Organic, Natural Skincare Products_ What You Need to Know - Four Directions Wellness

Organic, Natural Skincare Products: What You Need to Know

According to popular legend, Juan Ponce de León, one of the famed conquistadors of the late 1400s, traveled to Florida and Puerto Rico in search of the Fountain of Youth. Having been written about in several histories and memoirs, this lore perpetuated to the modern era. The search for a water that would reverse age. Some historians believe Ponce De León merely mistook the natives’ word vine for life and so the search was always fanciful even if founded in any reality.

Today, we are bombarded with marketing and advertising messages purporting to have a similar Fountain of Youth effect on our skin. We are told we’ll look, feel and be younger with organic, natural skincare products.

To get the best for your skin, in this article I cover the basics you should know about buying organic and natural skincare products. 

Difference Between Natural and Organic Skincare

From the way the ingredients of skincare products are sourced to the way in which you use and ultimately dispose of it is part of its sustainability. So farming methods, with clean water usage and proper pesticide, insecticide and herbicide practices all the way to packaging, can impact the health of the product and the planet. So, when someone says a product is natural or organic skincare, you need to look a little deeper at the meaning of the words.

In the beauty world, sadly, “natural” and “all-natural” are not words you should pay attention to when it comes to skincare unless you are at a trusted brand or retailer who has done their research. And, if you don’t trust the seller? Environmental Working Group to the rescue! According to their website, EWG’s “mission is to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. With breakthrough research and education, [they] drive consumer choice and civic action. [EWG is] a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment.” 

Using EWG’s Skin Deep® criteria, you can ask the seller the following questions about their product

  • Is the skincare product made from only plants, flowers and mineral origins found wild in nature?
  • Are there any genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) in the ingredient list, but not identified?
  • Are any parabens or sulfates, or other (harmful) stabilizers, used in the ingredients?
  • Are any petrochemicals (sourced from petrol or natural gas) used as ingredients?
  • How was this skincare product tested (and hopefully not on animals)?
  • Does the manufacturing process degrate the natural ingredient integrity in any way?

If they hesitate or don’t know the answer to all of these questions, and aren’t certified-labeled “organic,” you can safely assume the product is not natural or all-natural as marketed.

Standards in Organic Skincare

At least in the United States, our Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asleep at the wheel in many cases when it comes to natural and organic skincare products. But, they have far more standards when it comes to the use of “organic” labels so it’s more trustworthy than “natural” or “all-natural” on any product you find at a grocer or retailer.

For “organic” skincare products, these are the standards most certifying organizations set for the ingredients of organic skincare:

  • No synthesized herbicides or fertilizers used,
  • No non-organic dyes to color the product,
  • No preservatives or stabilizing chemicals (such as parabens or sulphates),
  • No preventative antibiotics,
  • No genetically modified organisms, or plant-growth regulation,
  • Limited use of pesticides, and
  • Sustainable land use and management of crops.

In the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, the requirements above are similar for certifying products as “organic.” 

How to Bring More Natural Skincare Into Your Life

You can create your own realistic Fountain of Youth, made of organic and natural skincare if you learn how to eco-fy your beauty routine.

Here are a few tips to eco-fy your organic and natural skincare regimen actually:

  1. If your ingredients list on your skincare product notes “fragrance” that is not identified by a natural ingredient (by a plant, flower or mineral you can identify or Google to verify its scent) you should look for another one; they’re using a loophole in the law to put whatever they want in the product.
  2. Glass packaging is better than all other packaging of skincare products because it doesn’t affect the ingredients (prematurely aging them or adding toxins to it), and it’s recyclable.
  3. Check the sustainability, environmental and safety records of the company producing the skincare product.
  4. Simplify your number of products. Do you need any eye cream when a moisturizer will do? Think through all the products and what they’re actually doing to your skin and recognize that a cleanser, exfoliant, toner, moisturizer and sunscreen are probably all you need. So, you can research the best products for your skincare that are natural, organic and save yourself time and money!

Many before (such as Alexander the Great) and many more after Ponce de León went in search of something like the Fountain of Youth. The likelihood is that the former Governor of Puerto Rico explored Florida, Puerto Rico, Bimini, and the surrounding tropical islands for gold and other possible natural assets for business opportunities more than a mythical elixir.

In that story is a lesson for us today, that we all need to be cautious about seeking out the right qualities in our skincare products. There are great organic, natural skincare products that can help us restore our skin’s natural radiance and allow us to age with grace, now that you know what to look for.

Healing Stones and Crystals - Four Directions Wellness

Healing Stones and Crystals

Over the past couple blog posts, I have been discussing the power of Earth’s energy for healing, and continued the conversation discussing lei lines. It’s remarkable that we enjoy the fruits of these ever-present healing forces that ancient healing modalities have passed down to us through cultures worldwide.

We intuit this power in our understanding of Ayurveda’s chakras. And, we can contemplate them in our discovery of healing through sound. There are healing energies all around us and in the objects that we encounter.

So, to close out our month on healing that comes from the Earth, I’m writing in this article about the energy of healing stones and crystals. We will cover the basics, the properties of the most common, and where you can find healing stones and crystals.

Basics of Healing Stones and Crystals

Healing stones and crystals are elements that, throughout time, have absorbed the life energy from Earth’s own energy. It’s likely a mixture of celestial bodies’ elements from beyond our planet and our moon, and particles from deep within the earth and oceans, heated and cooled over time into the resulting objects.

With an open mindset and accepting heart, healing crystals can be a transformative ownership experience. Depending on the individual and circumstances and quality of the stones, it can bring healing of body, mind, emotion and spirit in miraculous ways.

These are physical reminders of our connection to the Earth’s healing powers and so it can be advantageous to wear certain stones/crystals while placing them also in your living and working environment.

Healing stones and crystals operate like the rest of living objects through frequency; energies of all natures are measured in waveform patterns based on their vibration. Light, sound, physical touch, qi, brain activity and more all come in different frequencies. And, healing stones and crystals all vibrate no differently, but with unique frequencies radiating their energy around it. So, proximity is important to effectiveness.

Now that we know a bit more about healing stones and crystals, let’s learn about some of the most powerful, common healing crystals and what they are known for.

Common Healing Properties

Starting with intentionality is a great place to enter the journey of using healing crystals. Not only is it requisite to ultimately benefit from them, but it also helps you to better understand why and then what stones or crystals you need to be close in your life. Here is a sampling of common healing stones and crystals and their healing properties from sources around the Web:

Amber (quoted from CharmsofLight.com)

“Amber is a powerful healer and cleanser of the body, mind and spirit.  It also cleanses the environment. Amber draws disease from the body, healing and renewing the nervous system and balancing the right and left parts of the brain.  It absorbs pain and negative energy, helping to alleviate stress. Amber clears depression, stimulates the intellect and promotes self-confidence and creative self-expression.  It encourages decision-making, spontaneity and brings wisdom, balance and patience.”

“Amber opens the throat centre, treating goiters and other throat problems.  It also treats stomach, spleen, kidneys, bladder, liver and gallbladder. Amber strengthens the mucus membranes and alleviates joint problems.”

Amethyst (quoted from EnergyMuse.com)

“Known for its powerful spiritual properties, beautiful amethyst is an ideal stone to place around the home as décor. This visually striking rock is also a wonderful meditation tool because it boosts inner strength and provides spiritual protection.”

“While focusing on your intention, place amethyst in your office or bedroom to emanate calming energies and invite in abundance. This stone also works well as a complementary healing tool in yoga and meditation.”

Aventurine (quoted from HealingCrystals.com)

“Green Aventurine comforts, harmonizes, protects the heart, and can help attract love later in life. It is one of the premier stones to attract luck, abundance and success. Green Aventurine has a particularly soothing energy behind it, and is recommended for working through unresolved emotional issues.”

“… You can also use Green Aventurine for gridding a home or workspace. Green Aventurine is commonly known as a “stone of personal growth”, and offers opportunities for learning about oneself and one’s place in the universe.”

“Physically, Green Aventurine is an all-around healing stone with benefits for the lungs, liver, sinuses, and heart. Use Green Aventurine to loosen and release negativity and energy blockages, including disease. Some wear or carry Green Aventurine to increase intelligence, perception and creativity. Some even use Green Aventurine to improve their eyesight!”

Citrine (quoted from EnergyMuse.com)

“A stone that harnesses the power of the sun, citrine is infused with light, which makes it perfect for putting in the windowsill. Everyday, its daily infusions of natural light restores and regenerates its powerful vibrations. Considered on of the most powerful stones for manifestation, citrine is a must-have crystal for beginners because it helps make your intention a reality. Citrine also instills a positive outlook and stimulates the mind so that you’re motivated to form good habits and are always filled with optimism.”

“Place a piece of citrine (we like to use a Citrine Point) on top of a list of your dream manifestations to manifest them into reality much faster.”

Desert Rose (quoted from FeelCrystals.com)

“Despite its rose petal like softness, Desert Rose is a stone that will help you stand your ground and confront any hardship. It will show you how to commit to a project with confidence despite the numerable [sic] obstacles. By staying focussed on your outcome you can manage the challenges with an optimistic attitude. Desert Rose will support you in your endeavours to realise your dream.”

“The Desert Rose is also referred to as the Sand Rose, Selenite Rose or Gypsum Rose. Found in dry, desert regions, each one is said to contain a unique spirit guardian. They have traditionally been used as talismans for protection, overcoming phobias and to help boost self confidence. Particularly helpful for shy or timid children and teens to help them uncover and confidently express their talents.”

Emerald (quoted from CharmsofLight.com)

“Emerald is known as the ‘stone of successful love’.  It brings loyalty and provides for domestic bliss. It enhances unconditional love, unity and promotes friendship.  Keeps partnerships in balance and can signal unfaithfulness if it changes colour. Emerald stimulates the heart chakra, having a healing effect on the emotions as well as the physical heart.  It ensures physical, emotional and mental equilibrium, bringing harmony to all areas of one’s life. Focusing intention and raising consciousness, it brings in positive actions, eliminating negativity and enhancing the ability to enjoy life to the fullest.”

“Emerald enhances psychic abilities, opens clairvoyance, and stimulates the use of greater mental capacity.  It helps bring awareness of the unknown to conscious recognition, imparting reason and wisdom. Emerald assists in inciting activity and focus in one’s actions.  It strengthens memory and imparts clarity of thought. It inspires a deep inner knowing, promoting truth and discernment.”

“Emerald treats disorders of the heart, lungs, spine and muscular system.  It aids in recovery after infectious illness, helps sinuses and soothes the eyes, improving vision.  It has a detoxifying effect on the liver and alleviates diabetes and rheumatism.”

Garnet (quoted from TheHealingChest.com)

“Garnet stone was named garnet because of its resemblance to pomegranate seeds. The Latin word for pomegranate is granatum.”

“The root of red garnet stone meaning is all about regeneration and energizing. Garnet meaning also includes balancing, protecting and strengthening. …”

“Garnet spiritual healing powers have earned it the additional moniker ‘Stone of Commitment.’ Garnet can assist with changing old behaviors and moving past obsolete ideas, as supported by garnet meaning. Inhibitions and taboos are released to bolster self-confidence and open the heart to new possibilities, in keeping with garnet stone meaning. Garnet healing properties help to control energy flow for a better balance of the physical, emotional and intellectual elements, in keeping with garnet meaning. Red garnet gemstones are especially useful for psychic protection in the realm of spiritual healing. Black andradite garnet is very helpful for spiritual healing. It brings empowering energy and the confidence to remain spiritually strong while providing extra grounding energy and psychic protection.”

Hematite (quoted from HealingCrystals.com)

“Hematite helps to absorb negative energy and calms in times of stress or worry. Hematite is a very protective stone and is great to carry to help you stay grounded in many situations. Hematite is also good for working with the Root Chakra, helping to transform negative energies into a more positive vibration. Those in relationships can benefit from the cooperation vibe coming from Hematite.”

“Carry Hematite when in need of balance and equilibrium, or when having difficulty focusing energies. …and is thought to strengthen self-confidence.”

“Physically, Hematite is also used to protect against geopathic stress and electromagnetic smog, and is said to be a great detoxifying stone, helpful for the liver and the blood.”

“Caution: Natural Hematite may contain a very slight magnetic charge. Please check with your doctor before working with this crystal if you wear a pacemaker. Items marketed as Magnetic Hematite are not actually Hematite at all and should be avoided by those wearing a pacemaker.”

Lapis Lazuli (quoted from HealingCrystals.com)

“Lapis lazuli eases pain, especially migraines. It benefits the respiratory and nervous systems. It heals the throat, larynx and thyroid. Lapis lazuli cleans organs, bone marrow, thymus and the immune system. It overcomes hearing loss, purifies blood, insomnia, vertigo and lowers blood pressure.”

“Lapis Lazuli helps to identify the karmic roots of disease. It can be particularly helpful in identifying habitual thought patterns and emotions sabotaging the healing process.

Lapis lazuli reduces the effects of inflammatory diseases. Use this stone after surgery or when healing from a sprained or strained muscle or ligament. When used with conscious intent, this stone also improves eyesight.”

“Helps with the endocrine system, migraine. lymph glands, ears and nasal passages reduce pain and inflammation, believed to be good for autism and Asperger’s syndrome.”

Pyrite (quoted from FireMountainGems.com)

Often called, “fool’s gold,” pyrite is gold in color and is often mistaken for gold.

“Pyrite has long been valued as a strong protection stone that shields the wearer from negative energy as well as environmental pollutants. Thus, this stone helps promote physical well-being as well. Stimulating the second and third chakras, pyrite enhances strength of mind and willpower. Pyrite is also sometimes considered to be lucky, attracting wealth and abundance. Though not a birthstone, pyrite is most commonly associated with the zodiac sign of Leo.”

Quartz Crystal (quoted from EnergyMuse.com)

“One of the most popular crystals for beginners, clear quartz further amplifies your intention, which makes it a key component to a crystal collection. It is also the most versatile stone because it magnifies the vibrations of stones that surround it. In fact, clear quartz wands are often used to cleanse and re-energize crystals. This is because of its powerful cleansing effects and the ability to counteract negative energy blockages.”

“Sit quietly with the stone and feel its white light fill your body with positive energy. Contemplate your intention for the healing crystal and trust in the power of its vibrations harnessed from the Earth over the millennia.”

Tiger’s Eye (quoted from EnergyMuse.com) (also known as Tiger Eye)

“A stone of protection, Tiger Eye may also bring good luck to the wearer.  It has the power to focus the mind, promoting mental clarity, assisting us to resolve problems objectively and unclouded by emotions.  Particularly useful for healing psychosomatic illnesses, dispelling fear and anxiety. Useful for recognising one’s own needs in relation to the needs of others.  Balancing yin-yang and energising the emotional body, Tiger Eye stabilises mood swings, imbues us with willpower, purpose, courage and self-confidence, and releases tension.”

“Tiger Eye treats eyes, throat and reproductive organs, releases toxins, alleviates pain and is helpful in repairing broken bones and strengthening the alignment of the spinal column.”

Where to Get Healing Crystals and Stones

Now that you know more about many of the common healing crystals and stones available to use for energetic healing (with or without a teacher or professional energy healer), it is important to know how and where to find quality objects. The Internet abounds with quantities of stone, but quality is most important to get the right healing properties.

First, you must learn as much as you can about the healing crystal or stone that you want to obtain. Start with the descriptions above and then do some more research from reputable sources that discuss the physical and energy properties of the crystal or stone. This is important as you look at catalogs online or in shops, to know if a particular stone is what it says it is, and if you feel the stone is providing the right type of energy when you are in its presence (in the case of shopping at a retail store for healing stones).

Next and most important, look to reputable sources of healing crystals and stones. There are plenty on the Web, so here are a few places that are good sources and provide ample information to educate your further on the efficacy of healing stones you may be interested in:

  1. Gem shows are a great place to start and learn from gemologists in person. This way, you can usually buy from someone certified in gemology and usually sells at more affordable prices than through multiple brokers/vendors.
  2. Interestingly, Etsy has become a marvelous and popular place to buy crystals and stones. Transparent reviews and pricing, and a wide selection of polished stones and crystals of all manner of designs, has given Etsy a strong platform for looking for the right crystal or stone for your collection.
  3. Jewelers with gemologists on-site and online stores to which you’ve been referred to by your or a professional energy healer. By reputation, you can have some level of comfort in knowing that whoever referred you has done business with them and are not trying to sell you something of low quality.

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After all this advice, it’s important to understand that a greater understanding of healing crystals and stones is going to be your best leverage in finding ones that work for you and your unique needs.

Do you have a favorite place that you purchase healing stones and crystals? Have you had a unique experience with one of these healing objects. Please share your stores with me in the comments.

Lei Lines

Lei Lines: Earth Energy Pathways

For most of human history, geography has played an important role in the development of human civilization. And, as I wrote about last week, the Earth contains miraculous energy centers. As it turns out, there may be a connection between energy healing centers, and how cultural trade routes developed, and they’re called lei lines.

In this article, I am going to describe what lei lines are, their roots and what brought them to the attention of energy healers, and finally, the captivating aspects of lei lines, whether they are fact or fiction. Lei lines give us a glimmer into the mystical and miraculous, and provide an energy healing route that can be used for healing pilgrimages the world over.

What Are Lei Lines?

So, lei lines are the connections between landmarks, spiritual sites and other man-made structures throughout history that make plain, straight lines through them. While these lei lines might be coincidence, they’re remarkable. And, one after another, these lei lines appear throughout the planet.

Almost a hundred years ago, as we will get into further below, Alfred Watkins, a self-taught archaeologist, antiquarian and businessman had an epiphany that would establish the first identification of lei lines. And, then for forty years the concept laid in obscurity, until the British writer John Michell brought back the concept of lei lines to the mainstream as the New Age zeitgeist of the 1960s birthed.

Playing off the concept of Feng Shui, where an eight-sided map (known as the Bagua) helps to categorize your life energies on physical spaces, Michell associated lei lines with spiritual energies aligned by these physical formations, natural and human-constructed.

History of Lei Lines

So, the history of lei lines’ roots are squarely sourced from the Neolithic Period because of the cursuses of that era. A cursus is a monument from the prehistoric structures of the islands of Britain and Ireland, predominantly. They are aged to around 3,400 to 3,000 BCE, representing the oldest structures ever made by man, some surviving today; notably, Stonehenge.

Until modern aeronautics allowed photographers and videographers to take to the skies for aerial images and videos of the terrain below, determining cursuses were extremely difficult and rare finds by archaeologists. In most cases, they resembled long and wide ditches that were structured in parallel. There were over 50 identified cursuses over the past 70 years, even though many more likely existed but disappeared with weathering and tectonic movements.

The mysteries of the erection of these cursuses aside, this leads us to Alfred Watkins and his findings written in The Old Straight Track. While standing upon a hill in England, Watkins notices how landscape features connected conspicuously in straight lines. He coined these “ley” lines without any spiritual or energetic healing connections. He writes with interest the cultural and economic reasonings for why the ley lines came into existence.

Of course, the story continues from there with John Michell in 1969. While a controversial figure then and today, Michell writes in The Flyer Saucer Vision about ley lines in a way that captivates the Western world because of the energetic centers on which many of these ley lines rest.

It stands to reason more archaeological, sociological and anthropological studies are needed to further learn about the history and connection of ley lines to the energetic healing qualities.

Energy Pathways, or Cultural Artefacts?

Back to Watson, historical trade routes and ancient spiritual, ceremonial reasons abound for why these energy pathways likely exist. Even with Ramsey theory, we can geographically explain ley lines with an understanding that humans would gravitate toward creating routes that were topographically advantageous as civilizations developed and flourished.

Learning about ley lines is an exercise in expanding the consciousness around the possibilities of ancient ancestors having a profound sense of our connection to the planet. They understood on some level the importance of certain locations and those connections have meaning today with or without coincidence.

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This exploration of lei lines continues my interest in energy healing pilgrimages and whether you have ever thought about going on one. Now, you have chakra points on the planet and lei lines to survey in hopes of finding healing, love and light. Let me know in the comments about any plans or experiences!

Earth Energy Healing - Woman holding a compass

Earth Energy Healing

In the 1960s, a Canadian researcher Frances Nixon (1910-1984) began pioneering research into a field of study she coined as vivaxis. Vivaxis is a portmanteau of the Latin terms for life and center, and demonstrates the earth energy healing frequency flowing from the planet’s core connected to an individual’s own energetic field.

Humans have their own magnetic field, biomagnetism, as discussed in the lecture below at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Using a very sensitive detection device known as “SQUID” (superconducting quantum interference device), it can detect these subtle energies–that Traditional Chinese Medicine calls qi. These SQUIDs can identify abnormalities, say, in the brain and may help to diagnose disorders. Most importantly, it confirms humans’ energetic qualities and how energy healing modalities may be at work.

As recent as March 2019, a biologist, neuroscientist and neuroengineer studied and concluded that humans have a geomagnetic sense (akin to your other five senses), just as honey bees respond behaviorally to it. While the human magnetoreception observed was via electroencephalography (EEG) and so was unconscious to the participants in the study, these brain changes may materially affect our behavior without our knowing it.

Meanwhile, as detailed in The Vivaxis Connection: Healing Through Earth Energies by Juda Jacka, ND, Nixon theorized that every person has a unique energy frequency and maladies of the frequency can become disorders and diseases of the body, because it disrupts the vivaxis. Her research included the establishment in 1970 of the Northwest Magnetics Research Society which lead to the Vivaxis Energies Research Society (1974) and ultimately to the Vivaxis Energies Research International Society (VERIS) (1977-2001). When VERIS ceased operations, its knowledge was given to the Alternative and Integrative Medical Society (AIMS) at the University of British Columbia.

This theory of the human-Earth energy connection and our unique neurological ability to sense magnetism bring up questions about how we can all be healed by a stronger connection with and awareness of Earth’s energy healing qualities.

Geomagnetism, the Moon and Human Health

A magnetic field engulfs the Earth by virtue of its spinning movement around a molten liquid metal alloy inner and outer core. Earth’s magnetic field measures an average intensity of 25 Gauss (25 G) at or near the core. In contrast, you experience about 1 G walking on the planet’s surface on a daily basis. This electrical energy generates north and south magnetic poles, that happen to be exactly the opposite of our north and south hemisphere (so the south magnetic pole is in our northern hemisphere, and vice versa).

A Miami psychiatrist, Arnold Lieber, MD, in the mid-1970s, writes a commonly cited and attacked statistical data analysis of human behavior based on another close celestial body, our moon. In The Lunar Effect: Biological Tides and Human Emotions, Dr. Lieber argues that the empirical data shows that the moon affects our mental health as much as it affects the tides. He doesn’t state that the moon causes delirium or criminal intent in humans, but rather that gravity affects the nervous system negatively. And, if someone is predisposed toward unstable mental health, this can lead to bad outcomes from the moon’s gravitational stress.

Much has been made of arguments against these findings, and in 1982, researcher Salvatore J. Garzino went to great lengths, in “Lunar Effects on Mental Behavior: A Defense of the Empirical Research,” to prove Dr. Lieber’s empirical basis for his study and book.

What is unequivocal is that over the course of human evolution on which we have only developed to live on Earth, its gravitational force has a remarkable effect on us. Astronauts change on a cellular level when they go to space and back, because of the lack of gravity. Vivaxis or qi, our health is determined by the quality of our connection to Earth’s energy.

So, living in one part of the world versus another may very well have positive or deleterious effects on your mental and physical health. For Earth energy healing qualities, though, we can look to specific locations on our planet that have special healing properties.

Earth’s Energy Chakra Points and Vortices

From Glastonbury and Shaftesbury, England to the massive red stones structures of central Australia to Great Pyramids at Giza in Egypt, there are concentrations of Earth’s energy at these and other special locations. These are known as chakra points and vortices.

Chakra points on Earth are similar to the human chakras we’ve written about, and they are locations where energy moves inward predominantly toward the Earth’s core. While the chakra vortices are spiraling energy outward mostly away from the center of the Earth.

The following are the locations and major characters, as explained in “Harnessing the Energy of the Earth’s Chakras,”

First Chakra (Root, base):

Location: Mt. Shasta, California

Symbolizes: Divine source, our roots, the interface between body, mind and spirit

Inspires: Innocence, purity, hope, self-discipline, creative power

Second Chakra (Sacral):

Location: Lake Titicaca on Bolivia/Peru border

Symbolizes: Kundalini energy, creative birth, sexual energy, fertility, seat of playfulness, evolutionary advancement, relationships of all kinds

Inspires: Freedom, developing inward sense of self and outward awareness of others, experiencing the world through creative expression

Third Chakra (Solar plexus):

Location: Uluru and Kata Tjuta, Australia

Symbolizes: Vitality and health of all living things, source of insight, memory and higher learning, peace

Inspires: Personal power, contentment, standing still in the midst of conflict, selfless service, harmony

Fourth Chakra (Heart):

Location: Glastonbury or Shaftsbury, England

Symbolizes: The bridge balancing upper (thoughts/mind) and lower (feelings) chakras where spirit or true self resides

Inspires: Unconditional love, spiritual growth, compassion, devotion, discernment, sense of oneness

Fifth Chakra (Throat):

Location: The Great Pyramids, Egypt, or Mt. Sinai/Mt. of Olives

Symbolizes: Connection to nature, communication “headquarters,” portal to other dimensions and entities, voice of the earth, mutual respect for life forces

Inspires: Clarity and unity in purpose, self-expression, diplomacy, playful detachment, power, will, harmony

Sixth Chakra (Third eye):

Location: Western Europe (presently in transit to Brazil)

Symbolizes: Realization of the eternal, mystical, authentic self, applying wisdom to future advancement

Inspires: Intuition, spiritual vision, truth, forgiveness, compassion

Seventh Chakra (Crown):

Location: Mt. Kailash, Tibet

Symbolizes: Connection to sense of unity and oneness

Inspires: High levels of consciousness and enlightenment, wisdom, illumination, awareness that separation is an illusion

To learn more about the chakra points and vortices, check out the article, “The 8 most Energetic Places on Earth you can go to Reconnect and Recharge your Internal Power Grid.”

Earth Energy Healing: Human to Human Approaches

Is it possible that energetic healing modalities, such as Reiki, are conduits of the Earth’s energetic healing qualities? What may at first sound implausible becomes possible when we view it through the lens of our bodies being energy conduits.

The Earth is generating magnetism through electric currents flowing through its iron alloy core. Humans are biomagnetic. And, we are affected by both the Earth and Moon’s gravitational pushes and pulls on us as we hurtle through space-time.

Energetic healing modalities are proving to be great integrative, complementary medicines in traditional, allopathic medical environments. Meanwhile, more studies are showing that our bodies can generate concentrated forms of biomagnetism. For example, in “Detection of extraordinary large bio-magnetic field from human hand during external Qi emission,” 37 subjects with keen abilities show the ability to generate a magnetic field unaided through their meditative practices. From Qigong to Reiki to acupuncture and acupressure, it looks more and more promising that healing modalities showing more scientific rigor matching up well with ancient healing practices.

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Have you ever thought of doing an energy pilgrimage to the chakra points on the planet? Now that you know where they are, perhaps there’s a trip in your future. Let us know in the comments!

Chinese Meridians - Four Directions Wellness

Chinese Meridians: Fundamental Tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) began over 2,500 years ago in ancient China, as a means to help heal the royal family and warriors injured in battle. These Chinese medical practices were formalized into distinct branches of healing: acupuncture, acupressure, diet, herbalism, qigong, and tui na. Among the most important components of TCM is the Chinese meridians system, which channels qi (life force energy) running through every living person.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is practiced widely throughout the Asian world and has pockets of adoption in other parts of the planet. Through clinical studies and scientific reviews happening via the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), one of the centers with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more and more healthcare practitioners are embracing TCM for pain management and improving quality of life.

It reasons that to understand Traditional Chinese Medicine more, we must understand the basic principles of the Chinese meridians. So, let’s take a look at the meridians, the 12 channels and eight extraordinary meridians.

Chinese Meridians

Meridians (or, jing luo in Chinese) are similar to the way that blood flows through the body, in Chinese Traditional Medicine, it’s the qi that flows through the body. Qi is not visible and meridians are invisible pathways that meander their way between parts of the body, carrying qi to where it is needed. When a meridian is blocked in some way, qi is interrupted from flowing smoothly and this is the root of disease in the body.

Most often, you see the use of meridians in acupuncture and acupressure treatments labeled as points on a diagram of the human body. These specific points are manipulated by various TCM methods to help reestablish the proper flow of qi.

There are more than 300 such points along the Chinese meridians, comprising 12 “regular” or “principal” meridians and eight extraordinary meridians. The regular meridians connect major organs in the body to the hands or feet.

Chinese meridians are divided into two categories–yin meridians and yang meridians–leaning on the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang balance. The yin meridians make up the filled cavity-based organs, such as the heart, kidneys, liver and lungs, while the yang meridians are those with an empty cavity, such as the bladder, gallbladder, intestines and stomach. These yin meridian and yang meridians run through the inside and outside of the limbs, respectively. By doing so, this creates a human superhighway for qi to flow.

The other eight meridians, for a total of 20 meridians, are the extraordinary meridians. These meridians do not have an organ relationship as they are storage containers for blood and qi, which they supply to the regular meridians.

12 Regular Chinese Meridians

As the Chinese consider all of nature breaks into fundamental elements, it’s logical that Traditional Chinese Medicine lends heavily on the meridians use of these “Five Elements” (also called “Five Phases”)–wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each of the 12 principal Chinese meridians are connected to yin or yang, one of the five elements, and an organ. (Additionally, they are also related to a time of day, rotating from one channel to the next throughout the day.) As detailed by Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences, these are the 12 regular meridians and their corresponding organs:

  • “Arm Tai Yin channel corresponds to the Lung
  • “Leg Tai Yin channel corresponds to the Spleen
  • “Arm Shao Yin channel corresponds to the Heart
  • “Leg Shao Yin corresponds to the Kidney
  • “Arm Jue Yin corresponds to the Pericardium
  • “Leg Jue Yin corresponds to the Liver
  • “Arm Yang Ming corresponds to the Large Intestine
  • “Leg Yang Ming corresponds to the Stomach
  • “Arm Tai Yang corresponds to the Small Intestine
  • “Leg Tai Yang corresponds to the Bladder
  • “Arm Shao Yang corresponds to the San Jiao
  • “Leg Shao Yang Channel corresponds to the Gall Bladder.”

This leads us to the remaining eight extraordinary Chinese meridians.

Eight Extraordinary Chinese Meridians

As stated above, in addition to the 12 principal channels within Traditional Chinese Medicine, the body also contains eight extraordinary meridians that related to an organ. They cycle two different types of qi throughout the body–jing (one’s essence) and wei qi (one’s defensive qi).

As the diagram below shows, each of the eight extraordinary meridians are named to indicate their special function independent of the principal meridians.

Chinese meridians. Eight Extraordinary meridians
Image Credit: Extraordinary Meridian

Among these meridians, the most important extraordinary meridians are Ren Mai (The Conception Vessel) for its purpose of carrying qi to all yin meridians and Du Mai for transporting qi to all yang meridians.

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Altogether these Chinese meridians provide the scaffolding for how the human body generates, regenerates, heals and becomes diseased in Traditional Chinese Medicine. As more and more integrative and complementary medicine makes its way into modern medical research, it’s important to understand the cultural and practical contexts of concepts like the Chinese meridians.

Have you ever gotten acupuncture or acupressure performed? What was that experience like? And, what Chinese meridians did the acupuncturist / acupressurist work on you (if you’d like to share)? Let us know in the comments!

Overcoming Emotional and Spiritual Fears

Overcoming Fear, Part 3: Overcoming Emotional and Spiritual Fears

“Be fearless and pure; never waver in your determination or your dedication to the spiritual life. Give freely. Be self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire to serve… Learn to be detached and to take joy in renunciation. Do not get angry or harm any living creature, but be compassionate and gentle; show good will to all. Cultivate vigor, patience, will, purity; avoid malice and pride. Then, you will achieve your destiny.”
—Krishna from The Bhagavad Gita

Remarkably, this quotation from Krishna, the Hindu supreme god and eighth avatar of Vishnu, in The Bhagavad Gita, is him counseling Arjuna, the warrior prince, as he heads into the Kurukshetra war against his own family. Krishna analogizes the war as the internal human struggle between virtue and vice, good and evil. The deity urges Arjuna to seek out the virtuous and good.

In this last post of the Overcoming Fear series, I am covering overcoming emotional and spiritual fears. Just as Arjuna finds himself struggling for moral clarity on his impending battles ahead, we too seek clarity in extinguishing our most deeply inward fears. Thankfully, once we understand emotional and spiritual fears, we can do the hard work to combat each in their own right.

Emotional Fears

The first step in this process, I believe, is understanding emotional fears. Plainly stated, emotional fears are usually absurd. That’s right. They simply don’t have to make sense. And, that’s why they’re so scary to us!

As humans, we seek naturally to understand abstract concepts, and emotions are a whole lot of senseless thoughts to us. They may mean something to us on an unconscious level, maybe even on a conscious level after much contemplation and reflection. But, by and large, emotional fears are a queue for a fantasy and not reality. So, what are you to do?

The answer lies in Stanford professor, Carol Dweck, PhD, who also happens to be a leading world expert on motivation. In her book, Mindset, Dweck details how we can effort makes one stronger. If you consider emotional fears as a workout for your spiritual well-being, you can conquer your emotional fears.

As she asks in Mindset, “Do you work harder at things in your life or do you let them go? Next time you feel low, put yourself in a growth mindset—think about learning, challenging, confronting obstacles. Think about effort as a positive, constructive force, not as a big drag. Try it out.”

Emotional fears not seen as a challenge will simply become a boogeyman in the closet. If you’re not in actual, physical danger, they represent mole hill masquerading as a mountain. And, it’s your challenge to emotionally shrink the mountain back down to size.

In The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD explains a great method for dealing with emotional fears. “Write down your [emotional fears], and then consider ways to reinterpret [them]. In the process, ask yourself questions like… What else could this…mean? Can anything good come from it? Does it present any opportunities for me? What lessons can I learn and apply to the future? Did I develop any strengths as a result?”

Emotional fears can be a great opportunity for growth, but it comes at the risk of not considering that they are not yet real and you can become stronger by thinking constructively about your emotional fears. Once you have challenged emotional fears, then you can take on the next-level challenges of overcoming spiritual fears.

Spiritual Fears

Spiritual fears come in many shapes and sizes. And, they represent the gamut of big fears about why you exist, what will happen after you pass away, and how to manage with others while you are here in this life. None are answers easily attained. Some you will never be able to ascertain. Yet, we seek out answers to these spiritual unknowns like the missing end to a chorus line in a familiar tune.

However, we can look to every great sacred text humankind has come into contact with to learn the sources and solutions to spiritual fears. The Buddha explains that the root of all life is suffering, and to ease suffering we must reach enlightenment through following the Middle Way. Jesus Christ teaches us to embrace love unconditionally to crowd out the hate in our lives. In Islam, Allah translates to All Loving. So, you can imagine there’s agreement with Christ on the matter.

For spiritual solace, there are many complex ways to think about it all. But, I tend to think there is a simple answer that’s profoundly difficult to practice. (That’s the hard work I talked of in the first post in this series.) And, it comes in understanding the difference in a simple phrase with a storied history.

It’s found in Bessie Anderson Stanley’s first line of her poem, Success.

He achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much [emphasis added]; Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty or failed to express it; Who has left the world better than he found it, Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; Whose life was an inspiration; Whose memory a benediction.

From this 1904 poem, much has been said of live, laugh and love in literature, film and pop culture generally. But, what is most profound is its wisdom for overcoming spiritual fears. To live life to the fullest, to laugh often, and love as much as your heart can are the essential elements that extinguish spiritual fears. No spiritual fear can wrestle away from those activities.

Your heart cannot have fear when you are living, laughing and loving passionately. I know it sounds trite. That it can’t be so simple as that. From my experience, it is. If you follow these passions, your spiritual fears dissipate and you can find peace with life’s great questions, whether answered or not.

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Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual fears are plenty in your life and in the lives of those you care. You can do this hard work and overcome those fears, and by doing so help others overcome theirs. I leave you and this Overcoming Fears series with wise words from the Sufi poet and mystic, Rumi.

“There is one thing in this world you must never forget to do. Human beings come into this world to do particular work. That work is their purpose, and each is specific to the person. If you forget everything else and not this, there’s nothing to worry about. If you remember everything else and forget your true work, then you will have done nothing with your life.”
—Rumi

Live well, laugh often, and love much.

Overcoming Fear, Part 2: Overcoming Mental Fears

Overcoming Fear, Part 2: Mental Fears

“Fearlessness is not only possible, it is the ultimate joy. When you touch nonfear, you are free. If I am ever in an airplane and the pilot announces that the plane is about to crash, I will practice mindful breathing. If you receive bad news, I hope you will do the same. But don’t wait for the critical moment to arrive before you start practicing to transform your fear and live mindfully. Nobody can give you fearlessness. Even if the Buddha were sitting right here next to you, he couldn’t give it to you. You have to practice and realize it yourself. If you make a habit of mindfulness practice, when difficulties arise, you will already know what to do.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Fear

The simplicity of famed Buddhist monk and teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, does not overshadow its profundity. To use a corollary of Will Durant’s famous quotation (misattributed often to Aristotle), “We are what we repeatedly [feel]. [Fearlessness], then, is not an act, but a habit.”

As we discussed in last week’s article, How Fear Impacts Our Health, we learned that fear can have some pretty negative mental health effects on us if we don’t respond to it. In this article, let’s address how to overcome mental fears. We will discuss how to identify mental fears, and then techniques for working through mental fears.

Think about your mental fears.

When we think about mental fears, we must remember that we’re thinking about our thinking. And, this can be difficult by itself to consider! But, if we remember that aside from the complexity involved in our mental fears’ roots, these fears are by their very nature, all in our head. We have control. And, if we provide enough focus on our mental fears, we can overcome them.

As Noam Shpancer, PhD, notes in his Psychology Today article, “Overcoming Fear: The Only Way Out is Through,” is “that familiar things get boring.” Our neuropsychological framework is designed to seek out new things. Once we identify this novelty, it’s no longer so. And, we habituate (i.e., get used to it). This is how we overcome mental fears.  

Think about it. (Pun intended.) If I ask you to perform an exercise where you are exposed persistently to something you fear; for example, spiders. And, you spend the next year, five years, 10 years, in the presence of spiders. They are with you each and every day, wherever you go. They don’t interact with you. They are simply present.

What do you logically (not emotionally) believe happens to your fear of spiders? If you didn’t curl up into a ball for all that time, you get on with your life. The spiders fades into the background of life. You habituate.

So too is the reality with your mental fears. No spiders necessary. Take your mental fear of choice: fear of failure, your mother-in-law, taking on that tough project, or getting fired. Now, focus on that fear. Give it some good, long thought. You might even start to consider alternative ways to circumnavigate the negative outcomes if you don’t face the fear in your life. What becomes of the fear? It becomes small to you. It possibly becomes boring. You habituate.

With mental fears, it’s better to think more about mental fears until they’re no longer strangers lurking outside your window at night. Invite them into your living room. Sit down and have a conversation with them. Soon enough, you’ll find they’re not that scary and likely provide you more insight than fright.

Find the mental fears in your body.

When you eat one piece of cake at your friend’s birthday party, you enjoy it. But, now eat the whole cake. All of it. Right there and then. How do you feel after eating that whole cake? Not so great, eh?

That’s how fear works in your body. When you feel fear, it’s a neurological chain reaction that leads to a physiological response. Your brain releases chemicals into your bloodstream that instantaneously triggers a series of events.

Your digestive system shuts down. Who needs to think about eating when a lion is about to eat you?

Your pulse quickens and your muscles tighten, so you can leap into action to get out of harm’s way. Your blood vessels also constrict so that your mind can think faster, and you gain alertness as your pupils dilate.

For many millennia, evolution has taught your body to simply overcompensate for every kind of fear by going through this process. It’s akin to that cake gluttony exercise for your mental and nervous system.

Thankfully, there’s a trick for overcoming these fear-based reactions. It turns out that almost identically, the physical reactions you feel to mental fears, anxiety, worry, overwhelm and more is what you feel when you’re ecstatic, excited and overjoyed in the moment.

You have two options once you start to recognize these feelings stirring in you. The first option is to use that fearful reaction and transfer it to excitement. Can you use that energy to get motivated and into action to tackle a tough project? (That’s the fight side of the fight-or-flight response.)

Otherwise, the other option is to sit with your physical feelings until the chemical response dissipates. We tend to think that this will last a long time, but in actuality, the fight-or-flight response mental fear dulls fairly rapidly as it sets off.

While your body may take anywhere from 20 minutes up to an hour to come down from the arousal state, this is a great opportunity to take advantage of the energy unleashed and do some healthy physical activity. Learning to control your mental fears takes time, and that takes us to our next behavioral intervention for tackling mental fears.

Practice breathing.

While Stoicism, the Hellenistics philosophy that teaches about self-control and fortitude, lost its popularity (as it was the dominant philosophy of the third century BCE) when the Emperor of Rome, Constantine, declared Christianity its official religion, it provides us a valuable lesson in managing our mental fears, namely temperance.

In the Stoic’s worldview, temperance affords a “virtuous” person the ability to moderate their emotions. In a psychologist’s parlance, we might call this “purposeful” emotional regulation. Remember Durant and “we are what we repeatedly [feel]?” What if you could wrap this Stoic temperance into an activity that can help you regulate those mental fears? It turns out, this brings us back to the venerable Nhat Hanh’s quotation with which I began this article.

If you can learn to be mindful of your mental fears, and practice concentrating your breath into those fears, then your body’s natural healing response activates. As I have written before, there are many ways to meditate or practice mindfulness exercises.

Now, combine each of the concepts I cover here in this article. Dwell on your mental fears, one at a time, by feeling the physical reactions in a safe place when they’re not being triggered. You start to become comfortable with the discomfort.

Then, you practice breathing exercises, such as meditation or other mindfulness exercises, to shut down the mental fears sooner and redirect your attentional faculties and actions toward more productive uses. Fearlessness, then, is not an act of bravery once in the face of a mental fear, but the regular habit of practicing mindfulness.

This is the one-two punch to conquering mental fears, that works not as a quick-fix, but as Nhat Hanh states, over time as you practice and embrace the mental fears until they’re no longer so.

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“A feeling is just a feeling. And you are much more than that feeling. We shouldn’t let ourselves be carried away by a feeling, even a pleasant one, much less an unpleasant one. We just practice recognition of the feeling.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Fear

Have you ever experienced such a mental fear that you’ve been able to overcome through practicing embracing and ultimately letting it go? Other suggestions for overcoming mental fears? Let us know in the comments!

Overcoming Fear, Part 1 - How Fear Impacts Our Health - Four Directions Wellness

Overcoming Fear, Part 1: How Fear Impacts Our Health

If you’re in clear and present danger, dial 9-1-1. But, for all other types of fears—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual fears—there are ways to overcome them. They may not be easy. They might downright be difficult and complex. But, if you put in the hard work, you can overcome those fears.

In this Overcoming Fears series, I am discussing these different, generalized fear types and methods to understand and succeed in managing those fears. In this post, I cover fears that people deal with on a regular basis and how fear impacts our health. Then, in the next two posts in the series, I’ll touch on mental, emotional and spiritual fears. Let’s dig into our knowledge of fears to overcome them!

Where Fears Originate

In the scientific journal, Current Biology, Ralph Adolphs, PhD, writes in the article, “The Biology of Fear,”

Could you be in a state of fear without feeling afraid? Is fear applicable to species like rats? What about flies? And how would you know?

Laypeople have no difficulty using the word “fear” in everyday conversation, yet are quickly stumped by questions such as these. So are psychologists and biologists. Despite an explosion of recent findings, spurred in large part by funding to help understand mood and anxiety disorders, the field of emotion research is more fragmented than ever.

And, it’s true. Fear, in its most basic sense, is the anticipatory or awareness of impending danger. But, how we perceive fear is as wide and varied as the human experience itself.

In a biological perspective, Dr. Adolphs examines the root of our fears as being a brain process, as simple as neurons firing to create this experience when our sensory system detects danger. It’s quite the functionalist’s perspective. And, the scientific evidence does bear fruit here. As Seth J. Gillihan, PhD, cites in his article, “Where Do Fears and Phobias Come From?,” “genetic variation accounted for 45% of individual differences in animal fears, and 41% of differences in blood-injection-injury fears.” There is definitely a causal link between our neurological functions and fear-based reactions.

On the other hand, Dr. Adolphs displays how many different types of emotion theories of fear exist, among the many include environmental causes, culture, and survivalism.

So, to say we know where fear originates is a yet-to-be-discovered, maybe-never-answered mystery of life. What we do know, is that we have control and influence over fears we experience in everyday life.

Types of Fears We Feel Regularly

Fears can be distinguished in many ways, but most broadly they can be separated into fear and phobia. Phobia is defined by the fear being extreme or irrational.

From arachnophobia (fear of spiders and other arachnids) to acrophobia (fear of heights) to agoraphobia (fear of open spaces), these common phobias are fears given names in psychological literature. For those who suffer from these phobias, they aren’t academic; they’re experiences in real life that inhibit us from sometimes enjoying pursuing life’s goals. Phobias, if they are hindering you in life, require professional help. But, what are the fears we feel regularly that we have the ability to overcome usually without the guidance of a therapist, counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist?

Overt, conscious fears come in many shades of intensity. The most acute type is fear of physical harm because a car is barreling toward you in a pedestrian walkway, random acts of violence we hear about in the news, or you slip off the back deck and plummet several feet down onto the lawn below. This fear of bodily harm is easy to understand, as it does damage to us physically.

But, other types of harm are lower in intensity, even though they still keep us from living our best lives. Losing weight can be a fear vector because of the myriad ways your body, social life and inner world will experience the change.

And, before the end of our lives, we spend some of it in fear of what will become of us after we have lived this life.

While others have labeled fears in different categories, we can understand these general types of fears are conscious and unconscious fears of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual reasons. And, as it turns out, all of them have deleterious effects on our physical health.

How Fear Impacts Our Health

While fear of immediate physical harm is obvious and should be avoided, the other forms of fear have more subtle forms of harm, so it’s best to examine them each in a bit of detail.

We can lump how fear impacts our health in two ways—physiological effects and neurological effects.

Physiological Health

Fear debilitates our immune system and can cause cardiovascular system impairment, gastrointestinal issues, and diminished fertility. It can even make you age faster.

Neurological Health

Fear can intrude on procedures in our brain that enable us to manage feelings, read non-verbal prompts, think before doing, and act morally. This affects our reasoning in harmful ways, leading to potentially extreme feelings, paranoia and compulsivity. To use the brain-as-computer analogy, fear in prolonged states becomes malware and starts to compete with the brain from running its software properly.

Fear can impede the development of working and long-term memory and cause harm to specific parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus. Fear regulation can be impeded in this negative feedback loop and create persistent memory issues for an individual in prolonged states of fear.

As a consequence of the prolonged fear above, the brain is not only affected, it’s apparent that the mental health of the individual is then taxed. This can lead to downstream disorders such as fatigue, post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD) in acute cases, low mood disorders, clinical depression, among others.

We can even look at fear from an economic perspective. Gallup did a poll in 2017 that asked the question, “Is there any area near where you live — that is, within a mile — where you would be afraid to walk alone at night?” 30% of respondents are worried about walking near their own home at night. Businesses around those residences must be impacted with loss of revenue from that one fear factor!

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No matter how you look at the issue, fear can be helpful if it’s to avoid immediate harm to your physical person. Beyond that, fear can only be helpful when we avoid its harmful physical, emotional, mental and spiritual effects. Beyond how fear impacts our health, in the next two articles, I’ll examine how to overcome fears now that we’re armed with this information.

Code Lavender in Hospitals - Four Directions Wellness

Code Lavender in Hospitals

On any given episode of Gray’s Anatomy (or your favorite hospital television drama), you are familiar with hearing a “Code Blue” loudspeaker announcement. From there, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), doctors and nurses rush in to save the life of the person injured or sick.

Did you know there are more codes? Code Blue is typically used for cardiac or respiratory arrest, while Code Red is usually for fire or smoke present in the hospital. There’s Code Black for a bomb threat in the health facility. And, there’s Code Pink for when an infant has been abducted. There are other hospital emergency codes that are used differently throughout the United States and other countries’ hospital systems,

One such code that isn’t used as frequently but should be on every hospital’s alert terminology is Code Lavender. This is a growing type of emergency care for those in need of emotional support and hospitals and other healthcare facilities can benefit from knowing about implementing their own Code Lavender programs.

Code Lavender was “started by Earl Bakken at North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea in 2008,” and lavender was the color chosen for holistic wellness. From there, in the same year, the famed Cleveland Clinic adopted the Code Lavender program.

Code Lavender is staffed by holistic nurses and chaplains and in the case of Cleveland Clinic, the 14-person team falls under the purview of the Spiritual Care Department. The are a rapid-response model for holistic care for patients, family members and healthcare providers in immediate need. Since crises that are matters of life or death can weigh heavily on people after the fact, the Code Lavender team steps in with emotional support care for those requesting it. In the case of Cleveland Clinic, again, it is primarily healthcare providers who request Code Lavender the majority of the time.

It’s important to remember that Code Lavender alerts are for crisis intervention in the healthcare environment and not meant as a long-term program against burnout or other issues.

In the Cleveland Clinic, the Code Lavender teammates are identified by lavender scrubs and lab coats with “Healing Services” stitched on them. The tools, techniques and therapies of a Code Lavender team will be tailored to the program and culture, but by and large, they will include:

  • energetic healing modalities, such as Reiki,
  • physical care modalities, such as acupressure, light massage, reflexology, and reflexive brushing,
  • expression-based modalities, such as writing or journaling, music, self-directed art (such as sketching or drawing), and singing, and,
  • Other mind-body modalities, such as guided breathing and imagery exercises, meditation, and movement.

In order for Code Lavender programs to be successful in hospitals and other healthcare environments to be successful, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  1. The work culture needs to be kept in mind. If there is a workaholic, hero culture in the hospital, caregivers are less likely to recognize and admit they need help. Breaking down these unhealthy cultural artefacts in healthcare will help the sustainability of Code Lavender programs.
  2. Make the ability to call Code Lavender teams as easy as any other hospital emergency code in the facility. It’s imperative that when a doctor, nurse or other caregiver needs emotional support that they don’t have to hunt down someone for help. At Cleveland Clinic, they respond within 30 minutes of a request across multiple hospital campuses, and that’s a pretty remarkable rapid-response timeline for eight disparate locations.
  3. Code Lavender requires education of staff and volunteers, and, according to Nursing2018 article, “Code Lavender: A tool for staff support,” by Rabbi Susan B. Stone, DDiv, BCC, additional research such as longitudinal studies that can watch Code Lavender and control groups of caregivers over time can be very informative for hospitals.

As noted in study, “Code Lavender: Cultivating Intentional Acts of Kindness in Response to Stressful Work Situations,” published in the journal, Explore,

Of those who received the Code Lavender intervention; 100% found it helpful, and 84% would recommend it to others. No significant changes were demonstrated before and after the intervention in ProQoL scores or job satisfaction, however the emotion of feeling cared-for improved.

It shows that there is a strong case for Code Lavender in hospitals and other healthcare settings, and as more evidence-based relaxation and restoration interventions are brought into these crisis situations in healthcare, the better the outcomes for caregivers in the long-term.

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The next time you are at a hospital, pay attention to whether you hear any codes called, and whether a Code Lavender is communicated over the speaker system. If you do hear one, let us know in the comments! We’ll know a healthcare provider is being cared for and they need all the care they can get so they can keep caring for us in our times of need.

Reiki in Hospice Care

Reiki in Hospice Care, Working Together

The end of our physical life is always a difficult subject, because it means loss on a fundamental level. For the individual, for friends, for their lovers and families, there is finality to this stage of life. Thankfully, there is hospice care. And, increasingly, reiki in hospice care is becoming more common.

According to the nonprofit headquartered right here in lovely Alexandria, Virginia, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) publication, Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America, hospice care is “considered the model for quality compassionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness, hospice provides expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient’s needs and wishes.”

Support doesn’t end there, though. Hospice care extends to the family of patients too. As NHPCO explains, “hospice focuses on caring, not curing.”

Increasing Use of Reiki in Hospice Care

Reiki in hospice care continues to be noted in research studies and reports showing its increasing use and effectiveness in end-of-life care. In 2005, the scientific review, “The increasing use of Reiki as a complementary therapy in specialist palliative care,” published in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing, explains (looking at the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom) in the abstract, that

Palliative medicine and complementary therapies (CTs) have developed within the NHS as parallel philosophies of care. As a result, the last decade has seen an increase in the integration and usage of CTs, as adjunct therapies to conventional medical treatment. Documented benefits of relaxation, decreased perception of pain, reduced anxiety and improved sense of wellbeing have been shown to enable an enhanced quality of life, where curative treatment is no longer an option. Reiki is a more recent addition to the range of CTs available to cancer patients. As an energy-healing intervention it has gained in popularity as a non-invasive and non-pharmacological approach. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the profound relaxation effect has a positive impact on alleviating anxiety, stress, perception of pain and promotes a feeling of wellbeing particularly relating to the nature of psychospiritual wellbeing.

The review notes, that with the increasing use of Reiki and reports of its help in hospice care, it necessitates that health care providers consider it as a standard part of hospice care.

As we noted last week regarding Reiki in home health care settings, hospice care is also available to Medicare beneficiaries. According to Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC), an independent congressional agency that advises the government on Medicare fee-for-service provider payments, approximately 1.4 million Americans receive hospice care annually. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, more and more Americans will need hospice care and so the trend of more Reiki demand will also rise.

Caring for Everyone in Transition

With growing acknowledgement that our healthcare system played a significant role in opioid epidemic negatively impacting the US, use of an ancient healing modality that requires no pills is potent medicine. Whether it’s routine hospice care (RHC) for the terminally-ill patient, or inpatient respite care (IRC) provided to the primary caregiver of the patient, Reiki serves as a role model for lowering distress, increasing calm, and decreasing burnout all-around.

It is often forgotten that when a patient is diagnosed with a terminal illness, many people are affected from having to care for that person and dealing with the looming loss of their loved one. This makes it more important to have care services given to and even training those individuals to administer Reiki for self-care. Mixed with the traditional care a person and their family is receiving in hospice care, Reiki provides a strong and natural complement to caring for everyone in transition.

Finding a Reiki Master

If you are interested in finding a Reiki Master to help with someone you’re caring for, who is ready for hospice care, there are ample resources for Reiki care. If you’re in the Alexandria, Virginia / Metropolitan Washington DC area, touch base with Four Directions Wellness. If for some reason we can’t help your loved one, we’ll connect you with a Reiki service provider for them.

If you’re outside of our area, you can find a qualified reiki practitioner here. Also, ask your hospice care provider for recommendations they may have in-house.

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Reiki in hospice care is a significant choice for complementary medicine in the face of tough medical decisions faced at the end of life. It’s significant because the individual’s whole being–mind, body, emotion and spirit–is the focus of the care. And, what’s more significant than the person facing mortality? Further, it’s significant because of its impact on the individual with less reliance on pharmacological approaches. A person’s experience is changed for the better with a greater sense of calm and wellbeing with Reiki, and without the risks.

Have you experienced Reiki? Has a loved one had Reiki during hospice care? What was your/their experiences? Let us know about your Reiki hospice care experiences in the comments.