We all hear people say that happiness is a choice. Yet that isn't always as clear to explain as it sounds.
For me, it doesn't mean to negate reality and not feel the pain life can bring, it actually means the opposite. It means to LIVE my life fully I need to accept and embrace all of the emotions and realities of life AND choose my path, responses and where I wish to put my energy. It means when the car behind me is driving a bit too close, rather than emit more anger by slowing down to control him, holding my own on a speed that works for me regardless of what is behind me. Letting myself breathe and remembering who I want to be rather than living in the reactive space of letting other's actions control my behavior.
Being happy IS a choice, actually, it's consistent choices and with each one we make that lives by our values and hearts, we will be happy.
I wish you joy,
Jenifer
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thought on Responsible Language in Healthcare
When a person goes into a doctor’s office, a shift often occurs. They become a patient. Think of that word for a moment – patient. Funny as that rarely describes the experience. When I ask my clients what happens when they walk into a doctors office, they usually tell me fear comes up and they dread meeting with the doctor for fear that they won’t be heard or will be told something that will scare them. How is that healthcare?
Doctors, healers and all of those who work with others need to realize that their words have power beyond the scope that they should and they need to take responsibility for that power. Let's look at how to speak gently and how to use our words as well as our thoughts and actions for healing and empowerment.
Doctors, healers and all of those who work with others need to realize that their words have power beyond the scope that they should and they need to take responsibility for that power. Let's look at how to speak gently and how to use our words as well as our thoughts and actions for healing and empowerment.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Understanding Trauma
I work with many people who have found themselves in deep states of trauma. I say 'found themselves' because trauma is not something we often see the path to, it's a state of being that is often, in itself, traumatic.
Trauma to the unconscious mind can be many things to many people. One aspect that I see for many is that things just 'don't make sense' or things that used to be nothing seem overwhelming. When someone is in a state of trauma - or post traumatic stress as is commonly referred to today as PSTD - they are not really themselves. They are not making the decisions or speaking or living in the way that is truly themselves. We as healers need to realize this. If someone is in a traumatic state, trying to reason the way out of it isn't usually useful. We need to listen, deeply listen, to where to person is and help them find their way to heal that part that feels so out of control and was pushed too far.
Having had traumatic experiences myself, I know first hand how hard it is to explain the feeling of being that disconnected, that outside of oneself, to someone that doesn't understand it. It can seem hopeless at times, trust me, it's not hopeless. You CAN find your home again and this time, you can learn from the experience and find yourself changed and stronger than before. The key is understanding your boundaries and learning that as we get older, we need to build our inner resources as much as our outer resources. Inner resiliency is extremely important, especially in a world so focused on building fear. Building these states of resiliency is something that can happen over time and big jumps can be made in an instant. Knowing your resources is key. If I'm working with someone with trauma or deep stress states, I know I can use a combination of mind, body and nutrition/homeopathy to help them come back home within. Trauma is not a mind OR body state, it is a mindbody state where the entire being goes into fight or flight. It needs to be treated as such, and the whole person, whole being if you will, needs to be respected and held in a safe space in the process.
I wish you all the space to heal, grow and love.
Enjoy your Friday.
Jenifer
Trauma to the unconscious mind can be many things to many people. One aspect that I see for many is that things just 'don't make sense' or things that used to be nothing seem overwhelming. When someone is in a state of trauma - or post traumatic stress as is commonly referred to today as PSTD - they are not really themselves. They are not making the decisions or speaking or living in the way that is truly themselves. We as healers need to realize this. If someone is in a traumatic state, trying to reason the way out of it isn't usually useful. We need to listen, deeply listen, to where to person is and help them find their way to heal that part that feels so out of control and was pushed too far.
Having had traumatic experiences myself, I know first hand how hard it is to explain the feeling of being that disconnected, that outside of oneself, to someone that doesn't understand it. It can seem hopeless at times, trust me, it's not hopeless. You CAN find your home again and this time, you can learn from the experience and find yourself changed and stronger than before. The key is understanding your boundaries and learning that as we get older, we need to build our inner resources as much as our outer resources. Inner resiliency is extremely important, especially in a world so focused on building fear. Building these states of resiliency is something that can happen over time and big jumps can be made in an instant. Knowing your resources is key. If I'm working with someone with trauma or deep stress states, I know I can use a combination of mind, body and nutrition/homeopathy to help them come back home within. Trauma is not a mind OR body state, it is a mindbody state where the entire being goes into fight or flight. It needs to be treated as such, and the whole person, whole being if you will, needs to be respected and held in a safe space in the process.
I wish you all the space to heal, grow and love.
Enjoy your Friday.
Jenifer
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Colder Weather - Staying Healthy During the Seasons
Brrrrr....It's sure getting colder in PA today. I am not a winter person and this weather reminds me of that. As the seasons change, so do our bodies. Did you know that dehydration rises during the winter months for most people?
While many think that we need more water in the summer, truth is, we actually need just as much if not more in the winter. Dry heat blowing at home, in the car and at work along with the winter chill can cause dehydration so don't forget the water! Also, drinking water alone (ie. not with meals) means it can go directly where it needs to without being mixed with food so it's best to drink water between means instead to get full benefits.
Full benefits of hydrating yourself include - feeling less stressed, mood elevation, enhanced digestion and the energy to play 'chase' with those little ones (ok, maybe that is just me, I do have three adorable nephews with a lot of energy!).
While many think that we need more water in the summer, truth is, we actually need just as much if not more in the winter. Dry heat blowing at home, in the car and at work along with the winter chill can cause dehydration so don't forget the water! Also, drinking water alone (ie. not with meals) means it can go directly where it needs to without being mixed with food so it's best to drink water between means instead to get full benefits.
Full benefits of hydrating yourself include - feeling less stressed, mood elevation, enhanced digestion and the energy to play 'chase' with those little ones (ok, maybe that is just me, I do have three adorable nephews with a lot of energy!).
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Too Much Supplementation
How many of you take supplements? Did you know that you could actually be ingesting too much of a nutrient by taking it every day? When people come to my office with a bag of what they are taking, on average, 70% of the nutrients they are taking they test negative for. That means 70% of what they are taking they either don't need or is causing them harm.
Example: A gentleman came in with arthritic problems and a bag of supplements. One of the supplements was a so called neuro-enhancer. It contained what it termed nutrition for the nervous system. Part of what this nutrition was was an herb called ma huang - better known in the western world as an ephedra derivative (technically, ephedra sinica). I tested him and AS I WAS TESTING HIM, he started having the pain he came in to get help for. He stopped taking it and I gave him a homeopathic to balance his system and walla - no more arthritic problems.
My point is, it's not always that you are missing something, just as often, you need to let something go.
Example: A gentleman came in with arthritic problems and a bag of supplements. One of the supplements was a so called neuro-enhancer. It contained what it termed nutrition for the nervous system. Part of what this nutrition was was an herb called ma huang - better known in the western world as an ephedra derivative (technically, ephedra sinica). I tested him and AS I WAS TESTING HIM, he started having the pain he came in to get help for. He stopped taking it and I gave him a homeopathic to balance his system and walla - no more arthritic problems.
My point is, it's not always that you are missing something, just as often, you need to let something go.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
A favorite quote - Herman Hesse
From the book, Reflections, by Herman Hesse
"Spirit and soul, intellect and feeling are inseparable and interdependent; anyone who overestimates and overcultivates one at the expense of the other, or worse, in conflict with the other, is aiming at the half rather than the whole.
It is amusing to note that the pure intellectual, for all the aptness and acuteness of his judgments, soon grows tiresome. And the lofty enthusiasts of feeling, the poetic specialists of the heart soon grow equally tiresome. A nobel intellect that relies on itself alone and feeling reduced to its own resources both lack a dimension. We see this in daily life and in politics; in art it is still more evident."
"Spirit and soul, intellect and feeling are inseparable and interdependent; anyone who overestimates and overcultivates one at the expense of the other, or worse, in conflict with the other, is aiming at the half rather than the whole.
It is amusing to note that the pure intellectual, for all the aptness and acuteness of his judgments, soon grows tiresome. And the lofty enthusiasts of feeling, the poetic specialists of the heart soon grow equally tiresome. A nobel intellect that relies on itself alone and feeling reduced to its own resources both lack a dimension. We see this in daily life and in politics; in art it is still more evident."
Friday, October 10, 2008
What is good for humans is not always good for animals
We need to realize that what is healthy for us is not always healthy for our animals. Case in point, a 'healthy' sweetener - xylitol - is so toxic for your dog that you might not even get him to the vet before it's too late if he ingests it.
Click here for a full article on the subject.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/
2007-03-18-xylitol-sweetener_N.htm
Let's take care of our animals the way we would our children - recognizing that their bodies don't necessarily process foods like we do and we need to be gentle with them.
Click here for a full article on the subject.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/
2007-03-18-xylitol-sweetener_N.htm
Let's take care of our animals the way we would our children - recognizing that their bodies don't necessarily process foods like we do and we need to be gentle with them.
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