 October 1,
2010
HealingHeartPower Newsletter
Reclaiming
the Power of the Heart |
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About
Linda
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Linda
Marks, MSM, is pioneer in body psychotherapy who has developed,
taught and practiced Emotional-Kinesthetic Psychotherapy (EKP) for
more than two decades.
Author
of LIVING WITH VISION and HEALING THE WAR BETWEEN THE GENDERS, she
co-founded the Massachusetts Association of Body Psychotherapists
and Counseling Bodyworkers and is the founder of the Boston Area
Sexuality and Spirituality Network. She holds degrees from Yale and
MIT, and has a vital 14-year-old son.
To
find out more about Linda . . .
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HealingHeartPower
Calendar
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Would you like to learn how to do
Emotional Kinesthetic Psychotherapy
(EKP)?
Applications are being accepted for the 2010 EKP Apprenticeship
Program. The apprenticeship group meets once a month for a weekend
training session beginning in September 2010. For more information,
contact LSMHEART@aol.com or call Linda at
(617)965-7846.
If you would like to
apprentice in EKP and get involved before September, you may want
to consider participating in a half-day EKP workshop or a special
seminar for current apprentices.
The Thursday night EKP Therapy
Group has room for another member. If you would like to be part of
a committed long-term group using EKP, this is a very special
group. An interview and one EKP session are required to apply.
Contact Linda if you are interested at LSMHEART@aol.com
"Healing and Nourishing Your Heart"
workshop 1 - 4 pm in Newton, MA
"Community As Healer Clinic Workshop"
1- 4 pm in Newton, MA
November
13th
EKP Clinic Day featuring
free 45 minute EKP sessions facilitated by EKP apprentices. To sign
up for a session contact LSMHEART@aol.com.
December
11th
"Healing and Nourishing
Your Heart" workshop at Healing Moon in Norwood, MA
January 2011
EKP Apprenticeship Program begins
Upcoming
Special workshop on Making Peace With Money
More details to follow soon
If you are interested in being
part of an on-going EKP group that meets once a month, let me know.
We had run a Sunday EKP Process group for many years, and could
consider forming another one, if there is interest. Whether your
schedule is too busy for a weekly group, or you live far enough
away that a monthly session is more sustainable, if a monthly group
would best meet your needs, we can try to put one
together.
EKP opportunities in Newton
include:
* Being a guest client in the
Student Clinic
* On-going Thursday night EKP
Body Psychotherapy Group
* Apprenticing in
EKP
If you would like a Healing the
Traumatized Heart workshop near you, or have a group of
people who you would like to bring EKP to, please contact LSMHEART@aol.com.
To find out more . . .
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Greetings! ,
This past
weekend was the fourth annual Natural Living Expo
sponsored by Spirit of Change magazine. I am incredibly
grateful to have been part of this amazing event and love watching
it grow and reach more people each year.
We
had the opportunity to run another EKP Community
Clinic, and thanks to EKP therapists Gretchen Stecher,
John Yep and Sharon Crowley, and EKP apprentice Sam Nelson, who all
served the community this year. Seeing what safety and heartful
presence can create in even 30 minutes is
extraordinary.
I
also enjoy what I learn from the people who take my workshops. In
the "Making Peace With Money" workshop on Sunday,
one of the participants cited a statistic that 50% of Americans
live on $10K/year, and of the other 50%, the majority have no more
than $60K in savings/assets/home equity. The reality that the gap
between the wealthy and everyone else continues to widen is so
clear and sad.
When
hard things happen--loss of jobs, contracts being ended mid-stream,
difficulty finding appropriate work after months of trying,
difficulty taking meaningful skills and translating them into
money-generating propositions--it is so easy to ask, "what is wrong
with me?" rather than seeing that the economic context we are
living in has changed for the worse.
If
we can do more to build our own small businesses, and provide
services that have meaning to those around us, and that are built
on solid human relationships, we will find more ways to sustain
ourselves than by continue to be eaten alive by what one workshop
participant called, "corporate narcissism."
This
winter, I look forward to leading two workshops in Emerson
Hospital's innovative Health and Wellness Program. The dates are being
set as this goes to press, but I am excited to be bringing "Healing
and Nourishing Your Heart: The Physical-Emotional Connection," and
"Understanding Your Child's Emotional and Spiritual Needs" to a new
community.
Taping
a segment on "Emotional Safety" on Chew-Hoong Koh's
Mind-Body-Spirit television show was a delightful experience.
Chiropractor, nutritional consultant and total wellness coach,
Peter Martone, and heartfull Life Coach Meghan McChesney Gilroy,
were wonderful colleagues who are part of the series Chew-Hoong is
creating..
After the "Making Peace With
Money"
class, at the Natural Living Expo, I think it
might be time to run another 6-week "Money Class." If you are
interested in being part of a coaching class that will help you get
more grounded in your relationship with money, let me know. The
first article in this month's newsletter is "Getting
Grounded In Your Relationship With
Money."
We've scheduled two new "Healing and
Nourishing the Heart" workshops, October 17 in Newton, and
December 11, at the Healing Moon in Norwood.
October 31 will be a new Community As
Healer Clinic Workshop in Newton, MA, where you get to be
part of a healing community and learn how in EKP, when anyone
has a turn, everyone has a turn.
Our next EKP Community Clinic is
on November 13 in Newton.
"Tips for Green Living: For Your Health's
Sake" will show you some simple ways to improve your own health
while also helping improve the health of the earth and others
arounds you.
In an effort to create more ways to connect with
community members, dialogue and share ideas, I have created a
new blog at HealingHeartPower.blogspot.com. Sign up
for new posts and please add your thoughts to discussion
threads.
You can also "like us" on our
HealingHeartPower Facebook page. By "liking
us", you will be notified whenever a new blog post is
published.
Your comments and feedback are always
welcome!
Heartfully,
Linda
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What
is EKP?
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EKP is Emotional-Kinesthetic
Psychotherapy, a heart-centered, body-centered psychotherapy method
Linda Marks developed and has taught and practiced for nearly
twenty years. Working with the heart, touch with permission, the
wisdom of the body and the intuitive guidance of the spirit, EKP
creates a special sense of intimacy that deeply touches and
transforms most all who participate.
Participants can be "client," witness or helper as an individual
group member has a "turn" to do deeper heart-centered,
body-centered psychospiritual work in the center. Since the
electromagnetic field of the heart extends out 10 - 12 feet from
our bodies, as we go deeper and open our hearts, we are all
touched.
EKP helps restore our capacity as organs of perception. The skin is
our largest organ, and a source of soul deep knowing, perception
and expression. When our hearts and hands can work as one, we move
beyond defenses safely and respectfully and find freedom,
connection and expression.
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| Getting
Grounded In Your Relationship With Money |
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On
September 26, I gave a keynote on "Making Peace With Money" at
the Natural Living Expo in Sturbridge, MA. The following are key
points about getting grounded in your relationship with
money.
1. Track your money "inflow" and
"outgo."
Keep a
journal where you record everything you spend and tally it up at
the end of the month along with your monthly bills will give you a
very clear picture of how much you spend and on what. With ATM's,
electronic banking, and credit cards, we can spend money without
ever touching money...and it is easy to lose track of where our
money goes.
2. Spend money on what you truly want and
need
Are
the things you are spending your money on consistent with your
values and goals? Sometimes we are mindless in our spending and
don't take the time to think about what we are spending our money
on. How much money do you need to do the things you really want to
do? You might want to list the things you truly want and need and
then figure out how much money you want to allocate to each one.
Compare this with what you are actually spending your money on with
data from your money journal.
3. Reduce spending on things that don't really
matter
Some
expenses may be reducible. Some purchases may be unnecessary,
convenient or simply habit. Better to make conscious choices, and
think about what does and does not matter. Are you spending all
your money now rather than putting any aside for your future? Do
you spend more than you bring in? How do you balance today's needs
with tomorrow's? These are all important questions to ask yourself
to be more grounded with money.
4. Give yourself permission to have what you REALLY
want
One
thing that stood out for me when I lead money workshops is how much
we resist letting ourselves have what we "really" want. We may
judge it as "too much" or "impossible." And this is not always
related to a financial price tag. What we may REALLY want is more
time to relax, to spend with our loved ones, and even to spend time
in the natural world. These experiences are priceless. And when
we do not let ourselves recognize how much they really matter, we
may compensate with "things" we can "buy" to fill our inner
void.
5. Let go of old baggage
This
goes hand in hand with giving yourself permission to have what you
really want. Once you are clear about what you want, you can get
rid of old things you don't need and make space for the new. Give
old clothes to Big Brother Big Sister. Give old books to a school
or library. Recycle old papers. It may be time to let go of
possessions you have been holding onto for decades that you will
never really use or look at again. Getting rid of physical "stuff"
can also lighten our emotional load. Physical baggage carries with
it emotional baggage. Sometimes the emotional barriers are what
make it hard to let go. So, if we are able to break through and
clean up on the physical level, we may also break through and clean
up on the emotional level.
6. Live simply
Living
simply does not mean denying yourself basic needs or being
excessively tight or frugal. One can be simple and elegant not
just simple and meager. Articulating your values and then basing
your actions on them helps simply your life. Living "on purpose"
is a way to simplify. What doesn't matter melts away. Hoarding
often comes from fear of not having enough or of letting go.
Living simply means letting go so we can go with the flow-the
inflow and the outflow. Living simply may mean having a few
beautiful things rather than large quantities of more ordinary or
meaningless things.
7. Increase your money consciousness
This
means being more intentional with your choices to spend and save
money, as well as with what you save it for and spend it on. Money
is an energy, and how we use our energy matters-both in our own
lives and also in the world. Support what you care about and
refrain from what you dislike. Balance the present with the
future. Balance your own needs with the needs of others, including
loved ones.
8. Realize your time and energy are resources to invest
as well as your money
Our
culture focuses so much on money, we often forget or devalue our
time and energy. Our time and energy are critical resources, and
deserve to be consciously monitored and managed. We often trade
off time and energy for money and money for time and energy. It's
important to look at the balance between time, energy and
money.
9. Count your blessings
No
matter how tough life is, there are always things to appreciate.
They can be small or large. They can be qualities as well as
things. They can be parts of our make-up. They can be random acts
of kindness by others or conscious acts of care. Finding what we
appreciate and taking the time to voice appreciation brings inner
peace.
�2010
Linda Marks Please share your thoughts . . .
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| Tips
For Green Living: For Your Health's Sake |
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"Multiple
chemical sensitivies (MCS) is not a disease that suddenly appears.
It is a process," reflects Jeannette Kearney, who at age 45, found
herself in doctors' offices trying to understand what had happened
to her language ability.
"No
one instantly comes down with it. For me, it started at birth. My
parents had a 'new home,' with all the off-gasing of new products
that comes with it." Most products off-gas in 24 months, but
carpets take 11 years to off-gas.
After 10 years living in the "new home" with its
chemical impact, Jeannette's family moved to a farm, where a new
set of chemicals came into play. "It was a 'gentleman's farm,'
with cows, horses and rabbits. Fertilizers were the main chemicals
there, along with antibiotics for the animals We had a high
voltage power line near our property and were exposed to EMF's
24-7."
Jeannette continued her journey into the land of
chemicals, without consciously realizing it, working at Xerox,
Clorox and a cosmetics company. The cumulative effect of the
chemicals was breaking down her decision-making process. Jeannette
reflects, "As my body was breaking down, I took jobs that weren't
healthy."
Moving to Massachusetts from the West Coast on
9/11, Jeannette and her family rented a home, that like most New
England built homes was "tight." "Homes are built well and tight
in Massachusetts," acknowledges Jeannette, "But the 'tight' is a
killer. Things stay inside the house, including all the
toxicity."
When Jeannette and her family bought a leather
couch, it was Scotch-guarded. They bought a rug that was PVC
nylon. "Scotchguard and PVC pushed me over the edge," reflects
Jeannette. "Most houses don't have HAVC sytsems to bring fresh air
in. Even though I was a communications major in college, I found
myself not being able to remember the next word or my daughter's
name. The doctors thought it was early Alzheimers or a brain
tumor. But when testing revealed it was neither, the conclusion
was that something chemical-oriented must be inhibiting my
speech."
This
took place at the same time as ground was being broken on the new
house Jeannette's family was about to construct. With all the
chemicals involved in new construction, Jeannette, realized her
options were to spend 24 months in a hotel as the house off-gased,
or to build green. Jeannette went to the West Coast and had
allergy testing done, and learned that formadehyde or anything with
an alcohol base would negatively affect her. Anything with a
perfume or fragrance would affect her as well."
"When
we are being toxified by chemcials, something happens at an organic
level. It may be language, or executive functioning. And when the
body is trying to get rid of toxins, they have to show up
somewhere. For me, it was my skin with psoriasis and eczema
Anywhere from 50 - 75 elements of building materials affected me,
and with the chemicals in a hotel, that was not a feasible
option."
While green
building was not yet on the radar on the East Coast, it was growing
on the West Coast, so Jeannette found a builder who was open to
learning about this new trend, and kept doing just enough research
to keep a step ahead of him. In 2003, it cost 30% more to build
green than build conventionally, since it was so new and products
were made is such small quantities. But, build green she
did.
Jeannette's
house in Lexington is an amazing tribute to inner and outer beauty
possible with green building. However, she notes that even without
building a green house, there are many ways we can make our
environments healthier. Here are some tips:
1.
Take your shoes off at the door. Your shoes are the #1
source of air pollution in your home, bringing gasoline, dirt and
other inorganic biological substances through the
door.
2. Make
your bedroom more green. Get a green mattress. If you
can't do that, get green sheets. If you can't do that, get a green
pillow. If you can't do that, get a green pillow
case.
3. Use
green products in your kitchen. Windex may be the most
toxic thing in your home. It takes 14 days to dissipate. Green
products do not perform the way conventional ones do, but it's
better for your health.
4.
Change your washing machine soap. The perfumes on your
clothes may be making you sick.
5. Switch
to greener personal care products. The average woman is
exposed to 187 chemicals when she leaves her home in the morning.
The average 15 year old is exposed to 125. Consider changing you
shampoo, conditioner, soap, hairspray, toothpaste, deodorant, body
wash, lotions and cosmetics.
Jeannette
underscores, "it's all cumulative. The things that make our life
convenient are killing us.. Even our poor pets are taking on our
diseases. The rate of cancer in dogs and cats is unbelievable.
Changes may not be noticeable right away, but in the long run it
will be good for you, and good for your children. We need
healthier interiors, and this means our home, our workspace and our
car."
Jeannette
also emphasizes that with our focus on "sustainability" we may lose
sight of health. What is sustainable for the earth is not always
healthy. Just as putting an air mask over your face on a plane in
necessary before you help others, we need to take care of our own
health to be able to sustain life on the earth. In this sense,
green living is self-care.
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| Congratulations
to EKP Certified Therapist, Gretchen Stecher! |
When I started the EKP Apprenticeship Program in 1991, EKP
apprentices had the benefit of a 1000 hour, 3 year training
program. Having become a mom in 1996 and a single mom in 1998, the
last group of apprentices who had the opportunity to participate in
this original program finished in 2001.
In 2005, at the initiation of Gretchen Stecher, I put together
a new apprenticeship program that provides solid training, but did
not provide all of the components or hours needed for the 1000 hour
certification. With great pride, I congratulate Gretchen on
completing the certification requirements this month!
In addition to 4 years of apprenticeship study, Gretchen has
done additional clinic work, study and community service to meet
the 1000 hour standard needed for certification! I invite you to
join me in congratulating Gretchen on her dedication, perserverance
and vision to achieve certification without the benefit of the
complete infrastructure the old program provided! Good work
Gretchen!
Gretchen practices EKP on Cape Cod.
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My
first blog at www.heartspacecafe.com/blog
will still be active, but it is built in forum software, which many
people find more cumbersome to use than official "blog"
software.
In an effort to cultivate more dialogue in more contemporarily
relevant ways, my new blog at HealingHeartPower.blogspot.com
is user friendly, and even something you can subscribe to.
Please let me know what you think of this new blog.
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