Healing From The Inside Out

Inspiration, Tools and Techniques for Living a Joyful Life Now

May 12th 2010 - Issue #21

"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

-Buddha


In Todays Newsletter:

  • Excerpts from Tapping for Joy: What are we really made of?
  • Complimentary 15-minute guided mindfulness meditation available for immediate download,(see the gold buttons below).
  • Bipolar Disorder: Living with 2 Brains (Left/Right Brain and Interhemispheric Dominance), the key to balancing the mood?
  • Meditation: The HamSa technique (the origin of Mindfulness Meditation).
  • Yoga Asanas: Healing mind and body through posture.
  • Ask-the-Therapist Forum. Ask me any question and see it posted on the website with my answer (you don't have to give your real name).Ask away!(I'll do my best to give you a helpful and honest answer).
  • Official Release of the NEW eBook! 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. Tapping Into Joy: Meridian Tapping and Mindfulness for Depression - Available Now.



    Meridian Tapping: Learn the Basic Technique

    What Are We Really Made Of?
    (From the new eBook: Tapping for Joy: Meridian Tapping and Mindfulness for Depression)

    "What Are We Really Made Of? Rather than seeing yourself as a lump of meat – a physical body – it is more accurate to see yourself as a dynamic constellation of energy. Einstein and quantum physicists have discovered, at the subatomic level we literally are made of energy. Our most basic building blocks are constellations of energy – not physical parts at all. Ancient spiritual traditions have known this for eons. In the spiritual teachings of India, it is said that all of what we experience in time and space, all that we perceive with the five senses, is an illusion - “Maya” - nothing but appearances – like a dream that seems so real, we forget we are dreaming. This is more than just a poetic way to view life – it's a scientific reality. Modern science is now discovering these same profound truths about matter and energy. Our cells are made of molecules, which are made of clusters of atoms. Atoms are made of electrons, neutrons, and protons, which rotate and spin around one another in an orbit that is mostly space. And those basic subatomic particles are sometimes expressed as matter, and sometimes as “waves” of energy – depending on whether they are being observed or not. That’s right – they actually change in response to being looked at. They only appear to be “solid,” when they are being observed! The consciousness of the observer directly influences the nature of what is being observed. This has been scientifically proven for decades. (Maybe this is why when you look for problems, you usually find more problems, and when you look for solutions you usually find those too). “Seek and ye shall find.”

    In the energy-healing field, it is a well accepted principle that “where attention goes, energy flows,” or in other words – energy follows mind. Any disturbance – any pain – is due to a disruption in our energy field – like static interference on the TV when the reception is bad (back when we used to use antennas instead of cable).

    The trigger that causes the disturbance can be anything – a memory, a person, a smell, a food that you are allergic to, or anything that reminds you of a past traumatic event...

    The simple solution is to balance the energy field - sort of like hitting the "re-set" button on your nervous system. Meridian Tapping/EFT does this with a high degree of success and efficiency."


    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)

    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



    Bipolar Disorder and the 2 Brains:
    Interhemispheric Switching and the "Sticky Switch"

    A researcher by the name of Jack Pettigrew was brought to my attention several years ago by a member of my Bipolar Support Group.

    Dr. Pettigrew, himself afflicted with Bipolar Disorder, has made a fascinating contribution to our understanding of the Right/Left alternating dominance of the brain and how it affects someone with Bipolar Disorder. (Unfortunately, I would bet my last dollar that this information will never be embraced by the medical community because there is no money in it, as you will see when you read on...)

    Dr. Pettigrew states:

    "We propose that bipolar disorder is the result of a genetic propensity for slow interhemispheric switching mechanisms that become "stuck" in one or the other state. Since slow switches are also "sticky" when compared with fast switches, the clinical manifestations of bipolar disorder may be explained by hemispheric activation being "stuck" on the left (mania) or on the right (depression).

    What this means in plain language:

    Normally the dominant side of the brain switches every few seconds. But for a person with Bipolar Disorder, it the time between switching is about 10 times longer.

    The right brain is mostly about spacial awareness, abstract thinking, emotion, artistic perception, intuition, introversion and creativity; The left brain functions quite independently from the right, and is more the analytical computer, the side that creates and understands language, codes, linear thinking, extroverted and energetic.

    Normally the switching from one side to another is rather fast, seamless and imperceptible. They are integrated.

    Pettigrew theorizes that when Depressed, it is because of a prolonged period of being stuck in the Right brain. And when manic/hypomanic - stuck in the Left brain.

    The way to unstick it? A few drops of ice water in the ear that is on the same side that you are "stuck" in.

    For Depression: Ice water in the Right Ear
    For Mania: Ice water in the Left Ear.

    (Putting the cold water in the ear canal activates the opposite side of the brain).

    I have seen only one of my clients try this technique. He did it during a sudden period of escalating hypomania. Medications were not working to bring him down and he was getting worried. And guess what? It actually worked! Instantly and with permanent (as of 6 weeks later) results. His mood immediately stabilized, mind stopped racing, awareness returned to "normal," became calm, grounded and focused and could sleep again.

    To me this is absolutely amazing. I don't tell people to try this, but to just read the research and decide for yourself.

    Do you think the Eli Lilly Company will try to create an ice water pill to make their next billion dollars?


    Learn to Meditate: The True Self Is Ever-New Bliss

    "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."

    Healing The Apparent Self
    Of The Ignorance Of
    The True Self Is The Ultimate
    Essence Of All Healing"

    -Yogiraj Siddhanath

    "Good thoughts keep off bad thoughts. They must themselves disappear before the state of realization."

    "Meditation is sticking to one thought. That single thought keeps away other thoughts; distraction of mind is a sign of its weakness; by constant meditation it gains strength."

    "The mind of one meditating on a single object becomes one-pointed. And one-pointedness of mind leads to abidance in the self...

    Realization is to get rid of the delusion that you have not realized...

    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 free 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) for free 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 for free through this newsletter.



    Tips on Meditation....the Hamsa Technique - The Original "Mindfulness Meditation"

    Mindfulness Meditation is quickly gaining popularity and even mainstream influence as a therapeutic technique for improving mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellness. Most people think that Mindfulness Meditation (or Vipassana) comes from the Buddhist traditions - which indeed it does - however, its true source is older than that.

    The real source of these techniques originates in India, with the Yogic traditions. The "Hamsa" meditation is a technique of mindful breathing, while mentally repeating the word "Hamsa" divided into two parts - "Ham" (pronouced HUM) on the out-breath, and "Sa" (pronounced SAW), on the in-breath. Hamsa literally means "I AM THAT" or "THAT I AM." In the ancient Nath Sampradaya (sect) of India, this mantra has been taught and practiced for thousands of years and this mantra (repeated sound/vibration) is said to be the natural mantra that is going on subconsciously, from the moment of birth, when the first breath is taken.

    Witnessing the breath, passively, while repeating HAM-SA with every in/out breath, gradually calms and stills the mind and leads to a blissful state of natural enlightenment, called Sahaj Samadhi. This simple practice is deceptively powerful, yet easy to learn and practice.

    This is part of one of the meditation techniques taught to me by living Kriya Master and Nath Yogi - Yogiraj Siddhanath.


    What we most often associate with "yoga" is our local health club or yoga studio where people go to show off their stretch pants and tie themselves in knots. Popular yoga is but one narrow segment of a tradition of holistic health and spiritual growth that dates back 10,000 years!

    Traditionally, the main purpose of all those extreme stretches and holding of postures, was to loosen up the body, relax and align the spine and open the hips in preparation for sitting for long periods of time. Why? To Meditate. In most of these ancient yoga traditions (Raja Yoga, Tantra Yoga, Kriya Yoga, and Hatha Yoga), the purpose is to awaken the dormant spiritual/life energy that lies at the base of the spinal column, through the practice of various meditation techniques. These meditations involve intense and prolonged periods of concentration during which the body must remain perfectly still and must capacitate enormous amounts of prana (energy).

    But in Hatha Yoga it is also emphasized that the body is itself a gateway to higher consciousness, and by holding various yoga postures (asanas), the "psychic nerves" or "nadis" will flow with energy, the chakras (literally "spinning wheels" - centers of energy within the spinal column) could be opened, and a state of optimum health can be achieved.

    The practice of meditation and the practice of asanas are both important complimentary aspects of true Yoga.

    While meditation is a much faster path for raising consciousness and quieting the restless, thinking mind, there is much benefit to be gained by practicing asanas.

    For emotional/mental obstacles, low energy, or depression, asanas can be a wonderful part of your self-care routine.

    In particular, backward bending poses are particularly good. They open the heart center, lifting us out of a state of inner fear, hopelessness or defeat.

    If you take notice of the way a happy, self-confident person stands as opposed to a person who is depressed and guarded, the difference in posture is usually obvious. The first has their heart open and exposed to the world, and head held high, while the second is hunched over, collapsed inward and protecting their heart.

    Simply by becoming aware of your own posture and consciously changing it can begin to positively affect your mood. Try it now: Drop your shoulders. Imagine weights pulling your elbows down at your sides. Roll the shoulders back. Turn the hands palms forward. Notice the position of your head. Are your eyes downcast and your neck bent over? Raise the chin slightly. Align the ears over the shoulders. Take a long deep breath into the belly and up into the chest. Expand the rib cage as you reach the top of the breath. Imagine a golden light shining from within the middle of the chest, shining out and bringing love and positive energy to the world all around you.


    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.

    One of the most easy and all-around important pranayama techniques to use while meditating, focusing the mind, or simply seeking to calm your anxiety or stress, is Ujjai.

    Ujjayi Pranayama – “Victory Breath” “Ocean Breath” or “Psychic Breath” – This breath is very important and has numerous benefits. An excellent pranayama for depression, anxiety and stress. Ujjayi is very calming and soothing to the nervous system and this type of breathing can be done during meditation, for added benefit and to lengthen the breath.

    There is a slight constriction of the glottis, in order to produce a soft whispering sound in the back of the throat. It soothes the nervous system, calms the mind, relaxes the body, relieves insomnia and slows the heart rate.

    The sound may be barely audible to another person, buy you should hear it inside your own body easily. The whisper is produced on both the in and out-breath.

    This can be practiced safely at any time you wish. After some practice, taking even one breath using Ujjayi, you will find yourself in a pleasant, mildly altered state of consciousness, feeling calm, focused and comfortable in your body.

    Learn Pranayama techniques - Bhastrika, Kapalabhati, Nadi Shodhana, Surya Bheda and more


    Learn more about yoga and meditation for health, happiness and vitality.



    ASK THE THERAPIST

    My website now offers F*R*E*E answers to your most pressing questions. You can choose to submit them with or without your name, or make up a name. If it's a well written question that I feel our readers can benefit from, I will answer it and post both your question and my answer on it's own special page on my website. Others can comment, or give their own advice too. Where else can you get instant advice from a licensed psychotherapist? Ask Away! I'll do my best to give a helpful answer.

    Why Wait... Ask a Question Now!




    Stay Tuned for the next Newsletter -

    Meridian Tapping Videos - coming soon!

    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.



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    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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