The Lighter Side of Transformation

with Lisa Wessan, LICSW

May 11

The difference between a flower and a weed is a judgment. ~ Unknown

by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

During my morning hike I came across this beautiful field of dandelions…

Weeds or flowers?

I choose flowers💕

The Dandelion Story

A man bought a new house and decided that he was going to have a very beautiful lawn.  He worked on it every week, doing everything the gardening books told him to do. His biggest problem was that the lawn always seemed to have dandelions growing where he didn’t want them.  The first time he found dandelions, he pulled them out. But, alas, they grew back. He went to his local gardening store and bought weed killer. This worked for some time, but after summer rains, alas, he found dandelions again.  He worked and pulled and killed dandelions all summer. The next summer he thought he would have no dandelions at all, since none grew over winter. But, then, all of a sudden, he had dandelions all over again. This time he decided the problem was with the type of grass.  So, he spent a fortune and had all new sod put down. This worked for some time and he was very happy. Just as he started to relax, a dandelion came up. A friend told him it was due to the dandelions in the lawns of his neighbors. So he went on a campaign to get all his neighbors to kill all their dandelions.  By the third year, he was exasperated. He still had dandelions. So, after consulting every local expert and garden book, he decided to write the U.S. Department of Agriculture for advice. Surely the government could help. After waiting several months, he finally got a letter back. He was so excited. Help at last! He tore open the letter and read the following:  

“Dear Sir: We have considered your problem and have consulted all of our experts. After careful consideration, we think we can give you very good advice. Sir, our advice is that you learn to love those dandelions.”[De Mellow, A. (1984). The song of the bird. New York: Image Books.]

This is a story about Radical Acceptance, and learning to accept the things we cannot change. Radical Acceptance is a lifelong process that you experience each day, in many opportunities and forms. Notice all the dandelions in your life. Some might be close family and friends, others might be strangers. Most important, do not judge your judging – just observe and let it go🌟


	


	
	
Uncategorized What is Joy?


	
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			Mar
			5
		
	

	





	
Possible Covid Cure found in Israel

	by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

	

		

I love to share good news…here’s something to tuck away for self soothing  and look forward to in 2021. 





May this article help  you turn your anticipatory anxiety into anticipatory JOY! 





Has Israel just found the cure for Covid? – ISRAEL21c





Good health is wealth, go for it💙






	


	
	
Coronavirus Retreat Pandemic


	
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			Nov
			6
		
	

	





	
Learning to Live in AMBIGUITY with peace, even joy

	by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

	

		

Voting super early in October…





Here’s gratitude galore to artist Sam Durant (b. 1961 – ),  for this powerful piece, Like, man, I’m tired of waiting, 2002.  It’s currently on display at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum in Hartford MA.  (The Wadsworth is definitely worth a trip!)





So here is my Cultural Appropriation du jour…I hope Mr. Durant does not mind me borrowing his racial justice motif for these politically toxic times…Mea culpa, mea culpa, I just can’t resist.





I know that learning to live in ambiguity with any measure of peace — even joy — is a clear marker for how healthy I am inside.  





To improve your mental state, I ask you to find ways to feel more useful. To that end,  I think it’s ALWAYS more effective to replace the WHY questions with the HOW questions. Let me unpack this a bit…





When you ask WHY IS THIS HAPPENING, you never get a satisfying or truly acceptable answer. Plus, no one really knows exactly WHY harsh things happen. Oh yes, there are tons of theories, but ultimately, it’s never quite known for sure. There are too many complicated, multi-dimensional issues to pinpoint “The Reason Why” something – or someone – is in such a negative state.  





That’s why I think that asking the HOW questions is going to give you a big payoff.  For example,  asking “How can I be helpful? How can I be useful?  How can I make this better?” in your micro world, at home, work, school,  will shift you into taking positive actions. Then you will start to feel as if you are part of the solution, as elusive as it may seem to be at times.  





Plus asking “How can I help?” takes the focus off of you…dare I say it?  So much mental anguish comes from the Pity Party we have for ourselves.  Moreover, too much self absorption leads to the impulse issues being activated, such as drinking, drugging, food binges, shopping, gambling, porn and so on.  As I’ve heard it said, “Poor me, poor me, POUR ME A DRINK!”  





In sum, compared to sitting and watching the news on your digitals, having a depressing Pity Party, marinating in fear and anxiety, asking the HOW questions is surely a better path. 





Here is the beautiful and amazing 5D Flow…Peace in your heart can bring peace to the world.  Yes, as you feel more peaceful and useful, you radiate that energy out and it definitely has a ripple effect. 





As it is written:





Peace in my heart brings peace to the family.
Peace in the family brings peace to the community.
Peace in the community brings peace to the nation.
Peace in the nation brings peace to the world.
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
~ Author Unknown ~





Best of all, when you ask HOW questions, you are no longer feeling like a victim!  When you ask “Why is this happening [to me]? ” “Why don’t they just blah blah blah?”   You feel powerless, impotent, ineffective and probably a tad depressed or anxious.





Ideally,  with good inner work. you could become bulletproof to the news. At your best, you want to feel all the feelings in the grief-rage-sadness spectrum, and then move on quickly to what you love.   Why?  Because as I have learned from many teachers,  what you focus on INCREASES…where your attention goes, your energy flows.  If you focus on hate and all the haters, you will feel more hateful and angry.   Simple, but not easy.





Finally, you’re probably tired of people reminding you to cultivate an attitude of gratitude, but truly, that is a big part of the solution here. Learning to ask How can I be useful, coupled with a daily — even HOURLY – gratitude list, could carry you a long way during these challenging cockalocka  poo poo slinging times.





❤Here’s to learning to live in the WAITING ROOMS of life with more peace and joy❤  





Related Reading: 





On the myth of closure, ambiguous loss and complicated grief  by Lisa Wessan





The Art of Living is the Art of Waiting  by Lisa Wessan










Copyright © by Lisa Wessan 2020. All rights reserved.
www.LisaWessan.com

	


	
	
Ambiguous Loss Living in Ambiguity Political Transformation The Waiting Room Uncategorized


	
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			Sep
			14
		
	

	





	
Walk and Talk Therapy featured on Boston Chronicle with Lisa Wessan

	by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

	

		

Lisa Wessan featured on Inside/Outside episode





09.09.20 – ABC News/The Boston Chronicle, Inside/Outside episode. Finding Peace in the Great Outdoors. I was interviewed by great team from the Boston Chronicle concerning my work with Walk and Talk Therapy. This was part of a longer story about how we are taking our work outside during the pandemic. 











	


	
	
Accolades Distress Tolerance Emotional Regulation Gardens Inspiration Pandemic Walk and Talk Therapy


	
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			Jun
			20
		
	

	





	
Reflections on Juneteenth 2020 and the Evolution of Consciousness

	by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

	

		
Evolution of Consciousness


“One discovers the light in the darkness, that is what darkness is for.”  

James Arthur Baldwin, novelist




I have felt crushed and overloaded by the recent events of our times, but still feel peaceful and hopeful that we are having a wonderful new beginning.  History teaches me that the Dark ages are followed by the Renaissance, Saul becomes Paul, the heroin addicted sex worker becomes an addiction counselor, on and on. This is the emergence of consciousness, over and over here at Earth School.


The Program is designed to move us forward until we realize and accept our Oneness with each other and the Universe.  But what a long journey it is…probably many lifetimes of learning are achieved before we totally get it.


During the crisis, the saying goes,  “When one door closes, another one opens, but it is hell in the hallway.”  I’m the one who tells my clients “…It doesn’t have to be hell in the Hallway.  You can choose to create a different kind of experience during ambiguous times.”  Yes, I do believe that is still true. Yet during these past few months the Hallway has been brutal. Each day, it is a struggle to stay focused on solutions and find some joy, despite the chaos around us.


This pandemic chaos and  racism crisis also remind me of the Chinese word for crisis, which is made of two symbols, Danger and Opportunity.  In each crisis, we are totally at risk, and yet the opportunity for a new and improved consciousness is here.  That’s the good news. Again, it’s part of the Program for the evolution of our consciousness.


As much as I want to discuss ways to live in ambiguity with peace, even joy, today I feel the need to be quiet.  I am sitting with the grief, and processing the harsh reality of the racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and other forms of tribal cognitive distortion that are still infecting our world in tandem with COVID-19.


Here are two resources which have been particularly soothing, uplifting and informative recently:


⭐ “Bleed the Same,” with Toby Mac and Kirk Franklin. 

This song captures exactly what I am feeling, and what needs to be said now.

No other words say it so perfectly.


⭐ Tim Ferriss’  interview Coach George Raveling, 82,  “This Unique Moment in Time, How to Practice Self-Leadership, Navigating Difficult Conversations and much more” .


In the throes of feeling this intense outpouring of emotion after George Floyd was murdered, and under the suffocating history of  racism,  I appreciate hearing how this wise black man frames this moment.  This wide ranging interview will give you an intimate view of Raveling’s extraordinary journey from being born in the basement of a segregated hospital,  to becoming a world class coach, and how he navigated his life in this ocean of racism all these years.


At one point, Raveling says “We are both the problem and the solution.”  Yes, I love that dialectical view for each of us. We are ALL accountable for this situation. We need to step up and take a stand to create a world worth living in, with “Equality and justice for all.”  Simple, but not easy.


So I invite you to listen to “Bleed the Same,” and Raveling’s interview.  I think your heart and mind will be moved to a new level of awareness, acceptance and then action. 


YES, you can be an agent of transformation, and turn this Hellish Hallway experience into a magnificent corridor for the evolution of consciousness!


Onward and Upward❤


Lisa Wessan


 


Copyright © by Lisa Wessan 2020. All rights reserved.


 

	


	
	
Living in Ambiguity Political Transformation Social Justice Uncategorized


	
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			Apr
			21
		
	

	





	
Pandemic Retreat Tip 4 – Allowing time for Daily Grief Work

	by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

	

		
avoiding-5-stages-grief-visibility-program


Our culture has difficulty sitting still with feelings.  There is too often an attempt to keep busy and ignore the discomfort of our negative feelings. It has been my experience that many otherwise healthy people want to bypass their phases of grief and jump into positive thinking, avoiding those dark and mysterious pathways of  emotion.


Now we are faced with micro and macro levels of Ambiguous Loss and Grief.   Ambiguous Loss is when you lose someone but not all the way.  For example, you could lose a loved one to illness, such as Alzheimers Disease, Alcoholism, Cancer, Food Addiction/Anorexia. Your loved one might be lost at sea or on a mountain.


Ambiguous Loss is most painful when you live with someone who is “here but not here.”  If your loved one watches multiple hours of Netflix, or video games, and you miss them, you are experiencing Ambiguous Loss.  If your loved one is slowly deteriorating from any illness or addiction, and you are watching them slowly disappear, you are experiencing Ambiguous Loss. When you break up a relationship, divorce, move away, you experience Ambiguous Loss, “here but not here.”


Today we have the Ambiguous Loss of our culture and daily routines. By not seeing the people, places and things that make up our life, we develop anticipatory anxiety of what will come next.  The anxiety then quickly morphs into Anticipatory Grief.


What is Anticipatory Grief?


I defer to Scott Berinato who unpacks our micro and macro Anticipatory Grief so usefully in his recent article in the Harvard Business Review (23 March 2020).  Berinato interviews David Kessler, who is one of our leading grief experts, and explores Kessler’s overview of our current pandemic existence. Learn more here: That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief.   


You may  think you are lonely, or exhausted, or anxious. That may be true. But I would agree with Berinato and Kessler in that you probably have unexpressed grief (and rage), which is clogging up your inner world.


It’s exhausting to repress grief and “act as if” you are perfectly fine. Yet we are called upon to buckle up and deal with life on life’s terms, so there is no binary solution here. We are asked to grieve our current losses and future losses PLUS carry on and live our lives.  So how is this possible?   By scheduling some Grief Work time into your calendar. Allowing time to release and let go will enhance your life as you release the inner pressure. Give yourself permission to unravel a bit.


Tears are the language of grief. Something I frequently suggest to my clients is  “Make some time to do your Grief Work.  Let it flow out of you.”  Most people resist this process and just hope by keeping super busy (or medicated or numbed with screen time) they can bypass the Grief Work.  Nay, nay, it must be done.  Cry now or cry later, but crying will help release those grief-balls that are jamming you up.


CS Lewis grief (2)


When we begin to honestly defrost our grief with each other and then seek solutions for our dilemmas, we start to feel a little better.  I am a fan of the stoic philosophy, but just focusing on solutions and keeping a stiff upper lip all the time is not helpful — something within shuts down and can go numb inside from repressing all that emotion.


Perhaps one of the silver linings from the Corona virus is that now, in this time of profound herd vulnerability, we will be more authentic with ourselves and each other?  Simple, but not easy. This is a practice that takes as long as it takes, perhaps lifetimes.


I have come to believe that your vulnerability is your superpower.  When you are brave enough to be vulnerable, you release, let go and successfully move on.  This is part of the multidimensional journey to wholeness and deep fulfillment💙


References:


Berinato, S. (23 March 2020). Harvard Business Review. That discomfort you are feeling is grief. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief


Mitchell, S. (1988). Tao Te Ching. New York: Harper Collins.


Wessan, L. (05 JAN 2019). On the “Myth of Closure,” Ambiguous Loss and Complicated Grief.  Retrieved from https://mirthmaven.blog/2019/01/05/on-the-myth-of-closure-ambiguous-loss-and-complicated-grief/


Helpful Scriptures for increased bravery and courage for your Grief Work:

Psalms 23, 31, 46, 126

Deuteronomy 31:6

Ecclesiastes 1:18

Proverbs 14:13


Copyright © by Lisa Wessan 2020. All rights reserved.

	


	
	
Ambiguous Loss Anxiety Coronavirus Retreat depression Distress Tolerance Emotional Regulation grief Living in Ambiguity Mindfulness Pandemic Uncategorized


	
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			Mar
			24
		
	

	





	
Pandemic Retreat Tip 3 – Shifting from Victim to Victor with the 2-2-2 Method of Transformation

	by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

	

		
Instead of feeling trapped inside your home or apartment, what if you started to see this as a temporary retreat? Can you turn this victim consciousness into a victorious consciousness?  What if you are being called to live, move and have your being refined in an enclosed space for a few months to evolve to a new level of consciousness? 


This appears to be a global retreat.  We are all being called to stay home and go within, on many levels.  The only real choice we have on this Earth is HOW WE RESPOND OR REACT to stress and crises. Moment by moment…victim or victor?  With ease or anxiety? We choose, again and again.


Go inside


I’m not going to list or catalog all the ways you can go inside…because you are smart, and have been aware of mindfulness techniques, prayer, contemplation, meditation, relaxation techniques, Reiki, yoga and much more.  There are many paths up that mountain to deepen your awareness, increase your insight and have more inner peace.  I’m just here to remind you of what you already know.


“Lisa, I know nothing about going inside myself.  Where should I begin?”  When I hear this,  I often invite my DBT Skills Students to use my 2-2-2 Method of Transformation.


What is the 2-2-2 Method?  The broad brush here is you spend two minutes connecting within, two minutes reading something inspirational and two minutes writing.  You can do these in any order. To feel successful and build momentum,  set a timer for six minutes each day for your practice.  If you stay in the process for six minutes, you’re good, even if you don’t tap each category perfectly.  The idea is to set your intention and do the best you can. 


Meditation:  Spend approximately 2 minutes sitting quietly, doing some kind of paced breathing.  During this time, consciously  seek to access your inner Wise Mind, Higher Power, Ha Shem, Christ Consciousness, Allah, Great Spirit, Buddha Nature, any label will work that is meaningful to you.


Reading: Spend approximately  two minutes reading from a personal growth book, inspirational  literature, Scripture, angel cards, your DBT book or whatever devotional or uplifting material you have handy.  If you have no inspirational literature, this will be a fun shopping trip for you.  Ask around, especially if you know someone who you admire for their mental and spiritual wellness.  See what they are reading. Take a risk and read it too.


Writing:  Finally, do two minutes of writing (in your journal or DBT worksheet).  You can just write what you are observing in your mood.  My favorite format for basic brief journaling is to write a fear list, do a quick brain dump and just get it out of your head onto the page.  Then make a gratitude list (6-10 items or so). Then make a to do list. Then if there’s still time, freestyle and just let it rip. See what comes out of you.


The 2-2-2 Method gives you a structure – but it is flexible – again, you can do these tasks in any order.  If you do this daily practice, this will help you advance and make a big difference over time.


If the timer goes off and you want to do more, that’s fine. But the six minutes a day minimum will be great for building momentum here.


Gentle Note: If you’re too busy to invest six minutes/day on your personal evolution, you are too busy. Dial down your Netflix, YouTube, Videogame and other streaming activities.  You are worth it!  Just six minutes/day will compound over time and create amazing changes in you and give you a life worth living.


Also, do NOT try to do this perfectly!  Allow some wiggle room on the 2-2-2 precision. It’s not exact, although sometimes it can be.


The 2-2-2 Method will give you a satisfying structure to add to your day.  Truly, this is such a good time to start a 2-2-2 practice and build from it.  Over time, you will see this move to longer sessions, and will feel deeply nurtured and empowered by it.


In closing, I appreciate Lynn Ungar’s approach to this pandemic…


Lynn Unger poem PANDEMIC


Stay safe and well,


Onward and Upward, 


Lisa Wessan

	


	
	
Coronavirus Retreat Mindfulness Pandemic Spiritual Renewal stress Transformation


	
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			Mar
			22
		
	

	





	
Coronavirus Retreat Tip 2 on Distress Tolerance Skills

	by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

	

		
Stay Home Stay OM


We are all struggling to feel safe, stable, useful and effective during this pandemic challenge. I know for sure that when I feel peaceful and useful, everything else falls into place.


Feeling peaceful and useful is the foundation for a great life…trying to be “happy” or “ecstatic” all the time is worthless to me.  Happiness is fleeting, and as much as I love ecstasy, it also does not last long enough. Being peaceful and useful, however, offers long term gains, which often bloom into happiness and sometimes the ecstatic joy of living.


HOW DO WE BECOME MORE PEACEFUL DURING THE PANDEMIC? 


There are many different paths of coping as you trudge up this pandemic mountain, the question is which path works for you.  I suggest you keep trying these methods — and others — to see what works.  Over time you will have a colorful tool kit with many different coping methods that you can use as needed.


Today’s tip has some useful skills for increasing your tolerance to distress and anxiety.  There are two key principles at work with the TIPP skills.


⭐First, every thought becomes a chemical reaction in your body.  Change your thoughts, change your experience of your life. Mind/Body medicine works both ways.


⭐Second, “the issues are in your tissues.”  When you release the stress and toxins in your flesh, bones, muscles, skin, you feel a tremendous mental release and relief.


Let’s start with the empirically verified TIPP Skills  for quickly changing your body chemistry:tipp

Source:  Adapted from Linehan, M. (2015).Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets. New York: Guildford Press. P. 329.


Let me unpack these TIPP skills and add in my suggestions:


Temperature – you can create what’s call the “The Dive Response” in a few ways.  The Dive Response will lower your blood pressure and relax your nervous system.  Ways to shift temperature include:


    

  • Set up a bowl of cold water and dunk your face into it for as long as you can hold your breath. Do this a few times, until you feel relief.
    • 

  • Take an ice pack, wrap in a towel and place on your cheeks, brow, neck.
    • 

  • Hold ice cubes in your hands.
    • 

  • Freeze a lemon or orange, and squeeze the frozen citrus.  Provides cooling effect plus aromatherapy.
    • 

  • Take a washcloth and moisten with cold water, but it on your brow (better effect laying down.)
    • 



Intense Exercise – in addition to the jumping jacks, push ups, running, walking fast, fast dancing, Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga etc, I recommend the “Cross Crawl.”  You can do this standing up or on the floor.  This is a movement that gets your heart rate up super fast, can be done in place, and in five minutes you will feel the shift and release. It also provides excellent mental stimulation and has been shown to improve memory, creativity and focus as the cross-lateral activity heightens the exchange between the left and right hemispheres of our brains.


“Therapeutically, cross crawl refers to any intentional cross-lateral activity in which you cross the mid-line of the body, such as touching opposite hand and knee or foot.  Performing this movement builds the bridge between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, allowing for electrical impulses and information to pass freely between the two, which is essential for physical coordination as well as cerebral activities, such as learning language, reading, and hand-to-eye coordination.” (Source: https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2019/06/16/cross-crawl/)


Paced Breathing – Whether you do the “Take 5” method, which is inhaling to count of five, holding for 5 and then exhaling to 5, or any variation of slowed down breathwork, it will work.   The only way to do this wrong is to not do it at all!  When we do this in my DBT Skills Groups, I add on the physical hand movement of placing the dominant hand on the heart area and the other hand on the naval area.  Touching these two power centers (Solar Plexus and Heart chakra) has an additional calming effect.   The body feels more centered and cared for, a sense of compassion flows, and we feel we are doing useful self-parenting in this position.  This is also considered the Reiki I position, which begins a deeply relaxing sequence of psycho-spiritual  events in the body.


Paired Muscle Relaxation – This is when we begin to scan our bodies head to toe or toe to head, and start to tighten and release muscle groups.  This can be done sitting or lying down. It is most effective to inhale, tighten, hold for a few seconds, and then release.   I sometimes like to pair the muscle contractions with cognitive suggestions, e.g. Breathe in harmony, breathe out chaos. Breath in unconditional love, breathe out fear. Breathe in acceptance, breathe out anger.


You can find many free versions of Paced Breathing and Paired Muscle Relaxation at Insight Timer, and all over the internet.   Insight Timer has versions as short as 2 minutes, and as long as 90 minutes for each of these processes. (I also have a few videos on YouTube concerning Body Scans and Paced Breathing as well.)


May these TIPP Skills enhance your Coronavirus Retreat today!


Onward and Upward in good health,


Lisa Wessan


 


Copyright © by Lisa Wessan 2020. All rights reserved.


 


 

	


	
	
Anxiety Coronavirus Retreat DBT depression Distress Tolerance preventing caregiver burnout stress Transformation


	
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			Mar
			21
		
	

	





	
Coronavirus Retreat Tip #1

	by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

	

		
Dog in mask
Over the years I have been trained up to always see the pros and cons of each challenge. Not to be in denial of the pain, trauma and suffering — but to see the possibility of hidden value in the challenges.  “What if everything that is happening to you is happening for you?” asked  Colin Tipping years ago in a lecture in New York.   That thought percolated through me for years before I could finally understand what it truly meant, and the freedom and peace of mind that comes from living with this deep level of acceptance. 



What are the pros and cons of this Covid-19 challenge we now face? Here are some resources which have helped me sort this out and remain more peaceful and relaxed during this difficult time. 
To be transparent as ever,  I am feeling the full dialectical nature of this moment: sometimes I feel a deep peace and stillness within, and at the same time I feel the edge of a panic attack creeping up on me.  The difference between now and 30 years ago, however,  is that I have learned to observe my inner world so much better…so when I sense that edge, I use some breathwork, distress tolerance skills and physical release to shift out of it.  (More on those skills in the next Coronavirus post).
Over the next few days, I’m going to unpack some useful tips for coping with this extra level of anxiety we all share from the pandemic.  As always,  I have been sorting and cycling through my personal tool kit, plus I have found some new and impactful ideas that I will share here too.  The best of the best for you, my dear reader…as we trudge this road through the forced Retreat to wellness and bliss.
First, listening to Jack Kornfield  and Tim Ferriss discuss ways to re-frame and re-focus during this difficult time gave me more insight and some good practical advice. Kornfield’s  75 years on this Earth have been well spent.  As a brief overview, he was a Buddhist Monk in Thailand, then served as co-founder of the Insight Meditation Center in Barre, MA,  then became a psychologist. Now he is involved in many educational and activist programs to help bring mindfulness and other useful transformative skills to the public. 
Tim Ferriss is one of my favorite teachers. First, I love Ferriss’  passion for extreme wellness.  I love his awesome lifestyle hacks and his never ending curiosity about world class performers  and the minutia of their morning routines, what they eat for breakfast,  favorite books, how they sleep and more. He also has an impressive history of  brilliant investing, living with bipolar illness and managing well.  Yes, I’m a fan of Ferriss! 
You can access this podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts:  Listen to #414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos from The Tim Ferriss Show in Podcasts.
For your consideration, here is my brief summary of this  podcast. During this two hour, wide ranging conversation, you will learn: 
  1. During the first hour, “It’s not about perfecting yourself, it’s about perfecting your Love.”  Learning to live in this world with more love, embracing the inner and outer imperfections with radical acceptance is one path to more inner peace and joy here.  Kornfield delves into some wonderful coping and practice skills to help move through the anxiety and depression of these pandemic days.
  2. From 1:07 there is a discussion of psychedelic research aka Sacred Medicines, for the treatment of drug resistant depression and anxiety.   Kornfield discusses the mysteries of our multi-dimensional selves.  “We are learning to use sacred medicines to know who we are.”  Apparently, this paradigm shifting research helps us form more positive and useful world views. Ferriss cites exciting and impressive research coming out of Johns Hopkins Medical School which has gotten robust results.   After listening to this  segment, I made a note to read The Cosmic Game, by psychiatrist Stanislav Grof, which describes the wisdom and understanding that hundreds of trials of Sacred Medicines have offered seekers in laboratory conditions, to help better understand the nature of consciousness Itself. (As it happens, Harvard Medical School is hosting a large conference here in Boston  May 1-2, 2020, on Meditation and Psychotherapy: Learning from Non-Ordinary States).
  3.  From 1:23 Kornfield deconstructs suicide and suicidal patterns and how to reduce treatment resistant depression.  I was intrigued with this curious idea,  how we long for “sleep,” and how for some suicide is the big sleep that they think will solve their painful life for good. Suicidal people have  worthy intentions, not the best solutions…Kornfield’s approach to suicide is practical and soothing.  
  4.  From 1:32  Kornfield explains his trauma work, and how to be in the field of compassion which allows us to process the trauma successfully. “To witness with a loving gaze, it’s not who you are, it’s something that you went through.”   This reminds me of the teaching that “We make mistakes, but we are not a mistake.”   Again, learning to pause, observe, step back and see the pain as something that we passed through is very different then feeling a permanent imprint from it, rendering us emotionally compromised,  with anxiety, depression, PTSD and other conditions.  





I hope you enjoy listening to this podcast as much as I did.  It really gave me a booster during these troubled times. There is hope! There is a solution…
Stay tuned for my next Coronavirus Retreat Tip…may these tips serve you well! 
Onwards and Upwards in good health, 











Lisa Wessan
 
Related reading: 
Dr. Abdu Sharkawy: My Turn: Mass panic may be worse than virus itself

 
 
	


	
	
Anxiety Coronavirus Retreat depression Detox Distress Tolerance Emotional Regulation Mindfulness Pandemic resilience Resiliency


	
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			Mar
			4
		
	

	





	
Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm….How Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills help you learn to manage and cope better with difficult emotions

	by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

	

		
I’m excited to announce that we are hastening slowly to transform the world from the inner to outer, one DBT student at a time…


Up next: we will be exploring Mindfulness & Emotion Regulation skills from March 11 – June 17, 2020.


For all groups (Adults, Teens, Mastermind Groups) we have a minimum of six and maximum of 10 students.


Four leaf DBT


The Emotion Regulation module has four sections:


    

  • Understanding and Naming Emotions
    • 

  • Changing Emotional Responses
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  • Reducing Vulnerability to Emotion Mind
    • 

  • Managing Extremely Difficult Emotions
    • 



DBT Mindfulness


The Mindfulness material includes:


    

  • Learning to be a good observer
    • 

  • Being non-judgmental
    • 

  • Staying in the present
    • 

  • Practicing being effective
    • 

  • Accessing Wise Mind (aka higher self, higher consciousness)
    • 

  • Understanding Reality Acceptance and detaching from negative or critical thoughts.
    • 



As DBT founder Dr. Marsha Linehan says, “It is difficult to manage your emotions when you do not understand how emotions work. Knowledge is power.”


    

  • We learn to cope better with social anxiety issues, negative thinking and get out of the Blame Game.
    • 

  • We learn to abstain from the “Compare and Despair” syndrome.
    • 

  • We practice  “Face it, trace it and erase it” as we work the DBT Skills and grow stronger and wiser with effective emotional regulation and expression.
    • 

  • We learn to access “Wise Mind” and regain our center, remain calm.  We learn to take a stand for our peace, and become bulletproof to bullies, nastiness and others’ negative remarks.
    • 

  • We learn to practice Radical Acceptance, as needed, and problem solve when possible. We are no longer victims.
    • 



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Lisa Wessan, LICSW

DBT Skills Trainer


If this sounds good to you, please get in touch with me to start  your enrollment process.  


For exact dates, fees, insurance,  FAQs,  location, DBT videos and more details, please visit www.lisawessan.com or call 978.710.8039.


Onward and Upward,


Lisa Wessan


 


 


Copyright © by Lisa Wessan 2020. All rights reserved.


 


 


 


 

	


	
	
Addictions BPD DBT Emotional Regulation Mindfulness stress Transformation Westford, MA


	
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