Satia's Wellbeing

Tai Chi May Help Parkinson's Patients Regain Balance : Shots - Health Blog : NPR

2012-02-13T08:04:00.000-05:00

Tai Chi May Help Parkinson's Patients Regain Balance : Shots - Health Blog : NPR:

This is not the first time tai chi (or taijiquan) has come up in research as beneficial for those who are living with balance disorders. Qigong also comes up frequently.

"In the study, Li divided Parkinson's patients into three groups. One group did resistance training with weights. Another, stretching classes. And the third took up tai chi. Each group participated in a 60-minute class twice a week for six months. When they finished, Li found that the tai chi patients were stronger and had much better balance than patients in the other two groups. In fact, Li says their balance was "four times better than those patients assigned to the stretching group and about two times better than those in the resistance-training group."" 'via Blog this'

Writing and healing Page 1

2012-02-11T12:50:00.000-05:00

Writing and healing Page 1:

There's a lot more in this article, including a link that will probably be of interest to those of you who have a twitter account.

"Journal writing While particular forms of writing are known to be especially healing, the simple act of journal writing can create positive change. In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R Covey says, “Keeping a journal of our thoughts, experiences, insights and learnings promotes mental clarity, exactness and context”. Teacher Erin Gruwell tells the story of how she used journal writing to help turn around the lives of 150 challenging students and those around them in her 1997 book, The Freedom Writer’s Diary. On her website she writes, “Journals provided a safe place (for students) to become passionate writers communicating their own histories, their own insights. As they began to write down their thoughts and feelings, motivation blossomed. Suddenly, they had a forum for self-expression, and a place where they felt valued and validated.” If journal writing can have such a radical affect on the lives of children from difficult backgrounds, imagine how it could help you enhance your life. In her 2008 book, Writing Through The Darkness: Easing Your Depression With Paper and Pen Elizabeth Schaefer suggests beginning your journey of writing to heal with journal writing." 'via Blog this'

Beads of Courage - Arts in Medicine for Children with Serious Illness

2012-02-09T08:27:00.000-05:00

Beads of Courage - Arts in Medicine for Children with Serious Illness: This organization is using narrative medicine to help children with serious illness to live courageously by making necklaces that symbolize different aspects of their condition, creating courage journals or warrior figures, and more. There are also resources for family members. 'via Blog this'

Write Your Heart Out | The Gentle Self

2012-02-01T15:18:00.000-05:00

Write Your Heart Out | The Gentle Self:

"I participated in a writer’s group meeting this past weekend, and was very taken by the earnestness and depth of the idea that writing can provide a true benefit for our emotional well being."

'via Blog this'

Blogging as Therapy for Teenagers - Studied - NYTimes.com

2012-01-31T18:28:00.000-05:00

Blogging as Therapy for Teenagers - Studied - NYTimes.com:

Very interesting to see how blogging is being used by adolescence to create a sense of community, shared experience, and over-all well-being.

'via Blog this'

Jeannine Walston: Healing After My Second Awake Brain Tumor Surgery

2012-01-06T18:21:00.000-05:00

Jeannine Walston: Healing After My Second Awake Brain Tumor Surgery:

"Journaling: Finishing steroids the month after my surgery and more connected to myself, journaling gave me a vehicle to express my feelings, experiences, self-discovery and more about life. I certainly know that expressing rather than repressing feelings about any stressful life events can enhance well-being and reduce emotional stress. In research studies, psychologist James Pennebaker, Ph.D. and others have found those benefits along with improvements of immune functioning and a decrease in frequency of medical visits." 'via Blog this'

Journal Writing for Wellbeing at Work

2011-12-05T14:51:00.000-05:00

Journal Writing for Wellbeing at Work:

"Journal writing is one simple thing you can do to steal back a little bit of thinking time and breathing space, to help you take stock, and to feel a bit more like ‘yourself’ when you’re in a situation that makes you feel anything but."

'via Blog this'

The Write Stuff: Keeping a Menopause Journal - Menopause Center - EverydayHealth.com

2011-12-03T22:01:00.000-05:00

The Write Stuff: Keeping a Menopause Journal - Menopause Center - EverydayHealth.com: 'via Blog this'

Writing about illness can help cancer patients feel better — NewsWorks

2011-12-03T17:16:00.000-05:00

Writing about illness can help cancer patients feel better — NewsWorks:

"A study published in 2007 in the medical journal The Oncologist found that cancer patients who write 20 minutes a day felt quantitatively better." 'via Blog this'

Health Studies Milestones and Meditations: Writing for Wellness

2011-11-26T18:58:00.000-05:00

Health Studies Milestones and Meditations: Writing for Wellness:

"Just as journaling can be a dialogue with the self so too can creative writing or fiction. William Stafford, the author of more than sixty-five books and winner of the National Book Award, said in an interview in Master Class: Lessons from Leading Writers, "I'd like to go all out on this and confront as squarely as possible those who make students feel that writing is something done with the fully conscious, already accomplished self. I think writing is itself educational, exploratory, and worthy of trust while you're doing it." " 'via Blog this'

Shakespeare can teach doctors about mind-body link – The Chart - CNN.com Blogs

2011-11-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

Shakespeare can teach doctors about mind-body link – The Chart - CNN.com Blogs:

"Shakespeare was also convinced that vertigo, marked by unsteadiness or a feeling of loss of control, could be brought on by extreme emotion. These days, that connection isn't commonly seen, but vertigo can be a stress-related symptom. Writers have used it as a metaphor for existential distress, but Shakespeare knew about its bodily effects: "He that is giddy thinks the world turns round," a widow in "Taming of the Shrew" says." 'via Blog this'

Poet Alexis Kienlen explores childhood depression in 13 | The Ubyssey

2011-11-21T20:05:00.000-05:00

Poet Alexis Kienlen explores childhood depression in 13 | The Ubyssey:

"Alexis Kienlen has a number of strategies for battling depression—exercise, keeping busy and talk therapy, just to name a few. But perhaps some of her most profound healing came through writing." 'via Blog this'

PlainViews Staff: Story Telling Skills Can Improve Health Care: The Emergence of Narrative Medicine

2011-11-19T12:09:00.000-05:00

PlainViews Staff: Story Telling Skills Can Improve Health Care: The Emergence of Narrative Medicine:

"Narrative medicine aims to help health care workers incorporate the life stories of patients, including their own unique value system, into their options for treatment, so that it fits the individual. When information can be shared this way, ethical decisions are made about the patient’s care, particularly at the end of life, when treatment goals can be in harmony with the way the patient has lived their life through the beginning and middle."

'via Blog this'

Writing to Heal - Duke Integrative Medicine

2011-11-19T12:08:00.000-05:00

Writing to Heal - Duke Integrative Medicine:

"Join internationally recognized research psychologist James W. Pennebaker, PhD, and John Evans, EdD, Founder and Executive Director of Wellness and Writing Connections, for a powerful workshop that will lead you on a path of life-long health and wellness."

'via Blog this'

Positive Psychology News Daily » Write Something Every Day

2011-11-13T18:43:00.000-05:00

Positive Psychology News Daily » Write Something Every Day:

"Right now I am improving my well-being. I am practicing self-regulation, boosting my self-efficacy, and knocking on the door of a flow experience. I am learning as I go, adding to my knowledge not just about this topic, but also about how I learn. Depending on what I go on to say in the rest of this article, I may even be unleashing physiological responses that will boost my immune functioning and make me less likely to call my doctor in the next few months."

'via Blog this'

Leila Levinson: Can the Simple Act of Storytelling Help Them Heal?

2011-11-09T19:41:00.001-05:00

Leila Levinson: Can the Simple Act of Storytelling Help Them Heal?:

"Telling our stories helps us heal. It releases some of the energy the experience created and begins to externalize the experience. In telling it, in giving the story to another, it is not ours alone. Someone is sharing it with us. In enabling another to understand and have empathy, we move out of the sense of isolation the experience fostered into community, a requirement for healing." 'via Blog this'

“Just Ask Me” Advice #4: How to Help a Friend with cancer | BRUISED MUSE

2011-10-15T05:50:00.000-04:00

“Just Ask Me” Advice #4: How to Help a Friend with cancer | BRUISED MUSE:

Some excellent advice from Fran Dorf who presented in a previous Wellness & Writing Connections conference.

"All that being said, there are some ways you can help her move forward: Bring her a beautiful journal in which to record her experiences and feelings. She can keep this private, of course, but the writing process itself is wonderfully beneficial. Or direct her to a website like www.caringbridge.org, where cancer patients can write an ongoing journal, share their experiences with a community of concerned friends, and receive support." 'via Blog this'

The Key to Wellness? It’s Gratitude, One Doctor Says | Natural Medicine - seattlepi.com

2011-10-11T08:52:00.000-04:00

The Key to Wellness? It’s Gratitude, One Doctor Says | Natural Medicine - seattlepi.com:

" One study found that writing a letter of appreciation to someone and delivering it by hand was a powerful way for depressed people to improve their mood, in both the short- and long-term. Other research has documented the benefits of journaling about thankfulness." 'via Blog this'

Write the wrongs

2011-10-08T11:55:00.000-04:00

Write the wrongs:

A simple article that look sat how expressive writing is increasingly being recognized as a useful tool in various areas of psychology. 'via Blog this'

Mother of autistic child discovers power of poetry therapy - The Daily Breeze

2011-10-08T11:22:00.000-04:00

Mother of autistic child discovers power of poetry therapy - The Daily Breeze:

Jennie Linthorst talks about how she used poetry to help her through a difficult time and how she is now inspiring other parents of special-needs children to use bibliotherapy and poetry therapy to face the emotions that come with such a diagnosis.

"Autism knocked on my door in the middle of a life I thought was under control, and settled in comfortably behind the eyes of my 2-year-old son." 'via Blog this'

Wellcome Trust Book Prize 2011 shortlist announced | Wellcome Trust

2011-10-06T18:40:00.001-04:00

Wellcome Trust Book Prize 2011 shortlist announced | Wellcome Trust:

"The Wellcome Trust Book Prize today announces its third ever shortlist for works of fiction and non-fiction on the theme of health, illness or medicine."

'via Blog this'

Ducks stop Canucks for first win - The Globe and Mail

2011-09-27T15:24:00.000-04:00

Ducks stop Canucks for first win - The Globe and Mail:

I know next to nothing about hockey but it's good to know Hiller is back in the game after being out with vertigo for so long.

"Hiller picked up the win in his first game since March 24 when Anaheim shut him down for the season due to recurring vertigo. Jeff Deslauriers blocked seven of eight shots in the third." 'via Blog this'

Researchers Pinpoint the Cause of MRI Vertigo

2011-09-22T14:35:00.000-04:00

Researchers Pinpoint the Cause of MRI Vertigo:

"Combining their results with what’s known about the inner ear, the researchers surmised that MRI-related vertigo most likely relates to interplay between electrical currents flowing through the salty fluid in the canals of the labyrinth and MRI’s magnetic field." 'via Blog this'

We Make Sound by Lydia Dell

2011-09-21T12:47:00.000-04:00

Below is an eloquent piece from Lydia Dell in which she describes the process of keeping a journal. It is evident that this piece is deeply rooted in a long practice of filling notebooks, of describing and defining the details of life. As we showed in the September issue of the Wellness & Writing Connections Newsletter, there is tremendous healing power in the writing. Enjoy!

We Make a Sound

Lydia Dell

I just started writing. Was it “a calling” or pure need, desperation or resilience? I never gave it much thought. I never thought about becoming “a writer,” or what I might do with the words I put on paper. I never thought about how the words I found would alter the way I viewed the world around me. I never thought about words like chronic or progressive, and certainly not how my life would be surrounded by the reality of their collective definitions. I needed to write. I needed to heal. Searching for answers to endless questions that separated me from what appeared to be such easy daily activity, I longed for words that would provide insight into a world I felt so disconnected from. Even before I found words of my own, I wrote.

Even before I knew what to say, I borrowed words. The physical act of writing proved to be more therapeutic than attempting to speak. After all, speaking required an audience, sharing what I wrote was always a choice. The act of moving my pen across the page felt as magnificent as crafting the most masterful painting, stroke by stroke. Each stroke, each word, had a purpose, and even though it could not be seen right away, it did not make it any less important.

It took years before I found my own words, and even more before I found my own voice, but I continued to write. As my body grew weaker and my vision continued to decline, writing provided a more solid personal reflection than all the distorted mirrors around me had offered. If honesty was truly what I wanted it only made sense to start by looking closer inside of myself. I learned to write in these journals, but more importantly, I learned to live. I learned to feel more than pain, and in time I learned to embrace each and every emotion within me, something that had escaped me the better part of my life. My journal gave me the freedom to argue, discuss, scream, cry out loud, whisper, sob, surrender, and eventually, find my way to come full circle in one personal victory after another.

I have kept these notebooks among the books I own for years, perhaps secretly hoping they would magically absorb the genius that surrounded them. Every now and then, I look back on some of these endless written pages, typically when I’m looking for more space on my bookshelf. This search always creates a debate over whether to throw them out, or wait. For what, I’m never sure, but at the end of the day my journals remain among the greats on one shelf or another.

Writing for the public is still intimidating, but I wonder more often, as the sole reader of my work, am I enough? I have an old white t-shirt that I outgrew years ago, and then framed it, and hung on my wall in the breakfast area. It’s a black and white drawing of a tree falling in the woods. Below this haunting image it reads, “It Makes a Sound.” I’ve always believed that to be true, whether there is someone around to hear us or not, we all, like the trees, make a sound. We also have the luxury of choice, of whether we choose to share these sounds, our most intimate thoughts, with others, or decide that what we have reaped by writing for ourselves is enough. I will always prefer the comfort of talking to myself on paper, but I have to admit I am learning to enjoy sharing in a way I never thought possible. I know now that it wasn’t so much what or how I wrote that brought me from there to here, it continues to be the fact that I wrote, day after day, year after year. I crafted so much more than words in these journals, I crafted a life, I cared, I dreamed, and I hoped, all within these spiral bindings. I’m still learning to share.

To contact Lydia Dell, click here.

Baylor University || Marketing & Communications || News

2011-09-15T09:46:00.000-04:00

Baylor University || Marketing & Communications || News:

"Men who channeled positive thoughts into a five-week writing assignment about their testicular cancer showed signs of improved mental health afterward, in contrast to men who wrote negatively or neutrally about their condition, according to results of a Baylor University pilot study." 'via Blog this'

CurrentNewsletter - W&WC

2011-09-12T10:45:00.000-04:00

CurrentNewsletter - W&WC:

This month’s newsletter highlights moving your personal writing to a more public format, whether it take the form of a personal essay, poetry, or even a full-length memoir. In the September issue you will find the following:

· Introduction from John Evans

· Janice Erlbaum on Writing Memoir

· Book Review: The Long Hello

· Interview with Cheryl Pallant

· Resource Review: As Easy as Breathing

· Ahava Shira on Writing *Grace

· Poetry Corner: "Knows So Well" by David W Earle

· Self-Published Bookshelf: Life Source Writing

· Closing Thoughts from Satia Renée

The newsletter is available online here.

The newsletter is available as pdf here.

'via Blog this'

Local releases second book - Longview News-Journal: News

2011-09-07T08:02:00.000-04:00

Local releases second book - Longview News-Journal: News:

Poet Robert L Hines shares his personal connection with the healing power of writing.

"Robert L. Hines is a military veteran who was born in Carthage on a dairy farm. He was raised by Sefron and Casie Hines, and attended school in the Carthage public schools through the 11th grade. He learned carpentry and auto mechanics well enough to support an independent lifestyle. At an early age, he was introduced to drugs and alcohol, which eventually led him into a drug rehabilitation center. In November 1995, while in rehab, he began to write poetry. The writing was much needed therapy to sobriety he so desperately sought. He wrote day and night. The more he wrote, the more he felt he had to write." 'via Blog this'

Meridian Magazine - The Rules of Addiction Recovery - Meridian Magazine - LDS, Mormon and Latter-day Saint News and Views

2011-09-06T15:55:00.000-04:00

Meridian Magazine - The Rules of Addiction Recovery - Meridian Magazine - LDS, Mormon and Latter-day Saint News and Views:

"9. Keep a Recovery Journal. Recovery Journals contain reminders of our successes and failures in recovery. If we maintain a journal, when we find ourselves in a struggle and our heart is again set on acting out, the Recovery Journal can remind of us of why we are in this battle and often gives us the strength we need to carry on the fight for sobriety." 'via Blog this'

Fox Cities Marathon contender Jennifer Chaudoir hopes determination pushes her into winner's circle | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

2011-09-06T15:26:00.000-04:00

Fox Cities Marathon contender Jennifer Chaudoir hopes determination pushes her into winner's circle | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com:

An inspirational article about a woman who will not let her vertigo hold her back from participating in a marathon. Impressive.

"The 36-year-old 100-pounder from Green Bay is cautiously optimistic as she gets ready for her second 26.2-mile foot tour of the Fox Cities. Never mind that her running and training schedule has been hampered by asthma and vertigo (a type of dizziness) since finishing second overall among women last year with a time of two hours, 57 minutes, 14 seconds. She is determined to place her health issues behind her." 'via Blog this'

What Is Vertigo? - EmpowHER.com

2011-09-06T15:25:00.000-04:00

What Is Vertigo? - EmpowHER.com:

Good article with an overview of vertigo, its possible causes, and more. Worth reading if you are curious about what it means to have vertigo.

"Vertigo" is a film by Alfred Hitchcock but it doesn't refer to the fear of heights as the movie would suggest. While people often confuse fear of heights (acrophobia), dizziness and vertigo, the three are very different. 'via
Blog this'

BODY MIND SPIRIT: Forgive! | Range News Now

2011-09-03T06:42:00.000-04:00

BODY MIND SPIRIT: Forgive! | Range News Now:

"Journaling can be a very useful tool. Let your pain flow onto the pages. Then leave it there. Don’t pick it back up. Burning a letter or journal can be a concrete symbol of releasing the pain. Make this a positive experience. Focus on your ultimate goal – forgiving and releasing the past." 'via Blog this'

Alcohol and Drug Addiction - Tools for Recovery - Journals | Debbie the Coach

2011-08-26T16:32:00.000-04:00

Alcohol and Drug Addiction - Tools for Recovery - Journals | Debbie the Coach:

"If you are trying to overcome an addiction, journal writing is a valuable tool and it will take you far. A recovery journal should contain both types of entries – diary entries where you keep track of your recovery process, document specific tasks that you have completed, follow day to day stats on alcohol consumption or cravings; and it should also contain journal type entries, where you can look at your inner self, where you can reflect, get “stuff” out of your head and attempt to understand the world around you and understand yourself." 'via Blog this'

At 90 and not going anywhere soon | TheUnion.com

2011-08-24T13:23:00.000-04:00

At 90 and not going anywhere soon | TheUnion.com:

I had to share this with you because this woman's experience with BPPV and how the article concludes is just a delight. I caught myself smiling and smiling some more.

"Early in the morning just one day prior to my 90th birthday, I found myself whizzing along in an ambulance bound for the hospital emergency room. As I answered the EMT's questions, “Can you tell me your name?” “What is your address?” “How long have you lived in Grass Valley?” “Are you still feeling dizzy?” I was also, oddly enough, remembering a recent telephone conversation with a dear friend who is 25 years younger than I am." 'via Blog this'

The room seemed to be spinning - The Irish Times - Tue, Aug 23, 2011

2011-08-23T13:41:00.000-04:00

The room seemed to be spinning - The Irish Times - Tue, Aug 23, 2011:

After assessing my symptoms, the doctor suggested they might be linked to a problem in the inner ear. She raised the possibility that I might be suffering from vertigo. At the time, I knew nothing about the condition and, like many people, I suspect, thought it had something to do with feeling dizzy or having a fear of heights. I didn’t even know it was a specific medical problem.

J.B. Holmes Needs Brain Surgery, Forcing Withdrawal From PGA Golf Playoffs - Bloomberg

2011-08-23T13:39:00.000-04:00

J.B. Holmes Needs Brain Surgery, Forcing Withdrawal From PGA Golf Playoffs - Bloomberg

J.B. Holmes needs brain surgery to treat a condition that causes vertigo-like symptoms, forcing the golfer to withdraw from the U.S. PGA Tour’s playoffs.

Katie Leclerc: Regard Mag Fashion Model! | Katie Leclerc | Just Jared Jr.

2011-08-22T13:16:00.000-04:00

Katie Leclerc: Regard Mag Fashion Model! | Katie Leclerc | Just Jared Jr.:

"The vertigo is the hardest to handle for me. I’ll be out at a basketball game and suddenly the ground will start spinning and everything moves in slow motion…you just have to stand there and wait for it to pass,” she shared.

Jewish Tribune - Arts therapy credited with addressing trauma and resolving conflicts

2011-08-11T06:57:00.000-04:00

Jewish Tribune - Arts therapy credited with addressing trauma and resolving conflicts:

"From Iraqi survivors of torture and war finding voice through poetry to Bedouin women’s feelings of oppression being tackled with visual art-making, practitioners featured in the recently released book Art in Action: Expressive Arts Therapy and Social Change (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) are helping diverse communities discover the power of the arts as a means to address trauma and conflict resolution."

Bridges to Higher Consciousness | Intent.com

2011-08-09T19:38:00.000-04:00

Bridges to Higher Consciousness | Intent.com:

"This is a time of transition for many people and connecting with symbols is a way to find inner guidance. Symbols speak to the psyche. They resonate with a deep sense of what’s going on at a soul level."

New blog post from Debra Moffit.

Wellness & Writing Connections Newsletter August 2011

2011-08-09T14:55:00.002-04:00

This month's newsletter focuses on the issues associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and includes all of the following:

Introduction from John Evans
Writing It Out and PTSD by Terre Spencer
Book Review: Healing Journeys
Research from James Pennebaker
Self-Published Bookshelf: Wicked Little Town
Poetry Corner: "Deciduous" by Katie Ford Hall Journal
Prompts from RealWarriors.net
Closing Thoughts from Satia Renée

To read the online version click here.
For a pdf version click here.

New Blog Post from Diana Raab

2011-08-09T06:25:00.001-04:00

http://dianaraab.com/blog/2011/08/08/typos-and-misspellings/comment-page-1/#comment-1679

Commenting on a recent New York Times op-ed piece, Diana Raab shares her thoughts on spelling, typos, and how we communicate in this electronic age.

Mix of poets converges to share works at area festival - Toledo Blade

2011-08-08T11:22:00.000-04:00

Mix of poets converges to share works at area festival - Toledo Blade:

"Holland resident Craig Firsdon, who has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and uses a wheelchair, said writing poetry has been a form of therapy over the years."

I always love to read about poetry readings and festivals.

Business Daily: - Home |Want to be like Oprah? Well, keep a diary and grow with it

2011-08-08T07:54:00.000-04:00

Business Daily: - Home |Want to be like Oprah? Well, keep a diary and grow with it:

"Research confirms Sarah’s belief in the value of reflecting on and writing about daily experiences. Experiments by psychologist James Pennebaker and others have revealed that writing about traumatic or stressful events promotes stronger physical health, a greater sense of well-being and an ability to find employment more quickly after being laid off."

The newsletter will be a day late. In the meantime, here is an excellent article on journaling.

'Birth' of a star - NYPOST.com

2011-08-07T19:46:00.000-04:00

'Birth' of a star - NYPOST.com

"She knows both worlds intimately. The actress is hard-of-hearing and suffers from Menieres disease, a degenerative, inner ear disorder whose symptoms include fluctuating hearing loss and vertigo"

In the August Newsletter

2011-08-07T13:07:00.003-04:00

We have several books which are featured in this month's newsletter. Terre Spencer mentions The Language of Emotions by Karla McLaren. James Pennebaker's new book The Secret Life of Pronouns is due out on Tuesday and we have some links to the wonderful research he is doing. Healing Journeys by Linda Daniels looks directly at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is the theme for this month's newsletter. Last but not least, in our self-published feature, we have Jorin Burr's Wicked Little Town. There is also a poem by Katie Ford Hall.

So a lot of stuff happening in this month's newsletter. I hope you enjoy it when it comes out tomorrow.

Surviving Fire (or perhaps Survival by Fire) | BRUISED MUSE

2011-08-05T20:47:00.000-04:00

Surviving Fire (or perhaps Survival by Fire) | BRUISED MUSE:

“TRIAL BY FIRE: “Lives Re-Forged is a feature length documentary about burn survivors–ordinary people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The film follows their journeys as they navigate the challenging physical and emotional obstacles toward recovery, reclaiming first their lives and then their dreams.”

Buttimer and Associates, LLC.

2011-08-03T18:59:00.000-04:00

Buttimer and Associates, LLC.:

"Previously it was thought that DNA/RNA (genetic code) was an immovable process; that once the code was read, that was the end of the story. But to the contrary, Dr. Lipton discovered that the protein sleeve is capable of being directly influenced. What this means is that the course and extent of disease, be it cancer or heart disease, can be positively influenced, even reversed."

Write Now! A-Muse Letter by Susan Borkin

2011-08-03T10:13:00.000-04:00

Write Now! A-Muse Letter by Susan Borkin:

"Grab your journal to make notes and find a quiet, private spot. Then try these three ways to savor what remains of these precious summer days."

Susan has so much going on. Read her newsletter to learn more about her virtual writing circle, workshops, and more.

Addiction Recovery Journal - An Important Tool | Drug Rehab Alcohol Treatment Center Addiction Intervention BC Canada

2011-08-02T13:11:00.000-04:00

Addiction Recovery Journal - An Important Tool | Drug Rehab Alcohol Treatment Center Addiction Intervention BC Canada

aling Tips:

1. Start journaling on any day of the year.

2. Set your journal where you see it every day: on the kitchen table, your desk or in your briefcase. This will help remind you to journal daily.

3. Keep a pen or pencil with your journal.

4. Skipping days is a part of journaling. Don’t let a missed day discourage you.

5. Try to journal at the same time on any given day. This helps to develop journaling as part of your daily routine.

Diana's Notebook | Literary Musings by author Diana Raab

2011-08-02T06:35:00.000-04:00

Diana's Notebook | Literary Musings by author Diana Raab:

"Because of technology, the world seems to be moving faster. In a recent New York Times article by James Gleick entitled, “Books and Other Fetishes,” (July 16, 2011), he discusses the role of digital media in the search for historical information. The raw material of history appears to be heading for the clouds. What was once hard is now easy. What was slow seems to now be fast, he summarizes."

Job opportunities hit new high as Shard starts hiring | News

2011-06-21T18:04:00.000-04:00

Job opportunities hit new high as Shard starts hiring | News:

"WANTED: jobseekers with a head for heights who want to see London as it has never been seen before. Vertigo sufferers need not apply."

Darn. I had such plans for my life . . .

Narrative Medicine - Learning to Listen - NYTimes.com

2011-06-21T12:24:00.000-04:00

Narrative Medicine - Learning to Listen - NYTimes.com

CurrentNewsletter - W&WC

2011-06-20T09:25:00.000-04:00

CurrentNewsletter - W&WC

In This Month’s Newsletter

Introduction from Dr. John Evans
Interview With Mari McCarthy
Excerpt from Back to the Garden by Patrice Dickey
Product Review: Lifelines by Christina Baldwin
Journaling Software and Apps
Self-Publishing Bookshelf (new newsletter regular feature)
Closing Thoughts from Satia Renée

In the June Issue of the Wellness & Writing Connections Newsletter

2011-06-12T08:16:00.001-04:00

In the June issue of the Wellness & Writing Connections Newsletter, we are featuring several resources on journaling and introducing a new regular part of the newsletter that will highlight a new self-published book each month. This month’s newsletter includes the following books:

And our first featured self-published book, a memoir about a mother's grief over and love for her only daughter.

The Truth About Butterflies

Journaling Resources--Recommended Reading

2011-06-06T12:00:00.018-04:00

Journal to the Self

This is one of those rare resources that is excellent for the beginning as well as the experienced journal writer. Kay Adams offers 22 writing exercises which can be used at different times in the reader’s life. This book is a great tool to use when you feel struck with journaling, as if you were writing about the same thing day-after-day. Infusing your journal with some of these exercises can be a great way to get unstuck or even break through writing block. Be sure to check out the workbook as well.

The Artist’s Way

Although this book is technically not a book on journaling, Julia Cameron encourages her readers to write three pages every morning, a practice she calls “Morning Pages.” The book is broken up into twelve chapters meant to be read at the beginning of the week and writing prompts and quotes to further inspire the reader to write down their thoughts and feelings. After twelve weeks, if you aren’t hooked on writing your morning pages you’ll hopefully at least be engaged in keeping a regular journal.

Writing Down the Bones

Nearly every writer has either read or been told to read Natalie Goldberg’s instant classic and it’s easy to see why. Her approach to writing is simple: set a timer and just writing; when the timer rings, stop. She shares a variety of personal stories in very short chapters and by the time most people have read through even the first few pages they are so inspired to write they’re reaching for a pen and notebook.

The New Diary

Tristine Rainer draws a great deal of inspiration from Anais Nin and this book is infused with the presence of both women who share a mutual passion for journaling. Rainer offers insight into the practice of journaling along with writing exercises and examples from her own journal. She also explores how to begin using your journal as a resource for not only personal development but as a resource for writing for a larger audience, whether drawing inspiration for creative writing projects or the primary-source for a memoir.

A Blank Book

Whatever form your blank book may take, spiral or composition or loose leaf notebook, lined or unlined pages, a sketchbook or a Moleskine ®, or even a blank page in an open word processing document, the best journaling resources has been and always will be a place to put those words. Some people write through many books before finding the perfect combination of pen and paper but once the right ones have been found, the relationship can be longer lasting than some marriages. For, ultimately, journaling is about having a relationship with yourself and that is always a lifelong commitment.

Vertigo is associated with advanced degenerative c... [Clin Rheumatol. 2011] - PubMed result

2011-05-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Vertigo is associated with advanced degenerative c... [Clin Rheumatol. 2011] - PubMed result:

"Vertigo is associated with advanced degenerative changes in patients with cervical spondylosis."

Finding Wellness with Words - Meriden, CT Patch

2011-05-25T17:33:00.000-04:00

Finding Wellness with Words - Meriden, CT Patch

In an article by Roberta Dolan, the writer states:

"Journal writing is more than a grown-up version of a diary. It is a place where problems can be solved, feelings expressed and important events documented."

She goes on to describe several types of journals.

Seeking Suggestions and Submissions

2011-05-25T08:22:00.000-04:00

Seeking Suggestions and Submissions

So far I haven't received any recommendations for books on journaling and I'm hoping that you will share this post with your friends and family, anyone you know who loves to journal.

Follow the link above and email me your recommendations with a sentence or two about why you love this particular resource. Feel free to include resources other than books if there is something in particular you have found useful in your own journaling practice.

Thanks in advance. I look forward to receiving your emails.

Diana's Notebook | Literary Musings by author Diana Raab

2011-05-24T16:28:00.000-04:00

Diana's Notebook | Literary Musings by author Diana Raab

Past conference presenter shares her thoughts on graduation and her son. Enjoy!

From Megan Cutter--Past Conference Presenter

2011-05-20T08:38:00.002-04:00

I received the following in my email and thought I would pass it along here for those who have gone to the conference in the past and want to see what Megan is doing now.

Hi all,

This week I’ve been working on Leaving Traces: Diving from the Nest, an art exhibit in honor of my mother and artist Anna von deBardeleben, which will be exhibited at the Bama Theatre in downtown Tuscaloosa, AL in early June. I lived there for seven years before moving to Raleigh, and my neighborhood where I lived is ½ mile from the hardest hit area from the tornados that devastated Tuscaloosa the week of April 27, 2011.

At the exhibit, I will have a “Corner of Care.” I’m looking for cards, notes, quotes, drawings, or sayings that will give encouragement, support, and strength to this community which has been so devastated and is still trying to recover.

In addition, I will be handing out wellness and writing care packages withjournals/notebooks, coloring books, children’s books, crayons & small stuffed animals (the size of a Beannie Baby) to those still in shelters, to volunteers on the ground, and other local community members still in crisis. In addition, Barton & I will provide coaching and writing & wellness workshops in the shelters & community centers while we are there.

I need your support & help to pull this off!!!
I am looking for sponsorship and donated items for the “Corner of Care” and Writing & Wellness Care Packages.
• Sponsorships and notes/letters can be mailed to Megan Cutter, 4441 Six Forks Road, Suite 106-339, Raleigh, NC 27609.

Donations can be dropped off at:• The Storyteller’s Book Store, 100 E. Roosevelt Avenue, Wake Forest, NC.
• Beleza- 2014 Cameron Street, Raleigh, NC 27605, 919-832-4775 (Cameron Village, Raleigh)
*Clearly mark items for “Tuscaloosa Tornado Relief” (Beleza is hosting several tornado relief efforts)
Must be received by May 27, 2011!
Our community has been so wonderful in supporting each other- please lend your support to another community in need as they begin to rebuild their lives.

Warmly,
Megan

Megan Cutter
Cutter’s Word, LLC
919-389-6423
megan.cutter@gmail.com
http://www.cuttersword.com
http://writing4wellness.wordpress.com
Coaching, Creative Writing, and Editing for Professional Communications
- - - - - - -
http://www.loverollson.wordpress.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lQX_irgy7A

Wellness & Writng Connections Newsletter May 2011

2011-05-12T00:49:00.000-04:00

In This Month's Newsletter

Introduction from Dr. John Evans

Interview With Dr. John Evans

Book Review: Stories of Illness and Healing

A Poem by Greg Brown

A Thought from Debbie McCullis

Closing Thoughts from Satia Renée

Click here to read more.

Untitled by John Evans

2011-04-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

Under the surface
snakes are always
where I swim this afternoon
in a snorkle mask
dividing the water
in our David Hockney pool.

Last night in my dream,
a physically perfect self
sat in the sand next to Angela
by the edge of the sea.

Between us was an urn of my ashes.
And silence.

When the small white boat
sailed into view, I said,
"We should put these in the water now."

John Evans

A Dying Breed by Michael Colley

2011-04-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

A Dying Breed

by Michael Colley

What's left for the people in the aftermath of a flood?
No more the warrior poet is willing to spill blood
A people lost in ambition born and fed of hate
The poet's pen lay still in the recourse of fate
Troops now deployed to kill, murder and destroy
No love for the battle just love for the toys
The passion is lifeless and the heartbeat is still
The meaning is pointless, no real reason to kill

Death to the warrior poet is the last act in the show
Best to fade away if there is no place to go
The warrior poet brings the end to a dying breed
Like ink from a pen not willing to bleed
Listen, be still, hear the crisis in the night
Hold fast, stay calm, wait for morning light
The enemy comes swiftly in the form of a greed
No rhyme or reason lay verse, cadence, or seed.
I once devoted purpose to rhythm or prose
Gave meaning to the thorns and valued the rose
But media attention had no love for life
All focus is ugly and dedicated to strife
Fashionable sexy, praise be almighty lust
Not God or purpose for that which is just
The warrior poet somehow made sense of it all
Power to the pen and truth as a law
The damage is done understanding is lost
No way to measure how much it must cost
So pick up a weapon and join the employed.
It’s too late for language the troops have deployed
Good bye warrior poet no use for you now
No one is listening no one knows how
No hope for a people geared to draw blood
Is what's left for the people in the aftermath of a flood.

To read more from Michael Colley, visit his myspace page.

The Kiss in the kitchen by Vicky Hagan

2011-04-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

The Kiss in the kitchen

by Vicky Hagan

She wore his watch every day for a year after he died.

It was way too big, and moved up and down on her arm.

It looked ridiculous to everyone except her,

But, It gave her some comfort, some peace.

I remember them fat and forties and chasing

Each other around the kitchen for a kiss,

I see them turning on the record player

And dancing to “What's new pussycat, Whoa, Whoa”

He never took it off, except to wind it each night before bed

Now, it was heavy on her wrist, but light on her heart

Sometimes I would catch her touching it and smiling

Just like the smile she wore, after the kiss in the kitchen.

There Are No Theives in My Heart by Sunghui Chang

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

There are no thieves in my heart

by Sunghui Chang

There are no thieves in my heart
Not because of the wired mesh of defense
But because of your hands that bring valuable presents
In truth, my wall was weak and allowed thieves to take precious things easily
Then I heard your voice speak
“Next, you must build a wall of patience several feet thick.”
“You must break down the wall of prejudice.”
“Now, I will teach you how to build a sturdy wall of financial management.”
In these ways I can see your hands busily repairing my wall
Alone, I only fight with a wolf who is growling
“You, stupid idiot! Nothing you do ever amounts to anything.”
Or, “It caused a big loss. How long will you continue to live this way?”
Or, “I can’t forgive the thief this time.”
I wrestle with a crazed wolf like this
At first, I couldn’t stand steadily on the ground after an uninvited thief came by in the whirlwind
And it took a long time to cure the undeserved scars
But now I can easily find your thoughtful hands
And hold onto them tightly
The proud thought that I can be a useful man like a silver plate and not a gold one lets me relax
But tomorrow, if the big thief returns
My heart will beat again
My face will be redden again
-Or my eyes will shed tears again
But right now I am not concerned about the thief’s faulty conscience
I only care about the way my conscience walks
As long as I am intent on keeping my village free of thieves
I will not swayed by them
If with discourtesy the thieves show up again
I will welcome the hands and its valuable presents for me with flowers

To read more from Sunghui Chang visit her website.

Grief by Bonnie McGarity Williams

2011-04-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

Grief

by Bonnie McGarity Williams

                  Grief
                        nested in my shadow
                        followed me
                        hid its face behind the light
                  Grief
                        seeped into dark nights and dingy, gray days
                        hummed a low, deep, haunting song
                  Grief
                        etched my brain with its unseen weight
                        thrived on tears, greedy, fed on salt
                  Grief
                        born from death
                        struggled for life
                  Grief
                        visited uninvited
                        robbed my inner core
                        captured my spirit
                              then
                  Time
                        gathered hours, days, years
                        crushed grief’s soul
                  Grief
                        withered, fled, vanished
                        leaving a newborn
                  Joy
                        wearing the light of day
                        guarding blissful night dreams

Where Have You Gone? by Mike Rosenwasser

2011-04-25T08:00:00.007-04:00

Where have you gone?

A part of me
feels torn away.
As though a tornado
passed through me
rendering me a human
form of rubble.
I see parts of me here.
Parts of me there.
Where is here?
And what is there?
I imagine someday
a somber sense
of calm will permeate
what is left of me.
Now that you are gone.

To read more from Mike Rosenwasser, visit his facebook page.

Sister Wish by Danita Dyess

2011-04-24T08:00:00.007-04:00

Sister Wish

by Danita Dyess

(Missing Donna Robinson-Jackson)

I wish you would come to Atlanta
But, it’s too far to drive
It’s too expensive to fly
And it’s too long to sit on the bus
And it’s not the right time
And we don’t have the money
I wish you would come to Atlanta, but I know you won’t

I wish we could hang out
Buy bikinis, sport sun glasses, and tote straw bags, then head for Myrtle beach
Sit in the yard, ride the bus, wear matching outfits
Have a picnic, get fake tattoos, eat Chinese food, and do laundry
I wish we could just be together, but I know we can’t

I wonder what it would be like to tell you things I’ve never told anyone else
Embarrassing situations, stupid mistakes, dark secrets
And you’d listen without judgment
And you’d rather die than betray my trust
I wish I could open my mouth and utter the words, but I know I can’t

I’d love to see you open your mind
Embrace the struggle that’s an intrinsic part of discovery
Study foreign ideas, visit strange new worlds or read a book
But, I doubt this interests you
I wish it did, but I know it doesn’t

I wish you did more and prayed less
“Be a doer of the word and not a hearer only,” said James
Practice consistent steps toward resolution
A pious gesture, inspired by Christmas, is not enough
I wish it was, but it isn’t

I’ll bet you wish I wasn’t so quick tempered - so easily offended by the slightest little thing
I’ll bet you wish I understood your point of view
There is a fine line between love and manipulation
Trust develops over time and quietly manifests in a safe environment
When it’s safe, I’ll consider sticking my neck out
I’ll bet you wish I would, but I probably won’t

So, here we are—where we’ve always been
Two dancers dancing, each one listening to a different tune
Discord, strife, confusion, rivalry
Forever a passive inmate in the dysfunctional legacy that was our mother’s prison
Our offenses have been pardoned, but we still refuse to leave our cells

When will we learn, Donna?
When all we have to do is open our eyes to see the lesson
How long will we imitate the dog chasing its tail?
When all we have to do is stop running
When will we break free from being ensnared, entrapped, entangled?
While the knife that cuts the rope is at our feet

Maybe death will be our greatest teacher
Yes, things will change then –they’ll have to
No dancer should dance without music
No dancer should dance alone

To read more from Danita Dyess you can visit her facebook page.

Death by Barbara Kendall Reed

2011-04-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

Death

by Barbara Kendall Reed

Death is such a frightening word
Because we do not know
What is on the other side
And is it what we sowed?
We have a hard time imagining
Anything beyond the form
Because that is what we see each day
And where we have belonged
It’s surreal that you are here
And then gone tomorrow
And we are left with our heart
That is now filled with sorrow
But the reality is that we die many deaths
Before the final one comes
Leaving bits and pieces of ourselves
With people that didn’t run
So goodbye to the life as we know now
And hello to a new tomorrow
We can each keep the memories alive
Including the many sorrows
For death means the journey is complete
And we must now let go
God has our loved one in his arms
And is embracing his gentle soul
Amen, Amen

This poem is from Barbara Kendall Reed'x pending book called Life Iz Colorful and you can read more on her website.

Untitled by Walter Lawrence

2011-04-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Untitled

I can never speak again and know
that I can say those words I said with you:
your voice was laughter to me when
I needed to forget so many things,
it spoke compassion that wanted to be shared
and told sincerity that never faltered.
Now, silence mars our gaiety and once-lively conversations:
I may speak, but hear your answer only in a memory

To read more from Walter Lawrence, visit his facebook page.

Absolution by Elaine Handley

2011-04-21T08:00:00.006-04:00

Absolution

The snow has pulled back its teeth
and spits out tawny grasses.
One goldfinch at the feeder
has gone daffodil.
Insects wake up groggy,
drunkenly crawl out
from beneath bark and matted leaves
to be dizzied by spring light.
Owls hoot love songs,
keep me warily awake.
The dogs drinks puddles
like it’s nectar from the gods.
Our hearts are bony
from the fast of color and company.
We’ve talked to ourselves too much
in the endless hibernal nights.
Spring absolves and loneliness slinks away,
sins are scraped off.
Any of us can be pardoned
for the bitter flavor of winter
we’ve nursed in our souls.

You can read more from Elaine Handley by visiting her facebook page.

A Candle by Carol Horton

2011-04-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

Candle

Carol Horton

You try to tear us down with hate.

Love builds us up.

The noise you create cannot kill our spirit.

We will drown you out with song.

We mourn for those you have taken

and for those left behind.

Clinging to one another

our strength multiplies.

Darkness strikes.

A candle lights the way.

To read

Buttimer and Associates, LLC.

2011-04-19T15:18:00.000-04:00

Buttimer and Associates, LLC.

In their blog, the Buttimers discuss the benefits of expressive writing and share some of the work they are doing with Cancer Wellness at Piedmont Hospital in the metro-Atlanta area.

I Remain by Laura Overstreet Biering

2011-04-19T08:00:00.002-04:00

I Remain

Six years since we heard the word,

Over five since you’ve been gone.

It took you fast,

It took you slow-

Ly. There was no pain

And then only

Pain.

I remain

Thankful

For the unpronouncably-named medications,

The couch in your bedroom

On three legs and a brick,

The place I supposedly slept,

And from which I listened to each gurgling breath,

Wondering, worrying, hoping, feeling

Guilty as hell.

I remain

Thankful

That there were cousins,

Some of them not even real

Cousins, bringing bread pudding,

Sharing in your care,

Nursing you in ways I could not, would not,

Thankful that you’d splurged

On the electronically-bending bed,

Purchased for pleasure, not knowing at the time

The need around the bend.

I remain

Not thankful

At all

For the hospice people

Not helpful

At all

In the end.

Damn them.

To read more of Laura Overstreet Biering's work, visit her website.

Goodnight, Sweet Prince, Goodnight by Dominique White

2011-04-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Dominique White wrote this poem 20 years ago when she was still a teenager. A recent event in her life reminded her of this poem and she sent it to me for the blog.

Goodnight, Sweet Prince, Goodnight

In the luminescent rays of the setting sun,

we must realize that your work is done.

As darkness falls, the stars will reign

to shed but little light on heartfelt pain

The castle is empty; the courtyard is bare.

Deep within our hearts, your memory lies there.

The Royal Horse has been stabled.

The Royal Birds have taken flight.

Our Royal Treasure is at peaceful rest

Goodnight, Sweet Prince. Goodnight.

To read more of what Dominique White is writing now, visit her website.

Smiles along my way…by Carol Trexler

2011-04-17T08:00:00.005-04:00

Smiles along my way…

She was holding a squirming child as she smiled

a serene smile despite all the fidgeting on her lap.

She looked attentively toward the alter, gently patting the child and smiling.

I realized she was blind. And I smiled with compassion.

She was mindlessly pulled by the rushed younger woman yet she was smiling

like an innocent child in awe.

Oblivious to the hurried, noisy environment, her smile was deeply peaceful.

I realized she had dementia. And I smiled with sympathy.

She was sitting outside her door on a metal folding chair.

The baby in her arms wrapped in bright colored quilt and matching cap

contrasted the desolate surroundings of their poverty.

Her tender smile held all the hopes for a better future.

I realized this was pure love. And I smiled with kindness.

I want to smile for no reason.

Like the blind woman smiling joyfully

Like the older woman smiling peacefully

Like the woman smiling lovingly

I want to smile for all reasons.

Twilight Whispers by Roxanne Ivey

2011-04-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Twilight Whispers

When one by one the songbirds sang
To captivate my heart,
To quiet the disconsolate cry
That set my world apart,

I turned a silent ear to grief
And let my sorrow cede--
Like curtains drawn until the dawn
Unveils her verity.

I watched Compassion spread her wings
Across my sullen sky,
Each feather silver-tipped with tears
Wrung from immortal eyes;

Then gathering every cloud, she cloaked
Herself in sympathy,
And like a widow, wore the weight
Of measured memory.

Among the mountains myths have wrought,
Where shadows fall and rise,
A wind swept through my wilderness--
Illusion cast aside;

Then listening to the whispers that
Remembered and remained,
My soul awoke to hopefulness,
A lingering refrain--

For rhyme has its own reason and
Each suffering, a song
That reconciles the wounded with
The will to carry on.

To read more from Roxanne Ivey, visit her LinkedIn group here.

When Nothing Else Works by Vicki Woodyard

2011-04-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

When Nothing Else Works

When nothing else works

a poet throws out some letters formed

into who knows what.

Like a gambler invoking Lady Luck,

A poem offers up an unknown satisfaction....

Is invited to disperse a feeling congealed

like blood.

When it happens, the soul

erupts to say what it already knew.

That's how art turns in upon itself

to show how spring arises.

For more about Vicki Woodyard and her work, visit her website.

Still Blue by Megan Cutter

2011-04-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Still Blue

A dashing blue butterfly
lands on an open daffodil
black legs shimmering,
clinging to the bright yellow blossom.
Off in the distance,
a child throws a stone
into the air,
flinging the butterfly to the ground.
A wing torn
the blue seeping out
into the earth.
Cold dew wraps around the butterfly,
crystallizing the edges.
Still as the air in night,
wings of cobalt blue
wrap around its body
buried in the earth.

For more from Megan Cutter visit her website.

Labyrinth by Susan Reuling Furness

2011-04-13T08:00:00.005-04:00

Labyrinth

Grief is a circular staircase. – Linda Pastan

Tunneling around in a tumbling maze

Straining my eyes for an exit

Lost and alone

Which way to go?

Grasping and flailing at air.

Which way is out? Which way is in?

Moments of light, utter darkness.

A faltering path turning

In on itself

Snake biting its very own tail

No beginning or end

Is it up? Is it down?

Beneath or below?

Beginning or end?

Since you, I am drifting

On a labyrinth of grief

Without you

Will I flounder forever?

To read more from Susan Furness and the work she is doing, visit her website.

Acoustic Guitar by Julie Cecchini

2011-04-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

Acoustic GuitarFor Bobby
by Julie Cecchini

From Silver Spring to Pittsburgh
I carried this acoustic guitar
you gave me for Christmas in 1970.

I tried to learn the Mel Bay way
the notes and lines just never clicked.
Slim tried but failed to get me past Sparkling Stella
a fancier version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

When you died,
your song continued to sing in me
but from the strings,
unbearable silence.

Wellness & Writing Connections April Newsletter

2011-04-11T08:11:00.000-04:00

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Wellness---Writing-Connections-Newsletter-April-2011.html?soid=1102000674730&aid=yQKl96qP6Gg

In This Month's Newsletter
Introduction from Dr. John Evans
Book Review: Breaking the Silence
Poetry Therapy Resources
A Poem by Yang Guo
Closing Thoughts from Satia Renée

The Mechanics of Fit by Fran Dorf

2011-04-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Mechanics of Fit

Smooth as the core of an apple

careful as a cup of coffee with bird

or a footloose dance by a fat man,

or an important ear, a green check,

the weight of light

the glitter of a dull orb

the grinding gears of a long pomegranate.

You say you don’t fit,

You call yourself a free for all,

You fear they’ll find out at the office,

yet watch everything,

and know how to manipulate the machines.

Rise in my head,

you feat of amazement

patchwork quilt

cobbled together.

Pop! in my head,

translucent bubble, cocoa skinned

brimming with promise,

yet becoming a plaything,

punching bag

place to stab afflictions,

perfect smooth flesh

precious child

tossed between sicknesses

mulatto in Anytown.

Arguing

for existence

Being

a free for all

Rise now, child,

before the cousin who penetrated

and the half brother who didn’t,

before the stepfather’s doughy penis

and the mother with her sobbing drink.

Rise, before the dust and crack

whore who knows not who the father is.

Before the legacy of your childhood melee

would stare you in the face

like a bitter accusation

flogging himself

with the left over chains of your addiction,

yet looking like a nappy haired boy

needing protection

you didn’t get.

You were a free-for-all, after all

Rise now, child,

in the place where your very being

was an assault on

proper manners

hiding in your room

imagining rescue

by a father who never came,

and a son who wasn’t yet born.

Rise before the free for all

all be free.

Rise and find the pieces of you,

arms, legs,

heart, brain,

glittering follicles,

happy little toes

rumbling belly.

Don’t talk to me

about racism, sexism, reverse racism,

dogmatism, political correctness,

self-reliance,

collective bargaining,

war,

famine,

bootstraps,

religion,

history,

the blues,

political reality.

I’ve got a human free-for-all sitting here.

Parts of Speech by Terre Spencer

2011-04-10T08:00:00.002-04:00

Parts of Speech

by Terre Spencer

Painfully (adverb) awash in rage

at an addict man

who hurt me and

then refused to

empathize with my agony.

He (pronoun) seemed, in fact,

to relish my sobbing and

my selling myself out

over and over again

in my desperation to stay

connected with him.

For (preposition) all my clutching,

I got only armsfull

of his addiction.

Until my empty heart broke,

no longer sacred.

Rage (noun) runs dripping

from my fingertips,

filling the room with

a stench, much like the

smell of his cruelty.

And (conjunction) then I

remembered that he, too,

suffered hideous traumas.

Compassion

rarely found its way to him.

Damn! (interjection) Just damn.

He survived soul-murder

and his wounds

now reek addiction.

Compassion (verb), I realized

that I must compassion

and compassion and compassion

and it will take

every ounce of effort

I can muster.

Until I am strong enough

to live compassion

as a noun—

compassion is a verb,

compassion is a verb.

You will find more of Terre Spencer's writing here.

To My Husband, June 6, 1994 by Catherine McCall

2011-04-09T08:00:00.015-04:00

This poem, about marital love after childhood incest, was written during my recovery process, while I was experiencing symptoms of PTSD. It was written on the eve of our 24^th wedding anniversary.

To My Husband, June 6, 1994

by Catherine McCall

The throbbing of your penis, dear
      makes me feel like my father is near.
I am a teenager, maybe 15;
      he is being cruel and mean.
The afterglow from our lovemaking session
      plummets me into dreary depression.
My body feels weighted down with lead;
      I hunger so, like I’ve never been fed.
No matter the occasion or hour
      flashbacks have their own kind of power.
It’s not that you’re less than an extraordinary lover,
      it’s just that it’s so very difficult to recover.

Catherine McCall is the author of When the Piano Stops: A Memoir of Healing from Sexual Abuse,and the UK bestseller, Never Tell: the True Story of Overcoming a Terrifying Childhood.

She’s an experienced marriage and family therapist, a blogger for Psychology Today Magazine, and is on the speakers bureau for RAINN. She and her husband have been married for 40 years.

Inspirational Books for Writing Poetry

2011-04-08T12:00:00.009-04:00

For those of you who have never written poetry and don’t know where or how to begin, these books are invitations to begin exploring yourself through poetry.

Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry by Sage Cohen
Finding What You didn't Lose by John Fox
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet’s Portable Workshop by Steve Kowit
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Poetry by Nikki Moustaki
Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words by Susan G Wooldridge

A Rainy Night in Georgia by William Hines

2011-04-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

A Rainy Night In Georgia

Rainy Saturday night.

Cold, clammy, lonely mist.

Finally joyful, but overcast

empty life.

Friendless feeling finding fondness,

filling fallow. Freeing desire.

Feeding craving a false meal.

False fun Saturday night.

A neighbor unlike me

befriending friendless friends,

a new used car

and six Country Clubs

jilted the melancholy.

The Claimant’s spurn

retrieved the gloom.

Ire avenged, making doom

manifest overcast visibility!

I pushed the pedal to the floor with my hand.

A detour.

A barricade.

A thrill that killed.

I cheat paralysis a 47^th year,

but have I grieved the child

’s

life

lost?

I pen these words,

I shed these tears.

I ask forgiveness.

You can find more of Bill Hines's work at www.chryscross.com

Sabotage by Heather Statz

2011-04-07T08:00:00.002-04:00

Sabotage

I am seething
and raging
at myself today,
too little sleep
and too little patience
to do anything else.
vulnerable and needy,
so out of my comfort zone,
last night
I picked a fight
where one didn’t
need to be fought.
I can no longer imagine
life without you,
but it seems you can –
without me.
it seems;
I don’t know what’s
actually so anymore.
I want to leap,
to risk
my heart,
my all.
I wish I didn’t
need a guarantee –
I shouldn’t
need a guarantee –
but I do.
and since I don’t
have one
(does anyone
ever have one?),
I rage.
I hope I stop soon –
I’m so tired.
and I just want
to love you.

Monster by Lynn Chang

2011-04-06T08:00:00.011-04:00

I invite you to enjoy this poem and encourage you to please listen to the entire poem. It is a remarkable achievement, a palindrome poem. Listen and please visit the author's website here.

Monster by Lynn Chang

Mother Love by Lynda Monk

2011-04-05T08:00:00.006-04:00

Mother Love
Great Mother
Tender buds
Open
      You are the living earth beneath my feet.
Ancient cedar tree
Deepening vital
Connection
      You are the living earth beneath my feet.
I call upon
Nature’s wisdom
To be a “good mother” to my sons
      They are the living earth of me.
My child
You have sapphire eyes like mine
      I am the living earth of you.
I did not grow-up seeing
A reflection of myself
I do not have my adoptive parents’ DNA.
      I am the chosen love within their hearts.
Tickled by the Great Mother’s
Dangling jade moss
From the low branch
Daydreaming, wondering if my birth mother
Regrets giving me away?
      She gave me life then fell to her knees to pray.
      She asked God, her living earth, to care for me.
At Duck Creek Park
I pause near the elbow in the stream
Wondering if my body will
Have MS like hers?
      I prayed to the living earth beneath my feet.
A water lily
In the pond
Long stem deeply rooted
Like my love for you, my child
      Mother love is the living earth beneath our feet.
Loving, giving, selfless
My other mother
Who gave me a name
And made me her own.
      She is the loving earth beneath my feet.
My mothers
You are living earth within my heart.
My sons
You are my heart
pulsing over the earth beneath my feet.

~ Poem by Lynda Monk
Her website can be found here.

Books On Poetry Therapy

2011-04-04T12:00:00.001-04:00

These books offer some of the research behind the use of poetry in counseling. Many also offer exercises and other poetry resources for those new to poetry and/or poetry therapy

Poetry and Story Therapy: The Healing Power of Creative Expression by Geri Giebel Chavis
The Healing Fountain: Poetry Therapy by Geri Giebel Chavis and Lila Lizabeth Weisberger
Poetic Medicine: the Healing Art of Poem Making by John Fox
Poetry Therapy: Theory and Practice by Nicholas Mazza
Biblio/Poetry Therapy: The Interative Process, A Handbook by Arleen McCarty Hynes and Mary Hynes-Berry
Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words by Kim Rosen

Free at Last by Nick Kremer

2011-04-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

“Free at Last”

by Nick Kremer

It is June 2008.

Barak Obama sings his song of hope to millions

as the Reverend Wright stills his tongue of fire

and Oprah dreams of the tears she’ll shed

in a Chicago anxiously anticipating an answer

to Langston’s long-deferred question.

And Chris Brown, 25, law student

with his nice, white name

befitting his nice, white life

in the upper echelons of Missouri society

(you wouldn’t know he was black unless you looked)

volunteers a week of his summer

driving to Warrensburg

to teach democracy to future generations

and is pulled over

to the side of the road

twice

by a Johnson County Sheriff

for

not

breaking the law.

Solitude by Carol Kiley

2011-04-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

Solitude

I awaken to the bird's songs from my window.
They sing a melody while
I try to block out their cheerfulness.
Downstairs all is quiet
except the sound of the wind.
The birds, the wind and me.
Day after day year after year.
The sun rises. The sun sets. The birds sing.
I watch from the porch while birds build nests.
Even the birds have friends to chirp with.
The sheaves of corn are swaying with the wind
making rustling sounds as if they too
are sharing secrets.
A lone butterfly rests upon the grass
then flutters away.

Christmas Pretend by Suzanne Lumsden

2011-04-02T08:00:00.004-04:00

Christmas Pretend
-to mother

We feel everything that is broken.
Our strained sentences
trip over the broken ribs
of Hayes Road. Words as fragile
and transparent as single pane glass.
The actress is here, even though
she hates her costume; could be you
or me Mom, as the size still fits both of us –
Me, still trying to be the good girl you can
rely on. Me, reluctantly between
your unrealized hopes & dreams.
In twenty ten, & your son’s 50th Christmas,
everything is -
as broken as it ever was.
& Michael won’t pick up his toys anymore.
Still, you want us to stay on stage…to take up
the harsh bright light that doesn’t belong to us.
There is that photo of you as a young girl.
As sad a face as any Dutch painting - Dolores
decades– galleries of unfinished
canvas; strokes of sour color, with bits
of hardened paint. The variant of your name,
‘dolor’ means poetic grief or sorrow,
as if your mother knew the unwalked
future and her part in it.
It’s all there. And it is that sadness
that reminds me your hard, confusing
journey isn’t unlike mine. Me, still afraid
to tell anyone what I need.
Your children hold love
at arm’s length now…out there
where the burning embers miss our skin.
Everything is as broken as it ever was.
Makes me wonder why you came
with expectations. Why you still look
at me for answers you already hold
in your empty, aging hands.

Video About Vertigo

2011-04-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

This video is interesting in that it summarizes many of the symptoms of vertigo while suggesting things to help ease them.

Breaking the Silence by Frances H Kakugawa

2011-04-01T14:36:00.000-04:00

April's newsletter will feature a book review of Frances Kakugawa's wonderful book Breaking the Silence.

For those of you interested in how poetry is being used to help people heal, this is a good resource. Although written from the perspective of the caregiver of people with Alzheimer's the experiences explored within the text are only unique in the details. The emotions--the confusion, the anger, the grief, the love--are universal.

I've written a subjective review of the book here.

If you are not already a subscriber to the newsletter, I hope you will sign up. Just follow the link at the top of this website.

Golden Day by Nancy Stephan

2011-04-01T08:00:00.008-04:00

Golden Day
In Memory of my Beautiful Daughter Nicole Stephan

My Darling Nicole,
The rest of my lifetime will be
but a moment in your eyes,
so go. Cross the green lea blue
with Hyacinth. Walk slowly
through the meadow. Amongst the trees,
cast off your sackcloth and leave it
at the foot of the Weeping Willow.
Find the Sweet Birch; pause
there and carve for me our secret
sign. Unwind in the shade, no
need for haste. Take the footpath
overgrown with Heather that winds
along the Bouvardia and Red Ginger.
Pick Tigerlilies and leave for me
a trail of petals. The bees
will come. Welcome them; unlike death,
they have no sting.
Go as far as the Crystal Stream.
Wait there for me. Dream sweet
dreams. Before you know it, you’ll feel me
like a fragrant zephyr. Quickly,
you’ll remember me like the memory
of cherimoya and breadfruit. At once,
put your ear to the verdant grass,
and you’ll hear my spirited footsteps
rushing. Rise up and I’m there, face
shining like the sun.
Here to stay, forever together
stepping out of the shadows
and into Golden Day.

You can visit Nancy Stephan on her website: http://www.rumandbaker.com/
Be sure to sign her guest book while you're there.

April is National Poetry Month

2011-03-31T08:32:00.001-04:00

Beginning tomorrow, we will be posting a poem a day.

In February and again in March, I sent a request to our newsletter readers and invited them to share their poems. Some of our readers are, of course, past conference presenters. Others are people who have participated in the conference in other ways, whether as volunteers or attendees.

So for the next 30 days there will be a new poem from thirty different poets. You may or may not recognize the writers today but someday they may become household names.

Please share this unique commemoration of April’s National Poetry Month with everyone you know. Yes, there are a lot of blogs out there that will be posting a new poem a day in April but these poems were chosen because they explore how wellness and writing are truly connected and, in many ways, this will be a celebration of the healing power of words.

I hope you will join us each and every day in April, leave a comment, share your own thoughts on healing and writing.

We are very excited to be sharing this project with each and every one of you.

A Writing Exercise from You Can Beat the Odds

2011-03-23T10:25:00.000-04:00

On page 179 of her book You Can Beat the Odds!, Brenda Stockdale suggests the following writing exercise (along with a couple of others) to boost your mood when feeling discouraged:

Write about something that went well in the last week. Who was ultimately responsible for that goodness? (Nine times out of ten, it’s you!)

I simply love this suggestion because it is very true. More often than not, when I look back over my week, I can easily recognize that the best things, the small accomplishments and large, are often the result of my own commitment, dedication, and hard work.

Which is why I simply had to share this. Try this exercise yourself, reflecting once a week on your previous week's experiences.

Vestibular Rehabilitation: NYC, Westchester and CT | Balance Physical Therapy

2011-03-23T07:58:00.002-04:00

Vestibular Rehabilitation: NYC, Westchester and CT | Balance Physical Therapy

This rehabilitation center in the tristate area works with those who have balance disorders. If I lived closer, no doubt I would have found myself in one of these facilities learning the skills I need to live a more fulfilling life.

Women Writer's Conference in Atlanta area

2011-03-21T18:27:00.000-04:00

Check out the website for Unitarian Universal Congregation of Atlanta's Getting in Touch with the Source writing conference at:

http://www.uucawomenwriters.org/index.html