Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Your Amazing Psychic Gift of Intuition

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Your Amazing Psychic Gift of Intuition: Intuition is one of your amazing psychic gifts. It is the direct knowledge of something without the conscious use of reasoning. Intuitive e...

Your Amazing Psychic Gift of Intuition

Intuition is one of your amazing psychic gifts. It is the direct knowledge of something without the conscious use of reasoning. Intuitive experiences include mystical insights (a feeling of oneness with life), discovery and invention in science, inspiration in the arts, creative problem solving, the perception and understanding of complex phenomena, ESP, precognition (future knowledge), telepathy (communication by inexplicable means), clairvoyance (seeing out of the natural range of human senses), feelings of attraction and aversion, hunches, and strong feelings of what is going to happen.

Intuition has often been referred to as the 6^th sense, but it is more than that. Intuition dramatically enhances and sensitizes your other 5 senses. Clarissa Pinkola Estes vividly describes intuition in her book, Women Who Run with the Wolves, “Like the wolf, intuition has claws that pry things open and pin things down. It has eyes that can see through the shields of the persona. It has ears that hear beyond the range of mundane human understanding. “

It might be helpful to look at the range and dynamics of intuition on four levels: the physical, emotional/heart, mental, and spiritual. The physical level of intuition requires that we learn to trust bodily responses, noticing situations that are comfortable and uncomfortable, tension headaches, sensitivity to others that you want to know better or stay your distance. Physical intuition is the sensation in the pit of your stomach when you are in contact with something or someone that is dishonest or unethical.

The emotional level of intuition is the feeling of being drawn to someone that you want to know better; a feeling of the heart opening or noticing that your heart is closing down; something feels right or something feels wrong. Emotional intuition can be an outpouring of love, playfulness, or laughter in response to a situation or a person. Intuition at the emotional/heart level is a place of clarity. As Saint Exupery said so beautifully in his book, The Little Prince, “It is only through the heart that one can rightly see.”

Mental intuition is the ‘aha’ experience; unexpected breakthroughs in thinking, creative ideas, inspiring thoughts, and the power of imagination that feeds the higher mind. Mental intuition is the unearthing of new possibilities, options, and choices. Mental intuition is a sudden flash of understanding that turns out to be precisely and unexplainably correct.

The spiritual/transpersonal level of intuition is a feeling of oneness, peacefulness, and unity that transcends worldly problems and concerns. Anytime you feel blissful and deeply connected to nature or to some spiritual quest, or know that despite all the logical reasons why you should be angry or afraid, instead you feel a profound trust that everything is OK, these are examples of you drawing upon a higher inner intuitive wisdom.

What blocks intuition? Some of the basic ones are being too judgmental, critical, fearful, angry, stressed out, feeling hopeless, powerless, and relying too much on the intellect for answers on life’s journey. Albert Einstein wrote, “The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition, and the solution comes to you and you don’t know how or why.”

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Great Ditch on the Yellow Brick Road

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Great Ditch on the Yellow Brick Road: In one poignant scene in L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz written in 1900, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion see before them a gre...

The Great Ditch on the Yellow Brick Road

In one poignant scene in L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz written in 1900, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion see before them a great ditch that stopped them in their tracks. It was a very wide ditch and when they crept up to the edge and looked down they could see it was also very deep. The sides of this ditch were so sheer, that it appeared impossible to climb down without serious injury.

The four of them sit on the edge of the great ditch wondering what to do. It appears they are stuck.

Life tests our resolve again and again. Some things come easily to us and some things do not. Some goals are achieved with just a little effort and others require deep reserves of patience, determination, and ingenuity.

Baum wrote, “We cannot fly, that is certain; neither can we climb down into this great ditch. Therefore, if we cannot jump over it we must stop where we are,” said the Scarecrow.

”I think I can jump over it,” said the Cowardly Lion after measuring the distance carefully in his mind.

“Then we are all right,” answered the Scarecrow, “for you can carry us all on your back, one at a time.”

Confidently and courageously jumping and leaping over and over again, the Lion carries each one of them on his back as if he were an amazing stallion. He requires a bit of rest between each marvelous leap because this kind of exertion is unlike anything he has done before. Each leap with one of his companions on his back takes his breath away and he needs time to regain his strength and momentum to do it again and again.

As they go a little farther on their journey to Oz, they come up against other challenges that force them to wisely use their heads and to draw upon solutions. Every time this happens, one of them comes up with an idea that stirs their collective imagination and the obstacle is circumvented.  Barriers inspire creative solutions and solutions serve to strengthen their basic character and resolve to succeed. As they continue their long journey on the Yellow Brick Road they are displaying the qualities they each believe they lack.

The imagination opens doors and helps us to see the bigger picture. Transforming problems into solutions strengthens Dorothy’s power and tenacity and inspires the Scarecrow to use the brain he believes he doesn’t have. Defying obstacles opens the heart of Tin Woodman; a heart he fears he has lost.  Creating solutions allows the Cowardly Lion to draw upon deep reservoirs of courage; courage that he always worried he was missing. Overcoming obstacles together helps each of them return to a state of grace.

Therefore, one of the most important lessons the Wizard of Oz teaches us is that we need each other. Like Baum, I believe that we are at our best when we harmoniously work together, joining with others in a variety of ways to make life a sacred journey.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Understanding Inflammation and How it Affects Your...

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Understanding Inflammation and How it Affects Your...: Inflammation is one of the body’s natural defenses against injury and disease whereby the body’s immune system triggers the release of chem...

Understanding Inflammation and How it Affects Your Health

Inflammation is one of the body’s natural defenses against injury and disease whereby the body’s immune system triggers the release of chemicals to heal wounds and infections such as bacteria and viruses.  Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is a disease. Instead of protecting the organism (our cells and bodies) it starts to kill the organism by releasing a surge of chemicals that ultimately destroy the tissue when no infection or wounds are present. It is regarded as an autoimmune disorder.

Beginning with the pioneering medical research of Denham Harman, MD in 1956 and Imre Nagy, MD in 1978, chronic inflammation has been shown to be the main contributing factor of all degenerative diseases, and the root cause of the two greatest killers: cancer and heart disease. In addition, chronic inflammation appears to be a contributing cause of allergies, mood disorders, gastric diseases, arthritis, dementia, Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, and the premature aging of the body and skin. A diet rich in omega 6- fatty acids which is called the typical American diet, sets the stage for chronic inflammation. High fat diets generate the production of free radicals which attack cells to get an electron they desperately need to stabilize themselves. Every time they stabilize themselves, they damage healthy cells.

Harmon wrote, “Molecules are made up of atoms glued together by chemical bonds. Each bond consists of a pair of electrons. When a bond is broken, what are left are two molecular fragments, each of which contains one of the now unpaired electrons. These molecular fragments are highly charged and highly unstable, because they contain only one electron rather than two. These highly charged, highly unstable, highly reactive particles are what we know as free radicals.”  Does this describe anyone you know?

When you ingest lots of saturated fat in your diet, your body generates more free radicals. Your body is already in a constant battle between free radicals trying to take control of your cells and antioxidants fighting to protect your cells from invasion and damage. Free radicals cause damage to the cell membrane, resulting in the cell being unable to let nutrients in and wastes out. This imbalance sends a signal to the immune system to produce chemicals to help repair the damage. Now you have two problems: an over abundance of free radicals and a chronic overproduction of chemicals. Harmon discovered that omega 3-fatty acids, a good source of antioxidants, need to be abundant within the system to counteract the aggressiveness of the free radicals.  Since the brain is 60% fat, it is a breeding ground for free radicals. You want to be eating foods that nourish and protect your miracle brain which has over 100 billion cells, 100 trillion neural connections, and 400 miles of blood vessels, and coordinates, controls, and regulates all the physical and mental activities you perform each day.

Two main causes of inflammation are eating inflammatory foods including fast food, processed food, food high in saturated fats, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, sugar, aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, and salt which are high in omega 6’s; stress is a leading cause of inflammation since the body is continually on alert, continually in the stress response mode protecting itself from perceived danger. In this chronic stress response, the brain signals the adrenal glands to release cortisol and it is continual release of cortisol in the bloodstream that presents the problem.
Foods that have been shown to contribute to inflammation are: dairy products, red meat and high fat meat cuts, food and drink with high sugar content, pesticides and additives in food, and highly salted food.

Questions to ask yourself?

·         How many of the above inflammatory foods do you eat on a regular basis?

·         What are the sources of stress in your life?

·         What inflammatory situations or people anger, provoke, agitate, infuriate, stir-up, and irritate you?

·         How much resentment and guilt do you carry with you from your past?

·         How many of these anti-inflammatory foods do you eat consistently?

Excellent anti-inflammatory foods include:    

·         Sweet potatoes - strongly anti-inflammatory

·         wild salmon - strongly anti-inflammatory

·         olive oil - strongly anti-inflammatory

·         flax seeds and flax oil - strongly anti-inflammatory

·         avocado – moderately anti-inflammatory

·         strawberries – mildly anti-inflammatory

·         kiwi – mildly anti-inflammatory

·         papaya – mildly anti-inflammatory

·         spinach – mildly anti-inflammatory

·         broccoli – mildly anti-inflammatory

·         tomato – mildly anti-inflammatory

·         romaine lettuce – mildly anti-inflammatory

·         leafy greens, orange, green peas and red bell peppers – mildly anti-inflammatory   

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Lessons from the Wizard of Oz

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Lessons from the Wizard of Oz: I believe that the Wizard of Oz , the famous children’s classic, is the perfect metaphor for the issues facing us as we age. Both the book ...

Lessons from the Wizard of Oz

I believe that the Wizard of Oz, the famous children’s classic, is the perfect metaphor for the issues facing us as we age. Both the book written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film based upon Baum’s book focused on 5 main themes: Hope, mind, love, courage, and imagination.

As we age we certainly need hope. Doubt and hopelessness are depressive states that make life difficult. When you lack hope your life begins to close in on you and your world gets smaller and smaller. Hope revitalizes the spirit and opens doors.  When Dorothy landed in the Land of Oz, Glinda the Good Witch gave her hope by telling her that the Wizard of Oz could help her get back home. She gave Dorothy a protective kiss on the forehead and a pair of Ruby Red Shoes to safely guide her journey. We need hope, inspiration and the reassurance that we will be OK. How do we keep the fires of hope burning? We need to keep our expectations positive and trust that we can make healthy decisions and choices. We need to have things and activities to look forward to. We need to continue to dream about the enjoyable things we want to do and to join forces with others who are currently doing these things or want to do them in the future. We must always hold onto the belief that we are not alone in our dreams and wants and there are others out there who can and will join us on our journey.

The first person Dorothy meets on the Yellow Brick Road is Scarecrow who is stuck on a pole. He believes that he doesn’t have a brain. This is one of the greatest fears instilled in us, especially as we get older; that we are going to get some kind of dementia or Alzheimer’s, the brain cells are going to die and we are slowly going to lose our mind and brain power. Dementia and Alzheimer’s do not have to play a part in the aging process. Beliefs are powerful and the pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession have done us a disservice by telling us over and over again about the deterioration our brain is going to experience as we age. This repetitive negativity creates doubt and fear. If doctors would spend more time educating about proper nutrition, exercise, brain enhancing educational activities, mediation and relaxation techniques, we would probably see a dramatic drop in dementia. But most doctors have very little education or training in nutrition and brain enhancing activities. Their training is mostly in pathology.

Abraham Maslow eloquently wrote about this phenomenon in his book, The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. He said that if we continue to study mental illness and think that it will give us a better understanding of the full spectrum of human nature we are sadly mistaken. All we will have is a sick psychology. He believed that in order to heal we need a psychology of wellness and therefore need to study people who are psychologically healthy. What we have today is a sick-illness oriented field of medicine that primarily addresses problems with pills and surgical procedures.

The fact is, the brain has a remarkable ability to heal and expand its communication network between and among brain cells. I have seen these miraculous changes take place as a former director of two brain injury facilities. This phenomenon is called neural plasticity. The human brain has over 100 billion brain cells that make over 1,000 trillion connections with a vascular network of over 400 miles of blood vessels. Keep your brain active by learning new things, nurture it with healthy and nutritious food that soothe it rather than inflame it, participate in ongoing exercises that enhance it, and incorporate daily meditation and self-hypnosis techniques and processes that create optimism and release the ‘feel good’ hormones, and you are on your way to having an amazing mind and brain, just like the Scarecrow wanted.

We want love and an open heart. Love is vital to our health and wellness, yet as we age we feel more isolated and lonely. Love is what connects us and joins us together. The Tin Woodman wanted a heart because when he was in love he was the happiest man on earth. He said he needed a heart to love and be loved again. How can we open our hearts more as we age? We need to participate in activities with others, to spend our time with people who are caring and nurturing, to try new things and add more fun, play and joy into our lives. Perhaps we can volunteer and help others who are less fortunate than we are. Perhaps we can go to adult education classes and explore topics like building self-esteem, vegetarian cooking, meditation, loving relationships, and learn more about the biology and psychology of beliefs and how they impact the heart and our miracle brain. Perhaps we will radically alter our diet and tell the pharmaceutical companies, “No thank you, my heart is healthy as ever because I am feeding it the beliefs, food and activities it requires for optimal functioning. “

As Dorothy continued down the Yellow Brick Road she was startled by the roar of a large lion. The three of them recoiled in fear as the Cowardly Lion made his big presence known. When he frightened her dog Toto, Dorothy smacked him across the snout and the Lion began to cry. As we get older, courage may seem to be in smaller supply. But why does it have to? Courage is that inner force within us that inspires us to stand up for ourselves, the guts to try new things, the daring to take risks, the bravery to move away from an isolated life and to open the door to something new and different. Courage helps us to defy fear. Fear is there but we don’t let it stop us from doing the things we want to do and taking the risks we want to take. And like the Wizard of Oz teaches us, we oftentimes need the help of others to make changes. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Lion could not have gotten to Oz alone….they needed each other to get beyond the barriers and challenges they met along the way. They needed each other’s support, encouragement, and creative problem solving to get to the Wizard of Oz.

Imagination is one of the greatest gifts of all. If we are feeling stuck in life, imagination is our way out. When we were children we literally lived in the imagination. As we get older, imagination can play a smaller role as practical concerns take precedence. Your brain thrives on positive thinking and imagination. Your heart splendidly relaxes as it is inundated by the chemistry released by imagination. Courage is your constant companion in an environment that bathes in the rapture of imagination. A positive imagination is always your antidote to the doldrums of fear, anxiety, and depression. Let these 5 gifts and themes of the Wizard of Oz take you and your life to new heights of enjoyment and fulfillment.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Understanding Metaphors

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Understanding Metaphors: Metaphor is a symbolic language which arises out of an interweaving of imagery, implication, association, perception, and memory. Examples ...

Understanding Metaphors

Metaphor is a symbolic language which arises out of an interweaving of imagery, implication, association, perception, and memory. Examples of metaphors are parables, holy writings, and allegory of literature, poetry, fairy tales, films, plays, photographs, stories, dreams, and the symbolism of nature.

The natural language of the unconscious is metaphorical and the imagery inherent in metaphor visits us in our dreams night after night. Dreaming of driving a car faster and faster might be a message from our deeper self warning us about our high blood pressure or manic behavior.  Being a passenger in the car while someone else drives might indicate our need to take control over the direction of our own life.  Einstein said that a dream he had as a child wherein he was sliding down a snowy mountain on a sled at such high speed that the stars were spinning in the opposite direction of their natural orbit, set the tone for his research and development of his theory of relativity. He said that his life work in physics was a meditation on that dream.

In order to better understand the metaphorical language and possible meanings of a dream, it is a good idea and a fun exercise to play with the imagery. Write down the basics of the dream and all the images that you remember including how you felt during the dream and discuss it with a friend or just analyze the words and imagery yourself and what they could mean within the context of your current life and future aspirations.

Fairy tales are another excellent example of metaphor. L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz was written to help children come to understand that they can maneuver successfully through any hardship in life. Baum did not like Alice in Wonderland and felt that children did not gain any self-confidence from the metaphor s in that story. Baum’s protagonist, Dorothy, is suddenly transported to an unfamiliar place and befriends four interesting characters along the way who assist her in achieving her goal: Glinda the good witch who gives Dorothy the ruby red shoes to protect her and guide her on her journey on the yellow brick road, Scarecrow who wants a brain to build his confidence, Tin Woodman who wants a heart so he can love again, and the Cowardly Lion who wants courage. The Wizard of Oz has been viewed by over 2 billion people world -wide and is regarded as the most popular family film of all time. Why? People of all ages can relate to the metaphorical nature of the story, the needs and goals of the characters, and the charming and entertaining way the entire story unfolds.

Take note of the books, films, dreams, day dreams, stories, songs, and plays you find yourself drawn to and aroused by and you will discover how the metaphors in these stir up the metaphors in you. Look upon metaphor as simply an inner figurative language that we all have inside of us that inspires us to better understand who we are, what we want, and where we want to go.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Creating The FutureWhen the artist Michelangelo w...

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Creating The Future
When the artist Michelangelo w...: Creating The Future When the artist Michelangelo was asked how he approached sculpting his masterpiece, David, he replied that he chip...

Creating The Future

When the artist Michelangelo was asked how he approached sculpting his masterpiece, David, he replied that he chipped away everything in the large piece of marble that wasn’t David. Michelangelo had tremendous focus and concentration in present time, but he hadn’t also maintained his future vision of what David would look like, he would not have achieved the incredible statue he envisioned.Our greatest hope is to learn from our past and to draw upon the wisdom there, to be fully absorbed in present time with focus, concentration and creativity and to retain an inspiring vision for the future.

An excellent example of this is the story of the Russian composer and pianist, Sergei Rachmaninoff. The premier of his Piano Concerto No.1 in 1897 in St. Petersburg, Russia met with such critical reviews by the local newspaper that Rachmaninoff fell into a depression for two years. Unable to recover from the trauma he sought help from a physician, Dr. Nicholi Dahl, who specialized in autosuggestion. Autosuggestion is what we now call self-hypnosis. During the two year period of his depression, Rachmaninoff was afraid to compose for fear of failing again. The voices of his critics haunted him.

Dr. Dahl assessed Rachmaninoff’s case and advised him to use the same hypnotic declaration everyday,               “I will compose a new concerto. I will work with the greatest of ease. The composition will be of excellent quality and the critics and public will rejoice!”

Even though this is a very elementary use of self-hypnosis, the affirmation worked for him. Rachmaninoff repeated these positive statements day after day for two years. During that time he began composing Piano Concerto No.2. This composition had its world premier in October 1901. It was an instant success and is regarded as one of the greatest piano concertos in classical music history. Not only did he rise to the occasion, he exceeded it. Dr. Dahl helped him to regain his confidence, let the past go, move beyond his fears, reignite the joy of composing, and to perform in public again.

Your past is filled with stories of success, fun, and adventure IF you take the time to rekindle these memories. Your present can be packed with fulfilling experiences if you are willing to take a few risks, try new things, explore new options, and stretch beyond your daily and weekly routines.

And the future? Your future begins by creating stories with your imagination of what you would like to do, what you would like to experience, where you would like to travel to, how you would like to feel, and what you would like to attract and bring into your life. The future stories you create in your mind set the tone for what is possible to manifest. Optimism and positive expectancy are powerful forces. Have no doubt about this. You can create your future. It might not be on par with Michelangelo or Rachmaninoff but it will be a creative and unique expression of you and that is a wonderful thing!

John A. Tamiazzo, PhD 

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: THE PSYCHOLOGY ANDPHYSIOLOGY OF HOPE AND EXPECTATI...

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: THE PSYCHOLOGY ANDPHYSIOLOGY OF HOPE AND EXPECTATI...: THE PSYCHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF HOPE AND EXPECTATION In his book, The Biology of Belief , Cell Biologist Bruce Lipton writes, “Universi...

THE PSYCHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF HOPE AND EXPECTATION

In his book, The Biology of Belief, Cell Biologist Bruce Lipton writes, “University of Connecticut psychology professor Irving Kirsch found that 80% of the effect of antidepressants, as measured in clinical trials, could be attributed to the placebo effect. The data show that more than half of the clinical trials for the six leading antidepressants, the drugs did not out outperform placebo sugar pills.”

What this means is that the power of the belief that the pills will bring relief for depression will have a significant impact on the effectiveness of the pills. What is in the pill, whether it is a drug or sugar water, appears not to be the important thing. According to Lipton, the important thing is the power of your expectation and belief which directly and dynamically impact the biology of your brain.

Just through the influence of their words and the authority of their body language, health professionals can communicate hope and positive expectancy or hopelessness. A couple of stories from my own life will illustrate this point.

In 1984 my father was diagnosed with lung cancer and the attending physician told him that he had less than 6 months to live. As a family we tried everything possible to keep his spirits up but he remained haunted by the words of that doctor.  He expected to die and six months he was dead.

When my mom had a heart attack in 2005, the attending cardiologist told her that there was little he could do because of her age and that she could die. When I asked her why she was crying, she told me what he had said. I called him by telephone from the nurse’s station and asked him why he told her that. He said he had been a cardiologist for over 35 years and I had no right to question him.  I told him that I do not know what medical school he attended but he didn’t even learn the most basic principle; to practice good medicine you always leave a patient with hope. When he began to argue with me, I fired him. The nurses and attendants at the nurse’s station who were attentively listening to this conversation, enthusiastically applauded. I hired another cardiologist and told him to approach my mom’s condition with positive expectancy. He assured me that he would. His manner was gracious and his voice optimistic. He told her that he could treat her heart condition with medication. 7 years later, my mom is still living on her own cooking, baking, cleaning, and excitedly watching the Dodgers. She just turned 98 and thoroughly enjoys life. She expects to live to be 100 and she probably will.

Dr. Lipton writes, “Learning how to harness your mind to promote growth is the secret of life. Of course the secret of life is not a secret at all. Teachers like Buddha and Jesus have been telling us the same story for millennia. Now science is pointing in the same direction. It is not your genes but your beliefs that control your life!”

John A. Tamiazzo, PhD Author of Returning to the Land of Oz available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Barnesandnoble.com both in paperback and e-book formats

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Scientist and brain research specialist Michael Me...

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Scientist and brain research specialist Michael Me...: Scientist and brain research specialist Michael Merzenich believes that everything you see happens in a young brain can happen in an older...

Scientist and brain research specialist Michael Merzenich believes that everything you see happens in a young brain can happen in an older brain. They key word here is ‘believes.’ Belief is a powerful force and because of the power of your belief that good things will happen and that dynamic change will occur, you have the opportunity to radically alter your life no matter what your current circumstances may be.

We now know that brain enhancing programs work. Studies from around the world are showing us the importance of word games, memory exercises, computer games, reading interesting books on topics you’ve never read before, studying a foreign language, and changing your routine by doing new things. These all stimulate brain activity and create new neural pathways that rewire the brain.

“Brain exercises are life- transforming,” writes physician and brain researcher Norman Doidge in his marvelous book, The Brain That Changes Itself. He continues, “When we say that neurons ‘rewire’ themselves, we mean that alterations occur at the synapse, strengthening and increasing, or weakening and decreasing the number of connections between the neurons.”

Obviously when I speak of rewiring the brain, the goal is to increase neural expansion and to strengthen the functioning ability of the brain as we get older. We successfully do this by our desire for health and wellness; our willingness to try new things; our belief that dynamic change can occur and our expectation that we have the power to make it happen. But we don’t want to forget to enjoy ourselves and have fun in the process.

Robert Hill PhD, author of Positive Aging believes that one of the most important things we can do as we age is to find meaning in life. “The question is no longer how long will I live? The question now is, if I am going to live such a long time, how can I be happy in the process?”

Finding purpose and meaning are of tremendous importance at all phases of life but seem to be take center stage once we reach our 60’s. Finding meaning in life is a personal thing and can be perceived in a variety of ways. What brings meaning to me may be entirely different from what brings meaning to someone else. We must do some soul searching when it comes to creating meaning in life and perhaps begin with some reflective questions:

What are the things I do and can do each day that help me feel fulfilled physically, psychologically, and spiritually?

What do I love? (make a list of at least 25 things)

What images and activities bring a smile to my face?

What are the things I can do to bring a smile to the face of others?

What do I want in my life as I get older?

What do I value most about life?

For what am I most grateful?

If I didn’t care about what others think or say, what would I do?

John A. Tamiazzo, PhD

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: GETTING TO YES

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: GETTING TO YES: While at a conference, I heard a story about the eminent psychiatrist, Milton Erickson, who was working with a woman with anxiety and fear ...

GETTING TO YES

While at a conference, I heard a story about the eminent psychiatrist, Milton Erickson, who was working with a woman with anxiety and fear of leaving her home. The woman’s fear was so strong that the department of social services had concluded that the woman in question could not be helped beyond supportive services including helping her with house cleaning, organization and basic self-care needs.

Erickson was a very imaginative physician and when he heard about the case he decided to visit the woman in her home. Upon entering he saw that the house was a mess and she was in a disheveled state. As he looked around, he noticed a beautiful African violet plant growing in the kitchen window. He pondered, “How can a woman who lives like this take care of and grow a plant like that?”

Erickson was a master of medical hypnosis and as he worked with her, he slowly encouraged and inspired her to propagate African violet plants and to take them to hospitals and to homes of people who were confined. Many years later when she died, the local newspaper referred to her as the African Violet Queen who brought a smile to the faces of hundreds of people. Visiting social workers had decreed that she was incapable of managing her own life. In spite of their assessment she became a super star because one person noticed something about her that no one else perceived.

Your parents most likely said “no” or “don’t” much more often than an encouraging “yes!” A UCLA parenting survey reported that the average one year old hears the word “no” over 300 times a day. Any high school or college student can get 60% of the material correct whether it is algebra, biology, history or literature and fail the class. Marriage partners look for flaws. Administrators look for areas that need improvement. Therapists are trained to look for problems. Physicians search for illness and disease.

In the early 90’s I taught Health Education at Moorpark Community College in California and asked the 20 students attending to do a ‘health oriented’ project. All 20 with no exceptions presented their findings on diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and heart disease complete with pictures. No one did research on preventative medicine or nutrition or good health habits. The students saw the word ‘health’ and interpreted it as ‘disease.’ I asked them to look at the word ‘health’ in more imaginative ways and to give another class presentation focused on ‘potential’ rather than pathology.

Positive change occurs because we look at what is possible and what can work.  My approach to counseling has always been focusing on the strengths the person possesses; their hopes and dreams rather than their problems; what they want to achieve rather than what they want to let go.

In her book Wisdom of the Psyche, Ginette Paris writes, “Depression’s opposite is not happiness; it is rather a state of mind where imagination comes alive.” Imagination is always our way out of whatever is making us feel trapped.  Imagination offers us possibilities, opens doors, helps us to reach beyond the places where we may be stuck, and says an affirmative “yes” to life.

John A. Tamiazzo is the author of Returning to the Land of Oz available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Barnesandnoble.com

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Doors of Perception

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Doors of Perception: Perception is an amazing power. Everything we see, everything we hear, everything we touch, taste, and smell is filtered through our percept...

The Doors of Perception

Perception is an amazing power. Everything we see, everything we hear, everything we touch, taste, and smell is filtered through our perception.In the field of Psychology, perception refers to our interpretation of what we take in through our senses.

Mother Teresa saw the face of Jesus in the homeless she worked with. The classical composer Bach saw notes everywhere he walked and heard their song. Picasso saw distortions of the human anatomy. Walt Whitman saw beauty everywhere and heard freedom ring in every line he wrote. Gandhi perceived every experience as an opportunity for an ever greater variety of service. Too often, some perceive what people say as criticism or as an attack, probably based upon unresolved experiences from their past. Some think the world is on the brink of disaster and others see a new consciousness coming. Perception can literally take us to the heights of heaven or the den of Hades, depending upon what we see, what we feel, what we think, and what we hear.

Syndicated cartoonist, Gary Larson, creator of The Far Sidehad a four part drawing titled The Four Personality Types. Sitting down with a glass half-way filled on the table before them they were asked to report what they saw. Personality type number onesaw a glass half full. Personality type number two saw a glass half empty. Personality type number three asked for a new glass because the glass was dirty. Personality type number four appeared disgruntled and said, “What is this? I ordered a cheeseburger!”

When you meet with a counselor, each will have a different approach to working with the issues you present to them. Each has a distinctive psychological orientation and this orientation reflects their unique childhood issues, life experiences, and education. Each perceives what you tell them differently.

Cell Biologist Bruce Lipton writes, “When patients get better by ingesting a sugar pill, medicine defines it as the placebo effect.  I refer to it as the perception effect or belief effect to stress that our perceptions, whether they are accurate or not, equally impact our behavior and our bodies.”

Psychologist Abraham Maslow writes, “The sacredness of every person and of every living thing is so easily and directly perceived in its reality by those seeking transcendent experiences. For them, peak experiences and plateau experiences become the most important things in their lives and the most precious aspect of life.”

Spiritual Teacher Sogyal Rinpoche wrote, “Everything we see around us is seen as it is because we have been repeatedly solidifying our experiences of inner and outer reality in the same way, and this has led to the mistaken assumption that what we see is objectively real.  As we go further along the spiritual path, we learn how to work directly with our fixed perceptions. All our old concepts of the world or even ourselves are purified and dissolved and an entirely new “heavenly” field of vision and perception opens up.”

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Finding Your Passion Part 2

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Finding Your Passion Part 2: Walt Disney was a very unusual student. When his elementary school teacher asked the class to sketch the flower vase she placed on her desk,...

Finding Your Passion Part 2

Walt Disney was a very unusual student. When his elementary school teacher asked the class to sketch the flower vase she placed on her desk, young Walt sketched it with added arms, legs, and a smiling flower at the top. His teacher scolded him again and again for not paying attention to her instructions to just draw the vase!  Walt courteously listened to her complaints but continued to draw what he saw in his vivid imagination.  Years later, animals, plants and objects with human voices and attributes became a Disney trademark.

By age twenty, Walt Disney was hired to draw cartoons for the Kansas City Film Ad Company. Within a short time he was drawing cartoons that moved but they still didn’t move in the way he envisioned they could. He studied and worked tirelessly towards making drawings move in more graceful and sophisticated ways so they would have greater realism. These drawings and experiments took thousands of hours to perfect.

Disney was the first person to sell the idea of having a cartoon open for a feature film. As a door to door salesman, he sold cartoons by the linear foot to local movie theatres. Most theatre owners didn’t understand why a movie-goer would want to watch this new form of entertainment. Walt was not put off. His focus, determination, and passion for animation and creating laugh-out-loud characters won over all opposition and made him a legend.

Environmentalist John Muir was a severely abused child. His father beat him daily to make certain that John kept focused on bible studies. His mother died early in his childhood and his angry and bitter father was left with the responsibility of raising two small sons.  Everyday John sought out the solace of Mother Nature to soothe his wounds and rekindle his spirit. He founded the Sierra Club, established Yosemite National Park, is responsible for the preservation of The Grand Canyon, and authored 12 books.

John Muir transcended his father’s abuse and became a dogged protector of Mother Nature. Disney’s successes, rejections, and failures fueled his passion. Nothing deterred his artistic expression.

What can we learn from these two men and from others who have a passion for life that we can employ in our own lives? We best serve the planet by the love and focus we put into our work, the kindness we express in all of our interactions and communications, the joy we share, and the creativity we express in all of our activities. As Gandhi once said, “Your life is your message.”

Find your passion in life and let it take you to new heights of self-expression and self-discovery.

John A. Tamiazzo, PhD Author of Returning to the Land of Oz at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Barnesandnoble.com in paperback, e-kindle, or nook editions.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Finding Your Passion

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Finding Your Passion: Psychology is a very fascinating field of study but has only been part of our culture for just over 100 years. Psychology traces its beginni...

Finding Your Passion

Psychology is a very fascinating field of study but has only been part of our culture for just over 100 years. Psychology traces its beginnings to the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud who was born in Vienna in 1856. Freud was trained as a physician and surgeon, but quickly discovered his passion for working with people’s mental illnesses. The Viennese Medical Society was very critical of his work and did not support his theories of the relationship between early childhood turmoil, trauma and physical symptoms. As a result, he broke away from that organization and began work with three physicians who had a profound impact upon the burgeoning fields of hypnosis and psychology: Jean Charcot, Bernheim, and Joseph Breuer.

In the 1890’s, Freud read a book that absolutely changed his life. It was titled: The Art of Becoming a Successful Writer. The author suggested that if a person really was serious about becoming a successful writer he/she needed to freely let their imagination run wild. Freud creatively found a way to apply her ideas to his work with his patients and he called it free association. In 1900, Freud’s seminal book, The Interpretation of Dreams, was published. It is interesting to note that like Freud, L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz was born in 1856 just 9 days after Freud, and his creative story about the Land of Oz was also published in 1900.

I mention these two men because they were both creative geniuses and the books they wrote inspired and continue to inspire millions of people around the world.  Just as Freud is synonymous with the field of psychology, L. Frank Baum is synonymous as the writer of the great American fairytale. His enchanting Wizard of Oz is regarded as the favorite family film of all time. No matter what we think about Freud’s theories or Baum’s fantasy tale, their legacy lives on because of the passion they put into their work and their accomplishments.

Passion is an amazing force. Look at the passion of Mother Teresa who once said that she would continue to do her work with the poorest of the poor until her last breath. We look at the lives of passionate people, not to be humbled by what they did but to be inspired and encouraged to arouse our own enthusiasm and passion.

Never lose sight of what arouses your excitement and zeal. You might discover your passion for writing, art, or playing in nature. Perhaps your chosen career continues to ignite your passion. Maybe music, dancing, cooking, exercise, or volunteering for an important cause you deeply believe in continues to challenge and thrill you. No matter what it is, find your passion in life and life will continue to reward you with amazing surprises.