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April 14, 2014 Hi {!firstname_fix} Four in the morning and the peacocks are calling for girlfriends. The scent of lilac hits each time I come back home. So now we are into the yellows and purples time of our spring. I love how we move through the colors. And I have reconciled to the time change and like that at 7:15 the western light from the sun strikes the adobe on the house next door and lights it up. I placed a dog with his new family today, and probably will place another tomorrow. I always like this part of the process. This particular group of dogs has required more rehab than usual. Thankfully I have a new volunteer who has been clicker training the dogs. This morning, she was clicker training the new owner - that was fabulous to listen to and made me smile. We are doing the last arrangements for ranch. This week's article is on how that process has been for me. I hope you enjoy it. This class will begin Wednesday, April 16, 2014. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:
These classes will begin Wednesday, April 23, 2014. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:
The class schedule is online. Click here to see what is planned. A number of you have asked me how the classes work. Check the class list page for more information on this. And please go read the questions and answers before you write to me. If you have trouble getting through the process, write the tech forum. Be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery website and Community Forum regularly. Warmly, Kathleen **********************************************************************
**Quote From Kathleen ** Learning that you can have positive feelings from a thousand things other than food is a wonderful insight. **********************************************************************
**Testimonial of the Week ** Hi everyone! I started the programme a few months ago and have been 'babystepping' onto Step 3 for a few weeks now. Yesterday I had a wonderful compliment from a colleague which has made me realise how much progress I've made already - and just how powerful this programme is. I started the programme partly because of my weight, but mostly because of emotional problems - panic attacks, agoraphobia, anger and depression. I found stabilizing my blood sugar has really helped me, and reading SATRP has helped me stop feeling guilty about having this chemistry. I just feel better to know I'm heading in the right direction by doing this plan. And a few weeks ago I started a new job. Then yesterday a colleague said to me to ask if I needed help, and not to stress out about it if I was struggling. 'Mind you,' she said, 'not that you EVER get stressed out!' I laughed because I thought she was joking. 'Get real - I'm the most stressed out person there is,' I said. 'No way! Not only are you the calmest person I've ever met, I love it when you're in because you make everyone else calm down too!' Well after I picked myself off the floor and wiped a tear from my eye I realised how much I have changed already. Considering six months ago I was suicidal because I was too afraid to leave the house, this is just the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. I know I still have a long way to go, but now I'm more determined than ever to make this work. If Step 3 is this good, Step 7 must be incredible. Just wanted to share this with you guys - hang on in there! And thanks Kathleen - you've changed my life! Kerrie **********************************************************************
**Notes from the Forum ** by mosaic I have always loved Mosaic's voice on the Community Forum. We are starting a new addition to the Newsletter this week called *Notes from the Forum* so those of you who don't stop by there can hear her cheery wisdom. I hear you on the scary unknown thing. In retrospect, though, it was all so gentle in that way that I sometimes didn't notice and the self-confidence crept up on me. I was a bit scared of - losing my identity. That sounds a bit dramatic, doesn't it.  But what has happened is I have grown into my self.I used to act self confident I think, just now I don't have to 'act' it the same. Step three was a real turning point in this for me. Step three was me in my turquoise swim suit promenading along the beach in Spain without feeling self conscious, just comfy. Self confidence now is to be able to go shopping and when clothes don't fit it is not my fault and the world isn't against me, I can still enjoy my day out. And a really funny thing is self confidence is, instead of trying to please other people all the time, being able to say *I* would like that green wallpaper pain" and actually win that one! LOL A big part - most of it - is doing the food and the biochemistry. The other bit is what I learn in class and in chat. I have some choice phrases I keep in my pocket at work as a reminder 
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**Radiant Ambassadors **  Curiously, I had a dream about Radiant Recovery recently. It seems that I had written to the BBC News at 10 program and had told them all about Radiant Recovery. They wanted to interview me the following week LOL! Shame it wasn't real though - I'll work on it :) Do you have any dreams about Radiant Recovery? Where do you see the program in, say, 5 years time? Kathleen on Oprah? Pamphlets in Doctors surgeries? Everyone talking about sugar sensitivity? We'd love to hear your thoughts on the ambassadors list or why not email me! Selena selenas@blueyonder.co.uk Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. **********************************************************************
**How I Found Radiant Recovery ** My name is Gillian and I live in Hampshire, England. I found Potatoes Not Prozac about two weeks ago and I couldn't believe how many of the 'symptoms' I had. I found it so freeing to realise that I have no impulse control and I am figuring out ways to not be tempted into my other problem - retail therapy! I don't have any problem with alcohol and don't have any alcoholics in the family, but I have had MAJOR health problems to deal with in three of my five children and I turned to food for comfort. I am on Step 1 and am finding it really easy. I love breakfast and I have made a few minor tweaks to what I eat and I am working on feeling that I have already succeeded for the day just by having a breakfast that was absolutely delicious. I am letting that sink in before I move on. I want to get really comfortable with being part of a forum as this is new to me - that's why I am a day late with Day One as I couldn't figure out how to get to the group properly. I hope to do better now. Thank you for hosting this Mel. I believe you are also in the UK and I have joined the radiantbrits group too. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Recovery® Store ** David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son. 
Ok, we have a new supplier for Pycnogenol. Kathleen suggests this as an adjunct for those of you who take the fish oil. It strengthens capillaries so you get all the benefits of thinner blood without the risk of bruising. The best of all worlds.We were disappointed when our supplier stopped carrying it and said "Oh, this other product is as good." Kathleen said, "I don't think so" and went on a hunt. I always love how diligent she is with stuff like that. I like our new company. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
**Radiant Kitchen ** This is insect repellent but I loved the idea so much, I thought I would share it. DO NOT EAT IT, LOL. Roughly chop 4 cups of peppermint, 1 cup of orange peel and 1/2 cup lemon peel. Put in a pot just big enough to hold them, and press them down. Add water - just enough to cover. Bring to a boil, immediately take off the heat and cover. Let sit overnight. Strain/reserve the liquid and discard the mint and citrus. Mix the liquid with equal parts rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. I think it works quite well, noting that I do reapply a bit more often than is typical with commercial chemical insect repellant. I also crush fresh peppermint in my hands and rub it on the dogs, avoiding eyes and nose. It definitely helps repel mosquitoes for them too. Diane For more great program-friendly recipes, check out our cookbook in the store and visit our online Radiant Recipes site. **********************************************************************
**Radiant YLD ** It is nice that we have all settled into a routine. The weight loss class is blowing my mind...again. We are working on weight loss stories. You guys are simply amazing. And the Foundation class is wonderful. I am glad we did that split. Thank you so much for the process. I just love it. And here is what one of our members shared with us this week: Hi! I haven't checked in for awhile, either. I joined YLD a few weeks ago, and am very happy with it. I go to a beginner's chat on Mondays, which is a chance to ask questions, and hear what is on other's minds. Weds. night is a chat with Kathleen. I was really worried about going to chats because I have been in chat rooms where everyone is talking at once, and many topics to try and follow. In Kathleen's chats, there is order, and the screen doesn't scroll fast. I have time to read everything. There is a topic, chosen by Kathleen, and all is orderly. It is a little overwhelming to realize that you can read all the books, and join the email lists, but in YLD you have direct access to Kathleen, and information that is personalized just for us. Each week, I am taking home something that helps me do better. I'm also on the YLD email list. There is a benefit to YLD that I did not expect. That's radiance. Not my radiance, but everyone else's. It has been said that you become like the people you associate with. Well, there are so many in YLD that are on step seven, and their attitudes are infectious! They lift me up, and I so look forward to having that kind of radiance within me instead of just surrounding me! I struggle sometimes with not wanting to follow a step, or looking for a shorter route, or wanting it all, now! I believe it was Kathleen who said that if you want what we have, do what we do - or something similar! When you are interacting with others who are steady, laughing, losing weight, and reaching their personal goals, it really helps me to set my mind to follow the steps. It also helps to know that they are not perfect, either, and make mistakes. They just recover better and faster. My journey is more solid, and more do-able because of YLD. So what about all of us here? We are a very special group of people who can work this program together, and become radiant together. I know I can't do it alone. Looking forward to baby stepping with more of you. Therese If you would like to join, come find us here **********************************************************************
**Radiant Conversations ** We have a new portal for the Conversations program. Come check it out here. This week we will be discussing the article that is posted below. I am sharing from a different place so it will be great to see what you all think. If you would like to join us, you can do that below. Join YLD Weight Loss Now: click here - $99 Join Conversations 2011 Now: click here - $99 Join Both YLD and Conversations Now: click here - $149 Current YLD members wish to Upgrade to Both, click here - $49 If you are not a member, come and join us if you want to be a part of the latest and greatest or just have some plain ol' fun! **********************************************************************
**Our Online Groups ** The radiantrecovery list was set up as a support for people who are in recovery for alcohol and/or drugs and would like to add the Radiant Recovery nutritional piece to their healing. Our approach to recovery encourages the use of 12-step programs and Radiant Recovery. I have heard from a lot of people who have many years of sobriety in AA but have just recently come across Radiant Recovery. Won't you come and join us over on the recovery list to learn how to integrate sobriety and doing the food steps? If you want the promises to come in a way you have not imagined, it is a great time to come over. And if you aren't sure, but think alcohol might be a problem for you, we are here to support that exploration as well. The folks on the list are warm, compassionate, caring and straightforward. So we would love to have you come join us. **********************************************************************
**The Process of Creating a Radiant Ranch ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
Sometimes people ask me why I usually do not publish the schedule for Ranch several months out so they can decide whether they want to come to *learn* what we will be working with. I have struggled with this. This year, I have had a great ah-ha about it. I think I mentioned in an earlier newsletter that I had been rereading Pedagogy of the Oppressed. It was written 40 years ago and had really touched me as a young woman. The key concept that caught my heart is that if education changes from a model of a *banker* doling out information like bank notes to a participatory exploration of truths that have meaning for the people who are in dialogue, something very profound changes. I have been working on the ranch material very intensely for the last month. I have written pages and pages of material. I have thought about where the community is developmentally this year. And what kinds of things feel appropriate for us to be working with. I wanted to give you a different perspective on what we are doing. My thinking about the *big picture* has changed pretty dramatically over the last few months. When we started 16 years ago, no one was talking about sugar sensitivity because I was just naming the idea. And almost no one had any idea about the concept of sugar addiction. We did, of course, because we had been living it for years. Now, sugar as a drug is a hot topic and everyone is jumping on the *just say no* bandwagon. And, of course, we know that this concept is totally ridiculous, although I just got a notice from The New York Times about a new book called My Year Off Sugar. The title made me laugh. We have been living into something else, something much bigger, something way deeper than just going off of sugar. We are talking about HEALING...what made us want sugar in the first place? What is addiction about anyway? What is under the addiction? What is different about taking the sugar out *after* the balance is created? Why does this matter? I realized that this year's ranch has a larger number of newer people. We have a funny collection of 2 ends of the bell curve...people who have been doing the program for a long time and wouldn't consider not coming, and people who are coming for the first time. So the design of the schedule is in response to this profile. I was startled by that this morning. I have been thinking about all these people, the mix, and the questions. How do I make it alive and vital for the old timers, and how do we convey the sense of hope and skill to the new folks? It actually has been an active dialogue in my head. And then, add to that, the ideas that the Pedagogy book stirred about participatory learning, and factor in what I know about neurochemistry and how we learn, remember and process. Add in the likelihood of a 90% introvert distribution, and the planning becomes artful. The fascinating part has been that I have worked on the material every day for the last 2 months...an hour a day 5:30 - 6:30 am, my heart time of being most deeply connected to these concepts. An hour a day over 2 months, adds up (smile). Now the schedule is set and I am moving the material into coloring book format, LOL...the chosen art form for the presentations. Powerpoint departed by popular demand and in its place, the infamous Radiant workbook...draw, color, comment. This year's edition has some new ideas added...something called *takeaways* - little snippets that I want you to take away and really remember. Put them on post-its, post on your computer. Put in your purse so when someone says, *So what did you learn at Ranch anyway?* you don't have to fumble around with a story that does not speak of the *potato cult* chanting in New Mexico. This year we have access to a Starbucks across the street, we have the pool and the hot tub and walking distance to Old Town and a visit to the Blue Door Craft shop to buy famous dish scrubbies. I have learned what is important. Great awakenings happen in the hot tub. And more than anything, there is this miracle that happens about valuing what we do, why this kind of recovery changes our lives so deeply, why this investment in our community together is so profound and memorable. I am excited that you will be here soon. Thanks for reading! If you know someone who could benefit from this, feel free to forward it to them. Not a subscriber yet? Like what you have read? Sign up to get future issues delivered straight to you: http://www.radiantrecovery.com Until next time!
Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:
Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together. David runs the Radiant Recovery® Store. Selena provides the weekly Ambassadors column. Steph provides the Your Last Diet column. mosaic is the contributor to Notes from the Forum. ©2014 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your ezine or website as long as you leave the content unaltered, use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®", and notify kathleen@radiantrecovery.com of the location. Please visit the Radiant Recovery® website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction. You are getting the weekly newsletter from Radiant Recovery® in response to your signup. A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter |
