Dorothea is excited about offering this course in the Big Apple, at the mid-town conference center,  on the weekend of March 31 and April 1, 2012. Co-presenters will be Greg nicosia, Ph.D., DCEP and Gary Peterson, MD, DCEP, both members of the certification committee.  Teaching assistant will be Sheila Bender, Ph.D., DCEP.  The course is open to psychotherapists from many disciplines as well as all interested healthcare or allied professionals. Interest in certification is encouraged  but not required to attend. For further information please contact www.energypsych.org

Deciding what we really want to accomplish is one of the happy tasks of the New Year and one that can readily be enhanced  by knowing how energy in your system works to help balance body, mind, and spirit.

Here’s an exercise you may wish to add to one of your meditative practices, especially when the weather constricts usual activities:

• List five interests you want to expand and find out more about this year.
• List five new activities you would like to  engage in this year .
• List three or more positive, hopeful thoughts you want to give yourself whenever there is an obstacle or challenge to initiating any of the items on your lists. Examples: “The Universe supports me in every new endeavor”…“The more I open to learning, the more joy I bring to my life”… “With each conscious breath I bring support and health to my body”…’ My intention now becomes an action.”
• Select one interest or action from your lists and commit to implementing it in some form each day for the next five days.
• After you’ve selected your idea or interest, bring an affirmation of your intention to each of the energy centers in your body starting at the base of the spine:
• Base chakra: “I affirm my aliveness and vitality in my goal to ________”
• Sacral chakra: “I feel my right to choose to engage in_______”
• Solar Plexus chakra: “My will is strong to meet the daily commitment of _______.”
• Health Charka: “ I love and accept myself fully even when part of me falters. I forgive myself and continue with _____.”
• Throat chakra: “My creativity shines with my selected action of ______”
• Brow chakra: “My intuition supports my intention to my goal of _____”
• Crown chakra: “My soul aligns with its true purpose as I hold to my  intention and repeat  that I have chosen____. I am in sync with my passion and joy.”
• To add vibrancy to your words hold each energy center and add a light spin toward the left (clockwise) to imbed your intention even more fully.

One of my friends started with the intention of writing her memoirs for her grandchildren. It’s wise to capture memorable events at any time of life, but especially in the second half of life, your adventures and how you managed difficulties become a gift to future generations. Of course, it’s easy to become discouraged all by oneself. Fortunately, there is a whole network, websites, and classes available. (see for example, National Association of Memoir Writers (NAMW),  customersupport@namw.org or call 1-877-e-memoir.

My friend initially set the goal of contacting other friends who had engaged in a similar project. Then, she signed up for the free website link and now receives lots of information about memoir writing. Next week she plans to learn about classes both local, by telephone conference, and online. In the meantime, she spends a half hour  three times a week writing about one incident that especially changed her life. Thus, you can follow how a single intention can gradually lead to a more serious commitment.

With each month in 2012, a portion of this precious year of your life has already elapsed. We have time to develop our ideas and creativity but this is your best time to set intentions, make them your goals, and accomplish something new.

Enjoy your being and the vast potentials of your creative, multi-faceted mind!

Dr. Dorothea Hover-Kramer, psychologist and educator is a leader in “re-firement” in the second half of life and author of Second Chance at Your Dream and Healing Touch: Essential energy medicine for yourself and others.

Dorothea is excited about offering this course in the Pacific Northwest, close to the Portland airport. The course is open to psychotherapists from many disciplines as well as all interested healthcare or allied professionals. Interest in certification is available but not required to attend. For further information please contact www.energypsych.org

Somehow, Diane gets the sense that all she has done is not good enough and more is needed. But what? As we talk further, it appears that Diane has fallen into the ever-present seductions of the holiday season. We’re supposed to be incredibly happy at this time of year—after all, everyone on TV is ecstatic about lavish presents from jewelry to cars. Images all around us are of blissful children, glamorous scenes, and unbounded affluence.

Most people’s realities are quite different: traffic is actually worse, often shoppers are glum and harried, the weather is crummy, finances may be tight, and many feel emptier, not happier, than usual. Could it be that people have been seduced by some kind of Christmas ideal, an imagined fantasy world that does not exist? Could it be that we’ve lost the value of human connections and sharing that can make any day or holiday meaningful?

Asking ourselves important questions may open a path to self-discovery and overcoming the most pressing addictions to Christmas commercialism and hype. Here are some sample queries to consider:

• How am I really feeling?
• To what am I addicted, such as what am I demanding of myself ? what am I expecting of others?
• What really gives me joy?
• Whom can I contact to share a valuable connection?
• What activity can I seek out?
• How can I find more delight in the natural world around me?
• How can reach out or find new interests?

Approaches that work with the human energy system like the family of therapies called “energy psychology,” begin by acknowledging one’s internal emotional climate. Thus, we begin by facing the true feeling engendered by the holiday season which for many may range from “bah humbug!” to feeling out of sorts, empty, or dissatisfied. Gently addressing our own hearts begins to honor feelings and open the door to new personal possibilities.

Along with the nostalgia for better times  we also hold also the knowledge of who we really are if we are willing to look deeply enough. We are timeless energy beings having a temporary experience of socially or internally imposed demands –some of which are made visible in current holiday madness.

I encourage my friends to work with affirmations that acknowledge genuine feelings as well as their wishes for personal peace, tranquility, joy, and resilience. For example, here is the self-statement Diane developed, “Even though I feel a bit out of sorts right now, I deeply honor and accept myself, my many strengths, and am finding my path to wholeness.” After repeating this positive affirmation several times, Diane began listing the many talents she has and often neglects. She also became more aware of ways she holds herself back from expressing who she is. Holding back one’s gifts is a pattern many have learned in order to “fit in” and  please other people rather than being who we really are.

Diane recalled she loved cooking but since her daughter was doing all the holiday preparations, she was in effect without her usual nurturing role and feeling displaced.

“Who might appreciate your cooking in your community?” I asked.

“Lots of people at the local homeless shelter,” Diane mused thoughtfully and then added, “But that would be such a big step for me.”

“By all means,” I replied, “Don’t hold back this year. Try something new, not just to meet obligations but to experience the adventure of learning and sharing what you love to do. If cooking is your thing, then do it to the glory of the Highest Good.”

Whatever Diane chooses, she agrees does not need to be stuck in vague dissatisfaction with herself and feeling unneeded. Every one of us lives in a community where someone needs exactly the talent or interest we have, the very quality you’re likely holding back.

Let this holiday time become one of an adventure –exploring yourself, making time for looking within, and letting yourself reach out anew in creative, positive ways. The great Sufi poet Rumi invites us to this adventure: “Let yourself be silently drawn to the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”

~~

Dr. Dorothea Hover-Kramer is a national leader in seeing retirement in new ways—“re-firement” for sharing yourself with others—and author of Second Chance at Your Dream.

Expressing appreciation shifts human perceptions and, with them, our energies, in positive ways. Every time I exchange my worries, criticisms, or complaints for gratitude, I find a sense of peace within and move to expanding joyfulness.

Here are some ways from energy psychology you can use to  transform your own internal landscape by engaging increased mindfulness for the good that surrounds you.

• Notice when you feel heavy, burdened, or irritated.
• Ask yourself to fully connect to the emotion and see it as a springboard for change. E-motion is energy in motion and therefore paves the way for new possibilities.
• Gently rub the heart center in the mid-chest or any part of the body where you most feel the charge.
• Add an affirmation that imbeds recognition and self-respect such as, “Even though I feel_(name the feeling or situation), I deeply and profoundly accept and love myself.” Repeat at least three times or until you strongly feel the self-respect despite the strong emotion.
• If needed, put the energy of the feeling in motion by safely hitting a pillow, making noises, writing your complaints or criticisms down, or venting to a reliable friend (pets make great listeners and continue to love us in spite of our stuff).
• Engage mindfulness by noticing what works well in your life which may include your ability to feel deeply and express yourself in creative rather than destructive ways. Note that you still have many choices even when external events or people won’t change.
• Develop a litany of thankfulness: “I’m grateful for my home; I’m grateful for warmth in stormy weather; I’m grateful for the loved ones in my life; I’m grateful for the support of my body; I’m grateful for the birds that just flew by, the beauty and rhythms of nature,” etc.
• This may seem artificial first, but remember the best way to change a negative feeling is to create different thoughts and actions. By just moving the body, we can change our sense of internal heaviness. By just expressing a new thought of kindness, we can move the mind to a more functional pattern.
• Affirm to yourself, “Each worry or complaint I feel is an opportunity for gratitude in some form”…. “ In mending the mind by expressing thanks, I now automatically shift and transform my being.”

I see such internal shifts in personal attitude as a miracle. The power to transform ourselves lies within each of us. The important thing is to notice the miracles that are all around us every day. The great physicist and philosopher Albert Einstein observed, “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

Every detail of our lives can transform itself to a brighter, higher frequency when we add the dimension of gratitude to our awareness. Make every day an occasion for thanksgiving!

Dr. Dorothea Hover-Kramer is author of Second Chance at Your Dream and 8 other books and  a leader in “re-firement” practices.

The title of the presentation is “Approaches to Addressing Trauma from Energy Psychology and Healing Touch.” Dorothea will include examples from her extensive work with long-term survivors of childhood abuse as well as more recent work with war veterans  to treat  Post -traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Another aspect of the presentation is to give the audience specific resources they use in dealing with people in distress.

There is no question that we in the Northern hemisphere now have shorter days, longer nights, and cooler weather. For some of us this means staying in bed a bit longer, hiking in the brisk air, or seeking out friends indoors. But for many people, autumn is a time of an accentuated sense of loss, difficulty with personal motivation, and the onset of depression. Whether you’ve been diagnosed with “seasonal affective disorder” (SAD—what an acronym!) or not, these symptoms, even if mild, are indications that all is not optimal in your beautiful energy field.

A friend of mine talked about the “dying of the trees” with the coming of fall. As she repeated that thought in her mind, she began to see the world as dying and cried often. When I suggested, “The trees are really not dying: they are resting so they can come forth even more vigorously in the spring,” she perked up a bit. It was a new thought for her—a shift in the lens of perception. I asked her to fill her home with reminders of the life cycle of trees, pictures of all the seasons, and index card reminders with the messages that helped her the most, “I feel my vitality even as the trees rest for a time to regenerate their energies. My own healing energy is as close as the next breath and the next thought.”

Energy psychology has multiple exercises and self-awareness resources to help us through the changing seasons and to optimize our human potentials in spite of upcoming winter.  Chronological aging can also add to the sense of decline we feel when the leaves turn and winds blow. Our inner wisdom and self-care need to be “on alert” so we don’t slip into negative thinking or patterns of isolation.

Here are a few ideas you may wish to use for yourself:

• Track every negative thought and replace it immediately with a positive opposite. Even though this may seem a mechanical gesture, remember the mind is a powerful tool—thoughts can pull us down or lift us up.
• Treat any negative thought as quickly as possible with a gentle rub to the heart center (or any other place on the body  that needs a caring touch) and the reminder phrase, “Even though I get discouraged with …cold wind…rain…a gray day, I deeply and completely love and accept myself and choose to kindle my inner lights and energies.”
• Surround yourself with reminders of your intention to live fully in the season, to enjoy the most out of what is given in the way of external weather. Photographs of great times and natural beauty should be all around your home.
• Make a list of positive self-affirmations that you can readily access whenever needed such as, “ I can increase my sense of joy with each breath,” “I generate warmth by moving vigorously,” “ I empower myself one step at a time.”
• Be aware of your body posture and how you can create a sense of inner strength just by standing and sitting upright as often as possible. Move the body by stepping forwards and backwards, side to side, moving the arms quickly & vigorously, every thirty minutes—think of it as your own energy dance.
• Contact loved ones more frequently so you feel the bonds of friendship that extend beyond the climate of your area.
• Connect with your inner being, your little child part, by cuddling up with a book, your pet, or a cup of warm tea and affirm, “I take good care of myself in this time of change. I am effectively able to nurture myself and celebrate each day.” ”

There are endless resources for positive self-care all around each one of us if we will but look. Your willingness and resourcefulness can be activated with your breath, your body, your mind. Once a positive action is in place it can lead to other action—and you will feel better.

The secret of Dodge Morgan, the solo sailor who went around the world in 149 days several years ago, was to overcome every mood or discouragement by moving, doing something active that allowed him to change his gloomy, isolated perspectives. Although most of us thankfully don’t need to sail around the world in solitude to learn this principle,  his strategy is still the most basic recipe for overcoming the doldrums of life and steering your ship on a steady course.

And finally, please recall there are only two months left until the winter solstice when the days get longer again!

Dr. Dorothea Hover-Kramer is a national leader in “re-firement” consciousness and generating fullness in the second half of life with her book Second Chance at Your Dream.

(Boulder, CO — October 1, 2011) More than a hundred hospitals in Canada and the U.S. now use energy medicine as part of their regular care, thanks to a practice called Healing Touch. Mainstream medicine has embraced this accessible form of energy therapy—and with Healing Touch: Essential Energy Medicine for Yourself and Others (Sounds True, October 2011), there is now a well-written, up-to-date resource for beginners seeking to explore this popular energy medicine modality.

Presented by Dorothea Hover-Kramer, one of the most highly regarded authorities on Healing Touch, this practical guide on the art of transmitting healing energy to ourselves and others explores:

• What is Healing Touch? The science and clinical evidence behind this energy medicine phenomenon
• How to use your hands and heart to foster physical, emotional, and mental healing in others and in yourself
• An overview of your subtle anatomy, including the chakras and the body’s main energy channels
• More than a dozen practices that you can use immediately
• Practices to relieve pain and calm emotions, clear up energetic blockages, balance your energy system before and after medical treatments, and much more

Healing Touch is bringing energy medicine into modern health care as an established, accepted addition to conventional treatment practices. Healing Touch gives readers an illustrated introductory guide to this medically validated method to enhance our health and well-being—and tapping the healing potential that we all possess. Foreword by Cyndi Dale, author of The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy.

Dorothea Hover-Kramer is a founding elder of Healing Touch. She cofounded the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP), and is author of eight other books, including Second Chance at Your Dream (Energy Psychology Press, 2009) and the textbook for practitioners Healing Touch Guidebook (Healing Touch Program™, 2009). She is a professional psychotherapist and director of Behavioral Health Consultants in Port Angeles, Washington. See healingtouchprogram.com and healingtouchbook.com.

Healing Touch: Essential Energy Medicine for Yourself and Others
Dorothea Hover-Kramer, Ed.D., RN, CNS, D.CEP
Paperback / October 1, 2011 / BK02033 / 6″ x 9″ / 384 pp
ISBN: 978-1-60407-452-9 / ebook ISBN: 978-1-60407-643-1 / UPC: 600835-203388
US $16.95 / Health, Healing / Rights: World

Just the thought of the screen facing them with “You have xxx# of  emails” made several of the attendees turn pale, become agitated, and  experience sinking feelings in their gut. Their distress ratings ran from 5-8 on a scale of 0-10, with ten as the worst, life-threatening situation they’ve ever faced. Some want to erase all messages, put themselves on computer-deleting vacations, or jus t go back to telephone conversations with friends. Our population is at risk of a new form of dis-ease–computer-linked burnout. Burnout has been identified as a mental/emotional state marked initially by indifference, tuning out, or apathy but it can progress to exhaustion, feelings of  being overwhelmed, helpless, despairing, and even the presence of physical symptoms.

The blessings of the Internet—quick communication, access to worldwide information, and ever-expanding social networks—seem to have turned into a veritable nightmare for many. Offices are so flooded with email floods that business can hardly progress; students spend more time texting and keeping up with incoming messages that comes in from peers than they do on learning projects; ordinary people spend disproportionate percentages of their precious lives on unordinary, tedious requests for their time, energy, participation, or money.

Since all of this has been created by the presence of personal computers and electronic communication media, thinking people need to find ways to set realistic boundaries. Whatever you or I have created in the way of unrealistic expectations of ourselves regarding the media can also be un-created by giving extra thought to our priorities, intentions, and realities.

Here are some suggestions to get started.

• Make a list of the people who matter most to you; in a similar vein make a list of the topics you most care about; and decide how much time you want to donate to the indirect, relatively “cold” communications of the Internet.
• Once you have a clear boundary in mind such as, “I plan to spend one hour a day visiting with friends and noting any environmental causes I want to learn about,” stick with your resolve. Delete anything that does not fit the target you’ve chosen.
• Treat yourself with positive self-affirmations while gently touching the mid-chest area and repeating a phrase such as, “Even if I may have missed something of importance, I deeply and profoundly accept myself and honor my personal boundaries.” Repeat as often as needed.
• Trust that there will be more reminders in this information–filled world about the things that are of truly vital significance.
• Seek out your friends in more personal ways by telephone, regular mail, shared meals, or outings. Value the physical presence of someone who cares about you. Actively build friendships rather than hoping someone “likes” you or wants to “be friends” on Facebook or Twitter.
• If you’re writing something of value on your computer, resist the urge to “pick up” when an email or Skype message pops up. Instead tap lightly on some meridian acupoints: where the eyebrow meets the nose; at the crease of the outer eye; under the eye on the cheekbone; under the lip; on the collarbones; and the side of the hand. Take some deep breaths, hum a tune, count to ten by two’s, and hum some more. Repeat as often as needed.
• Remember emails, like dishes in the sink and messages on your answering machine, can wait. You are the author, director and producer of the great movie called “Your Life.”
• Give genuine quality time to nourishing your body with food, exercise and rest and nurturing your soul with uplifting music, meditations, and personal journaling. Realistically assess how much of your time is wasted in relatively meaningless endeavors as opposed to the experiences that give you a feeling of joy.

While writing this for the last hours, seventeen emails came in and three faces popped up on Skype. All distractions—nothing urgent. I find the most important messages usually come early in the morning so maybe that’s where I should put my efforts. But then, my greatest creativity is also in the morning, and by the time I answer emails the first flush of enthusiasm for the day has fallen flat. And if I don’t exercise in the morning I will probably never do it. AAUURGH!

I cheerfully strengthened my resolve by envisioning you, dear reader.  I affirmed, “This article is getting written no matter what.” May you hopefully think before you leap into your next emails and overcome your anxieties by being kind and gentle with yourself!

Dr. Dorothea Hover-Kramer is a champion for healthy aging in an overloaded world, a leader for “re-firement” planning,  and author of Second Chance at Your Dream.