Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 59 i The Art of Healing

As the first North American bumble bee has been officially added to the list of endangered species in the U.S., the European government is making a move to prohibit the use of neonicotinoid insecticides, which are widely believed to be a major contributing factor to the rapid collapse of the world’s bee and pollinator insect populations. The European commission (EC) has drafted regulations which would end the use of neonics, a family of agrichemicals which pose a ‘high acute risk to bees.’ As The Guardian reports: “The EU imposed a temporary ban on the use of the three key neonicotinoids on some crops in 2013. However, the new proposals are for a complete ban on their use in fields, with the only exception being for plants entirely grown in greenhouses.…

You say your book Lovelands is … “part self-help for any soul who wants to understand more about emotional and health freedom. I’m interested that you have chosen to use the word ‘soul’ here, rather than [say] self or person. How would you describe the soul? When I use the word soul, I’m intentionally saying a few things. I’m endeavouring to acknowledge the deepest level of a person, beyond personality, appearance, beliefs and culture. I’m saying that I see all of us as expressions of the one essential source. I mean, physically, we all come from the same place in the universe and we’re made of the same matter. On a deeper level too, we can all become aware of our thoughts and feelings and perceive our own thoughts, bodies…

It sort of makes everything else, particularly the incessant emphasis we have on the physical aspects of health, superfluous doesn’t it? I mean really, it’s all about the mind. Well, it is certainly about how we choose to make meaning of our experiences, and that’s the mind. I mean clearly there is the physical side of it, but again, you choose how you wish to take that on board. For example, if you choose to look at the world and see it as a very negative place, it will be. Actually, the world stuff is a really good topic to bring up. I mean, it’s almost like a lot of people are choosing to have an unhappy life, do you think? They are. They absolutely are. They probably don’t know…

I knew what I had to do. I took the medication, I did intensive therapy, I really learned to look after myself and I still do now. My grandmother told me when I was very young that I would never find a husband as I was too fat, and that had stayed with me, eating at my belief in myself, so I didn’t really start dating till I was 30 (don’t worry, I had lots of ill-advised flings!). And then I met someone. He was so lovely and I was so happy. In reality, I was surprised. Surprised that anyone would love me and want to marry me. In the back of my head I thought the white picket fence and the two kids was not something I was worthy…

A Life of Its Own provides a thought-provoking case - contrasting the weight of anecdotal evidence against the absence of clinical research called for by the medical establishment.  A Life Of Its Own was inspired by a network TV story in which a young man diagnosed with a terminal disease speaks about his difficult decision to use cannabis to ease his debilitating nausea following chemotherapy – a story made all the more poignant because the young man’s father is a former drug-squad police chief. The emotional result mirrors others portrayed sensitively throughout the film: personal stories of patients suffering a range of illnesses, from intractable epilepsy to rare genetic diseases. Presenting testimony of medical professionals, scientists, lawyers and politicians in Australia and overseas, A Life of Its Own seeks to present a clearer understanding of where…

Thank you to all the writers for their time and contributions to this magazine, including the following: • Henry C. Lu • Vera Kaur • Sarah Harry • Therese Wade • Dr Debra Campbell • David Packman • Stephen Jenkinson and Nathalie Roy • Stephen Taylor • Matt Nagle • Taline Gabrielian Thank you to the following photographers and artists for their time and contributions to this magazine: • Susi Sweeney • Mark Tucker for his image of Stephen Jenkinson Thank you to the following organisations for their time and contributions to this magazine: • Linehan Institute • Orphan Wisdom DISCLAIMER: All material provided in this…

Did you ever realise that God spelled backwards is Dog? A dog, and most other pets as well, retain that godliness that many human beings are born with but often lose over time. Dogs are natural spiritual teachers. There are many spiritual lessons to be learned from animals, and below are just 5 of them. 1. Tender Touch is Good for Your Health We can learn from caressing our pets that physical touch is natural for us. We are naturally drawn to pet our pets. Even research shows that hugging is extremely good for your health as it instantly boosts oxytocin and serotonin levels and helps heal sickness, disease, stress, it lowers blood pressure, reduces stress and anxiety, and can even improve your memory. A tender touch makes you forget whatever…

It is estimated that globally some 350 million people suffer from serious depression. While the causes of depression are varied and largely unidentifiable, since the 1950’s the pharmaceutical industry has been developing a broad range of antidepressants, and it is now thought that in America alone, 8-10% of the population is taking them. The problems with antidepressants are wide-ranging including addiction, costs, and a host of unfavourable side-effects including emotional numbness and even an increased risk of suicide. While antidepressants may very well help some people cope with the overwhelming effects of depression in the short-term, pharmaceutical treatments do not cure depression. Pondering the reasons for such a major increase in depression in our society over the last couple of decades, many have speculated that a combination of lifestyle, social disconnectedness in a technologically advanced society, lack…

Overcrowded and rampant with violence, we may think of prisons as the ‘way of the world’ and that not much can be done about them. That is until we learn about the extraordinarily civilised and effective prison system used in Scandinavia. “Every inmate in a Norwegian prison is going back into society. Do you want people who are angry - or people who are rehabilitated?” Are Hoidel, Director of Norway’s Halden Prison A Revolutionary Model While the typical prison in the U.S. relies heavily on concrete, coils of razor wire, lethal electric fences, towers manned by snipers, and barren land free of any trees or plant life, a maximum security correctional facility two hours north of Oslo, Norway is treating their prisoners differently. Regarded as the world’s most humane prison, Halden…

Stephen Jenkinson is the creator and principal instructor of the Orphan Wisdom School, founded in 2010. With Master’s degrees from Harvard University (Theology) and the University of Toronto (Social Work), he is revolutionising grief and dying in North America and redefining what it means to live and die well. Apprenticed to a master storyteller, he has worked extensively with dying people and their families, he is a consultant to palliative care and hospice organisations, and is an educator and advocate in the helping professions. He is also a sculptor, a traditional canoe-builder, and his house won a Governor General’s Award for architecture. Stephen lives a handmade off-the-grid life on a farm beside the River of Abundance and Time in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada. At the Orphan Wisdom School, Stephen teaches his…

He taught May to direct energy through his body, to use active visualisation, to leave his body consciously and to turn pain signals off with his mind. He also helped May to alter his belief systems that were causing blocks to his healing. The healing potential of the human being expands far beyond the world’s general understanding. Evidence can be found for this throughout all cultures and their related spiritual belief systems. Years ago, I was confronted with a serious health crisis that was unresponsive to both conventional and alternative medicine. As a result, I began to research and explore the realms of psychic healing, shamanism and deep meditation. I discovered fascinating examples of individuals who overcame “incurable” physical illness and extreme trauma with an open mind and a determined…

When we divert from these natural laws by breathing polluted air, eating food that is a long way from its natural state, drinking chemical-laden water, ingesting toxic medication, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, using inorganic body and household products, absorbing electro-magnetic pollution, experiencing constant stress and even thinking negative thoughts, our energies become imbalanced. This imbalance produces a variety of hormones and assists in governing blood flow and oxygenation, but the impaired hormones and poor circulation causes an array of symptoms including the accumulation of impurities, inflammation and excess moisture within the tissues, which is experienced as stiffness and pain. Traditional healers had a wealth of knowledge on how to diagnose and treat the root cause of ailments using natural holistic methods, and over many generations a lot of these have…

I have had a sense, very recently, of what it means to be disconnected, albeit from a distance and only a short period of time … It is just the incessant computer work which draws you in, and takes you away from what is real. My challenge each day is to take myself out for a walk, or do yoga – each and every day to do something. And over the last week or so, I haven’t quite got there. So, I have been a bit perturbed by this lack of discipline, and I have been very aware of having less movement and activity in each day. But what I think I have changed - or I am working on it at least - is my attitude to this lack.…

More than 80 percent of all cancers in the world today are initiated by toxins, which cause failures in the regulation of the cell cycle, starting with the formation of cells and ending with programmed cell death. So what if there was a herbal tea extracted from a plant that exhibited anti-cancer properties and interfered with this process, making it impossible for cancer to grow? The regulation of this cell cycle is achieved by a protein which is a natural tumour suppressor and is in charge of ordering human cells to die when they come to the end of their life, a process known as apoptosis. For many factors, mainly DNA damage, sometimes the protein fails, and the tumour cells that were supposed to die in this natural cell cycle continue…

We live in a fearful world with exposure to a deluge of stressors every day. As much as fear is a result of reacting to the actual or perceived events in our lives, it is also a biological function of the human body, and when equipped with an understanding of how the body manages the emotional system, we can easily outsmart it, tricking ourselves into emotional balance. This perspective is scientifically validated by new research from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, which discovered how the various rhythmic patterns of breath profoundly impact memory recall, the emotional body, and specifically the fear response. The brain creates electrical impulses which link physical functions to emotional reactions, and the electrical activity of the brain is deeply affected by…

Many people associate cumin, coriander and fennel seeds with savoury cooking, but they also combine to make a perfect cleanse-friendly tea. The healing spices assist with gas and bloating and help to detoxify the body. Adding turmeric (use fresh if you can find it) imparts a beautiful golden colour and it also has anti-inflammatory properties. I also like to add a little fresh ginger as well. Make a big pot of this detox tea, and sip throughout the day! Detox Tea (Makes 4 cups) Ingredients: 1 quart water 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds 1 tsp. whole coriander seeds 1 tsp. fennel seeds 1 Tbsp. fresh turmeric root, sliced, (or ½ teaspoon dried turmeric) 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, sliced (optional) Bring the water to a simmer in a 2-quart saucepan. Add…

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive behavioural treatment that was originally developed to treat chronically suicidal individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is now recognised as the gold standard psychological treatment for this population. In addition, research has shown that it is effective in treating a wide range of other disorders such as substance dependence, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders. DBT includes four sets of behavioural skills. • Mindfulness - the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment • Distress Tolerance - how to tolerate pain in difficult situations, not change it • Interpersonal Effectiveness - how to ask for what you want and say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others • Emotion Regulation - how to change…

The Balanda and the Bark Canoes Director Rolf de Heer wrote during the production of Ten Canoes: “We are making a movie. The story is their story, those that live on this land, in their language, and set a long time before the coming of the Balanda, as we white people are known. “For the people of the Arafura Swamp, this film is an opportunity, maybe a last chance, to hold on to the old ways. For all of us, the challenges are unexpected, the task beyond anything imagined. For me, it is the most difficult film I have made, in the most foreign land I’ve been to ... and it is Australia.” The making of that landmark feature film provides the framework for The Balanda and the Bark Canoes,…