I would like to share a little about some of the resources we have to help you to do the program. I have gotten some letters from people saying they couldn’t start until they got paid. I thought it would be good to do a little overview. We have a community forum which is very easy to navigate. There is no charge for this and it is moderated so it is free of spam and any sort of uncomfortable postings. We have many, many free online support groups. We have groups for each step, groups for special concerns like recovery from alcohol dependency, ED, depression and IBD, a parents group, a group for men. Each of these is run by a liaison who works directly with me. The larger groups also each have a team of skilled people who help answer any questions and make sure things run smoothly. We offer a number of classes, some are free, some have a small fee and run for one week and some run for two weeks. These are what I post about each week. Your Last Diet which has a one time lifetime membership fee. We run 4 chats a week which are live and in person via the internet. One is for beginners and is for questions and answers, one is for people in Europe, one is for people downunder and one I do each week. There is no charge for the chats, but access to them is limited to YLD members. Chat is where I present some of the newest ideas and information we are looking at in the community. We do one day seminars around the country. In 2008 I plan to expand that schedule. We do an anuual ranch here in Albuquerque in May and one in Europe in the fall. I do a variety of private consultations including phone consults for an hour or 15-minute increments. I also do short email consultations for a very low fee. In addition, we have some certified people who can do coaching if you are looking for that. If you are not sure how to make your way around this large assortment of services, the best thing to do is sign up for the class called *using the resources of the community* and I will give you a guided tour of all of it. This week we are doing some really fun classes. {This is the week of June 04, 2007). Please note that I start classes on Wednesday (June 06) evening. This gives us enough time to get everyone in and settled. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Back to Basics 1 is our friendly ole standby for the step 7 folks who hit the wall and wobble around. Come join us if you are concerned about your program. You do not have to be in full-blown disaster. Even if you are just slippin a bit, come join us. This is a very fun sequence. Everyone loves it. No shame, just learning how to get back on track. Anxiety is one of our most fun class offerings. We look at anxiety, panic and phobia. Come learn the chemical causes of these issues. Find out why anxiety is not a character flaw that you can will away. This is about the neurochemistry of the reaction, rather than the psychology of it. If you deal with it, or you have someone in your family or a child who is fearful, this is the class for you. Step 3: Three Meals is one of the primary fundamental classes we offer. This is a skill-based class. If you want to learn the incremental steps of a successful step 3, come join us. This class is ALWAYS fun. And since step 3 is the foundation of a successful program, this is an ideal way to shore up your progress. Money: Time for a New Frontier is one of our special series. Take a look at your relationship to money, your wounding , your joys, your hopes and your messes around it in a safe and loving place. Learn how money and recovery go hand in hand. Learn about abundance and healing. This is the only time I will be doing this class this year. While you do not have to be on Step 7 to join this class, you do have to be steady (smile).This means that you have to be able to listen, be thoughtful, follow instructions and not fight with the teacher.  Radiant Parents
is a brand new class for you to explore new patterns of being with your children. This is for parents who truly want to try new ways. We will go beyond just the food and look at ways of creating new behaviors. Now, I will post the classes starting the week of June 11, 2007. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Brain Chemistry: Serotonin is one of our most popular brain chemistry classes. It helps you make sense of why the potato works, why you have a problem in the winter and how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can play into this. If you munch in your mind, if you are depressed or edgy or feel sad, this is the class for you. Step 2: Journaling: Skillful Use is the next level of journaling. This is for those of you who know *how* and want to learn *what* to do with your data. This class shows you how to interpret what you have written in an exciting and pragmatic way. This class is not for beginners but is for folks ready to take their journaling to a new level. Using the Resources of the Community is for those of you who are brand new and would like to find your way around town. Come sit on the top of our double decker bus for a guided tour. And even if you are not brand new, this is a really fun class to reconnect with all the treats of the community. 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 and you do not have to be at your computer at any set time. And although I advertise that the classes are one or two weeks, sometimes we are a little flexible and they may run longer. 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 **********************************************************************
June 4, 2007 ** Quote From Kathleen **
Learning that you can have positive feelings from a thousand things other than food is a wonderful insight. *********************************************************************
** Testimonial for the Week**
Gail, Step 7, Leadership Team Here I am, 7 years on step 7, coming back to get my journal steady again. Over the years I have journaled really well, not at all and intermittently. Kathleen said something at Ranch that struck a chord with me. Not journaling consistently means unconscious. See I thought - I am steady, I understand what my body is saying. I am clear and focused, it's ok if I don't keep journaling as my priority. Gail's program not THE program. Dear gawd - I have spent too many years in recovery to be unconscious. So here I am! ********************************************************************
**Radiant Kitchen**
We are in the process of redefining what should be included in our *kitchen* services. We have completed our internal thinking with our leadership teams and now I am interested in getting some public input. So we are going to be having some *town meeting* time over on the recipes list to talk about these ideas. We might call this *public comment* time (smile). If you would like to be a part of this, won’t you come and join us. ********************************************************************
**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**
YLDonline is a membership program run directly by Kathleen DesMaisons herself. Those of you who came to chat last week or who read the transcript know that I have started a real, honest to goodness DIET and I am having a blast. I am going to start sharing my weight loss adventures on the main YLD list. We are going to talk about the best way to be talking together about the process and what it means for you. I know that some of you have wondered just how real weight loss fits in. We are going to start being very proactive on the list now. I know also that many of you are now losing weight as well and I want us to have a way to share in that. 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. ********************************************************* ***********
**Radiant Recovery Store **
David manages the Radiant Recovery Store. He is also Kathleen’s oldest son. 
You guys are sure loving the ranch CDs... I wasn’t at this ranch so I thought I would listen as well. I think they are the best we have. WOW! And here is what Lucy said: I just finished the Ranch cds today and I love them. I have a tiny inkling of what it might be like to be at Ranch! I love hearing Kathleen's voice, it confirms that the humor I sense in her emails comes from a kind, caring, loving place. Not that I ever thought it didn't from her, but my early experiences taught me that some people use humor in ways that aren't kind or compassionate. Somehow, hearing her voice reassures that child in me about what I already intellectually knew about her. Hope that makes sense. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************* ***********
**Our Online Groups**
A lot of new people have come over to radiantparents and are talking about how to do new behaviors with their kids. We are talking not just about food, but about new patterns of recovery in your family. If you are looking for great support for toddlers to teens, come join us. The problem solving is such a comfort and I love seeing the more experienced parents give so much help to new people. ********************************************************************
**The Power of Drama** 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.... 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 till they are overdue, 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. 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 or king. ©Kathleen DesMaisons 2007. 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 gathers the recipes. David, who runs the Radiant Recovery® Store talks about what new products we have. 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. ©2007 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 Patti Holden, Step 7 |