Pouring rain
October 6,2024,
 
Hi {!firstname_fix}, 
 Well, HELLO! I love the Fall and am excited to reconnect with you will lots of updates and information about new directions. I wanted to share a little with you about a fun project I have started. This is a picture of the stones in my driveway. I have been here for almost 25 years. I have always loved my driveway. A few months ago I had driven around the neighborhood and realized my house was the only home with this particular type of stone.
A few weeks ago, I happened to notice a stone with a face in it. I was so touched by the idea of a stone having a little spirit it it.  I began to look for faces in the stones. I have found 30 and now I am now writing a little story about Faces in the Stones.
What is most amazing to me is that these stones have been here the whole time I have lived here. All I did was notice them and they began to reveal themselves. Now, I have always been a philosopical sort of girl, thinking about such things. I am sure it is the type of question I would have asked my mother about this. And no doubt, one more question that made her wonder what a strange little thing I was.
But i felt this at Avebury every time I went to England. They have HUGE stones there and I felt such a connection to there. And they have a brochure there that talk about how the stones communicate with one another through electro magnetic vibration. It is not a woo-woo brochure. I read the brochure maybe 15 years ago and now I am thinking about the faces in my driveway. Now here is why I am raising this in the newsletter...
I think that sugar sensitive people are "sensitive" to things like energies in stones. And rare is it to get a parent who might talk about such a thing, I think that "doing the food" and getting to Step Seven lowers the buffer zone that addiction surrounds us with. We call Step Seven the "get a life step". Perhaps that is code for seeing faces in stones or hearing whispers from trees or a woodpecker. Or feeling it in the purr of a cat or a "welcome home" bark from a dog.
And perhaps this is why some people disconnect after getting off the sugar. They think that healing addiction is just about not "using" the substance or behavior. That is all they want to know. And the idea of stones or life without amnesia is too hard. 
On the other hand there are a lot of people who are coming back to the community wanting support in doing the food plan with more focus and intention. They want life without amnesia.
 
Support for Your Program
Journals
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
                                                                                   

 We have a master community email list. We had envisioned it as a central meeting place. It hasn't been that But I am think it would be nice to put energy into that. I would like the. new people to get to know the old timers. I would like the old timers to hear the grace and skill today's new folks have. It can be anice place to get started if you are new to the community or are coming back and are wondering what to do.  Introduce yourself and ask for help. Or just listen. We won't mind. The community is made up of a huge number of introverts which means LISTENING is held in high esteem. We will direct you to the right spot for your questions. It's fine if you know nothing, just stop in and you will be welcomed.

It is also the place to ask about things like what to do with your sugar intake in the afternoon while you are still on Step 1 and we won't open that discussion on the Step 1 list because we stick to the topic of learning how to do StepOne and won't talk about sugar LOL.    Join the Step One List now.

 

GROUPS
The groups list is up on the web site. You will see that we are downsizing and putting energy into supporting people getting started on Syeps 1-2-3.. We are also making some pretty major changes in the wight loss component of what we are doing. See more information about that in the Your Last Diet section below.
 
CLASSES
We have been doing the Step One class right on the list for a while.  I will be doing The Obesity Myth class  on the YLD list. There is no charge for either of these classes.
 
 
Sign up here. 
 
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
If you prefer talking on Facebook, come over to our group there. Radiant Recovery®, Our Facebook presence is primarily intended to be "social" and not so much for step support so be aware of that when you go over. Although, if someone asks for help, it happens!
And to be honest, a. lot of people are posting "joy dots" over there so it is a pretty fun place to be.
 
WORKING INDIVIDUALLY WITH KATHLEEN 
People have been asking for a long time how they might be able to work with me directly. Sometimes I do an individual problem solving session, but mostly I do one on one coaching called Signature Coaching.  I can help you step out of the craziness of sugar addiction, return to steadiness and clarity after slipping away, slow down and focus on your recovery, or deepen a steady rhythm of recovery. This particular option is especially helpful if you did the steps a while ago and then kinda meandered away. Or if you are facing some intense times and would like skillful support. 
 
Or perhaps even more important if you are FINALLY serious about this program working. I KNOW that the people who have worked with me directly don't have to thrash around for months in self discovery. We can pick up with your skills, sort the things that get in your way and just progress to success.
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     Signature coaching is individually tailored to your needs. We start by doing an in-depth assessment of where you are in the process and then design an individual plan for you. We talk with once a week via phone or Zoom to work on your progress. 
   
You can go here to learn more about coaching.  Call 505-345-3737 if you would like more information. I am ALWAYS happy to talk to. you about options. 
 

 

Testimonial for the Week

I went to Scotland for 5 days. I went on a group tour, and we traveled by bus. So I knew that I would not have control over when we stopped for lunch and dinner, and I knew I would have to plan accordingly. I would also have two long travel days, so I needed to have some food in my carry on to supplement the food I would find at the airport.

Food I packed on my trip: tuna in pouches, sardines packed in water, nuts, peanut butter, wasa crisp bread, triscuits for my evening carb. I put a few wasa and a pouch of tuna and a can of sardines in my carry on. Also, on the trip to Scotland, I brought two sandwiches, one for the bus ride to NYC and one for dinner at the airport. (It was a night flight.)

They fed us dinner on the plane, at about 10 PM, and I ate what I could out of that, even though I didn't technically need it. However, the breakfast they served us was useless to me, so I had sardines and wasa. Not a very tasty breakfast, but I just did what I needed to do.

My travel mate got up early each morning because she takes a long time to get ready, so I had two wasa with peanut butter to hold me until 7:30, when we could go down and have a full protein breakfast. Each day, I packed snacks in my back pack to tide me over until lunch and dinner (Dinner often wasn't until 7:30 or 8.) I didn't worry about snacking, I just ate what I needed to when I needed to to avoid blood sugar crashes. Snacks included scottish oat cakes with peanut butter, nuts and cheese and fruit from the breakfast buffet that I stashed for later.

On the second day, to make things more challenging, I got a stomach virus. Now, a stomach virus on a bus tour could be a real disaster! Fortunately, my symptoms were some nausea and bad stomach pains, but nothing more violent. If it had been a walking tour, I would have been in trouble, because I couldn't stand up for that long without getting lightheaded, but fortunately we had long rests between stops. The good thing was, I didn't have blood sugar issues while I had the virus because my digestive system was apparently working much slower than usual. This was especially good because I had one day where I could hardly eat and had to choke food down.

Anyway, I made it through the trip with my food pretty good. I ate a few "beiges" but no sugar or whites. I didn't have an evening carb, because dinners were so late.

Despite the stomach virus, I had a wonderful time. Scotland was everything I'd always thought it would be - absolutely beautiful. I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember. I kept looking around me, realizing that I was really here in Scotland, and I'd feel this joy welling up in me and almost feel like crying. We had beautiful, sunny weather, except for one day when it snowed just enough to make it beautiful. I saw hawks, a hare, pheasants, lots of wild deer and a wild goat (as well as lots and lots of sheep, and some highland cattle and adorable ponies.) I saw castles, both standing and in ruins, and we visited two ruined abbeys, which were fascinating and beautiful in the snow.

We were traveling with a band from Canada that plays celtic folk rock. The bagpipe player was on my bus. When we stopped at one of the abbeys, we went into this room called the chapter room, where the monks used to gather, and it had amazing acoustics. James played a small bagpipe for us. Then when we got off the bus at Glencoe, which is in a valley, surrounded by spikey mountains, Jmaes went and stood on this little hill and played the big bagpipes. That was one of the high points of the trip, because it was such a beautiful, wild spot, and bagpipes go straight to my soul.

Of course, I've had the post travel slump, but I was expecting the BE crash so that helps. I've just been taking it easy - giving myself permission to just relax and watch movies or read, instead of doing all the things I initially and over optimistically wanted to do. I've realized it's best for me not to hit the ground running - plenty of time for that in a few weeks after I've settled in. There will be other chances to do the things I initially wanted to do this weekend.


Allison

(Allison actually wrote this 20 years ago but I happen to love about the bagpipest so I am reposting it.)
Radiant Recovery Store
David Smiling
    David, my oldest son, runs our store. He makes sure your orders go out quickly and works with you to find the best things suited to where you are in your process. Over the summer, David has shifted the shake service to concierge responding to your needs and your timing. When we originally started he was also just beginning a volleyball club in the city. The club now has 19 teams and runs tournaments almost every weekend. And he has been elected to be the President of the Regional Association of Referees.
He has become very efficient at responding to your needs. Sometimes the lights are blazing in the "fulfillment center" at midnight but he has always been a detail guy and he is pretty passionate about the store! He has found sending things "as needed rather than once monthly seems to work better for everyone.
 

  We are featuring the journal this week because it really, really does help you.

Come visit our STORE. Call 505-345-3737.
Omega 3 Gummies
 
The original and best Food Journal for doing the steps outlined in Potatoes Not Prozac.


Your Body Speaks
Your Last Diet: Learning Some Really Intriguing New Material
Your Last Diet Book Cover

    After all this time YLD continues to be a favorite place for people in the community. If you struggle with your body image, if you have chased diets for years, here is a wonderful alternative to all the things you have tried.

Here is a quote from a YLD member:

    It has been quite a while since I checked in with you folks. It was not because I wasn't following the plan or had lost interest. Life was unusually stressful from early Dec to the present and I have been putting "stress management" at the top of my agenda. I continue to be absolutely in awe of what Kathleen has discovered. I feel I have found "my home" - a place where I feel at peace with my body. I weighed myself today for the first time in 2 months - I have lost 10-12 pounds since starting on this journey with you. And, more importantly, I feel so good in my body. I've read with interest what some of you have been saying about the loss of emotional energy around weight loss. This feeling of being OK with where I am now - no, not just OK, but radiant - is incredible.

***********************************************************************************

 

    If you are not a YLD member, and the membership fee has gotten in the way, I am running a special membership at no charge. You can come and join us and start your weight loss program right now. The ONLY requirement is that you agree to actively participate. That means talking and posting. If you are interested, email me and I will give you this special offer at no charge.

 

Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun.  We are looking at all sorts of intriguing ideas like "Why we crave chocolate and why some people don't" [it's genetic LOL].  We alos have been looking at why some sugar sensitive people are so resistant to dropping pounds even if they are eating very little.

 

I realized that I haven't really talked about "success"in YLD because honestly, I don't really think about it LOL. That to me is "success" - losing 50 pounds and forgetting to mention it LOL. One. of our newer people has recently joined some other program and I went over to see what they are doing. The whole site, the WHOLE thing was how much weight people had lost. Not one word about freedom from obbession and addiction. It rattled me. You are sitting on a god mine and not realizing it because I am not marketing it that way.  

 

I figure I could do something outrageous and charge you $1500 fr a weekend or I could just let you come and do it. I will try the free option first.
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Some Unexpected Musings
 

by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.


 Today's article is going to be a very unusual sharing of some things I have been thinking about. I anticipated I would be sharing some cutting edge ideas so I went to see what people were writing. I learned that I maybe a little further ahead of the curve than I thought. So you will have the fun of ready more of a speculation. You can just see what you think. We barely have rat studies let alone human studies.

As you may surely realize from the title of my first book, I do have an interest in depression. Because I was working with multiple offender drunk drivers in 1988, I was working with a lot of very deeply depressed guys. We added the food steps and we astounded by the changes to treatment outcomes. Not only did guys get clean and sober, their recorded depression scores plummeted.

I hadn't really thought about this until recently...this impact on depression, but of course it is the river that flows though the books and the continuing experience. This last week I was talking with someone about non responsive chronic depression, ie someone for whom regular depression interventions just haven't helped.

At a first level, this is something I see a lot in the people I see individually. Mostly because most treatment involves targeting serotonin levels. And if you have a depression coming from low levels of beta endorphin, those treatments won't touch it.

Treating BE depression is tricky because most of the medicinal things that treat it are highly addictive. Of course this is thy so many alcoholics also have chronic depression.

A few years ago a number of treatment centers tried giving their clients ketamine and short term had some spectacular results. Self esteem skyrocketed and people felt great. Of course. Give a sugar sensitive depressed person and opioid drug and they will feel fabulous.

I remember waking up after a medical procedure I had a few years ago. The anesthetic they used was an opioid. I thought I was in heaven and I remember thinking, "this is what heroin addiction is about..chasing this feeling." I had never felt that way in my life. Not ever. The feeling was just like what I had read about in the spiritual reporting on mystical experience.

So when I first heard about the idea of using ketamine as a treatment intervention for depression, I thought, "danger, danger" for the sugar sensitive. And last week when I heard musings about using in with treatment resistent depression with someone who has been suicidual, all my molecules went on red alert. So I wanted to share these thoughts with you.

Ketamine acts on mu opioid receptors which are the very receptors I have hypothesized as the primary mediators of the best and worst of sugar sensitivity. Now of course this has not been tested. Sugar sensitivity is way complicated and almost impossible to measure.But one could (and I do) speculate that mucking around with the essence of sugar sensitivity with a drug like ketamine is a pretty high risk choice. You stimulate a mystical experience and then ask a person to return to regular life- one that has fear, disappointment, politics, depression and despair in it, you are creating an emotional crap shoot. One missed medication, one missed meal, one heightened sense of sorrow, helplessness and loneliness, and perhaps some low carb dieting and you create a perfect storm for suicidal thoughts to wrap themselves around the psyche.

Coming face to face with this reality felt like a slide into such dangerous territory that I wanted to talk with you about this. This is the start.

I cannot leave you without an alternative. My next step is to outline options...what can you do if nothing has works, and days are getting shorter, and scary times may be approaching. I am working on that. More will come next week. And maybe I was reset the depression list if you have any interest in that.  Hmmm, maybe I will do that anyway as a safety net. I need a little moment to think on it.  I am on it and I will keep you posted.

And I will talk more on the community list.

 

 

 

This is Grace unfolding. You are not alone.
©2024 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your blog 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 for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction. 

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