Fresh start - OR - Same old, same old

     At the end of each year, many of us resolve to make the new year new, better, different. But the force of habit is disappointingly strong.
     Other ways of saying 'force of habit' include: mindlessness, being on autopilot, sleepwalking through life, among the walking dead, zoned out, brain-dead ... It's a deep conditioning that is very similar to addiction to substances.
     Students I've taught who've served in combat as helicopter pilots or marines are radically more alert, attentive, present than other students. They seem much more alive. They're tuned into what's happening right now, right here - they're mindful. Mindfulness is a life skill that can be learned in civilian life through mindfulness training. Mindfulness allows one to live life consciously, on purpose, in freedom. 

     To - BE HERE NOW - is a moment-by-moment choice. One can vow to, from now on, take hold of one's destiny as an evolving conscious life form, by choosing freedom every moment.

Source: internet

"As good as it gets!" ??? Keep raising your standards!

     “Perhaps most importantly, emotional intelligence enables the skills that help us create conditions for our own sustainable happiness. Matthieu Ricard defines happiness as ‘a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind … not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal state of being.’ And that optimal state of being is ‘a profound emotional balance struck by a subtle understanding of how the mind functions.’”

       Tan C-M. Search inside yourself. The unexpected path to achieving success, happiness (and world peace). HarperCollins, NY, 2012.       NOTE: the author is Google's celebrated engineer & "jolly good fellow" Meng.

My photo does not do justice to this haunting work of art - Ghita Levin Pottery www.ghitalevinpottery.ca

Don't AVOID Scary Things out of Fear, APPROACH Skillfully with Love

     Approach or avoid? Odd question? Maybe not. Our amygdala makes this decision thousands of times each day. Consider your willingness to be with a "difficult, challenging" person - be it a relative, colleague, or "heart-sink patient". S/he rubs you the wrong way. Being with this person feels uncomfortable, hard to bear, painful - you don't think you can handle it gracefully, it wears you out. You fear that you're not up to the challenge - right?
     Now suppose you've just taken a course on "managing difficult people." You have a brand new bag of psychosocial skills you're eager to try. Now how do you feel about being with someone you previously judged as difficult, challenging? Completely different right? You're no longer afraid, in fact you're keen. Why? Because you now feel competent. You won't be worn out or some other way diminished by the encounter - you have a good chance of feeling empowered, and even the challenging person may feel better following the encounter.
     What's the first rule in dealing with "difficult" people? Don't prejudge - be curious about where they're coming from - ask questions & listen deeply. In other words, don't be afraid, be curious, learn their point of view, give them the gift of feeling heard. In other words, treat them with neighborly kindness (love) instead of judging them as bad, difficult, challenging (don't fear them).
     So, we can grow as human beings by approaching those whom we tend to avoid. Approaching them without judgment, but with curiosity and kindness will accomplish much - for us and them.
     While this suggestion is moral & ethical, it is NOT a "should", but rather a very practical course of action to test. As in any aspect of healing, if this reduces the suffering of others & your own, do more of it; if it increases suffering, do less.
     See also: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2012/03/65-embracing-full-catastrophe.html

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia - beautiful even during today's storm

Aging - toward Wisdom, Self-realization

     In an excellent NY Times article (Dec 19, 2012), Judith Graham summarized several recent studies which suggest that "age stereotypes ... can have an important effect on seniors’ health.
     When stereotypes are negative — when seniors are convinced becoming old means becoming useless, helpless or devalued — they are less likely to seek preventive medical care and die earlier, and more likely to suffer memory loss and poor physical functioning, a growing body of research shows.
     When stereotypes are positive — when older adults view age as a time of wisdom, self-realization and satisfaction — results point in the other direction, toward a higher level of functioning."

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/older-people-are-what-they-think-study-shows/

Consciousness Can Continue Maturing into Old Age

“Age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars invisible by day.”       Longfellow

Photo: qhenson   www.dpreview.com

Ethics & Guidelines for Prescribing Drugs

     "The Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today examined 20 clinical practice guidelines for conditions treated by the 25 top-selling drugs in the U.S.
     These drugs sit in the medicine cabinets of millions of Americans -- Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) for acid reflux, Lipitor (atorvastatin) for high cholesterol, Cymbalta (duloxetine) for depression, and OxyContin (oxycodone) for pain. Their collective sales topped $94 billion in 2011, accounting for 30% of drug revenue in the U.S.
An analysis of the guideline panels, which involved 293 doctors, found:

• Nine guidelines were written by panels where more than 80% of doctors had financial ties to drug companies.
• Four panels did not require members to disclose any conflicts of interest.
• Of the 16 guideline committees that required disclosure, two-thirds of the panel members had ties to drug companies.

     Some guidelines written by conflicted panels recommend drugs that have not been scientifically proven to safely treat conditions, leading to inappropriate or over prescribing, specifically guidelines for anemia, chronic pain, and asthma."

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/GeneralPrimaryCare/36522?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=WC&xid=NL_DHE_2012-12-19&eun=g259408d0r&userid=259408&email=novaquest@eastlink.ca&mu_id=5254360

     "The publication of an editorial questioning the benefits of high dose epoetin was canceled by the marketing branch of a journal after being accepted by the editorial branch highlighting concerns of conflict of interest in publishing.^[22]
     In 2011, author Kathleen Sharp published a book, Whistleblower’s story,^[23] alleging drug maker Johnson & Johnson encouraged doctors to prescribe epoetin in high doses, particularly for cancer patients, because this would increase sales by hundreds of millions of dollars. Former sales representatives Mark Duxbury and Dean McClennan, claim that the bulk of their business selling epoetin to hospitals and clinics was Medicare fraud, totaling $3 billion.^[24] In a lawsuit, Duxbury alleged his employer wrongfully terminated him in 1998. He lived in Gig Harbor, Washington. He was born on March 23, 1960 and died on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, at age 49, while his case was still in litigation."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoetin_alfa 

     My Dad was pressured by his physician into taking epoetin (~1999) for anemia. Because his physician was so insistent, in spite of the fact that it cost $1,000. out-of-pocket, he complied. There was no benefit (for my Dad), and he died of heart failure.

Dalhousie University's Caduceus Project, conceived & directed by Miro Davis

Self-Knowledge, Depth, and Healing Abilities

     “Thomas Merton warns us that ‘he who attempts to act and do things for others or for the world without deepening his own self-understanding, freedom, integrity and capacity to love, will not have anything to give to others. He will communicate to them nothing but the contagion of his own obsessions, his aggressiveness, his ego-centered ambitions, his delusions about ends and means, his doctrinaire prejudices and ideas.’ And for Merton, the Cistercian monk, deepening one’s own self-understanding requires a disciplined practice of meditation or contemplative prayer, made possible only by regular doses of holy quiet.”

       Simmons P. "Learning to fall. The blessings of an imperfect life." Bantam Books, NY, 2000.

Shaman Traveler to Other Worlds for Blessings by Norval Morisseau

Equanimity in the midst of Life's Ups & Downs

     “Life throws things at us that we cannot predict and cannot control. What we can control is who we are along the way. We can … control how much energy, compassion, and integrity we bring to our journey.

     We’ve all heard of the sudden millionaires, the lottery winners whose lives have gone haywire. And we know others on whom success has hardened like a shell, sealing them off from friends and family. These examples teach us that it’s not just badd news that carries us away from ourselves. Good fortune can threaten our integrity, too. An old Buddhist story tells of the seeker who after years of instruction and meditation goes on a pilgrimage high in the mountains, where at last he has a transforming vision that heralds his enlightenment. Full of excitement, he returns to his teacher to tell of the wonderful thing that has befallen him. The teacher, a man of many years and hard-won wisdom, replies: ‘Don’t worry, you’ll get over it.’ What we’re after is equanimity, the poise that allows us to accept gracefully the blessings and burdens that are beyond our control. What we’re after is the ability, regardless of circumstance, in the face of disappointment and happy surprise, in the face of tragedy and bliss, to return home to our true selves and our highest natures.” 

       Simmons P. Learning to fall. The blessings of an imperfect life. Bantam Books, NY, 2000. 

     See also: http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/03/the-tao-way-middle-way-emptiness.html

Andre Gallant   http://www.andregallant.com/

True Maturation, Wisdom - Accepting what is Conventionally "Unacceptable"

     “When we accept our impermanence, letting go of our attachment to things as they are, we open ourselves to grace. When we can stand calmly in the face of our passing away, when we have the courage to look even into the face of a child and say, ‘This flower, too, will fade and be no more,’ when we can sense the nearness of death and feel its rightness equally with birth, then we will have crossed over to that farther shore where death can hold no fear for us, where we will know the measure of the eternal that is ours in this life.”
       Simmons P. Learning to fall. The blessings of an imperfect life. Bantam Books, NY, 2000.

     "For the dying, the fear of death has at least two facets. One is the universal fear of personal extinction. The other is related to the particular process of death; the diseased person fears the manner in which death will occur rather than death itself. For the physician, on the other hand, the fear of death may reflect a sense of impotence, a defeat as a physician. In addition, the physician may also feel the universal fear of death itself and a possible identification with the dying person, especially if the patient is in the prime of life.”
       Seravalli EP. The dying patient, the physician, and the fear of death. N Engl J Med 1988; 319(26): 1728-30.

     “Be always mindful of what you are doing and thinking. So that you may put the imprint of your immortality on every passing incident of your daily life.” Abd’l-Khaliq Ghijdewani, 13th century Sufi
       Walsh R. “Essential spirituality. The 7 central practices to awaken heart and mind.” John Wiley & Sons Inc, NY, 1999.

Photo: grantbush   www.dpreview.com

Everyone does their best, under the circumstances - Attachment theory

     "Attachment theory posits that, beginning in infancy, children form highly affective relationships - or attachments - with their primary caregivers that are based on the infant's need for protection, comfort, and nurturance. Attachments vary in their quality in accordance with the type of attachment relationship a child has experienced. ... researchers have delineated different types of attachments: secure, insecure (with subtypes of anxious avoidant & anxious resistant), and disorganized. Children with secure attachments feel that their caregivers are physically & emotionally available to them and generally have better developmental outcomes and lower rates of psychopathology than children with insecure or disorganized attachments. Secure attachments provide a 'secure base' with the caregiver that fosters safe exploration and learning. Insecure attachment results from an infant's or child's attempt to maintain proximity to a caregiver who is emotionally unavailable or only intermittently responsive. Disorganized children or infants are caught between craving proximity and fearing to approach the caregiver. They often exhibit disorganized or contradictory behavior, such as freezing, stilling, or apprehension toward their attachment figures.
     Attachments can influence a child's behaviors and relationships in general. This occurs because beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that form within an affective, primary relationship eventually become internalized as the child's internal working models. These early relational interactions gradually evolve into increasingly complex patterns of affective regulation, self-organization, attitudes, & expectations about the world & relationships. In this way, interactions that emerge out of a dyadic experience become individual traits that can endure even when the environment changes."
       Zilberstein K. Clarifying core characteristics of attachment disorders: a review of current research and theory. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2006; 76(1): 55-64.

Photo: Janolus   www.dpreview.com

If I can't live fully now, then when?

     "'Living fully' means to live with a sense of ease, contentment, curiosity, and meaning. It means accepting all that life has to offer, both its pleasures and its stings, and being open to the infinite possibilities of experience as each day unfolds. It means saying yes to what is possible despite frailty, disability, or even impending death. Feeling overwhelmed is understandable, although it is optional. Nevertheless, living fully is possible."

     "The quality of our experience, moment by moment, will determine the quality of our lives."               Matthieu Ricard 

       Bauer-Wu S. Leaves falling gently. Living fully with serious & life-limiting illness through mindfulness, compassion & connectedness. New Harbinger Publications, 2011.

Identification with Self-talk

     Most of us completely, uncritically identify with our thoughts and self-talk. In other words, our thoughts and self-talk, for better or worse, reflect who we actually are. They don't. There's an undercurrent of profound stillness and wisdom that is who we actually are. One of the most effective ways of accessing this directly is via mindfulness meditation. 
     The self-talk, the passing thoughts, the character flaws are definitively NOT who we are. But to access our true self, we need to let go of our addiction to our foibles, our ego, all of the easy surface junk - and THAT'S NOT easy!!! Letting go of this common type of deluded thinking, despite our self-concept that we're very scientific, intellectual, educated folks, is bloody hard.
     We're ALL HUMAN - frightened, afraid in this very difficult world, this crazy, unpredictable, challenging life that ends in certain death!!!! How can we face reality with eyes wide open and with our hearts wide open???? And yet, we must - it's the only way in which we stay real!

See also: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/

The Fine-Tuners at the Halifax Seaport Market   http://thefinetuners.ca/

Mindfulness Skills - Preventive Mental Health Care

     “It is possibly preventive mental health care of the best kind to teach an emerging adult the skills and practices of mindfulness, self-awareness, and self-compassion. Practicing these skills can lead directly to discovery and alignment with one’s personal center of stable, authentic values. With increased self-awareness, and with their core values identified and operating, emerging adults are much better equipped to meet life’s challenges and opportunities successfully and to take their rightful place in the world. In a time when our culture, our nation, and our world are beset by uncertainties, fears, and anxieties, and many people are searching for stability, authentic values, and ways to be happier and healthier, it is difficult to imagine a better investment than teaching young people mindfulness skills.”                       Jeffrey Brantley MD

       Rogers H, Maytan M. Mindfulness for the Next Generation. Helping Emerging Adults Manage Stress and Lead Healthier Lives. Oxford University Press, NY, 2012. 

Control, Life-threatening Illness, Existential Crisis, New Meaning, Embeddedness in a Larger Whole

"1. For his functioning, a human being has to understand his world and bring it under his control as far as possible. This is mostly achieved by attributing some meaning to it, which is a rational activity directed by the autonomous self. The system of meaning that is constructed in that way directs the meaning of life, of the world and of events that happen within it. Within this system there is usually no place for death.

2. A life-threatening illness like cancer confronts patients with the possibility of death. In the first instance they will try to deal with it from within the existing framework of meaning. In most patients this happens first by considering the threat as temporary and the illness as curable, thinking that they will become healthy again. Then, time perspective shifts. Attention is focused on the here and now and thinking as little as possible about the future. This is an effective method to deal with the menace of death and accompanying insecurity. It is not a denial because one realizes that it can also turn out differently. One keeps it out of consciousness by concentrating on the present and the treatment.

3. When the physical condition deteriorates, a moment may occur in which one cannot deny that one will not be the same again. The changes are irreversible and death is approaching. Future is gone. The familiar framework of meaning is wrecked. This causes an existential crisis. In addition, loss of all control over the situation may cause an identity crisis. The awareness of having to let go of many things initiates a mourning process.

4. If a patient ventures to allow insecurity and the mourning process, space is created for the experiencing of meaning. When this experience manifests itself, the individual senses himself as being part of a larger whole. This reduces his fear of death. This experience of meaning cannot be consciously evocated. Nonetheless, conditions can be created that enhance the chance for it to happen.

5. If in this way patients experience a new meaning in their existence, it enables them also to cognitively attribute meaning to their new reality on the basis of a new and broader context of life, including the reality of death. The assignment of meaning and the experience of meaning are integrated at a higher level. This integration also implies a personal transformation, in which the individual lets go of his ego-centered worldview in favor of a deep sense of being embedded in a larger whole."

       Yang W et al. Existential crisis and the awareness of dying: the role of meaning and spirituality. Omega (Westport) 2010; 61(1): 53-69.
       See also: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/search?q=Lesser 

Photo: Jen003   www.dpreview.com

Towards a Finer Quality of Life for Yourself & Everyone Else

     "I know change is hard. And I also know there are many profound, personal, and often seemingly intractable reasons people have trouble implementing changes like those taught in SIY (Google's 'Search Inside Yourself'), or in any mindfulness practice. In fact, part of how I make my living is bearing witness to the pain impending change causes. Even the most desired outcome can at times feel like a Sisyphean task. But I’ve learned that change is possible. With patience, understanding, and kindness, even Sisyphus can be helped to leave that damn rock alone and get on to other things.
     One way to approach change is to start small, give yourself a success experience. Make it bearable, bite-sized. Go hear a lecture before reading a book before changing your life. So, here’s a video of Meng giving a lecture. It’s very Google-centric, making Google-ish points like making the most of opportunity because you will now have a deep knowledge of self. But its a good place to start, or to continue."     Todd Essig, Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddessig/2012/04/30/google-teaches-employees-to-search-inside-yourself/

Health, Harmony, Meaning - Navajo Wisdom

     Individuals EITHER promote the general welfare of the world & thus their personal well-being (as a healthy cell collaborates with & supports a healthy body) OR they create chaos out of a misguided, self-centered striving for their individual happiness (as a cancer cell does it's own thing, destroying the entire body).

     "Among the Navajo, all serious illness results from disharmony. To become sick, a person has somehow fallen out of harmony with himself, his family, his clan, and the network of relationships that constitute the Navajo Way. To be healed is to have that harmony restored."
     Navaho traditional healing ceremony "could 'heal' any seriously ill person, even a patient with terminal cancer, because prolonging life isn't necessarily the aim of Navajo medicine. Human beings, like plants and animals and the visible world itself, participate in a cycle of birth, development, maturity, and decline. This cycle constitutes the harmonious, natural way of the universe. Attempting to extend an elderly person's life beyond its natural span might well be seen as disharmonious or harmful, rather than healing; what the ceremony would do was to bring the dying person into a harmonious relationship with the important persons and values in his or her life."
     Their healing "address the more narrative dimensions of illness; i.e., to re-experience themselves as part of a meaningful story."

     Coulehan J. "Metaphor and medicine: narrative in clinical practice." Yale J Biol Med 2003; 76(2): 87-95.

See also: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/01/sense-of-workplace-community-belonging.html

Paul Hannon   http://paulhannon.com/

 

Cynicism at Work

     "The changing nature of work and work organizations, particularly the breach and violation of the psychological contract is believed to have engendered a rise in employee cynicism and mistrust. Employee cynicism has been described as characterized by negative attitudes of frustration, disillusionment, and contempt toward and distrust of business organizations, executives, managers and other objects in the workplace. In a review article, Dean, Brandes, and Dharwadkar (1998) define employee cynicism as 'a negative attitude toward one's employing organization, comprising of three dimensions:

1) a belief that the organization lacks integrity
2) negative affect towards the organization; and
3) tendencies to exhibit disparaging and critical behaviors towards the organization that are consistent with these beliefs and affect.

     Employee cynicism has been proposed as a new paradigm of employee–employer relations as a result of longer working hours, work intensification, ineffective leadership and management, new deals in the workplace and the continual downsizing and delayering of organizations."

        Cartwright S, Holmes N. The meaning of work: The challenge of regaining employee engagement and reducing cynicism. Human Resource Management Review 2006; 16(2): 199-208.

     See also: http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/11/out-of-fearful-pessimism-we-isolate.html

 

Photo: gazzajb   www.dpreview.com