Everyday Bliss

(scroll down for the apocryphal picture of me at close to max weight…and today’s version…)

I am fortunate enough to have a very good friend in social media expert Andy Wibbels (@andymatic on Twitter). We’ve masterminded and built our businesses side by side for years and he has been such a help and such a darling friend to me. Color me very grateful for this high class, high value friendship.

We met when Andy still lived in Chicago. When he and Ron and kitties Astroboy & Downy moved out here in 2008, Andy stayed with us while interviewing at SixApart, where he worked until recently on their TypePad, Vox and other products. Now he’s graduating to the bigtime and toddling off to North Carolina to work for sales shark Jeffrey Gitomer. I’m so proud of Andy I could bust. Love him like a sister. k

We’re getting in a lot of celebrating, dinners and theater, ballet and shows before they leave. Tonight we went to Swan Lake, which was great, though missing the iconic dying swan scene at the end. In Helgi Tomasson’s production of the San Francisco Ballet, Odette simply jumps off a cliff – offstage.

WHERE WAS MY DYING SWAN SCENE?! I waited the whole doggone ballet to see it. Ron was similarly taken aback. You just don’t cut the dying swan. It isn’t done.

At any rate, for afters we went back to the boys’ apartment and shot the breeze as long as eyes stayed open. Followed by a picture taking session (which followed the food pics at Santorini earlier in the evening). The below right picture is tonight’s. The one on the left is of me two years ago almost to the day. That chin is pretty much a straight line from under-lip to collarbone, and was a triple roll at my high weight.

BTW, I got that wrong in the caption below. (hey, it was late at night)  I went back to my records and found I weighed more like 265 in the lefthand picture, not 280. But once I got that large, I stopped counting as many do, so the lapse is understandable. 

All the cutting & sculpting done on this body happened pretty much in eight months. Close to 70 pounds, 5 dress sizes, 1 shoe size, 3 bra sizes and 2 chins down, plus over 6″ off my abdomen so far.

I didn’t effort, I just had fun.

I didn’t restrict my eating, I had what my body wanted. How I did it will be the stuff of a future workshop. Something to look forward to! For now though, photos unretouched, just captioned…

If you haven’t yet encountered Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT, you’re in for a treat. If you’re an old hand, you’ll still enjoy this “spiritual documentary” (a la “The Secret”) style introduction to what EFT can do, and features some of my most esteemed colleagues. Really beautiful work – pass this one along to your friends and families. And, as Gary is retiring March 1st and has said he will be taking his website down, if the link at the end no longer works, you can download a free “EFT Quickstart” from me, here (will open in a new window)

http://maryamwebster.com/eftbasics/

EFT Works Great for Pain

I know. I used it to help me end years of chronic pain from a broken back, and to heal those tissues and  even grow new bone. Oh yes, you really can. EFT is a really great introduction to energy magic for people of all ages, cultures and belief systems. Pass this one on too. You can use a sophisticated Energy Coaching technique called “Borrowing Benefits” to tap along with Gary here as the pain is tapped out. Just think of your own pain for a moment, then let it go and use the lady’s set-up phrasing and reminder phrases. Tap right along. Get over it.

GREAT back pain release video

This one is from Robert Smith. He’s a wonderfully intuitive EFT practitioner and teacher. Beautiful NLP related interventions and submodality shifting for you NLPers in the community. Enjoy this video and especially if you had back pain like I did, this will be a welcome relief. Again Borrow Benefits, as you tap along with Robert and the lady with horse related issues…and a big pain in her back that goes away in a really interesting process:

Can KIDS do EFT? You bet’cha! (they’re a lot smarter than we are, y’know?)

I’ve taught children young as four how to tap with EFT and though I don’t have one, I highly recommend a Tappy Bear.  (I turned my childhood bear into such a happy tapping guide a few years ago) They’re the BOMB for teaching EFT to kids! Enjoy this wonderful video from Karin Gustafson teaching a little boy how to tap with a homemade tapping bear. The giggles alone are worth listening – and Borrowing Benefits – through the whole video. For those who don’t resonate to “I’m a good boy” – “I’m okay and feel grrrrreat!” is a good substitute.

Maryam’s Holiday Hooray, Shiny Presents
Included, Loads ‘o Wisdom Winter News

CONTENTS
* Holiday Gratitude & New Direction
* Solstice (OMG!) Call Replay, Gifts & Rocky Roads
* French Ingenuity, Transparency Redux & My Motley Past
* Busy Women: Freebies For The Tired & Time-Starved Family
* Transformation Tool: EVOLUTIONARY ENVIRONMENTS
* Availability Pledge, Jaw Surgery & Are We Connected?
* Old Family Recipes: Organic, Gluten-Free Yuletide Wassail Bowl

Welcome To The Party…

This is my WHACKIN’ HUGE LOAD OF PRIMO CONTENT, tons’a prezzies, and catch-up letter for the year.

There’s some interesting stuff in here – teeth video, mom’s meal planners, transformers, my motley past, a commentary on gurus and a whole basket of yuletide g’ifts & goodness. Check the index above for juice-factor!

A very Merry Christmas and Solstice this week to you. I wanted to give you yuletide greetings while also telling you how very much I appreciate you.

I am deeply grateful for everyone who is tuned into the Now, and interested in raising consciousness on the planet like I know you are. At least, if you’re hip to joining this community, I hope you’re into waking up the planet and spreading a wave of consciousness throughout the world. We’re going to be doing a lot of that in 2010 together, so get ready – fun times ahead!

Oh by the way, I should mention that in this last year I’ve taken off to rest, reflect, refresh and retool, my business has changed a good deal. I’m not ready to say much more until after New Year’s, but Consciousness-bringing is definitely the direction. More later on that

*** FREE Replay of The Solstice World Transformation Ritual & Rocky Roads Ahead ***

We had an amazing time Monday during the exact time of Winter Solstice, doing a ritual of clearing out the old, bringing in the desired and learning how each of our lives is sacred and how we are all priest/esses in our lives. I’m not using that as a religious term, but a spiritual one, for we are all here as teachers and students of each other.

We had five beautiful Priestesses of Dawn attend us with blessings of sacredness & joy which I can’t begin to put into words. You should hear theirs – I’m offering the replay and the TEN different gifts we put together into a “Make 2010 The Year You REALLY SHINE” package.

It’s awesome-sauce! And available for replay to soak up those wonderful lessons & techniques, if you let me know your opinion on some really important issues:

http://bit.ly/SolsticeGiftReplay

I’m committed to serving you so much better in 2010 than I have in the past. There may be some rocky roads ahead for our planet, and some big changes for us as human beings. I’m stepping up in service of supporting and forearming people like you through those changes, with a magic bag full of easily learnable tools to help you accomplish that Big Mission of yours.

That’s one of my most cherished 2010 goals.

But to do that, I need you to tell me what YOU really want and need to have happen in your life this year.

I know that time is precious and valuable. So I’m willing to make it worth your time – there’s a bunch of goodness waiting for you at the end of this rainbow:

http://bit.ly/SolsticeGiftReplay

Thanks – it will help SO much!

From the Blog: French Ingenuity, Transparency & My Motley Past

An absolutely amazing video of French students doing stop-motion chair dance shows us a new Bliss Key: Cheerful Cooperation. When you engage this Bliss Key, the Bliss Blocker it unlocks is twofold:

1) The Need To Be Right – those who need to be right are rarely happy
2) Self-Isolation, leading to depression

Great winter blues cure here: http://bit.ly/CheerfulCooperation

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Transparency, Gurus, Gory Details & Telling Secrets – trending topics over at the blog and ’round about the web since the James Arthur Ray sweatlodge deaths. This is part of that discussion:

Transparency, translucence, living a conscious life – or whatever you call it, is not only the birthright and destiny of every human, but also our responsibility to the future. Our choices are essential, each one important, even east or west, choosing paper, plastic or bring-your-own, choosing to remain conscious in the face of frightening and destructive acts of unspeakable evil, or parking a block away.

We bear witness.

We choose with our intention and our energy the best and most evolutionary choices we can possibly make given our individual situation. Only we can make that choice, no one can do it for us. It’s called taking personal responsibility and it’s a Rubicon we all have to cross at some point in adult life to become fully human.

And we know that while (often intensely) impactful, our situation is not personal. Such a situation or lesson, if we choose to see it this way, is given to billions. Lessons are 100% Universal.

Thinking further on this brought me to the universals in how humans encode their experience that created The ETHOS Method.

What else is Universal? Living life asleep. And the ability to wake up, will do for a start. Spread the Wave – Consciousness will set you free. Really.

More on transparency and my motley past here: http://bit.ly/transparencysecrets

Here is the original post: http://bit.ly/translucentadvantage

And how to stay Unlimited: http://bit.ly/keepunlimitedstate

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The post that’s really got folks buzzing, on spiritual abusers in our midst, offer of abuse-prevention how-to and some details of my er, motley past – comment stream is also worth a read:

http://bit.ly/resurrectingthepast

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Head’s Up Moms: FREEBIES For The Tired & Time-Starved Family

Moms especially will love this collection of f’ree downloadable organizer pages for your day, week, month and year. Three whole pages, about eighteen different forms in all to print and help organize the chaos of an active family! There’s a fall cleaning checklist, the “Eat Sheet” for a week’s worth of meals, a weekly family calendar, baby’s schedule, infant babysitter checklist and more. You don’t even have to sign up, just download:

http://www.mommytracked.com/downloads

There’s more of the same (only different) over at http://www.cozi.com/ too. Check ‘em both out!

Transformation Tool: EVOLUTIONARY ENVIRONMENTS

One of the evolutionary environments I indulge in frequently is
my back garden. From the covered deck, I can observe wildlife and
rejoice in my fur-daughters’ play. I love it, and it evolves me
uniquely well.

http://bit.ly/greengardenafternoon

This is a Mellowvision vid for you to relax to. I like making panoramas as turning in place is fun. Now you see what I see every afternoon. I’m out there rain or shine, it’s a must for mental health.

Enjoy!

Availability Pledge, Jaw Surgery & Are We Connected?

I pledge to be more available to you in 2010. For one thing, I’ll be making lots of videos from now on. I’ve gone a bit video nutty really, as I’ve used my Flip Mino to exhaustion and happen to know Santa is dropping off a Kodak zi8.

(will it be aqua or raspberry? dunno…the Bear wouldn’t tell)

Of interest is the fact that in the new year I’ll be having jaw surgery. Not cosmetic, apparently I have really strong bones (a good thing since Mom had osteoporosis) and they’re crowding my teeth too much – several teeth need to be reseated in the jaw. Yuck, yuck, yuck. It’ll be gnarly, but I’ll be documenting this and how I’m dealing with discomfort. We’ll be doing a pain management class next year.

Interested in learning to get rid of pain? Again, let me know here:

http://bit.ly/SolsticeGiftReplay

And I’m going to be offering ways in which we can easily talk together about what’s important in 2010. A few are available right now, and the team is hard at work developing more. Are we connected? I’d love it if you’d Friend me on:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/maryamwebster
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/maryamwebster
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/maryamwebster

Old Family Recipes for Yule: Wassail Bowl

“Wassail and wassail all over the town,
Our Cup it is white and your ale it is brown…”

– Gloucester Wassail, arr. English Traditional

Wassail is a contraction of the old Anglo-Saxon phrase “wes thu hal” meaning “To Your Health”. And of course, the traditional toasting beverage of  this  “best time of the year”  ~ which in this case is a non-alcoholic hot apple cider punch we serve for the winter holidays. It is never served any other time of the year. You can twiddle the ingredients about a bit, Graines of Paradise may be hard to come by but you can substitute pink or green peppercorns or just leave it out.

Want to up the octane? Add a full bottle of mead (honey wine), barleywine or even a crisp  chardonnay to the mix, or a shot of Applejack to each mug.

To two gallons apple cider add:

15 dried dates
20 dried apple rings
1 orange cut into thin slices w/peel left on
1 lemon cut into thin slices w/peel left on
3 cinnamon sticks, whole
1tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1″ fresh ginger, sliced thin

Handful each:
Mixed dried fruit bits
Dried Cranberries
Dried Cherries

Large pinch each:
Whole coriander seed
Whole cardmom pod, well crushed
Whole cloves
Cinnamon chips or small pieces

Small pinch each:
Allspice berries
Damascena rose petals or 1tbsp rose water
Dried barberries (can substitute 1tsp lemon juice + tbsp raisins)
Graines of paradise (or pink or green peppercorns)

Add:
1/4 – 1/2 cup brown sugar or blue agave or maple syrup, to taste

Crush all the spices and add to the cider and fruits in a large stainless steel or enameled pan. Simmer until volume is reduced by a third. When cooked down to your taste, strain through coffee filter or paper towel to remove pulp and spices. Replace a few fresh lemon, orange and apple rings and add 2 new cinnamon sticks to serve. Serve piping hot.

How DOES it get any better…?

I’ll be back to you just before New Year’s with some more juice for your joyous life and ways for you to live in ease, grace and joy.

For now, just keep asking: “How does it get any better than this?” Don’t wait for an answer, just let it be out there, so it can return to you in wondrous ways!

All my Love & Warmest Holiday Blessings,
Maryam

From the BBC, in the “if you’da asked us, we could’a told ya” file:

Hypnosis has a “very real” effect that can be picked up on brain scans, say Hull University (UK) researchers.

An imaging study of hypnotised participants showed decreased activity in the parts of the brain linked with daydreaming or letting the mind wander.

The same brain patterns were absent in people who had the tests but who were not susceptible to being hypnotised.

One psychologist said the study backed the theory that hypnosis “primes” the brain to be open to suggestion.

Hypnosis is increasingly being used to help people stop smoking or lose weight and advisers recently recommended its use on the NHS to treat irritable bowel syndrome.

This shows that the changes were due to hypnosis and not just simple relaxation Dr William McGeown, study leader

It is not the first time researchers have tried to use imaging studies to monitor brain activity in people under hypnosis.

Read the whole article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8359170.stm

You may practice ETHOS, EFT, ZPoint, BSFF, EMDR, HeartMath or a variety of other energy therapies. You may practice as a psychotherapist, health educator or as a coach. But did you know that the energy psychology all these methods are based on has been researched and accepted by a number of professional organizations already?

(As a shoutout to my own Certified Energy Coaches – you need to know this, please read)

According to the author’s online course the tenets of his paper Energy Psychology: Review of the Preliminary Evidence, have been accepted by the National Board for Certified Counselors, Association of Social Work Boards, and the National Association for Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors. Great news!  Now if the APA (which is taken to task in the paper) would listen, we’d all be one big happy family.

What generative energy, space and consciousness would it take to have the techniques we all know work, accepted world-wide by the “powers that be”? What would it take to shift the axis away from those ultra-conservative organizations and individuals who would stifle, hold down and repress information that could, if they would only open to it, accelerate and advance not only their careers, but the results of every client they help?

Hmm…interesting thought… 

Here’s an abstract, with a follow link at the bottom. Read the whole paper. It really is most illuminating. And deep thanks to energy psychology pioneer Dr. David Feinstein for his wonderful work

Paper Abstract

Energy psychology utilizes imaginal and narrative-generated exposure, paired with interventions that reduce hyperarousal through acupressure and related techniques. According to practitioners, this leads to treatment outcomes that are more rapid, powerful, and precise than the strategies used in other exposure-based treatments such as relaxation or diaphragmatic breathing. The method has been exceedingly controversial. It relies on unfamiliar procedures adapted from non-Western cultures, posits unverified mechanisms of action, and early claims of unusual speed and therapeutic power ran far ahead of initial empirical support. This paper reviews a hierarchy of evidence regarding the efficacy of energy psychology, from anecdotal reports to randomized clinical trials. Although the evidence is still preliminary, energy psychology has reached the minimum threshold for being designated as an evidence-based treatment, with one form having met the APA Division 12 criteria as a “probably efficacious treatment” for specific phobias; another for maintaining weight loss. The limited scientific evidence, combined with extensive clinical reports, suggests that energy psychology holds promise as a rapid and potent treatment for a range of psychological conditions.

Read this paper here

About the Author:

Dr. Feinstein is a clinical psychologist who has done pioneering work in the areas of personal mythology and energy psychology. Author of 7 books and over 50 professional papers, he has taught at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Antioch College. His multi-media Energy Psychology Interactive self-study training program was a recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Award from the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology. Connect to Dr. Feinstein at his website, here.

I’m on a mission to make your life as happy as possible

Some Bliss Coaching Questions to get you to “Woo!” if you’re “Bleah.”

1)  Is your hair on fire/is the world ending/is my life in danger this very second? If no, and you have food in your belly, a roof over your head and clothes on your back, you do not have a problem. Use your choice of calming methods from awareness meditation to yoga to bring yourself back to center, and out of stress response.

2) How would you rather feel? Once you’ve breathed yourself back down to okay again, no matter what else might be going on, you have a choice as to how you wish to feel about it. Choose that feeling now. Write it down. Some folks like to write a cue word to this much-more-resourceful state on their hand or a post-it attached to their purse or backpack. Put it in someplace accessible that you’ll see many times as you go through your day.

Try for one word as your “rather feel this way” reminder, instead of a phrase.One of the things I’ve found in my work with clients and large groups is that the simpler you make something, the more deeply it goes and the greater the possibility for communities and whole geographical regions that can come to be able to feel this way, simply because you are putting your intentions out there.

A great tip to make it all easier and more joyful:

Condensing to the essence adds greatly to your personal power.

Look at this word throughout the day to remind yourself of how you’d rather feel. Remember the last time you felt this way and fully flesh out that memory. Say “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!” to confirm to yourself you Really. Wanna. Feel that way.

Now step into that feeling. Mmm…

3) Now make another choice: What generative energy, space and consciousness do you want to be and manifest today? Choose that, write it down in the air in letters of flame or whatever color and shape please you. See the letters fade out. Breathe in and out. Remember what you wrote. Go, and remember it throughout the day.

How do you feel now? Remember that, the next time upset and “things appearing like danger but really, when you think about it… aren’t.” threatens.

Keep breathing in your reminder word – how you’d rather feel. And remembering what you choose to generate, how you wish to be and what you will manifest today.

I look forward to hearing what you are choosing for today.

If you’d like to commit to waking up and co-supporting others who are doing the same,

Share your thoughts below by commenting to continue this discussion…

What do YOU Choose?

What is that furrow
on your brow,
a sigh of sorrow
imprinted on the skin?
What clings sullen
to the bone,
contracting your heart?

What do you fear,
have horror of,
long to forget,
despise and loathe
so much

that it leaves its
convoluted intent
on the roadmap
of your face?

And more importantly,
what do you REALLY desire?

Think on that and know:

That nothing is truly wrong.

Nothing is truly required of you,

but to live and be happy.

What is meant for you can never truly be lost,
because nothing can actually be lost.

Lost is a point of view,
a Limiting Belief.

Though forms may change,
everything always exists
for energy cannot be destroyed.

What is meant for you is still right in front of you.

Have you the eyes to see it?

Have you the ears to hear its message?

Have you the heart to feel its

fresh,

pure,

delicious energy…

pulling you forward?

If not…

Step aside,

into the Real You…

and continue the journey.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

* Travelogue: Been fueled on inspiration from the stunning Oregonian waterfalls this week on our tour of the Pacific Northwest. I snapped the above picture at Multnomah Falls prior to a hike where we got ecstatically drenched. The words rolled out during an intro on ETHOS that I taught in a community center shortly after that.  “Stepping aside” is ETHOS speak for stepping back inside our Unlimited Self – that energetic template of the ‘perfect you’ that we all started out in life, and that is still available to us. The ETHOS Method is a free, worldwide healing and consciousness tool that I created, and you can learn more about here.

This is reposted from last year, but still a good primer:

Hi Folks,
I just met a number of women in the last few months who are terrified of getting mammograms, even though breast disease is in their families. My mother, grandmother and aunt had breast cancer. My mom died of it as did my husband’s mother. Breast disease is not going to be my experience. I am proactive in maintenance of breast health: I do the breast health tapping routine from my book Everyday Bliss For Busy Women every single day, monthly breast checks and I get regular mammograms and thermograms (another form of diagnostic that looks at heat patterns in the breast).

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer on October 1st, 1990 and that’s when I always go in, to honor her. Coincidentally, this is the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month so I’m kicking off my own personal awareness campaign by telling you about my mammogram and bust some myths about the procedure in the process.

I got my mammogram today, and while I wasn’t allowed today to video my thoughts through the procedure, did a lot of video around that and breast health in general that you’ll see here soon. I am also working with hospital administrators to videotape real mammography in the future to help women lose their fear about getting mammograms, which is very exciting. Stay tuned for that.

Bustin’ the Mammo Myths

It’s real important as we all travel this journey of life, that we not be afraid of things. Fear is an old patterned response that taps into that limbic system in the brain I talk about in the ETHOS manual. It can save our lives when we’re in actual physical danger, but most of the time today, fear is mis-triggered and mis-fires on a consistent basis, running our lives instead of letting us flow easily through events. If you are thinking about something in the future and getting a fear response – that’s a mis-trigger that you might want to eliminate. There’s an old acronym floating around about that too: Fear really means “Future Expectations Appearing Real”. Fear of the future is kind of silly when you look at it because you’re upset about something that hasn’t even happened yet. Waste of energy!

ETHOS is one of many methods that can help you deal with fear, and come through the doorway fear is, to the Unlimited Self. BTW, Unlimited Selves don’t have breast disease or any other kind of dis-ease. Unlimited Self is the personification OF “ease” in every sense. Ease and joy and beauty in all ways. Let’s bust some of the myths about mammograms and learn a little bit about what goes on:

1) “I DON’T stink, and don’t want people to think I do”

I want to tell women who may be afraid of this procedure – don’t be. The worst thing that happened was that I had to not wear deodorant or powder under my armpits for two days. This can put a lot of women off, as they don’t want to stink. I am sensitive to scent and didn’t want to offend others, so I kept alcohol wipes (in America, one brand is HandiWipes) in my purse and dabbed my armpits through the day for two days prior to my mammogram. Problem solved and the alcohol both kills scent-producing bacteria, then evaporates so no residue is left. If you can’t find such wipes wherever you live, simply fill a plastic bag with cotton balls, pour a little rubbing alcohol in the bag and dab armpits with cotton balls. Works just as well.

Caveat: Don’t use perfume or cologne as the oils in these kinds of scent can irritate the delicate underam skin.

So me and my deodorant-free armpits went to the hospital xray department, filled out a short form and sat maybe five mintes waiting to be sent to the dressing room to put my hospital gown on. Everyone was so nice – they know women can be a little nervous and do their very best to put you at ease. Some women even brought a girlfriend, sister, daughter or mom with them for moral support. This is not only permitted, but encouraged. If you’re feeling a little shaky, bring a buddy, by all means.

2) “Don’t Pressure Me”

The second thing I hear women saying they don’t want to experience is the pinching they’ve heard happens when the breast is put between the two plastic plates of the mammogram machine. The breast needs to be compressed as thinly as possible so as to produce the highest contrast, so a machine gently squeezes the breast tissue between these plates.

Ladies, my girls are “D” cup sized (for the gents reading this: a handful and a half) and while I felt this pressure, it was only very slightly intense and didn’t hurt a bit. Some women do feel discomfort. This may be because the breasts are congested. If you do the “Triple Thump Plus” tapping routine outlined in the AM Energizers on page 28 of the ETHOS manual, the energy and fluids pervading your breasts will flow easily releasing congestion. This is one I do EVERY DAY, and it’s my thought that this will lessen any potential for an uncomfortable experience.

Here’s that routine again:

The Triple Thump PLUS – For general health, wellness and to put on “immune system defense” armor, vigorously tap your Kidney-27 Collarbone points 7 – 10 times, your Thymus 7 – 10 times and your Liver-14 Under Breast points 7 – 10 times. This is the “traditional” Triple Thump from Touch For Health and Educational Kinesiology. I add to this thumping on the Underarm Spleen-21 Points and gentle circular rubbing on the “Sore Spot” – the upper chest neurolymphatic drainage point. This routine circles the breasts and helps to keep them healthy in addition to conditioning and fine-tuning your energy to do what you need it to. Do this sequence three times in all.

3) “I’m afraid to go in because I just don’t know what’s going to happen”

So here’s what happens: I waited probably five minutes after disrobing from the waist up and putting on a hospital gown. Then I was invited into the mammography room and untied the top of the hospital gown. The female technician lifted the tissue of my right breast, pulled it out slightly from my body, and placed it on the horizontal lower plate holding the xray film. An uppper plastic plate called a “paddle” then automatically descended and judging the right amount of pressure, pressed the tissue as thin as it would comfortably go, then locked the breast into place. As I mentioned, this felt odd, but did not hurt.

Then as soon as it was locked, the technician popped behind the little booth, pressed a button, I heard a “ZZzzzt” of the picture being taken and the upper plastic paddle immediately released my breast. Then we did the same procedure to the other side. That full set of pictures in the upright position took less than three minutes.

Then a second set of pictures was done, with the machine rotated at a 50 degree angle. I wondered how the heck my breast was going to fit between the two plates with the thing at an angle like this. The technician told me to drape my inside arm over the top of the machine which pulled all the breast tissue upward. Then she held the breast against the plate while the top plastic paddle came down to compress the tissue. Once the paddle was touching the top of the breast tissue, she let go as it began to gently compress the breast, telling me to keep my shoulders back. Then she popped ’round the control booth again, “ZZzzzt” went the machine and bingo-bango, the right side was done. The same thing was done with the left breast.

This set of films took about five minutes for both breasts. So all in all, I was in the mammography room for less than ten minutes.

4) “There’s so much radiation in an xray, I’ve heard you can GET breast cancer from a mammogram. It’s probably not good for me.”

The jury may still be out in the alternative health community, but the radiation in a mammogram comes at such a low dose, that they don’t even make you wear a lead apron, as it doesn’t penetrate further than the plate below the breast holding the xray film. The techician even clued me that people sometimes think digital xrays are lower in dose, which actually isn’t correct. She told me that people tend to think this as digital xrays, not using traditional film, tend to have a lower rate of the need to repeat an xray due to faulty breast positioning, but the dose of radiation is very slightly higher than a traditional film xray. Color me educated on that one!

If you’re worried about the dose of radiation in a mammogram, it is very, very low. And there are many proactive things you can do to help your body detox the radiation as well. I’m a great veggie eater, but for a week prior to my mammo, I greatly increased my intake of ground flax seeds, sea greens, sprouts of all kinds and deep green leafy vegetables. I also took mild herbal colon tonifying herbs to make sure I was processing bodily waste out of the body extremely regularly. Today I’ll increase that dose very slightly so I am having several bowel movements a day, and keep that up for a total of three days before going off the colon tonic herbs.

By the way, two bowel movements or more a day is normal – many people do not know this. My acupuncturist, chiropracter and doctor are all in favor of having three or more. If you’re trying to detoxify the body, increase your bowel movements by eating leafy green roughage, fruits (dried fruits are great for this), sauerkraut, or other vegetables, and drink lots and lots of water. Your local health food store will have information on herbs that tonify the bowels. Consult a reliable herbal such as Michael Tierra’s The Way of Herbs or John Lust’s venerable The Herb Book for instructions, and always do so in consultation with your healing practitioner.

I continue this bowel stimulating regimen when I need to have an xray for a week following the radiation, just to make sure I’m supporting my body through its detox process. If this doesn’t appeal to you, simply eat a lot of salads and raw veggies, and drink lots and lots of water. Going to the toilet is a sacred thing, don’t be afraid of it. Better to go, and get the poisons out of the building.

5) “Do they just leave you in the hall after the mammogram? What happens when the picture-taking is all over?”

After your mammogram, you’ll be told to stay in your hospital gown in a waiting area until a technician can look at the films. Please understand they are not READING the films for abnormalities, and you WON’T get a diagnosis then, on the spot. They’re looking for mistakes in the way the breast was positioned, to know if they need to go back in and take another film or not. This usually takes less than five minutes, and you’ll then be told you can put your clothes on and go home, or to come back for one more picture.

If you ask real nice (I did) they’ll let you look at your films but do NOT ask them to interpret the mammogram for you – a radiological technician cannot do this by law, even if they see something their experience tells them may look suspicious. They can’t tell you, so please don’t badger them.

DO take the chance if you can, to look at the films of your breasts. This is greatly instructional and also very validating and life-affirming. I found myself fascinated looking at the intricacy of little hairline veins and tissue criss-crossing the breast – it was a beautiful network of nurture personified, and reaffirmed my womanliness to me. This journey of the mammogram can be greatly reinforcing of your femininity. Celebrate your breasts!!

6) “I’m so nervous! I’ve been waiting for over a week after my mammogram and haven’t heard from my doctor. Is this a bad thing?”

Your doctor will be sent the films along with a qualified radiologist’s interpretation. You will be given your results and diagnosis if any, within a few weeks. I was told if there is something really wrong, they flag your films and you’re notified even sooner. So no news is probably good news if you’re waiting for that call or in my case, the card in the mail telling you what’s what. I was also told by a hospital representative, that this particular hospital made a point of personal phone calls to women whose breasts showed suspicious spots, so the doctors and technicians are making sure you are notified as soon as possible.

My trip in and out of the mammogram took less than 45 minutes. I was on the street an hour later and having lunch with a girlfriend. We celebrated our breast health together by doing a public demonstration and teaching of the Triple Thump Plus to six ladies who were in the same restaurant. We’d all waited in line together and fell to discussing mammograms. My friend is also an energy healer so we were comparing our two breast health routines.

These six ladies heard and wanted in on the action. Then three more joined us, plus a couple of the waitresses and one of the cooks who came out from the back to see what the commotion was. Nearly all of these women had a mother, sister, aunt, grandmother or friend stricken by breast disease and all were desperate to know how to prevent it. In all we taught twelve women how to care for their breasts that day, so my promise to my Mom, to help other women to breast health was more than fulfilled on “Mammogram Day”.

Please teach ETHOS and the Triple Thump Plus to everyone you know. Even men can get breast cancer, so everyone needs to be doing this routine. Very briefly, it is tapping on the: Collarbone points, Thymus, Under arms, Under breast, Neurolymphatic Reflex (Sore Spot) of the upper chest. Surrounding the breast with tender loving care, and draining toxins away from the breast tissue.

I hope this has been instructional and helpful to you. Please feel free to pass this post in its entirety to anyone you know of that has any fear of going in for a breast check up or mammogram. It’s something as women that I feel we owe ourselves, and one form of love we can give our bodies.

Warm Blessings,
Maryam
http://maryamwebster.com

And I found this really great resource for acupressure to deal with it. It’s easy to do and you can get a full tutorial at mind-energy.net by clicking the title:

Get rid of stuffed or running nose without drugs

Nasal congestion, stuffy nose, runny nose – these are common problems experienced by everyone, usually many times a year. We generally disregard it, if it’s on moderate levels but can get very annoyed when they are strong and require our attentions.

Yes, you could use a nasal spray to depress it for a while. But there are some problems with the sprays:

• First, they are drugs (chemicals), might have side effects and are somewhat addictive.
• Second, they cost money.
• Third, you should have it with you whenever your nose drives you mad. This might not be the case every time, since you have to buy it first, and then carry it with you whenever you go (work, for example).

When I was little, one of my grandmothers has taught my father and me a very simple point massage technique that relieves nasal congestion fast and effectively, without leaving the bitter taste in your mouth. I wanted to share it with you….

Click here to go to the rest of the article with pictures & tutorial

I do this breast health routine every day. If this is your first encounter with energy therapies, this is a good one to start with as the Triple Thump Plus will not only clear stagnant lymph fluid that can accumulate in and near the breasts and properly energize your breast tissue, but will boost your immunity in general. Want to not have colds or flu? Do this one every single day. Sitting on the toilet? Thump your chest. Takes no time at all. K27, the collarbone point is also good for jogging memory, waking up when driving late and night and for kids in class to remember what they’re studying. This is noted by the great energy healer Donna Eden, whose two videos on this process I include below.

Of interest to women: Doctors often recommend lymphatic massage for women with breast disorders to keep fluids and toxins from building up. The Triple Thump is a safe form of self-massage on the lymph tissue that will help keep breasts healthy! And it is believed, may also help to prevent breast cancer. All that for just a few minutes a day – how much simple could it be?

The Triple Thump *Plus*

Thumping on these three places instantly changes the vibratory energy signature of stress (which is a frequency, like a radio station you can tune into) and flushes your lymphatic fluid which drains stress away from the body. Do the Triple Thump whenever you feel stressed during your day – it’s a great one to energize your wakeup period with too! Be sure to drink lots of water when you do these exercises, to help flush stress hormones out of the body.

1) Find the spots on the model above that say “Collarbone”. These are the 27th point on the Kidney meridian in acupuncture. These are a little below and underneath your collarbone at the “L” where it attaches to your sternum, or breastbone. Put two fingers in this area on both sides of your body and gently thump ten times or massage these spots. They may be sore, and if so, need a good working out as this is where stress hormones accumulate!

2) Next go to the “Thymus Point” which is right on the center of the breastbone, about two inches down from the v-notch at your collarbone. Thump ten times or massage here, using a few fingers.

3) Third in the traditional Triple Thump are the “Underarm points”, below where your armpit hair area ends on the side of the body and one rib-width beneath where where a woman’s bra elastic would end (see above – on the model above the mark is a little high. Feel around for what’s sore – yes, that’s it. Thump both of these two points briskly as well – I use a gently closed fist – to clear the lymph system.

Plus Size It

To “plus” this process to encourage healthy breasts, just add in the Sore Spot neurolymphatic points on either side of the chest above the breasts (see model above or watch Eden’s videos below) and the Under Breast points, underneath the breast tissue, beneath the crease under the breast and on top of the rib below that crease. Since these points are tiny, use the entire side of your hand (like karate-chopping – but gently!) to thump here ten times, or use the soft pads of your fingers to massage the area if it’s sore. This “Plus” addition completely surrounds the breast with clearing and encourages the body’s energy systems to pulse clean energy through the breast area.

Here’s stellar energy healer Donna Eden showing you how to do the triple thump basic move: