Well, we had our famous first annual New England Clambake on Sunday. The park was just super. It was really fun. It was fabulous to see so many radiant people in one place. We all enjoyed the location, loved the lobstah and clams, and the great food. Something about cooks in recovery, heh heh. I am thinking what fun it would be to have regional parties. We have had almost no response to the seminar in Boulder, so we are going to go ahead and cancel it. We will be starting these new classes this week: Step 2 Journal: An Introduction is our basic get to know your journal class. We always have fun! Come join us. Using Resources in the Community is our guided tour. Get on the bus and find all the fun things hidden in the web site. Our own *Where's Waldo?* I have posted a new class schedule on line. 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. The classes are done online with one lesson each day. You do not have to be at your computer at any set time. 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. Please feel free to pass this week's newsletter on to your friends and family. Don't forget to let me know what you like and would like to see me cover. Be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery® website and Community Forum regularly. Warmly, Kathleen **********************************************************************
July 24, 2006 ** Quote From Kathleen **
You are not striving for perfection. You are seeking commitment and progress. *********************************************************************
** Testimonial for the Week**
I spent all day yesterday cleaning out my closet. I had been putting it off since I moved into this house, 3 years ago. It was like "What Not To Wear" gone wild! I tried on every single piece, and then put it in the big bag if it did not fit or flatter my body. I forced myself to ignore how much I paid for it, what size it was, and how long I had had it. If it did not look good on me, it had to go. Period. It was emotionally exhausting, because lots of the clothing carried memories of times in my life when I was very unhappy and miserable and hopeless. I spent 20 years wearing baggy, shapeless sacks, because I did not want to draw attention to myself. Needless to say, there is not much left in my closet right now. I am forced to buy new clothes now, and I am very freaked out! I have never enjoyed shopping for clothes, because I never felt good about myself or my body. And I never knew what size to buy, because the constant binging and starving meant my weight was constantly going up and down. I have never had a consistent body shape until now. Getting rid of all the larger sizes and all the baggy things reinforces my commitment to my recovery and to this program. I know if I continue to do the food, my body will stay at this new size, where it is healthy and strong. It reminds me of the body I had in the 7th and 8th grade, before the high school diet head took over and my SS started escalating out of control. I feel like I have the body now that I was always meant to have all along. My body is familiar and brand new at the same time, and that is a great feeling. I am going to buy clothes that fit me, that flatter my body, and that honor the healthy 41 year old woman that I am now. Before starting this program, I never would have believed it. This is such a huge step in my recovery. Ana ********************************************************************
**Recipe of the Week**
SPINACH BEAN SPROUT SALAD
Note: To toast sesame seeds, toast them in a dry frying pan over high heat until golden brown! , stirring often. ********************************************************************
**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**
I have been spending the last few weeks thinking about the revisions we will be putting into YLD over the next few months. The program works beyond anything I ever imagined. And it is hard to do because it is sooooo different from all the diets you have done. We do maintenance first. And the hardest thing is to settle in to learn skills before glamor of 30 pounds in 30 days. We literally reprogram all those messages. I am thinking it would be fun for you to hear some of the success stories. Because I put so much emphasis on *healing*, sometimes I forget to pass on the reports of weight loss. This is going to be interesting since I do not define success as a number, LOL. But we shall see. Here is a nice report. I had mentioned this program as a way of ending cravings, getting rid of depression and anxiety, gaining clarity and joy in living, and he replied that he saw me as a woman transformed. He couldnąt' believe I was the same person he had met two years ago. He remembers an anxious, solemn, depressed, slow moving, sad looking person. He said he can't get over the changes in me, and that I even look years younger, and that with my just letting my gray hair grow out, (smile). If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun. ********************************************************* ***********
**David's Corner **
 OK, we are having our Summer Blowout Sale beginning this week. These items have only limited quantities, so be sure to click on the link below to order quickly if you want them. America's Test Kitchen Cookbook - $20.95 (30% off original price) The Body Heals - $10.00 (80% off) Love Heels - $18.95 (42% off) I & Dog - $7.95 (50% off) Life is Good - $10.95 (35% off) The Iroquois Book - $7.19 (50% off) PNP or SARP Tapes - $5.99 (67% off) Pencil Box Colored Book - $2.99 (50% off) Boku Journal - $5.99 (40% off) Pencil Boxes - $14.95 (50% off) Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************* ***********
**Our Online Groups**
Hi, I'm Janie. I'm the liaison for the radiantdepression list. The depression list is my heart place. I joined this list when I first read SARP. I didn't even have a computer back then and when I read in SARP that there was an on-line community, I told my husband we had to get a computer so I could connect! My depression started in my early 20's. What I did about it back then was self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, caffeine and sugar not realizing of course that this was making me worse. Then my depression really hit hard after I started having children. When my twins were born my depression was totally debilitating. We had to hire a nanny because I was too depressed to take care of my own children. It was then that I started seeking professional help. I went to every kind of doctor and practitioner out there. I was even hospitalized twice for suicide. I tried all sorts of meds and nothing worked for me. It wasn't until I read PNP that I finally found the answer. I'll never forget that day when I first found that book. I read it all in one day and started the program the next day. Kathleen's work has totally changed my life and I will be forever grateful to her and to this community. Being in service here in this community and especially on the depression list is my joy and bringing hope to those who suffer from depression is my mission. Please come join us on the depression list. ********************************************************************
**The Calm** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. "Am I right in identifying it this way: the hit--as horrible as it is--is the meltdown and the immediate afterglow in which I can actually get my work done; as the hit wears off I'm left flat--that would be withdrawal; my anxiety levels begin to build and that increases the chaos in my life --the hunt is on for the next big storm.... Oh, lord, it's good to know what's going on but I'm horrified that my actions are the actions of an addict my entire life...because I was labeled "drama queen" right from the getgo and teased mercilessly for it, which only fed it...." Katrina I know that many of you can relate to the idea of being a drama queen (or king). The quote above came from a class member of the beta-endorphin group. I think that ...perfectly describes the pattern. You create a big thing - using whatever stuff is at hand. It could be leaving bills 'til they are over due, not paying taxes, forgetting a key appointment, having a fight with husbands, wives or partners or children, blowing up at work, having a temper tantrum, whatever......you get a rush. You get a rush from the STORM. It is such a great image. The rush is a flood of beta-endorphin, and a subsequent dash of dopamine. You feel clear, mobilized, able to cope and in charge. This is drug-induced euphoria. The skilled and effective drama queen. And then the flat rolls in. And you have no tolerance for it. Something, you need something. Sweets, fights, sex, drama. They are all activated beta-endorphin and then pushing through to trigger dopamine. This is euphoria and then rush. And then withdrawal, the flat. The problem comes over time. You build tolerance, so you need a bigger drama. Life starts to unravel and the drama becomes unmanageable. You pull it together; the pulling together is done in a flurry, another rush, more drama. Now the drama of getting fixed, organized, settled. So the pattern is veiled. Now the drama comes with the fixing. And the sugar use builds. When you step into the program, and work the steps, the steps themselves are designed to minimize drama. You want to teach you to cope with thoughtful planning rather than reaction and mobilization. You are creating behavioral change. Learning to "wait" for meals on step three teaches you to learn to wait...and tolerate discomfort. Step six rolls in. Now you have biochemical flat since the charge from sugar is out. This is the hardest part of the program. You are learning to do life without spike. You are learning to tolerate some flatness rather than creating drama, drama.... Then something funny happens. Flat starts taking on color. Flat becomes The Calm. And something in you starts to like it. And something in you starts to really like it. Eighteen months in and drama no longer holds the charge. You find yourself wanting to deescalate rather than amp up. Now the drama seems like an unnecessary wasting of energy far more suited to fun things. Another change slips in. Rather than drama queen, your funny, creative, innovative self starts growing. You are flexible and resourceful. You deal well with crisis, you no longer cope but are proactive in problem solving. Who is this person anyway? There is nothing in the world so wonderful as a healed drama queen. ©Kathleen DesMaisons 2006. Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together: Gretel, the liaison for the recovery list and the webmaster puts it all together Naomi, liaison for step 4 gathers the recipes David, who runs the Radiant Recovery® Store talks about what new products we have. Vicki, liaison for YLD, and the YLDweightlossteam talk about the YLD program. 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.htm. ©2006 by 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 and use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®. Please visit Kathleen's website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction." Please notify me at kathleen@radiantrecovery.com to let me know where the material will appear. Banner Photograph by Geraint Smith |