Most Heart Attacks Happen On Monday

According to a recent YouTube video lecture by Dr. Jason Satterfiled of USCF, most heart attacks happen on Monday!  Hopefully you are not reading this on a Monday or if you are, you are one of those people that take care of yourself.  Right, everyone takes care of themselves and heart attacks only happen to other people, not to us!

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that any one reading this is not home free when it comes to heart attacks.  Please, by a show of hands, who takes excellent care of themselves?  Ok, I see that the majority of you raised your hand.  Now, how many of you exercise daily or at least three times a week.  Not as many hands stayed up.  Of the hands that are still up, how many of you eat a balanced diet and avoid all the nasty junk food?  There aren’t as many hands up now.  So now, of all the hands still up, who in here monitors their health on a daily basis, checking their pulse rate, and engaging in relaxation and stress reduction?  Where did the hands go?

Come on, a moment ago, everyone claimed to take care of themselves and yet, some of the most simple things you can do to help prevent heart attacks are not being done.  Are you all kidding yourself or just messing with me in this informal poll?

Christmas Pulse Rate

PulseRateHealthy.com
Christmas Pulse Rate

Even in the midst of all the magic of Christmas, it can be a difficult time for many of us.  I am one of those people and if you have been reading my blog the past few days, you will readily see what I mean.  However, each year that goes by, I heal a little more and the pain of the season lessens.

This year, I have been focusing more on very deep relaxation where I connect deeply with my body.  Even though my pulse rate has still gotten up in the high 90 range, I have been able to drop it significantly if even for a temporary moment during the day.

The details of what I am referring to can be found on the blog of another site I manage called "Pulse Rate Healthy".  Please click the following link to read more about my Christmas Pulse Rate and check out my pulse rate log that can be accessed from that site.

Trauma: Release Anger In The Pool

For those people that have been dealt a heavy hand of trauma in their lives, anger is one of the recurring nightmares that they must face. Even with much therapy, there is always that residual anger that keeps coming up. While you can make significant progress in learning to deal with anger and finding ways to release anger, it still shows up.

All too often in our lives, as victims of trauma or child abuse, we were not allowed to show anger for what was happening to us. Even in traumatic moments, the energy is locked within us. The focus at those moments is on survival, not dealing with the feelings and emotions of anger. In the end, unless we deal with the anger that has locked itself deep within us, it will stay hidden below the surface. It is crucial that we find ways to discharge the energy of the anger stored within our bodies. If we do not do this, we will be met with many physical challenges and be as a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

For a long time, I could not allow myself to get angry. My image of anger that I grew up with was an explosive father who just lashed out at the nearest person. During much of my life, I was so afraid of anger that I just held it in. Yes, if you are wondering, it did cause many physical problems from a nervous stomach, to shoulder, neck and back pain and in my case, paralysis. It took me a long time and a very safe place, with a very safe person who allowed me to go in and feel that anger. For some time, it was very difficult and scary and I needed much reassurance.

As time has passed, I have begun to release so much of the deep held anger within my body. It is the anger that is far below the surface and is not always easy to get in touch with. However, it affects me each and every day of my life in all that I do and all those that know me. M

I have gotten to a point where I can readily feel when the anger and stress levels are building up in me. If at that moment, I can begin to recognize these things and work through some of the surfacing anger, it will not nearly have the effect on me that it once did in my life. Of course, the fears that come up with this anger is that it will go to far and that I will lose control. I really have to honor those feelings and respect them so I allow myself to move through this in a safe manner.

Here is an exercise that I have used to help release anger by going to a swimming pool. This is an additional exercise that builds off of a previous blog post that I wrote (see Ways To Release Anger posted on 1/24/10).

Here's what to do:
Find a pool where you can have a little privacy and if you have one in your backyard, that is ideal.

As you begin to prepare yourself to do this exercise, begin focusing on the anger that you are feeling. Try to picture it completely in your mind and even talk about it or write about it if you can, even if this is just to yourself. Whatever works and makes you feel safe, allow yourself to really connect with that anger.

Now, go into the pool and find a level of water that is comfortable for you and where you can get solid footing. As you get your balance and footing in the water, begin to think about that which you are angry. At this point, you can either do the exercise mentioned above (Ways To Release Anger) or you can mix that in with this exercise. Whatever way feels right and works for you is the key.

So as you have your footing solid on the floor of the pool, begin to take your arm and make your hand into a fist, then start punching the water out. Use as much force as you can and really go deep and hard in to the water. Feel all of what is going on from the strength it takes to do this and the anger that you feel in your arm. Feel the pressure of the water pushing back as you punch the water. Continue to do this with one arm and then try it with the other arm. Feel free to alternate back and forth. Be creative in allowing yourself to connect with the anger. Remember, the water is not going to be hurt by you punching it. It is a safe way to release the anger.

Continue doing this until your body begins to feel exhausted and tired. You may be surprised at just how quickly this happens especially if you are really connecting to the anger and allowing that anger to exit through your arms. Before you get completely exhausted, find a comfortable, safe and inviting place to lie or sit down. Allow your body to feel everything that it is feeling from the exhaustion to the anger to the energy and excitement of what you just did. Allow your body to move or tremble or shake in any way that it may need to. Give yourself permission to cry or to scream out if that is what seems like the thing to do. You may even want to go and scream into the water if you're not in a place where you can do this safely. Just let everything come out and feel every bit of it. Notice all that is going on within your body.

Give yourself enough time to just rest and let your breathing and heart rate come down. Make sure you have plenty of time to just rest and relax because after you pushed your nervous system up into the anger phase, you need to give yourself the opposite side of it. It is the reward for going in and doing the hard work that you just did.

If you have a pulse meter, try to check it before you do this exercise and check it after. When I did it, my pulse went from a very high rate of around the 80-90's down to around 60 beats per minute. The more the drop, the more you really got in touch with your anger and released it. A pulse meter is a very good tool in helping you discern what really took place. And if by chance, you didn't get that great of a drop, don't worry - just try the exercise again. The more you connect with this, the more you will be able to impact your body in a very healthy way. Remember, you're not just releasing anger but you are having a positive impact on your physical, mental and emotional well being.


(Above Picture taken at our pool - (c) 09/07/10)




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High Pulse Rate And Heart Disease

According to a recent article published on MSNBC, Guys, These 7 Quick Checks Could Save Your Life, there was a very useful statistic regarding heart rate. According to researchers in Italy, having a resting heart rate (pulse) over 70 bpm (beats per minute) increases your risk of dying of heart disease by 78%. If you stop and think about that, this is a statistic that will get your attention.

A resting heart rate is the rate at which your heart beats while you are at a complete rest. The best time to check this is in the morning after a good night of sleep and before you get out of bed. Another time to check it would be after meditation or a relaxing massage. Any time where your body is at a resting state is where you will find your resting heart rate (resting pulse).

The heart generally beats around 60 to 80 times a minute. This is the heart rate or pulse that we all hear about. The terms are usually interchanged but basically they mean the same thing. Your resting heart rate is dependent upon your age, your activity level and how much stress you have residing in your body. You can strongly influence what your heart rate or pulse rate is by exercising regularly and getting bodywork done on yourself such as massage to help you release built up stress in your body.

Unfortunately, most of us do not even know what our pulse rate is. We go through our days hoping that everything is ok and if we feel sick or out of whack, we then schedule an appointment to see a doctor. By then, we could have already taken steps to lower our pulse rate but for some reason, in our culture, we do things backwards. Most people have a pulse rate that is very high and many have a pulse rate that is in the 90's or even 99 and above. When you get into the range of 99, you are entering dangerous territory with your life and your health.

For most of my life, my pulse was probably very high but I didn't realize it. Every time I went to the doctor, they would check it and even though it was high, it always was attributed to the fact that I have a big fear of doctors. My anxiety level goes through the roof the moment I walk into a doctor's office. However, even though my pulse showed that it was high, no one figured it out for most of my life. In the following blog posts, you'll quickly see how I learned about it and what I did to work on it.


1) Finger Pulse Meter, Know What's Going On

2) Why Is My Pulse High?

3) The Pulse Of Autonomic Arousal



The biggest thing you can do to help yourself is knowing where your pulse is at. That is why I bought the Finger Pulse Oximeter. Ok, I know that sounds like an advertisement and it is, but it is also what really helped me. This little pulse meter allowed me to begin checking my pulse at different times of the day or night and I was surprised at just how high my pulse was for most of my day. Even at a time of rest, it would remain around 99 bpm. Once I knew that my pulse was high, I could begin working on it. Until that point, I was not even aware or conscious that it was.

Since this time, my pulse now stays down around the higher 60's to lower 70's. It isn't exactly as low as I want it to be but going from 99 bpm pulse rate down to 70 is a big improvement. I am continuing to make changes in my life to help improve this and to better my overall health. Of course, until I started to measure my pulse, I had no way to know just how dangerously I was living. I urge anyone reading this to begin checking their pulse frequently and see where you are at. Once you do that, you too can take appropriate actions to help reduce your pulse rate and improve your health.



*Read other articles on Mind Body Thoughts Blog

The Pulse Of Autonomic Arousal

The past several weeks and especially the past few days, I've been under a tremendous amount of stress. I could feel it building up within me. The overall tension in my body was building and making it difficult to just enjoy living in my body. My nerves were on end and I could feel an overall agitation knowing that there were many things to get done and not enough time to do them in. I felt the pressures of the world, of daily life, responsibilities coming down on me as well as things that various people were expecting me to get done.

It seemed like no matter what, finding a moment of peace was almost as difficult as finding a four leafed clover. Yet, I longed for peace, for rest and even just some tranquility in my life. It had been far too long because I had been just pushing myself hard and for good reason.

Then I grabbed my pulse meter and went into my massage room to just give myself a moment of saying, this is my time. I didn't care what I had to do at that moment, but I just wanted some time of rest for myself. The pulse meter of course showed exactly what I felt in my body with my pulse being around 110 beats per minute. Of course, I've been down this road and so I didn't freak out from fear of my pulse being so high.

As I went into my body and connected with all the shaking, tremors and movements, I began to feel some pain and the tension really deep within me. It was at that moment, that my body began to violently shake and move almost as if the movements were coming from deep within my core. I allowed this to take place and just road it through as a surfer riding a wave. For I knew that at some point, it would dissipate and subside. It was potential energy that needed to get released. My body continued to twist and turn with moments of extreme shaking and movements then letting go and sinking down in to the table.

My pulse after a few minutes had come down from 110 to 103 which is still high but an improvement. Than as I continued to lay there listening to the relaxing sounds I had going, my pulse slowly began to come down to around the low 90's. Again, that is still a high pulse and shows that there is autonomic arousal in my nervous system. The best thing would be for me to go further into this but the time doesn't permit me to do this at the moment.

The feeling though of my body at 110 bpm and then at the low 90's felt like a nice wave of relaxation to me. It felt refreshing and welcoming to me. It gave me a breath of fresh air knowing that I could drop my pulse down and dissipate some of the stored energy that was locked up in my body. Tomorrow, I will do more with this and drop it further but for now, I'll just enjoy the feeling of my body coming down and letting go and traveling deeper into relaxation, rest and peace.


*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Symptoms Of Fear

While this is not an exhaustive list of what you may see or experience with the emotion of fear, it includes many symptoms. Fear of course shows up in different ways for different people based upon their own life experiences and the current stimuli they are facing. Some people may be more aggressive and others may be paralyzed from the fear.

For me, fear often paralyzes and immobilizes me. In fact at one time, I was completely paralyzed by fear. The condition of course is termed a "conversion disorder" or hysterical paralysis. When I get very stressed and the fears get high, one of the things I quickly notice is that my legs become difficult to move and feel as if I am dragging around lead weights.

Fear is part of the sympathetic nervous system which plays a major role in the fight or flight response. Hopefully after the fear has passed, our bodies return to a more restful and relaxed state through the parasympathetic nervous system.

Please feel free to leave a comment with other signs of fear that I may have missed and I will edit this post to include them.

Physical Signs Of Fear
- Wide Eyes
- Raised Eyebrows
- Flared Nostrils
- Clenched Mouth
- Larger personal space
- Slouching or hunching to minimize their exposure
- Taller or squared shoulders as in an aggressive response
- Feet may be pointed to locate a way out of the situation
- Crossed arms and hands
- Drumming of fingers
- Fidgeting
- Rapid Breathing
- Shaking or tapping legs
- Breathing more rapid and shallow
- Increase in blood pressure
- Increase in pulse rate
- Dilated Pupils
- Dry Mouth
- Body hair standing on end
- Tense and energized muscles
- Increased perspiration
- Digestive and Immune systems slow down
- Trembling and shaking
- Peristalsis reduced
- Increased glycogen to glucose conversion
- Norepinephrine and epinephrine secreted
- Sweaty Palms
- Nervous Ticks
- Increase in thoughts and Mind Racing
- Screaming, yelling or inability to do these things
- Immobility or paralysis
- Hives or skin rashes, skin conditions

I lived in fear all my life that if I spoke about these things, someone would come after me. I still deal with the fear, but I am coming to a point in my life where I will not be silenced any longer. 
Hope And Possibility Through Trauma by Don Shetterly

*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Why Is My Pulse High?

While I cannot say for certain, I have a feeling that my pulse has been too high for most of my life. I remember when going into doctor's offices, they would check the vital signs. My pulse was high, but it would be attributed to the anxiety I faced just seeing a doctor. My anxiety levels were always very high. The high pulse rate would be brushed aside as something normal when in fact, it was anything but normal.


The WAKE UP CALL
Back in October at a session I had with Dr. Canali, he checked my pulse with the Finger Pulse Oximeter and noticed that my pulse was running around 99 beats per minute (bpm). It was a shock to both of us because up until that point we had not checked it, and I did not realize it was high. If you want to have a big scare in your life that indicates there is something wrong in your heart and circulatory system, this will do it. It scared the daylights out of me and I'm glad it did. I was most likely a walking poster boy for serious potential heart problems.

One of the first things that I did when I got home was purchase the exact same Finger Pulse Oximeter that Dr. Canali was using sold by Clinical Guard.  However, I have found one that seems to be just as good and for much less on Amazon (check out this Finger Pulse Oximeter). When I started to check myself on a daily basis, I noticed that my pulse was all over the place. There were times I was up to 125 and 130, but most of the time, I was around 99. These were resting pulse rates! I would take my pulse meter to the fitness center when I worked out, and noticed that while my pulse would go up a little when I exercised vigorously, it was not necessarily into the optimal range according to the exercise equipment. I took it in with me when I did Yoga and while sometimes it would come down slightly from the 99 range, many times my pulse continued to be high. For a long time, it seemed like no matter what I did, my pulse would stay high.

The reason I use this pulse meter is that it tells me in real time what my pulse is, and how the wave forms of my pulse appear. It gives me some very good and helpful information.  Hope And Possibility Through Trauma - Don Shetterly

How High Should My Pulse Be?
According to Wikipedia, Tachycardia is when the heart rate exceeds the normal range for a resting heart rate. Resting heart rate is the heart rate in an inactive or sleeping individual. When the heart beats rapidly, the heart pumps less efficiently and provides less blood flow to the rest of the body, including the heart itself. The increased heart rate also leads to increased work and oxygen demand for the heart, which can cause a heart attack if it persists. This occurs because decreased flow of necessary oxygen to the heart causes myocardial cells to begin to die off. Acutely, this leads to angina, and chronically to ischemic heart disease.

A normal resting heart rate in beats per minute is normally stated between 60 and 100 and of course tachycardia is around 100 bpm for an adult according to the Mayo Clinic Website. In comparison, a well trained athlete can have a pulse rate of 40-60 bpm.

Also keep in mind that the pulse rate can be influenced by the following:

• Activity level
• Fitness level
• Air temperature
• Body position (standing up or lying down, for example)
• Emotions
• Body size
• Medication use

How Did I Lower My Pulse Level?
While I could have taken medications, and had all kinds of test and procedures, I chose not to take this route. For you see, my belief is that when you introduce medications to the body, you might give the appearance that you are helping the situation when in fact, you are just masking a much bigger problem. Any time you try to suppress one system of the body, you impact another system. I'm not saying that there is never a need for medication, and that is something that you need to decide on with your doctor. I'm just trying to propose another way to look at how to treat the body.

My route that I took to deal with this involved getting work done by Dr. Canali. If our bodies are overloaded with stress, trauma, and other influences, it will have a biological impact upon us. This influences how the body takes care of itself and how it works to keep us in balance. So any major impact will throw our entire body system off, including our autonomic nervous system. It prevents the master healing system within us to take over and make corrections within our body. In my case though, I was not even aware for most of my life that my pulse was high. The pains we face, the high pulse rates, or other health measurements we check are an indication of what is going on within the body and often times, it is the way the body is trying to get our attention. The body sends us messages all the time but all too often, we do not pay attention to them.

The work I did with Dr. Canali involves going deep into one's self and becoming aware of all that is there. As you become aware of it and allow your body to release all of the long held trauma, stress, anxiety, and fears, the body then has a capacity to begin regulating entire systems in a much healthier way. It is healing that comes from within, not necessarily from other sources that are introduced to the body. Sometimes the change is immediate and other times it takes some work to get there.

In my last session with Dr. Canali in March, we saw that my pulse was down in the mid 70's. The best part of this is that it was staying more steady and not jumping and spiking like it once did. I'm sure I still reach some moments where I spike up to the 99 or 100 bpm, range but I've been checking it, and it is staying around the 74 bpm range. No longer am I living each day in the tachycardia range, which is a major change in me physically and biologically. My days can still be stressful but I'm finding I have much more capacity to deal with the stress, and not hold all of it in. That is a big shift in me.

Other things that I did to help myself with this was that I continued my Yoga at the fitness center, did a lot of deep breathing exercises in myself, and tried to spend time frequently allowing myself to relax. Through the work of Dr. Canali, I've learned how to go in and discharge and release some of the emotions and fear that are coming up within myself. Listening to relaxing music (by Don Shetterly) or music by Steven Cravis, has helped me greatly to just let go of the stress and relax.



The Finger Pulse Oximeter
At one time I was recommending the Clinical Guard product, but since they have stopped working with me without explanation, you can find other products on Amazon for much less money.  Here is one that I see that looks similar in comparison.  I have not tested it so I cannot fully state how good it is.

I became an affiliate for Clinical Guard (where you can purchase the Finger Pulse Oximeter) and earn a commission on sales, because this pulse meter helped save my life. Without having the pulse meter available to me and without being able to monitor myself, I would have continued through life not knowing that this was a problem until most likely it would have been too late. The best part about this particular Pulse Meter is that you can see the pulse, the oxygen level of your blood, and the wave forms of your pulse. It truly gives you a lot of information in a very quick way. The beginning point though is to give yourself information, and through the use of the pulse meter, you will be learning so much about yourself. It will help you begin to take corrective action that will truly make a difference in your life.

I'm not a medical doctor, of course, so any information I've presented here is from my own experience and what I can find searching the internet. You need to always check things out, and do your own research as well as make informed decisions with appropriate medical providers.






Closing Thought
While all of us are conditioned to seek out drugs and tests first, our bodies are very good at healing themselves, if we allow that to happen. However, many of us have gone through life dragging our baggage from the past with us. We may feel like we have dealt with it only to truly find that we are just suppressing it. Suppression is not dealing with things. Going into the fears and the pains that we have, and giving them a safe way to release is where the healing begins. It is like Dr. Canali has often said to me, "If you have a closet that is full and you want to put more stuff into it, you cannot do this until you first take something out". It is the same in the body. If you have so much stuff within you (including emotional, mental, toxic substances), than there is no way to give yourself deep peace or to bring in that which is good for yourself. Yes, you can have peaceful moments to some degree, but to truly find that deep peace and source of strength within yourself, you must remove all that is cluttering the way of its expression.



Further Information:
1) Finger Pulse Oximeter
2) Wikipedia - Article on Tachycardia
3) Mayoclinic.com - Heart Rate: What's Normal?
4) Dr. Paul Canali at Evolutionary Healing Institute
5) Ansar Group - Heart Rate Variability
5) Don Shetterly - Relaxing Piano Music
6) Steven Cravis - Healing Meditation Music



Other Blog Posts
1) My Pulse Is Too High Follow Up
2) My Pulse Is Too High
3) Finger Pulse Oximeter



*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Body Memory And Trauma - Part 3 of 3

Note: This is Part 3 of 3. Please click here for PART 1, and Part 2 to read this in sequence.


As I write this, I can feel the intense anger, pain, hurt, betrayal and heat in my body. It is as if I want to lash out and hit a punching bag. I want to scream out at this moment and just go, “Stop – I’ve had enough! What part of that don’t you understand?” Yet, the words seem to have no influence or power for me. They seem to be merely sound uttered with no result.

Part of the entire ordeal lately has left me not wanting to be physically close to anyone (not even myself). Imagine going through the roughest moment of your life and then repeating it every day. If you can picture yourself not wanting to be connected with relationships or others, than you’re beginning to get the picture. How I didn’t just give up during this time, I do not understand. This is far more than any person should ever have to face in their life and recover through.

So as the day wore on, I grew tired and the body memories came at me with a full force of vengeance. They would not let up and so I knew I had to find a way to help move through this. I decided to take a bath that night with some sea salt and peppermint essential oil that I had. It just seemed like the thing to do. The warm water felt soothing to me, and so I just soaked in the tub for some time while trying to notice how my breath felt in the water. I could sense my body move in the water as my breath went in and went out. Each inhalation and exhalation was a safe and comforting feeling to me. As I continued to soak in the warm water, I just kept connecting myself to my breath, and I could feel tiny little trembling in my arms as they were submerged. I knew that the trembling was connected to my nervous system discharging stored up energy as it looked for a way out. I stayed with my breath until I was able to extend the inhalations and exhalations, trying to allow the issues I was facing an opportunity to exit. As I stayed with this, I noticed that a lot of the tension in my body had dissipated and there was a greater calmness to my body. At that point, I just felt much more relaxed than I had all day long.

As I went to bed that night, I laid down wondering what the night was going to be like. Up until that point, I had several weeks of very little sleep and the exhaustion was wearing on me very hard. Little did I realize just how powerful my bath had been, for when I laid down to sleep, my eyes went shut easily and I think I slept the entire night without waking up once. It was the first night in many where I actually could sleep.

Waking up the next morning, I still felt somewhat tired but felt more refreshed than I had in quite some time. My body felt more relaxed and a lot less tense. Throughout the day, I noticed that the itching on my skin had dramatically reduced and overall I felt much more at peace. It was then that I realized something had shifted in me. I began to understand at that moment that the Yoga had just pushed the fears and sympathetic nervous system up into arousal, but the bath and breathing had allowed the full pendulation of my nervous system into the parasympathetic mode so that my body could heal itself and nourish itself in the way that it needed to. This was the resolution to what got kicked up in Yoga.

My next Yoga class was with a different instructor that was very low level, and while my body needed the relaxation, I wish it would have been kicked up a little than given more rest. However, the Yoga class did allow me to focus more in on my body and my breath, which of course helped take me deeper into the healing that was going on.

Tonight was my next Yoga class with the main instructor I usually go to. It is a respectful, honoring state of Yoga that we practice. The instructor is good about inviting us to do as much as we can, while listening to our bodies and remembering to breathe. Before Yoga, my resting pulse rate was again in the low to mid 90’s. However after Yoga, I once again used the Finger Pulse Meter to check my pulse and surprisingly it was 54. That is one of the lowest readings I have ever had since I’ve been checking it.

My body feels at peace tonight and not as tense. I can feel the shift and I can feel like maybe it is ok to once again inhabit my body. There are still the body issues and memories that are surfacing but for now, I’ve just chipped a major chunk away from them. The itching and pain is not completely gone but it is not as intense as it has been.

This is the holiday season and it usually pushes things up for me, so I am trying hard to take care of myself and give myself things that will help reregulate my nervous system. While the body issues are still there, they have greatly subsided since that major shift in me. For the first time since they flared up several weeks ago, I feel like maybe it is true, that this too shall pass and that I will once again regain my power over my body. Part of me says that this is still a dream but deep down, I know it is possible and hold that intention along with my courage and strength to continue on through another day.



NOTE: Due to the length of the article, this is the end of Part 3 of 3.





Definitions:
1. Somatoform Disorder/Body Memory: The presence of physical symptoms that suggest there is a underlying medical condition, when in fact the situation cannot be explained. These situations most likely represent an unconscious reaction of psychological situations and show up as a medical condition with or without any physical manifestation.

2. Body Memory (Somatic Memory): Sensations in the body that often link to some portion or aspect of trauma that the individual has been through. Body memories may occur in many ways.

Definition Source: http://www.sidran.org/

Body Memory And Trauma - Part 2 of 3

Note: This is Part 2 of 3. Please click here PART 1, to read this in sequence.


Over the past few weeks, I had been diligent about going to Yoga. I knew that this would help resolve the issues that I was facing. To remember some things that I have recently been taught has helped me to stay grounded in my life. One such concept is Pendulation. Pendulation of the autonomic nervous system between the sympathetic and parasympathetic allows us to communicate through the language of the subconscious. It is through this communication that allows the amygdale (low brain) and the prefrontal cortex (high brain) to resolve their differences. Yoga is one way that does this, by connecting the mind and body through breath and movement to help us become more conscious and aware while giving us the power to heal our bodies. Our bodies know exactly what they need to heal, but often our fears and misperceptions get in the way of allowing them to do as they need to. We are often our own worst enemy. Pendulation of the autonomic nervous system is a natural healing process to our bodies that can be accessed if we know how to go in and do this.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Yoga even though my body did not feel like it. Life had gotten very intense for me, and I found myself just trying to hang on in spite of all the body memories coming up. That night in Yoga, we went through some pretty intense moves that I had never experienced before. Most of the moves that were involving the hip/pelvic region were extremely difficult, challenging, and almost to the point of being too painful. However, I allowed myself to go as far as I could knowing that if I honored and respected my body as I pushed into the pain, that there would be the possibility of freedom on the other side. I was not expecting miracles or anything spectacular but I was allowing myself the opportunity of staying in the moment.

Before Yoga, I had taken my pulse and saw that it was in the mid to high 90’s, which is high, but lately that is where my pulse seemed to find a resting state. Through the use of the Finger Pulse Oximeter OctiveTech 300PRO, I have been monitoring my pulse in hopes of understanding my body to a greater degree, and helping move myself to a higher state of calmness, awareness, and healing. After this particular Yoga session, I checked my pulse and it was actually at 112. It had gone up instead of coming down, and this was even directly at the end of final relaxation time. I felt the agitation in my body and so it was no surprise to me. I could have panicked but I realize that this is evidence that my autonomic nervous system had been kicked up into arousal (the fear state) and so I just allowed myself to be there. It wasn’t easy, because I was discouraged that it had gone up instead of down, but I knew deep within me how the principles of the nervous system work, and that helped me to just allow myself to stay in this state.

That night, I could barely sleep. I was beyond restless and could not find a way to stay calm or still or even find a moment’s peace. I tossed and turned that entire night as I watched the clock tick by like no other night ever in my life. I have had some pretty rough nights throughout my life, but this one was intense. The body pains would come and go; the itching would get intense and then go away as quickly as it came on this particular night. I tried so hard to shut my eyes, but the fears of a predator trying to hunt me down were as big as the tallest building in the world. It seemed like the room was over a thousand degrees and I wished for more air just to breathe. The darkness seemed like a blanket that was smothering me as the predator continued his hunt. I wanted to hide in the blanket, but the room was too hot. The only thing that I took solace in was that soon it would be morning and the daylight would fill the room. For as I had been finding out, daylight was my friend in order for me to get anything close to the resemblance of sleep. The predator and the fears did not like the daytime hours and the daylight.

Morning came and I finally was able to fall asleep. I felt much safer because the predator had once again hidden. The predator never comes out during the day, but if he is going to show up, it will be at night. I slept as long as I could but soon it became necessary for me to arise and go about my day. The last thing I wanted was to face the world or anyone in any way. I did not even want to face myself. I pretty much hated every part of myself at that moment.



NOTE: Due to the length of the article, this is the end of Part 2. Please come back tomorrow for Part 3.

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Definitions:
1. Somatoform Disorder/Body Memory: The presence of physical symptoms that suggest there is a underlying medical condition, when in fact the situation cannot be explained. These situations most likely represent an unconscious reaction of psychological situations and show up as a medical condition with or without any physical manifestation.

2. Body Memory (Somatic Memory): Sensations in the body that often link to some portion or aspect of trauma that the individual has been through. Body memories may occur in many ways.

Definition Source: http://www.sidran.org/

Body Memory And Trauma - Part 1 of 3

(For a licensed print ready version, click here)

Over the past several weeks, I have been experiencing “body memories” (somatic memory). This is not the first time I have been through these things and as usual, they are difficult to go through. Anyone that has been through them, knows exactly what I’m talking about. This time, it has been something totally different for me. Most of it involves intense itching all over my skin (itchy skin) and especially in the groin region. Sorry, but that’s as informative as I’m going to be because it isn’t easy to talk about. However, this is not all-the-time itching, but it just happens when you’re least expecting it and when there is no apparent reason for it. It comes and goes almost as quickly as rain starts and stops.

More importantly, there are moments when the pain starts in (not to be confused with the itching) and the pain gets so intense, I just want to cry and scream out. Keep in mind that this is not pain from some injury or other physical abnormality. If you viewed my skin and my body, you would see nothing that would lend itself to these types of reactions. However, they feel as real as if some pain or some condition was being inflicted upon my body in that moment.

These moments have seemed to focus more on the night time hours than the daytime, yet sometimes the time of day makes no difference. Usually, when these times hit, my anxiety level is through the roof and it feels as if it is 1000 degrees in the room, when the temperature is actually on the chilly side. In addition, there is a feeling of despair and anger that accompanies these times that is unexplainable. No, it is not because of the body issues going on, although that adds to it. These are things that seem to appear as entities with their own existence.

I’ve had several nights when I was awakened from a deep sleep with itching that would make me want to remove every body part I could. Fortunately a knife was not in close proximity. The pain would start coming from somewhere deep within me and pushing me to the brink of feeling like I could not take any more. It left me tired from the nights of hardly any sleep while I would struggle to shut my eyes. Even though I was tired, my eyes would almost have to be forced to close so I could sleep. It was as if they were watching out for a predator that was hunting me down.

While this may sound intense, it has gone on for several weeks. At the moment, the duration feels like an eternity. It has pushed me to the point of really wondering whether I wanted to keep going at times. Between the lack of sleep, exhaustion and the physical realities, it seemed as if there was no way through this. Even though I’ve been through body memories in the past, it still does not prepare you for when you come up against new ones. There is nothing that I have found to this point that puts me in control. It is as if this entity must run its course, and I have no say in it.

While I know that these things will pass and that there is more going on which is trying to find a place of resolution, it still takes determination, courage and strength. The body sometimes plays these past events in a continuous flow until it finds an exit route. No matter what, until these things are released from the body in such a way that the past events no longer loop in a continuous circuit, they will continue. That does not mean that we are able to get through these events in some easy fix it event, but that they often take time. Many of these body memories are well rooted and fixed within our bodies, our minds and our consciousness. So to take them on, a small piece of them is sometimes all we can handle at any one given moment. As long as we allow ourselves to go into these things and be with them, we are taking back the power from them and giving ourselves the much needed power we so deserve. It isn’t about just releasing some emotions or bringing emotions up, but it is about chipping away at these body memories one piece at a time. These are the things I remind myself of right now as I progress through these difficult times.



NOTE: Due to the length of the article, this is the end of Part 1. For Part 2 of 3, click here Part 2

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Definitions:
1. Somatoform Disorder/Body Memory: The presence of physical symptoms that suggest there is a underlying medical condition, when in fact the situation cannot be explained. These situations most likely represent an unconscious reaction of psychological situations and show up as a medical condition with or without any physical manifestation.

2. Body Memory (Somatic Memory): Sensations in the body that often link to some portion or aspect of trauma that the individual has been through. Body memories may occur in many ways.

Definition Source: http://www.sidran.org/

My Pulse Is Too High - FOLLOW UP

This is a follow up post to previous entries that I wrote about.

• My Pulse Is Too High
• Finger Pulse Oximeter

Since I last wrote this blog entry "My Pulse Is Too High" on Oct 19, 2009, I have had much improvement on my pulse rate. Instead of being in the high 90's at a resting state, I have actually come down to the 80's.

The things I have been doing include Yoga, mediation and relaxation along with a technique called the "Enteric Brain". I have been monitoring my pulse with the Finger Pulse Oximeter pictured above. This has helped me to truly know and understand what is going on within myself.

In addition, I had a session with Dr. Canali and attended the latest workshops. As usual there was a lot that came up but during this session and workshop, I began to go into the fear and emotions that were coming up instead of letting them over take me. The last time I was worked on during the workshop, I could really feel my body come down into a deeper sense of calmness and so we checked my pulse. Sure enough it was down in the 50's which is as low as I've seen it for some time. A day after this, it is still in the 70's so I'm on the right track. I'm sure it will fluctuate but as I'm seeing, there is a lot that we can do to control this.

Never in my life did I realize my pulse was so high on a daily basis until the Oximeter came along. I'm sure doctors and nurses probably recorded a high pulse rate all these years but since I get so nervous in a doctor's office setting, they probably just chalked it up to anxiety and tension. I never once heard a doctor address this with me which I find strange. Here I've been walking around with a ticking time bomb in me and if I would have let this continue, who knows when my number life would have been called.

More importantly though through re-regulation of the autonomic nervous system with Dr. Canali, I can see that it is possible to drop my pulse rate. What is nice also, is that I did not even need medication to reduce my pulse rate. Just think of the energy that has been robbed of me as my heart is beating so fast and hard. What if I am able to reclaim that wasted energy in myself and use it for positive things instead of being tired and worn out all the time. This is life changing for me. Maybe now, I've added a few years to my life.

Finger Pulse Oximeter OctiveTech 300PRO

Please note:  I had been using the Finger Pulse Oximeter from Clinical Guard, but due to their insufficiency in customer service, I have since found a different Finger Pulse Oximeter that I believe is comparable and works just as well.  It is on Amazon and at a much lower price.  Check it out on Amazon.




I am leaving the following part of this original post up so that the information is still available.

I just ordered one of these today. This is the pulse meter that Dr. Paul Canali has introduced me and many others to in order to help give real time information as to what is going on with the nervous system. It is very revealing and tells exactly what is happened especially if the nervous system is in dysregulation.

For me, I've recently found out that my resting pulse rate is at 99 which is very high. Most likely it has been this way for much of my life or so I am assuming. I have ordered this so I can help monitor my pulse rate and begin to work on getting it lowered. I also intend on using it with my clients to help not only myself but my clients understand what is going on. When fear is kicking up, it can make us think biological things are happening within our body when in fact, it may not be the case. The good news is that even though my pulse rate was at 99, I saw through some work on the table that Dr. Canali was able to drop mine to the high 60's. So, I know it is possible to do this and just have to work with my body to accomplish this.

I'm anxious to get this in the mail so I can begin understanding more of what is going on inside my body and realizing that there are many things that can be done through the nervous system to change them.