Lynn Thier's Blog, page 21

NLP as a Skill Set 4 Teachers

The map is not the territory: we all have different maps of the world.’ This presupposition of NLP sums up the concept that what we see on the surface may not actually be what is going on in reality. Teachers searching for different ways to reach students may find that a number of NLP techniques can help them to improve communication, improve learning, establish and maintain rapport and create a supportive atmosphere in their classrooms.

You see, we all perceive the world around us in different ways, I’d like to give teachers insight into the “territory” of their learners. The founders of NLP, John Grinder and Richard Bandler, observed excellent communicators and analysed what exactly they did in order to be able to teach this to others. This was the beginning of NLP, “Neuro” representing the brain and the nervous system which is the home of our behavior, “Linguistic” meaning the words we use to express our thoughts and feelings, and “Programming” which refers to the actions we use to produce results and achieve our goals.

NLP Principles

One of places to start in NLP is with the principles. Some of the basics are listed here:

We communicate on two levels: conscious and unconscious.
People with the most flexibility have the best chances of achieving the response they desire.
The more options we have, the greater our chances of success.
If you keep doing what you have always done, you will always get what you have always gotten.
If you know exactly what you want, it is easier to get it.
We cannot change others, we can only change ourselves.
People are not their behaviors, separate person from behavior.  Accept the person, change the behavior
Rapport means meeting someone in their model of the world.
The map is not the territory.

Representational systems

The world around us exists in our own perceptions and memories. NLP has named our sensory channels “representational” systems referring to the way we “re-present” or make sense of our external environments. Due to the constant bombardment of the information we receive every day, most people have created a set of filters in order to keep from becoming overwhelmed.

We are bombarded with 11 million bits of info per second.  Our brains can only handle 134 bits per second.  so what happens to the rest?  We delete, distort and generalize all the time… Also, our filters are divided into “representational systems” such as visual, auditory and kinesthetic (VAK) channels, which is what we see, hear and feel.  We also have olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) sensory channels.

When we are truly relaxed we find it easier to access and make use of each of these sensory channels. However, when we are stressed we tend to rely on our most comfortable channel(s) or our primary rep system. It is possible to perceive information in one channel, store it as a memory using another channel and express it using a third one. By noticing details of how people speak and act, we can better understand the systems they are using at the time. This then enables us to communicate and teach more effectively.

Eye Accessing Cues

Our eye movements (known as eye accessing cues) can hint at which channel we are currently using to access information. These may be very quick movements. You may also notice someone looking in a particular direction for a longer period of time.  80% of the population is normally organized as below and 20% is reversed organized.

Visual accessing

looking up to your left – remembering an image or words
looking up to your right – constructing or imagining an image or words

Auditory accessing

looking to your left – remembering a sound or words
looking to your right – constructing or imagining a sound or words
looking down to your left –  Talking to yourself

Kinesthetic accessing

looking down to your right – accessing your feelings

VAK Language

Listening to the language a person uses can also clue us in as to the representational system they are using at the moment. Visual people tend to use phrases such as “Is it clear?” or “Do you see what I mean?” Auditory people will ask, “Does that sound OK?” or “I hear what you are saying.” Kinesthetic people tend to use action or feeling words such as “Let me walk you through it.” or “It just doesn’t feel right.” When we begin to notice our own language patterns as well as listening more carefully to people around us, we become aware of these patterns emerging again and again.

Behavioural indications

A third option for determining thought patterns deals with what people do and strategies they use to achieve results. Visually-oriented people need to see information in order to understand it. They often use color-coded systems to help organize material. They like to get handouts and need to take notes so that they can refer to them later. As teachers they may spend time making their handouts look good and as students will often highlight or underline important material. They may, however, have trouble remembering oral instructions.

Auditory people, on the other hand, process information by listening and prefer to concentrate on the voice and tonality of the speaker. They love discussions and remember details of what was discussed. Sometimes they need to think aloud and talk through their thoughts. Auditory learners often acquire excellent accents in foreign languages and are able to express themselves well.

Kinesthetically-oriented people understand information through their feelings and experiences. They need to try things out for themselves, and are often the action-oriented students in a classroom who enjoy hands-on projects and tasks. They tend to use gestures and movements while speaking and may have trouble sitting still for too long a period of time. They enjoy the social aspect of class and it is very important for them to have a good atmosphere in order to feel comfortable.

NLP in the classroom

A basic understanding of NLP techniques can be a great teaching tool. Below are some of the strategies that you can use to incorporate NLP into the classroom. 

Re-teaching supply and demand

Give five students in the class cards which say ‘Employer’ on them.
Give the rest cards which say ‘Job seeker’.
Tell the job seekers to try and get a job with one of the employers.
Ask the class what they did and how they felt.
Collect all the cards.
Give the ‘Job seeker’ cards to five students and ‘Employer’ cards to the rest.
Ask them again to find a job.
Analyse what the differences were the students and if their behaviour changed when the supply and demand was at different levels.

 Rapport

Rapport in the classroom is one of the most important elements in getting a message across. NLP has specific techniques to learn how to establish and maintain rapport. These include strategies such as matching body language and posture, volume and speed of voice, use of register and slang. Other factors can include distance of speakers and eye contact.

NLP learning strategies

NLP techniques shift the focus from simply memorizing information to using and developing fundamental sensory processes. A simple example of this is teaching spelling: rather than just learning how to spell a word using a conventional mnemonic technique, the student is encouraged to look at the word from their visual remembered eye accessing cue. This method is shown to give students more confidence in their ability to learn, which in turn generates better results.

Anchors

Anchoring is one of NLP’s most powerful techniques which can be used for any number of states and contexts. It works by focusing on an external trigger which elicits a positive emotional response. So, if a child is in a situation where they need to change their emotional state, anchoring can quickly access the required emotion. For example, a child who suffers from exam nerves can use an anchor to replace their fear with calm.

The Three Minute Exercise

Work in groups of three: Person A, Person B and an Observer.
The Observer needs to sit where he/she can easily see Person B.
Person A begins to tell Person B a story.
Person B matches body language and posture until he/she gets a signal (after one minute) from the Observer.
At this point Person B begins to mismatch.
After a minute of mismatching, the Observer again gives Person B a signal at which point B begins to match again and Person A continues talking for one more minute.
Discuss what happened in the groups.

The groups in most cases will notice that A will find it more difficult to continue talking when B has begun to mismatch. It might be that A will look around for someone else to talk to or simply stop until B begins to match body language again. This activity is important to show how we can consciously help learners by matching their body language and distract them when we stop doing this.

Many basic NLP techniques can be easily learned. However, they need to be practiced on a daily basis. In the everyday stressful situation of the classroom, it is easy to forget that our learners may be experiencing the world differently than we do, or feel we don’t understand them. For educators who have become used to working with rapport and a mix of methods, they notice positive results very quickly and gain the motivation to continue with these strategies. In the end, they find that changing their own behavior pays off, as they expend less energy to get the same results. With these strategies, improvement will be more easily achieved and concepts understood more readily.

Are you a Teacher, Educator, or Workshop Facilitator?

Our 1 Day NLP 4 Teachers is Launching September 30th, 2017.

Register in advance for this seminar as seating is limited!

Investment ~ 197 plus hst, Register before August 15th for 147 plus hst

Sources & References:

Grinder, M. 1991 Righting the Educational Conveyor Belt. Portland: Metamorphous Press
O’Connor, J. and J. Seymour. 1990 Introducing Neuro-Linguistic Programming. London: Mandala/Harper Collins
Revell, J. and Norman, S.(1997) In Your Hands – NLP in ELT. London: Safire Press
Rosenberg, M. The How of Thinking: The Secrets of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Analytic Teaching, The Community of Enquiry Journal, Volume 20, No. 2.
Viterbo University: LaCrosse, Wisconsin
https://forms.viterbo.edu/analytic/Vo...
eflmagazine.com/nlp-use-classroom

 

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Motivational Strategies & the Unconscious Mind ~ Happy Monday!

 

The Unconscious MIND –  What organizes our heartbeat, our digestion, our response to outside temperature? What allows us to drive our car without having to think about it? What receives literally billions of pieces of external information, and processes them with no effort?

Psychologists refer to this part of the mind as the Unconscious,and it is far from unconscious. It is awake and active even when we are asleep. Doctors were surprised to discover that, under hypnosis, patients who had been anesthetized were able to recall every word said in the operating room. One part of their mind was obviously fully aware of what was going on!

The brain looks after thousands of functions in the body every moment, and can handle astronomic amounts of information. What is most impressive is it can do all of these things at the same time without any need for conscious control. And fortunately, it never forgets how.

The Unconscious responds to every external stimuli, and every thought. Each response sets off a chemical reaction which is sent to the rest of the body. Therefore WHAT we think takes on a vital significance. The Unconscious is like a good assistant, and basically it will do what you tell it. But what exactly are you telling it to do?

You may say, “I deserve the very best,” but if in your Unconscious, the message is being countered with,”You?…You’ll never amount to anything,” what is going to be the result?

Unless you stop and think about it, you will be unaware of the Unconscious thought. All that you will probably be aware of is a slight sense of unease or something not being quite right.  An internal conflict may result and this will lead to incongruent behavior. This explains why saying an affirmation, or positive statement about yourself, sometimes does not work.

NLP has techniques and strategies to help you become fully congruent. Congruence is when you align your mind and behavior behind positive thoughts so there is total commitment to achieving an outcome. This is important because as Anthony Robbins says, “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” A good way to experience congruence is to utilize past positive experiences and incorporate these into present behavior. The result is new and empowered ways of thinking.

We each have ten billion neurons (brain cells). And there are more potential simultaneous connections between neurons than there are atoms in the known universe. Yes, you may need to read that again! This means we have an almost infinite capacity for creativity and problem solving. As Einstein pointed out, the ONLY way we limit ourselves is by not fully utilizing this amazing gift. NLP is designed to help us access more neurological pathways and thereby create more choice in our life.

AWAY from FAILURE —————————-TOWARDS SUCCESS

How do you motivate yourself? Are you moving away from failure, and thinking how much you don’t want poverty, boredom, or embarrassment? Or are you motivated by, and moving toward success and thinking of healthy relationships, a healthy body, accomplishment, financial abundance?

Keep in mind moving away from and moving toward are both useful motivation strategies. For example, moving away from a dangerous situation is a very healthy thing to do. However, if this is the ONLY way you motivate yourself, then you are likely to be suffering from an abundance of anxiety and stress.

Given your understanding now of how the Unconscious works, you will realize the value of having a strong towards motivator. Studies of highly effective people show that, in fact, they utilize BOTH moving away from and moving towards simultaneously. Not only does this double the motivation power, it is also setting a very clear direction.

Thirty years ago Martin Luther King wanted to strongly move away from oppression and toward his dream of a society where all people are treated equal. By setting a very clear direction he motivated millions to change the course of American history.

In our experience most people have had plenty of practice moving away from what they don’t want with little or no direction to their life. Use NLP to change your thinking so that you can have want you want… or want more of…it can work for you!

About Lynn:

Learning to make positive shifts, especially a shift in mindset are key to creating our best life.  Our mindset affects every area of our lives ~ If we are struggling in our personal lives, it will ultimately affect our business, career and relationships.  The techniques used truly is short term therapy with long term results.

Lynn has had several careers and a varied background in Social Services, Recruitment, Business and Sales as well as Health, Fitness & Nutrition for over 25 years.  She specializes in services for Businesses providing NLP Trainings, Corporate Values Alignment, Increase Sales, Weight Optimization & Fat Loss, Sport Performance, Chronic Pain, Quit Smoking, Releasing Negative emotions such as Anger, Sadness, Depression, Anxiety, Fear, Stress & PTSD.

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PTSD? Orange Essential Oil May Help

PTSD’s Effects on Your Body Can Linger for Years

By Dr. Mercola

Just like the name implies, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma- and stress-related disorder. It may develop after exposure to any intense, frightening or stress-filled event or ordeal. PTSD is most often linked to a traumatic accident, act of violence, military-combat experience or disaster. Experts suggest nearly 8 million adults in the U.S. suffer from PTSD, a condition which historically has been difficult to treat.

Antidepressants such as Effexor, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft are the most commonly prescribed drugs for PTSD, but their effectiveness varies widely. As with all pharmaceutical drugs, these medications carry with them the potential for harmful side effects. Due to their dangers, as well as the reality that research has shown placebos to be as effective as some prescription drugs, I would like to draw your attention to research suggesting a potential natural treatment for PTSD.

Specifically, scientists at George Washington University have suggested orange essential oil may offer a non-drug option for PTSD sufferers. Research performed on lab mice has demonstrated the value of orange essential oil in the reduction of fear and stress associated with the disorder.  Of course, similar studies involving humans would be needed to fully validate this body of work.

That said, this research marks a promising step forward in identifying potential natural remedies for PTSD that could be used alongside other non-drug interventions such as cognitive therapy, exposure therapy and EMDR eye movement desensitization and reprocessing).

According to Psychology Today, if you suffer from PTSD, you may relive or re-experience aspects of your traumatic event(s) through flashbacks and nightmares long after the original occurrence. PTSD effects are particularly noticeable when you are exposed to anything reminiscent of the original trauma.

The effects of PTSD can linger for months or even years, sometimes profoundly affecting your ability to enjoy a productive, high-quality life. PTSD sufferers often experience one of more of the following symptoms:

Anxiety
Intense emotions such as anger, guilt or sadness


Breathing difficulties
Intrusive memories or flashbacks


Dissociative experiences
Irritability


Emotional numbness
Lack of concentration and focus


Heart irregularities
Sleep disturbances

As mentioned above, pharmaceutical drugs are a common approach used to treat PTSD, even though the medications may have little or no long-term effect in eliminating or reducing symptoms.

Mice Study Suggests Orange Essential Oil Counteracts PTSD

As noted above, research performed at George Washington University with lab mice evaluated the impact orange essential oil may have on the symptoms of PTSD.

The influence of orange essential oil was tested using a method called Pavlovian fear conditioning (or classical conditioning), a behavioral paradigm applied to mice as a means of uncovering how fear memories are formed, stored and expressed as a model for PTSD. Medical News Today explains:

Notably, mice exposed to orange essential oil were significantly less likely to exhibit fear-based freezing behavior. In fact, the oil-treated mice stopped freezing altogether and earlier than the mice receiving other types of treatment.

Moreover, these mice experienced a significant decrease in the immune cells linked to the biochemical pathways associated with PTSD. Based on these outcomes, researchers recognize essential oil as a potential nonpharmaceutical option to help alleviate symptoms of PTSD in mice.

How Might Orange Essential Oil Affect Humans With PTSD?

Cassandra Moshfegh, research assistant in Paul Marvar’s laboratory at George Washington University, says additional studies are needed to better understand the specific effects orange essential oil may have on your brain and nervous system, as well as how it may counteract fear and stress associated with PTSD.  About the benefits of orange essential oil, Moshfegh said:

“Relative to pharmaceuticals, essential oils are much more economical and do not have adverse side effects. The orange essential plant oil showed a significant effect on the behavioral response in our study mice. This is promising because it shows that passively inhaling this essential oil could potentially assuage PTSD symptoms in humans.”

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine validated sweet orange essential oil for its anxiolytic effects in humans, meaning it was shown to be an effective treatment for soothing anxiety. The study was composed of 40 male volunteers, separated into five groups, who inhaled one of the following:

Orange essential oil (aromatic test: 2.5, 5 or 10 drops)
Tea tree essential oil (aromatic control aroma: 2.5 drops)
Water (non-aromatic control: 2.5 drops)

Immediately after inhalation, each participant was engaged in a model of anxiety involving the Stroop Color and Word Test, a screening tool that requires participants to read a succession of color words or name ink colors as quickly as possible. Compared to the control groups, participants exposed to orange essential oil during the anxiety-provoking test presented with little to no changes in levels of anxiety or subjective tension during the experiment. The study authors stated:

“Although more studies are needed to find out the clinical relevance of aromatherapy for anxiety disorders, the present results indicate an acute anxiolytic activity of sweet orange aroma, giving some scientific support to its use as a tranquilizer by aromatherapists.”

PTSD Is a Serious Concern Requiring Professional Help

Related to Moshfegh’s study, neuroscientist John Bekkers of Australian National University cautions people to await for further research to confirm the connection between aromatherapy and PTSD. Says Bekkers:

“I wouldn’t want to encourage people to depend on aromatherapy. PTSD is a serious problem, and people shouldn’t think they just need to smell something to feel better.”

I agree it may be premature to rely only on orange essential oil for help with PTSD. If you have not yet sought a professional opinion for your condition, it’s best to start there first, and this will help you to be certain of your diagnosis as well (although it can’t hurt to try orange essential oil in the meantime).

That said, it is also worth your time to evaluate your diet and lifestyle choices to see if anything related to them may be contributing to the levels of post-traumatic anxiety and stress you may be experiencing.

Non-Drug Options for Dealing With Anxiety and Depression

When considering your mental health, it’s important to recognize your diet and lifestyle as foundational factors that must be optimized if you hope to fully address mental health concerns of any kind, including anxiety and depression. Your body and mind are closely interrelated, so while you may think of your brain as the primary organ in charge of your mental health, your gut may play an equally important, if not more important, role.

In my opinion, the drugs available today to treat depression fail miserably in addressing mental health problems. Often, the side effects of antidepressant and anti-anxiety drugs can be worse than the original complaint, running the gamut from lack of emotions to sexual side effects and irritability, to sleep disturbances.

These powerful medications can even put you at risk for homicide and suicide! Because antidepressants may result in chronic, long-term, worsening depression, you’ll want to avoid them unless absolutely necessary, and generally only as a “last resort.”

Healthy Diet, Lifestyle Are Crucial for Optimal Mental Health

As with most medical conditions, your diet is a crucial first place to start when looking for ways to improve your health and sense of well-being. Research tells us that the composition of your gut flora not only affects your physical health, but also has a significant impact on your brain function and mental state.

As such, your gut microbiome can be quickly impacted by dietary changes — for better or for worse. Research has also revealed a number of other safe and effective ways to address depression that do notinvolvehazardous drugs. So, if you suffer from an anxiety- or depression-related disorder, please consider addressing the following diet and lifestyle factors before you resort to drugs.

If you are already taking a prescription medication for mental health, you can make these changes along with taking the medication until you are able to successfully wean off the drugs — with the help and oversight of your doctor, of course.

Eat real food

Making a commitment to eat whole, organic, naturally-occurring food will mean you also choose to ingest less processed foods, sugar (particularly fructose), grains and genetically engineered (GE) foods.

High sugar and starchy carbohydrates lead to excessive insulin release, which can trigger hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia causes your brain to secrete glutamate in levels that can cause agitation, anger, anxiety, depression and panic attacks. Sugar also creates inflammation in your body.

Processed foods typically contain high amounts of sugar, damaging omega-6 fats and many chemical additives that can affect your brain function and mental state. Aspartame and MSG are two I would most definitely seek to avoid. Gluten sensitivity is a common, hidden cause of depression, so you may want to consider implementing a gluten-free diet.

Recent research also shows that glyphosate, used in large quantities on GE crops like corn, soy and sugar beets, limits your body’s ability to detoxify foreign chemical compounds. As such, the damaging effects of those toxins are magnified, potentially resulting in brain disorders with both behavioral and psychological effects.

Increase your consumption of fermented foods

Reducing gut inflammation is imperative when addressing mental health issues, so optimizing your gut flora is vital. To promote healthy gut flora, increase your consumption of probiotic foods, such as fermented vegetables, kefir, kimchee and natto. If none of these foods is available, consider taking a probiotic supplement daily.

Get adequate vitamin B12

Several vitamin B deficiencies are capable of producing symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders. As such, B vitamins can be a valuable adjunct in the treatment of anxiety, attention deficit disorder, depression and schizophrenia, among other mental illnesses. I recommend you pay attention to vitamins B1, B2, B6, B8 and B9, but most especially B12. One in 4 people are thought to be deficient in vitamin B12.

Optimize your vitamin D levels

Vitamin D is very important for your mood. Remember, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression related to sunshine deficiency, so it would make sense to optimize your vitamin D levels through UV exposure.

Be sure to check your levels via a blood test at least annually to ensure you achieve the therapeutic range of 40 to 60 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) year-round. If you cannot get sufficient sun exposure to meet the ideal range, taking an oral vitamin D3 supplement, along with magnesium and vitamin K2, would be advisable.

Get sufficient animal-based omega-3 fats

Since your brain is 60 percent fat, DHA, an animal-based omega-3 fat, along with EPA, is crucial for proper brain function and mental health. Although anchovies, sardines and wild-caught Alaskan salmon are excellent sources, most people don’t get enough omega-3s from diet alone. If that’s you, make sure you take a high-quality omega-3 supplement, such as krill oil.

Evaluate your salt intake

Believe it or not, sodium deficiency creates symptoms similar to those of depression. Take a pass on processed salt (regular table salt), however, and choose all natural, unprocessed salt like Himalayan salt, which contains more than 80 different micronutrients.

Get adequate daily exercise

Studies have highlighted a strong connection between aerobic activity and improved mood. There is also growing acceptance that the mind-body connection is very real, which means maintaining good physical health can significantly lower your risk of developing depression in the first place.

Exercising also boosts your levels of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, which help elevate your mood and counteract the effects of stress.

Get enough sleep

You can have the best diet and exercise program possible, but if you do not get enough high-quality sleep, you put yourself at risk for depression and other illnesses. The two are so intricately linked that it is often difficult to tell if depression is causing your sleep problems or sleep problems are causing or contributing to depression and other mood disorders.

Regardless of the connection, most adults require seven to nine hours of high-quality sleep a night. Children and teenagers require even more.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)

EFT can be very effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression by correcting the bioelectrical short-circuiting that causes your body’s reactions. This technique is particularly powerful for treating anxiety and stress because it targets your amygdala and hippocampus, parts of your brain designed to help you decide if something is a legitimate threat.

Time Line Therapy (R), NLP and Hypnosis have been shown to help sufferers of PTSD greatly, as well as depression and anxiety.  To learn more about these techniques, visit www.lynnthier.com 

To your health, Lynn

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Survey finds 90 percent Overlook Key to Weight Loss!

Expert says diets fail because people don’t address the emotional aspects of food – Credit: Orlando Health

Orlando, Florida – Tens of millions of Americans vow each year to lose weight in the New Year, and while their intentions are good, most of the time their results are not. It’s estimated that only 8 percent of those who make New Year’s resolutions actually keep them.

Even if weight is lost initially, it usually returns. Studies show nearly 2 out of 3 people who lose 5 percent of their total weight will gain it back, and the more weight you lose, the less your chances of keeping it off.

“That’s not surprising,” said Diane Robinson, PhD, a neuropsychologist and Program Director of Integrative Medicine at Orlando Health. “Most people focus almost entirely on the physical aspects of weight loss, like diet and exercise. But there is an emotional component to food that the vast majority of people simply overlook and it can quickly sabotage their efforts.”

A recent national survey of more than a thousand people commissioned by Orlando Health found that 31 percent of Americans think a lack of exercise is the biggest barrier to weight loss, followed by those who say it’s what you eat (26%) and the cost of a healthy lifestyle (17%). Another 12 percent said the biggest barrier to weight loss was the necessary time commitment.

Only 1 in 10, however, thought psychological well-being was a factor. “That may explain why so many of us struggle,” said Robinson. “In order to lose weight and keep it off long term, we need to do more than just think about what we eat, we also need to understand why we’re eating.”   From a very young age we’re emotionally attached to food. As children we’re often given treats, both to console us when we’re upset, and to reward us for good behavior. Most celebrations, like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day are food-focused, and birthdays are spent sharing cake. Even the mere smell of certain foods, like cookies in grandma’s oven, can create powerful emotional connections that last a lifetime.

“If we’re aware of it or not, we are conditioned to use food not only for nourishment, but for comfort,” said Robinson. “That’s not a bad thing, necessarily, as long as we acknowledge it and deal with it appropriately.”Whenever the brain experiences pleasure for any reason it reacts the same way.  Whether it’s derived from drugs, a romantic encounter or a satisfying meal, the brain releases a neurotransmitter known as dopamine. “We feel good whenever that process is activated,” said Robinson, “but when we start to put food into that equation and it becomes our reward, it can have negative consequences.”

In fact, researchers have found a link between emotional issues like stress, anxiety and depression, and higher body mass indexes (BMI). Many of us can relate to the idea of overindulging at happy hour after a bad day at the office, for example, or eating a pint of ice cream to help us deal with bad news.

That was common coping mechanism for Shekyra DeCree, of Columbus, Ohio. “As a mental health therapist, my job can be very stressful, and everyday when I got home from work, the first thing I would do is go to the refrigerator,” she said. “That was my way to calm down and relax.”   After recognizing the emotional attachment she had with food, DeCree started making conscious changes. In just over one year, she’s lost more than 100 pounds.

“I’d gone on countless diets and tried to exercise before, but this was different,” she said. “You have to change the way you deal with your emotions, your stress and anxiety. Once I understood the mental aspect, I felt free.”

Robinson offers these tips to help recognize the emotional connection you may have to food:

-Keep a daily diary logging your food and your mood, and look for unhealthy patterns.

-Identify foods that make you feel good and write down why you eat them. Do they evoke a memory or are you craving those foods out of stress?

-Before you have any snack or meal ask yourself: Am I eating this because I’m hungry? If the answer is no, look for the root of your motive.

The goal is to take emotion out of eating and see food as nourishment, not as a reward or coping mechanism. “If getting your body in shape hasn’t work out yet, maybe this time start with your mind.”

Hypnosis has been shown in studies to help with weight loss for the long haul.  Connect now to get help to overcome emotional eating, using NLP Techniques and Hypnosis which will also help with stress, depression and anxiety!

To your health – Lynn Thier

Lynn is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Fitness Trainer and Certified Master Practitioner of NLP, Hypnosis and Time Line Therapy (R).

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Hormone~Vitamin D is crucial to your health!

Vitamin D is crucial for mood, depression, anxiety…and many other factors!

What’s needed to Solve the vitamin D Deficiency?

• Measure the 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels. • Provide intake from UVB exposure, supplements, fortified foods, to get serum levels to 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L).

D*action Project • Is An international study to assess the health effects of large populations who have serum levels in the 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L) range.  Cedric F. Garland, Dr. P.H., F.A.C.E., Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego is the study’s principal investigator.  Participants will provide health information and do a vitamin D test every 6 months for a period of 5 years.

Physicians, clinics, research groups and other health interested groups are encouraged to join the project. Individuals can also enroll in the project. There are currently over 7000 individual participants from all over the world in the study; approximately 50% of them started with levels below 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L). • Diagnosis & Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency seminars are held for medical professionals. Custom studies are done for research groups. Contact Carole Baggerly, Director, info@grassrootshealth.org for further information.

Why do we need vitamin D?

Every tissue in our bodies needs vitamin D and will not work correctly if we do not get enough. In its most extreme forms, vitamin D deficiency produces rickets in children and osteomalacia (bone softening) in adults. Milder degrees of deficiency are now understood to be one of the causes of a vast array of chronic diseases, including osteoporosis, imparied immune competence, various autoimmune diseases (such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis), several cancers (breast, colon, lung, lymphona and prostate, among others) high blood pressure, pregnancy complications and cardiovascular disease. All may develop because of, or be exacerbated by, vitamin D deficiency. Asking the body to deal with these disorders without adequate vitamin D is like asking a figher to enter battle with one hand tied behind his/her back.

What is vitamin D? Vitamin D is one of the chemicals that the tissues of our body use to unlock the DNA blueprints which each tissue contains and which are needed for our cells to produce the many biochemical products required for their day-to-day functioning.

Where do I get vitamin D? The principal source of vitamin D is your own skin. A chemical compound naturally present in the superficial layers of skin is converted, on exposure to UV-B radiation, to cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). However, we manufacture this vitamin D only if we expose our skin to UV-B radiation. If we spend all day indoors or go out only in the early morning or late afternoon, we don’t produce any vitamin D. You can also get vitamin D from food (limited), supplements and other UV-B sources.

How long should I be outdoors? There is no single right answer. A light skinned person, wearing a bathing suit, will make about 15,000 IU of vitamin D in 15-20 minutes in July at midday. Darker-skinned individuals can do the same, but it will take twice as long.

What is the effect of sunscreen? Sunscreen blocks UV-B radiation and prevents the manufacture of vitamin D.

What about skin cancer? The brief exposure needed to produce adequate vitamin D is not enough to cause skin cancer. However, if you are worried about that risk, apply sunscreen after the first 15 minutes of exposure.

Does the body have to process vitamin D before it becomes active? The body converts vitamin D, whether by mouth or made in the skin, to a compound called 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. This compound circulates in the blood and is the measure physicians or scientists use to assess vitamin D status. High levels of serum 25(OH)D show that you are getting enough vitamin D, while low levels indicate deficiency.

Get your D!  with Gratitude, Lynn

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NLP & Using Your Mind Muscle for Athletes

Fun Fit Fridays i usually post a workout video, AND, learning some mind mapping is also lots of fun!  NLP is something I’ve been studying for a few years now as part of the mental fitness & training I’m doing to become better in all areas of my life.

As a Master Practitioner of NLP, Time Line Therapy (R) & Hypnosis, we can elicit timelines, read accessing cues and then utilize these along with sub-modalities to effect lasting changes with another person.  In this short article, I want to show you how you can use simple principles from NLP with yourself to get better results in the gym. Sound good?

Modalities

Most people have at some point in life tried visualization. We make pictures in our heads all the time.  Visualization has been proven as an effective way to build many different skills. There‘s also some references about adding strength and size to muscles using the power of the mind. If you look at the idea of epigenetics and how beliefs and environment can make changes on a DNA level, this shouldn’t come as a big surprise.

An easy concept to grasp and use is to learn modalities. In NLP they’re referred to as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory and gustatory. In plain English that would be what we see, hear, fee., smell and taste.

When you’re visualizing you want to use and incorporate ALL your senses…not just your visual. So be in the moment, see, hear, feel when you visualize which are our top 3 modalities.

Another important aspect is to realize what your primary modality or representational system is. I thought i was a visual person, and i am, however, after doing a very short test, I determined that i am primarily auditory. While we use all of our senses to interact with the world there is one that we use more than others. Sometimes we use predicates or key words that will help us determine our primary representational system.  I always say to people “Sounds Good”!  using the word “sounds” is an auditory word.

If you enjoy exercise of any sort, there’s a good chance you’re also very kinesthetic (feeler type).  Not everyone will be, but if you actually enjoy grasping a heavy barbell and how your body feels after a workout then there’s a good chance you’re kinesthetic. You can also look at the language patterns you use and key words as well as your physiology (for example, visual people look up a lot and tend to talk faster.  Someone who is a true kinesthetic type will talk slower, breathing from the bottom of their abdomen).

Any time you’re visualizing you want to engage all your senses, but especially your primary sense. This will also be useful for other NLP techniques such as anchoring.

Sub-Modalities

Now let’s move onto sub-modalities. Sub-modalities are key components to many of the NLP change techniques.  They are the smallest building blocks of our thoughts. This is because we code our memory of sensory experience using these building blocks. This is the way our brain tells us something is important or not.  Here are just a few examples:  When we make a picture in our head, for example i might ask you… “When you think of Squatting 250 lbs can you get a picture?”  The client will say yes… then i will ask about

Is it in black or white OR color?
bright or dim?
Is it near or far
Associated or Disassociated?
Size
focused or defocused?
framed or panoramic?
movie or still?

then i will ask are there any sounds that are important or any feelings that are important?  To get all the sub-modalities from the picture…

There are many times when you want to change these sub-modalities. When you visualize something you’re going to do certain things by default. Go ahead and pop an image of junk food on your mental screen. Where is it located? How big is it? How colorful? Is it still or moving? These are all sub-modalities and they can all be changed.  Now pop an image of healthy food such as fruit, is the picture different then the junk food?  I’m sure it will be!!  AND we can make changes so that you will want to have the healthy stuff versus the junk!

When i work with clients one on one we go more in depth and we can do a Like to Dislike technique to take out certain foods that are unhealthy from the diet.  So that you won’t even want to have them anymore…

How to Visualize

Want more confidence? Visualize yourself standing 10 feet tall with everything else normal size. See yourself being totally confident, happy and successful.  You should notice when you do this you’ll feel better. Notice, are there any sounds that are important or feelings?  step into the image and take on that perspective.

Need to remove a fear? In the NLP fast phobia cure they have you double dissociate from the image, turn it to black and white and run it backwards at super speed. OR another great technique I use with clients is Time Line Therapy (R) where we remove all negative emotions (anger, sadness, fear, hurt, guilt, etc…).  If you have doubt or fear around any sport, do you think you will be performing at your best?

For example, if a skater has fear of practicing jumps, of falling or being injured, will they succeed?  If a basketball player has doubt, fear or limiting belief that they might not be good enough, how likely are they to be successful?

If you are visualizing to gain athletic skills then you’re going to make the picture as real as possible.  This means it will be in color, it will be life-size, right in front of you, big and bright, you’ll get a happy feeling as you visualize this. And you want to see it in front of you first and then either step into the image or float into it.  One important aspect to note is that, your unconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what’s imagined.  So Imagine and Visualize what you want to achieve.

Want to Win and Stand on Stage?  SEE it in full color, imagine every muscle in every detail just the way you want it, sculpt it. What tone is your skin, if your a man, how vascular are you on stage?  See every detail and then go beyond and hear the sounds of the crowd cheering, feel the feelings of winning and having a sense of accomplishment and success!  I”m not just talking from a therapist perspective, I’ve actually done it with my husband Mike!

You can apply this visualization to going over any physical technique. Have a technical exercise you’re trying to do? Either in the gym or in a specific sport?  Visualize it several times over then do it physically. You’ll likely find its much easier to do then.

And with NLP techniques you can increase the effectiveness of your visualizations. You can also learn to easily control your states, as these mental pictures (internal representations) lead to changes in states and physiology and vice versa which then leads to our behavior.

Play around with sub modalities to fit what you want to do and you can gain greater skills and gains in any area of life. This can be used in the gym and out.

To your Success!  Coach Lynn

About LYNN:

Learning to make positive shifts, especially a shift in mindset are key to creating our best life.  Our mindset affects every area of our lives ~ If we are struggling in our personal lives, it will ultimately affect our business, career and relationships.  The techniques Lynn uses truly is short term therapy with long term results.

Lynn has had several careers and a varied background in Social Services, Recruitment, Business and Sales as well as Health, Fitness & Nutrition for over 25 years.  She specializes in services for Businesses providing NLP Training’s, Corporate Values Alignment, Increase Sales, Weight Optimization & Fat Loss, Sport Performance, Chronic Pain, Quit Smoking, Releasing Negative emotions such as Anger, Sadness, Depression, Anxiety, Fear, Stress & PTSD.

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In Therapy, Never Relive the Traumatic Experience!

As a young 4 year old girl, i was sexually abused and at 14 raped.  By 15 i tried to commit suicide and ended up in the hospital on psychiatry.  I was in therapy and on medications for years.  I saw social workers, counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists.  They meant well, some were very nice and wanted to help me heal.  Unfortunately, replaying traumatic experiences did not help and it can actually make things worse… Here’s why.

‘Help’ can sometimes harm

Many therapists are trained in a treatment approach that was based on the maxim that in order to help heal trauma you have to relive it, and re-experience all the original feelings again as they happened.

Some Therapists also believe that many traumas are hidden, blocked out by the conscious mind, and need to be ‘uncovered’ and then re-lived through the imagination, so that the client can ‘get in touch with’ all the raw pain and emotions of that original time in order to ‘let it go’.  This therapeutic myth has been around for over one hundred years.

I’ve realized that we can help people access the traumatic memory and release it easily using time line therapy (R), where the client never actually goes into the trauma, nor do they relive it, because therapy should never be painful.

And, of course, if ‘reliving trauma’ did work, people with PTSD would recover after their first flashback.

So, here are the three main reasons to never get a client to directly relive their traumatic experiences:
Reason One: You can reactivate the pattern and embed it deeper

As Dr Noreen Tehrani, an occupational health and counselling psychologist specializing in post traumatic stress, explains:

“If a trauma victim is debriefed in a state of high emotion, the process can increase the arousal to the point of overload, trapping the sensory impressions in the amygdala.”

This is why ‘critical incident debriefing’ after traumatic events is falling out of favor. Getting people to talk about trauma while they are traumatized may not only not help, but could actually make things worse.

Getting people to ‘relive’ their trauma is not therapy. But it can be torture.

Reason Two: Someone who desperately needs help may be put off ever seeking it

If you don’t know how to de-traumatize someone comfortably, using hypnosis or time line therapy (R) then at least avoid hurting them and/or putting them off seeking any help in future.

Reason Three: It’s a waste of valuable time

If you’re going the wrong way, it doesn’t matter how fast you’re travelling. You are still wasting time.

People who are suffering flashbacks, experiencing horrendous daytime and night terrors, living the kind of life no one should have to live, leading to depression, perhaps substance abuse, fractured relationships, ruined work lives and all the rest of it, need help right now.

If you are a therapist, please – remove their traumatic suffering as fast as you can, and preferably in the first session.

Rocking the boat?

Some therapists have told me that therapeutic practise should be ‘a matter of choice’ for the therapist. As if methods of alleviating human suffering are a question of ‘taste’, like what movies appeal to us, or what we feel to be good art.

Would you say that hygienic practice in maternity wards should be a ‘matter of choice’? The early promoters of hand washing were sneered at for suggesting it was better practice to have a clean environment rather than a dirty one – as if criticizing filth in operating theaters was somehow ‘unfair’ on the beliefs of doctors who saw no reason to wash their hands between patients.

Re leaving trauma quickly and easily is simply best practice and can be done easily with Time Line Therapy (R), Hypnosis & NLP Techniques

Lynn Thier

Article Adapted from Mark Tyrrell – Hypnotherapist – Psychology is my passion. I’ve been a psychotherapist trainer since 1998, specializing in brief, solution focused approaches.

About Lynn:

Lynn is a Mental Fitness Expert & Thriver! A woman who has gone from being a victim of childhood sexual abuse to learning how to help others and thrive in life. She completed her Master’s in Hypnosis, Time Line Therapy ® and NLP Techniques which work with our unconscious mind, where all learning, behaviors and habits are stored.

Lynn is a Certified Personal Trainer & Registered Holistic Nutritionist with 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. She was formerly 60 pounds’ overweight after having her son and since then, has passionately dedicated her career toward helping others transform themselves both physically and mentally. Lynn not only lost the baby weight, she has competed in women’s physique bodybuilding and is also known as the “Mental Fitness Expert”, using the power of the mind that help to get fast results.

Lynn continues to help others in all areas of health and works with women & men specifically on weight loss, trauma healing, depression, stress and anxiety.

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Monday Mindset ~ You need your “ME TIME” desperately!

I’m exhausted, tired, pissed, annoyed, frustrated, anxious… This is how many of us express ourselves, blurting it out at the most inappropriate times too. It seems to be acceptable to complain constantly these days, feeling as though you’re a victim, but are you?

This pity party makes us feel better, for a short while but in the long run, it just makes us circle and circle our problems & frustrations.  People around us give their 2 cents and chim in on our problems, which makes us stay stuck in the problem! How is that helping you?

I want to help you strengthen your mental fitness so you can handle stressors and life’s obstacles more easily and effortlessly.  Yes, we all need ME time and if you are a mother, wife, grandmother that has a busy schedule, you definitely need your own time out!  I bet you’re thinking – But Lynn, i just don’t have time for it.  I say YES, you do… Make the time to feel better, you’ll be more productive too.

Pick one – Do this…10-30 minutes.

Go to a quite room… turn the lights off and listen to calm music. Imagine yourself floating and breath deeply.
Do some yoga
Read a book
Journal and write out what you are grateful for or love.
Play some music or play with your pet
Visualize yourself in a happy place, see what you’ll see, hear what you’ll hear and feel the feelings of being in your special, happy place.
Have a bubble bath and relax
Pick out a hypnosis YouTube video for relaxation, stress reduction
Exercise
Have a date with a girlfriend

Why is it important for you to have this ME time?

The time spent away from everything gives your mind some space to relax, and some time to connect with your soul.

It makes your mind strong because you will realize your inner power after regular practice.

This will make your brain stronger mentally and you can reap the many benefits.

Start this activity today.

Let me know how you make out!

Love to you… Lynn

 

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Many mental disorders and behavior patterns can be linked to this mostly unconscious part of ourselves

Within ourselves still lives the child we once were, our inner child. Many mental disorders and behavior patterns can be linked to this mostly unconscious part of ourselves. Deciding to explore this part of ourselves and to contact the child we once were, takes us on a journey to the core of ourselves. We can then befriend, embrace, and heal that child. Many adults are unaware that, deep within themselves, is a fragile, often wounded part of who they were and has led them to where they are today. We are, as human beings, a sum of all our experiences. We can “visit” our inner child and tell him/her that whatever happened in the past, he/she is worthy of love.

It is important to understand that this part of ourselves often holds childhood hurts, traumas, fears and anger. No one knows your inner child better than you and this is why you are his or her ideal parent, brother, sister or best friend. You know exactly how to talk to him/her.

Befriending your inner child often feels like being able to get up again, breathe, discover and fight for what your heart really wants, meet and honor your integrity, your joy, your smile. Becoming aware that we actually can reconcile our life as adults with the life we experienced as a child is  very comforting.

In hypnotherapy, Many “visits” can be organised and each one of them will have a purpose. It is a wonderful way to “reprogram” the relationship we have with ourselves, reassure the wounded, frightened little child within, reclaim our identity and remember who we truly are. It is also a way to become aware of and correct erroneous beliefs.

According to modern psychology, true adulthood hinges on acknowledging, accepting and taking responsibility for our own inner child. Instead of denying, neglecting, abandoning or rejecting this part of ourselves, we embrace it, listen to it, nurture it and treat it with love. Establishing trust is also paramount.

Show empathy and understanding towards your inner child. Tell him/her that regardless of what happened in the past, he/she did the best he/she could at the time. Remember you are talking to a child. Offer protection, say you came with the best intentions in the world.

its important to note that when we embrace the little child within us, we are also healing wounded children of past generations, sometimes correcting ancestral patterns of suffering. If we can heal our wounded child, we will no doubt liberate ourselves but also help to liberate whoever has hurt or abused us.

Hypnotherapy is, a very effective way of accessing the unconscious  as is Time Line Therapy (R).  

Time and time again, I have found that hypnotherapy enables us to connect with the inner child in a way that promotes great relaxation and insights. The purpose of the visit can be discussed beforehand and specific goals can be established.

Through the gentle process of trance – very similar to daydreaming – the client is then able to bridge his/her conscious mind with the subconscious. This process enables him/her to have a dialogue with the child within, the child he/she once was and still lives on.

The powerful impact hypnotherapy and inner child work has on people’s lives never ceases to amaze me. Inner child work reconnects us with this part of ourselves longing to be heard and held. It is deeply rewarding, enabling us, in a nurturing and loving way, to come back home and to heal our fragmented self.

About Lynn:

Lynn is a Mental Fitness Expert & Thriver! A woman who has gone from being a victim of childhood sexual abuse to learning how to help others and thrive in life. She completed her Master’s in Hypnosis, Time Line Therapy ® and NLP Techniques which work with our unconscious mind, where all learning, behaviors and habits are stored.

Lynn is a Certified Personal Trainer & Registered Holistic Nutritionist with 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. She was formerly 60 pounds’ overweight after having her son and since then, has passionately dedicated her career toward helping others transform themselves both physically and mentally. Lynn not only lost the baby weight, she has competed in women’s physique bodybuilding and is also known as the “Mental Fitness Expert”, using the power of the mind that help to get fast results.

Lynn continues to help others in all areas of health and works with women & men specifically on weight loss, trauma healing, depression, stress and anxiety.

The post Many mental disorders and behavior patterns can be linked to this mostly unconscious part of ourselves appeared first on Lynn Thier.

This Vitamin Deficiency Raises Your Risk of Depression up to 300 Percent !

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide,, affecting an estimated 322 million people worldwide, including more than 16 million Americans. Globally, rates of depression increased by 18 percent between 2005 and 2015.

According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, 11 percent of Americans over the age of 12 are on antidepressant drugs. Among women in their 40 and 50s, 1 in 4 is on antidepressants.

In addition to the human suffering, the financial impact of depression is also severe. WHO estimates the global economic loss by households, employers and governments is at least $1 trillion annually.

Depression is also strongly linked to an increased risk for substance abuse, diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and suicide.

In the video above, James Chau, a news presenter and WHO goodwill ambassador for sustainable development goals and health, opens up about his personal struggle with depression, and the importance of seeking help and having an open dialogue about the problem.

Depression Is Under-Recognized and Undertreated

According to WHO, a majority of people with depression suffer in silence or do not get adequate care. In high-income countries such as the U.S., an estimated 50 percent of depressed individuals do not get treatment. In low-income countries, that ratio is closer to 80 or 90 percent.

An estimated 6 million seniors in the U.S. also struggle with depression, yet only 10 percent receive treatment. Part of the problem relates to lack of funding. On average, governments spend only 3 percent of their health budget on mental health programs. In a statement, WHO director-general Margaret Chan said:

“These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to re-think their approaches to mental health and to treat it with the urgency it deserves … For someone living with depression, talking to a person they trust is often the first step towards treatment and recovery.”

Unfortunately, the importance of strategies such as optimizing your vitamin D and gut health for the maintenance of mental and emotional stability is still frequently ignored.

Exercise is another widely overlooked remedy that would do far more good than any drug ever will. Below, I’ll review these and other common sense treatment alternatives for depression.

That said, if you are feeling desperate or have any thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a toll-free number, at 1 (800) 273-TALK (8255), or call 911, or simply go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

Suicide Rates in US Hit 30-Year High

In the U.S., suicide rates have steadily risen since 2000, primarily in more rural areas,, — a trend blamed on the effects of social isolation, economic pressures, opioid addiction and limited access to mental health care.

The suicide rate among men is four times that of women, with the highest rates among 35- to 64-year-olds, and those over 75.

Sadly, suicide has also risen sharply among young teens, and antidepressants may play a role in some of these cases. Many antidepressants are known to increase the risk of suicide in children, teens and young adults, yet despite such warnings, these drugs are still often prescribed for younger people.

Non-Drug Solutions for Depression

Addressing your nutrition is perhaps the best place to start if you’re feeling depressed. Foods have an immense impact on your brain, and eating whole foods  will best support your mental and physical health. Avoiding processed foods, sugar(particularly fructose) and grains is particularly important as it will help normalize your insulin and leptin levels, which is an important contributing factor to depression.

Certain nutrients are also known to cause symptoms of depression when lacking, and specific herbs and nutritional supplements may also help counteract symptoms. To suggest that depression is rooted in nutrient deficiencies and other lifestyle related factors does not detract from the fact that it’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed with compassion and non-judgment.

It simply shifts the conversation about what the most appropriate answers and remedies are. The following nutrients, herbs and supplements have been shown to be particularly helpful:

Vitamin D / Sun exposure

Many studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency can predispose you to depression, and that depression can respond favorably to optimizing your vitamin D stores, ideally by getting regular, sensible sun exposure.,,

In one such study, people with a vitamin D level below 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) had an 85 percent increased risk of depression compared to those with a level greater than 30 ng/mL.

Omega-3 fat

The animal-based omega-3 fat docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is perhaps the single most important nutrient for optimal brain function, thereby preventing depression. While you can obtain DHA from krill or fish oil, it is far better to obtain it from clean fish like wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies and fish roe.

Low DHA levels have been linked to depression, memory loss, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Folate (vitamin B9) and other B vitamins

Low dietary folate is a risk factor for severe depression, raising your risk by as much as 300 percent., If you’re using a supplement, I suggest methylfolate, as this form of folic acid is the most effective.

Other B vitamin deficiencies, including B1, B2, B3, B6, B8 and B12 also have the ability to produce symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders. Vitamin B12 deficiency, in particular, can contribute to depression and affects 1 in 4 people.

Antioxidant-rich foods

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is associated with lower odds of depression and anxiety,,an effect ascribed to antioxidants that help combat inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation is thought to be one of the primary causes of depression.

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

This medicinal plant has a long historical use for depression, and is thought to work similarly to antidepressants, raising brain chemicals associated with mood such as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.

S-Adenosyl methionine (SAMe)

SAMe is an amino acid derivative that occurs naturally in all cells. It plays a role in many biological reactions by transferring its methyl group to DNA, proteins, phospholipids and biogenic amines. Several scientific studies indicate that SAMe may be useful in the treatment of depression.

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)

5-HTP is another natural alternative to traditional antidepressants. When your body sets about manufacturing serotonin, it first makes 5-HTP. Taking 5-HTP as a supplement may raise serotonin levels. Evidence suggests 5-HTP outperforms a placebo when it comes to alleviating depression,which is more than can be said about antidepressants.

XingPiJieYu

This Chinese herb, available from doctors of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been found to reduce the effects of “chronic and unpredictable stress,” thereby lowering your risk of depression.

Prebiotics and probiotics

Your mental health is closely linked to your gut health. A number of studies have confirmed chronic inflammation, and especially gastrointestinal inflammation, can play a critical role in the development of depression. In fact, researchers have suggested “depression may be a neuropsychiatric manifestation of a chronic inflammatory syndrome.”

Your gut is considered to be your second brain, created from the identical tissue as your brain during gestation. It’s important to understand that your gut bacteria are an active and integrated part of serotonin regulation and actually produce more serotonin than your brain.

Optimizing your gut flora is a key part of the equation to optimize your serotonin levels. Gut bacteria also play a role in GABA regulation, and lower the stress-induced hormone corticosterone, resulting in reduced anxiety and depression related behavior.

To nourish your gut microbiome, be sure to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and traditionally fermented foods. Healthy choices include fermented vegetables, lassi, kefir and natto. If you do not eat fermented foods on a regular basis, taking a high-quality probiotic supplement is recommended.

Also remember to severely limit sugars, especially fructose, as well as grains, to rebalance your gut flora. As a standard recommendation, I suggest limiting your daily fructose consumption from all sources to 25 grams per day or less.

Evaluate your salt intake

Sodium deficiency creates symptoms that are very much like those of depression. Make sure you do not use processed salt (regular table salt), however. You’ll want to use an all-natural, unprocessed salt like Himalayan salt, which contains more than 80 different micronutrients.

Make sure your cholesterol levels aren’t too low for optimal mental health

Low cholesterol is linked to dramatically increased rates of suicide, as well as aggression toward others. This increased expression of violence toward self and others may be due to the fact that low membrane cholesterol decreases the number of serotonin receptors in the brain, which are approximately 30 percent cholesterol by weight.

Lower serum cholesterol concentrations therefore may contribute to decreasing brain serotonin, which not only contributes to suicidal-associated depression, but prevents the suppression of aggressive behavior and violence towards self and others.



Other Lifestyle Factors That Can Greatly Impact Your Risk for Depression

The following lifestyle factors can also play a significant role in depression.

•Exercise. Studies have shown there is a strong correlation between improved mood and aerobic capacity. There’s also a growing acceptance that the mind-body connection is very real, and that maintaining good physical health can significantly lower your risk of developing depression in the first place.

Exercising creates new GABA-producing neurons that help induce a natural state of calm. It also boosts your levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, which help buffer the effects of stress.

Recent animal research also suggests exercise can benefit your mental health by allowing your body to eliminate kynurenine, a harmful protein associated with depression. According to Dr. James S. Gordon, a world-renowned expert in using mind-body medicine to heal depression:

“What we’re finding in the research on physical exercise is that exercise is at least as good as antidepressants for helping people who are depressed… [P]hysical exercise changes the level of serotonin in your brain. And it increases your endorphin levels, your “feel good hormones.”

•Sleep. Sleep and depression are so intimately linked that a sleep disorder is actually part of the definition of the symptom complex that gives the label depression. Ideally, get eight hours of sleep each night, and address factors that impede good sleep.

•Excess EMF exposure. Studies have also linked excessive exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) to an increased risk of both depression and suicide. Powerlines and high-voltage cables appear to be particularly troublesome. Addiction to or “high engagement” with mobile devices can also trigger depression and anxiety, according to recent research from the University of Illinois.

It would be wise to limit exposure and/or shield yourself from Wi-Fi routers by turning them off at night, not carrying your cellphone on your body, and eliminating the use of portable phones. At bare minimum, do not keep portable phones, cellphones and other electric devices in your bedroom.

•Spending time outdoors has been shown to dramatically improve people’s mood and significantly reduce symptoms of depression. Outdoor activities could be just about anything, from walking a nature trail to gardening, or simply taking your exercise outdoors. According to a 2007 report on Ecotherapy by the British Depressionalliance.org:

“[Ninety-four] percent of people taking part in a MIND survey commented that green exercise activities had benefited their mental health; and 100 percent of volunteers interviewed during an outdoor conservation project agreed that participation benefited their mental health, boosted self-esteem and improved confidence.”

•Stress. I believe it’s helpful to view depression as a sign that your body and life are out of balance, rather than as a disease. It’s a message telling you you’ve veered too far off course, and you need to regain your balance. One of the key ways to do this involves addressing negative emotions that may be trapped beneath your level of awareness. My favorite method of emotional cleansing is Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), a form of psychological acupressure.

For serious or complex issues, seek out a qualified health care professional that is trained in EFT to help guide you through the process. That said, for most of you with depression symptoms, this is a technique you can learn to do effectively on your own. In fact, it’s so easy that children are learning it.

Article above by Dr. Mercola – www.mercola.com – Great Information and research…

Additionally – hypnosis and Time Line Therapy (R) techniques can also alleviate depression, anxiety and other stress related symptoms as well. Reach out if you are wanting better health and mental health!

[-] Sources and References




 WHO March 30, 2017
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 US News March 26, 2017
 Boston Globe September 19, 2016
 NPR August 6, 2016
 The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging 1999, 3(1):5-7
 Journal of Internal Medicine 264(6); 599-609
 Michigan State University October 7, 2014
 Times Online May 9, 2014
 Psychother Psychosom. 2004 Nov-Dec;73(6):334-9
  Nutritionfacts.org March 30, 2017
 Preventive Medicine 013 Mar;56(3-4):225-30
 Authority Nutrition, St. John’s Wort
  Orvosi Hetilap 2011 Sep 11;152(37):1477-85
 Prevent Disease March 16, 2017
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 GreenMedInfo, Biomedical citations on the suicide and low-cholesterol link
 
 EMFs.info, EMF and Depression Abstracts
 Illinois News Buerau March 2, 2016
 Depressionalliance.org Ecotherapy 2007 (PDF)

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