Summer has arrived and it’s becoming more common for temperatures in the south of England to reach 30 degrees or more. We are usually given warnings if a hot spell is imminent and, amongst other measures, always advised to drink sufficient water to prevent dehydration. However, it is very important that we keep well hydrated no matter what the time of year.
Over half of our body is made up of water. Our major organs – lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, and brain contain between 65-85% water, so it’s easy to understand how becoming dehydrated would have a negative impact on how these vital organs function. We might survive up to three weeks or more without food, but we can only survive three days without water. A cell – the smallest unit of the human body – is made up of around 70% water, and since our bodies are made up of trillions and trillions of cells, it might be helpful to remind ourselves, as an eminent anthropologist once said, that we are, “an assemblage of water packets”! We begin life as watery beings, suspended in water. A foetus is around 70-90% water. Maybe you can recall that very early experience of being safely and effortlessly held in water when you are having a bath or swimming? As adults we marvel at the elasticity of a baby’s body because as we age our bodies become drier and less supple. By the time we are adults, men’s bodies are around 60% water and women around 55%. Elderly people’s bodies contain even less water making them more vulnerable to dehydration. As adults our bodies become drier, we may become less fluid in every sense. Keeping well hydrated not only supports our major organs but also our muscles and joints. A knee joint, for example, has synovial fluid between the two bones of the joint and in the fluid filled sacks or bursa in and around it. The tendons, muscles and fascia of the knee all contain water too, so you can imagine how the joint might work less efficiently if there is not sufficient water available in the body. Keeping well hydrated will also help you to get the most from a craniosacral therapy session. If you don’t have any underlying health conditions a general rule of thumb is to check the colour of your urine. The stronger and darker the colour the greater need to drink some water. The language we use in biodynamic craniosacral therapy is full of watery references. We talk of ‘tide like’ rhythms and during a treatment, we tune into the body’s fluids which are integral to biodynamic work. Ultimately the work supports fluidity and movement of the cells and tissues, which we believe is an expression of health.
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Spring has officially arrived. The days are getting longer and warmer. Spring flowers are in bloom, leaves are appearing on the trees, and we are all looking forward to summer… Well, some of us are, but what if you are not feeling full of the joys of spring right now? What if you feel like you'd rather remain in hibernation? I am in awe at how resilient we can be, but statistics show that one in ten people in the UK experience some form of depression during their lifetime. In looking for new ways to support those with depression, recent research carried out by the Sussex Partnership Mental Health Trust, showed that clinician supported mindfulness-based cognitive therapy led to a 17.5% improvement in recovery from mild to moderate depression compared with clinician supported cognitive-based therapy alone. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is a form of cognitive therapy that incorporates mindfulness practices. Mindfulness involves maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our surrounding environment, our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. However, you don’t have to be suffering from depression to learn how to practice mindfulness. In fact, if practised regularly, it can prove to be a powerful resource, when dealing with stress, life challenges, and difficult emotions. If you are curious to learn more about mindfulness and how it can help with depression I highly recommend ‘The Mindful Way Through Depression’ written by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn. The authors are a collaboration of highly respected and experienced psychologists and mindfulness teachers. The book shows how we can become more aware of ourselves and our mental habits such as rumination and self-blame that can lead to despondency and despair. In recommending this book my hope is that it may be helpful to you as just one element of your journey towards better mental health. It is not intended as a replacement for professional treatment. If you have a concern about depression, please contact your G.P. and reach out to family members, friends or professional helplines. Whilst talking to Dawn about craniosacral therapy ( which I knew nothing about) I decided to book a session to 'see what happens'. I immediately felt totally safe in Dawns hands and as I trusted her more, both my mind and body clearly responded. At the end of the session, I felt a pleasant tiredness and calmness. Although, I didn't have the best night's sleep that night, the following day, my body felt stronger, open and free. I now have regular sessions to keep me balanced and in touch with my body. Thank you, Dawn, for your magic touch. I highly recommend Dawn to anyone suffering from tinnitus, the benefit to me has been enormous.30/7/2022 Following an ear infection, I developed high pitched tinnitus which was affecting my daily life. A friend recommended that I try Craniosacral Therapy (CST).
I was very lucky to have discovered Dawn and her healing hands! From the first CST session, I was put at ease and felt so much calmer and supported. I have now completed 14 sessions of CST with Dawn and my tinnitus has quietened down and I now have blocks of time with no noise, blessed relief! I highly recommend Dawn to anyone suffering from tinnitus, the benefit to me has been enormous. "Dawn is a brilliant therapist and got me completely as a person which was important to me"16/7/2021 I booked in a craniosacral course with Dawn. They really helped me reconnect with my body and not be all in my mind. I have still been using what I have learnt.
Dawn is a brilliant therapist and got me completely as a person which was important to me. Thank you so much. The Government’s restrictions on our daily activities over the past year have been incredibly challenging for everyone. We had to learn how to live with the loss of our normal routine and had very limited interaction with other people. Suddenly most of our time was taken up with focusing on ways to stay healthy not only physically but mentally. If mental health was something we didn’t give much thought to before, being in lockdown will certainly have changed that. The life changes and uncertainty caused by the pandemic were perfect fuel for anxious thoughts, and many of us found ourselves looking for ways to give our mind a rest from over thinking. Mindfulness meditation is often suggested by mental health professionals as an effective way to help quieten a busy mind. It helps focus our attention and bring us fully into the present moment. Of course, when we are paying full attention to what is happening in the moment, it is impossible to be overthinking or worrying. I would recommend everyone give mindfulness a try, however it takes time, commitment and regular practice and I know it is not for everyone. So, what else can we do that will help keep us fully in the present moment so we can enjoy the benefits of peace of mind? The good news is that it needn’t be hard work and if you have a hobby or activity, you can fully immerse yourself in you may already be enjoying the benefits it brings to your mental health. The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was the first to recognise a state of mind he named ‘flow’. When we are in a ‘flow state’ we are so completely focused and totally absorbed by the task in hand that we are beyond distraction. Our senses are heightened, we lose track of time and there is a fluidity between our mind and body. Physical sensation such as hunger or tiredness fade into the background and most importantly mind chatter quietens. Csikszentmihalyi found rock climbers, surgeons and ballet dancers all enjoyed being in the ‘flow’ when they were doing their thing. You may have enjoyed being in a ‘flow’ state while taking part in activities, such as, sport, ballroom dancing, playing chess, drawing, painting, or playing a musical instrument. It appears when we are completely focused on doing something we love, ‘flow’ happens in a spontaneous and natural way. So, if you are unsure if you have ever experienced ‘flow’ but curious to have a go, here are a few pointers that will give you the best chance of enjoying that blissful state.
The great benefit of being in the ‘flow’ is that as well as keeping our mind focused on the job in hand, and therefore away from negative thoughts, it is very enjoyable and brings a great sense of satisfaction and wellbeing. I dare say we could all do with some of that! ‘Stress’ tends to manifest itself in two ways in the body. We either have too much energy running around our system and feel ‘hyper’; with tense muscles, churning stomach and the inability to focus; or we feel a deep lack of energy, fatigued, withdrawn, and a lack of motivation.
Does this sound familiar? When dealing with the challenges of the past year you may have felt your own energy swing from one of the above examples to the other. Here are some suggestions of activities that will help to bring you back into that middle ground and feel more in balance Exercise. Our body is able to create a huge surge of energy to get us away from anything we consider threatening. In our daily lives, anxious thoughts trigger this same response, and while this energy remains circulating in our body, it will be more difficult for our nervous system to be able to shift out of the stress response and into a state where we feel calm. One of the most effective ways to release this ‘excess’ energy is exercise. Any form of exercise will be beneficial, so do whatever is possible within your range of fitness and ability. If you have a health condition that means you are not able to exercise, or you don’t have the space at home, then TRE or Tension Releasing Exercise is an effective alternative. A technique created by Dr David Berceli, who first used it to help heal traumatised communities in countries affected by violence and war, it is a technique that is now taught in classes and on a one-to-one basis. Online teaching may now also be on offer. Breathing. There is a strong connection between the body, mind and breath. Learning to breathe well is one of the most powerful ways of revitalising your mind, body and emotions, and when practised regularly the benefits of breathing exercises are far reaching. They help rid the body of waste products, increase a sense of vitality, and calm the mind and emotions during stressful times. If you are interested in trying this for yourself ‘The Power of Breath’ by Swami Saradananda is an easy to follow and inspiring book with many different breathing exercises. Conscious use of the breath is practised in hatha yoga which is an excellent way to deepen your connection to your body and another way to build good breathing habits. For local yoga classes in person and online I highly recommend Yoga Crow. The Vagus The vagus nerve is part of our parasympathetic nervous system and a great regulator of our body. It helps shift our body out of ‘fight or flight’ and into a calm balanced state. We are not able to consciously control the vagus but there are many activities that influence it indirectly. Breathing exercises mentioned above are one way and here are some more simple ones you can try;
Gut Microbiome Our digestive system has around 100 million neurons, which is why it is sometimes known as our ‘second brain’. Our gut does a lot more than just digest our food, it supports our immune system, reduces inflammation in the body and most relevant here, influences our mood and how anxious we feel. It does this by working very closely with our brain and our gut bacteria or gut microbiota. Our gut and the bacteria in it are able to produce natural mood regulating substances such a serotonin and dopamine. As you can see, having a healthy and diverse microbiome supports our overall health so if you are interested in learning more about the gut microbiome, Viola Sampson is a reliable source of information on this topic. Full Body Presence If you are lacking in energy, feel empty, or physically numb; or if you are recovering from an illness and have post viral fatigue; it can be difficult to find the energy and motivation to do anything at all. If this is how you are feeling right now then guided visualisations and meditations can be helpful, as they only require you to listen and can be done sitting or lying down. Suzanne Scurlock Durana a craniosacral therapist based in the USA has created her own visualisation called ‘Full Body Presence’ that will help you feel more energised and connected to your body. This audio is not free but you can hear a similar shorter version on Suzanne’s website for a taster. If you have a history of trauma, please be cautious when doing exercises that focus on body sensation. Remember you are in complete control throughout and can stop the audio at any time. You may find it helps to lighten your focus if you are struggling but do not continue if you feel at all uncomfortable. I think we will all agree that being told to stay indoors during ‘lockdown’ was something everyone found challenging. There has been a alot of research into how our bodies respond to being in nature. Intuitively we feel good when we are in a natural environment and we now have scientific evidence that shows being in a natural environment has a positive effect on our wellbeing.
If you live in West Essex where we have Epping Forest on our doorstep you may already enjoy a walk in the woods, however if you need encouragement to leave your comfy sofa keep reading as I have some facts that may convince you. The Japanese, many of whom live in densely populated cities, have recognised the health benefits of being ‘in nature’ and taken this a step further by creating Shinrin-yoku or ‘forest bathing'. This term was first used in 1982 by the director of the Japanese Forestry Agency and refers to immersing oneself in a forest and connecting deeply to the environment through our senses. It is a very pleasurable exercise in immersing yourself in your sensory experience of the forest by paying close attention to the sights, sounds and smells of your natural surroundings. Forest bathing does not involve strenuous activity so is accessible to anyone regardless of how fit they are. In fact it is best done slowly as the idea is to notice everything around you, both large and small. For example, the quality of light, the different types of plants and insects or wild animals, all of which might be missed if you are walking speedily by. It has been proven so effective at stress reduction that major corporations based in Tokyo regularly send their staff on Shinrin-yoku holidays. Dr Yoshifumi Miyazaki pioneered studies over many years on the effect of forest bathing on the body and summarises the key results in a book he has written on the subject. The studies found that after two hours of ‘forest bathing’, cortisol, one of the hormones produced profusely when we are under stress, was reduced by 15.8%, pulse rate slowed by 3.9%, blood pressure dropped by 2.1% and parasympathetic nerve activity (the part of our nervous system that is more fully engaged when we feel calm) went up by 102%. (Miyazaki Y 2018). Of course, what cannot be measured is the pleasure and enjoyment we get from feeling so connected to our natural surroundings. So why not try a little forest bathing yourself this season? Autumn is the time the forest puts on a huge show and the perfect chance for us to appreciate the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Learn more about forest bathing I am very pleased to say I will be able to offer craniosacral therapy once again from 15th of July 2020.
Please contact me if you would like to book a craniosacral therapy treatment. I look forward to seeing you soon. As you know I practice craniosacral therapy. One of the reasons people seek out craniosacral therapy is for help with managing stress and anxiety. We need a little stress to thrive but if the load is too great it can have a negative effect on the way our body functions. We may not always be aware of it but when we are under stress our inner landscape changes from being balanced into a state of high alert. It is natural to feel a little anxious from time to time, but anxiety is a state of constant worrying and an excessive and persistent state of apprehension. There are many factors that contribute to anxiety, mostly centred around our unique personal history. However, stress creates the perfect environment in our bodies to generate anxious thoughts. When we are under stress the sympathetic part of our nervous system becomes activated and our bodies produce a combination of hormones and neurotransmitters, which all keep the body on the look-out for danger. It is impossible not to feel anxious if we sense an impending threat. It then follows that if we lower our stress levels we will be giving ourselves the best chance to feel less anxious. Our stress response is in fact the incredible capacity of our body to get us out of a dangerous situation. It is programmed into us for our survival. You may have heard it called the fight or flight response. In human beings something as simple as being late for an important meeting can trigger our stress response. For the majority of us the things that trigger our fight or flight response in our daily lives are not life threatening at all. It is important to recognise how far along the fight or flight path we are, as once we have a sense of this we can seek to address it if needs be. However, this is not always a simple as it sounds. We only know what feels normal for us, so how do we know what a ‘balanced’ nervous system feels like? This is where having awareness of body sensation or interoception is invaluable. Interoception is the perception of the internal state of our bodies. For example, as you are sitting here how does your throat feel, or your chest or gut? This gives a true picture of how we are. What is a panic attack? A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. You may experience your first panic attack during a period of chronic stress, after an accident, surgery, illness, trauma or emotionally overwhelming event. What does it feel like to have a panic attack? Panic attacks last on average from 5 to 20 minutes but can last longer. Anyone who has ever experienced a panic attack will tell you that they are extremely unpleasant. There is an overwhelming feeling something terrible is about to happen, sometimes with an urgent need to get away from wherever you happen to be. Please note do not self-diagnose, I recommend you check with your GP if you are experiencing symptoms you are concerned about. Physical sensations of a panic attack may include: Heart beating very hard and fast Feeling nausea or wanting to vomit Dry mouth Chills or hot sweat Sweaty palms Feeling like you are going to faint Tightness in the throat Shortness of breath Dizziness or light headedness Sense of unreality or detachment A feeling that something terrible is going to happen This is a link to a short You Tube film from Mind with a group of people discussing their own experience of panic attacks. What happens during a panic attack? Knowing what is going on in your body during a panic attack might help you understand some of the sensations you experience which can be intense and frightening; Heart beating fast – pumping blood to big muscle groups to help you run fast. Feeling or being sick – if you have a full stomach you cannot run as fast. Shortness of breath, – adrenaline increases breathing rate to prepare for action. Dry mouth – the digestive system shuts down as it is non-essential in a crisis, salivating is the first part of the digestive process. Feeling faint/dizziness/light headedness/sense of unreality – if we are in a situation where we feel seriously under threat, we ‘space out’ or dissociate. Preventing a panic attack In the long-term, stress reduction is vital. This should take into account all aspects of your life and there is a lot of information available about how we can do this. However, there are some targeted stress reduction techniques which are very effective. For example, breathing exercises which are able to directly access the parasympathetic nervous system and take us out of a fight or flight state. Hatha yoga, and the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Programme created by Jon Kabat Zinn. All of these incorporate ‘interception’ mentioned earlier. Try to avoid highs and lows and maintain balance in the body by cutting down or eliminating caffeine and alcohol. Eat regularly and avoid excess sugar to keep blood sugar levels even. If you know your panic attacks are generated by anxiety or events in your life, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy also known as CBT or counselling may helpful. During a panic attack Here are a few simple suggestions that you can try during a panic attack. We suffer less stress if we feel we have some control over our situation. Knowing you can do a few simple things that help, might take away the dread of having an attack and even lessen them. Become aware of your needs, wear comfortable clothes which are not too tight and allow you to breath. If you start to feel hot take off your coat, if you need fresh air move nearer to a window. Commuting on packed tube trains I have learned that standing in the aisle gives you more space and air but there is a cooling draft as the train moves if you are squashed against the door! Remember to remind yourself the panic attack will last a short time and you will feel ‘normal’ again soon. When you feel those familiar sensations that tell you, you are starting to feel panicky, try to ‘ride the wave’ rather than control the sensations. Trying to control tends to further escalate the attack. If you can try to be a ‘witness’ to what you are experiencing, notice the body sensations rather than reacting with negative internal monologue which will escalate the feelings of panic. Mentally reassure yourself ‘I sense danger/a threat but when I look around me, I see nothing dangerous – I feel safe.’ It is ironic that when we are in an activated state, we are less able to discern what might be a threat but obviously don’t lie to yourself here! If you are in a dangerous situation you don’t need to calm down, you need to get ready to run. If you are with a friend or someone you trust ask them to reassure you, look at their face and ask them to tell you everything will be okay. This is an automatic and human response for most people, but research has shown the importance of social interaction between human beings in regulating their parasympathetic nervous system. You can try ‘shuttling’. Find a part of your body that feels okay, feet are always a good place to start. Really try to feel all the sensations in your feet – the fabric of your socks, if your shoes are tight and their contact with the floor. Do this for a minute or so, take in all the sensations as best as you can, then give yourself a break for a few minutes, if the unpleasant sensations come rushing in try to stay with them for a minute then change your focus back to your feet. Keep repeating this shuttling back and forth. This may allow you to remain in a situation you can’t get out of until the attack passes. When we are panicking our breathing speeds up, if you are able to slow your breathing down even a little it will help you get back to feeling okay. It also gives you something to focus on. I really like this animation app for breathing during a panic attack. Looking at the image of a face rather than counting adds to the therapeutic effect. I hope you have found this helpful. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/panic-attacks/ |