Dear Walt,
Thanks to your suggestions given under the "Nick's tic disorder" posts of approximately a month ago, my son has improved dramatically and noticeably to everyone who knows him. By far, the nutritional supplements you recommended (predigested amino acid complex, Juice Plus--which I find an analog of in the health food store sold as "Ultra Juice", and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids), concurrent with a course of Rolfing and craniosacral therapy by a brilliant practitioner adept in both modalities have helped him the most. As an aside, I've started taking the same supplements out of curiosity over inherited genetic tendencies, and find that they're helping me too.
Another extraordinary resource I found, and which I feel should be required reading for every pediatric neurologist and pediatrician, is a journal called "Latitudes." It is specifically designed to review and discuss alternative therapies of all kinds for children with Tourette's syndrome, nonspecific tic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention hyperactivity deficit disorder, among other things. The latest issue includes an interview with Abram Hoffer, MD, PhD, just to demonstrate the quality of information to be found in it. "Latitudes" has a web site at http://www.latitudes.org, email is acn@latitudes.org, phone number is (561)798-0472, and snail mail info is Latitudes, 1128 Royal Palm Beach Blvd. #283, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33431. The editor is Sheila Rogers. The advisory board includes luminaries such as Crook, Hoffer, Mandell, Philpott, Rimland, and Upledger, among numerous others. I'm not advertising. I have simply found this to be an invaluable and supportive resource, and want to pass on the information to others needing the same. A rhetorical question, but why is it that so much extraordinary medical information originates in Florida? A metaphysical mystery to be pondered...
Namaste', friend, mentor and teacher!
Kyra
In Reply to: Tic disorders and a related information resource posted by Kyra on July 01, 1998 at 15:11:30:
Thanks, Kyra!
It is this sort of testimonial that convinces more people to learn than ANYTHING I can say!
It is a real crime that this is not public knowledge: Safe, very effective, relatively inexpensive and addresses things that conventional medicine doesn't have a clue about!
Hoffer, IS one of the true geniuses in the field!
So far as Florida is concerned, that is an interesting observation. Perhaps is is that as some of us get older, we get wiser (grin). Lots of people move to Florida to retire?
I hope everyone goes to your resources!!! The reason the last 25% of my book is resources is that people need to be exposed to genuis like Hoffer, Passwater, Fredericks, Pauling, Selye, Pelletier, Joy, Shauss, etc. It is not that these things don't work, it is that they work so well that the AMA is terribly threatened by the "competition". Because of that threat, there is enough disinformation put out that people don't know enough to try these approaches.
Namaste` Walt
Dear Walt and Everyone:
First of all have a great vacation!!I peruse many boards and find yours very open, supportive, practical, AND often cutting to the quick. Your response to my recent post was wonderful in humor.
Onward. Talk about letting go. I've struggled with LEAKY GUT and all all of its wonderful "training" symptoms so long that I lose perspective.
Meditation gives it back.
For example, I might hear about a new supplement, or cutting edge treatment and the wonderful successes a person has had. While I'm happy for the other person I continue to remind myself of all the money I spent paying others to tell me their truths when in the end I seldom felt better. Then I discover meditation in a new way than I ever knew it before and begin to have that feeling that I actually can heal myself. The tool has been here all along! I feel like a kid with a new toy but not one I can hold. Rather, a "toy" I used to create with my mind. Creative play.
Its not only self-healing, though, its learning about spiritual aspects of myself, trusting myself, going down a road only I can create...without necessarily a bottle of something to take. Its new stuff and for me (I believe) the antithesis of what brought illness upon me.
It isn't easy (but getting more so now) to always find the time and the right place to meditate. And often my head is spinning with thoughts, or that someone(my 9 year old) will interrupt, or that I've wasted 20-30 minutes and didn't even get to the elusive alpha. Yet as I practice I begin more and more to revel in my self-care and increase in the confidence that I am healing my LIFE not only biological body. Time becomes a different dimension with meditation, one I never or seldom allowed into my life. Only money, consultations, and more appointment times to fill with clients.
This leaky gut of mine has led me to the right place. And its a great place to be. I'm still a novice of course, and still sick, and maybe thats why I write this. But its ok.
Its strange to be physically ill and to not feel ill mentally. Its great to feel totally alive and yet be limited in what my body can do for now. Its a wonderful gift to see life from a different perspective and have a chance to experience all that it offers without being able to fully participate physically. I love the irony.
I'll keep on dropping by, if you don't mind, and keep you active on the process.
Anyway
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;Be honest anyway.
What you spend years building, someone may try to destroy overnight;Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them, anyway.
Sam
In Reply to: " journal entry"...blazing new trails posted by Sam on July 02, 1998 at 19:34:12:
Thanks, Sam, for your wonderful note.
I hope everyone with unresolved problems will read it. You are describing the place where everyone, beginning to succeed in the resolution of any chronic condition, has to get to be sure to be on the healing path.
I also take your last section to heart! Sometimes I get so weary trying to offer people help that I KNOW will work, if they will just learn about it, that I just have had enough. When someone accuses me of just being in it for the money, I can become irrational. Thanks for bringing me back!
I hope you will continue to help us stay on the "path".
Namaste` Walt
I am so excited about what I have just discovered and am dying to tell someone. Unfortunately, I'm surrounded by people who don't give a squat about their health and tend to get irritated with my preoccupation with it. It's lonely trying to get healthy.
Just in the last month or so I've been reading about skilled relaxation, alpha/theta, etc. So I've been working on meditating and when I do so I sometimes fall into this state that seems to be between sleep and awake and I get hit with this strange feeling. It feels like I'm being lifted out of my own body and I get a tingling rush and I sometimes get jolted out of it and can't quite get back in. When I get thrown out of it, it's kind of shocking and my heart races a little. Well, of course, I've been wondering if that feeling means you're in the alpha/theta stage. I've just been reading thru the Stress Management archives and came across someone else describing the exact same feeling while meditating -- which answered my question.
The thing is, this is not the first time I've experienced this feeling. 2-3 years ago (before I knew anything about all this stuff) I would be laying on the couch with the TV on and sometimes I'd fall into that between sleep and awake state and I would get that feeling I described above. But, like I once read Dr. Stoll describe, I would also DREAM! I was having very vivid dreams while I was still awake. It was the wildest thing! I had no idea what this was at the time. I didn't know I was unloading my hypothalamus.
Here's the thing I really want to share. 16 months ago I ended up with ulcerative colitis. I only knew of conventional medicine at that time, but still, I did not really believe that this could not be "cured." I felt this condition had a lot to do with my head. I didn't know anything about alternative medicine, but I immediately started visualization. (I always remembered visualization from high school. I was a swimmer and it was one of the techniques we used.) I also did a little praying.
Every day I got comfortable on my bed, closed my eyes, and concentrated on a healthy colon. Again, I would fall into that weird state and get that feeling I described above. At the same time, my dr. had put me on minimum drug treatment (cuz I was pregnant) and he was shocked at my progress. He classified my disease moderate to severe, but within a week I was completely turned around. I had lost 10 pounds, but immediately gained it back, plus extra, and was having normal BMs. Even my OB/Gyn was surprised. I would update my GI and all he could say was ... Really?? Really??
I am now convinced that I did so well because of the visualization which, unbeknownst to even myself, got me to the alpha/theta stage. Unfortunately, I didn't know the tremendous value of what I was doing at that time and I didn't continue. A few weeks after I delivered my baby and I had not been visualizing anymore, I started having problems with the colitis. Of course, my doctor figured that my initial success with his drug therapy had something to do with the state of pregnancy.
I know this is lengthy, but it's for people who might be struggling with or doubting skilled relaxation.
Peggy
In Reply to: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Peggy on July 27, 1998 at 03:49:41:
Peggy,
Thank you so much for sharing this. It helps to have people share their experienences as it gives credibility to what I do (teach stress awareness and skilled relaxation).
You are very fortunate to have these experiences! But, I believe there are people who reach the alpa/thata state without an out of body experience or any vivid visualization. I always encourage them that what they are doing is of great benefit to their body in negating the effects of acummulated stress. Some of those people are reading this now any are very envious of you! What do you think, Walt?
Keep up the good work, Peggy, and remember to practice EVERY day.
Namaste` Linda
In Reply to: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Peggy on July 27, 1998 at 03:49:41:
Dear Peggy,
Thanks for posting this. I also had that inbetween state of sleep and full wakefullness and wondered if this was the state we should strive for. I had this a few days ago after practicing the techniques for a few months.
I asked my biofeedback therapist about the experiences I was having. He told me this was very good and a sign that I was in the good theta states. He said it is very healing.
I found some music tapes that are by Steve Halpearn. My biofeedback therapist highly recommened them and said that Dr. Halpearn is a musician and has studied what tones help stimulate the alpha/theta rythms in the mind.
I listened to one of these tapes and tried to just 'let go'. This is what my therapist told me to do for it worked well in our sessions. So when I was meditating I thought of letting go of all kinds of thoughts, negative emotions and stress all through my body. I visualized this. Sort of what Peggy was doing.
Then I felt this vibration all through my body. My whole body was vibrating. My therapist said this is very good and very healing. He said the rythm is similar to the rythms of elements in the universe. (I was out the door so I did not hear if they were stars or whatever) but he said this is some rythm in the universe that astronomers have found -- again very healing he said.
Then I told him that I sometimes feel like my body is so relaxed that I can't move it very easily. I feel a little paralyzed for a while. He told me this again was very healing and that there was DEEP muscle relaxation in this state.
I also have the 'lightness' feeling. My body feels very light.
When I told him of the inbetween state of wakefulness and sleep he said this was very good too and that this happens when you are in the optimum theta state.
He did tell me that many people get so excited about it that they slip out of the state but with time and practice it gets easier.
He did mention that you can have an out of body experience but I do NOT one of those. I guess if it happens I will just think of slipping back inside. My son had one when he was 7 years old and told me he was not afraid. He said he felt very relaxed. He was very sick at the time.
Now I understand why Dr. Stoll calls it SKILLED relaxation because it is definitely a skill that one must practice and you get better at it the more you practice.
I found some wonderful cds at the books/music store for relaxation that have these tones which are supposed to assist you to reach states of relaxation. They help me but as Dr. Stoll says they may not work for everyone.
Thanks for sharing, Peggy and Linda. I am happy to hear that you healed and I hope the best for you and your child.
Peggy, I have never had the wakeful dreaming as you have had. That sounds fascinating.
peace and love,
pamela
In Reply to: Re: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Linda Hynds on July 27, 1998 at 15:14:09:
Hi, Linda,
I agree with everything you are saying here. Pam & Peggy are fortunate that they are having such experiences since they guarantee that they are in the right rhythm for them. Not everyone is so lucky which is why I recommend checking with biofeedback so the correct rhythm is reliably reproducible. Peggy & Pam are just scratching the surface of the benefits they will see in 6-12 months.
To Pam & Peggy: I thank you for these testimonials since they will help others understand what I have been talking about here on the BB for years. The professional advice you have been getting about your questions is good. You should stick with those professionals.
The doc who is lost in his conventional paradigm is not worthy of your money. Find a doc who is growing along with you; not one that you have to drag into the 21st century.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Walt Stoll on July 28, 1998 at 14:02:38:
I, too, have been experiencing some similar reactions during my skilled relaxations. I use a guided relaxation tape from Brain Sync, which I learned about on this board. I also went to a biofeedback specialsit who hooked me up to a machine while I listened to the tape. He found that I was getting into alpha and some theta patterns. Since then, I usually feel that I am staying in these states for longer periods of time. Often during the relaxation sessions, I can feel my body involuntarily "wave", much like it did when I was doing some "Network Chiropractic" a few years ago. It is relaxing and exhilerating at the same time.
In addition to that, I occasionally experienc this calmness, accompanied by a feeling of warm water washing through my body during ordinary times, such as preparing a meal or talking to someone. I don't know if that's related to the relaxation or not?? It's almost like having an injection of demorol, or something, prior to being anesthesized prior to surgery. That's about the closest thing I can relate it to. It only lasts for up to a half minute or so.
At any rate, practicing relaxation is becoming more and more enjoyable as I go along. I just hope that I'll be able to find the time to work it in once I go back to work Aug 12.
In Reply to: Re: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Nancy on July 28, 1998 at 21:37:22:
Thanks, Nancy.
Wonderful, instructive, testimonial. You are on the path!
You are just scratching the surface of the benefits to come. The more reliably you continue your practice, the quicker and more profound will be the benefits you get. For example, you will be amazed at how much less "stressful" your work environment will be just with the accumulation of your efforts so far.
I hope you will continue to share your experiences with the BB. So MANY others out there need to hear what you are doing.
Namaste` Walt
In Reply to: Re: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Walt Stoll on July 29, 1998 at 11:10:58:
Walt
Thanks, as always for your words of encouragement!
Nancy
In Reply to: Re: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Nancy on July 28, 1998 at 21:37:22:
Nancy,
How long have you been practicing your relaxations? I want that feeling you get while preparing a meal or talking with someone.
Peggy
In Reply to: Re: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Peggy on July 29, 1998 at 15:53:39:
Peggy
I've been doing skilled relaxations since about April or May, but I started with a tape of "autogenic training", which I did for 2-3 months. I never did get that "buzz" from it, and felt very unsure that I was getting into the Alpha/Theta waves with it. I did, however, reap some benefit from it, such as increased calmness, tingling during the time I was listening, etc. I had no luck finding a professional to do biofeedback on me, so I still don't know what was really happening to me then.
A month or so ago, I ordered the Brain Sync tape over the internet. I had read about it on the BB and since Dr. Stoll said that he'd like to get their site linked to his, I thought it might be worth a try. It's called Guided Relaxation and is narrated on one side by Kelley Howell and is just plain musical tones on the other side. I've found that I need the guidance in order to stay focused, so right now I'm just doing that side.
As luck would have it, about that time, I was working with a Reiki master (this is great stuff, BTW), who knew a hynotherapist who would do biofeedback sans the psychotherapy (which all the other professionals I talked to insisted on). It cost $85 as opposed to $250 and was well worth it. I had only been doing the tape a week and I was definitely into the A/T waves already at that point. Most of the time, I feel that I'm getting into them much more than I was then. I do have off times, though, when I can't turn off my thoughts. I don't worry about that because there's always next time. I am worried about having an hour per day to spend on this once I go back to work. There's still meals to prepare, exercising, kids and pets to attend to and cart around, etc. Not to mention, continuing to read and learn. It's overwhelming. If you cant find the Brain Sync company by doing a search of this site or through the big internet engines, just let me know, and I'll post it for you.
Nancy
In Reply to: Re: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Nancy on July 29, 1998 at 18:54:11:
Let me just see if I can do this.
Brain Sync
In Reply to: Re: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Nancy on July 29, 1998 at 18:54:11:
Thanks, Nancy, for the wonderful information AND congratulations on your progress. You are just starting to scratch the surface of your benefits now that you are reaching a "level".
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Testimonial to Skilled Relaxation posted by Nancy on July 29, 1998 at 18:54:11:
Dear Nancy, Lynda, Walt and Peggy,
Thanks so much for all your comments about meditation. I learned from all of you and Walt's encouragment is always a boost. Last week I was wondering if all the effort I was putting into meditation was a waste of time. Now I see it isn't and I needed this discussion to keep me working at it.
I checked out Brain Sync. Wow! I was amazed. Even the author of 'Mega Brain' endorses these tapes. Did you see how many biofeedback therapists use these with postive results?
I can hardly wait to give it a try. I think I will try Guided Meditation as you did.
Thanks again, Walt for sharing what you know about the benefits of meditation. It takes some work and effort to start learning how to do it, but I am beginning to see some small benefits. I am VERY grateful that you keep reminding us that if we will see more and more benefits and especially after 6 to 12 months.
Brain Sync also has tapes for healing. I look forward to trying some of those too.
Thanks to all of you!!!
Sincerely,
pamela
In Reply to: Re: Brain Sync tapes looks great! posted by Pamela J on July 31, 1998 at 08:45:57:
Pamela
I have Guided RELAXATION, but the Meditation one may be just as good, or better.