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** Quote From Kathleen ** If you slip, don't spend a lot of time or energy beating yourself up. Just pick up the program and get going again. **********************************************************************
** Testimonial of the Week ** I just wanted to share with you my experience - I had sort of a 'low-lying' depression also, from before I got sober (6 years ago) 'til December when I started this program. I never saw a doctor about it, just thought it was how I was. It was dark enough and I was desperate enough to try RR, and ever since I have been doing breakfast, it has been lifting. I'm on step 3 right now and I have to say I hardly recognize my mood. The low-lying depression, the daily thought of suicide, just the darkness is gone, truly gone. It has been such a miracle for me. Obviously work with your doctor for whatever you need. For me, the food has been the medicine :) . **********************************************************************
** Radiant Ambassadors ** A few of us on the Ambassadors list like to see what's being said about Radiant Recovery online. I came across a blog the other day and thought I would share the last paragraph with you: "An excellent 7-step program for changing the brain’s biochemistry and effectively treating sugar addiction is the book, Potatoes Not Prozac. In this book, the author outlines and describes these seven steps, which have been highly effective in helping people considered “treatment resistant” in other treatment centers. I would recommend referring to this book as an excellent resource if you believe any of this information applies to you. You may find that all along, your problem was actually sugar addiction, not alcohol abuse and depression." You can read the whole blog here: http://mommyhealthcoach.com/2009/03/03/alcoholism-and-sugar-addiction/ How exciting! Yet another thumbs up for Kathleen's work! Selena Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Kitchen ** I thought I'd share my list of non-refrigerated back-ups just in case it helps someone else down the road! This is what I'm going shopping for today to take with us on my daughter's 3-day retreat. Protein Jerky (beef, buffalo, turkey) Cheese (various med-hard to hard) Peanut Butter (won't need refrigeration over just a few days) Almonds Cashews Maybe some hard boiled eggs and/or ham in a cooler for the first day Veggies Avocado (will eat the first two meals) Carrot Sticks Red Bell Pepper (sliced) Celery (for PB & raisins!) Sauerkraut (home-fermented; will easily keep three days out of the fridge) Browns Corn Tortillas Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread Maybe some (soaked) oatmeal in a cooler for the first day "Sweets" Yogurt (the Greek yogurt & homemade yogurt I use won't need refrigeration over 2-3 days; they'll just nicely ferment more, eventually converting all the lactose to probiotic goodness!) (trust me; I've done it before; not dead yet! :) Raw Honey Raisins (just enough for my snacks - this is the only thing I don't want to bring "more than enough" of) Apples Jam (for the first day) Other Plastic Spoons & Knife I wish I could think up some more browns, but since my body tells me in no uncertain terms that I can't have bread that isn't soured or oats that aren't soaked or processed cereal, I'm kinda limited. Almost anything else I'd eat would have to be cooked and/or refrigerated. Ideas welcomed! I thought about broccoli & grape tomatoes to expand the veggie list, but I can't make myself eat more than 3 of each when raw, which isn't enough. One thing I learned I need to add is my own little shaker of olive oil & vinegar! Probably in a re-claimed glass spice jar so I can shake it up w/ the lid on, then pour it out. I wrapped the celery ends up so they wouldn't lose their moisture & go flaccid, chopped the carrots up & put in a jar w/ a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. I also brought salted butter, since processed fats don't agree with me. It keeps easily for several weeks w/o refrigeration! I do need to put it in a container, though, so it doesn't mush all over the place. Take care! Joselyn For more great program-friendly recipes, check out these great cookbooks in the store.
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** Your Last Diet - More Than What You Think ** I enjoyed browsing the manual, it is a long time since I read it and I look forward to reading it more thoroughly again. I'm on several email lists and each seems to have a different 'flavor', and I gain something from each. And I adore the forum and post there frequently. There is always something new and interesting being discussed on the forum. Plus bits of wisdom from you, Kathleen, from time to time. I try to be at chat most Wednesday nights because not only is it fun, but it is also very supportive of my program. I want to do as many things as I can to keep me solid and committed to my recovery. And sometimes chat has a totally new topic with brand new information; those are my favorites! Verla If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just have some plain ol' fun! **********************************************************************
** Radiant Recovery® Store ** David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son. I am excited to announce that we are carrying some new products to support those of you who have decided to do gluten-free browns. Several of you asked me to get some core products. So we are starting with these:
Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
** Our Online Groups ** Our famous Step One list is a great place to learn the nuances of breakfast, build a strong foundation for the rest of the steps, and find how helpful it is to share our journey with others. It is great for new people and those who have been on the program a long time. Sharing helps everyone. The awesome thing is we all, Step 1 or Step 7, eat breakfast every single day. How cool is that? We have had a lot of people join us this week. Do plan on coming over to the Step One list to talk with others about what you are learning. **********************************************************************
** The Power of Shame in Your Healing ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
In one of our chats, I talked about the power of shame. I thought it would be fun to share a little of that with all of you. I asked folks to think about the thing they were more ashamed of in their lives. Then I asked how that image made them feel. Almost everyone described feeling sick to her stomach. This is a big clue. A VERY big clue. If you have something that makes you feel sick to think of, it is a crucial part of your life. You spend a lot of energy to stay away from those feelings. Make a list of the things that are sitting there eating away at you. These things can be your debt, your unpaid bills, your credit report, the people you hurt, the affair you had, the things you took, being fat, bingeing, purging, compulsive sex, the way you hide food and eat it in the car so no one knows, computer porn, gambling and a thousand other things. Think of the points of shame as little black holes that suck your energy. And dealing with them seems impossible. They are too big, too bad, too horrible, horrible to even look at, let alone heal. Shame is about hiding. And when you hide, the energy flows into the black hole so you procrastinate. You put the bills in the drawer. You say I will start a diet on Monday or my birthday or the first of the year. You hide the feelings of your inadequacy. You never, ever tell the depth of the repulsion and disgust about how you look. You literally *suck it up* which means you pour your energy down into the black hole. Now there is a reason for this. Mostly you are around people who add to the shame. You KNOW that they will think badly of you. If you ever really knew....and you find the people or the institutions who reinforce that message so by the time you are grown ups, you are pretty well entrenched with the hiding. However, here is the irony. Whatever you think is the worst is usually the most shared. Think about the relief you felt when you connected with the community and discovered thousands of people who hid the candy wrappers under the top pile of the trash or who threw the empty vodka bottle on someone else’s lawn. We are able to talk about the shame of being fat or being out of control with the food. But we still hide the other stuff. However, it really is no different, comes from the same place. But old patterns get etched in. And they stay to reinforce your belief that at core you really are a bad person. You aren’t really a bad person at all, you may have some grimy stuff to clean out. But it is no different than a grimy barn. It just feels that way. SHAME=HIDING HIDING=PROCRASTINATION PROCRASTINATION=SHAME It is a circle that goes round and round. And there is a way out. ACCEPTANCE = DISCLOSURE DISCLOSURE = MOBILIZATION MOBILIZATION = ACTION When we talked about this in chat, several people wondered about how to know what appropriate disclosure might be. Part of being sugar sensitive is either never telling or telling way too much. As you do the food, you begin to share little bits in the right place. You share in places where you will not be judged or put down. You share with people who understand and do not reinforce your shame patterns. As you do this, something incredible happens. The energy that has been going into the black hole comes streaming into your life. Everything is different. And then the lightness you feel goes into the other places. Click, click, click one at a time, the places of shame can be healed. It may take a while to get the power of this. But once you do, nothing is the same. 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. The banner photograph is by Patti Holden. ©2009 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.htm. |
