Contemplative practices - Affirmations, white light visualizations, healing meditations
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Love love the NASA photos! We are but a tiny spec in the vastness of the Universe. But an important spec at that!
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Fascinating isn’t it? Wishing you all a light filled joyful day.
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That notion takes some real pondering.
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@threetree I know. @tougholdcrow mentioned quantum physics and when I read that quote I thought the same, so much to allow into pondering… that too is the meditation. Just being with what is. And who really knows what is… lol Life ! Maybe that’s why I love the NASA photos so much too. @hippmark I agree, being a spec of light in the universe ..brings me joy. @maggie15 and just walking too.
I woke up to a beautiful sunny morning here in Hoboken, NJ. Read this poem and thought it so human, so beautiful and inviting to share.
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@rlschaller Thanks so much for this. A great poet. I recently went to a tree-planting ceremony—a sturdy oak— in honor of a colleague who had died. I think this is a beautiful tribute.
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rlschaller - A very nice inspirational poem. I also woke up to a nice sunny morning here in Seattle. Birds chirping, light breeze; very nice. I so look forward to my walks on mornings like this, and I will be heading out in a little while. Re the poem, I will be heading as always up to a hill where there are lots of old trees. It's the closest thing I can get to some "woods" (yeah, right) here in my urban neighborhood, so it's my favorite place to walk. I always think the trees there are special and have some sort of special "healing power" or connection or something - I don't really know what it is, but I'm just so drawn to them. I've read that they emit chemicals that are good for us. After reading this poem, I think I will enjoy those trees with yet a new, additional perspective on life and all this cancer business. Thanks for posting it.
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Hi everyone, I love this zendo in NYC. The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care and they offer an online community of practice, if anyone is interested. I’ve done their commit to sit program many times, and it’s both relaxing, fascinating to learn the tradition, and nourishing. So for those who are interested in the Soto Zen tradition, here is the link for their next Commit to Sit.
and here are my latest Universe photos from NASA. I love these … merging with the light ❤️
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Hi all. I have been trying various methods to calm my nervous system, but I have found my nervous system is going haywire. After much searching, I have discovered that due to early trauma, that I have a dysregulated nervous system that stays in fight, flight freeze. It all makes sense with how I have reacted to stressors throughout my life. It's stored trauma in the body.
All that being said, I am going to try Somatic Therapy (on my own). I will continue to use guided imagery, but I feel it's time to find the root cause and this new diagnosis has sent my body into a tailspin. I hope all of you are doing ok and I will continue to come back here to be with everyone on this finding out journey.
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morning @hippmark , that is a very moving realization. I wish you kindness and healing on this journey, letting go and letting be as best as you can. There are many support groups out there should you find talking it through helpful along the way, as well as Zoom groups here on BCO. Remember you are not alone, regardless of how you choose to heal.
❤️❤️❤️❤️ hugs to all today and all days.0 -
@hippmark Really sorry that happened to you, and I hope this new journey brings insight and peace. As you say, this diagnosis is profoundly life changing, beyond illness, and into an exploration of the meaning of life, past, present, and future. I don't know somatic therapy, but it sounds intriguing. I'm old enough to remember "primal scream" therapy which had a similar goal (but was perhaps a bit louder!).
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Ive known I've had stored trauma for awhile now. I just didn't have the exact words for it or what to do about it. Meditation, etc. is a great temporary calm. But I've been dealing with panic attacks the last 2 weeks that no meditation can touch.
You are correct, this diagnosis is profoundly life changing and apparently my nervous system is not handling it well. I can't say I am surprised as this has happened before. This time, I am unable to snap out of it.
I encourage anyone in this situation to look at the root cause and I think Somatic Therapy is one way. I also believe that a lot of illness comes from our brain, lowering our immune system so that we open the door to these diseases. Others may disagree, but there is a mental component to illness that is not explored enough. Doctors can give us the meds, but they don't address the trauma this can cause.
Thank you for your support. I am hoping for better days!
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some beautiful nebula gas and color to light our way… the wisdom teachings say that the planes of light lead us to peace of mind, and are just outside our conscious minds, in what is called the causal planes. Sometimes I think that is the universe rightly understood … thank you NASA❤️
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❤️❤️🙏🙏❤️❤️ sending love and light to all , as we generate peace, joy and happiness as best as we can today.
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@rlschaller thank u for that lovely and very true quote!
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Love the collected wisdom in the many blogs and books, teachers who share about the peace of mind of meditation, regardless of the lineages. Sometimes I think the key to a calm and collected heart is simply in making the time to breath and quiet the mind. It’s a do it yourself program, with loving support of a community. I hope everyone here feels the loving support. Whisking everyone finds the inspiration to evolve in their own space, at their own pace ❤️🙏
Love this quote:
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This is a real good one, Rhonda. I can think of some current things in my family life right now, where this wisdom could really apply.
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Happy Friday. Love this , such a great reminder. Enjoy the day, one small joy at a time as best as you can today ❤️🙏
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@rlschaller Since I know you a little bit, I invite you to take time to drink coffee!
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My dual friends forever; tea and coffee!
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Hello everyone. I'm back. I've been on a major healing journey the past month. I've learned a lot. I still encounter my anxiety but hoping for it to get less and less on this journey. I've been thinking about all of you on this thread and wish you all so much peace.
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@hippmark I'd love to hear more about this!
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I am happy to share although please understand this is not what some people believe. I strongly believe in conventional medicine. But as we all can see, it only helps to a degree. I am in a journey to find more. Because I have anxiety, I believe my stress level and the way my nervous system has worked since I was a child, coupled with my glass half full attitude, helped shape my cancer.
More and more I had been reading about the mind body connection. I've read so many books on how our mind can shape or create illness in our body. It started to register with me. I first read the book Radical Remission and listen to their podcasts. Taking what I wanted from both. I also read the book The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton. And a few more.
On a radical remission podcast was a gentleman named Avinoam Lerner. You can find him on YT as well. You can easily watch those podcasts in radical remission. What he said resonated with me 100 percent. To make this shorter, I read his book. I set up a free 1 hour consultation with him. He has 2 ways of working with you. In person in Boston and he has a course online. They are not cheap, but this is my life. I flew to Boston a month ago. He practices hypnotherapy for cancer patients to release old traumas. You can read about him. He gives you the tools to use to use your mind to help heal yourself. He has a new book coming out soon too.
It was hard, but I went. Since that time, I have been using his tools to change my MIND to help heal myself. Our minds are extremely powerful. It is not easy, at least for me. But I am DOiNG it!
There is also a woman named Brandy Gillmore. You can also find her on YT. She is also amazing but she does not use hypnotherapy to release trauma. But she essentially uses the same tools and it's a daily course of about 45 minutes. She also knows what she is doing and I suggest you check her out! I am taking her course as well because I feel I can't have enough tools at this point. You can't just think yourself well, you have to FEEL the emotion of being well with it. Avinoam teaches this too. So I find every bit of happy emotion I can while visioning myself and all areas of my body healed. I feel it with all my heart. That changes the chemicals and neuropathways in your brain that changes the cells in your body. I am tired of relying on just these drugs to keep me alive. I MUST find a different path!
Thats it in essence. I am right now on my way to get my first CT scan since my diagnosis. Yes, I am nervous. But I am determined to try whatever path I can to heal myself!! It's a daily practice!
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I keep meaning to circle back to this quote that Rhonda posted, as I find it interesting, but have a question.
Did Thich Nhat Hanh ever say just how the good teacher "touches the seed". I think the idea here is interesting, but there's no suggestion or advice as to what kinds of things might constitute "touching the seed", so that it can bloom and grow. Any ideas? What could a person do to help foster insight in another?
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I think the metaphor referenced is that a seed will grow into a viable plant if it is provided with the correct amount of water, light, soil type and temperature. The change can be brought about by manipulating the seed’s environment to help this happen.
As a math teacher my goal was to help students develop the ability to reason independently, solve problems and evaluate their solution methods. They would have to learn new concepts to help them do this but stuffing information into their heads wouldn’t get them to become independent thinkers and problem solvers. By providing an encouraging environment where the process was modeled, mistakes were regarded as opportunities to learn, perseverance was encouraged and small improvements were praised, everyone managed to eventually reach the goal, albeit in their own time frame. The teacher has to believe the students have the ability to learn to do this and communicate this to them as most students initially don’t believe they can accomplish this.
Since Rhonda teaches and leads meditation she could probably give a better explanation of how improving its practice leads to insight. I would guess that the appropriate physical and psychological environment, modeling the process, providing information which can be utilized, encouraging steps towards blocking distractions, and practice help develop insight.
There are other ways to foster insight in another but the teacher/student dynamic is one example.. There are probably many other answers to your question but this was my take on the quote.
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@maggie15 - Maggie this is excellent! Thank you so very much. I did a little teaching myself - mostly subbing in middle schools; rarely elementary and high school. I can relate to so much of what you've so succinctly and thoughtfully written here. This gives me even much more food for thought.
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@hippmark Thanks so much for sharing your interesting and heartening journey of self-discovery. I am sending you all good wishes for good CT results. I'm incredibly grateful to medical science for keeping me alive to continue my own journey.
@maggie15 I think Thich Nhat Hanh's reference is to "buddha nature," the idea that we are all already enlightened and just need to have that revealed to us. A teacher who has what is called "transmission" of ancient techniques from his/her own teacher, going back thousands of years, can help do that. Different schools of Buddhism have differing ideas about this of course.
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@tougholdcrow - Thanks for this. I don't know much about Buddhism and had not heard of the "buddha nature" before. More the good food for thought re the notion that we are all already enlightened, but just need to "locate" it. I'm just very interested in how one might go about helping to spark growth and insight in others. Fascinating stuff.
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You are welcome. We all have to find the path that works for us and this aligns with what I feel. I am happy to report that my Signatera test came back today and showed a negative where in March it was 1 percent. That means no detectable tumor cells in my blood. Peace be with us all!
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@tougholdcrow, That makes sense. I think all are born with innate capabilities and one of the goals of our time here is to bring them out.
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Happy Sunday. Hi all, love this conversation. Thank you. Sitting with your wisdom,
This appeared on my feed on Facebook , as I’ve been taking a digital holiday with the new semester starting… I just read it, and it stopped me in my tracks ! Wow. I offer it to you. Love and hugs to all ❤️
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