Recovery Blog

WORDS FROM BILL WILSON

Laura — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:23:35 +0000

Good Morning Readers,

Happy Full Moon to you. I found this quote on the Bill Wilson facebook page (yes…he has one) . I guess he’s still giving it away. Anyway for this week, I thought I would share his quote on meditation.

Bill Wilson We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends.

I hope you found that useful.

Warmly, Laura

Bring In The Noise

Laura — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:24:49 +0000

How many of you have tried to quiet your mind for meditation, when sure enough the gardener starts up the lawn mower, and ruins your beautiful silence? Well here is a mediation that is very easy to do anywhere. Morning is a great time for this one. For those of us in recovery, we all managed to find time to take a drink or get high in the morning…no matter how busy we were. So taking five minutes to do this, should be easy enough. Find a comfortable position to sit in. Sit there for a few seconds, and make sure it really is comfy. Now is the time to literally get “out” of your head. Concentrate on any noise you can hear. It may be a bird (this is why I say the morning is good for this one), a garbage truck, a car passing by, the hum of your refrigerator. It’s a cool twist for people who find noise a distraction when attempting to meditate. By doing this, you are also sending your energy outwards, so that when you open your eyes, believe or not, you have collected some great energy from the space around you. If you have a thought that is distracting, let a noise replace it. You’ll find the room gets noisy, while your head gets quiet. I’d love to hear how this works for any of you. You can reply hear or contact me at www.4missingpeace.com . Have a nice trip, and good week.

Warmly, Laura

Staying In Your Right Mindfullness

Laura — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:19:01 +0000

Readers, I am so sorry for my lack of posting in the last short while. However, my last recent jaunt out of town definitely gave me something to blog about. I was on a family trip (yet again…despite how many times we swear NEVER to do this again). One of my family members is still very much into smoking pot and taking pills…and let’s just say this person was a little emotionally on edge, okay it was more like emotionally dangling off a 50 story building. Anywhoooo…I was driving in the car while this maniac was ranting in the back seat. Her energy could have penetrated lead. I found myself sinking into her dark abyss. I then I thought…wait a minute. I have a tool I can use here. I began to immerse myself in the moment. I chose to notice the gorgeous view I was driving along. The eagle that flew by the car. The way the clouds drifted across the beautiful blue sky. How nice it was to be driving a prius! I suddenly felt so much better. I began coming back to myself. So often we are rushing around so much, that we are not in the moment at all, or we are in the worst part of the moment. I hope this blog helps to keep you in your right mindfullness! P.S. For those of you who wanted personal tips on meditating, feel free to contact me anytime on my email 4missingpeace@gmail.com.

Warmly, Laura

Meditation Is Listening

Laura — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:29:32 +0000

Raise your hand if you think meditation is having no thoughts or concentrating on only one thought. This is actually a common misconception. While no thought is an intention you can set, I find I get a lot of important answers while I meditate. Quite often when you take the time to get quiet, the answer to a dilemma you’ve been having just pops right in. Did you ever have a conversation with a friend when you both couldn’t remember ….let’s say the name of an actor? Suddenly, at two o’clock in morning you yell out Nicholas Cage! Well, that’s because your mind is finally quite, but our brains never stop searching. Meditation is a great way to get the answers to what you’ve been searching for. It’s usually a little more profound than Nicholas Cage. No offense intended Mr. Cage. Have a nice week.

Warmly, Laura

BRUSHING YOUR SOUL

Laura — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:53:42 +0000

Since this is my first blog on this sight, I thought I’d start with giving a brief idea of what daily meditation does for me. I know it’s not easy to start, but it’s kind of like being forced to brush your teeth when your a kid. Your mom tells you it’s good for you, and even though it’s not that big a deal, you kick and scream from beginning to end. Now that I am a “grown up”, I brush my teeth every morning and night. It’s not like a leap out of bed and go “whhooooo hoooo time to brush my teeth..!!!” .But, I do love the cool minty aftertaste. If I don’t brush….yucky….not so delicious. Meditation is kinda of like brushing your soul. It’s something you get into the habit of doing, and it leaves you fresh and ready for the day. I hope you get the chance to read my weekly blog for different ways to make meditation fun. It’s actually much easier than you think.

Spiritual expansion

Jean — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:15:01 +0000

A terrific clinical supervisor of mine in NY used to say that therapy is about 2 people getting better and one of them getting paid for it. :) One of the greatest gifts that I have received as a result of choosing to be a therapist, bodyworker and healer is that it requires me to do my own healing work on a regular basis. Moreover, I must be connected more and more with spirit to allow the growth to happen, which also means that I have to be more connected to my body, and grounded, to maintain balance.

This is even more true because I work with the body. JL Moreno, the founder of psychodrama, said, “The body remembers what the mind forgets.” People often have memories in their bodies - a feeling, a sensation - and they can’t attach the story to it. Our bodies and minds work brilliantly together to protect us from pain and harm, and there are some things that we just don’t want to remember. Our bodies also help us to disconnect, or dissociate, from painful memories, thoughts and experiences.

When we use a method like Psychodramatic Bodywork® - a combination of psychodrama and the principles of Chinese medicine - we go deep into the wounding that we’ve experienced, and can clear it much faster. I co-facilitated a workshop using this method this past weekend, and the 3 days of work we did together was like 5 years of therapy for each person in that room. It was extraordinary. And the clearing of the pain and trauma by the participants will allows them to step more fully into their own power and connection to spirit, because we’ve removed the fear block and allowed them to come into their truth.

Part of that connection to spirit is learning how to trust our intuition. For many of us, intuition - that deep sense of knowing - was “taken away” from us early on with messages like, “No, that’s not what you’re feeling, you’re feeling this…” As we get more grounded in our bodies and more connected to spirit, we begin to trust that knowing and begin to follow through on the spiritual direction that is given. And isn’t that what recovery is all about?

Being in the Moment

Jean — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:18:10 +0000

I had to fly to St. Louis last weekend to present at a conference. My close friends know that I’m not a big fan of flying. Yet I’ve come to realize that it’s a great opportunity to work my 3rd step. Talk about turning my will and my life over to the care of my Higher Power! When I step on that plane and they shut the door, I have to have complete trust in HP that everything will be okay….not an easy thing for someone like me who likes to be in charge. The truth is that I’m often not in charge (traffic on the freeway, the value of my 401K, etc) and the more I can stay in the moment and practice acceptance, the more serenity I will have.

I am finding that when I’m the most anxious - like when I’m flying - if I can sit still and breathe and just practice being in the moment, I’m okay. Fear is always future oriented. It’s not the turbulence that’s already happened that I’m afraid of, it’s the turbulence that I’m anxiously anticipating is going to happen that causes me distress. It also helps me to visualize my outcome. For example, on my flight to St. Louis, I kept visualizing a safe and smooth flight, a safe touch down and then meeting my friends at that airport and hugging them. There were a few moments of turbulence where I came back to that visualization and breathed deeply in and out, and it served to calm me down.

Another thing that I’ll often do in moments of difficulty is to offer myself an “open faced heart sandwich”, a technique invented by my teacher, Susan Aaron, who created he method of Psychodramatic Bodywork ®. I place one hand over my heart and the other hand over my bladder (just above my pubic bone) and just breathe. In Chinese medicine, the bladder meridian is connected to fear, so when I place a hand over my bladder, I am offering my body comfort in a time of anxiety. Try it some time - it really works!

I would love to hear some comments about what other calming techniques people use, especially in these challenging times.

I wish you serenity in your life - one day at a time.

Spirituality and Money

Jean — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:19:10 +0000

I was watching the Suze Orman show tonight and was reminded that at the end of every show, she says, “People first, then money, then things.” We’re in the mess we’re in in this country right now because we’ve lost sight of what really matters - people - and that means you and me.

For years, most of us have been spending money that we don’t have. For some, it’s a way to medicate our feelings and feed our eg, and escape that provides temporary relief. How many times have you bought something and said to yourself, “I’ve worked hard. I deserve this”? Well maybe you do deserve it, but the real question is, can you afford it? At a deeper level, all of this overspending is getting in the way of our connection to spirit. If at my core, I believe that I don’t deserve because my shame tells me I’m worthless, then of course I’m going to spend money to feel better. Those feelings can be intolerable, and buying the latest gadget can make me feel better - at least for a moment. Except in this case, I have a financial hangover, especially when the credit card bill arrives.

So just for today, maybe it’s time to get honest about your money, about your connection to spirit, and about yourself. Just for today, don’t spend money that you don’t have. I have to practice these principles in all my affairs, and that includes rigorous honesty about my money, and about my connection to spirit - or lack thereof.

So just for today, instead of going out and buying something, sit still and connect with spirit and with yourself. The answers are inside of you, and the only way to get there is get quiet and ask that still, small voice inside of you some serious questions. And don’t forget…Easy Does It, but Do It!

Reflections and the New Year

Randy — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:21:41 +0000

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone’s holiday was joyous and celebratory.

I went to Sedona for my first time. I packed up the cooler, stuck it in the back of the car and road tripped it to cacti abound Arizona! There is so much hype around Sedona that I wondered if I would experience the energy the way that everyone talks about.

I don’t think one necessarily has to be sensitive to energy to feel how vibrant and alive the land is. However, if you are sensitive to energy or have an appreciation for beauty; HOLY CACTUS!

The sheer beauty of the red rock formations scattered with green desert fauna was a crisp contrast to the bluest sky I had ever seen. My most memorable moment…A Native American sweat lodge!

I have heard about this for a long time, but never participated in one…never really had the chance to.

A full blooded Native American, Rahelio, led about 8 people on New Years Eve in a sweat lodge where strangers come together in a teepee type construct with a fire and coals in the middle. He blended Native American tradition with many other forms of spiritual practice from around the world. Imagine almost pitch black and nothing visible but the faintly illuminated faces of people who have come together to reflect on their year, to give those things no longer serving them to the fire while claiming what they wanted for the incoming year. It was really powerful. This was done by talking, chanting, singing, rattling instruments and acknowledging each other in the similarities we all shared, not the differences.

I was sad to leave Sedona. I felt so connected to the land and nature there. Now back in the big city, how can I bring the elements of Sedona with me?

Have you ever experienced being on vacation and returning home wanting to bring how you felt on your vacation back with you?

I realized that as beautiful as Sedona was, it was just a mirror for me to experience what lies within. Sedona does not have to be outside of me, it can dwell within. The feelings I had there are alive within me.

So, I say to you that this is a new year full of what you wish to create. Full of feelings to explore within you. I’m sure many resolutions have been made. One question…are you passionate about those resolutions? Are you passionate about what you want?

If you truly are passionate about what you want, then take action in any way you can to get closer to what it is you want. Do not limit yourself by asking for money, job, etc…ask to be abundant. Why ask for a piece of the puzzle when you can manifest the whole. Be grateful for the abundance (in what ever form you do have) and create from that place! Then, maybe your outside reality can reflect what truly resides within you.

May this year bring all that honors and serves you and may your dreams be manifest!

Holiday Hope

Randy — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:22:27 +0000

Well, the holidays are here and there seems to be a tangible state of panic and fear. The economy is the worst it has been in a long time and the stock market is worse then the crash of 1929. It is really hard to not get sucked into the emotions and panic of what is happening.

I have been doing a lot of work with my clients lately around how they can nurture themselves through this time, how to shift perspectives into focusing on what matters most and how to create from a place of abundance, not lack and limitation.

These ways of being are essential to not only finding happiness but sustaining happiness. It is kind of like being the observer of what goes on around you without getting pulled directly into the eye of the storm. We cannot control everything that is going on around us but we absolutely can control our reaction to it.

There is a hurricane of immense global proportion right now, how will you take shelter? Focusing on what you do have in the very moment helps keep you in a state of gratitude and openness. Remember, the past has already happened and the future has not. The only time you have is RIGHT NOW. Focusing on “how bad things are”, “how much you have lost”, “how horrible things are for people” only holds one in a state of fear and panic. Then we literally can be “frozen in fear”.

This holiday season, look around and find things that you are thankful for. Even though the stock market is in disarray, transmute that by taking spiritual “stock” of what you have and what you are most thankful for. Do something nice for yourself, even if that means giving someone else a hug because you need it! Put on a song of some sort that evokes the emotion you are looking for; do not do things that evoke more of the emotions you are not looking for. These are examples of simple ways that you can be the change you want. You can be the polarity. This way, you are empowered to create the changes you want in yourself. This is how, when starting with ourselves, we can effect and change the world!

Happy Holidays and a truly wonder filled New Year for everyone.