News Letter

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Here's a few sample articles in our 1st and 2nd issues:

Multi-modal healing-When body, mind & spirit unite:

A recent article in the Psychotherapy Networker (2004) reported studies suggesting that, "the combination of psychotherapy and massage therapy may be even more potent than either alone." This is profound information that behooves us to pay attention to how we manage our daily stress.

By directing our energy into multiple facets of healing, we are not only using our Intention to bring about change, but also our natural ability to process information and experiences on multiple levels. We all know how stress can often show up in our shoulders; and that counseling can help to reduce stress, and thus shoulder tension. . . Is it such a leap to imagine a massage releasing emotions? Stay tuned!

-Jonathan Anderson

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Living Meditation: A walk beyond the spirals of the mind:

Ever notice that during stressful times you are more likely to fall into 'thought spirals?' These are those self-perpetuating cycles of thought that basically leave you feeling worse than when you began . . . And oddly enough, as painful as they are, you seem drawn to them (i.e. can't shut them up). Examples include: Sitting on the pity pot (feeling sorry for yourself), beating yourself up for mistakes, what if's, borrowing trouble, etc. They just seem to 'spiral' out of control, leaving you feeling empty and annoyed . . . Or worse. Read on for some tools to stop those spirals.

Using the GATE as a guide, begin to pay attention to when you are caught up in a spiral. . . Start by just honestly acknowledging it (genuine awareness). Just see it for what it is, without judging yourself (another spiral). If you do get caught in judging yourself, then as soon as you realize that you are in another spiral, just acknowledge it and pick up where you left off: just noticing.

Next, after you have calmly identified the spiral, INTENTIONALLY shift your focus to the letter 'P,' which now stands for either 'Productive' or 'Pleasant.' Notice which of those words pops up for you first. Then do something (other than nothing) that fits your new focus (either productive or pleasant). When you get distracted, notice it and restart this meditation. If 'productive,' comes up, pick something small that you can accomplish in the short term that will give you a sense of accomplishment. If the word 'Pleasant' comes up for you, then find something (other than nothing) that you can do that is pleasant. Maybe it is getting a massage, perhaps listening to your favorite CD and dancing around the house, or watching the sunset, etc. The important thing is for it to be pleasing for you.

Notice that I have not encouraged you to develop a 100% constant awareness of every emotion you ever feel-that would burn most of us out. Rather, I encourage to you notice the spirals as you happen to . . . certainly challenge yourself to notice them sooner and more often, but do NOT turn this into another task to be done that adds to your stress. When you happen to notice the thought spirals, see them, acknowledge them, then do something on purpose to counteract the spiral (P for pleasant or productive). Because our minds are such amazing gadgets, we are able to actually rewire ourselves to respond to certain mindsets (like thought spirals) in new, more effective ways. Like anything else, this requires practice. The more you practice the shift from spirals to productive/pleasant action, the more your brain 'remembers' to perform the 'new' action rather than staying stuck in the paradoxical non-action 'action' of spirals.

If you find that this is easier said than done, then WELCOME TO HUMANITY, FRIEND! We are all here to support you. So call a friend, a family member, a trusted mentor or guide and ask for help. This can wind up being both a pleasant and productive action. No matter what, do not give up. Try this 'living meditation' for a week, and see if you don't notice a difference!

-Jonathan Anderson

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Existential Anxiety-A dilemma of the universe vs. mud-pies:

Why am I here? What happens when I die? If E really equals mc squared (Einstein's theory of relativity: E=mc2), then do I ever really stop existing? If not, what happens to my thoughts? my consciousness? even my soul? Soul? Do I have one of those? How do I make life matter more? How do I prepare for my own death? How do I make sense of life in terms of death?

Even young children may come up with some existential questions that tie our adult minds in knots. I remember that as a child, I was about 6 or 7, I asked what happened to the me that 'sees' things if I die - would my 'seeing, hearing, feeling' just pop up in somebody else, as their own 'seeing, hearing and feeling? Would my experience of life simply 'turn into' somebody else's experience of life? I was hard pressed to find the answers my innocent mind was asking; but it didn't matter. Mud-pies and dirt clods were much more pressing issues of the day.

It's this childish nature that seems to sometimes understand that paradox . . . it's the playful child (or the child within the adult) who responds to the koan, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" by smacking his/her forehead with one hand, not really caring if she/he gets 'it' right or not.

These are all questions, just a few of many, many, many others that at some point in our lives, we all wind up asking ourselves. The answers are not always very clear, and most often, they differ among individuals, and even change for each person across their lifetime. Taking the time to consider these questions, and becoming more comfortable with NOT always having a final answer, helps the individual to find a sense of peace and clarity that sets the stage for true happiness and peacefulness.

-Jonathan Anderson