. Notice how you are feeling. Are you stressed? Tired? Irritated? How would you like to be feeling? Choose music that will help promote the desired state.

4. Sing in the shower. Making sounds first thing in the morning can help us to clear out old energy and make space for something new and fresh to enter. Besides, it’s fun!

5. Play an instrument, any instrument. Have you been told that you have no musical talent? Get a drum and play along with your favorite CD. Strike a singing bowl, or a pair of tuning forks. Start to experiment. See what happens to your joy and creativity in life.

6. Be quiet. Spend some time in silence, just listening to yourself. Do you hear your heart beating, your nervous system singing, your stomach gurgling, your breathing moving in and out? How does it feel to just listen to your own sounds?

7. Choose your words carefully. Words are sound, too. Are you creating harmony or discord by what you say and how you say it? Really listen to yourself. Is that what you want to put out? If not, stop and change it.

8. Listen to others. Are there people that you just can’t hear? Relax and experiment with finding the places in you that resonate with them. Be gentle and compassionate with yourself, and them.

9. Get moving to music. Feeling stuck? Then MOVE. Put on some fine, time-tested music. Really listen and start to let the music move you. Notice your own resistance and start to play with it. After a few minutes, you won’t be the same.

10. Hum where it hurts. If you have a pain in your body or are experiencing an uncomfortable emotion, hum into it softly and very gently, with lots of love. Feel the vibrations caused by your own voice. Allow the pain to relax and start flowing again.

No diagnosis, little story -- but rather, what gives person strength

In many cultures -- including many Asian countries -- ancestors are honored and revered. In the United States, we might not even know the names of our grandparents. Feeling disconnected from our ancestors and our larger family system has implications for both our physical and emotional health.

Systemic Constellation Work, an unconventional method of healing which views the family system as an important component of our heath and ability to function in the world, is today's topic at Roots and Legends, 3209 Washington Ave., Racine, as we recognize the passing of our Valentine Day holiday and the start of Chinese New Year.

 

Systemic Constellation Work holds some very different outlooks from traditional mental health concepts. There is no theory. There is no pathology, at least not in the way we think of it according to the psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. There are no diagnoses. There is even not very much story about the event that is encouraged.

What is of great interest is what (1) gives a person strength and (2) what allows love to flow within a family, even when it seems on a conscious level that there is no or little love.

Bert Hellinger, a German psychotherpist and former priest, originated Systemic Constellation Work. He started with the person who is wanting healing to arrange representatives of the self and the other people in the situation within a space in a room without any logic or story. Then he noticed what natural physical movements and words appeared to stimulate feelings of calm in a system or grouping of people where anxiety, threat and/or pain were originally present. These groups of people were not the actual people involved in the issue but representatives of the people, including the client.

"As long as our ancestors are still suffering within us, we cannot be truly happy. If we make a step with awareness...we do this for all the past and future generations. Then all arrive at the same moment we arrive and we all find peace at the same time." -- Thich Nhat Hahn

Through these observations, Hellinger came up with the standards of “orders of love,” which identified the importance of the family soul, which may also be described the energy of the family system, rather than the energy of one person.

Belonging. This is the strongest and has to do with our very survival. We often do whatever we must in order to continue to belong to a group, especially our family, even though it may not be best for us. These struggles to leave or stay within a group are often deeply felt. Our families are one "group" we cannot leave, and balancing the "rules" of our family of origin within our adult lives can be a source of a great deal of difficulty. Hidden and unconscious loyalties often govern our actions more than we realize.

Balancing give and take. When we receive or take from another, we feel a debt and some discomfort. When we give back we feel a freedom and a sense of innocence. If giving and taking are out of balance in some way, then we may feel guilt, and sometimes hiding that guilt, we feel anger or other emotions. This can be very apparent between couples and between parents and children.

Social order and place. That is, following the rules of the social group we belong to, the backbone of communal living. It also includes a sense of having a right place in the groups we belong to. This provides a sense of safety and stability. We know where we belong relative to the other members of our group. When this is not clear in a group a great deal of chaos can arise.

It is in telling the “soul” truth that there is love, even when there is pain, that people are able to feel the relief and find the calm and the peace within what appear to be logical contradictions when thinking or talking about it. A key point is that the truth is not some cookie-cutter kind of parroting of certain “ideas” but the individual truth that resonates deeply for that person and that system.

In the time that I have been acquainted with Constellation work -- starting in about 2001 or 2002 -- and in the past two years wheb I've been s studying advanced work in this method., I've seen great healing with this profound method and have experienced many sessions myself. I have been integrating Constellation into my work for some time. 

A poetry-in-slow-motion video that speaks of love, not fear...

Here's one very cool and low-budget video from the United Kingdom. It's called "Embrace Life," and it's poetry in slow motion, advocating safety and seat belts -- not a very sexy subject -- but a necessary one. And it reminds us of love, rather than fear, which is always a good thing when we're encouraging change. Enjoy.

Investing in love? Tips on relationships from Ben Stein, love expert

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought you'd like some thoughts on love and relationships from that great relationship expert -- Ben Stein.

(Huh?)

Yes, that Ben Stein, economist, attorney, writer, former television show host and sometime character actor on the classic "Ferris Buller's Day Off."

Stein cleverly offers a number of concepts of love based on economics in a recent New York Times article. Although I wouldn't use exactly the same words,  here are his tips:

The returns in love situations are proportional to the amount of time and devotion invested. The amount of love you get from an investment in love is correlated, if only roughly, to the amount of yourself you invest in the relationship.

High-quality bonds consistently yield more return than junk, and so it is with high-quality love. Stay with high-quality human beings. Once you find you that are in a junk relationship, sell immediately. Junk situations can look appealing and seductive, but junk is junk.

Research pays off. An appealing and seductive exterior can hide the most danger and chance of loss. For most of us, diversification in love, at least beyond a very small number, is impossible, so it’s necessary to do a lot of research on the choice you make.

In every long-term romantic situation, returns are greater when there is a monopoly. If you have to share your love with others, if you have to compete even after a brief while with others, forget the whole thing.

The returns on your investment should at least equal the cost of the investment. If you are getting less back than you put in over a considerable period of time, back off.

Long-term investment pays off. The impatient day player will fare poorly without inside information or market-controlling power. To coin a phrase: Fall in love in haste, repent at leisure.

Realistic expectations are everything. If you have unrealistic expectations, they will rarely be met. If you think that you can go from nowhere to having someone wonderful in love with you, you are probably wrong.

When you have a winner, stick with your winner. Whether in love or in the stock market, winners are to be prized.

Have a dog or many dogs or cats in your life. These are your anchors to windward and your unfailing source of love.

Read the complete article here.

Top health 7 trends for 2010

This is the time of year when everyone's making lists, including what to watch got in 2010. Here's my list of top health trends in 2010 -- the tiny trends.

I call them "tiny" trends because I'm not privy to the newest  medications, surgeries or health procedures that razzle and dazzle, but I do listen and observe the people in my world. These tiny trends relate to simple but important issues that touch our daily lives, whether or not we are admitted to a hospital, suffering a serious illness or taking medication.

Here goes:

There will be skyrocketing interest in stopping nicotine use. With costs up to $80 a carton – and sometimes more – smokers have already been taking a look at stopping. Now that Wisconsin law says that smoking in all restaurants must end in July 2010, there certainly will be even more attention to nicotine use, and its harmful effects and a variety of methods to stop.

We can expect greater focus and greater penalties on drunken driving in the state. That will mean that these stiff penalities will bring greater attention to and discussion about alcoholism and people who just can't stop drinking. Of particular interest will be alcoholism among people who are highly functioning, rather than focusing on the classic image of the skid row drunk.

The ever-growing interest in alternative health continues. More people are checking out acupuncture, yoga, herbal treatments, massage, tai chi, qigong, Reiki and other alternatives for everything from infertility to  chronic pain to nicotine use (yes, see above!) to  keeping their immune systems strong and healthy. People will also be willing to investigate various counseling alternatives beyond the traditional cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and psychiatric medication.

People will talk about and trade their favorite home remedies in person, in the press and online. Thanks to newspaper columnist Dr. James Gott, Joe and Teresa Graddon of The People's  Pharmacy, who recommends mentholated oinment for nail fungus, and the sad state of our health insurance coverage, more people are experimenting with old-fashioned home remedies. Of course, not all remedies are good – some really are old wives’ tales. Check on Snopes, a great place to separate the truth from the rumors and urban legends.

Gardening and grow your own will grow bigger, so you'll want to take a look at the gardening catalog this winter. Home gardening is not only thrifty and convenient, it is also generally organic because you can generally avoid pesticides and herbicides in favor of simple solutions like fencing, scarecrows and combination planting. Even if you're just planting a couple of pots of herbs on your back porch, you'll have herbs for stews, salads and teas.

More interest and recognition of autism is coming. Wisconsin’s 2010 budget includes a new mandate requiring insurance companies to cover the provision of services for treatment of autism disorder. Licensed clinical social workers, certified independent social workers and certified advanced practice social workers are among a number of qualified providers who can provide this service under supervision.

Learning about health will become entertainment. Doctors like Dr. Mehmet Oz and others are showing that health information can be engaging and interesting. With big screen graphics, health challenges and lots of permission to ask questions from viewers, he actually makes learning fun. Better yet, he's a Western M.D. that gives attention to complementary and alternative medical care and regularly recognizes the value of psychotherapy.

Proud to have a certificate in Systemic Constellation Work

I'm proud to annouce that I received a certificate following a one-year advanced training course in Systemic Constellation Work with Heinz Stark (with me, below) on Dec. 21. The training was offered by the Hellinger Institute of D.C.,  with the Orders of Life Association and the Stark Institute for Systemic Integrative Therapy.

Heinz, one of the world's leading trainers in Systemic Constellation Work, is the founder of Stark Institute, Germany. In addition, a second certificate recognizes completion of Jichu Gong of the Biyun Method of Medical Qigong. Learn more about the Hellinger Center of D.C. here.

Dan Booth Cohen explains Constellation healing as a tribute to our ancestors

Dan Booth Cohen,  Ph.D., talks about the new approach of Systemic Constellation Work in this interview with Patricia Ruskin’s “Positive Living” show on VoiceAmerica.

During the wide-ranging interview, he talks about how Constellation work can heal and restore what is in the past. Further, he gives examples about how relationships become strained because of what is missing in the ancestral background of one person’s life – creating loneliness and disconnection.

He also talks about alcohol as a pain killer and and how there is increasing physical and scientific evidence is now showing that  the effects of traumatic experiences are passed on from one generation to another. So he may ask: "Is the problem older than you are?"

His recent book, “I Carry Your Heart In My Heart,” is filled with the stories of his experiences leading monthly Systemic Family Constellation circles with life prisoners in a Massachusetts prison for five years. It also describes Family Constellations’ roots and philosophy which is based on the observations of Bert Hellinger, a German psychotherapist who is considered one of the most innovative and profound thinkers in the past 25 years.

We can carry the pain of our ancestors in our hearts and we can release the pain to find joy. "Anyone can be in prison and anyone can find freedom," he has discovered.

Cohen, who is based in New England, offers workshops throughout the United States and has a wealth of experience in the art of peace-making and creative problem solving. He has had a diverse career as a business owner, corporate executive, author, peace activist and counselor over the past 30 years. Dan was the co-founder of Pequod Associates, Inc., a founding member of the City of Cambridge Peace Commission and the co-director of the Boston Children of War Program.

Will 2010 be lucky for you?

Believe it or not, a lot of luck is up to you.

Richard Wiseman, a British psychologist, has studied why some people are lucky and others are not. He found four main traits that lucky people have that help them to be “lucky”:

They create, notice, and act upon chance opportunities that come up.

They make good decisions using a combination of intuition and logic.

They have positive thoughts about the future.

They don’t let “bad” luck get them down – they find a way to turn it into good fortune.

Take the idea of seemingly chance opportunities. Lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities, whereas unlucky people don't.

Wiseman created a simple experiment to learn more. He gathered a group of people and gave each of them a newspaper, requesting they look through it and report how many photographs were inside.

He had secretly placed a large message in the newspaper saying: "Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win £250" – a very nice prize of about $400 in U.S. currency.

The unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it.

It seems that unlucky people are generally more anxious than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected. As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else.

They are the kind of people who go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and miss other types of jobs.

Wiseman asked a group of volunteers to spend a month carrying out exercises designed to help them think and behave like a lucky person. They were expected to spot chance opportunities, listen to their intuition, expect to be lucky, and be more resilient to bad luck.

One month later, the volunteers described what had happened. The results were dramatic: 80 percent of people were now happier, more satisfied with their lives and, perhaps most important of all, luckier.

Perhaps this is the year that you’ll be open to new experiences, rather than stuck in rigid thoughts and a strict routine. When anxious people notice something new – if they notice it at all – they want no part of it. Lucky people are comfortable enough to check out new opportunities and are willing to take risks.

Here's an opportunity: you may download Wiseman's e-book on The Luck Factor.

I am beginning a luck diary for 2010—how about you?

Proud to collect and bless 175 gift bags for the needy and forgotten

Thanks to the generosity of many, many people, we have had the opportunity to package and bless 175 gift "stockings" for the forgotten, poor and needy for Christmas.

Yes, 175! Most packages were delivered  to the Women's Resource Center, Bethany Apartments, SAFE Haven, SAFE Passage and HALO on Monday, with the last of the stockings going to Southern Oaks Girls School and Focus On Community tomorrow. Any late-arriving donations will be delivered to HALO, the local homeless shelter, which we understand is bulging at this very moment with 66 men and 57 women and children.

Here's a picture of most of the group who put it all together at Lake House Health & Learning Center on Saturday, adding their blessings of love, strength, health, protection, friendship, prosperity and more:

Donations came from members and friends of the Olympia Brown Unitarian Univeralist Church, the CNH Campus Connection, Lake House Health & Learning Center and many generous community members who read about our project in the Racine Journal Times.

We are also pleased to have collected more than 60 pounds of food to the Racine Food Bank, collected during the recent Lake House presentation of “Practical Application of Spiritual Principles -- Making The Universal Laws Work in Everyday Life” on Dec. 1.

We'll continue to collect food for the Racine Food Bank until Dec. 23. Please call (262) 633-2645 before dropping off donations.

Blessing Of The Gifts blesses everyone for the holidays

Every year for the past eight years, I’ve joined friends, church members, colleagues and others who have participated in a program that we call Blessing Of The Gifts.

Like many other organizations in our community, we collect various simple gifts for the forgotten, poor and needy in our community.

There’s more. After the donations are sorted and packaged, we mound them in the center of the room in a great big pile and give the packages our blessing – all the goodness and love and strength that we can muster.

The gifts, after all, are only a token. It is the love that we send that’s important. At this time of year, we all want to feel as if we have something valuable to give and can make a difference in our world. When we do, it feels good.

This idea – that charity has wellness benefits – is beginning to be documented. A recent Canadian study found said spending as little as $5 on others helped change mood and feelings about self. For instance, staff who got bonuses and spent some of the extra money on others were happier than those who spent their bonuses on themselves, the research found.

The gifts will be sorted, packaged and blessed at a special program from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 5, at Lake House Health & Learning Center, 932 Lake Ave. All are welcome to participate; please bring donation for the project or a donation of non-perishable food for the Racine Food Bank, if you are able. (The picture is a sample of just a few of the gifts that have been donated, with one bow-decorated "stocking.")

Co-creators of this project include members for the Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, corporate people at CNH Campus Connection, clients and visitors to Lake House Health & Learning Center and friends, family and neighbors. I’ve been told by several people that this annual event – we are now in our eighth year – has become a meaningful part of their holiday.

When each donation bag and box arrives, it feels like a mini-Christmas. I open the bags and find treasures. I am sure that I get as much excitement from opening the donations as the recipients do.

If you’d like to contribute, or start your own project, these are the kinds of gifts we accept:

Toiletries, hotel and regular sizes

Cards, stationery, stamps

Journals and calendars

Bookmarks

Socks, slippers and scarves

Journals

Small gifts

Plastic net bags

Yarn

The gifts are packaged in recycled plastic net bags -- the kind that are used for citrus fruits and onions -- that are used as "stockings" and distributed to the Southern Oaks Girls School, HALO, Women's Resource Center, Bethany Apartments, Focus On Community, SAFE Passage and SAFE Haven before Christmas.

Spiritual ideas, real life, gratitude and other universal laws

Markus Kasunich, a spiritual healer from Laguna Hills, Calif., visited Lake House Health & Learning Center on Tuesday to speak about his personal spiritual journey and spiritual ideas and their applications to everyday life.

The title of the presentation of this kindred spirit who was the topic of  a previous blog: “Practical Application of Spiritual Principles -- Making The Universal Laws Work in Everyday Life.”

Kasunich’s story is compelling. He grew up in Canada and suffered abuse as a young person. He tried to numb his feelings with drugs and alcohol and later became a seeker of learning and personal understanding, first at a three-year college of alternative health in Montreal, Quebec, where he learned energy healing and other approaches.

He became disillusioned with some of the so-called “new age” trappings that he found in many people and places and ventured alone into the deep forests in the wilds of rural Canada – where he quipped that American draft dodgers still live – to find his purpose in life.

Getting very physically ill after several months, he returned to civilianization to quickly stumble across the name of a master teacher at an ashram in California.

Though the past 10 years he has studied and learned from a number of teachers of mind, body and spirit approaches, including Reiki, cranialsacral therapy, pressure point therapy and energy work, among others. He spoke of one teacher whom he desperately wanted to study with; the teacher said he would take Kasunich a learner only if he agreed first to take baths every day for three weeks.

Kasunich didn’t understand, or even like, the assignment, but he gamely gave it a try. The first day he sat grumpily in the bathtub, watching the clock. On the next day, he decided to make the experience more interesting, adding a sprinkling of bath salts. Next time, he put on music he enjoyed and relaxed and listened. On another day, he added candles, slowly realizing that the teacher’s lesson focused on the importance of caring for and nurturing the self.

During Tuesday night’s informal presentation at Lake House, participants asked his views about after-death experiences, reincarnation and other spiritual questions that have been debated for centuries.

Kasunich asked instead, “What do you think?” and “What do you believe?” Rather than handing over a line of dogma, he encouraged each person present to walk on his or her own spiritual path and discover what is “right” for them.

Here’s quick snapshot of his gifts to the group:

Gratitude is a powerful prayer in itself.

Be grateful for misfortunes in life – the illness that you have, the spouse who left, the fender-bender car accident – as all carry important life lessons.

Identify the “fear filters” that keep you stuck and paralyzed.

Practice self care. Keep in mind that “self care” means self-nurturing and is different than “self-indulging.”

Study with and learn from many teachers – not just one – each may have a different way of communicating important ideals in a way that you can hear and integrate.

Energizing ideas as the days get darker and winter is coming

Yes, you can become more energetic without caffeine and sugar. As the days grow shorter, our bodies may feel sluggish. It may feel difficult to wake up in the dark mornings, for instance, or you may feel tired after added responsibilities of holiday preparation.

Here are ideas that you may wish to try:

1. Yoga and especially the classic yogic breathing activity called, “The Breath of Fire,” which involves very fast breathing in and out of the nose – pant like a dog, some say. You can observe a teaching demonstration of this technique on YouTube.

2. Eating foods that are whole foods, rather than processed foods, including quality protein to keep your body well nourished. Just regular portions of protein -- about the size of a deck of cards for meat, or a handful of nuts, or just an ounce or two of cheese -- will keep your brain alive, alert and active.

3. Therapeutic-grade essential oils can give you a lift – a number of oils are especially energizing to the brain, including basil, rosemary, orange, peppermint, lemon.

4. Practice qigong, an Asian exercise that is similar to – but much easier – than tai chi. Qigong's very simple exercises will reorient your body's energy; it's especially good to practice in the morning to begin your day. Tai chi is also very good for balancing and giving energy so make sure that you give it a try if you're interested.

5. Reduce use of computer, especially at night before bedtime. You'll sleep better.

6. CD guided meditations and imageries, or imageries on your own. When I’m not creating my own imageries for my clients, I suggest the wonderful CDs from Health Journeys.

7. Bioenergetic exercises, which are body exercises that are often amazingly simple and easy. One exercise, simply stamping your feet (left, right, left, right), can reduce anger, lift mood and give energy.

8. Rest. There's no substitute.

9. Drink water. When plants don’t get enough water, they wilt. You will feel like wilting too, when you don’t give your body enough H2O. And drink water, not tea, soda, so-called “energy drinks” or alcohol.

10. Spend time with people you like, people who are positive, caring, fun and supportive.

How various professions use role play, sometimes by other names

Sometimes people think they know a lot about role play. Sometimes people question the value of role play. However, role play -- a relative of improvised theatre which has its roots in the method known as psychodrama -- is everywhere.

Not everybody who does role play has received actual training in the technique, and thereby is the problem. But there are groups that value and use role play in their work and standardize its use.

You'll find mentions of role play in various disciplines, although it sometimes goes by other names in its documentation.

There is a group called the Association of Standardized Patient Examiners, for example. The group trains using role play, otherwise known as simulations, helping nurses, doctors and others improve their skills. Some firms train attorneys using simulations -- Trial Lawyers College is a leader in this work in the legal profession-- and the U.S. military could not function without it.

Gregory Ford, a well-known psychodramatist in Washington, D.C., offers these resources:

Here's an example of exploration of the use of role play in training in the medical profession.

For a history of the Standardized Patients methodology, you'lll find information here.

The organization that governs the licensing of people who teach using simulation in the medical profession is here.

Researchers who are interested in doing more research on the efficacy of role play might look under the specific discipline area in which which the training is to take place and then look under training and then look under simulations or role play.