Monthly Archives: March 2014

Cindy informs me that we can begin taking pre-orders for Traci Stein’s fabulous new recording for Creating Positive Change.  MP3’s should be ready by mid-April (maybe sooner) and a packaged hard copy CD will be in the warehouse by the end of the month (or sooner).

This is yet another terrific hypnosis/guided imagery audio from Traci - this one to help people get unstuck from old patterns and ingrained behaviors that maybe once served some purpose, but are no longer so functional.  And who doesn’t need help with that??

I went down to the studio last week, so Bruce Gigax, our awesome sound engineer, at the eponymously named Audio Recording Studios, could play me the finished mix.  It sounded sensational and the content is, not surprisingly, just primo.
 
Traci’s other titles have been hugely popular, so we’ve got no reason to think that this one won’t be flying out of here too.  It has a superb, psychologically sophisticated, emotionally attuned narrative, embedded in Traci’s highly skilled hypnotic technique, and her voice is just wonderful for this kind of immersive listening.   So check out the sound sample, here.

I found a fantastic article recently, written by our friend Dr. Andrew Weil.  And despite the fact it’s not a recent article, I actually found it to be more compelling now than I would have back when it was written.

Dr. Weil, the director of The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, writes extensively about the long-standing debate between fat and carbohydrates, and which is worse for our health.  Since Dr. Ancel Keys in 1970, the physiologist who helped form the US’s dietary guidelines, began this decades-long myth, we have been obsessed with eating ‘low-fat’ or ‘no-fat’ – even the good kinds!

And while Dr. Weil has long been a proponent of anti-inflammatory eating, he specifically explains why carbohydrates, and moreover the processed and sugary types, are considerably more dangerous.  He references a March 2010 meta-study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which found that saturated fats were not implicated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, stroke or coronary vascular disease.  And while a meta-study is more like a ‘big analysis’, as he calls it, this grouping of 21 study results were based on the data taken from 348,000 participants.

Hello. I am a trauma survivor, the kind that is the most seasoned from early life abuse and patterns of self-destructive behavior. Although the acting out ended decades ago, I am truly impressed at how much work it is to heal from this kind of trauma which is related to my sexuality.

I'm writing mainly to say a deep, heartfelt THANK YOU to Belleruth for helping me find genuine relief and therapy through her book and guided imagery for trauma survivors.

I say ‘better late than never’ as it took this long to find what soothes and heals the wounds. I have also found refuge in Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, which is used for war veterans to regulate their breathing and hormone levels related to PTSD.

Question:

Dear Belleruth,

First off, I'd like to offer my thanks to you for helping people all over the country with their emotional/mental troubles and needs. Unfortunately, I suffer from germaphobia accompanied by fear of illness. It’s so bad that I wash my hands constantly, avoid touching things when I’m out in public, and carry sanitizer around in my pocket.  Plus, I don't go out to restaurants anymore, because I fear the people who made the food aren't careful with hygiene and contaminate my food with some kind of bacteria.

This all came about this past April, when I was very ill with a really bad stomach virus. It ended up being a very traumatic event for me, to say in the least... and I haven't been able to move on. I've tried everything I could afford -therapy, holistic medicine, acupuncture, meditation, etc.  I'm tired of living with this constant fear - what do you recommend for someone with my case? Thank you very much. Feel free to post this.

Gary

Investigators from San Diego State University (SDSU) & University of California, San Diego (UCSD), conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effects of randomized, controlled yoga interventions on self-reported fatigue in cancer patients and survivors. The online electronic databases, PubMed and PsycINFO, were used to search for peer-reviewed research articles reporting on randomized, controlled studies.

The main outcome of interest was change in fatigue from pre- to post-intervention. Interventions of any length were included in the analysis. Risk of bias using the format of the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias was also examined across studies.

Ten articles met the inclusion criteria and involved a total of 583 participants who were predominantly female, breast cancer survivors.

According to the calendar, it’s spring here in the Cuyahoga Valley. On Moe Drive, the daffodils are pushing right through the snow, the robins are nesting on our building, defying the elements, and that makes us smile. That’s what spring has in common with guided imagery. They both make us feel good and they sometimes come through for us, even when things look bleak.

For our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s autumn, and we wish you as many lovely, autumn days as we wish everyone in the Northern Hemisphere lovely, spring days. There really will be lovely spring days, and by the time you read this, you might be experiencing one of them. Mother Nature has been anything but predictable this spring.

The great thing about it being spring is that, even though it’s snowing here, people are in a ‘spring’ mood. Like the daffodils and birds, we are not as bothered by the snow as we would be if the calendar didn’t say it was the last full week of March. So, without our knowing exactly how or why, spring makes us feel hopeful and lets us have a sense of the big picture-that nature renews itself and the circle of life goes on.

Dear BR,
I was given your audio for surgery and also for cancer. Following 9 hours of surgery for Stage IV ovarian cancer, I also had 10 months of chemotherapy.  

I listened to the cancer imagery twice a day, every day – once to the guided imagery track and once to the affirmations. I believe this was a critical piece of my healing.

I am now cancer-free and am watching the Bernie Siegel video, Affirmations for Living Beyond Cancer.  I plan to continue my devotional regime, using these titles, as I am confident that this ongoing work on my part will be critical in keeping me cancer-free.  I intend to live a very long, long time.

Thank you for creating these resources.  I’m delighted that they are being used in more and more hospitals and other settings.  

Sincerely,
Karen I.

We got this really interesting question from a woman last week, and it’s something we’ve heard before.  So we thought this would be a good place to post it.  She’s not obsessed with fear of cancer, just wants to know if it might do her some long-term good.  Check it out.

Question:  

Belleruth,
Would it be a good preventative therapy for me to listen daily to your Meditation for Cancer CD?  

Or would I be putting thoughts in my head?

I am not really obsessed at all about it, but at age 60, I would like to heal any start of cancer cells.

My mother had breast cancer, and I've also lost a close friend to cancer, and am close to another who is in remission, so it is on my mind.  

Maddy

Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor investigated the feasibility, appeal, and clinical efficacy of an MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) group intervention, adapted for combat-related posttraumatic stress, or PTSD, as the VA still calls it.
   
Consecutive patients seeking treatment for chronic PTSD at a VA outpatient clinic were enrolled in 8-week MBCT groups, modified for posttraumatic stress (four groups, n = 20) or brief treatment-as-usual (TAU) comparison group interventions (three groups, n = 17).
 
Pre- and post-therapy psychological assessments used the CAPS scale (clinician administered PTSD scale) on all patients.  In addition, the MBCT groups filled out , self-report measures (the PTSD diagnostic scale, PDS, and the posttraumatic cognitions inventory, PTCI).

At this year’s Nutrition and Health Conference in Dallas TX, from May 4th through 7th, you’ll not only learn the most current, evidence-based ideas, practices and advice for healthy eating and food as medicine; you’ll also get to watch master-foodie and integrative health pioneer Andy Weil whip up some of his favorite healthful-yet-savory delights.

You’ll certainly hear some of the most cutting edge thinking and expertise that’s out there.  Andrew Weil, Kathie Swift, Victoria Maizes, Justin Sonnenberg, Fredi Kronenberg, Stephen Rimm, Hillary McLafferty, Randy Horwitz and more experts I can name are speaking, engaged interactive panels, case presentations, demos.  This is wonderful learning in an engaged, exciting, lively atmosphere.  Needless to say, the foodstuffs and collegial company are fabulous.

I’m looking forward to presenting on the impact of guided imagery on diabetes.  

On another happy note, Emmett Miller will be hosting his Spirit In Action retreat  on March 28-30, 2014  at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA.  If you want to learn more, go to our events page and check it out.