I don’t expect anyone to start a regimented running plan, but there are emotional and physical benefits to simply walking. The meditative effects of walking, the bilateral stimulation of the brain, has shown similar information integration properties and benefits as REM sleep (our dreaming sleep). Dr. Francine Shapiro, a California psychologist, found one day while walking and thinking about something that was troubling her, that her eyes began to track right to left in sync with her walking. She found that after her walk, the disturbance she felt previously had nearly disappeared. This began the basis for the widely accepted treatment modality, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Repossessing, EMDRIA.ORG). I challenge all of you to move at times when it’s the last thing you want to do. Sitting by yourself stewing over what went wrong in a conversation or situation has not reaaaaallly ever worked, so literally just walk it away!
When we are under extreme stress, nearly 1,500 biochemical reactions occur in our bodies. Some body mechanisms speed up, others nearly shut down. Many have heard of this as our “fight or flight response.” What many don’t know is that this doesn’t just occur during a car accident or a physical attack; it occurs on some level, during a stressful meeting with a boss, or argument with a spouse or child. Oftentimes, these intense reactions which we are wired for to take us out of unsafe situations happen day after day on a less intense level. Unfortunately, after this stress response our bodies are still activated, still trying to process the byproducts of our stress response, making our bodies actually want to “fight” or “flee”. Our lives aren’t getting less stressful or complicated. Last time I checked, we can’t flee from a boardroom or fight our boss, thus we need to combat these reactions the best way we can. The answer is exercise. Exercise helps our bodies expedite the cleansing of the byproducts of our stress response so we don’t suffer physically. For example, when we’re stressed our gastrointestinal system slows. This can cause constipation, diarrhea, or ulcers. Stress even affects our reproductive system. Our body doesn’t want to foster a new life if it feels that it is under attack. Intellectually and emotionally, the “smart” part of our brain shuts down so we can think like an animal would (to fight or flee) and that can effect our information possessing system that we require we’re expected to be productive at work or listening to our children.
I don’t expect anyone to start a regimented running plan, but there are emotional and physical benefits to simply walking. The meditative effects of walking, the bilateral stimulation of the brain, has shown similar information integration properties and benefits as REM sleep (our dreaming sleep). Dr. Francine Shapiro, a California psychologist, found one day while walking and thinking about something that was troubling her, that her eyes began to track right to left in sync with her walking. She found that after her walk, the disturbance she felt previously had nearly disappeared. This began the basis for the widely accepted treatment modality, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Repossessing, EMDRIA.ORG). I challenge all of you to move at times when it’s the last thing you want to do. Sitting by yourself stewing over what went wrong in a conversation or situation has not reaaaaallly ever worked, so literally just walk it away!
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My life's GoalI, Sarah Barkley, am a psychotherapist here in Golden, CO. I specialize in adolescents, families and women. Nothing makes me feel more fulfilled than seeing someone wake up and see their beauty... whether for the first time, or once again. I believe in therapy, I believe in the struggle, the work, the discussion, the questions, the tears. If it's a life worth fighting for, one must fight for it. I've never met a life not worth fighting for. Great BooksWomen Who Run with the Wolves- Clarissa Pinkola Estes
For: Any woman needing to "get her groove back"/ to see that she doesn't need to apologize for wanting more/ needing more/ being fierce About the book: Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered species. Though the gifts of wildish nature come to us at birth, society's attempt to "civilize" us into rigid roles has plundered this treasure, and muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls. Without Wild Woman, we become over-domesticated, fearful, uncreative, trapped. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and cantadora storyteller, shows how woman's vitality can be restored through what she calls "psychic archeological digs" into the bins of the female unconscious. In Women Who Run with the Wolves, Dr. Estes uses multicultural myths, fairy tales, folk tales, and stories chosen from over twenty years of research that help women reconnect with the healthy, instinctual, visionary attributes of the Wild Woman archetype. The 5 Love Languages-Gary Chapman For: For anyone wanting to connect better with those important to them. SUCH A SIMPLE APPROACH! A necessary read! About: New York Times bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman guides couples, families, parents in identifying, understanding, and speaking their other’s primary love language—quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch. Archives
March 2020
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