30 Apr
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“When the past calls, let it go to voicemail, believe me, it has nothing new to say.”
– Unknown –
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My two cents: A motto to live by for PTSD sufferers.
The past holds suffering for us, it is the freeway of pain.
The present moment holds opportunity and freedom.
The past triggers me.
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22 Apr
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“Still, some people are high in one and low in the other, and there are traits that are related to happiness but not to meaning, and vice versa.
Here are four differences.
17 Apr
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Kindness strengthens the brain: Study shows it helps boost the entire family’s cognitive health
By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira
Doing an act of kindness can make you feel good about yourself, and a new study suggests it also benefits the brains of everyone living under one roof. Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas report that teaching and practicing kindness at home improved parents’ resilience and children’s empathy.
Because both resilience and empathy use different cognitive skills such as responding well to stressors or considering different perspectives, the researchers suggest kindness can improve a person’s cognition.
The Children’s Kindness Network is an online kindness training program that enrolled 38 mothers and their 3- to 5- year old children. The program included “Kind Minds With Moozie” with five modules featuring a digital cow who explained creative exercises parents can use with their kids to learn about kindness.
“We aim to encourage parents to engage in practical, brain-healthy interactions with their children that aid in a better understanding of one another, especially during times of stress,” says Maria Johnson, MA, director of Youth & Family Innovations and coauthor of the study in a media release. “Research shows that kindness is a strong potentiator of vibrant social engagement, which in turn is a critical component of overall brain health.”
The team studied the impact on the program and children’s empathy. Parents filled out a survey on their own resilience and their kids’ empathy before and after the training program. Results showed that after the program, parents reported being more resilient and preschool-aged children were more empathetic.
One surprising finding was that children’s empathy levels were below average despite showing improvements after training. The team explains this is likely because of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns that limited children’s social and emotional development.
“In times of stress, taking a moment to practice kindness for yourself and model it for your children can boost your own resilience and improve your child’s prosocial behaviors,” says Julie Fratantoni, PhD, cognitive neuroscientist and head of operations for The BrainHealth Project. “Do not underestimate the power of kindness, because it can ultimately change and shape brain health.”
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13 Apr
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After a decade plus of serious meditation, My inner world exploration, some deep healing and certain brain patterns become apparent.
My brain thinks failure can happen today, at 70, it is my brain’s default.
This happens before thought, it is how my brain is wired, I spot danger, possible failure before all else.
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It is a curse.
It’s not PTSD, it is the way my brain wired around abuse, fear was always present as a kid without a chance of escape.
My PTSD part thinks something can happen today that could make my life a total failure.
My self-worth was built on a foundation of quicksand, lack of attachment as a child.
How do you fix my brain wiring at 70?
I have 60 years of practicing living in fear.
It is gratifying to understand myself, my behavior, my personally and specifics.
I strived for achievement, temporary worthiness all my life, its glow dulled in weeks, all successes were temporary, returning inside the void (unworthiness) in my chest.
I find joy in serving others, my grandkids.
Inside me joy is absent, worthiness is a stranger, fear is a companion, life is brutal, and suffering is a toxic friend.
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12 Apr
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Matthew Ricard from “Happiness”
“Observe what arises in your experience without imposing anything on it, without letting yourself be either drawn to it or put off by it.”
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My two cents: We would be healed if thoughts were treated as neutral, harmless appendages.
Oh yes, appendages, thoughts and emotions are not part of our core, our true self, they are appendages, attached to the periphery of our being.
Emotions are ephemeral, fleeting, and ever-changing, thoughts are invisible unless grasped firmly.
PYSD would die if we did not impose judgment on our thoughts and emotions!
Think of that.
As Ricard says, “Feel the freshness of this present moment.”
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11 Apr
First class menu
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“Meditation is a matter not of theory but of practice, just as it does not satisfy your hunger to read a restaurant menu if you are not going to eat something from it.”
Matthew Ricard from “Happiness”
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My two cents: Healing is not a spectators sport, reading heals nothing, it takes daily action.
We PTSDers avoid and isolate, go numb and sedentary.
Taking action in the face of fear and anxiety is a necessity.
It takes great desire, focus and persistence, besides courage to heal.
It is a moment-to-moment battle with our thoughts, anxiety, and fear.
Know the playing field, be prepared, have an attack plan, and finally develop your tools.
Healing is not for the faint of heart, victims find it difficult if not nearly impossible to take action.
We must prepare and accept PTSD’s suffering, then take healing action in the face of this fear.
We start with small actions and small incremental gains with daily work.
Sedentary is closer to death, action closer to life.
Your decision, your life.
happy Healing!
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Third class menu not so elegant!
10 Apr
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It has been a stellar week, PTSD has receded back into the cracks of darkness.
Less symptom activity, more letting go is happening, a big break in the action with neutral and positive emotions flowing.
I am still guarded but optimistic.
Mornings are happier, life has opportunities and some joy at times.
I see this more as PTSD receding, opportunity is always there just covered up by active trauma.
PTSD is a dark cloud that follows us, our personal bad weather machine.
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PTSD is abstract, confusing but powerfully charged with partial control of our nervous system (defense mechanism).
Healing happens at optimum rates when we can stay calm over longer periods.
Being triggered, full of cortisol and adrenaline, this upset confuses and damages our chances of well-being.
The ability to dissipate cortisol and adrenaline becomes a soothing skill for recovery.
Learn to use your breath to calm the nervous system.
I hope this period of relief holds.
Happy Healing!
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10 Apr
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Authentic happiness is not linked to an activity; it is a state of being, a profound emotional balance struck by a subtle understanding of how the mind functions.
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While ordinary pleasures are produced by contact with pleasant objects and end when that contact is broken,
sukha (happiness) —lasting well-being—is felt so long as we remain in harmony with our inner nature.
One intrinsic aspect of it is selflessness, which radiates from within rather than focusing on the self.
One who is at peace with herself will contribute spontaneously to establishing peace within her family, her neighborhood, and, circumstances permitting, society at large.
In brief, there is no direct relationship between pleasure and happiness.
This distinction does not suggest that we mustn’t seek out pleasurable sensations.
There is no reason to deprive ourselves of the enjoyment of a magnificent landscape, of swimming in the sea, or of the scent of a rose.
Pleasures become obstacles only when they upset the mind’s equilibrium and lead to an obsession with gratification or an aversion to anything that thwarts them.
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9 Apr
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Rigorous analysis leads us to conclude that the self does not reside in any part of the body, nor is it some diffuse entity permeating the entire body.
We willingly believe that the self is associated with consciousness, but consciousness too is an elusive current: in terms of living experience, the past moment of consciousness is dead (only its impact remains), the future is not yet, and the present doesn’t last.
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How could a distinct self exist, suspended like a flower in the sky, between something that no longer exists and something that does not yet exist?
It cannot be detected in either the body or the mind; it is neither a distinct entity in a combination of the two, nor one outside of them.
No serious analysis or direct introspective experience can lead to a strong conviction that we possess a self.
Someone may believe himself to be tall, young, and intelligent, but neither height nor youth nor intelligence is the self.
Buddhism therefore concludes that the self is just a name we give to a continuum, just as we name a river the Ganges or the Mississippi.
Such a continuum certainly exists, but only as a convention based upon the interdependence of the consciousness, the body, and the environment.
It is entirely without autonomous existence.
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8 Apr
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Life has been freer, and calmer this week, and PTSD has rolled back up.
Letting go and focusing work much better this week.
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The onslaught of intrusive thoughts and emotions has dried up, that river bottom is waterless this week.
It is such a pleasant break, similar to life before an old trauma surfaced during covid.
Covid reinforced one of PTSD’s dastardly symptoms, avoidance.
Covid made other people dangerous in real life, we were told to avoid them, wearing masks to further distance ourselves.
Covid sent PTSD people into crisis, we isolated more.
Our social skills deteriorated during quarantine.
We already avoided, lacked the trust of others, and covid spiked that symptom.
Isolating can damage us further, making the road to recovery that much longer.
If I knew why this week has been so much better, I would bottle it and share it with everyone.
We are like worker ants, performing our daily practice, toiling in obscurity.
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This relief has been surprising, PTSD has been problematic for a while.
Never give up, never give in.
It is a war, have a battle plan, and a daily action plan.
Happy healing.
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PTSD - A Way Out.com 