Peacefully Serene

Last night, while browsing the internet, I came across an interview with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor on the World Puja Network. I was so moved by what she had to say that I listened to it three times and took notes. Her talk directly applies to people with run-away thoughts like anxiety. Please note that my typing isn't the fastest so my notes are paraphrased and any and all mistakes are my own. If you want to listen to the talk (which I recommend), I will include a link at the end of this post. We have the conscious power to decide whether or not we want to think those thoughts! You can turn your mind to something else. You have the ability to pick and choose. The more you choose a happy thought, your thinking will go back to that. You have the choice. Just laugh at the thoughts you don’t like because they are just circuitry. As soon as you engage with it…it feeds it. If you just observe it, it doesn’t feed it. You are not a total slave to what is going on in your br...

Being an artist myself, it is rare for me to see artwork that I want to own. I usually find myself saying...I could do that! I don't have artwork on my walls because I like looking at clean and empty space. The walls of my house are a blank canvas. However, when I saw Mary Jane Miller's Icons, I wanted one (and I remind her all the time). We met at her gallery years ago and over the years have become friends. In fact, I took one of her classes about a year and a half ago and it changed me, on the inside. Icons are truly a window into another dimension, a heavenly dimension. When I look at Mary Jane's work I am transported; I am filled with peace. I asked Mary Jane about her unusual pieces and believe me when I say she is very creative and marches to her own drum. Occasionally, she will paint a Buddha Icon and I have seen a series of paintings of the "Last Supper", but with very different (from the traditional) settings like in a Middle Eastern silk tent...

In Chuck's interview, he mentioned Dr. Albert Ellis' list of five main unrealistic desires or beliefs that cause anxiety. So, I tracked down the list. It has definitely given me something to think about! Here is the list: The desire always to have the love and admiration of all people important to you. This is unrealistic because you have no control over other peoples minds. People can have bad days, can see things in odd ways, can make mistakes, or can be plain disagreeable and awkward. The desire to always be thoroughly competent. This is unrealistic because you only achieve competence at a new level by making mistakes. Everybody has bad days and makes mistakes. One of the benefits of training with better athletes is that you can see them making mistakes and having bad days too. The belief that external factors cause all misfortune. Often negative events can be caused by y...

Here is the interview with Chuck Wild ("Liquid Mind"). This might possibly be the most wonderful and informative interview I have read, all thanks to Chuck. My questions to Chuck are in italics. 12/18/08 Hi Kelley, Really good questions... I've done my best to answer, and thanks so much for the opportunity to share my experience. I've proof-read it as best I can, so here goes: Question: We know that you dealt with a bout of anxiety and panic in the '80s. What insights have you made about that period in your life? Near the top of my list of insights would be these: (1) Healing from anxiety opened the door to a better life for me: Though it might not have seemed like it at the time, having anxiety and panic was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It convinced me to make many changes in my life that lead to a healthier, saner way of living and thinking. It forced me to stop and take a good look at my life. (2) I learned that there is a high pric...

Before I post the interview with Chuck, I want to mention that there are 7 CDs in the "Liquid Mind" collection at the moment. They are: Ambience Minimus Slow World Liquid Mind III: Balance Liquid Mind IV: Unity Liquid Mind V: Serenity Liquid Mind V: Spirit Liquid Mind VI: Sleep Relax: A Liquid Mind Experience (this is Chuck's greatest hits CD; it contains tracks from the other CDs) They can be purchased wherever music is sold or can be downloaded from Itunes , Realmusic , and Amazon.com , among others. Remember, Itunes downloads are in the mp4 format and can only be played in Apple devices. I have asked Chuck about future releases and can't wait to hear what he is working on! I also want to add that I am not affiliated with Realmusic (Liquid Mind record label) nor do I stand to profit monetarily in any way through this post. I just really like this music.

My first Interview for this blog is with the brilliant musician, Chuck Wild. I discovered his music this past year on Apple Itunes while searching for relaxing music to meditate to. He creates his music under the name, "Liquid Mind", which I find very appropriate. In my research, I have never found any music like Chuck's. It shimmers and is soft like summer air on your face. The music is so relaxing and slow, without a beat, that you can't help but calm down even in the midst of lots of stress. I listen to his music every night, before I go to bed and even all night long. Listening to "Liquid Mind" has become a nightly ritual for me. Chuck has worked with some very famous musicians like Capitol Records' group "Missing Persons", Frank Zappa, Michael Jackson, Paula Abdul, Jennifer Rush, and many others. I wrote to Chuck and he kindly agreed to let me copy from one of the articles on his website. Heuristic: A personal history of...

Since this is the first post, I will try to tackle several topics at once. First, I would like to address the reason for starting this blog. I should probably mention at this point that I have had anxiety attacks most of my life…and not known what they were. I was afraid to fly (ask me some time to tell you about the hypnosis session to resolve my fear of flying!). I was afraid to go to the doctor/dentist. Somehow I managed to fly and go to the doctor, but always with great fear. Some time last spring, I started having them again. The difference this time was that they weren’t just site specific but started happening everywhere, even at home. It was debilitating to say the least. It eventually turned into general anxiety. I would feel anxious from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed. I felt like I was going crazy. I sought help from a couple of psychiatrists and even tried medications, but nothing seemed to help. It was a very bleak time. In...