Monthly Archives: March 2011
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Posted: March 27, 2011Categories: Ask BelleruthRead more »
Dear BR,
How long do I have to listen to the guided imagery before it starts to work? I’m a chain smoker who is going to start listening to the CD for smoking cessation. Will I feel something immediately or is it cumulative?
Tom
Dear Tom,
I wish I had one neat answer for you, but I don’t. Most likely the answer is yes to both questions - yes, you will feel something different immediately, and yes, the effects are cumulative. It depends on the strength of your addiction and the strength of your wiring for responding to an immersive, right brain technique like guided imagery.
Some people find the Stop Smoking imagery so calming and diverting that they find they can quit and stay that way without too much discomfort. They use little else. The cumulative effects then keep them comfortable and motivated to stay the course until the psychological and physical pulls are under better control. -
Posted: March 27, 2011Read more »
A new, two-year study by Christine Wynd out of the University of Akron demonstrates the power of guided imagery (ours , in fact!) - to double the abstinence rate among people who quit smoking
Nursing Researcher Christine Wynd from the University of Akron’s College of Nursing studied the impact of guided imagery on smoking cessation and long-term abstinence in adult smokers.
Both groups received educational and counseling sessions in their homes. The intervention group was provided with additional instruction in the use of guided imagery and was encouraged to practice this imagery at least once per day with a 20-minute audiotaped exercise for reinforcement (The Health Journeys Stop Smoking audio program). The repeated measures included smoking rates (number of cigarettes per day) that were measured and confirmed through corroborating friends and family.
Wynd used a repeated measures design with 71 smokers who were recruited from a hospital outpatient clinic - 38 in the intervention group, and 33 in the control group. -
Posted: March 27, 2011Categories: Inspiring StoryRead more »
We found this lovely note on our website from a very addicted ex-smoker. As an ex-smoker myself, who found it incredibly difficult to quit but finally did, I was especially gratified to read it. And it speaks well to the point of readiness – most of the time, you need to be ready psychologically and emotionally ready (or scared to death) in order to succeed at this.
“I truly believe the smoking imagery (Stop Smoking) made the difference for me. I have finally quit after years of addiction. I stopped and started, but this tape seemed to build my resolve in a gentle, respectful and non judgmental way, week after week, until finally I was less attracted to smoking and more attracted to health. How wonderful to be free at last from smoking!” -
Posted: March 27, 2011Categories: Update from Health JourneysRead more »
Hello All,
Cindy & Jerry are just back from the Armed Forces Public Health Conference in Hampton, Va. They were surprised at the tremendous interest in smoking cessation imagery, resources and information. If you or someone you know is feeling the need to end this highly addictive and deadly habit, read on.
Just for the record, quitting my 2.5 pack of non-filtered Camels a day (yes, you heard that right) back in 1969 was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m not exaggerating. I was completely addicted and couldn’t imagine how I was going to ever stop. Smoking is the only thing I’ve ever been addicted to. And if I hadn’t been preggers and terrified of miscarrying (again), I’m not sure I ever would have. -
Posted: March 21, 2011Read more »
Dear Belleruth,What do you suggest for a 61 year old woman who can''t part with things - papers, my children''s hand-made baby clothes, my clothes that I think I may use one day, and other stuff. Scrapbooks and genealogy info is close to sacred to me, but it’s the other stuff that clutters my house because I can''t part with anything. I listen to your tapes nightly while in the tub and love them.
Thank you,
Susan
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Posted: March 20, 2011Categories: Update from Health JourneysRead more »
Hello again!Given the fact that the world is in crisis on so many fronts; and watching a tragic, 24 hour news cycle can plunge even the most resilient human into a state of helpless despair, we thought we'd acknowledge this hard truth, send our deepest sympathies and best wishes to those who are suffering, (not to mention a check or two); and then address an issue we all can do something about with immediate, visible results - clutter. We ran this piece once before, and it got a tremendous response. Now we do it again, in hopes it proves even more therapeutic during these tough times.
Here are some great tips to help manage clutter, and reduce stress (from Dr. David Edelberg’s WholeHealth blog). -
Posted: March 17, 2011Read more »
Researchers from the Department of Psychobiology at the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo in Brazil looked at the efficacy of Siddha Samadhi Yoga, a program of meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises). Twenty-two volunteers with anxiety complaints (Median age = 42.8 yr., Standard deviation = 10.3) were assigned to two groups: 14 attended the yoga group, and 8 attended a waiting-list or control group.
Subjects were evaluated before the intervention and 1 month after it on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, Tension Feelings Self-evaluation Scales, and the Well-being Self-evaluation Scales. -
Posted: March 16, 2011Categories: Inspiring StoryRead more »
Fighting clutter? Clear a surface. Check out this video from Gretchen Rubin.
One of the most striking things I've discovered since starting my happiness project is the influence of clutter on mood. For most people, outer order contributes to inner calm; a messy coat closet, for instance, is clearly a very trivial element in life, yet clearing out that messy coat closet gives a disproportionately large happiness boost.
Over and over again, people tell me that they've gotten a huge charge from tackling messy areas. I think it comes from fostering a sense of control, and order, and space, and a feeling of freedom from stuff.
Fighting clutter, though, is a never-ending battle. I'm always looking for little ways to stop its insidious progress through my apartment. I've been trying this resolution, with good results: Clear a surface.
Gretchen Rubin is a writer, whose book, The Happiness Project, is the account of the year she spent test-driving studies and theories about how to be happier. http://www.happiness-project.com/ -
Posted: March 14, 2011Read more »
We got this last week from a man recovering from posttraumatic stress. (His question about boundaries is answered on this week’s Q & A page). The writer says reading Invisible Heroes was like putting together enough pieces of a puzzle to finally see the whole picture of what he’d been dealing with. BR wrote him back that when she was diving into the research data bases and writing that book, she felt the same way. Here’s his email message:
Belleruth Naparstek’s book, Invisible Heroes, has changed my life. I was 57 years old when I read it. Besides finding relief in understanding how my variety of problems were part of this whole, I also appreciate the help for healing I found through this understanding and her CDs.
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Posted: March 14, 2011Read more »
Question:
A man in his late 50’s recovering from posttraumatic stress wrote last week to ask:
Does Belleruth Naparstek provide any information in her books or GI about boundary issues? Her book, Invisible Heroes, has changed my life. I was 57 years old when I read it. Besides finding relief in understanding how my variety of problems were part of this whole, I also appreciate the help for healing I found through this understanding and her CDs.
Since then I learned that I also have problems with boundary issues and that this is also common for people with PTSD. Does Ms. Naparstek have any resources about understanding and dealing with this problem?
Jack
