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By Carol, on May 11th, 2011
I haven’t written for a while, I’ve been helping my mother prepare for and recover from triple bypass surgery. Helping people prepare for surgery, using guided imagery and energy work or my CDs Transforming Surgery and Transforming Cancer Surgery has been one of my sidelines for many years, but this was a little too close to home.
What did I learn from the experience? I learned the sweetness of sitting by her bed all night in the Intensive Care unit and holding her hand, tapping on her when she was scared and disoriented, holding an energetic space of love and safety around the person who did that for me when I was young. That the human body, even at her age, is still capable of miraculous healing. And that our hearts are so much bigger and stronger and more resilient than we think.
(more…)
By Carol, on January 30th, 2011
Health and healing are like life – filled with mystery and complexity and change. It makes the whole question of analyzing symptoms, getting diagnoses, of fixing and curing things quite complicated.
Richard Bach wrote, in his remarkable book Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah “Every problem has a gift for you in its hands” and I add to that, and every illness and symptom has a lesson. So when we look at our health, what do we see? A bunch of random symptoms and complaints, sent by a random and perhaps not very kind Universe to bug us and make our lives more difficult? Or perhaps a quirky constellation of opportunities to learn and grow and transform. (more…)
By Carol, on December 12th, 2010
Often clients have told me that they can’t do guided imagery because they “can’t visualize.” I find it ironic, because the truth is, we are all absolutely expert at what I call ‘negative imagery.’ Sending our bodies messages that they obediently respond to; “I’m clumsy, I’m fat (and I’ll always be fat!), I have a bad back, a sensitive stomach, that medicine will make me nauseous, I’ll never heal…” the litany of negative thoughts and negative imagery goes on all day.
So what if we could harness this ability we all seem to have and creatively use it for health and healing? What if the messages were positive and health-promoting, instead of critical and judgmental? What if we were actually kind to ourselves? (more…)
By Carol, on November 15th, 2010
What do imagery and meditation have to do with dogs? I share my home and my office with 2 wonderful large dogs, who as I write this are lying in front of the woodstove, basking in the warmth and feeling safe and content. But I also have an inner dog, who lives deep in my brain, in that ancient mysterious part of the nervous system that we humans share with all mammals. (more…)
By Carol, on August 1st, 2010
Lately I’ve been involved in a very interesting conversation about creating safe space. It came up in talking about working with clients, but it really applies to our lives as a whole. How do we create safe space for ourselves?
And what I find particularly interesting, is how do we create safe space for our bodies?
I don’t mean wearing a seatbelt, and picking up broken glass before you step in it! I mean how do we give our bodies the opportunity to relax, to feel the sense of safety that allows us to let go of the stress response that keeps us vigilant, ready for danger, ready for confrontation, or ready to run. How do we allow our bodies to be at peace? (more…)
By Carol, on June 20th, 2010
I offered my guided imagery meditation “Breathe in Peace” as a free download on the Self-Help Giveaway that Dr. Joe Rubino is running, and got some interesting feedback on it.
(You can get your free download by going to the giveaway here: Self-Help Giveaway just say ‘no thanks’ to the product offers and go straight to the gifts, my gifts are usually on page 2)
In the meditation I say, “…This is your time, now, to take care of yourself, to be gentle with yourself, to give yourself patience and compassion, to give yourself the peace and safety that lies deep within your heart…” (more…)
By Carol, on May 29th, 2010
“I can’t sleep, I just toss and turn for hours” is such a common complaint in my office these days. Thirty years ago, when I began my private practice, I was working in New York City, and seeing a lot of people in high stress jobs. But curiously, people slept OK. Now I work in a peaceful rural setting in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, and insomnia or other sleep disturbances are disturbingly common. What’s happening?
STRESS! That’s what’s happening. We live with a level of chronic, un-remitting stress that our bodies were never designed for, and we are paying the price with stressed adrenals and elevated cortisol levels that keep us wakeful when we should be sleepy. Stress hormones were supposed to be released when the proverbial tiger was jumping out of the tree to eat us, not when we sit in traffic, worry about the economy or stress about our work, relationships or the state of the environment. Now, so many of us have constantly elevated stress hormones, and that is a real problem (for many reasons!) but especially when it’s time to wind down and relax for sleep. (more…)
By Carol, on May 20th, 2010
Many of my clients are dealing with a major life change or decision, such as serious health issues and decisions about treatments, divorce or separation, relationships and marriage, decisions about having children, abortion, or adoption. It is so common to experience many different and often conflicting feelings, like anxiety, fear, anger or guilt, as well as excitement, hope, joy, relief.
Acknowledging, validating and empowering all your feelings, your inner wisdom, and ultimately your choices, allows you to find peace and healing with your decisions and with your self. But that’s not always easy. (more…)
By Carol, on May 13th, 2010
Imagery comes from the same root word as ”imagination,” and describes the way your mind and body communicate, through images, words, feelings or sensations. Like guided meditation, guided imagery can be facilitated by another person or guide, or guided by you yourself. In my work, I use guided imagery combined with meditation to create a relaxed, focused state in which your guided imagery can be more powerful and more effective.
The word “imagine” describes the ability to form images and ideas in the mind. Our creation of images is an innate, natural ability of all human beings. (more…)
By Carol, on May 8th, 2010
Guided meditation is a process by which a guide or teacher leads you into meditation. An effective guide will teach you a simple pathway to a meditative state, as well as help you experience being in that state. Once you have experienced what it feels like to be in the natural state of meditation, and learned the path to it, it is easy for you to take yourself there. (more…)
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