Balance
Peace
Solitude
Grounding Therapy
Regularly connecting to the earth’s natural, powerful energy is healing and vital for everyone.
This is why “reconnection” with both the earth itself and our body’s own innate healing abilities is the focus of grounding therapy or earthing. The best part about earthing or grounding is that it’s super simple, completely free and can be done anywhere, at any time. It requires nothing but bare feet and willingness.
The basics of how grounding or earthing works:
- Your body is a type of electrical circuit. The Earth’s surface possesses a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free or mobile electrons. The Earth’s negative charges can create a stable internal bio-electrical environment for the normal functioning of all body systems which may be important for setting the biological clock, regulating circadian rhythms, and balancing adrenal functions.
- Your body is naturally able to absorb electrical charges from the earth since your skin acts like a “conductor.” Your feet, have certain points in the balls of your feet that are especially good at receiving the earth’s electricity.
But because of our modern way of living we are losing touch with the earth’s natural electrical force. - The human body is electrical first and chemical second. Our brain, heart beat and neurotransmitter activity, for example, all rely on electrical signals, so when our electrical system is off, so can be certain aspects of our health will be out of balance. being in touch with the planet, the electrical force coming off the earth is able to help lower inflammation and fight free radicals in the body.
Time to hit the beach bare foot, take of your shoes on a hike, or garden bare footed!
Cognitive Bias Modification
Cognitive biases directly affect the way we perceive and process sensory and memory data. Several types of cognitive biases effect how we perceive, think, and feel (Mathews & Mackintosh, 2000).
The specific types of cognitive biases are:
- Attention Bias explaining how things are seen, heard, and felt, that individuals subconsciously choose to perceive based on their current paradigm and ignore what conflicts with beliefs (Salemink, Hout, & Kindt, 2007). Individuals delete, distort, and generalize data so it aligns with their biases (Salemink et al., 2007).
- Interpretation Bias is when the sensory data perceived and accepted is interpreted in a way that fits into or supports one’s biases.
- Memory Bias occurs when individuals recall prior experiences, thoughts, and imagery that supports their current biases (Hertel & Mathews, 2011)).
More emotional individuals may have vulnerabilities to cognitive biases that contribute to more negative processing of the sensory data available and this contributes to emotional distress being more prevalent (Standage, Ashwin, & Fox, 2010). Additionally, modified cognitive biases induce or influence an individual’s emotional state (Hirsch, Mathews, & Clark, 2007). Persistent focus on negative biases in attention, interpretation, and memory are thought to induce these higher levels of emotional vulnerability and more prevalent mood instability (Standage, Harris, & Fox, 2014).
Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) procedures are designed to modify interpretative biases, and are particularly vulnerable to inducing changes in cognition and mood (Holmes & Mathews, 2005). Many CBM procedures have been developed (Standage, Ashwin, & Fox, 2009), and mood changes tend to be significant following treatments (Standage et al., 2010). Positive or negative CBM depict congruent changes in the emotional response, depending upon the context of stimuli (Mathews & Mackintosh, 2000), thus implying that individuals can be “trained” to manifest particular mood states (Standage etal., 2010).
Social comparison processing may be an important moderator of CBM as people become biased as they conform to social norms (Standage et al., 2014). Just as individuals suffering from depression tend to demonstrate a heightened elaboration on negative stimuli, an intensified predisposition to attend to negative stimuli and engage in rumination is a precursor for clinical disorders (MacLeod & Bucks, 2011). This demonstrates the significance of negative attentional focus contributing to negative biases during the interpretation process. CBM can help with the management of self-regulation and maintenance of debilitating emotional disorders (Joorman, Waugh, & Gotlib, 2015), by utilizing instrumental, strategic control of thought patterns and attention selectivity (MacLeod & Bucks, 2011).
Visual text base CBM procedures have been found to elicit the most significant effect on changing interpretations and moods (Standage et al., 2009). Participants who engaged in visual CBM procedures that appraised positive and negative statements have shown a congruency in their interpretive mood bias, either positive or negative (Holland, Tamir, and Kensinger, 2010). Specifically, CBM participants who read about positive but ambiguous situations, then made more positive decisions, while participants who read about more negative ambiguous scenarios followed with more negative decisions or resolutions (Standage et al., 2009). Therefor, it is concluded that appropriate positive and negative interpretative biases are induced by CBM procedures.
An Excerpt from
Mood Modification in Introverted and Extraverted Personality Types
By
Ashleigh Brinkerhoff
Kevin Brough
Tina Brough
Taylor Sullivan
Self Sustainability
Nature combines the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind to create beauty and abundance in a self sustaining bio diverse way. Through exposure to light and air growth occurs.
Humans thrive in a similar fashion! Through accessing and using innate resources combined with breath and light, growth and contribution will manifest. When an individual chooses to live in a healthy self sustaining way resources are built, not burned. Wake up! Revive from unconscious living and reclaim who you are, full purpose, and deep meaning.
Be your true self, “the world needs you”. Human diversity is necessary for the self sustainability of humanity. The sacred tree of life will grow and nurture all, as we live in a more symbiotic manner.
Reclaim Yourself and Revive Your Life!
As we revive mother earth and return natural bio-diversity to the land, the work and intent also touches and revives the “Soul” of everyone involved.
The Human Revival Project is about making the simple things in life sacred.
The Human Revival Project is about communion with the land and the Creator, while reclaiming, creating, and supporting natural balance in our selves and in our lives.
It is time to “REVIVE” who we really are and start living authentically.
Get your VIVE* back! (*Life & Vibe)
Join our project. Join our mission.
Kevin at http://www.retreatatzion.com
The Sacred Path
Our “SACRED JOURNEY” – Is A Holistic (Soulistic) experience of reclamation and transformation that starts with integration of all parts of ourselves into our complete and whole soul. This approach creates ultimate health of “Heart, Mind, Body & Spirit. Taking Actions, Developing Skills, and Harnessing Mental Processes that “Make A Real Difference” in our behavior and lives. When we are congruent and honor who we truly are we own and see our highest self and align with inner wisdom to be that person one step at a time.
This is a process that can bring “Clarity” and Courage to:
- “Realize” – Where you’re at
- “Visualize” – What you really want
- “Strategize” – How to create change to get there
- “Actualize” – Your plan, step by step for better results
- Start with the (physical), Cellular Balance builds a foundation for complete Body Balance.
- This physical balance leads the way for total Inner Balance (integrating emotional, mental and spiritual health with that of the body).
- All this allows the optimum Life Balance you seek.
Continued treatments using complementary and alternative modalities along with the best current medical support will reinforce a permanent chemical change in mind and body and will allow the electrical synapse system of the MindBody to rewire itself back to healthy patterns and the natural energy flow to heal and return us to our natural adaptability and flexibility.
Healing on a cellular level allows you the opportunity to take back your health, wellness and fitness. It will require a lot of hard work to change daily behavior patterns to those that will support continued healing, recovery, and optimum health to return. We need to include the following in our daily actions and activities.
- Proper Nutrition, Rest, and Sleep
- Exercise
- Healthy activities and recreation
- Self Care
- 12 step meetings
- Therapy
- Creativity and Grounding Activities
- Prayer and Meditation
- Service and connection
- & of course “Continued Abstinence” from what enslaved you!
These valuable investments of time and energy into ourselves will support the journey from Cellular Health and Balance to Physical Health and Balance. From Physical Health to adding complete inner balance and (Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual Health) for a Whole and Balanced Soul. Once we achieve this inner balance, peace and wholeness our higher path will lead to a life balance filed with the joy, love, meaning and the fulfillment we desire. With growth and contribution comes contentment and love.
Inner Voice III
Part III of a series on Empowering Language Patterns:
Get rid of the word SHOULD.
Using statements like I should meditate…. solicit guilt, rebelliousness and maybe even shame…Thoughts like “Dammit why didn’t I, I was supposed to!!” soon follow. These shame and fear based thought patterns do not take you to a powerful place, but often undermine motivation and positive intentions/thinking.
Find another word that elicits better responses:
Wish – won’t motivate most people
I would like to – nope won’t bring urgency
I need to – not quite there to bring about action
I want to – getting closer to a commitment
I have to – to authoritarian for most (defensiveness and rebellion follow)
I must – sounds too desperate
I am going to – will work for some.. gives me a way out…
I will – a personal agreement is made…much closer to getting me to do it (I can visualize it and imagine myself doing it, and based on that feeling and imagery I actually may do it!)
Another powerful method is to take what you want to do and turn it into an action verb.
“I am meditating tomorrow morning at 7 AM”. This should cause you to imagine not only doing it but the positive feeling, results, and benefits of doing it.
Questions: Do I see myself doing it in a certain place? Is it a movie, a video or a still picture? If it is a still picture, then I want to find better wording! I am meditating tonight! Turns it into a video clip. You can play with words and get it into a vibrant, colorful movie which will flow ( a little short movie) – chances are that you are 10 times more likely to do it. An emotional/physical state of being shift actually occurs and you can see the benefits of what you will gain from that, and then make a decision or commitment to do it.. The more detail to your imagery and the deeper you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell the difference the more energy you will have in your motivation to take action.
We do this from the negative side too creating negative video tapes…but the more positive imagery tapes we make to offset the negative the more empowered we will be to take right actions!
Stay Loyal
Values & Virtues
Virtue based ethics can be interpreted many ways since there is such a variation of moral beliefs and various definitions of what is virtuous. For the most part virtue ethics has advantages since there is many universal virtues or much common ground when it comes to what is ethical. The biggest disadvantage is that there are differences among cultures, times in history, and even in between groups, organizations, tribes, and families in certain types of virtue based beliefs. I believe Kant’s duty-based theory overlaps and is very easily integrated with virtue ethics since most duties are virtue based. As I explore more about virtue based ethics and Kant’s theories in this blog I will expound on how these two belief systems could be merged.
It is pretty easy to explore virtue ethics from a deontological and a consequentialist viewpoint. Under deontology it is simple to see virtues as rules of what is right and wrong and that an individual has a duty to honor such virtues for personal peace and to serve a greater good. Through the viewpoint of consequentialism it also seems clear that the majority of results or consequences that are good or virtuous can only come through actions that are also virtuous, good, or right.
Based on Kant’s Doctrine of Virtue and his duty-based theory a person can only be truly happy and have their life flourish if they are living in accordance to their virtues and duty to honor and respect themselves and others. Where so many people have a commonality among their beliefs of what are acceptable or even expected norms as far as what are virtuous beliefs, intentions, and actions/behaviors it seems that the world would be far more peaceful if everyone lived up to this duty to honor self and others. This level of commitment to others would even go farther if everyone also honored the universe in a similar fashion. By universe I mean animals, nature, mother nature, the earth, places, things, cultures, etc., etc..
As stated above I believe Immanuel Kant’s duty-based theory fits hand in glove with virtue based ethics since the responsibility to honor or serve something greater than yourself comes as part of virtue or values based belief system. Both Plato and Aristotle spoke and taught of virtue based beliefs being a motivation for much of what a person thought, said, and did. So many Eastern based philosophies are based on doing what is good for self and others because it is the only way one can have peace and happiness. Many spiritual and religious beliefs are based on doing unto others as you would want done unto yourself. In most cultures common virtues such as generosity, loyalty, honesty, and courage are aspired to.
Approaching life with a goal to live a more virtue centered life may at times have the dilemma of potential ethnocentrism, where we judge others as we judge ourselves, wanting us all to fit perceived norms and expectations. It would seem one of the most important parts of virtue ethics and duty-based living is to value openness and forgiveness with ourselves and others and let go of those rigid expectations. We will never have the peace, joy, and love in our life we often seek if we cannot be satisfied enough to be happy, while still remaining unsatisfied enough to continue growth. Self-acceptance, and the acceptance of others “as they are” may be the highest virtue of all.
Balance Your Health 