Holistic Medicine

Posted on August 31, 2017 by rick_ranum

As my brilliant retired doctor says, “the medical system has gone to hell”. The idea of treating the patient physically, mentally, and spiritually is virtually none existent. Physicians refer to specialists to limit liability under threat of malpractice having to do with the legal definition of the standard of care. There is a good historical analysis here.

In other countries physicians are encouraged to consider more than just tests and to treat the patient by considering many variables affecting the patient’s life. I have yet to find a practice in my city that incorporates multiple modalities within one office. It is ironic that one of the pioneers of hypnotherapy was a medical doctor. Dr. Milton Erickson was so successful at assisting patients that his approach is still the subject of analysis, research, publications and books.

Erickson wikipedia page
Erickson Foundation page

As I thought about this today I was thinking about how nice it would be to be part of a team consisting of multi-disciplinary professionals working in concert to assist patients with their symptoms. Perhaps someday that will be so. For now, each professional works with their own subset of tools, interpreting each patients symptoms within a narrow discipline.

The photo is of Milton Erickson

Back From The Dead After Three Days

Posted on August 24, 2017 by rick_ranum

There was this Russian scientist who was killed by the KGB and came back to life after three days of experience’s.

He said of life after being dead three days and having amazing experiences:
“Anyone who has had such an experience of God, who has felt such a profound sense of connection with reality, knows that there is only one truly significant work to do in life, and that is love; to love nature, to love people, to love animals, to love creation itself, just because it is. To serve God’s creation with a warm and loving hand of generosity and compassion – that is the only meaningful existence.”

He was part of a documentary that spoke to several people with near death experiences. Here is the link.

Relationships

Posted on August 20, 2017 by rick_ranum

This 12 minute video is exceptionally good.

Uncertainty

Posted on August 6, 2017 by rick_ranum

JOY

Lost, confused, anxious, and filled with uncertainty, a common complaint or malady of these times and of simply being a human being. It would be rare to find a singular human being of moderate age who has not dealt with these feelings. It seems to be a part of life. The causes are many and the feelings are real. Feelings And everything is about uncertainty. What do you really know of the future. My dear friend’s son’s wife is recovering from a double mastectomy, a brother in law is in chemotheray for pancreatic cancer, my best friend for 22 years and a high school friend are both struggling with Rheumatoid arthritis. Many clients have serious health issues. Being ill increases stress and the irony is that most diseases are caused by stress, is stress like a virus settling into our psyche that then creates physical symptoms which birth greater stress? Now there’s a novel thought!

Here are some ideas you might find helpful. Imagine how someone else would handle the same situation. If you had a big moral question and you are a Christian you might ask how Jesus would handle it. In other words, if something in the future does happen (a negative event) how do yo deal with it, cope with it? How would somebody with the requisite skills cope with it? When you figure that out you just practice it.

Everything is uncertain, you don’t know for sure that you wake up tomorrow, the future is uncertain. I found a quote from my favorite mystic today and in reading it I recognized what is keeping me coping, I am helping others. “…how happy those should be that have been called to a purposefulness in relieving suffering… in giving hope to those who find life’s pathway in the material world beset with shadows and doubts.”

You don’t have to be a therapist to help others but only be there or help in some way you can best.

I read about this “exercise”, the exercise is to write one sentence each night, a sentence about the most important thought or event in that day. Sometimes the sentence reflects something learned. I only started recently, join me in this experiment if you wish. We can share our experiences.

Anxiety Manifestation

Posted on August 4, 2017 by rick_ranum

Recently anxiety has overtaken depression in the realms of most popular psychological malady. As a human being I too at times become anxious. As a therapist many people come to see me due to anxiety. Because we are mind in a body, discovering the thoughts that create the anxiety and lessening or eliminating those thoughts is the path to calm.

“Many of us don’t realize that every thought, word and action we say and do in life is transmitted via the etheric and nervous system to every organ, cell and molecule of the body. In less than a second your energy system starts working towards your choices and actions. If these are not congruent with your beliefs, goals and values, the result will be a physical or chemical imbalance in the body.”

“We are all motivated at a subconscious level to stay on the path of our purpose. When we deviate or refrain from this path, for whatever reason, our inner being starts working against us, alerting us to look inside ourselves and at what we are avoiding, denying, or resisting. If we refuse to listen, we become anxious, stressed and plagued with fear and confusion. When we deny what we feel, we feel trapped and become ungrounded. Life feels chaotic.”

Here’s a simple thing to do: when you notice your mind saying something unkind about you, a word like “you idiot” (one of my past favorites when I fail at something) note that word and banish it. Forbid you to call you an idiot. In time you will stop doing that to yourself. Do this with three words and you will be happier.