Our culture is changing forever now that the use of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) is becoming increasingly wide spread.  I ask the question:  Could NLP eventually become so common that it is used by mental patients not just to treat, but to cure themselves?

I think this is possible.  In fact it may already be taking place albeit in a very small way.

Positron emission tomography image of a human brain

Unlike traditional forms of therapy where childhood events are endlessly discussed as causation for present circumstances NLP is solution focused.  It does not require disclosure of events only discussion of how they are thought about.  Sometimes even less than that.

When properly executed NLP doesn’t foster dependence on the therapist but instead empowers the client by drawing out existing resources they probably didn’t realise they had in themselves.

Because of the ease and speed of training people with no therapeutic backgrounds can deal with serious issues themselves, either helping someone else or helping themselves literally CHANGE THEIR MIND.

I’m not saying I agree they should treat mental health issues – my opinion is that NLP should be integrated into our mainstream treatment systems for the safety of the public which so far it has only occurred to a limited degree.

We have people trained in NLP and nothing else gleefully taking clients for all kinds of issues.

Let’s compare… your average psychologist or psychiatrist has many years of extensive training, clinical supervision, codes of ethics that mean you are fairly safe in terms of exploitation and confidentiality.

*The treatment involves diagnosis using a DSM IV, a manual which will help categorize your symptoms, and also looks at your families mental health issues as well as your childhood.

*The information collected may be gathered elsewhere and by an insurance company somewhere to decline cover, or bump up your premiums (as an example).

*The treatment could take years and if you take psychiatric medication there are some serious side effects to consider.

Alternative Healing with NLP

It is really simple.  With no other training the person using NLP with their clients can’t compete with all the above…….except in ONE key area…..

RESULTS!

Yes, the results accomplished with the use of NLP are fast.  They are permanent (ok, if you really really try hard you can change back, it is your brain).  And seeing someone for treatment with NLP doesn’t go on your insurance record…so they will never know and to be honest if you are properly treated they don’t need to.

Coming up:  More on the use of NLP including training pitfalls, association blunders (I won’t name names…..yet) and devious tactics you should be aware of BEFORE you see someone for NLP.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan

AlternativeHealing*Insight
Photo Credit

What did I pick up from a gay guy? The most fabulous wheatgrass drink ever, ever made!

Actually I saw the recipe on Queer Eye For The Straight Guy a couple of years ago and I still use it. Such a delicious and energy boosting natural alternative. And healing to boot! Now wheatgrass isn’t normally considered appealing unless you happen to be used to the taste. Just like the name says it is a grass so you get the taste of lawn without the daisy.

As in the pic above you can grow you own (or pay $6 a shot from a juice bar – your choice). If you grow your own a mix of 1/3 potting mix, 1/3 peat, and 1/3 soil is ideal. It doesn’t have to be deep. I used to sprinkle a little kelp over the top in the hope this would add more nutrients to the wheatgrass. Not sure it did. Then you water and cover with newspaper until it sprouts about a centimeter (will push up paper). Then remove the paper and place in sunlight (you want the chorophyll that will be produced from having the sunlight shine on it).

Then just take some scissors and snip. Leave a little at the bottom and you should get at least one (possibly two) more cuttings.

Coming soon on Kid's Fear Factor

Wheatgrass on it’s own isn’t what I would call “fun”.  If you are on the lookout for juice you can stomach as an alternative for healing this is great stuff.  Like the Queer Eye Guy’s if you add little raz a mah taz to wheatgrass you’ll love it!

You can always use wheatgrass powder for the same effect.

Juice:

2 Pears (Suggest you remove any waxy coating by peeling – you can eat it but why would you?  Unless you just love wax covered fruit)

1/4 of a Pineapple (fresh really taste better but messy)

A sprig of mint

And last of all add the wheatgrass…..I don’t measure but I think about a decent handful.   This  site is about alternative healing not recipes so those are kind of ball park.  Still you can’t go wrong because if it’s too sweet add more wheatgrass (very strong, so only a little at a time), and if too….grassy….add more pineapple.  You will find the resulting mixture very satisfing to drink and is a great pick me up much better for you than those ridiculous (and IMHO dangerous) energy drinks.

It’s funny to see kids faces when they see the green froth being offered to them, but they pleasantly surprised it if they pluck up the courage to try.  Green is a powerful anchor.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan
Alternative*Insight

Top Photo Credit

Lower Photo Credit

If you aren’t familiar with clove oil yet just imagine the grinding of a dentists drill.  Ahh, the memories!  Surprisingly I quite like the smell in moderation.

Clove oil has been used historically for tooth aches but there are many other uses as a natural alternative for healing.

For example it is HIGHLY effective for mould.  I moved into a house with the constant smell of mould lingering in the pantry.  I wiped it out with salty water, vinegar, and whatever.  Nothing worked….until I remembered about clove oil and brought a bottle.  About a 1/4 teaspoon in a one litre spray pack well mixed, sprayed on the surfaces of the pantry, and volia!  My house smelled festive for days.

Of course if you suffer from mould related health issues this can be is a Godsend.

Not only used for pain killing this handy little alternative healing oil is also has antiseptic and antiparasitic qualities.  It can be used for cleaning and numbing cuts.

As always care needs to be taken with use.  Clove oil can cause an allergic reaction when applied topically so is diluted with vegetable oil (one drop to four ounces of oil) and can be poisonous if consumed in a large dose.

There are a variety of people who should avoid using clove oil including, but not limited to pregnant women, people with liver or kidney disease, so make sure you check out the risk before buying any.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan
Alternative*Insight
Photo Credit

Don’t get scared…

Get prepared!

With the coming onset of winter be prepared for the cold and ‘flu season.

Pharmacy treatments can be expensive ESPECIALLY if you happen to have a family look after.  And let’s not forget the hassle of getting there in the first place.

Then there’s the cost of time off work.  Can anybody afford that in this economy?

The natural remedies for cold and ‘flu don’t have the dangerous side effects of strong drugs and hastily manufactured vaccines.

37 different remedies collected over many years and passed from one generation to the next including a super clever New Zealand idea for utilizing the antiviral, antibacterial, and healing properties that only fresh garlic(or it’s expensive to manufacture equivalent) has, a method most people have never heard of before.

By having this information on had you have an entire arsenal to combat those winter ills.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan

Alternative*Insight
Photo Credit

Adding value to your diet can boost your intuition – a short post today.

Yesterday’s drink is a fantastic healing alternative to other more production line drinks such as sodas.  It boosts energy but in a way that doesn’t toy cruelly with your body chemistry.

Obviously if you currently drink sixteen cups of coffee a day (by the way any more than six is considered mentally unhealthy so cut back a little) you would not suddenly replace them with sixteen glasses of wheatgrass, pear, pineapple and mint.

Different to how most of us use our intuition

The intuitive part of us will react to our diet in the same way as any other part of the brain.  Just as after a alternative natural healing detox you may find you think clearer you may also notice the pleasant side effect of intuition.

More tomorrow.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan
Alternative*Insight

Photo Credit

Rob asked who do Maori pray to when collecting herbs for healing.  The answer is generally the prayers are to give thanks and acknowledgement that we are the guardians of the land, and they generally go to God, and/or Papatuanuku and Ranginui.

Tane Mahuta, "Lord of the Forest" stands over 50M. Often people comment about the spiritual vibe around the tree

We still see the influence of missionaries that came to early New Zealand.  The spiritual side has it’s own type of alternative medicine.  Healing anything always incorporates a spiritual aspect with Maori.  Always.

Legend has it that Papatuanuku, mother earth came together with Ranginui, the sky father and embraced in the darkness before creation or Te Kore (the nothingness).  After being locked in eternal darkness between them, their children finally pushed them apart.

Maori see themselves as guardians not owners of nature and land.  This cultural difference has caused many unnecessary disputes about land rights that still continue to this day.  The alternative natural healing they use has a strong connection with the land and nature.

Darryl asked can you eat Manuka Honey.  Yes you can use it like any other honey.   You may find the cost a deterrent to trying it, of course in NZ it is much closer to price to regular honey worth only about a dollar more for the same size jar.  In Cornwall it is sold for £55 a jar.  Yikes!  Pricey toast.

It does have those proven medicinal qualities that occur when bees gather pollen from the Manuka bush.  Not all Manuka honey is “active” meaning that it has enzymes that create chemical reactions in the honey.  To find some look for the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) which is found on medical grade (!) honey.

UMF branded honey provides one more alternative in natural healing.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan
Alternative*Insight
Photo Credit

I heard on the news that there is some place in England with Manuka bushes who are now selling Manuka honey.  There is much lost in cultural differences and I felt saddened that those growers weren’t knowledgeable about the traditional Maori beliefs around Manuka, and some of the practices around this alternative medicine.

A question yesterday from Kate about putting this stuff on your face.  Yes, I’ve done that once and NEVER again.  Messy as hell.  Got in my hair and generally everywhere.  Didn’t think my face improved much but that may have been because I was scowling.

You can buy creams with the active Manuka honey ingredients in them that make it easier but I don’t really like those.  The few I’ve tried still seem really heavy.  It is also used for burns by the way (after the cool water of course)  an alternative to medicine.  Healing is speeded up as the substances in the honey go to work.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan
Alternative*Insight

Photo Credit

There is nothing that can improve your life faster than a clean and organised home and office.

Feng Shui or the Indian Vaastu Shastra which is similar in many respects but lesser known has an instinctive feel to me.  While I do not religiously engage in the moving of furniture or placing of fish I can feel a difference in the way a space is organised.  There is a natural preference to organise my house in the way Feng Shui practitioners describe anyway even without the description of the flow of chi.

As with any alternative the practice of Feng Shui works best combined with real action.  I remember picking up a book on Feng Shui and the relationship between ill health and the layout and location of buildings.  I respect it enough to consult with an expert before the kids and I build that straw bale home.

Has anyone here ever hired someone to assess their space?  What was that like?

I haven’t, but I have checked out several books which are often written for the Northern Hemisphere.  Because of the confusion between North and South eventually I read so much conflicting material I abandoned most of the stuff.  Also I learnt I’m not a great fish Mom (they are in safe hands now).  This in itself is probably bad Feng Shui.

I still maintain a small (but hopeful) collection of water fountains, symbolic artwork and wind chimes.

Just in case.

Blessings,
Keri Eagan
Alternative Healing Insights
Photo Credit

There are many things that intrigue me about the human voice.  For one the chakra associated with it corresponds directly with the base chakra.  One of my spiritual teachers told me that you can pick up if a man has sexual difficulties it can be heard in their voice.  I would suspect if this were the case that sexual issues could be healed by working at improving the voice.  When I come across someone with a technique, I’ll let you know.  I did ask about it before and was told for males they would practice lowering the timbre as they spoke which is pretty cool to know as a technique for alternative natural healing.

The vocal cords are muscles which must be used.  In older folk the quality of the voice diminishes unless they use their voice all the time like a singer or an actor.  Older actors don’t get voice fade as they age.

Training in singing will improve breathing problems like asthma because it strengthens muscles used to breath.  Also it will make you feel happier according to a recent study by the University of Queensland*.  So there you go, singing in the shower is good for you. For a great voice training product try this.

There are various alternative healing techniques associated with the voice which I will write about later such as toning, chanting, and overtone singing.  The voice is a fabulous tool for healing and for building confidence.

Recently I attended a performance by children who clearly loved to perform.

Camp of Rock (yes, idea born after the Disney movie “Camp Rock”) was held over a two week period at YMCA Camp Kaitoke.  During that time the children went through intensive training in dance, various instruments, and wrote there own songs to perform at the end of the two week period.  Audience members like me were blown away by how much they had to have learnt to perform like they did.

How many skills did the children learn during those two weeks?  Beyond the obvious musical skills they learnt discipine yeilds results.  That with the right support they can accomplish what ever they want.  About half the children who attended didn’t have much musical experience they only had what they learnt at camp over the fortnight.

To take inexperienced children and somehow draw out a professional level performance takes considerable effort.  Unlike a paying adult children who are afraid in front of groups or their peers won’t just do as instructed.  They need coxing and lots of it.

With each fear we overcome new options open up to us.   These children will have the memory of this unique experience forever and the fears they overcame now only serve as an expansion to their lives.
Blessings,

Keri Eagan
Anything Alternative
Photo Credit
*http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:74062

Health ICT Research – Alternative Healers Excluded?

The New Zealand Minstry of Health has just released a study on ICT usage and how it can be utilised.

Information communications technology (ICT) is a vital part of the Ministry of Health’s goal of developing a person-centred and provider-friendly health system. Creating an environment where clinicians and patients can safely share electronic information is an essential part of improving health care.

Research took place over the last two years.  I came across a government website in the US talking about something similar.

Typical of a government service the Health Ministry has been slow to change.  I’ve been checking any health advice (or even health “ideas”) against google for years.

Since the speed of electronic data transfer is so quick I’m also concerned about privacy issues.  In NZ healthcare information is ment to be shared on a need to know basis.  If privacy is breached you can request the information sent be destroyed.  With electronic backup, and easy duplication……I don’t know if I feel ok with all of this.

Let’s hope they all figure it out for the best.  Unfortunately the paradigm shift towards alternative medicine healing has already begun.

And maybe when they do they will realise that they left out an entire section of the community who use alternative healing.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan

Anything Alternative
Photo Credit