My Program for Natural Treatment of Depression:
Tapping Into Joy: Meridian Tapping and Mindfulness for Depression. This 96-Page eBook covers a wide range of issues and root causes of depression and shows you how to awaken to your natural state of peace and happiness. Program includes 2.5 hours of Audio Book recording, and a One-hour guided meditation.
Tapping Into Joy: Meridian Tapping and Mindfulness for Depression - Available Now.
Special Offer: Purchase the Program before February 28th and (new clients) receive two EFT-Tapping/Skype Session for the price of one.
Addicted to Thinking
Lost in the Mind
- Excerpts from the upcoming book, soon to be released.
"The thinking mind is an obstacle to the inflow of higher gnosis and Truth because its analytical and judgmental thought ripples distort the true message of the incoming knowledge. Only consciousness, free from the ripples of thought in the mind's lake, can experience Divinity in all its splendor, all its beauty and all its Truth."
-Yogiraj Siddhanath
Addiction is so pervasive in the world that most anyone can think of someone they know who has an addiction problem. You may have identified some addictions of your own. Alcohol, marijuana, drugs of all kinds, prescription medications, are the most obvious. Then there's the addiction to sex or to pornography. Addiction to food, to sugar, to caffeine, to carbs. Addiction to shopping. Addiction to TV. We can be addicted to just about anything.
Anything that we are exposed to repeatedly, is more likely to become an addiction.
But what about the addiction to thinking? Can we really be addicted to thinking?
Before I get into that, let's define the word addiction:
According to the standard definition, addiction is...
Engaging in a substance or activity on a continual, or ongoing basis, despite negative consequences to your well being.
The addict usually begins by using the substance or activity to seek pleasure -- or even more often -- to avoid pain (which is why a high percentage of addicts have underlying anxiety disorders, and even more have underlying unresolved traumas and losses).
The addictive activity is a way to avoid or escape painful feelings.
The addict can't stop, even when they try and even when they can see that the activity is causing them more pain and suffering.
The addict engages in their addictive behavior more that they plan to or intend to. They can't just do a little bit of it.
The addiction takes over their life.
Okay - so does this definition fit for Addiction to Thinking?
We think excessively, either because we are so enamored with our own creative thoughts and ideas that we can't stop... or we are spending large amounts of time worrying about problems - both problems that actually exist right now -- and anticipating problems that haven't happened yet. And then there are regrets: ruminating about things that you said or did in the past, or about things that happened to you in the past.
We think, because we believe it is useful to think. Yet almost all of our thinking is absolutely useless. We believe we are "doing something" by thinking, but really when we are thinking, we're accomplishing little to nothing. We think in order to cheer ourselves up, or to prepare for trouble, but the thinking mind is like a squirrel, always jumping here and there, never still. We will never find peace through thinking.
What all thoughts have in common, is that they remove you from the Present Moment. The Thinking Mind - the intellect - is incapable of existing in the Here and Now Present Moment. It is completely dependent on the past - as it needs a frame of reference. It lives in relativity. It brings the past along with it, like a prisoner dragging a ball and chain.... and projects into the future either a fear of more of the same - or a hope that something will be different. Either way, this is a sort of unconscious state.
It's easy to see how our outward addictions - our obsessions with those things and activities outside ourselves - are a desperate attempt to find some kind of lasting happiness or fulfillment. (Of course they never last). But the internal addiction - the addiction to thinking itself - this is hidden.
We are all madly addicted to thinking and we all get away with it. Most of us are even rewarded and encouraged to keep it up!
Most schools indoctrinate us from an early age in this cult of thinking. Day dream at your own peril. Day dream too much and you will be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and you will be given stimulant medication to get you moving with the herd. Gotta be productive. No sitting around spacing out.
What we lose touch with is our intuition - the higher mind that functions in harmony with life, without having to clumsily think your way through every twist and turn. Talk about exhausting!
Watch a flock of birds and notice how hundreds of them can turn and dip and glide in unison. Such beautiful unity - completely free of thought. If we're so smart, why can't we do that? Because we over-think.
Imagine all the people, living without thought....
Imagine all the people, coexisting peacefully, not in any hurry...
Imagine if we valued our dreams, our feelings, and the beautiful things around us, the beauty in one another...
Imagine if we didn't have to race to get somewhere "better."
What would the world look like if we all could just relax and live in the present moment? I know we would all be laughing a lot more...
And making more eye contact...
Taking time to connect... and listening to each other...
It's only our fear, and our centuries of cultural conditioning -
that tell us this is a crazy idea. The world will go on existing without our thinking minds, and it would be a much more beautiful world. But humanity will destroy itself if we continue at this frantic pace of thinking, doing, thinking, doing, thinking, doing....
What are we Doing?
Higher Perspectives - We are Specks in the Cosmic Soup
Every atom of our known world - the earth and the material that makes your body, all comes from our Sun. Next to the Sun, the Earth is a mere speck. A little ball bearing in space. (And what's more, here's a mind-blowing thought: Our beloved Sun, the source of all life on Earth, is a microscopic sized speck in comparison to many other, much, much larger suns (stars) in our Milky Way galaxy and beyond). So compared to those massive stars, the Earth is the size of an atom!
Can you imagine how small that is?
If the Earth is the size of an atom - then how small are we?
And yet our problems seem so big!
The Sun has been the object of reverence, prayer, awe, and respect for as long as humans have walked the earth. We take it for granted, and yet we all must realize that we would not be here without the sun. Most of us feel happier when it is shining. Those who grow their own food, have an intimate love and appreciation for the sun. In Yogic science and spirituality, the Sun is our greatest source of "prana" or life-energy, of which we can take in and absorb for our own healing and benefit.
The Sun is the brightest light source we have ever experienced, and is the largest object that we can easily feel. The Sun is a great source of healing - and just like any aspect of the natural world, holds deep secrets that only reveal themselves when we approach with mindfulness, respect and love.
You can walk through a forest, with your head full of worries, chatting to your friend about the stock market, while you fail to notice even one tree. Or you can take that same path, observing in silence, breathing the fresh air, and feeling the living energy of the forest breathing with you.
You can see the Sun as an annoying heat lamp in the sky, and rush to put your sunglasses and your sunscreen on. Or you can observe that body of incomprehensible splendor and reverently soak in its life-giving rays.
Consciousness and Love are the ingredients that transform the world and awaken the Soul.
Learn to Induce Lucid Dreams and Improve Your Dream Recall using EFT/Tapping
Lucid Dreams are easiest to have when your dream recall is good. The ability to remember your dreams is a skill which can be easily learned. The most effective method is to write down your dreams each morning as soon as you wake up.
Once you are remembering your dreams pretty consistently, you can further develop your dream experiences by using EFT before going to bed, in order to induce Lucid Dreams.
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a dream, and suddenly something weird happens that makes you become aware that you are dreaming? In that moment, self-awareness appears and you are now a conscious participant, and if you wish, a conscious creator of the movie of your dream experience.
With EFT we can give ourselves autosuggestions before bed, in order to open the door to having a lucid dream.
EFT works great for just about anything that stands in the way of something we want. Because what usually stands in the way, is your own mind - your own doubts, fears, distractions, and subconscious avoidance of having, being, or doing exactly what you want. Tapping is the way to clear the way, by removing the barriers to what you want. It is a wonderful way to set your intention and create an easy path.
You can learn more about how to induce lucid dreams and improve dream recall
HERE
"When desires trouble the mind, always remind yourself of this truth: 'When ecstasy comes, everything goes."
-Paramahansa Yogananda
More on the dangers of Antidepressants
If you are taking antidepressants, I am not suggesting that you stop. I repeat: I am not giving medical advice. Only you and your doctor should make any decisions regarding you use or disuse of medication, including antidepressants.
The information I offer here, is simply to provide the other side of the medication question, that is rarely talked about, and rarely presented in a truthful, fair and balanced way by the majority of professionals in the healthcare field.
One very respectable spokesman for the hidden dangers of psychiatric medication is psychiatrist Peter Breggin, author of many books, professional journal articles, and a former teacher at Harvard, as well as staff at the National Institute of Health.
In 2010 Dr. Breggin testified before the Veteran's Affairs Committee on the dangers of antidepressants in causing mania and suicide among our military.
Full Testimony Available Here.
Learn more about iatrogenic (medically caused) illness.
“Why are so many more people disabled by mental illness than ever before? Why are those so diagnosed dying 10-25 years earlier than others? In Anatomy of an Epidemic investigative reporter Robert Whitaker cuts through flawed science, greed and outright lies to reveal that the drugs hailed as the cure for mental disorders instead worsen them over the long term. But Whitaker’s investigation also offers hope for the future: solid science backs nature’s way of healing our mental ills through time and human relationships. Whitaker tenderly interviews children and adults who bear witness to the ravages of mental illness, and testify to their newly found “aliveness” when freed from the prison of mind-numbing drugs.”
—Daniel Dorman, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine and author of Dante’s Cure: A Journey Out of Madness
“This is the most alarming book I’ve read in years. The approach is neither polemical nor ideologically slanted. Relying on medical evidence and historical documentation, Whitaker builds his case like a prosecuting attorney.”
—Carl Elliott, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota and author of Better than Well: American Medicine Meets the American Dream
Listen to Dr Joseph Mercola's Interview with author and medical journalist, Robert Whitaker
Bipolar Recovery Coaching and Alternative Bipolar Treatments
Bipolar Recovery Coaching is an individualized program to assist in your recovery from the devastating symptoms of Bipolar Illness.
"Before starting treatment with Ben, I was at my wits end. My life was disintegrating, and I was very close to driving away the most important people in my life....
Fortunately, in searching for an alternative approach, I found Ben's site. Shortly after starting the steps in his Alternative Bipolar Treatment Plan, I began weekly therapy and EFT coaching sessions with Ben. In the six months since, he has helped me completely change my way of being in the world. I've rediscovered what it means to enjoy my life. My days are once again relatively peaceful, and I no longer live in constant fear of lapsing into another violent episode of mania or depression. There is still work to do, but I now feel confident in my ability to stay on track.
Whether you are at your wits end because standard treatment is not helping you, or you are newly diagnosed and looking for an alternative approach, do yourself a favor and give Ben a call. I will be forever thankful that I did just that (and for what it's worth, my sessions are remote, as I couldn't find anyone supporting an alternative treatment approach locally - this has not diminished my results one bit!)"
-Natalie, Bipolar Recovery Coaching Client 2010
This program is for those who:
- Have recently been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and don't know what type of treatment plan to follow.
- Have been taking a cocktail of psychiatric medications and are still experiencing bipolar symptoms and mood episodes.
- Are tired of the debilitating side effects of psychiatric medications and are seeking natural and complimentary treatments.
- Reject the idea that Bipolar Disorder is a chronic, life-long illness that will require drugs for the rest of their lives.
- Are ready to take full control of their lives and their health by learning to live in a disciplined and balanced manner, giving full support to their mind and body.
- Want to continue using psychiatric meds while also exploring other means of improving your quality of life.
- Want to try a model of recovery, rather than blindly accepting that traditional approaches are the only way.
Bipolar Recovery Coaching is an individualized program to suit your unique needs, utilizing a variety of methods, stress-reduction techniques, trauma-release techniques such as EFT/Meridian Tapping, goal setting, mood tracking and more. Most of my coaching clients are not local, and we work together by phone or Skype video calls. Call for details.
Reduced rates for January 2011. Learn more:
Learn more about Bipolar Recovery Coaching program
Meridian Tapping: Learn the Basic Technique
EFT/Meridian Tapping Sessions by Phone (or Skype)
Schedule a Session Now!
A Trauma can be created in a matter of seconds, and with Meridian Tapping/EFT it can
heal in the same amount of time. So let go of your ideas about “deeply ingrained
trauma,”.... it's much easier to change than you ever thought possible.
Testimonial:
""... I have already benefited greatly from your guided meditations and your book! I never trust anyone (especially someone I don't even know), but as I used your website and free meditation, asked you a question which you promptly answered, and moved on to your book and began regularly practicing EFT/Meridian Tapping, I began believing in your methods as the results were speaking loud and clear--relief and release from mental and emotional behaviors I have lived with my whole life, and thought I would have to live with forever. I am becoming a new person, seeing life in a whole different context, and actually being happy! While I still have a ways to go with some problems, I know that I can, and I will, make it through--thanks to you and your generosity in sharing your methods. Six months ago I was in a hospital on suicide watch; today I am actually happy and optimistic about the future. Proof that it is never to late!!"
You can listen to a sample from the Audio Book Introduction right here:
(The Full 2.5 hour audio book comes as a bonus, along with my full 62-Minute Guided Meditation Audio, when you purchase the eBook)
Special Limited-Time Offer for New Clients: Purchase Tapping for Joy before February 28th 2011 and get two for one private EFT-Phone or Skype sessions with Ben Schwarcz.
Now available here:
Tapping Into Joy: Meridian Tapping and Mindfulness for Depression
The basic technique is simple to learn. Coming up with the right words or phrases takes a little more practice. Experiment with it and as they say, "try it on everything." It's the only way to prove to yourself that this is actually a powerful tool worth an absolute fortune.
By learning to use Meridian Tapping/EFT for yourself and your family, you will be saving yourself from pain, poor health, and even expensive medical treatments, just by activating your body's own natural healing abilities. You will have a tool that can overcome virtually any emotional or mental obstacle to your peace, happiness and success in life. It pays to be persistent!
Learn the Basic EFT/Meridian Tapping Technique
Energy Psychology and Meridian Tapping (EFT)
"This may be the biggest breakthrough in Medicine and Psychology in the last century."
Dr. Dawson Church - Author of Genie in your Genes
Variously called "Energy Tapping," "Meridian Tapping Technique," and Emotional Freedom Techniques® or “EFT” - tapping is an amazing Energy Psychology technique that can be easily learned and self-applied for an enormous array of problems. It is excellent for depression, as well as virtually any emotional disturbance, phobia, fear, traumatic memory, negative thought, and even for many physical problems (including some chronic problems that may have been unsuccessfully treated for years using all sort of conventional and alternative methods).
By tapping on these electrochemical activation points, the nervous system is balanced, and the emotional center of the brain (the amygdala) ceases it's reactivity to the disturbing negative thought, image, memory, or whatever the case may be. Studies now show that tapping quickly reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol...
Learn more about Meridian Tapping and EFT
Learn to Meditate: The True Self Is Ever-New Bliss
Healing The Apparent Self
Of The Ignorance Of
The True Self Is The Ultimate
Essence Of All Healing"
-Yogiraj Siddhanath
"The 'here' is everywhere and the now -- always. Go beyond the 'I-am-the-body' idea and you will find that space and time are in you and not you in space and time. Once you have understood this, the main obstacle to realisation is removed."
-Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Realization is our true nature. It is nothing new to be gained. What is new cannot be eternal. Therefore there is no need to be doubting whether we would gain or lose the self."
-Sri Ramana Maharshi
"Learn to be calm and you will always be happy."
-Paramahansa Yogananda
You always have the ability to go within and to surrender to your own Higher Self - your eternal and ever present Consciousness. Here is the source of your true happiness, bliss and contentment. That which you seek in the world is already here, within you Now.
Try my guided meditation here and now. Just make yourself comfortable, stop what you're doing and take a 15 minute break to feed your soul:
"I went to your website and found your “guided meditation for depression”. The 15 minute one. I laid down... just exhausted from all the inner pain and the “trying” to make is stop... and "trying to fix it"... and I listened to your guided meditation for 15 minutes. The inner pain went away. I was kind of stunned! (I meditate daily)…so I felt as if some kind of “inner demon” was tormenting me or something, and it was simply gone and I could breathe and felt I came back to myself. I felt like my self for the first time in days. The pain wasn’t just “shouting at me” nor was it simply “lurking in the background”... lurking to come back...it was gone."
This guided meditation audio, along with an additional segment is now available for sale on my website. You can listen to part one (the first 15 minute meditation) any time, directly on the site, or by clicking the player below. The second link below will allow you to download the 15 minute meditation for your personal use - only available through this newsletter.
Meditation Tips: LOVE is the Key Ingredient
As I said in last months newsletter: The biggest obstacle to achieving positive results in meditation, is failing to meditate. But there is something else that makes the difference between a "breathing exercise" and an actual meditative experience - a taste of higher consciousness -- and that something is Love.
Try this:
As you breath slowly and deeply from the belly, imagine that the oxygen that is flowing in and out of your body is more than that - feel it as an energy flow. This is the movement of Prana (Chi) within your body. Imagine every cell of your body being charged, purified, and invigorated by this subtle pranic energy. Think of the air as the physical element, and the Prana as the Soul essence of the air. Now feel the breath as Love - the Spirit - the highest and most subtle essence which connects us to the entire universe. Let that feeling of Love flow in and out of your being. As you continue to take long, deep breaths, you will eventually begin to feel an evenly flowing rhythm that becomes effortless, as you imagine that you are being breathed by Love. You are no longer the doer but are a part of a larger consciousness - a most natural, and peaceful state that is effortless. There is nothing to fear in doing this. The fear of letting go is what burdens you and binds you to this limited 3 dimensional world. All progress is about letting go of the ego. And where Love exists, ego does not.
If this is too abstract or vague an idea, then try visualizing someone that you love unconditionally while you meditate, and then offer some of that love to yourself as well. Don't try too hard. Don't try to "do it right." Just focus on the heart center (the heart chakra) - behind the solar plexus, and trust the flow of love. Don't judge your experience, but accept whatever feelings may come and go. Emotions may come up as the shell around the heart begins to open. Trust yourself.
Yogic Breathing Techniques to Supercharge and Balance You
Pranayama – literally “life-force control” – are powerful techniques for shifting your consciousness, purifying mind and body, and raising your energy. Pranayama is a core part of several types of Yoga and is an excellent addition to any meditation practice. Pranayama are dynamic and invigorating and you will feel the benefits immediately.
Learn Pranayama techniques - Bhastrika, Ujjai, Nadi Shodhana, Kapalabhati, Surya Bheda and more
Learn more about yoga and meditation for health, happiness and vitality.
ASK THE THERAPIST
Due to an overwhelming number of questions posted to the forum, I have been unable to keep up with the requests. Therefor, rather than continuing to accept new questions which will sit for an indefinite amount of time, unanswered, I have temporarily disabled the Ask-the-Therapist portal. Please do read the hundreds of previously answered questions; I hope to reactivate the forum in the near future. Thanks for your patience! If you submitted a personal question that was not answered and would like to schedule a consultation with me, you may call me at 707-326-5566.
Stay Tuned for the next Newsletter -
Don't Give Up!
Every life challenge is an opportunity to awaken. There is no situation that is hopeless. Something positive, healing and transformative is possible in all circumstances, even when we can't recognize it at the time. Sometimes we forge ourselves out of the fire of suffering and loss, and it isn't until the end that we realize what a beautiful work of art has emerged within. The glory of waking up can't be experienced if you don't first accept that you are asleep.
May we all find peace. May we all know joy. May we all be liberated from fear, and released from illusions. May we all return to the Truth of our inner Light.
Watch EFT-Meridian Tapping Instructional Videos and Connect with me on Facebook:
I value your opinions and your feedback. Please let me know if this newsletter was helpful and feel free to ask questions. I update my website regularly, so check the site for new information, and if you like what you see, let others know about it.
Wishing you health and great joy!
Ben Schwarcz
Benjamin Schwarcz, MFT is licensed psychotherapist (#mfc35606), meditation teacher, and energy coach with a private practice at 509 7th Street, Santa Rosa, CA, 95401. He can be reached at 707-326-5566.
Disclaimer:
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. As with any drug, not all supplements are safe for all individuals and there may be risks and contraindications for people with certain conditions. Always consult a professional health care provider before before trying to treat a serious condition on your own.
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