-
Occupational Therapists Complete The Power of the Mind in Healing Class
I just finished up teaching the “Power of the Mind in Healing” class. We met for four Saturdays in February. I had the pleasure of teaching two occupational therapists who have been practicing for nearly 20 years. In fact, they were in the graduating class right after me at St. Kate’s. We covered topics on the foundations of Holistic/Integrative Health Care, the Mind-Body-Spirit, meditation, relaxation, spirituality, and intuition. They loved it! Here they are practicing muscle energy testing. This is different than testing muscle strength. It assesses the body’s wisdom about if something is good for you or not, and can answer “yes” and “no” questions. Examples of what they…
-
Intuitive Psychology ~ Accessing Inner Wisdom for Guidance, Direction & Mental Health
One of my favorite ways of helping people and for my own self care is to access Intuition or inner wisdom. There are various ways for you to connect with your Intuition. In fact many of us may do this many times throughout our day and not realize it. You may wonder when you are intuiting, how to access it, trust it, and count on it. Intuition can be accessed when the mind is calmer, more reflective, and detached from every day thoughts and emotions. This is why meditation is the preferred method of choice that has been around for thousands of years cross-culturally – it quiets the mind. When…
-
Holistic Health, Meditations for You!, Mind-Body Connection, Prevention, Relaxation & Meditation, Self Care, Spirituality
The Power of Meditation
“The Power of Meditation: This practice of focused attention can reduce pain and stress while enhancing health and healing” This article was originally published on ADVANCE for OT Practitioners October 1, 2015 by Emmy Vadnais, OTR/L Meditation is the practice of focused attention that can help calm the mind and body, returning it to a homeostatic balance. It can regulate emotions, lower pain and stress, ease depression and insomnia, create clearer awareness and insight, improve spirituality, compassion, and quality of life, and has many health benefits. Modern science has caught up to what Eastern philosophies and many spiritual traditions have known and practiced for thousands of years.1 A nationwide survey…
-
De-Stress, Emotional Healing, Holistic Health, Mind-Body Connection, Relaxation & Meditation, The Science of Happiness
Bringing Healing to Pain: The Mind-Body Connection and What May Be Behind Your Pain
Are you experiencing pain or know someone who is? While it is good to get checked out by a qualified health care practitioner to determine if there may be a physical solution to your physical pain, there may be more behind your pain that you may be able to heal. According to the National Institutes for Health pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. Pain is cited as the most common reason Americans access the health care system. It is a leading cause of disability and it is a major contributor to health care costs. Dr. Herbert Benson, who coined the term the Relaxation Response, stated that 60%…
-
De-Stress, Emotional Healing, Energy Healing, Guided Imagery, Holistic Health, Intuition, Mind-Body Connection, Positive & Negative, Prevention, Relaxation & Meditation, Self Care, The Science of Happiness
Mindfulness and Acceptance – What Does it Mean?
Mindfulness is all a buzz now, and for good reason. Mindfulness shows us how to be with and accept our reactions to our experiences in a non-judgmental way. It can help us to learn to love and accept ourselves and others more, lower stress, anxiety, depression, pain, enhance our health, help us prevent disease, and create sense of calm, peace, and joy. It is a skill that allows us to be with our senses without reacting to them in a negative way. What resists persists, and if we resist our experience we can feel worse. Mindfulness Meditation has its roots from the Buddhist Meditation known as Vipassana – which means…
-
Chase the Winter Blues Away with Relaxation and Meditation
I start hearing it in the fall – people saying, “Uh-oh, winter is coming…” Does this sound familiar? Sure, winter brings in colder and darker days, frustration with commutes, and the uncomfortable places within ourselves that pop their heads out to be noticed and healed. You probably have already heard and “know” all of the things you can do to feel good and enjoy this time of year, right? Eat well, rest, dress warm, exercise, de-stress… but are you putting them in to practice? One of the best practices I have found that has been tremendously helpful for me in my life is a meditation practice. There are several ways…
