1.1.11

Here we are standing at the beginning of every possibility. A clean slate, a new page upon which will be written the experiences of our lives. It always gives me pause to wonder what the new year will bring as I look forward with the hope and excitement of creating the reality of my life during the next twelve months.

Before Christmas, by complete accident (?), I happened to watch an interview with a lawyer turned author who had written a book about an endeavor he had accomplished during 2009 where he had written 365 thank you notes over the course of that year. Because of my understanding of the impact of gratitude on physical health and well being that had come to me through my work with clients seeking pain relief with the SCENAR, I knew this book would give me a new insight into what has become a fascination for me: Parasympathetic Mind. So, as soon as it came out on December 28, I bought the book and found that I could not put it down.

As a result, I have decided to try this experiment myself and my intention this year is to write 365 thank you notes. My first thank you note is to you, my readers.

To the readers of Healing Innovations blog:

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my sincere and best efforts in writing about what I do and what I am learning as a result of  this life path that I am engaged in. Your comments letting me know that what I am writing has meaning for you keeps me going. One of the filters of my life experience now is whether or not something I’ve encountered might be of interest to you. Your presence adds a new perspective on how I see the world, and that helps me grow in my own understanding of how to live in a state of Parasympathetic Mind. For that, I can never be thankful enough.

Best,

Penny

Wishing you all a year that brings you healing, joy, and success in every way. Life is good.

101 Ways to Create Parasympathetic Mind

In clearing out stuff, I came across something from my career in mental health: a laminated rack card called “101 Ways to Cope With Stress.” It now being many years later, I read through it with new eyes. I realized that most of the recommendations were ways to calm the Sympathetic Nervous System response. Some were unrealistic, some not helpful, and some (for me, anyway) would create more stress. So, I decided to take the idea and add what I have learned from working with SCENAR and the Parasympathetic Nervous System for the last 6 years. (This list is not in any order.) Morgana Morgaine, life coach and humorist, defined Parasympathetic Mind best: “Relax, Rest, Release, Restore.”

If you have other helpful ideas about creating Parasympathetic Mind, please feel free to comment. (For more information about releasing your own neuropeptides and balancing your autonomic system, go to the Healing Tips page.)

1. Take 10 minutes before you get up in the morning and before you go to bed at night to quietly focus on your breathing. To keep your mind focused you might count your breaths up to 5 and then start over. Take any moments in daily life when you are waiting (red lights, grocery store lines, etc.) as an opportunity to remember your breath. Simply take a deep breath and notice your body relax.
2. Have a SCENAR treatment or lay in the Multilayered Therapeutic Blanket. Learn what Parasympathetic Mind feels like.
3. Prepare for the coming day by thinking of those things you will be doing that make you feel good.
4. Reach for any thought that makes you feel better in any situation that feels stressful. Pay attention to how you feel. If you feel bad, find a thought, any thought, that makes you feel better.
5. Forgive negative people and move on to interactions that feel better to you.
6. Have fun on purpose. Seek to feel joy.
7. See challenges as opportunities to see things differently. Look for the silver lining.
8. Regularly write down what you appreciate in as much detail as you can.
9. Go outside and enjoy the sunshine or curl up with a good book when it rains.
10. Learn to care for and comfort yourself.
11. Make it your intent to find and hang on to any and all things that inspire you, especially thoughts.
12. Make a list of your personal attributes that you value and using 3 or 4 of them write a Mission Statement for your life.
13. Notice negative self-talk and stop. Then remember your Mission statement.
14. Use affirmations and/or mantras to remind yourself that you want to feel good.
15. Practice grace when under pressure.
16. Feeling good activates the Parasympathetic nervous system. The Parasympathetic nervous system activates good feelings.
17. Pay attention to the moment. A moment missed is a moment lost and unconscious moments make for unwanted consequences.
18. Remember that stress is an attitude. Remind yourself that you are NOT a victim.
19. Quit judging or trying to “fix” other people. It only makes you feel bad.
20. Look for options. In any conundrum, ask yourself, “What are my options here?” You will quickly discover that options give you a sense of freedom and control.

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A Way to Hang on to Parasympathetic Mind in the Current Political Fracas

Morgana Morgaine, a life coach and humorist, has posted on her blog a very practical and interesting idea about “maintaining your sanity when all about you are losing theirs.” She relates how to respond to the current political fracas by “leaving the coliseum” that will help you maintain your Parasympathetic Mind through a perspective that is both self-preserving and humorous. It is a great read, and wanted to pass it along. Check it out!

Parasympathetic Mind Through Meditation Linked to Cellular Health

A new study investigating the physiological effects of meditation has been conducted by researchers at the University of California. It was discovered that there is a link between feelings of positive well-being and the presence of higher telomerase, an enzyme important for long term health of the cells in the body.

In a previous study we cited on this blog about the positive effects of slow breathing on pain, the lead author said, “The first change that occurs with slower breathing is greater parasympathetic response which provides a counterbalance to sympathetic activation that is often aroused by pain, and that engenders feelings of anxiety and nervous tension. A greater state of calm induced with slower breathing also opens the mind to a greater capacity to feel emotions other than pain, providing perspective, flexibility, and choice in the regulation of inner states. In doing so, slow breathing reduces the dominance of the fight/flight response within us, extending the calm influence of parasympathetic activation to allow for better emotional regulation and cognitive shifts from helplessness to action.”

In the current study, it was found that participants who underwent meditation training “showed increases in such beneficial psychological qualities as perceived control (over one’s life and surroundings), mindfulness (being able to observe one’s experience in a nonreactive manner), and purpose in life (viewing one’s life as meaningful, worthwhile, and aligned with long-term goals and values). In addition, they experienced decreased neuroticism, or negative emotionality. Meditation may improve a person’s psychological well-being and in turn these changes are related to telomerase activity in immune cells, which has the potential to promote longevity in those cells. Activities that increase a person’s sense of well-being may have a profound effect on the most fundamental aspects of the physiology.”

Both of these descriptions point to what I have called Parasympathetic Mind that I became aware of by seeing it consistently in clients who have had SCENAR treatment, which stimulates the parasympathetic aspect of the autonomic nervous system to promote the body’s own healing response.

Read more »

Someone Else’s Thoughts on Parasympathetic Mind

Here is a link to Morgana Morgaine’s thoughts about Parasympathetic Mind. It is an excellent elaboration, and creates new information about what PSM is and why it is important from the life coach’s point of view.

Parasympathetic Mind: Living Within Your Means

A friend of ours, Raye Rufty, has At Your Service, a custom decluttering, organizing, and concierge business. She sends out tips from time to time about how to de-stress your life by simplifying your personal environment. This one seemed so pertinent to the art of creating the sense of spaciousness in life that is characteristic of Parasympathetic Mind, that I wanted to share it.

We’ve all heard about and strived to “live within our means”.  What does this have to do with clutter and disorganization?  Consider these pursuits:

- “live” within the SPACE you have (the size of your home, closets, drawers, purse, tie rack, desk filing space, etc.) meaning to scale back if you are bulging at the seams,
- “live” within the TIME you have (to clean your home, answer your emails, mow your lawn, do your laundry, maintenance of home/office equipment, file documents, etc.) meaning look at how things own us instead of us owning them,
- “live” within the ENERGY you have (to run errands, do chores, clean or mow or launder, love on people, etc.) meaning if you are running of out energy, rethink your priorities,
- “live” within the FINANCES you have (surely you have already thought about this) and scale back,
- “live” within your VALUES and PURPOSE in life (to not overspend, over discipline, over compensate, under-plan, under-estimate, etc.) which will feed your soul … it’s the opposite of a diet, and
- “live” within your personal realistic EXPECTATIONS (of all of the above).

All of these are resources we have:  space, time, energy, finances, values/purpose, expectations, etc.  I have observed that when I live outside of my means on any of these categories, I am doing a disservice to myself, my loved ones, my clients, and everyone around me.

When we become aware of the importance of encouraging calm, not chaos, in our lives, we are choosing to engage our Parasympathetic Mind. Living within that state encourages health, peace, and happiness.

Healing Innovations Introduces a Monthly Series of Talks

Beginning on April 29, Healing Innovations will hold a series of monthly talks and demonstrations on the SCENAR and Parasympathetic Mind. You will have an opportunity to experience pain treatment using the revolutionary technology developed in the Russian Space program, as well as learn ways to improve your autonomic system balance, reduce stress, and improve your quality of life.

The first talk will be held at the Natural Health and Homeopathy office, 54 Merrimon Avenue from 6:30 to 8pm. Featured will be the natural healing process of the body, called the Parasympathetic System, and ways you can access this healing system in your everyday life.

Space is limited, so please call 337-6854 to register. These talks are free to anyone who is interested in self-healing and ways to promote health naturally. It is a lot easier than you may think!

New Study Shows Efficacy of Slow Breathing in Reducing Pain

A new study reported in the April issue of the Journal of Pain reports on the effects of slow breathing on reducing pain. It is the first study to directly examine the benefits of breathing rate on physical and emotional reaction to pain.

It is a small study using 27 women with Fibromyalgia and 25 healthy women. The results show that slow breathing reduced rating of pain intensity as well as negative emotion in the healthy women. Those with Fibromyalgia who had the capacity to feel positive, felt less pain with slow breathing.

The study’s lead author, Alex Zautra, Foundation Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, says: “Slow breathing provides a natural means for damping activity in the stress system of the brain, leading to a reduction in pain. The first change that occurs with slower breathing is greater parasympathetic response which provides a counterbalance to sympathetic activation that is often aroused by pain, and that engenders feelings of anxiety and nervous tension. A greater state of calm induced with slower breathing also opens the mind to a greater capacity to feel emotions other than pain, providing perspective, flexibility, and choice in the regulation of inner states. In doing so, slow breathing reduces the dominance of the fight/flight response within us, extending the calm influence of parasympathetic activation to allow for better emotional regulation and cognitive shifts from helplessness to action.”

Zautra is now conducting clinical trials to test the benefit of their body/mind intervention in a five year project funded in part by the National Institute of Health.

It is wonderful to see the scientific community validating the effects of Parasympathetic Mind.

Cultivating Parasympathetic Mind for Stress Reduction and Healing

I will be presenting a one hour interactive workshop for the Self Care Circle of the Blue Ridge Holistic Nurse’s Network on Wednesday, April 21 from 6pm-7:30pm. In the presentation, the science of the parasympathetic nervous system will be translated into the language of self-care.  Interactive, it will be filled with ways to more easily enter your parasympathetic mind, the home of healing and repair. Come and learn simple ways to enhance your ability to enter this state quickly and effectively. It is free.

Location: Odyssey Community School, 90 Zillicoa Street in Montford