This is an article I authored for the website OwningPink.com

http://www.owningpink.com/blogs/owning-pink/what-your-thought-mining-the-pinkie-subconscious. Owning Pink was founded by Dr. Lissa Rankin, MD- a wholistic Gynecologist with whom I have the great honor to work. She hosts a wealth of  information on Women’s health, getting your mojo back if might be lost, and scads of invaluable topics.

Are you familiar with this experience? Once upon a time when you were a fresh- faced pinkie, you had an unpleasant, toxic, embarrassing, or abusive experience, which led to a thought. The thought recurred and over time you took it in as truth. Do you know what is your unique thought? I didn’t truly, consciously know mine until recently.

The blind spots

The exquisite wiring and structure that comprises our brain is designed such that it executes our goals, even when we are directing it toward “goals” about which we are unconscious. What if your thought is: “Life is hard” ? What if your thought is: “No one listens to me” ? It’s sobering to think that those are the marching orders we can unknowingly give our brains and that in turn is what we create in our day-to-day lives. Ironically, even if you’ve gone through therapy, even if you meditate, even if you are the queen of self-help, you might not yet consciously know what is your formative thought.

What is incredible about our human pinkie brains is that it’s actually hard to mine down and discover that core thought. We all have blind spots just like the ones in our vehicles. They ride around with us and obstruct a portion of the view; but it’s ok overall because we can simply look around them. They are still present but we just don’t consciously see them. We humans are pretty creative and multi-talented organisms and we can adapt. Those blind spots make it impossible to uncover and deconstruct what is underneath, without help.

Drilling down to the driving thought

Recently, I was in a workshop hosted by a local company called Productive Learning and Leisure. I trotted into the workshop that day for what I thought was a business development course. Yes, it was indeed a business development workshop and it was so much more. The talent and compassion of the speaker, Betty Jo Waxman, awed me. She created a safe space filled with information, exercises, opportunities, non-judgment and humor. The ultimate learning came in her deft, kind drilling down to extract the driving thought for each person.

I have to confess that I myself was a big weanie, because I didn’t have the courage to work the conversational process live in front of my classmates. The respect and acknowledgement I feel for those who did is unending. It was through the observation of a woman who shares my same thought that I consciously got to the root of my brain’s marching orders.

This brings me to another powerful aspect of this excavation process. There is something pivotal about the group aspect and mining the subconscious. If you’ve ever listened to or read any of the work Eckhart Tolle, such as The New Earth, it is evident that our egos are clever, resistive, and ever active like psychotic Leprechauns skipping about to find gold. The ego or the subconscious zigs and zags to discover a path upon which it can execute its agenda. As humans we all share this phenomena: it is completing our agenda at all costs. Often we see that process at work more clearly in others as opposed to ourselves because we have that handy blind spot solidly soldered into place. This is how our brains work and actually it is not evil. It appears to be in place ultimately to protect us.

The brain fancies that it knows best for us. It intimately knows what has historically worked and protected. Therefore it fires up the blow torch to reinforce the metal seams securing that blind spot in place and off toward its original destination it goes.

Sharing the shift

When we are honest, open and quite literally out in the open, as within a group setting, there is a far more powerful shift. It is fruitful on a different level than what we might experience in a private session with a therapist or from individual counsel from an elder or spiritual advisor.

It was so freeing for people to give voice to their thought! The thoughts were varied and vast, such as:

I’m not worthy.

I don’t succeed.

I’m not smart enough.

Nothing works out for me.

My ideas are stupid.

It’s not safe.

I’m afraid.

I’m not liked or loved.

I’m not included.

The shift comes when each person identifies what is his or her thought and realizes that: it is just a thought. Yes, it is usually based upon some experience or set of experiences, which historically occurred. However in present time it’s a story, which no longer serves. I saw an enormously successful businesswoman come to terms with an “I’m not successful” story. It shook the room because we know her to rock the line of work in which she specializes. That is not a story; It’s a fact. The beauty and gift of the moment was her hauling that thought out of the shadows, acknowledging it for affording her protection earlier in life, and then reprogramming the new goal for her exquisite and amazing Pinkie brain.

The uplifting notion is that it is the lot being human to have this subconscious. It is the job of our subconscious to protect us and have our best interests at hand. That is its job and we can thank our subconscious for its fine work thus far… and go ahead and reprogram it with our new goals and desires. (My interview with Betty Jo on the topic here!)

My subconscious? June Cleaver.

It’s good to have some humor around the mining of that blasted subconscious too. I imagine my subconscious as sort of bizarro blend between a guardian angel hybridized with June Cleaver.

Contrary to typical fluffy, white, billowing romanticized depictions, angels are beings of fierce protection not to be crossed. I’ve encountered angels before and the experiences were not enshrouded by warm, fuzzy moments with a tinkling of fairy music in the background. They were not bad moments either, mind you. Intense is a gentle way of characterizing it, just like exploring the unconscious mind. The June Cleaver aspect is as far from my life as can be. The image of June is safe, sanitized, playing by the rules and in keeping with prudence. So I extend my sincere apologies to any angel out there who is likely bumming about being depicted in an apron and pumps. The reality is that we Own Pink as powerful conscious women who can direct our thoughts, lives, goals and aspirations.

What do you think? Can you uncover any of your subconscious blindspots? Are you clear on your driving thought? What does your subconscious look like?

Namaste, Pinkie world!

Be well,

Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N.-Mill Valley, CA

kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Talk on Eating for Fertility

Aug. 12, 2010, San Francisco – Special Event at Greens Restaurant:

At this special event being hosted by fertility specialist and patient educator, Dr. Danielle Lane of Golden Gate Fertility, and sponsored by MDR Pharmaceutical, featured speaker Cindy Bailey, co-author of the Fertile Kitchen Cookbook (www.fertilekitchen.com) will give an information-packed talk on how to change your diet to optimize fertility and share strategies and tips for successfully building healthy eating and cooking into our busy, daily lives.

All attendees receive a handout of local organic resources and goody bags which include a copy of our book.

When: 5 – 6:30 pm, Thurs., Aug. 12

Where: Greens Restaurant, Fort Mason, Building A, San Francisco, CA 94123

RSVP: Seating is limited, so respond ASAP!

To RSVP, call 415-893-0391 and ask for JODI, or send an email to Cindy at info@fertilekitchen.com with “Event at Greens” in the subject.

I want to share this valuable info on fitness classes from my amazing friend, Dot Spaet.

What is the biggest factor for success in any kind of fitness program?  The answer is at the end of this message.

Last chance to get a discount to Eliminate Back Pain for Good! I

Dot offered a discount for this 2 hour workshop and am extending it for 2 more days until July 12.   After Monday, July 12, it’s going up.

*  Feel your back pain diminish almost immediately.

*  Learn what stretches relieve discomfort.

*  Identify which of your muscles are pulling on your back.

This is a 2 hour workshop and will be both informative and interactive.

Dot shows you exactly what it takes to lessen your back pain.

What past participants say:

I have been going to physical therapy for 9 months; afterwards, I am in more pain]. Literally, within 24 hours (after working with you), the really bad pain at the bottom of my spine was relieved. This is the best I’ve felt in 9 months. – Jaclyn D., San Rafael

Of all the classes I have ever taken I learned more from your back class than any doctor or physical therapist. – Mary W., Novato

Dot is a master teacher integrating the best of yoga and pilates stretches to help loosen/relax your entire body including back pain. My back and neck pain have improved greatly with her class and her individual care and recommendations. Do yourself a favor – work with Dot to release whatever pain you have. – Sharon M., San Rafael

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Pre-registration is REQUIRED.

These classes are popular; reserve your space today.

Date: Saturday, July 17 from 1-3 pm.

RSVP before July 12 to receive a discounted rate.

Location: 618 B Street, San Rafael at the San Rafael Community Center, next to Safeway.

Cost: Valued at $79 or more, specialàONLY $39 before July 12.  $49 after July 12.  Special for YOU:  bring a friend and each comes for half or $25!

If repeating, please come as my guest for FREE, i.e if you have taken any of my Back Care Workshops before.  Please RSVP to me if you are planning to repeat.

To register: Online at http://eplay.livelifelocally.com .  Click on Activities, Adult, Fitness, scroll down to Eliminate Back Pain for Good.

Phone:  Call San Rafael Community Center at 485-3333 or me, Dot Spaet, at 892-6605

Paypal:  to maridot@jps.net

Check:  payable to City of San Rafael, mailed to Dot Spaet, 385 San Marin Drive, Novato, CA  94945

The answer to the tip question:  The biggest factor in the success of any fitness program is …

consistency.  What this means is that 35 is greater than 60.  That is, you will make better progress working out 5 minutes each day (35 total minutes each week) than working out once a week for an hour (60 minutes).

Dot looks forward to helping you and your back feel terrific!

–

Dot Spaet

Fitness Consultant and Coach

Certified Personal Trainer, Yoga/Pilates Instructor

http://fitnessbydot.com/contact.htm

fitnessbydot@earthlink.net

415-892-6605

Where the best workout is the one you are willing to do!

WORKSHOPS

FITNESS/NUTRITION/WEIGHT LOSS WORKSHOP Intro.  1 day only.  $49 per person

SO YOU WANT TO BE MORE FIT AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START?

Saturday August 14, 1:00-4:00 pm, Bring a friend and each pays half, only $25!

San Rafael Community Center, 618 B Street, call 485-3333

or register online at http://eplay.livelifelocally.com.

Click on Activities, then Adult, then Fitness.

ONGOING CLASSES

Beginning Pilates Class

Thursdays, 3:30-4:30 pm, 618 B Street, San Rafael Community Center, San Rafael

Drop in $15; 1 month $50; 2 months $95.

PILATES Classes at Terra Linda Rec Center:  Call 485-3344 to register or register in class.

Classes are at 670 Del Ganado, take Freitas Parkway to Del Ganado

Monday, 7:00-8:15 pm, $95 for 8 week series, $15 drop-in.

YOGA Downtown San Rafael

Thursday, 12:00-1:00 pm

750 Lindaro, Room 225 upstairs.  $15 drop-in.

The Thyroid Fertility Connection and Hypothyroidism, Part II of III

by Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N.

Thyroid hormones literally impact every cell of your body. It is no surprise that when your thyroid gland is stymied, getting pregnant can be more difficult. Unfortunately, thyroid dysfunction is a poorly understood health issue which directly impacts both male and female fertility. This article will give you some basics on the biology of hypothyroidism–the condition in which your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones–and why it impacts your ability to fall pregnant.

Many women have an understanding that sluggish thyroid function can manifest as extreme fatigue, feeling cold all of the time, and loss of scalp or eyebrow hair. However here are some additional significant signs and symptoms, which are less commonly discussed but are vital to your reproductive health.

Do you have any of these?

• Heartburn
• Bloating
• Gas
• Fatigue combined with cravings for starchy goods
• Mood swings
• Chronic constipation
• Slow digestion
• Diminished libido
• Difficulty losing weight
• Cholesterol elevations

Male specific signs and symptoms:

• Impotence
• Sperm production issues of unknown origin

Female specific signs and symptoms:

• Headaches, migraines, and/or depression occurring at mid-cycle
• Heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding
• Hot flashes/night sweats even though your FSH and Estradiol are within normal limits
• Uterine fibroids
• Uterine cysts

Heartburn, bloating, and gas: why do you have these and why does it make a difference in your fertility? The hormone gastrin is necessary to make Hydrochloric acid (HCl) in your stomach. You need HCl in order to kill parasites, prevent food poisoning and prime your lower gastrointestinal tract to complete the digestion of foods. Sometimes women think of stomach acid as a bad thing; but in reality an acidic environment is needed in the stomach for healthy digestion.

If you have hypothyroidism, the amount of gastrin your stomach makes is decreased. This leads to less efficient digestion and can show up as bloating, heartburn and gas.

Without adequate HCl the lower organs of digestion, such as the pancreas and gall bladder, are not adequately signaled to do their jobs. Evacuation of your bowels can slow down and this can lead to overgrowth of yeast and bacteria in your intestinal tract. All of these wrenches in the gears of digestion drastically impair the amount of nutrients absorbed by your body. Mal-absorption can lead to inflammation and infection. Low-grade intestinal infections are typically and easily overlooked. If this sequence of digestive patterns occurs, your body will focus its energies upon survival as opposed to baby making.

At the risk of sounding like biophysiology class topic, let’s talk about how your thyroid and liver function impacts your fertility. The liver is the largest organ of your thorax and is the powerhouse of processing and eliminating hormones, medications, environmental chemicals and food matter.  You may be familiar with some laboratory levels drawn for assessing your thyroid. These can include, but are not limited to, the following: Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4).

Your thyroid makes both T3 and T4. Roughly 93% of the hormones produced by your thyroid are T4. Roughly 7% of the hormones produced by your thyroid are T3.

The clincher is that your optimal cell functioning requires the T3 form. The conversion of T4 into T3 happens primarily in your liver and some conversion occurs in your intestinal tract too.

It makes great sense that if you liver is overwhelmed with other jobs of detoxification, or if your liver is not receiving enough T4 from your thyroid, or if there is an infectious process in your gut, your cells may not be getting the basic levels of thyroid hormones they need for optimal functioning. Remember your body’s rule of thumb is that it is most fertile when all other nutrient and energy producing processes are humming along in perfect order. It’s all connected.

So now that we’ve talked about mechanisms of action in your body, let’s talk about mechanisms of action for you to take to improve your fertility.

Get evaluated.

It is necessary to get a full metabolic blood chemistry panel work up and have it analyzed by a qualified MD, Endocrinologist or an Acupuncturist specializing in endocrine issues. I do such assessments daily in my clinical practice in Mill Valley, CA. Benefits an Acupuncturist can bring to you are multifaceted. For example, I can order lab work at significant discounts compared to unspecialized labs, community hospitals, large corporation labs, or HMO’s. Additionally, acupuncture has the ability to reduce stress hormones, detoxify, improve circulation and reduce inflammation.

Maintain stable blood sugar levels by eating breakfast, eliminating inflammatory foods, and eating every 2-3 hours. This is not just a message for diabetics. Erratic blood sugars cause a cascade of biophysiological events, which ultimately impact your fertility.

Eat breakfast. Your brain needs nutrition even if you do not feel hungry in the morning. If it’s difficult for you to eat in the mornings, begin by taking only several bites at time. It doesn’t matter if you nibble for an hour to get a breakfast portion consumed. An optimal breakfast has a high quality protein, a low-glycemic grain and a small amount of fat. Two fried eggs over quinoa with several slices of avocado is an ideal combination to stabilize blood sugar for hours. Cold, gluten-containing cereal is not your friend in fertility. Cold beverages, juices, and dairy are all items which dampen and challenge digestion.

Eliminate inflammatory food items from your diet-the main one being gluten. Even if you are not gluten sensitive, gluten is a highly inflammatory substance. It is like throwing gasoline on a fire. If you have inflammation in your system, there is already a fire burning. Help quench it by choosing gluten free selections such as rice, quinoa and potatoes.

Eat every 2-3 hours and make sure you have some protein with your snack. Always eat carbohydrates with some protein otherwise you’ll experience a spike in your blood sugar followed by a crash. If you after eating a portion of carbohydrates, you feel drowsy, fatigued, or you crave sweets immediately, you have gone over your personal carbohydrate tolerance. That is a crash. Experiment with smaller portions of carbohydrate and larger portions of protein.

Remember you have a glorious, wise human body and you have the power to educate yourself about your fertility and life choices!

Stay tuned for Part III of the Thyroid Fertility Connection!

Thank you, be well, and Namaste.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at:

kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine

600 Miller Avenue

Mill Valley, CA 94941

Ring: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4

See my blog for additional information: http://karen-reynolds.com

Interview with Betty Jo Waxman of Productive Learning and Leisure 07/02/10

KR: How long have you been with Productive Learning and Leisure?

BJW: I’ve been working with founders of Productive Learning and Leisure, LLC (PLL) for 28 years (www.productivelearning.com). Technically PLL came into being 18 years ago; we worked together in a previous company though.

KR: How did you come to do this work?

BJW: I started out as a participant and the work I did had a huge impact on me.  My preparation for being a trainer includes my own ongoing personal growth and thousands of conversations with people over the years. I’ve never stopped being a participant in workshops. Literally you could be sitting next to me in a PLL workshop.  Doing my own work helps me see my stuff and not think it’s yours when I’m having a conversation with you.

KR: I was so very inspired by my first workshop with you and with PLL. I want to share with readers how it differs from other modalities such as psychotherapy or business development courses. How would you describe PLL?

BJW: So let’s just talk this out.  If you are asking about a comparison as to how PLL is it different from therapy or, say, coaching, one of the most important differences is that our work is designed to help you discern things about yourself as they are happening in the moment.  The learning begins with you participating in an exercise in the workshop.  That experience triggers the learning that ensues. We may help you get a deeper understanding about your reaction, or maybe tie it to something that happened in your history. As we talk, as you look to answer questions we offer, you get the opportunity to bring awareness to the things that you do which are more often than not merely habits – habits that don’t always lead you to your ideal destination.

What is pivotal about PLL is that personal discoveries and awareness takes place in a group, which affects how your brain processes information. It’s different than if you told something just to your therapist or your coach because that is one person. Later you think wow, I didn’t just tell one person; I told a whole room of people and the whole room said:

“Nice! Go for it!” or “That’s how I feel too!”

The group setting is critical.  What you learn about yourself springs from interactions with other people in the room. While participating in an activity you experience your reactions to the situation.  Or your resistance to what you are being asked to do. Who irritates you? Who do you irritate? When it’s in real time it is invaluable for self-learning.

In that setting it’s also easier for me to see what you don’t see. We all have blind spots. I have blind spots. We’ve told ourselves some story so many times in our minds that we are not even aware that it’s just a story anymore.  The mind is a very underutilized and misused thing.

KR: How so?

BJW: Our brain is designed to go out there and achieve goals. But most people do not consciously direct that process. So they are habitually creating the same things over and over again. We can consciously use our brains to create something, but we can also give our brains instructions without really paying attention.

We assessed our life very early on, particularly the situations that were highly emotional for us, and come to conclusions. Those conclusions are identified as a goal by our mind, which then says, “I have my marching orders and I’m going!” Sometimes those goals are things like:

You can’t count on anybody.

Life is difficult.

No one listens to me.

The list goes on and on and really that message was an isolated incident, but the brain generalizes and applies it across the board.  We are fueled by emotions, and those conclusions were based on highly emotional events so they tend to have a lot of power

If we never deconstruct these thoughts and reconstruct them, the brain keeps meeting its goal. Then to us it seems like life is ongoing evidence that the story is true. It’s fascinating really, how our brains work.

KR: One thing that I found particularly inspiring when I did your workshop is that I remember being at a place in the day and thinking, “Damn it. I can not believe I’m coming back to this same underlying thought process, which I’ve looked at so many times. Do I ever get to be done with this? What I found uplifting was to hear you say that arriving back at that same old-same old is nothing to judge.  It is simply the brain doing its job really well. I still have the capacity to say thank you very much, brain, for attempting to protect me; but I am changing the goal construct now. What is pivotal is that we cannot see this whole picture by ourselves. We need help to dissect the thought process.

BJW: We can’t do it alone. A lot of people read “self-improvement” books. I read some of those books but they are theoretical. You learn more about the person who wrote the book than yourself. Books are not tailored to the individual.  For example in a workshop, I can ask you a question about your answer. You cannot get that by taking a test in a book. We can take it further and further to figure out your blind spot. By definition, I can’t see my blind spots. I can only see what I already know about myself. It creates a new awareness from the outside. It’s like pointing out to someone “Did you realize you walked right by something but did not see it?” We can never accurately see ourselves.

KR: I found it funny that I thought that old thought process was all tidy and stored away in some archived box, but lo’ and behold it’s back again.

BJW: Isn’t it funny. It’s like we believe it is on an external hard drive somewhere.

Sometimes getting the humor of it is really helpful. What if you had a party and said to those familiar thoughts and feelings: “Come on in. It’s so nice to see you again but this time you don’t have to stay so long.” With conscious work the old story does transform so that it comes back less frequently or has a shorter duration or is less intense and you no longer define yourself by it.

KR: What is your favorite workshop?

BJW: It’s always the one I am doing. It never fails to interest me. I’ve never led the same workshop twice. The people make it different every time. PLL has 3 entrée level workshops: Beyond Reasons, Your Networking Mindset and Mind in Business. There are 36 workshops on our schedule right now and some rotate throughout the year.

KR: Thank you Betty Jo for you time, expertise, and wisdom with this amazing work you do. My brain thanks you!