EMOTIONAL
DISORDER ARTICLES
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PAINFUL
PASTS
William Faulkner once said,
"The past is not dead, it is not even past." Many of the conflicts
we experience today are frequently reenactments of the past.
Imprints about who we
are control the daily choices we make. If I believe I am a
failure, I will make choices that set me up to fail. If I see myself
as ugly, I will expect to be disregarded in a crowd. If I feel worthless,
I won't even attempt to become great.
Humans suffer and that
suffering builds. The root cause of suffering today is the accumulation
of past experiences that we have not dealt with effectively.
We try to manage the
past the best that we can in order to survive the emotional pain of believing
we are not important, not loved, unsafe, or of no value to one important
person in our life. With these issues unresolved, we can not truly
experience love and joy. Without love or joy, we cannot thrive
in the present.
How can we rid ourselves
of painful past experiences? How can we grow into whom we really
are? Among other things we can do, such as confront those who helped
shape our past, a new technique is available that can help us reprocess
the messages we have believed much of our life. As a result, we can
be relieved of self-defeating behavior patterns that ruin our quality of
life.
In 1989 a graduate student
at Stanford University discovered a remarkable scientific technique that
has been successful in treating individuals' erroneous thought processes.
She found that when her eyes moved rapidly as she was thinking about disturbing
thoughts, those harmful thoughts began to heal and be reshaped into a positive
sense. Since that time, she has developed the therapeutic technique
called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Currently, those therapists
using EMDR have had wonderful results at neutralizing defeating beliefs
such as "I don't deserve love," "I cannot trust," "I am not in control,"
"I deserve to be miserable," "I'm not good enough." In a very brief period
of time, those beliefs are examined by the minds of those individuals at
computer-high speed and discarded as false.
Their erroneous ideas
are soon discarded and replaced by a new reality. In other words,
truth replaces error. Hurtful pasts are re-examined and re-written.
With a healthier self-concept,
the painful past is resolved in a short period of time rather than countless
hours spent in therapy. Finally, we can let go of those harmful preconceived
notions. Barriers to our relationships now begin to crumble and we can
begin to experience joy and success. The anxiety that has been formed by
fears now has melted into peace and harmony.
EMDR was originally
designed to help individuals who had experienced horrific scenes during
the Vietnam war. It has since been expanded to help others who have
experienced damaging experiences and thoughts. It has even been effective
in helping people quit smoking, lose weight, and achieve higher levels
of self-control.
The level of success
with this technique has been unbelievably high. Relief is realized
within minutes. It just makes sense that since our physical bodies
were designed to heal themselves after injury, our psychic hurts can also
have the capacity to heal themselves. EMDR may be to psychotherapy
what laparascopy has become to surgery.
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Smoking
is your choice
We are all guaranteed freedom to make choices
regarding our life. However, the privilege of smoking in public settings
is being limited more and more.
Making the choice to smoke is only a freedom
in the beginning. After the addiction takes over, the addiction robs
that individual of their personal freedom. They are compelled to
smoke by a chemical known as nicotine. But, it is the 4,000+ other
chemicals in cigarette smoke that cause the most harm. This combination
of chemicals makes cigarettes deadly.
In the event that you smoke, and you have
made a personal choice to release yourself from this controlling addiction,
the following information can help you be successful in this most difficult
endeavor.
*Set a date for the event of completely
quitting ahead of time. Planning this time during a vacation allows
you a slightly higher chance of success. But, setting this date during
holidays that are typically filled with high-caloric foods and drinks contributes
to failure at this endeavor. Ask your friends and relatives for their
support and cooperation.
*Choose a partner that is willing to be
called whenever you are struggling with an urge to smoke. Remember,
the urges usually last no longer than 5 minutes. If you can make
it through one urge, you can make it through the next one!
*See your physician and inform him of your
choice. Ask if he will help you by prescribing Zyban to help you
be successful.
*Keep a record for a week identifying when
and why you smoke.
*Switch to a brand of cigarettes that are
distasteful to you and cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke each
day. Cut out the "automatic" cigarettes you smoke each day.
In a glass jar, collect all of your cigarette butts as a visual reminder
of this force which controls you.
*Begin to alter your daily routine.
Keep sugarless gum, breath mints, toothpicks, etc with you to distract
your hands and taste buds.
On the target date that you set:
*Throw away your cigarettes and matches.
The cold-turkey quitting has been shown to be more successful than weaning.
*Hide your lighters and ashtrays.
*Avoid decaffeinated drinks and spicy foods
which increase the intensity of the urges to smoke. This is only
a temporary interruption in your other habits. After a month, these
substances should have lost their power to cause you to fail at smoking
cessation.
*With each urge to smoke, say aloud "I
choose not to smoke. I can do this!"
*Eat a well balanced diet on a regular
schedule.
*Drink 6-8 glasses of water or sugar- free,
caffeine-free fluids a day. Fluids help flush the area of your brain
that heightens the cravings and urges to smoke.
*Chew sugarless gum when you want sweets
or feel the urge to smoke.
*Temporarily avoid the people and the areas
that you normally smoked. Association is a powerful connection to
addictions of this sort.
*Plan time in your daily schedule to exercise
unless your healthcare professional has told you activity is dangerous
to your health.
*Buy flowers or room deodorizers and enjoy
the scent.
*Drink milk (some find it incompatible
with smoking).
*Have your teeth cleaned by the dentist.
*Get up from the table after eating and
brush your teeth immediately.
*Arrange your schedule and activities to
allow you to get at least eight hours of sleep a night.
*Practice deep breathing, alternating tightening
and relaxing muscles throughout your body until you feel calm.
*Do something to occupy your hands.
When we fail to plan, we might as well
plan to fail. By including the strategies in this column for breaking
free of your nicotine addiction, you can have a high level of confidence
that you will succeed! You can quit! Below are important toll-free
telephone numbers to call for additional materials.
American Cancer Society
1-800-ACS-2345
American Lung Association
1-800-LUNG-USA
American Heart Association
1-800-242-8721
National Cancer Institute
1-800-4-CANCER
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Chemically
controlled
Smoking cigarettes may be
one of the hardest and most critical habits you have. If you're like most
smokers, you probably don't remember when you started to smoke, or
why. All you know is that today, you find yourself caught right in the
middle of a habit that's detrimental to your life. This is probably a habit
that you may have tried to break a number of times before -- but without
success.
When you decide to quit smoking, there
are many dramatic health benefits to consider. You may find the following
benefits worth considering:
*After being smoke-free for 15 years, a
ex-smoker's risk of death is comparable to a non-smoker.
*Becoming smoke free decreases your risk
of cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic lung diseases as well as respiratory
illnesses.
*Ex-smokers have fewer health complaints
and reduced rates of bronchitis and pneumonia.
*Women who stop smoking before they become
pregnant reduce the risk of miscarriage or having a baby with low birth
weight.
Consequently, the immediate and long term
health benefits to stop smoking include the following:
WITHIN THE FIRST TWO DAYS: The air around you is no longer dangerous to
children and other adults; your blood pressure and pulse drop to normal;
the temperature in your hands and feet increases to normal; the carbon
monoxide and oxygen levels return to normal; your chance of heart attack
decreases; and your sense of smell and taste improves.
WITHIN MONTHS, circulation and breathing
improves; walking becomes easier; coughing and sinus congestion decreases;
and shortness of breath decreases. Your overall energy levels
increase as your lungs self-clean and develop a higher resistance to infections.
WITHIN ONE YEAR, the risk of premature
coronary heart disease is half the risk of a smoker.
WITHIN FIVE YEARS, the risk of stroke will
be comparable to that of a non-smoker.
BY 10 YEARS, your life expectancy will
be comparable to a non-smoker. Lung cancer death rate will be about
half the rate of a smoker; the risk of mouth, throat, esophagus,
bladder, kidney and pancreas cancers decrease.
BY 15 YEARS, your risk of coronary
heart disease will be comparable to that of a non-smoker.
BY QUITTING BEFORE AGE 50, the risk of
dying in the next 15 years decreases by 50 percent compared to continuing
smokers.
Today, there are more medicines than ever
before to help you quit smoking. They include nicotine replacement and
pills which can help make your adjustment from smoker to nonsmoker bearable
and successful.
NICOTINE REPLACEMENT uses nicotine in patches,
gum and nasal sprays to make up for the nicotine no longer being taken
in by smoking. By decreasing the dosage over time, this method gradually
diminishes the body's urge for nicotine. If you choose this form of treatment,
you must stop smoking immediately.
The patches come in different strengths and are worn on the skin for 16
to 24 hours a day. Many users experience redness, itching, or burning of
the skin and discontinue use.
Nicotine gum is chewed briefly to release
nicotine and then rests in your mouth. This releases the nicotine,
which is absorbed into the bloodstream through your mouth and gums. However,
nicotine gum can cause headache, nausea, upset stomach, and dizziness.
Another replacement is the nicotine spray
allows you to spray small doses of nicotine into your nasal passages. This
form of therapy is available through your doctor. Many who use the nasal
spray report nasal irritation in the beginning. Other common complaints
are a runny nose, throat irritation, watering eyes, sneezing, and cough.
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS such as Zyban,
an antidepressant, more than doubles your chances of success at giving
up this control or habit in your life.
The benefits are great. If you invested
the money that you save when you quit smoking, the average smoker would
have around $250,000 within 20 years to enjoy (if they were fortunate enough
to get a 15% return on their investment). Also you would feel better about
yourself, your family would enjoy hugging and kissing you more, and your
overall health would be better.
Next week you will learn about the factors
that, when combined with appropriate medications, can give you a greater
than 50/50 chance of success. Not bad odds, when you consider the
future possibilities of better health as well as more money to invest!
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