Healing 101, a How-to

B'SD

1 Iyar, 5778

It's been a while since I shared some thoughts, here. That's because my mind was focused on honing the message below. It is dedicated to the individuals who've recently interacted with me while persevering past mental health and medical challenges. Some of the challenges have been quite serious.

Today begins the Jewish month of Iyar - timed with the increasingly obvious evidence of the spring season. Iyar has a mystical name and meaning. The word is not true Hebrew, but Akadian and Babylonian, a hint of the Jewish people's wanderings as we've been repeatedly forced out of the Holy Land granted to us by GOD (read Genesis).

Iyar, in its original form, indicates a blossoming rosette. The Hebrew letters which spell the word are an acronym for "I am GOD your Healer."

I am GOD your healer/אני י-י רופך​

The startling message is echoed not only in the spring season of blossoming life, but also in lines 2 and 5 of Psalms 126, a poetic song penned by King David, who certainly knew a thing or two about weeping with sorrow, fear, uncertainty, and the effort to feel connected with GOD.

Those lines indicate delayed gratification, a pending happiness made possible with present and past efforts.

Psalms Chapter 126 תְּהִלִּים

א  שִׁיר, הַמַּעֲלוֹת: בְּשׁוּב יְהוָה, אֶת-שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן--    הָיִינוּ, כְּחֹלְמִים.	1 A Song of Ascents. {N} When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like unto them that dream.
ב  אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק, פִּינוּ--    וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה: אָז, יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם--    הִגְדִּיל יְהוָה, לַעֲשׂוֹת עִם-אֵלֶּה.	2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing; {N} then said they among the nations: 'The LORD hath done great things with these.'
ג  הִגְדִּיל יְהוָה, לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּנוּ--    הָיִינוּ שְׂמֵחִים.	3 The LORD hath done great things with us; we are rejoiced.
ד  שׁוּבָה יְהוָה, אֶת-שבותנו (שְׁבִיתֵנוּ)--    כַּאֲפִיקִים בַּנֶּגֶב.	4 Turn our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the dry land.
ה  הַזֹּרְעִים בְּדִמְעָה--    בְּרִנָּה יִקְצֹרוּ.	5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
ו  הָלוֹךְ יֵלֵךְ, וּבָכֹה--    נֹשֵׂא מֶשֶׁךְ-הַזָּרַע: בֹּא-יָבֹא בְרִנָּה--    נֹשֵׂא, אֲלֻמֹּתָיו.	6 Though he goeth on his way weeping that beareth the measure of seed, {N} he shall come home with joy, bearing his sheaves. {P}

My efforts these past weeks have been focused on several people whose mental or physical conditions are seriously deteriorated. Some of the cases left me in tears, the suffering of those individuals has been so deep and astonishing. The level of energy and determination to deal with the issues exhausted them, their loved ones, and me.

Despite feeling drained, I forged on as a survival mechanism, thinking about the health-promoting message to share with you. The message I've chosen to share is this: I ask that you ponder the meaning of those words above, especially those in lines 2 and 5. Despite the wrenching despair that King David had felt, he knew in his gut that the sparkling, spiritually rewarding and emotionally soothing future referenced above and promised by GOD is not in this world, but the one we create with our intentions and efforts. 

Yes, mortal humans feel their frailties, often at inconvenient times (it's challenging to think of any time convenient for a draining sense of stress). It is easy then to understand despair, a test of willpower to sense any sort of a better future. 

Meanwhile, we need to behave in ways that leave us proud of what we've done or thought.

We need to remind ourselves that the future to which we aspire is not merely on this planet, where we make physical efforts, but for eternity, when we'll live satisfying, solely spiritual lives determined by the efforts and intentions we fostered during earthly life.

If you need more material in order to feel uplifted, inspired to face your medically or mentally complicated future, read the inspirational passages in doctor- and clergy-recommended

There's a reason that people, aware of what I have overcome, and that I helped them or someone else to overcome their challenges, ask me how I do it. I teach life lessons that all of us need in that book. 

They make the difference between surviving and thriving, or not.  As the book teaches, "The alternative to the work of coping is worse."







Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Frame your mouth into a smile that comes from your heart.

How Do Happy Times Strengthen Minds and Bodies, Plus Our Potential?

B'SD

15 Shvat, 5776

The answer to my blogpost's title is this: With focus on the wholesome goal you need. Read on.

Today is the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for trees. I spoke of the ecologic, historic and spiritual reality about that to participants in the party I made at my synagogue last night.

Here are a few photos of the fun we enjoyed.

Israeli law forbids citizens to post online photos of minors without the documented permission of their parents/guardians. This is to protect them from evildoers. So, I can't post more party pix as kids tend to show up in several of them. But their families have the pix to treasure. 

This photo is of the craft project they worked on: Coloring a tree, folding the bottom into a square, decorating the whole thing with stickers, and setting the colorful item into a square holder. Then they planted sprouting garlics and inserted the live greenery into their pot holder. I took a shot that I call The Kidcraft Garden.

People with special food needs enjoyed my home made sushi, gluten-free crackers, those coconut mint carob rounds, plus quinoa mixed with sweet potato and sauteed onion. The regular diners enjoyed the couscous I'd made plus the home cooked food that other participants brought..

The healing efforts I make are blessed from Above to help me to see ever-better. It was a blessing to be part of the fun depicted in today's blogpost. Here's a picture of me wearing the 21st pair of prescription lenses since 2006.

I'm in the gray hat, standing next to one of the artists who displayed their works at the event I'd arranged. 

 Yes, my glasses are hard to spot: the lenses are so thin that I bought wire frames instead of recycling an older, thicker pair that are no longer suited to the job.


Want to listen to a song I'm following this week? 

The lyrics speak of a man whose heart cries with pain at the suffering of his beloved. He tries to grasp her hands as he speaks words that he prays will soothe her; "GOD sees and hears everything from above, forgets nothing, and will fulfill the heavenly promise to sweeten our lives.The blood of innocents, including soldiers who died defending other people's lives, the agony will never be forgotten nor forgiven. A new light will shine throughout the universe. A lovely dove will inscribe peace upon blue and white skies. We'll be safe in our ancestral home."

It is the metaphor for GOD's relationship to His People.

Meanwhile, let's do the best we can to perfect our personalities.

Happiness strengthen our minds and bodies, let alone our potential.

How do I, and how can YOU stay strong, despite painful setbacks in life? Find out in the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your life with happy possibilities.

Get Your Giggle on!

B'SD

8 Elull, 5773

Humor heals in many ways. Some of us feel so tense in the middle of our medical dramas, that we need to remember: Medical professionals are human, too. They see their own foibles.

handwriting-for-doctors.pdf

Enjoy the fun.

Face your medical problems with dignity.

Face your future with optimism.

Indulge in fun.

Yocheved Golani
Writing Services • Self-Help Coach for Health Issues • Author • Speaker

LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/yochevedgolaniink
Find Me on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/36fqch3

Buy EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge print or E- book

Celebrating 65 Years of Dynamic Life!

B'SD

4 Iyar, 5773

Tonight, a mournful siren will sound across Israel, heralding Memorial Day for soldiers and civilians murdered by enemies of the Jewish state.

Monday's air will fill with weeping as many tears are cried at cemeteries across the land. The tears will belong to people who escaped Hitler's Holocaust, then built new lives, and to other immigrants who've made their way back to the Holy Land. So many "civilizations" have forced Jews from the ancestral home given to us by The Creator.

My energies will soon be focused of celebrating Tuesday's Israel Day of Independence, when modern Israel was declared a state. The name of the newspaper shown below has its own interesting story that once again validates the Jewish history of Israel.

I'm also preparing for a next-week trip to Shilo, site of the ancient Tabernacle (before the construction of the Temples destroyed by Jew-haters). Here are remnants of a 2nd Temple era synagogue (the photos were taken by avid Shilo Musings blogger Batya Medad).

Give yourself an education by booking a visit there via the Shilo HaKeduma (Ancient Shilo) Tourism Authority 

The excitement of sitting upon, stroking and seeing the very structures that long-ago Jews used (read your Bible!) tends to make my heart race as my eyes cry streams of tears.

Exciting is not quite the word for it. Awesome, humbling and privileged are some of the moods and sensations that go through the very cells of my being whenever I'm there.

I'll be joining friends who've long planned our pending get-together. We'll be lunching at a popular spot (call the number on the awning and you can, too!) though I need to bring some organic yummies along for my healing purposes.

Spiritual and physical healing are part of the Ancient Tabernacle and Shilo's GOD-given gifts to humanity.

Israelis innovate many healing therapies. Read the 65 Ways Israel's Saving the Planet!

Can't reach Israel so fast ? Here's a compromise: Buy the E-book or print edition today to EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Reflect on life with a sense of appreciative wonder.


 

Inside Out: Plant-based Nutrition Supports Your Health

B'SD

5 Shvat, 5773


This video is making its way across the Internet and I want to share it with you. 

Lots of worthwhile lessons are packed into this presentation, and it didn't even address the cancer-causing nitrates in commercial meat and meat "products."

Listen with your mind wide open. The video can turn your concept of good nutrition inside out. 

Plants, not products, support human health.

Need proof that pure food can turn medical nightmares into enviable dreams?

READ

and learn how I began to see again by becoming a vegetarian. Medical experts didn't believe it was possible.

The book is full of humor, information and step-by-step encouragement. It can help you to deal with many  heath-related issues, not just nutrition.



Buy the E-book or print edition today for a brighter holiday season: Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Feed yourself nourishing food. It's empowering. Fireman Rip Esselstyn just told you so!

 

Trust, Data and Delay? vs How to Get Better Today

B'SD

19 Kislev, 5773

One of the recurring themes in the medical world is the issue of trust. Optimists tend to do better at healing than pessimists.

Pessimists pretty much close the door on healing possibilities, let alone better moods. Sometimes, pessimists and their confused procrastinating cousins over-focus on collecting information before they make one move in a medically necessary direction.

I tend to quote Dr. Kevin Pho often on Twitter. He's a marvel of "You can do it!" compassion, insight and integrity. 

I have another hero with the same qualifications, Dr. Ben Corn. I suggest that you read his take on To Trust, To Heal, especially the last four (short) paragraphs.

Dr. Corn's ideas are consistent with what's written in the EMPOWER Yourself book:

All First Steps are Difficult.

Beginnings are hard. Change is difficult. Normal people who really want to take positive steps sometimes find that they are overwhelmed with fear, sadness, and even fatigue. They know they're not moving forward. I have good news for such people! It's not a sign of failure.

If you haven't actually decided to live past your medical crisis yet, or if your resolve wavers sometimes, work on accomplishing that task. Set aside time to dwell on the idea. Use whatever time you can steal from pointless games of solitaire, sitting in the dark mourning your situation, or an argument that you don't really want to have. Steal some time RIGHT NOW and tell yourself that you are going to live past your medical crisis.

Have you made progress, then felt as if you've slipped backward? You're having a normal reaction to the give and take of the healing process. Falling down from an uphill climb lets you gain perspective on what you've accomplished so far. And part of what you'll learn is that you developed new vistas of courage even as you trembled.

My friend and former neighbor Dr. Miriam Adahan created the EMETT (Emotional Maturity Established Through Torah) system of maintaining perspective in an emotional crunch. In the EMETT system, Dr. Adahan teaches us that "Emotions rise and fall like ocean waves. They have a life of their own. It takes practice to gain and to keep control of our inner turmoil."

If you started to develop or to strengthen your coping skills and slipped into a state of unhappiness and a downward slide, I welcome you to the world of reality. It happens to the nicest, noblest people, King David, Forefather Jacob and Foremother Rachel among them.

In either case, I suggest that you focus on the things that are working for you. Air is free. So is sunshine. Snow decorates the outdoors and your eyes as you look at it. Rain gives life. Puddles are for squishing. Use your wheelchair, prosthesis or whatever's handy to make a splash.

Oh – about that fatigue. The link below is for an article that explains why so many people suffer from fatigue, starting before or on the day of diagnosis, throughout the treatment period (of any type) and possibly far into the future. Though it addresses brain tumors specifically, it is applicable to other diagnoses. Share the article with families and friends. Help them to appreciate your situation and to adjust their responses to it: Your Guide to Brain Tumor Surgery Fatigue 

Stalling prevents you from improving the health of your body and mind. Improve that reality today. Buy the E-book or print edition today for a more upbeat look at your medical, convalescence or disability future. Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

 

Kind Words to Ease Your Suffering and Someone Else's

B'SD

6 Kislev, 5773

I am preparing a feature story about how Israelis are coping emotionally with incessant rocket-fire upon civilians, and making my own coping efforts.  The situation is quite dangerous and filled with uncertainty. Israelis are demoralized that a ceasefire is being brokered. All ceasefires in the past have proved to be opportunities for the enemy to reload.

Today the focus of the blog is to help people who've suffered sex abuse as children and at any age. The owner of the listserv cited below, Mr. Shmuel Greenbaum, is a widower. His pregnant wife Judy/Shoshanah Yehudit was murdered by muslims in the Israeli Sbarro pizza restaurant on August 9 2001.

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Partners in Kindness <info@partnersinkindness.org>
Date: Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 4:15 AM
Subject: Kind Words - Note Your Distressful Experiences
To: yocheved.golani@gmail.com

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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

KIND WORDS Supporting Others Our general policy is not to print the author's name Edited by Shmuel Greenbaum Printed with Permission of Partners in Kindness I have a friend who was molested when he was younger. Years after the trauma, he is now able to support other victims of molestation. He understands how much pain molestation causes, and how it destroys a child's innocence, and he is devoting a great deal of time to helping others who have experienced a similar trauma as a child. He is also working hard on prevention education efforts, so that with G-d's help, many of our parents and their children can be armed with knowledge to help protect them from this prevalent form of abuse. Note Your Distressful Experiences From Kindness: Making a Difference in People's Lives: Formulas, stories, and insights By Zelig Pliskin Printed with Permission of Shaar Press I heard these stories from my students: When I was in the hospital for complex surgery, it gave me a whole new understanding what it feels like to be helpless and totally dependent on the good will of others. I kept thinking, "Now I know what it's like when others talk about being nervous before surgery." I remember my post-surgery distress. I felt grateful for those who spoke to me gently and gave me visions of hope. That was five years ago and since then I have been able to give comfort with the knowledge of someone who has been there himself. I lost my job at the worst possible time in my life. I was financially and emotionally vulnerable. Fortunately, I became successful. I was able to look back at that experience as the turning point in my life. Not only did that lay the foundation for my financial success it also made me much more sensitive to what others go through when they lose their jobs. I utilized what I learned from the experience to give encouragement and advice to many others throughout the years. When I am alert and full of flowing energy, my mind works quickly. I am immediately able to understand what I read and hear. Even when I don't understand something, I know that with patience I eventually will. But when I am tired or in an unresourceful state, I feel overwhelmed. I can't understand even simple ideas. I can look at a page and it just doesn't register. I forget what I hear in just a few seconds. This pattern has enabled me to be sensitive to those who experience this in particular areas and all the more so to those who experience this all the time. I went through a bout of depression. It didn't last very long. But I couldn't shake it as quickly as I would have wished. From then on I stopped offering simple platitudes to others who were depressed.  Every difficulty in your life builds up your mental library of what it's like to go through hard times. Every mistake enables you to empathize with others who make mistakes. Every time you become frustrated or angry, you gain a better understanding of others who feel this way. Make note of all your worries and your fears. Make note of your uncomfortable or embarrassing moments. These together with every injury, illness, and wound help you to become more sensitive to the suffering of others. Make note of what you didn't appreciate hearing from others when you were suffering. And remember the comments and suggestions of others that you did appreciate. What did they say? How did they say it? Keep in mind that every individual is unique. You might have gained from what someone said to you in a specific way, but someone else would not find that beneficial. But at least you have a better understanding of the distress of those who suffer. And the responses you liked can serve as a starting point. When you view your own pain, distress, and suffering as tools for empathy and understanding, you have a reframe that will elevate every difficult experience throughout your life. You will never suffer just for yourself. You are always learning lessons about how you can help others. Without life experience, a person can be well-meaning and full of good intentions, but might say the wrong things. With experience, you have greater insight. Your intuitions become more accurate. So remember past moments of distress and view them as great resources for helping others. May you never suffer, but since we all suffer to some degree let your own suffering be a source of light, comfort, and healing to others who suffer. Wait! Stop! It's Not Too Late!!! We Are Still Donating Free Books to Libraries! For further information, please Click Here  Send A Book to My Library Responses From Readers About a previous story (below) * It is so common for people to say the opposite, such as "are you OK? You look terrible" or "You look exhausted." Or similar negativecomments. Thanks for sharing this valuable lesson. (TY) * Congratulations on your baby! I hope that by now he's completely healthy. And remember, when the baby sleeps, you go to sleep too! Don't take "advantage" of the fact that he's sleeping in order to finish cleaning the house, doing dishes, etc. That can wait, and gaining your strength back is more important now, both for you and the baby! (SES) Previous Story: Our newborn's pediatrician had sent us to the local hospital's lab to get some blood work done, and we got there just a few minutes before we assumed the lab would close for the day. We asked a few people we saw in the hallway for directions to the lab, and ended up desperately running from one section of the hospital to another, unable to find it. One person even directed us ("make a right, then a left, then your first left. . .") to a large room filled with tables, each with several microscopes. We weren't looking for that lab! Finally, a woman said, "Oh, the lab? Sure, just make a right, then another right. . .". When she saw the despairing look on my face, she very kindly got up from her desk and walked us there - this time, it really was just around the corner. By this time, I was really feeling unwell - I had just given birth 5 days earlier, and was not feeling up to all this running around, compounded by worry about the baby. When we entered the lab (which was still open), I walked over to the receptionist to give her the doctor's requisition for the blood test, and she asked me for the baby's information. When I gave her his date of birth, she looked up in surprise, and said, "But that's just last week! Wow, you look great! You don't even look tired or anything!" I can't begin to describe the effect her kind words had on me. I figured, "if I really don't look as though I'm about to fall through the floor, then maybe I'm not. I guess I'm more OK than I thought." Her words (together with a drink of water!) really helped me pull myself back together again. You never know what a smile and a positive comment can do to someone, or how much they may need them. More About Partners In Kindness Speaking About Kindness When Shmuel Greenbaum has the opportunity to speak, he rivets his audience's attention through stories and audience participation. Participants come away feeling very positive and excited about doing something great. His excitement for kindness is infectious, as this student from New York City's Stuyvesant High School explains: I was expecting to attend the lecture given by Shmuel Greenbaum for one period. I ended up staying for four. It is so uplifting, so enlightening, so refreshing to hear someone like him talk, to simply bubble over with excitement at the thought of doing good in the world. He is in his way a role model to us all. You think to yourself, "If only everyone else could practice kindness in the way that Shmuel Greenbaum has, the world would truly be a better place." For further information, please visit our website or send us an e-mail Note: photos are not audiences at Partners in Kindness events. More about our emails Kind Words is a free weekly e-mail distributed by Partners In Kindness. Although the content of these e-mails contains copyrighted material, Partners in Kindness allows users who register at our website to reprint them in print, on a website, or on an e-mail distribution list at no cost. If you have permission to reprint this e-mail, please ensure that you reprint the entire e-mail (including this notice). Names of people, places, and other details mentioned in these stories may have been changed to protect privacy. Kindness is like music, art, sports or any other discipline -- it can only be mastered with practice, training, and lots and lots of encouragement. That is what Partners in Kindness is trying to promote. Please pass our e-mails along to your friends and family! Partners in Kindness A Tradition of Kindness Congratulations Rockville Centre A Daily Dose of Kindness is in Rockville Centre, Long Island Rockville Centre Library A Daily Dose of Kindness FREE SHIPPING to France and WORLDWIDE Our first book, A Daily Dose of Kindness, represents the best of these e-mails. The book contains diverse stories about Israel submitted from one hundred contributors. A Daily Dose of Kindness is the result of the collaboration of hundreds of volunteers and financial supporters of many different religions and nationalities. These stories of caring may bring new hope to Israel, the Middle East and the world. (Note: the book is not shipped gift wrapped or with any of the items shown in the photograph) Free with a donation of: $25 Learn More email: info@partnersinkindness.org web: http://www.partnersinkindness.org

It is possible to choose decency and dignity in the face of suffering. Jews have done this for as long as Judaism has been around. We do not destroy others or ourselves when we're unhappy. GOD doesn't want destruction or human sacrifice. That's the spiritual, moral and social lesson of Abraham's "sacrifice" of Isaac. It didn't happen because GOD is opposed to the immorality of murder and other forms of abuse.

Want to do something 

doctors and mental health professionals 

recommend?

Buy the E-book or print edition today for a brighter look at your disability, medical or mental health life: Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. 
Face Your Future with Optimism.