GPs should prescribe meditation for depression, says Mental Health Foundation – Times Online

GPs should prescribe meditation for depression, says Mental Health Foundation – Times Online.

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Meditation pilot for city school

Meditation pilot for city school Maharishi Mahesh Yogi became a well known figure in the 1960s Cardiff schools could introduce a pilot Transcendental Meditation (TM) programme to relieve stress on pupils. One unnamed secondary school is to give it a trial on a voluntary basis. It followers say TM is a means of clearing and resting the mind through a series of chants and relaxation exercises which anyone can learn. Freda Salway, Cardiff council’s executive member for education, said anything to lessen the load was a welcome addition to the curriculum. TM hit the headlines in 1967 in Wales, when the Beatles met the movement’s founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on a retreat in Bangor. According to south Wales instructor Helen Evans, however, the 60s left a legacy of mixed blessings, with TM becoming more widely known and associated with the era of psychedelia and the Woodstock generation. It’s about relaxing, giving your mind the space to rest and allowing your subconscious to come to terms with problems without the clutter that’s normally there Helen Evans, TM instructor “Sgt Pepper and the like probably put back serious scientific research into the benefits of TM by about 10 or 20 years,” said Ms Evans. “But experiments in US schools have found that it can have a dramatic effect on reducing violence and bullying in the classroom, as well as improving concentration and self-esteem.” Ms Evans said: “Most meditation systems will tell you to blank your thoughts out, but I don’t think that’s realistic. As soon as someone tells you to think of nothing, then something will pop into your mind. Proponents believe TM makes you a more relaxed and contented person “The thing that’s different about TM is that it teaches you to cope with the feelings that you do have rather than trying to get rid of them. “It’s about relaxing, giving your mind the space to rest and allowing your subconscious to come to terms with problems without the clutter that’s normally there.” She said modern life could be “highly stressful because there’s so much about our lives which we can’t control ourselves”. She added: “If you can find a way, not of changing your emotions, but of coping with them and accepting them for what they are, then you can be a much more relaxed and contented person with better self-esteem”. Like anything, you can’t ram it down people’s throats – it’s entirely up to students and their parents to decide if it’s something they’d like to try Freda Salway, Cardiff council executive member for education Ms Salway said: “It’s not going to work for everyone, but it’s certainly not going to do any harm. “Like anything, you can’t ram it down people’s throats – it’s entirely up to students and their parents to decide if it’s something they’d like to try. “But today’s children face more stress than any generation before them with exams and peer-pressure and problems in the home. “So if TM can provide an outlet for even a small percentage of them, then it’s something worth offering.” Multi-cultural areas Several schools in England are already in the process of introducing TM to staff and pupils, with funding from a foundation set up by cult film director David Lynch. A common objection from parents, especially in highly multi-cultural areas, has apparently been a perception that TM is closely associated with Buddhism and Hinduism, and is therefore incompatible with other faiths. But north Wales instructor David Hughes said TM had a strictly non-denominational approach. “Yes, TM has its roots in India, and there are some overlapping features with Buddhism and Hinduism, but fundamentally it’s a technique, not a belief system,” he said. “It’s practiced by millions of Muslims, especially in the Middle East, and it’s no more true to say that TM is Buddhist than it is to say that singing is Christian.” “It’s something which comes naturally to some people – elite athletes like Usain Bolt seem to slip into the zone without ever having been taught. “But most people need a little bit of help to harness the mental powers we all have inside.” If the pilot study is a success, it could be offered to students throughout Cardiff.

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Meditation boosts brainpower

Mindfulness Meditation Improves Cognition

28/04/2010

Whenever we need some more clarity it is tempting to reach for the caffeine. New research however is showing that just very small amounts of meditation are able to considerably improve the level of clarity and other cognitive abilities.

Although most people are aware that meditation improves the cognitive aspects of the self, people are also aware that it takes considerable discipline and time commitment in order to reap those benefits. This understandably puts them off. This new study reveals how benefits are being derived with only a short amount of time in meditation.

The research psychologists conducting the study found that the study participants who were trained for just 20 minutes a day over four days gained significant progress in their critical cognitive skills as well as in comparison to the control group.

From Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Fadel Zeidan, said “In the behavioural test results, what we are seeing is something that is somewhat comparable to results that have been documented after far more extensive training.”

He also added that “The profound improvements that we found after just 4 days of meditation training are really surprising,” and “It goes to show that the mind is, in fact, easily changeable and highly influenced, especially by meditation.”

The study involved 69 student volunteers who were split into two groups. They all underwent a variety of tests to determine their state of memory, visual attention, mood, attention processing, and vigilance. People in both the groups scored equally well on all measures prior to the start of the experiment. For the ‘mood’ test both groups improved equally too, but when it came to the cognitive tests, the meditation group improved significantly upon the other one. In fact for one test, they were 10 times better.

The meditation was a kind of ‘mindfulness training’ based on the “Shamatha skills” of the Buddhist meditation tradition. All the sessions were facilitated by a trained instructor.

The study paper described the meditation process: “Participants were instructed to relax, with their eyes closed, and to simply focus on the flow of their breath occurring at the tip of their nose. If a random thought arose, they were told to passively notice and acknowledge the thought and to simply let ‘it’ go, by bringing the attention back to the sensations of the breath.” As the training progressed it built on from this foundation to focus on specific cognitive abilities.

The paper entitled “Mindfulness Meditation Improves Cognition: Evidence of Brief Mental Training” was published in the Consciousness and Cognition journal.

Posted by Maggie

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A few photos of our centre

One of the therapy rooms

The Meditation Room

 

The Meditation Room

 

The Meditation Room

 

 

 

 

Entrance Hall

 

Yoga, Pilates & Workshop space

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Dreams ‘can help with learning’ – Dream workshop 11th July

Dreams workshop coming up on the 11th July at The Happiness Centre in Ilkley Dreams ‘can help with learning’ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8638551.stm

Dreaming may be a sign our brain is working hard in our sleep Napping after learning something new could help you commit it to memory – as long as you dream, scientists say. They found people who dream about a new task perform it better on waking than those who do not sleep or do not dream. Volunteers were asked to learn the layout of a 3D computer maze so they could find their way within the virtual space several hours later. Those allowed to take a nap and who also remembered dreaming of the task, found their way to a landmark quicker. The researchers think the dreams are a sign that unconscious parts of the brain are working hard to process information about the task. Dr Robert Stickgold of Harvard Medical School, one of the authors of the paper, said dreams may be a marker that the brain is working on the same problem at many levels. He said: “The dreams might reflect the brain’s attempt to find associations for the memories that could make them more useful in the future.” Study tips Co-author Dr Erin Wamsley said the study suggests our non-conscious brain works on the things that it deems are most important. “Every day we are gathering and encountering tremendous amounts of information and new experiences,” she said. “It would seem that our dreams are asking the question, ‘How do I use this information to inform my life?” The research, published in the academic journal Cell Biology, could have practical implications. The scientists say there may be ways to take advantage of this phenomenon for improving learning and memory. For example, students might be better studying hard before bedtime, or taking a nap after a period of afternoon study.

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Example Manuscript for a Relationship Meditation.

I will be selling personal manuscripts that will be tailored to your specific needs so that you can read it over and over, learn it, instill it into your mind and begin to feel how you want to feel. You can hang it infront of you while you do the washing up or carry it with you and read it while travelling. You can use it however you like. Here is an example. Roxy x

I see myself now standing with my partner. We are comfortable in each other’s presence. I feel good to be with him. I appreciate all that he does and all that he says. My life is perfect, my relationship is perfect and I feel good! I love my life. I love living with him. He stands in front of me and I see him through eyes of perfection. He is beautiful. I adore everything about him. He looks good. I like the way he is dressed and as I stand here now I imagine what he is wearing. I imagine how he smells and how his energy feels. He looks good and I can see that he feels good. And I see myself now standing here with him in front of me. My hands are held forward, held comfortably in his. His touch is soft and gentle but masculine and assuring. I love him; being with him makes me feel good. He listens to me when I need him to, he understands me when I want him to and he loves me, oh yes he loves me so very very much! And I can see that in every moment by everything he does and by everything he says. I can see it in his eyes. I can see clearly the love that he has for me. And in this moment now I set the intention to accept his love. I now allow myself to feel this love and to appreciate this love. I love being loved. I relax…. Pause… I know that I am safe I know that he can be trusted and that I too am trusting. It feels good to trust and it feels good to be loved. And we are standing here now with our hands in each others and we are looking into each others eyes and I can see his beauty glowing from under the skin on his face and I too can see the beauty of myself reflected in his eyes. What a beautiful moment. It feels good to be here just me and him appreciating and loving one another. And we embrace. He takes me in his arms and I wrap mine around him. I feel safe and I feel good. I feel his warmth and his loving protective energy. And in this moment I feel lucky to be me. This moment is perfect and never ending. As I nuzzle my head into his neck or his chest I can smell his smell and he smells good. I love to simply be with him, to be with him in silence and to connect with his energy. I love to feel the love I have for him and to feel the love he has for me, and in this moment nothing matters. Nothing else is relevant. The only thing that matters is love. And I take this love now and I take the memory and the feeling of this moment and I infuse every situation in my life with this love. I can see us now and we are discussing something and there is disagreement and disharmony and I stop myself and I bring myself back to that moment, back to that hug and back to that feeling, and I feel that love and I love him and he loves me. That is all that matters and I see myself now sending that love towards him and I watch our problems and discord dissolve and melt away as we both remember to be in harmony. We now remember the love that we have for each other. We know, that is all that matters! We know, that is all that is important. What else could we want?

And after bringing that love into the discord and sharing that feeling, although we may not have touched or spoken or even moved, we both know. We know that the love is there, that the love is shared, and that is all that matters! In the silence that follows harmony evolves and ideas and solutions simply fall into our minds. Nothing can disconnect us, nothing can destroy our love, for our love is strong and intense, I love him and he loves me. And I know that in any moment he feels what I feel, he thinks what I think and he too is deserving of love whatever the situation however hurt I feel! I know that in each moment I have the choice to love him and if I choose to love him and send him that love I too will be nourished by that love. I know that at some point, depending on the intensity of the situation, that love will return to me and I will again be nourished by it. I continue to send my partner love and appreciation. I appreciate all that he does and even appreciate all that he doesn’t do! I begin to feel such peace, such peace inside my soul and I realise that all is well in my world and as I hold love back from another I block it from myself. And so in this moment now, I set the intention to give love freely and I allow love to flow freely from my heart, I allow myself to remain open, to be vulnerable and sensitive and I allow myself to feel my pain to feel my hurt and I keep my heart open and my heart loves. As I feel my pain and simply allow it be, it dissipates. And as I dive into the experience, I realise that I dive through the experience and my body is infused with love and with joy and with peace and I feel good. I feel really good and all I want to do is to share this feeling and I want to share it with my lover with my significant other, for I know that whatever they do they too feel hurt and pain and they need this love they need it too. And so, whenever I am with my lover I feel this feeling and I feel it so strongly that at times they begin to feel it too and I know that the more they feel it the more they will feel it. And when we are both in a state of feeling it together it feels so good. And I can see us now and we are happy and smiling and life is good. Love is good. Harmony is present and peace reigns! What more could you want and what more could you need? And even if my lover or significant other is not here or perhaps we are apart and our physical connection was broken, I know that there is truly no separation and that our spiritual and emotional mind connection always remains and that is where my power lies. And so I feel that feeling, I imagine us together and I imagine us laughing and talking and joking and our conversation is flowing easily and effortlessly and we feel good to be in each other’s company we feel relaxed and intimate and everything is okay. We know it is okay, life is good and I feel good. I love my man and he loves me. And I say thank you now. Thank you for my man, thank you for this love. Thank you thank you!

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Psyche’s Key’s first Game Day is on Monday 10th May

After a wonderfully successful Introductory talk on Psyche’s Key Thursday evening it was decided that the first Game Day will be held on Monday 10th May starting at 10.30 and running through till about 3.30. The cost is £50 for the day but I want to encourage regular attendance so I have arranged a sizable reduction for those who are willing to commit to regular monthly Game Days.

The reason for this is that, like meditation or any exercise program, the more you play Psyche’s Key the better your connection with your Soul, through this medium, becomes.

There will be a weekend Game Day, probably a Sunday, later in May. At the moment people want to attend but we can’t come up with a date that everyone can agree to. This might mean that I run a couple of smaller groups.

If you are interested in atending a Game Day but the Monday isn’t suitable or you’d like to do a weekend, let me know by emailing nhysglover@gmail.com and tell me your preferences.

If  you want to play soon, because you have a pressing issue you’d like some insights into, then why not play alone with me as your guide? This is time effective (it doesn’t take a whole day to get your answers) and you can totally focus on you. It takes an hour to an hour and a half to play alone. Normally I charge £30 for such a session, but as an introduction I will be giving the first session for £20. And the advantage of this is you can schedule the game when it suits you.

I’ve seen amazing things come out of playing this game. That’s why I’m trying to get as many people as possible trying it for themselves. Why not give it a go?

x Nhys

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Why you may not be as confident as you ‘should’ be

One of the biggest problems most of us deal with on a day to day basis is self-confidence. We think that if we like ourselves (self-esteem) than we should automatically be confident. But in reality, there is really very little connection between confidence and esteem. Confidence is driven by the ‘old brain’ and is influenced by what we are trying to do, where we are and with whom. Self-Esteem is our own judgment of ourselves over a lifetime of experience. It’s determined by our ‘new brain’.

Our brain has 3 parts- the oldest is wrapped around the spine and directly wired into our nervous system. So it’s our automatic, instinctual reaction. It is primal and very much occupied with our survival.

Because we developed as pack animals we know how important it is to have our place in the pack and to keep it. We don’t want to be thrown out because that means death. So, whether we like it or not (the new brain where our personality and our higher motivations come from often doesn’t get a say) we are wired to conform and fit in and identify our place in the order and stay there until we feel strong enough to risk moving up the pecking order.

There is a form of communication training that is akin to Aikido and it talks about Fatal Peril. Whenever we come into any kind of conflict with others our brain kicks into Fatal Peril mode- because in the past any kind of conflict meant a possible threat to survival. So, even though an angry look from a stranger we had inadvertently cut off is not going to lead to our death (road rage aside) the Fatal Peril mechanism kicks in and our body begins to react.

There are 4 types of reaction PJ Eby refers to in his motivational work. The first two are very familiar- we talk about the fight or flight mechanism. When we are threatened our brain sends blood to the muscles and away from the brain. Our adrenals are on overload speeding up the heart and breathing in readiness for either reaction to the crisis. Either run fast if the enemy is too big, or fight if we have a chance.

Eby adds two more to this- and they are also recognizable. Freeze and Fawn. Freeze immobilizes us so we appear dead or unseen to a predator- the deer in the headlights phenomenon (or kangaroo for us Aussies).

You want to escape a bear? You don’t run or fight, you play dead. You keep very, very still until it’s convinced you’re not threat or you’re carrion and goes away.

Or you may keep still if you’re unsure of the nature or direction of the threat, like a deer, conserving energy and not drawing attention to yourself. Once you know what you face- you run like the dickens! Away from the threat!

The last automatic response is to Fawn. You see this with dogs, another pack animal. If they feel in danger, they will often turn on their backs and reveal their bellies. They’ll shrink down and try to appear as unthreatening as they can.

WE do this too. If we’re feeling shy or insecure we shrink down, slump our shoulders, cross our arms over our chest (protect the heart) and look down or away. We speak softly, so as not to attract attention. WE don’t want to be challenged, found wanting and thrown out of the pack- that means death!

To our primitive brain, that is. To the logical, new-brain that response is nonsense. ‘Of course, you won’t die if these new people don’t like you’ it says. But the other little voice says ‘Maybe…’ And that’s enough to keep you subservient, quiet, and edgy.

I’m a naturally confident person. I was one of the lucky ones to be encouraged by my parents- and I was the first born. It helps create the sense of self that can handle new environments because most of my experiences have been positive in them. But I still remember my teen years and the excruciating shyness that overtook me then. I was always in a state of adrenalin overload when I came in contact with people my own age, (especially boys), that were outside my circle. And, as we did a bit of moving around in these formative years, I had my circle removed quite regularly and had to start again.

My natural response to a new person who was shy and scared was to befriend them. I guess I empathized with that feeling. But it always amazed and upset me how most people didn’t befriend the new kid. They circled them cautiously, sussing them out. Just like a stranger to a pack. I’ve only just come to understand that recently, with this research on the old brain. It was a natural response- an old brain automatic response that puts survival ahead of empathy.

So what do you do if you’ve had negative experiences a child, learned you weren’t very high up the pecking order? Do you accept that and stay in your place, scared to rock the boat, scared to be rejected (and then die) for the rest of your life?

This is where the new brain comes in. We, as human beings, have developed a long way from those primal roots. This development has occurred over a very short space of time, in the scheme of evolution. Our new brains or our Mind can counter the control of the old brain.

We can consciously change our thinking and our behaviour to create different outcomes. We can reprogram our brains to be more confident.

There’s a saying ‘Fake it till you make it.’ And that’s one of the best methods to bring about change. Consciously change your body-language to something more confident when you catch yourself going into one of the 4 Fs. And I say all 4 Fs, even Fight. If you appear confident, you rarely need to fight because that very confidence puts the bulk of your challengers off.

Next, take a couple of deep breaths- because if you’re in one of the big 4 then you have started shallow breathing. Consciously affect your body’s reactions- we call this the Mind/ Body connection by focusing in on slowing your breath. Use ‘manual over-ride’ to get the response you want from your body.

It won’t be perfect, especially at first, because you have a LOT of programming in place to keep the other behaviour in play.

Use your imagination. Find your centre. Talk to yourself as if you’re your own coach or trainer. ‘Head up, meet the other person’s eyes, shoulder’s back, breath deeply, act as if you are confident.’

Then get out of your own head and pay attention to what is happening with other people. A guy who was trying to help me with my shyness told me I was being egocentric if I thought that everyone in a room was focused on me and waiting for me to make a mistake. He said everyone was too busy thinking about how they were being seen by others to even think about me. That didn’t do a lot of my self-esteem but I got the point. If everyone was like me and focused on themselves then they had very little real focus on others so the zit on my cheek wouldn’t be the volcano it was to me. The extra couple of pounds I put on over Christmas wouldn’t even register unless I drew attention to it.

So the point I’m making here is that by taking your focus away from yourself, once you’ve ‘put on a good face’ you’ll start to see how others are feeling. Start listening to what people are saying. Don’t fake it, really listen. And before you know it, you’ll be commenting on something someone has said and they’ll be sooo pleased you’ve obviously been listening that you’ll see the light in their eyes when they look at you. And as you’re forcing yourself to look right back at them, you’re bound to see it!

The more often you practice this sort of ‘Faking it’ the easier it becomes. The better your expected outcome and the more confident you grow until you find you’re not faking it anymore.

If you find this kind of information useful and/or interesting, why not join me on Wednesday mornings from the beginning of May. I’m full of this sort of stuff (did I hear you say ‘full of it’?) and I love to share. The group will be fluid and activities changing. Sometimes I’ll get you to be silly, other times you’ll dance or sing. Other weeks we’ll share or discuss information like this. Think about it. I’d like to have you join me…

X Nhys

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Heal Your Relationship Meditation – Sat 8th May

Heal your relationship!

Meditation and discussion

A special meditation designed to improve any love relationship. I will guide you to focus upon and visualise your existing relationship as it is. You will focus upon and draw into your mind your current issues. A space will be created for these issues to be released through meditation and I will call in specific Angels to help with this. We will then visualise your relationship, as you would like it to be. I will help you to focus on how you want to feel and the love and affection you would like to receive. You should come out of the meditation feeling full of love and appreciation for yourself and your partner, positive and confident about success.

We will come out of the meditation to discuss how to heal what has arisen. I can explain how to attract what you want from your partner and provide you with ideas and tools for bringing love, trust, appreciation and all those other wonderful things you desire back into play.

Cost: £5

Time: 11am – 1pm

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What’s Michael Like?

The response to my post on Carrie was very favourable so I thought I’d talk about the reading I had with Michael Conneely, just to give anyone thinking about having a reading with Michael an idea what to expect.

I have a very soft spot for Michael, not only because he is a very kind and gentle man but because it was he who brought me to the Happiness Centre. I was about to get on a plane and head back to Australia when I met him, even though I still felt as if this was where I needed to be. But the ‘realities’ of life had me running low on money and England is a very expensive place to live.

I was having coffee with a friend in Costa’s and saw a sandwich board outside advertising Tarot Readings. It drew me like a moth to a flame. I needed some ‘outside’ input. This seemed to be just what I was looking for.

Most people seek out astrologers or tarot readers at times when their path seems unclear. When either there seems too many possible directions to follow or none. In the latter case it feels as if a brick wall stands between you and your future.  Finding a signpost or a guide to get you through those challenging times is a god-send. But it is important that your signpost is accurate and your guide knowledgeable.

Although it was a Tarot reading I went for, it was Michael’s strength as an Astrologer that became most apparent.  To reach his level of expertise is akin to doing a University degree followed by postgraduate studies and then years of ‘practise’ and research.

There are many branches of Astrology and it always amazes me how much information can be drawn from the different systems. I was a Western psychological/karmic astrologer and I dabbled in a lot of other areas. But I never got into Eastern Astrology- such as Vedic Astrology because it uses different calculations and required a different mindset to the one that came naturally to me. So it was really wonderful when I found out that Michael’s main area of expertise was in Vedic Astrology and I was able to get a completely new ‘take’ on the events and character traits that I have always viewed from a western perspective.

I had started to doubt predictive astrology when my world fell apart in 2002 and my chart gave no real indication of the intensity of that experience. Michael looked at the timing of those events from a Vedic perspective and on that chart a great deal was happening. I was able to get a level of understanding of the spiritual significance of that time that has really helped me.

What was really great about my session with Michael was the depth of information he provided on that event and on my future. Meaning always makes the challenges of life easier to handle. When you can see why you are challenged and what the lesson is, or could be, from the challenge it makes even the worst events manageable. And if there is a light at the end of the tunnel indicated – and a date you’ll reach it- it just makes the journey to reach the light so much more achievable.

Because astrology can feel a little like information overload, Michael uses Tarot as a frame onto which the meat of the information can be hung. It’s a wonderful blend of the right brain intuitive guidance supported by the left brain analytical detail astrology provides.

If you want to understand yourself, your spiritual as well as your mundane life journey and its significance, then have a session with Michael. He also does children’s charts, which I know can be a wonderful help to parents so they can understand the individual needs of their child more fully.

Michael is also running a Tarot course at the moment which is open to ‘one off’ attendance. It’s on Monday evenings at 7.30 and only costs £10.

x Nhys

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