Sunday, July 31, 2016

It's Far Too Easy To Judge Others

Everyone thinks that they know the other guy, the other place, the other side of an argument but in all reality, unless you've walked in their shoes, you don't!  Wow, that was rather blunt, wasn't it?

Yes, it was blunt, but it seems like every day I continue to see how easy it is to judge others and yet we really don't know what its like to be them.

We think we know what others deal with but in all reality we are viewing their lives through our own filters.  Our filters are based upon our life's experiences and the people we have met, the places we have traveled.  Our filters are based upon the beliefs that we grew up with and were taught, along with how our own subset of society we live in looked at other people.

Thinking we see what others deal with is not the same as walking in their shoes.  We have no idea what it means to have lived the life they know or they hope to know.  Even if they tell us and describe it, we will never know what it truly means until we have actually lived through what they have experienced.

I began to see a different world...

At one time, I thought I was aware of so much in this world because I try to stay open to all things.  However, when I traveled for one particular job, I began to see a different world than I realized existed.  Yes, we see an occasional news report, but it is nothing like being in the midst of it and seeing it with your own two eyes.

I learned that in many ways, I had no clue what it was like for the people and places that I saw.  I felt sadness for them, but to them it seemed like it was just another day.  I doubt they wanted my pity anyway.  I wanted to help, but I realized the situation was so great that even if I took all the money in the world, I doubt it would truly solve the problem.  Yet, I saw a selfishness and superficial attitude towards these people and places that would just add to their suffering.

It is far too easy to judge others.  We get all high and mighty thinking we know what is best.  In all reality, we are nothing more than a clanging symbol when we think we are love.

It is far too easy to judge others and tell them what they should do based upon our own life's experiences, but we miss the part that they have endured and lived through experiences that are much different than ours.  We may be talking trains and planes, while ignoring that fact that they are talking horses and cows.

We are right and they are wrong...

It is far too easy to judge others and demand they see things our way.  After all, in our own little word, we deem we are right and they are wrong.  We deem them to need to be enlightened to what we know.  Yet, we fail to understand that we do not hold any more of the answers in life than they do.  We just see things differently and we've applied life in different ways.

It is far too easy to judge others while claiming how superior and great and intelligent we are.  We hold our ego and pride out in front of us, rather than opening our hearts and ears.  Judgement comes from the ego, but love and helpfulness and compassion come from our hearts.  It is our heart that should be guiding us, not the judgement of our ego.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2012/02/judgement-is-absence-of-love.html

It is far too easy to judge others, while thinking that we don't do this.  It is so easy to convince ourselves that we are far better than that.  Each of us can only truly know what is in our own heart by taking a close look and inspecting our words, thoughts, and actions.  Words alone will fail us, but actions out of love will lift the entire world to greater heights.

We need each other to survive this journey called life.  Together our world will go further, but when we judge others, we divide the world into chaos.  Let us consider how we can see each other through the eyes of love, not judgment, and walk hand-in-hand together through the journey of life.




Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
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Saturday, July 30, 2016

Does The Pain Really End?

This is something I wrote as an answer to a question posed to me on Twitter.  For me, the pain and suffering in life has definitely changed.  I don't feel the same pain that I did years ago and now, it only takes up a part of my life, not all of it.  I would be dishonest if I said it was not there, but its not controlling my life.

Yes, I have my moments where things connect and kind of zap me momentarily, but my days are filled with more ease, contentment, joy, and love, rather than struggling through intense pain and suffering. At one time, I cursed the pain but I can now see it as something which gives me a different viewpoint and a different side of life. 

I can now see pain as a way to open up my eyes and embrace things that I didn't realize were there.  I can see it as an opportunity.  At one time, I would have popped someone for suggesting there was anything good about pain.

The pain brought me down....

For a long time, the pain really brought me down. It affected me physically and mentally and in just about everything I did. I never thought I would get beyond it or past it. I never thought there was enough hope to see things differently. I thought I was sentenced to a lifetime of pain and suffering and despair.

The interesting thing is that as I continued to move through the pain, the darkness around me lifted and I began to see my journey in a different way. There was more light to see with and the more I was able to view it, the more I could observe the things I could not see.

It's not like waving a magic wand...

I'm not going to say, it's like waving a magic wand. That is too simplistic and the pain and suffering that I went through was unbearable and almost to difficult to endure. Most people don't live through some of the pains I've experienced, but we all have our own pain to deal with in our life.

It is healthy to honor that pain and not minimize it or shun it or run from it. Yes, that takes a great deal of courage and strength at times, but that's where the gigantic moments of healing take place.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/04/hope-and-possibility-through-trauma.html

If you would have told me years ago that I would have made it to this point in how I view the pain and suffering, I would have laughed and scoffed. It was not something I could dream of or imagine, but as I continued on my healing journey, the pain was slowly replaced with life, joy, hope and possibility.






Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
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Friday, July 29, 2016

Being Highly Sensitive and Energetic Boundaries

A friend of mine on twitter asked me a question today and I thought it was something worthy of a blog post.  Sometimes on twitter, 140 characters is not enough to even begin answering anything.

The question was:  "Do you find energetic boundary setting helps with the amount of energy you receive?"


I know many people promote the idea of bathing yourself in white light and making a bubble that surrounds you to keep out unwanted energy.  I believe that is essentially what my friend is asking and so I'll share with you what I do.  By no means am I a master of this because I still struggle with it just like everyone else does.

A very wise teacher once cautioned me against trying to limit the energy I picked up or wrapping myself in a bubble or a white light.  Now, I'm sure for those who have been taught to do this, I'm probably contradicting your beliefs and insights.  That's okay with me if you think my way is incorrect.  I have to do what works for me.

For me, I pick up a ton of stuff when I'm around people.  Granted, I try to throttle this down a little, because I don't need to be inundated with things that I can do nothing about or have no way to impact.  For a long time I didn't understand how to do this and I still struggle a little with it, but it is kind of like turning down the volume knob on a radio.  You can still hear the radio, but it is a much lower volume.

When I'm working with someone, I turn it all the way up using my mind to do this.  I want to sense and see and feel everything I can with someone because those inputs usually are my guiding lights to see where I need to go.  Without these inputs, I would be dead in the water.

Often if I'm working on people or with people, its almost like I feel their pain in my body.  I've had countless people surprised and shocked that somehow I know their pain in an area is gone.  It is because I literally feel that pain in my own body and so when it goes away, I know it is gone.  Again, it guides me into the areas I need to focus on.

If I tried to dial all that back and block it by wrapping myself in white light or using a bubble concept, I don't think I would feel and sense all that I needed to in order to help others.  I think it would diminish this greatly.  In fact, I don't just think - I know from experience it does diminish what I sense and feel.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/06/emotional-fitness-with-dr-canali-and.html

Yes, I know there is negative and bad energy out there.  It is everywhere and these days, you can find it online through social media as much as you can by interacting physically with someone.  The way I deal with this is that I know I am protected and guided by something much greater than myself or the negative energy that is around me.  I feel secure with that knowledge and I always ask for help and guidance.

A very important part of this is that I've done a tremendous amount of work on myself and I continue to do this every day.  I do not settle for where I'm at, but where I can go.  As a result, I've managed to connect with a high vibration that sort of keeps me above the fray, especially when I'm working with others.  It is this intense deep work that has helped me unshackle some of the things that normally hold us down and diminish our vibration.

I just want to be there for all people in the best way that I can and for me, if I hold back or filter out all that could come my way, then I feel like I'm not doing what I need to do.  I personally feel from what I've seen that if I filter things out, I miss some of the clues I need.  I know I'm protected and I embrace this part of me.

If I find I've been triggered or I pick something up, then I have people that I go to who can help balance that back out so I can let it go.  Triggers are a good way for me to go deeper into my own healing and awareness, even if they make things uncomfortable at times.  In these moments, I see opportunities with people because I believe the things we need to grow in life from, are often introduced by the people we come in contact with every day.

A good video on Emotional Fitness is an interview that Jim Fazio did with Dr. Paul Canali.  It is up on YouTube and you can click on the image below to view it.

https://youtu.be/0LjDsfmDw9E






Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
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Thursday, July 28, 2016

TO GMO label or NOT!

Wow, the US Senate finally did something to help protect us from the horrors of our food.  Yep, they went and passed a law about GMO labeling.  Hold on, did they actually pass a good law?  Well, it all depends upon who you want to ask.

If you ask the industry, they are all like smiles and happy and celebrating.  They got their way.  They can claim they did something good for consumers when its about as ridiculous as it gets.  Rather than making it easy to understand, they are making you scan a QR code to see if the product contains GMO ingredients.  Yep, I didn't misspeak.

I'm sure everyone wants to pick up every ingredient and scan the QR code to see what it has in it.  This makes so much sense - NOT!  Why not make it easy to see this.  Why not label it properly.  Oh, that's right, the food industry and their powerful lobbyists don't want you to know.  They love how they manipulate our US Senators - bought and paid for with your own grocery dollars.

I could be wrong of course and maybe they have better motives than it appears.  However, when you hide the ingredients, it doesn't make it a good thing.  Walk in any grocery store and pick up just about any product.  Then, tell me what is in it.  See, it isn't that easy is it?   They just bank on the customer being lazy and not looking at the ingredients anyway.

Have to be a food scientist...

You almost have to be a food scientist these days to even understand what's in the stuff you buy.  Far too many ingredients are not necessary, but hey - they dump them in anyway.  After all, if they can get you to eat a little more of their stuff, what's a little more sugar added in or high fructose corn syrup or many of the other questionable substances that some of us don't want to consume.

Now days, everything has far too much crap in it and we call it food.  Everything seems to be loaded with onion and garlic and for me, that's a difficult issue because those ingredients make me sick.  It doesn't matter to the food industry.  They obliterate the product and then add back spices like onion and garlic so no one knows the difference.

I still remember buying a can of peas and it actually had sugar added.  I wrote to the manufacturer questioning that and of course I got the bogus response that basically made no sense.  They didn't want to answer it because they know if they put sugar in it, people will like it more and buy more.  It has nothing to do with the reasons they try to proclaim.

I personally don't want all the added sugar, high fructose corn syrup and chemical ingredients that they put into food.  More and more, we are making our own stuff and not purchasing these products in the store.  Too many are not healthy for you.

If you aren't reading the ingredients...

If you aren't reading all the ingredients that are in each product, don't even suggest to me that you're eating healthy.  You're buying into all that the food industry wants you to believe.  Take a look at cancer rates and obesity.  Take a look at the record levels of diabetes.  Do you honestly think we are eating healthy in our society?  I'll give you my answer!  No we are not eating healthy.

The food industry loves an uneducated people.  They have hoodwinked the entire country into getting us to think if we look for the "low fat" or "healthy" on the labels, that's all we need to do.  The blindness of the masses.

GMO isn't something our grandparents had to deal with.  GMO is something new that has been done and while I'm sure the legitimate claims could be proven, food was not meant to be adulterated and poisoned with a chemical structure that was far from how it was created.  When you play God with our food, you're sentencing all of us to a life full of disease and poor health.


However, one thing we've done to try and counteract some of this is we have our whole food smoothies every day.  We get the live enzymes and unadulterated vitamins and minerals.  We get the natural phytochemicals and the fiber.  Using the Blendtec blender, our smoothies give our body the ability to absorb these without causing destruction to the food through processing.

https://youtu.be/6vwNHoobs2s

Its up to each one of us what we do with the food we consume and how we find health through nutrition or not.  Of course, when they hide the GMO ingredients, it is hard to sometimes know what is in the stuff you eat.  The food industry has tapped into their evil side once again on the GMO labeling, but its hard to expect anything else since they are bought and paid for through their lobbyists and co-conspirators, the US politicians.


It is important to note that at the time I'm writing this, the law has not been passed in the house.  I'm not sure that gives me any comfort that the house will do the right thing.  After all, politicians are just bought and paid for by lobbying dollars.  They can grandstand all they want about how much integrity they have, but lobbying dollars pulls the chair out from under them on the political stage.

Article source:   http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/08/485145450/senate-passes-a-gmo-labeling-bill-that-the-food-industry-likes





Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
  • Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Fear Is Running Our World

We've had far too many events happen lately that just make me cringe.  From the shooting in Orlando to the one in Louisiana and Minnesota along with the Arab that was detained, fear is running our world. There is no other way to state it.  There is a good chance that by the time this is posted, what I wrote will be out of date. 

Gun sales are at an all time high and if you think fear does not play a role in that, then you may want to take a second look.  People are so afraid of other people, they feel that guns are the only way they feel safe.  They are afraid.  Fear is running their lives. You can deny it all you want, but if you take a moment to look at it, you'll see it.  I'm not saying anything about guns, other than fear drives guns.  Why else would the gun sales skyrocket?

To see someone that was dressed in Arab clothing and become suspicious of the person and report them is beyond comprehension in my mind.  We fear what we do not know.  We fear these people because we're taught to fear them every day.  Through the media and especially the politicians, we know nothing else than the fear we should feel at the utterance of their name or image we see.

We are so afraid of one thing or another.  I remember living in a small town and I was meeting a friend of mine at a youth baseball practice session in the local ballpark.  I was sitting on the bleachers minding my own business and the parents demanded to know who I was and why I was there.  It was not for information purposes, but because they didn't know who I was.  They were afraid.  Yet, the same people would be fine worshiping alongside a child molester in their church.

Associate with our own kind...

When we put up walls and fences and only associate with our own kind, we're not helping to make the world a better place.  When we fear everyone around us that doesn't act like us or think like us, we are not making the world a better place.  When we fear everything but what we believe and we listen to the news pundits and politicians as if they speak our truth, we are not helping to make the world a better place.

When we degrade others and put our beliefs and religions as the forefront of all knowledge and truth, we are degrading all of humanity.  We are making each one of us out to be less than we are because we cannot see others with a pure essence or someone just like us.

When all others are wrong....

When we proclaim we have the right way and all others are wrong, it is then that fear is guiding our heart.  There is no love in that statement.  When we do this, we automatically assemble all those that are teetering on the brink of collapse to heed our call to hate one another.  Through that hatred, we see mass shootings such as Orlando and others.

We cannot proclaim to be better than those we despise if we do the same things that we hold up as being horrible.  We cannot proclaim to be better if we return hate with hate, all the time acting as if we have love in our hearts.  We are all guilty to some degree and many of us are guilty to a much greater degree.

We no longer respect and talk with one another as neighbors.  We no longer see others in the eyes of love because fear is running our world.  We engage in rhetoric that adds to the problem, but solves nothing.  We engage in rhetoric that brings us in unison with the masses, but does nothing to help make the world better.  We engage in beliefs that pit one person against another, rather than opening our arms and showing love to one another.

Fear is so alive...

It is time we begin to face up with how much fear is running our world.  Fear is so alive and this world is running scared.  Yes, I know there are dangers.  I have seen this happen too close to me, but we cannot do the same thing that is being done to us, because if we do, we will only lose the most precious part of our existence.

We are all one.  We were all created as humans traveling on this planet through the journey of life.  We can either choose to continue and keep our heads buried in the sand, or we can rise above and learn to love, not hate.  We can be more than we are, if we want to, but we must stop letting the rhetoric of the day be our source of strength and sustenance to our soul.

The ego keeps score.  The ego dictates how great it is and how right it is.  The ego shows you how wrong everyone is and how much they should be silenced.  The ego has nothing to do with love.  It has nothing to do with love in our heart.

It is up to each one of us, what we do and how we impact the world.  Each one of us can continue on the same path we are, or we can make a difference.  It isn't the other people who we need to worry about in life.  It is what is in our heart that will make the difference.  For when our hearts unite as one, hate will have no home.  Ignorance will not be fed.  Rhetoric of the day will sound like a noisy cymbal out of tune.

It is up to each one of us, what we choose to do with our day.  We will either become part of the solution or we will continue to add to the hate that is alive through the fear that is running our world.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/10/believing-your-fears.html





Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
  • Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Tuesday, July 26, 2016

My Heart Is Heavy

In less than a month, we have witnessed some horrific moments in this world, especially in this country.  It seems like we are at a crossroads and everyone is attempting to walk down the road that is marked with a "dead end" sign.   I fear that we are getting to a point of no return.

My heart is heavy seeing the news.  In less than a month, we've seen Christine Grimmie shot, the Orlando Shooting took place which killed 49 innocent people and now we've seen someone shot in Louisiana with so many unanswered questions.  We've seen someone be pulled over for a traffic issue only to end up dead.  We've witnessed the horrible unfolding events of Dallas, Texas.  There was an Arab in Ohio that was targeted because of what seems to be someone's fear of a person dressed differently.

(EDITING NOTE:  by the time this publishes, there have been many more instances of violence that had not happened at the time this was written).

How will we rise above where we are?  How will we come together as a nation and civilization?  Or are we doomed to destroy one another out of our fear, beliefs, and ego-based thoughts?

I read social media, and the hatred that is alive and well on these mediums is mind boggling.  There is absolutely no love by those that say they love in God's name.  Okay, I know that's painting a wide brush stroke.  I have friends who love God that don't say these things.  They truly love others.

I see the extremely insensitive social media postings that prove anything but respect for one another.  It is almost as if their beliefs are more important than humanity itself.  It is sad to read and my heart is heavy anytime I see it.

The politicians and church leaders get out there and spread the propaganda of hatred to the world.  The comments I have seen about these shootings or even LGBTq people is mind blowing.  How can we think we have the answers if we spew this horrible rhetoric?

You don't have to believe the same way everyone does, but if you fail to recognize how human an individual is, then you have degraded your own existence and that of the world.  It is not up to others to judge what we do, how we live, or who we are.  It is not up to the few in this country and world to destroy our peace and human nature.

Our journey through life is not easy and if we stand opposed to one another, it will make it that much more difficult.  If we work together, we have a chance of making it and becoming more than we are.  United we stand and divided we fall means so much these days.

My heart is heavy as I see the hatred and fear being spewed as fact and truth.  My heart is heavy as I see humans disrespecting one another and treated each other as less than.

Let's rise above all of this and become more than we are today.  When we are strengthened individually, we give strength to the entire world.  When we tear each other down and harm individuals, we doom the world.

I try hard to not to further the hatred and fear on social media.  There are far too many things said and posted that are not helpful.  They only make the situation much worse.  They only make us less than human.  Be mindful of what you tweet or like or share.  Is it for the highest good of all mankind or is it your own fear that is speaking?

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-shock-of-orlando-massacre.html


My heart is heavy.  I feel like I have no words to express what will make a difference.  I feel inadequate, but my heart weeps with sadness at the events I see unfold.  My heart is heavy.  My hope still exists that we will rise above this before we've traveled down that dead end road past the point of no return.






Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
  • Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Monday, July 25, 2016

Neuroscience In The News On July 25

These are articles that I found of interest relating to news about Neuroscience.  In this issue, I have highlighted an article about the multi-sensory process in the brain for merging senses.

Please check out the article links below and feel free to comment with other information related to these subjects.  I enjoy learning as much as I can about the brain and passing this information on to everyone else that shares these passions.

This is for the week beginning July 25, 2016.

Please come back each week and hopefully I will have some more highlights.  Feel free to share with me ones that you have found and I may highlight those as well.

Feel free to check out the highlighted articles from July 18, 2016





Multi-sensory Process In The Brain

It is often hard to detect all that happens in our brain during the course of a day, let alone a minute.  New research studies being done on how the brain processes multi-sensory input will shed new light on areas we can barely dream of in our lifetime.  The brain takes in so much sensory input such as sound and visual stimuli and somehow the brain knows what to put together and what doesn't belong together.  It does this with such speed an accuracy.  Fortunately researchers at Bielefeld University are coming to understand how this happens and the role it could play with Autism, robotics, and artificial perception.  To read more of the details of the study, please look at the following article, Merging Of Senses In The Brain [click to read more]




http://mindbodythoughts.com/merging-of-senses-in-the-brain/






Sunday, July 24, 2016

Destigmatize Mental Illness, Suicide and Addiction

I recently learned of a new film that William Dickerson is working on.  It is based upon his novel, "No Alternative".  The purpose is to help destigmatize mental illness, addiction and suicide.

When I first read about it, my heart was moved by the video that he has put together describing the project.  I've suffered from mental illness and I've also dealt with attempted suicide in my own life.  This project touches me closely.

I sat down with William to talk a little more about his film and ways that we could help him see this completed.  It is too important of a subject for anything to stop this from being seen by everyone in this world.

You can also find his book, No Alternative, on Amazon.

Click to learn more about the film: No Alternative.

Here's my interview with William Dickerson. 


What brought you to do this project?


This is an adaptation of my novel, "No Alternative," which I wrote as a type of plea for my mentally ill sister's survival, and a love song to the era I came of age in: the early 1990's. Since publishing my novel in 2012, my sister passed away from her illness and the motivation to make this film became bigger than ever.


What do you hope to accomplish with this film?


I hope to make an entertaining film about an important era in pop culture and destigmatize mental illness, addiction and suicide in the process. I have no doubt this is a movie that teenagers of yesterday, today and tomorrow can, and will, relate to.


In what ways are the rapper in the film similar to your sister and in what ways is she different?


I plan to portray the rapper in the film as close to my sister's real life rap persona as possible. The character of Bridget, when she's not Bri Da B, is modeled after my sister, too, but there is also a fair share of artistic license that I'm employing.


What impact did Kurt Cobain's suicide have on you?  How did that affect you?


It had an indelible impact on me. It was the reason I picked up a guitar and began to learn how to play it. There was something inside me that wanted to pick up where Kurt left off: I learned all his songs and formed a band, ultimately forging an indie career that was highly influenced by Kurt and his music.


Why did you choose the grunge-era?


It is my opinion that there hasn't been as important a time in pop culture since the grunge-era. For me, it's not even a close call. Just about 20 to 25 years after an important moment in time, people usually begin to become nostalgic about it. The time is now for the 90's to be explored on film.


How can people help?


I am currently crowdfunding through From The Heart Productions, which is a non-profit organization that supports socially conscious filmmaking. Contributions are tax-deductible and I would encourage people to check out the online campaign for the film here: https://bitly.com/noalternativefilm. I need all the help and support I can get!



Thank you very much William for taking the time to sit with me for this interview.  I hope that many more people will read this and find a way to help you make this happen.  It is such an important subject that needs to be talked about in every way possible.  Please click on the link above or on the banner image below to learn more about this film and how you can help bring it to life.


https://fromtheheartproductions.networkforgood.com/projects/14034-feature-films-no-alternative-a-feature-film





#Mentalillness
#suicide
#addiction

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Keep Going!

No matter what you face in your day, remember that tomorrow will be another opportunity.  I know that sounds like a cliche' but it is true.  Sometimes when the storms of your day get far too intense, don't give up.  Keep going.

I've been through far too many things in my life and believe me, at times, I struggled to keep going.  It took all my strength to not give up.  I'm sure you've had those moments and I'm not alone in this.

Here is what I wrote in an attempt to help.  Keep in mind, that sometimes no matter what someone says or what you read, words are never always enough.  Sometimes, moments in life just suck.  Keep going - no matter what!

Keep going when all else seems like it is too hard to deal with in a day.  When your troubles before you feel like they are bigger than you can comprehend, don't give up.  Keep going!

Keep going when it feels like the earth is falling away from you and you're flying without a rope.  When moments come by as if there is nothing you can do, don't give up. Keeping going!

Keep going when the memories from your past haunt you and attempt to encompass your every move.  Don't give in.  Don't give up the fight.  Take them right back from whatever is trying to steal your life's essence.  Tell them to get lost.  Tell them you are taking back your life.

Keep going when it feels like there are no answers.  When you keep asking the question of "why" and you find no answers, don't give up.  Keep turning over the rocks until you find the one that fits in place.  It may be a long road, but the right answer will show up when you're least expecting it.

Keep going when the pains in life are too much to bear.  When the pain becomes so intense that you just want to scream and yet it feels like the screams do very little.  The pain may be strong, but it too will pass and you will find calmer waters ahead.

Keep going when you feel weary and bruised to the bone.  When it feels like you will not be able to rise to see another day, don't give up.  Don't give up!  Keep going because there is a good chance, that what you so badly need is right there ready to make its acquaintance.

Keep going because with all things in life, there is a season.   In all things, whatever we are facing will fade away.  This too shall pass.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/09/looking-forward-in-difficult-moments.html


Even though it feels like there is no end in sight, I will promise you that if you keep going, you will find your way through this in whatever form that you need to take.  If you give up, you will miss out on this most important morsel of life that is waiting to be discovered, created, and one with your life.





Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
  • Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Friday, July 22, 2016

Living A Disconnected Life

Hello?  Is anyone there?  Okay, you're here, but are you alive?  Are you present and connected?  You say, "Yes, I am here and connected," but are you really?

You see, we tend to keep ourselves so busy in a day.  Its far easier that way because then we don't have to feel.  You know, feel all the stress and torment we've experience in life or feel all the stress from the weight of responsibilities in life that we have.  Its easier to just not feel.

If we begin to feel, sometimes life gets too overwhelming and we look for the mind numbing escape routes.  We sure do have those escape routes.  It is part of being human in a human body, but when we numb out, we're not being human.

Hear the birds sing....

In the course of your day, how often do you just go outside and feel the sun upon your face, or hear a bird sing?  How often do you just notice your breath and stop in stillness for 30 seconds?  How often do you immerse yourself in nature or just take a moment and watch your pets run and play through the house?

We tend to go on Facebook or Twitter constantly during the day and night.  Yes, they are designed to keep you engaged, but the mind and the eyes and the body need a rest.  They don't need to stay this engaged all the time.  It is not healthy.  It is living a disconnected life.

We engage in the latest political gossip of our day, making it our life's purpose to set those straight that disagree with us.  We know that it is our responsibility to do this which is true to a point, but at some point, we lose the limits of life.  We become disconnected in life chasing down the lowest form of discourse.

Often we don't read what we share or pass on through social media.  We just like and click.  Granted there is far too much out there in a day to read, but it doesn't stop us from being part of the problem, rather than part of the solution.  We mindlessly forward and share all that comes our way, not stopping to realize just how much we are living a disconnected life.

Fail to stay engaged with family...

We go home and our families and children and friends become something we chat with when we have little else we're doing.  We fail to stay engaged and keep them in the loop of our life, thereby alienating them from what is happening with our life.  We just assume they know how much they mean to us, but we fail to communicate this to them.  After all, we are living a disconnected life.

We dish out memes to those around us hoping to make them feel like we appreciate them, but our words often fall short.  There is no true feeling and connection in the meme, but it doesn't stop us from allowing it to take our place in the relationship we have with those we care about and love.  Living in a disconnected life keeps us from seeing what it is we actually do to others we care about and love.

Not everything is worthy of our time...

Not everything that happens in the news is worthy of our time.  Not everything that others expect from us is an expectation we should put on our self.  Not everything that we think is important is as important as we think it is.

Taking care of ourselves and learning how to stop and smell the roses is far more important than all the hundreds of tasks you try to do in a day.  It is more important than all the likes and shares on social media.  Taking care of yourself is far more important than being engaged with the latest tirades from the news-makers of the day.

Living a connected life should be what we should strive for in our years.  Connecting with our mind and body, learning to stop and enjoy life or just taking a moment to truly connect with others; this should be on our list of goals.  If you're living a disconnected life, you've lost site of what being human is and its taking you on a dead-end road to nowhere.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/08/take-disconnect-challenge.html






Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Missing The Healing Point

All too often, we as humans chase down the things that don't matter while proclaiming that we know all there is to know about healing.  It is really a sad testament to the human race at times.  We miss the healing point in life and instead we look at the flowers surrounding what true healing is all about in life.

I see this so many times in so many things where people chase the clouds in the sky rather than realizing they are missing out on looking at the sky.  In healing, I've seen far too many people jump from one new healing cure to another and all the time they are missing the true essence of healing.

I've seen people embrace things that really don't matter and then proclaim loudly that they have the only source to healing that there is.  They do it with gusto.  They do it with bravado.  There isn't a shortage of them.  In the olden days, they were called snake oil salesman.  I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but more often than not, it is true.

Fail to see what truly helps...

Then you have those that skip out on the true essence of what they have found to heal their life and they create a system to prove that it is true.  They miss out on the pure science and reputability of what really happens, while failing to see what it is that they do which truly helps.

In many modalities and belief systems, there is so much that helps people heal, but we get lost in the stuff that doesn't.  We look at all the peripheral things, instead of honoring the sacred part at the center of what we experience.

More than a quick 1-2-3 scheme...

I know, we all want glitz and glamour.  We want to act like we have the answers when maybe we've only discovered the one little piece of the puzzle.  We want to boil our stuff down into a quick 1-2-3 healing scheme that applies to everyone, regardless of their specific situations.

In all these things, we're missing the healing point.  The moment of healing that takes place before our eyes which is magical and unaltered.  It is the point where our ego is nowhere to be found, but the pure essence of creativity and oneness without judgement is limitless.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/12/surrender-into-healing.html


This is the point where we disconnect, but it is at that moment where we should summon all our resources.  It is how we apply all our resources that we go further into where the healing lies, not limit ourselves with what we do not know or understand.





Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Throw Words Together And Mean Something

There, I just did it.  Hey, why not be like all the major reporting outlets and newspapers and social media interactions?  Just throw some words together and have it mean something.  It doesn't matter if what you say makes any sense.  It doesn't matter anymore.

No longer do we need proper grammar or sentence structure.  It doesn't matter if you really communicate your thought, because after all, you're just trying to throw words together.  Social media has made this so much worse because no one communicates anymore.

Its hard enough to get your point across without just obliterating the meaning by throwing words together.  Yet, it doesn't stop anyone.  When you have to read something over and over again to try and figure out what you just read, there is a problem.

I'm not perfect either.  I know this.  However, I at least attempt to explain things in the best way that I can, so the point I'm trying to make is clear.  I don't try to game the system by slapping keywords together, one after another.  I don't try to play games just to get people to click.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/09/are-you-authentic.html

Authenticity is lacking so much in online social media.  It's more about getting your own ego stroked than it is making a difference in the world.  It's all about the 'me' part of social media and not even beginning to ask, does what I do truly make a difference in the lives of other people?  Does what I do truly bring something good and positive into the world?

Improve the world...

There is far too much stuff posted online in a day and in the media, so let's try to improve the world by making what we share count for something good.  Let's help make the world a better place by posting and sharing content which makes a difference.  Let's stop wasting everyone's time with repeated material just so we can get noticed.

Let's show the world by our words and actions that we are authentic




Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

I Wish I Had Enough Love

In this day of horrendous news and behavior that is less than human, I feel like I cannot do enough.  I know I'm not alone.  Others feel the same way when people are degraded and torn down and used as political footballs or as individuals to bully.   Its hard to see anyone murdered or beaten or abused and yet it happens far too often in our day.

As humans we should strive to be more than we are, not how we can abuse, tear down or kill or one-up every other person.  We should not aim to divide, but celebrate our differences and cherish where our lives intersect.  This world has become a dangerous place and the rhetoric spewed in abundance, does not help.  It may be the result of the ego, but it hurts everyone.

Words have become daggers throughout every country of this world.  If words can hurt and kill others, then we can use words to heal and soothe and uplift one another.  I write these words in an attempt to help us heal and soothe the open wounds of society.

...Who Suffered
I wish I had enough love to heal all those that have suffered in this world.  Whether it is from child abuse and trauma or from the horrors of bombs and mass killings.  Whether it is from those adults who have no idea how to respect their kids or from those that turn an eye.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

... Feel Wounded
I wish I had enough love to heal all those who feel wounded in life and lash out at everyone they meet.  Whether it is the ones that feel they have all the answers or the politicians that use people to win their posts.  Whether it is those that feel they should use every form of social media to portray their hurt and anger against recipients that don't expect it.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

 ... Numb and Disconnected
I wish I had enough love to heal all those who are so numb and disconnected in life.  Whether it is from all their past experiences or the current barrage of everyday news.  Whether it is from everything that has overwhelmed them or the moment where they feel like there is no hope.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

... Hurting From Being Strong
I wish I had enough love to heal all those who are hurting from being strong for so long in life.  Whether it is from current health issues that steal their strength, energy and vitality or from moments where their bodies are too tired to see another day.  Whether it is from those moments of just being so tired in life that they want to give up.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

... All The Hate
I wish I had enough love to heal all the hate that is portrayed to the world.  Whether it is from the political rhetoric or those that do it in the name of God and love.  Whether it is by those who cannot see or ones who have to cover up for their own lack of self worth.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

... All The Fear
I wish I had enough love to heal all the fear in this world.  Whether it is from the fear that is real or imagined or something that seems all too real.  Whether it is from the fear that hides within each soul, but goes unnoticed in our day and we put on the happy face so as to hide it.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

... All The Greed
I wish I had enough love to heal all the greed in this world.  Whether it is from the online sites that can only see dollar signs instead of authenticity.  Whether it is from those for whom there is never enough greed to fill their pockets in a day and they constantly seek more.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.  

... Hatred and Ignorance
I wish I had enough love to heal the hatred and ignorance towards one another.  Whether it is from racism or the color of one's skin or just the ignorance of seeing someone else as different.  Whether it is from long held family beliefs that were taught or the failure to see each other as human.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.  

... Not Seeing
I wish I had enough love to heal the willingness not to see in this world.  Whether it is through the constant chatter of the news for the daily fix of being re-traumatized or the superficial side of social media.  Whether it is through blind allegiance to those we agree with or the lack of being one's self.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

... What Was Taught
I wish I had enough love to heal the mind from seeing only what was taught.  Whether it is the teachings that were imparted from day one to a child who never realized that this was a beginning point, not an end point to knowledge.  Whether it was from those that were beaten into submission to learn only what they were told.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

 ... Planet
I wish I had enough love for the earth to heal the woes of this planet.  Whether it is the animals that are abused and tortured or given no sacred respect for their place in our civilization.  Whether it is for the plants or trees or land that is tortured for our own gain.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

... Forgiveness
I wish I had enough love to offer forgiveness to everyone.  Whether its on the battlefield of a war or on the murderous streets where we live.  Whether it is from those that did us so much harm that we can never begin to understand how to forgive them and let go.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

... Mind Body Connection
I wish I had enough love to help all humans to understand the mind - body connection in the way I've learned from experience.  Whether it is neglecting rest for our body or a healthy balance of all things in a day.  Whether it is the complete isolation and disconnect from our mind and body or a fear that it doesn't align with our beliefs.  I wish I had enough love to heal each one.

I feel inadequate beyond measure for all I see happening.  I feel some days as if I cannot do enough.  I often feel like even in what I try to do, it's never enough to heal the earth, its people, and all inhabitants we see.  For evil has marched upon this planet in the name of love while it has closed the eyes of many as if they have never seen.

I feel inadequate beyond measure to know how to help, but I long to help.  I feel some days as if love is not enough.  I feel at times that hope may never come to see another day.


Surely as a people and civilization living on this planet, we can do more than we are doing today.  Surely, we can be more than we are today.  Surely, we can all find some small way in this day to make a positive difference and then repeat it again tomorrow.

For if we continue down the path we are on, love may not be enough to pull us back.








Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
  • Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Monday, July 18, 2016

Neuroscience In The News On July 18

These are articles that I found of interest relating to news about Neuroscience.  In this issue, I have highlighted an article about bullying and neuroscience.

Please check out the article links below and feel free to comment with other information related to these subjects.  I enjoy learning as much as I can about the brain and passing this information on to everyone else that shares these passions.

This is for the week beginning July 18, 2016.

Please come back each week and hopefully I will have some more highlights.  Feel free to share with me ones that you have found and I may highlight those as well.

Feel free to check out the highlighted articles from July 11, 2016





Bullying and Neuroscience

Through research, they are finding that bullying gives the bully a feeling of reward.  The more they bully others, the more reward they get. While there are areas in the brain that deal with such as the lateral habenula and basal forebrain, there is a chemical called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) that is a primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.  It is responsible for reducing the excitation of surrounding neurons and making them less active. While there is so much more to read on this topic, I hope that this research will help begin to stop bullying.  An estimated 28 percent of kids between 12 and 18 are bullied in school.  This needs to stop and if neuroscience can help solve this horrible plague upon our society, than I am all for it!  You can read more on this topic, Neuroscience of Bullying.   [click to read more]

http://mindbodythoughts.com/neuroscience-of-bullying/




Sunday, July 17, 2016

Sinning Does Not Cause Depression Or Anxiety

I couldn't believe it when I read it.  I mean, come on - there's enough people hurting in the world without trying to make up stuff that isn't true.  Depression and anxiety are very real things that many have to deal with every day.

It pains me to see anyone that suffers from depression or anxiety have to live with the ignorance that is out there on this subject.  Today though, took the cake!  It was a horrible display and makes me absolutely sick.

In the comment I read as you can see here in the image to the right, they said that depression and anxiety was caused by sinning.  Its strictly a religious thing to them.  Now, the people that made this claim are holier than thou religious people.  I get that, but it still doesn't excuse it under any circumstances!


Unfortunately these people have no clue what biology is about or what mental health issues truly involve.  They must think that medicine and science are woo woo and that their misinterpreted views of religion are the only truth out there.  In fact, I know that's how they see things.  Of course, they are allowed to hold whatever beliefs they want, but when someone starts forcing it down others in their time of distress, then I've got big issues with people like this.

I grew up in this mindset and remember when I went through Conversion Disorder, I got some of this same stuff shoved at me.  One lady told me that I didn't need to go to the hospital, I just needed to pray about it.  Never mind that I was paralyzed and could not walk.  Of course, she was speechless when I looked at her and said, "If you broke your arm, would you just pray about it or would you go to the doctor?"  You see, these people sometimes don't engage the brain cells before they open their mouth.  I know, that's a harsh statement, but sometimes you can really hurt others with these misguided words.

Anxiety and depression are real.  Suicide is real.  I've been through both and praying to God didn't cure that because it was physical and biological conditions.  You can act as if they aren't real, but just because you don't think they are real, doesn't mean you are correct!


Sometimes our words are not only ignorant, but they are hurtful.  Imagine a person that is struggling to just make it through a day and you spew your unfounded beliefs upon them like this.  It could just be the last straw in their life.  They may say enough and find a way to end things.  Your words do far more damage than you may think at times.

This is plain ignorance in my view and it angers me when I read this stuff.  If you believe in God, I would think you would surely believe that he created all things, including doctors.  Sometimes, it is better to not just claim you know something, but be silent and let the professionals help the ones that need help.  Let the compassionate people care for others and just go over into your little cave in the ground and hide for another century.

So many people deal with depression and anxiety.  They have had to be strong for far too long without any escape and it isn't an easy road dealing with it or trying to heal your life and find your footing.  Its tough at the very least.

I've been through anxiety, depression, and suicide.  I know what it is like to freak out in a store or in a car.  I know what it is like to struggle in an elevator or an enclosed room.  I know what it is like to deal with the anxiety attacks that just come out of nowhere from the slightest trigger you can't even see.

I know what depression feels like and how lonely and lost you can get.  I know the despair, the pain and the misery.  I know just how difficult it is to keep going in a day when nothing matters and  you could care less.  It is not just a temporary sadness, but something that goes much deeper.

I know what suicide is like.  I've struggled far too many times to do it and fortunately I was never successful.  When you get in those moments, nothing else matters, but comments such as the one above do nothing to help.  Suicide is a horrible moment where all that matters is hanging on long enough to make it through to the next moment.


Our words can hurt.  Our religious piety does no good for other humans.  If we truly want to help others, we need to listen with our hearts and minds.  We need to be there without judgment and condemnation.  We need to treat them as they are human, not as they are less than.

Stop the judgment of anxiety and depression and suicide, because they are real things that people have to deal with.  They aren't a punchline to get more people into your church!  Be a force of love and compassion to people, helping them find their way in this difficult world.  Don't add to their pain.  Show them love and compassion.




Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
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Saturday, July 16, 2016

I keep going

I don't know how I do it.  Some days it is tougher than others.  At some points in life, I've said - what the heck - why do this any longer?  Yet, I keep going.

Its probably a good thing that I keep going, but you know sometimes its so hard to keep going.  We all know that to some extent I think.  We all have had to deal with plenty in our life and maybe some of us had an extra helping of it.

Its when the physical pain and discomfort get so great that it is all I can do to hold on.  There are things that I won't share with others because they are far too personal, but when they cause physical issues, it gets much tougher in life.

I keep going somehow.  I don't know how.  It feels like it is often a lonely path and yet, somehow and in some small way, I manage to keep going.  I often wonder if I'm using up my free passes of to keep going, but so far, I still have some left.

Even when I feel ignored...

Even when people I know seem to shun me or avoid me or ignore me, I keep going.  Don't ask me how I do because I feel like an outcast when that happens.  I feel like it is more than I can bear.  I feel like in those moments, that I'm all alone.  Most likely I'm not alone, but it feels that way.

I keep going, even through the heartache and rejection and fear and triggers from the past.  No, none of them are easy.  Sometimes they lessen in intensity and at other times they come at me full force as if there is no tomorrow.

Even when everything sucks...

I keep going even when everything seems to crumble away.  I keep going even when everything seems to suck.  If I knew the magic formula, I'd share it and become a millionaire, but I have no idea what keeps me going.

If your life seems pointless and it feels like you're all alone, just keep going.  No, I'm not going to promise pretty rainbows tomorrow, but what's the alternative - to stop and miss out on something greater than we can see right now?

If your life feels like it is too much too bear, take a moment and just sit down on the rock.  Its okay.  You can get up when you feel like it regardless of what the world around you dictates that you should do.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/04/walking-through-muck.html


All I know is, I don't have all the answers for my own life and most likely not for everyone else.  I just keep going and I do that by keeping going.  Yes, it wears me down at times, but I know no other thing than to keep going.  In some ways, its the only punishment that I have to give to those that made my life a living hell.




Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
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Friday, July 15, 2016

People Can't See Their Own Hate

It really gets sad when we are so oblivious to our own ways that we can't see the forest for the tree standing in front of us.  Yet, another example showed up today by so many that act as if they are morally and intellectually superior.

When you make fun of another group or enjoy seeing the group get triggered by what is being said online or in the news, something is wrong.  No, I'm not making this up.  It was on Twitter.  Why should I not be surprised!

People don't even realize what their words mean or how they come across.  If they do, they don't care.  If they don't understand, it makes you wonder if they realize what being human is all about.

I see people talk about how much they love God and how their beliefs are the right thing.  In the next breath, they shower their hatred among those that they don't agree with and if you call them out on it, you're the one that doesn't understand.  They are so blind with the log in their eyes that they can't see just how their words don't match up to the concept of love.

Politics of course is ripe with hatred for one another.  They don't even care that they put down another group of people as long as it gets them votes.  Out of ignorance, they proclaim hatred all the time without skipping a beat.  It must give them a reason for their life's existence.

Online Social Media is one of the worst places to go if you want to see anything but hate.  It is so quickly displayed in Facebook and Twitter and not one of these people can see that it hurts others deeply.  In fact, I think online social media thrives on it and it is pretty sad because it really damages other people.

Why on earth would one want to intentionally inflict pain upon another person unless they are so miserable in their own life, that this is the only way they know to exist in their lives.  Maybe they prop themselves up by putting others down.  Maybe it is the way they give life and liberty and freedom to themselves, by despising those that they don't agree with and accept.

Hatred is so blinding to people and it causes ignorance to inflate as big as it can get.  It doesn't matter if the people who hate are the ones that act as if they deplore hatred, because as long as they are doing it, it makes them feel superior.  Anyone else that shows the same is acting in a stupid manner.

I'm really tired of seeing hate so displayed every day.  Surely we have the capacity to be more than that.  Surely we don't need to kill and ridicule and preach hatred from our church pulpits.  Maybe we could actually try loving one another and giving each other the respect that should be rightfully a part of being human.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/04/hopefully-we-evolve-as-humans.html


Hopefully one of these days we will evolve as humans, not become those that hate more than the people we despise.  I hold out hope, but more and more it becomes harder to hold on to hope.  If we continue to hate, how long will it take before there is no one left in the world.




Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
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Thursday, July 14, 2016

Pets Teach Us How To Love

I've always had animals around me from farmyard animals to cats, dogs, rabbits, and goldfish.  Right now, I'm taken care of by two wonderful rescue cats.  They look after me and my partner each day.  They make sure we are loved and looked after and we're never alone.

Pets show us how to love one another.  They really do.  If you have a pet, you'll know this firsthand and I'm not telling you anything new.  Unfortunately, we sometimes forget just how much love we are given by our pets.

I wish humans could learn to love one another as our pets love us.  Rather than getting caught up in all the political discussions of the day filled with ego and hate and ill-will towards one another, we could experience love.  The love our pets show for us.

Our pets don't look at us and say, "you're this or that or the wrong thing".  Our pets don't look at us and claim how much we do wrong.  Our pets don't see the differences in us and they often act far better than many humans.

I wish humans could view one another through the eyes of love, just like our pets do.  There would be no issues with color or race or sexuality.  We wouldn't work so hard to divide and separate one another from each other.  We would just look at each other with love and respect, nothing more and nothing less.

I wish humans could stop preaching to one another how much they love all mankind, while showing through their actions and words, the complete opposite.  Let us be like our pets where they show us love through their actions and attentions, meows and barks.

We could learn so much from our pets if we allowed ourselves to learn.  We could look at others with oneness rather than separating our species out of fear and hatred and ego.  We could truly learn what being human is about if we let our pets show us how to love one another.

http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/03/i-love-our-cats.html


Do you have a pet?  How do they show you how to love?  Feel free to share in the comments below.

The cat in the picture above is Corey, our orange cat.  Topanga did not make the picture this time.





Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly
  • Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Writing Helps the Mind and Body

I've always been a proponent of words and creativity throughout my life.  Writing has helped me so much in putting together some very difficult circumstances of life.  Writing helps the mind and body by allowing you to express yourself in a way that may not be easy to do.

For those who have been through trauma, child abuse, and other horrible experiences of life, writing gives you an outlet.  It allows you to venture into a world where you would otherwise not go.  It gives the brain the creative permission to look at things from a different perspective.

Three people that come to my mind immediately (and I know I'm leaving out a ton of others), use writing in a very unique and powerful way.  I enjoy reading the blogs of these individuals because they are just so down to earth and real and unique.

Trevor Marty...

One of these bloggers is Trevor Marty.  Now, Trevor plays some awesome music and he's a very creative person.  He's very real too and compassionate and caring and overall one heck of a great friend to know.  He has a simplistic way about him that just gets down to the heart of the matter in whatever he does and I really admire that about him.  One of his most recent endeavors is sharing adventure stories of his cat, Ms Mama Macy.  You've really got to check it out!

http://trevormarty.blogspot.com/2016/05/ms-mama-macy-and-brave-little-rhino.html



Writing can be fun as in the case of my friend Trevor.  When writing is fun, it expands your brain and gives you new neural pathways to explore.  I remember as a kid that exploring the barns and corn cribs of the farms we lived on was like traveling to another world.  Writing allows you to do that and sometimes escape the world you're currently in.

When we can escape the world for a moment, it sometimes gives the mind and body a fresh new perspective.  It allows us to see something that we might not have seen and so the mind and body can come together as one, working towards a common goal of awareness.


Surviving My Past.net

Another great blogger is Matt, my friend who writes SurvivingMyPast.net .  Matt is one of the most caring people I've met and is always supportive, no matter how upside his day may be going.  He's very real and open and honest and this shines through in his writing.  I seem to identify so much with what he writes.  Even issues that I thought were healed and sealed in my life, were opened back up with me being able to see them from a different perspective.  He's got a way in doing that.  You should really check out his blog and YouTube podcasts especially if you know of anyone that's a male survivor of child abuse.

http://www.survivingmypast.net/featured/feeling-unlovable/

For a long time, I used writing as a tool to heal my life.  There was no way I could verbally express much of this to anyone.  Yet, I had so much pain locked up in me and the only way I could find some sanity in a day was to write.  I didn't write for others to read it.  I wrote to help make sense of it in my own life and in my mind and body.


Savage Lost...

The other person that is one awesome writer is my partner in life.  He writes about the history of music, but in a way that if you did not experience it, you feel like you were there when it happens.  He has such a great way with telling a story that captivates you.  Its more than history to him.  It is about living through these wonderful moments of years gone by as he and many others were dealing with the ever changing kaleidoscope of life.  Take a look at one of his articles from Savage Lost (1960 Florida Garage Bands) he wrote and see if you don't feel like you're right there living the music scene with him. 

http://savagelost.com/the-first-deep-city-related-45-and-miami-girl-group-confusion


We don't have to be perfect writers.  I don't consider myself to be a perfect writer.  I just write from my experiences and my heart.  That's what these folks do that I've mentioned.

I'm an individual that is constantly expanding my horizons and so I love to read things by different people.  I don't want everything to be the same subject every day because that doesn't help the mind and body grow or evolve.  I challenge myself to read things that I normally would not read and I challenge you to do the same.

For me, writing is about putting down on paper all the thoughts in my head.  Some days, I think I do it more for myself than anything and other people benefit as a result.  Yes, it takes courage at times to share it publicly, but don't let fears and insecurities hold you back.  Just put the words out there!  You'll be amazed at what happens after that.





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