 Hi {!firstname_fix} Ranch was wonderful. I always love seeing old friends and meeting the new folks to come. We loved the hotel a lot this year. The spaciousness and comfort really added to the process. Everything went smoothly and was genuinely fun. I felt good about the content and I know that wonderful connections were made. Each ranch gives us an opportunity to grow to another level. I flew back to Maine for Mother's day and to complete my process here.I just have some last packing. It is strange to be here with no dogs or other people. Just me and the sound of the waves coming in. The beach grass has grown to 12 inches and the trees are awash in color with spring blossoms. The sea is a different color than winter sea. the light is different too. Everything is lush green, grass like a thick carpet everywhere. The smell in the house is faintly musty. I think all of this is in high contrast to the time in NM. I was stunned at how quickly flying gets me back. The comparison of four hours in the air to 5 days on the road was pretty huge. I know that it will take many weeks to make sense of this time. It has shaped me and changed me. I am adjusting the schedule a bit to accommodate having this alone time. I want to be fully present to both you and my own inner healing. These classes will begin Wednesday, May 14, 2008. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Radiant Store Tour (1 week) is a free guided tour of the store. David will be leading this class so if you want to get to know the guy that makes it all work, come sign up. This is his first teaching experience, so you can show your support for the work he does to keep you happy. Step 1: The Art of Breakfast (1 week) our foundation class to get you started. Learn all four parts of step 1 in a structured way. Learn how to progress through them with enjoyment. Let us support getting your program off to a fabulous start. These classes will begin Wednesday, May 21, 2008. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Creating Restful Sleep (2 weeks) is a special class we designed for those of you who have trouble sleeping. Come learn some fun science to help you make sense of what it happening and how to heal it.  New Science (2 weeks) is a class to learn about new science affecting sugar sensitivity, sugar addiction and other issues affecting us. I was over looking at what is being published and got really excited. I thought you would love to hear some of the lab stuff that is happening. I figure if it excites me, it is going to excite you The class schedule is on line. Click here to see what is planned. Please do not sign up for classes that are not yet scheduled. 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. It does not matter whether you are in the US, Europe, the Far East or Australia, you simply respond on your own 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 **********************************************************************
May 12, 2008 ** Quote From Kathleen **
You are not striving for perfection. You are seeking commitment and progress. *********************************************************************
** Testimonial for the Week**
I would say it isn't so much about which date to count, but whether you have been on step six long enough for you to relax, settle in and truly engage with the process. It's a bit hard to describe (smile), but for me that felt like the unclenching of a fist inside. I started to trust the process and ENJOY being exactly where I was instead of pushing onward to the next thing. I started to be able to smile at the unhealed bits and think, well, what shall I do about that today? Instead of fretting, fretting, fretting or trying to ignore what my body was telling me. Jeannie ********************************************************************
**Radiant Kitchen**
Crustless Mushroom QuicheIngredients:
Directions:
Calories - 255; Protein - 19 g; Fat 17 g; Carbohydrates - 5 g Makes 4 servings
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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**
YLDonline is a membership program run directly by Kathleen DesMaisons herself. I am going to be doing some major thinking about how we do YLD. Plan on having some conversations about your dreams and hopes. 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.  
This week, it makes sense to remind you of two incredible products that can support your program. We carry these incredible digestive enzymes. If you have any kind of digestive stuff going on (constipation, bloating, feeling hungry all the time, or allergies), you might be amazed at how much better you feel by taking the enzymes. The all round one is called Quadrazyme. The second one we carry is Gammazyme, a specialized enzyme product for people who have ulcers or IBS . Digestive enzymes are great for sugar sensitive people, but one of them, protease can be a problem if your gut is inflamed and open. Gammazyme has no protease so it is safe for you and helps digest your food better. Means YOU get more nutrition. I know that Kathleen spent a long time looking at different enzyme products before she chose these. And she uses them herself. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************* ***********
**Our Online Groups**
The Radiantdepression group is all about support for the person who is depressed and trying to work the 7-step program of recovery from sugar addiction. Many of us have struggled with severe depression for years without any hope of finding an end to it. But through doing the food we have found that hope returning and have found light where before there was only darkness. Some of us are taking anti-depressants while doing the food, so we talk about how the two are compatible and we also share about getting through the tough spots together, with support from each other. If you are feeling depressed please come join us. There is hope. ********************************************************************
**What if None of This is Hard**
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. As many of you know, I usually present a new concept at ranch. This allows us to have a dialogue in person on these emerging topics. This year, I presented on the idea of Addiction to Misery. This topic started in chat and I have been thinking about it a bit. The talk was fun and challenging. It certainly moved me. Yesterday, Janet posted a reflection on the forum that knocked my socks off. She got it. Come share this process with us. What if none of it has to be hard? This is the radical thought that has followed me home from Ranch. Kathleen had been talking about addiction to misery and how it seems to be one of the easier pieces of our sug sen puzzle to fix - it doesn't have t be hard. And then she blurts out what if none of it has to be hard? I think most everyone's instant reaction was "huh? I don't think so," me included. But the hair on the back of my neck stood up when she said that. And I have not been able to get this idea out of my mind. I was listening to a (country) CD in the car and it seemed every song was about some kine of "hard". And a voice in my head is saying "What if it doesn't have to be hard?" I looked at my shoes that have been by my bed for weeks now patiently waiting for me to wake, shake, walk. And the voice again "What if it doesn't have to be hard?" I came home to what could have felt like and overwhelm of laundry, no groceries, starting the potato and the need to gain weight. But what if it doesn't have to be hard? And the laundry and groceries got done. The potatoes are ready in the fridge. I'm remembering to eat a little more than usual. These are, I realize, simple things, easy to not be hard. But what if none of it has to be hard? I've been thinking about why I am so invested in things being "hard". I was brought up in a culture that taught 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps', 'nothing worth having is easy', 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger', 'true beauty lies in struggle and pain' and so on. And I am very attached to th idea of having been "brave" in my recovery journey. I think the dopamine boosting reward factor is in play, too when I feel I've done something "hard". So what happens if I let go of the idea of doing what's hard = worthy accomplishment. If it's easy will there be that sense of accomplishment? Will the act of letting go of "hard" be the accomplishment? Maybe it is all in the re-framing. What if instead of "hard" and "how can I possibly do what seems impossible and just too difficult and where in the world do I start?" the "hard" thing becomes a challenge and the doing of it an adventure? The feeling/idea of my life being an adventure instead of a struggle is something I have been becoming aware of as I've done my post detour work. If I stop and look at the past 7 months what started out as hard became easy. Not easy as in in being a piece of cake (sorry) but easy as in being a joy to do. I have come to think of my regular life as a grand adventure, too. It still has it's moments of scary-as-all-get-out but it doesn't spook me any more. And I think maybe that is another key - seeing "easy" as joyous instead of just easy and not really valuable. So if "hard" becomes an adventure and "easy" becomes a joyous thing to do, then "what if none of it has to be hard" becomes pursuing the business of life as a joyous adventure. This idea feels incredibly real and true to me. Would I have been ready for it at the beginning of recovery? I honestly don't know. I think I might have said "this is nuts, I'm outta here". It's hard (no make that it's a joyous adventure ;-) ) to turn our long held, deeply embedded, highly invested way of being in the world upside down with such a radical thought. I am ready to give it a go. By the way, I got up and put my shoes on and walked for 20 min. this morning :-D Turns out it didn't have to be hard. I'd love to hear other's thoughts on this idea of it doesn't have to be hard. Thanks as always for listening to my long ramble. Janice in Maryland ©Kathleen DesMaisons 2008. Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together: Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together 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. ©2008 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 |
