Trigger Point Therapy Workbook

I have been meaning to review this book for forever, but since time is limited and I still want to link to it, I will just say that You Need This Book.  It is one of the most practical self-help guides for treating pain, and is written for the layperson so that it is very accessible.  You will thank me. Your family will thank me.  Buy this book & feel better!

God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine by Victoria Sweet
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

God's Hotel is the story of what may have been the last almshouse in America. Dr. Victoria Sweet writes a riveting account of her experience practicing medicine in a place that exists between what she calls 'premodern medicine' and our modern health care system. In such a place, she discovers that "Tincture of Time" and a bit of attention can have a profound effect on how well the patient fares.

Set up during the Gold Rush, Laguna Honda is a hospital from a different era. Wide hallways and open, separate wards from the days before antibiotics are set up in a way that would make Florence Nightingale proud.  Staff was limited, and mostly used for patient care. Doctors would certainly take a patients' vital signs in person, possibly do their own x-rays,  and perhaps even prepare slides in order to examine necessary fluids. Laguna Honda was a facility where people ended up who had no where else to go. Outside the modern health care customer base (and funding) the hospital was short on money but long on time.

At least, that is how it was when Dr Sweet arrived. Eventually, however, the modern notions of efficiency and bureaucratic accountability caught up with Laguna Honda. Outdated architecture succumbed to the pressure of modern earthquake regulations, and a new Laguna Honda was born.

Dr. Sweet came to Laguna Honda because she wished to practice as a part-time physician, a notion all but unheard of in modern times. Ironically, this was because she wanted to pursue her PhD in medical history, studying a period in which practioners of medicine were always part time, and had other roles in their communities. Like her historical counterparts, Sweet had other interests. Specifically, she was intrigued by Hildegaard of Bingen, a 12th century infirmarian who also happened to be a nun. On the journey toward her PhD, Sweet learns that Hildegaard's approach to medicine had some value and truth. She found herself approaching her more challenging cases with a new perspective that often had miraculous results.

With all of our modern equipment, testing, and pharmaceuticals, today's medicine still faces many challenges in helping people find wellness in their lives.  Modern medicine relies on these technologies, often to the detriment of everyone involved. A new doctor admitted to Sweet that she didn't really know how to perform a complete physical workup on a new admission; there was so much else to learn that they didn't cover that in school anymore. Considering the amount of incorrect diagnoses that Dr. Sweet discovered, this does not bode well for the delivery of appropriate care.

If you are intrigued by the evolution of medicine, you will find this book fascinating. Finding the balance between modern technology and old-fashioned time and attention is essential to the future of medicine. If we can do this, we can create a better future, increasing wellness, reducing the cost of health care and most importantly, saving lives.


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The Magic by Rhonda Byrne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book to be incredibly hokey. Really, it was repetitive, and cheesy, and I had to force myself to finish it.

Nevertheless, Byrne is on to something important in this book, and I found that making myself slog through it helped me to get in touch with the power of gratitude to transform my experience of life.

I gave up on the exercises early on as they were time consuming and difficult to fit into my already packed life. However, just reading a chapter or three every day or so had a strong impact on my use of gratitude and my recognition for all that is right in my world. When we remember to be grateful, both verbally and energetically, we change our perspective from one of lack to one of bounty. This helps us to feel better, and according to Byrne, helps us to invoke all the good we can imagine.

I haven't manifested anything massive through these practices (yet) but I have to admit that I feel better, and I am noticing all the good that does come my way with clearer vision. Hot running water coming out of the tap. My general good health. A refrigerator. A car that runs. A house with room for all. This computer I type at. The information well that is the internet. My eyes, my hands, my ears. My family. A better job prospect and new opportunities that I had never before thought possible. Every single day, I give thanks for these blessings and more. And you know what? I do feel better. And things are looking up. Or at least, I am.


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Barefoot Running: Step by Step

Barefoot Running Step by Step: Barefoot Ken Bob, The Guru of Shoeless Running, Shares His Personal Technique by Ken Bob Saxton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Spring is here, and the days are brightening. After a wet winter without warm minimal shoes, I have gotten out of the habit of movement and activity. Now that the days are lengthening, I have felt the urge to run again, to use my body and connect with the earth.

I did, in fact, go for a run. I ran in my VFF Treks that have been my winter wear this past year, at least when it is dry. But I was at the park, and I got the urge, and it felt so good I did a bit more of it. The next day, my lateral metatarsals were rather upset with me. The big luggy treads on the Treks were fine for hiking, or walking on sidewalk. But the pounding of my stride mashed my feet around the treads and bruised them into hamburger.

I knew I needed to educate myself, because I shouldn't have let that happen.  So while I recovered, I picked up Barefoot Running: Step by Step by Barefoot Ken and Roy Wallack. I am very grateful that I did, because I had apparently forgotten everything I had ever learned about barefooting.

Barefoot Ken insists that one should learn to run barefoot.  Really barefoot, none of this minimal nonsense.  And with good reason; true barefooting gives you rapid feedback that helps you correct your technique. If you are running right barefoot, it is comfortable. In fact, Barefoot Ken suggests starting out on gravel, because when you learn to make that comfortable, everything else is easy. Discomfort is something you figure out how to adapt to. If you are in even the most minimal of shoe, the feedback is lessened and  your form will suffer. Shoes are to our proprioceptive sense what gloves are to our fine motor coordination. They make it possible to ignore information that could make a big difference in our long term structural health.

So I did.  I ran barefoot.  I didn't run far, but I did run.  And he was right; running without shoes is a sensory extravaganza that requires full attention and focus. In this, it becomes a fabulous moving meditation of responding with intention to the world. By paying attention in this way, I became very aware of how I had been pounding the pavement in my Treks, and that if my form had been better, my feet wouldn't have suffered as they had. One thing is certain though: if I hadn't worn my Treks, I wouldn't have taken 2 paces with the kind of stride I got away with in them.


So will I be joining the legions of true barefooters, eschewing the sole and having to defend my lifestyle choice in every interaction on the street? Not likely. Barefoot Ken admits that even some barefoot training can make a huge difference in the quality of sensitivity we bring to our running. Which is good, being in the PNW, where the cold muddy wet just doesn't appeal to my naked feet in the dark months. But I will take Barefoot Ken's advice and run in bare feet often enough to remember what it is supposed to feel like. And when it is too muddy out for my feet, I will remember to work them out inside with dance and yoga and qigong so they stay in touch with the earth.


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Non-Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a fabulous introduction to the notion that we can help create a more peaceful world by improving our ability to communicate effectively and compassionately. Rosenberg points out a disturbing fact: we have more words in our language with which to judge each other (and ourselves) than we do to express our emotions. By learning to feel and express our emotions with words, we become less likely to act aggressively from these same emotions. When we can honestly say, "I feel angry when you speak to me like that," we become more able to own our feelings and less likely to escalate the conflict through assumptions, accusations, and violence.


Like many other books I have read recently, this book helps us to understand that by really being present in the moment, we gain access to the ability to steer the course of the future. Typically, we are barely listening to the other, especially in conflict. Instead, we are preparing our rebuttal, mentally judging the other, chewing on the past, or worrying about the future.  This impedes our ability to be truly present for what is going on. The ironic thing is that once we get in the moment, our presence and attention is often all that is needed to de-escalate the conflict.


Rosenberg provides many entertaining and inspiring anecdotes to demonstrate the many ways one can use Non-Violent Communication. From conflicts in the Middle East and Central Africa to the classroom, from parenting to prisons to self-defense, NVC proves over and over that violence comes from lack of connection. Learning to facilitate that connection can decrease violence, increase compassion, and help people grow into more compassionate and community oriented lives.


I found this book inspiring and educational. Rosenberg helps me to see that we can help others heal just by how we move and communicate in the world. By modeling effective and compassionate communication, we can create more peace in our own lives, and help to create a less violent future for us all.


I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in connecting more deeply with the people in their lives. It is especially useful for people in positions of power, who can learn to act in a way that empowers and inspires others. Parents, educators, health care professionals, managers, mediators... really everyone could use a little help in communicating in a way that enriches life for us all.


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spring thoughts

Lately, I have been contemplating what threads tie together the concepts and theories that I have been examining over the last year at Evergreen. As someone who has already started down the road of homeschooling, I was glad to find so much research that confirmed my feelings about education. Having studied the work of Riane Eisler, I have found myself questioning much of what is accepted as the dominant paradigm.  Darwin, for instance, is a good example.  As a confirmed agnostic, I have always scoffed at those who questioned his ideas, taking evolution as an obvious explanation of what came before us, and labeling the rest as fundamentalists of one sort or another. Eisler helped me to understand that as important as Darwin's contribution is to our modern understanding, the notion that competition fuels the process is detrimental and misguided. Biologist Bruce Liption demonstrates that co-operation is a common strategy for life, even at the microscopic level. Eisler shows just how pervasive this acceptance of competition is in our culture, and how damaging that ubiquity can be.

As I look at the world around me, I see that the paradigm of competition is crumbling around the edges.  The winners are resented by the losers, and the losers are getting wiped out. It is time for a new paradigm that helps us to reorder our values in ways that are life-affirming, constructive, and cooperative.

I feel that the domination paradigm has infected many of our public spaces. Ranging from healthcare to education, from housing to the nature of our economy, we need new perspective. Science tells us we are on the brink of climactic disaster; doing things the same old way isn't going to serve anyone for much longer. 

So how can we get there from here?  We can recognize the truth in the work of William Glasser: everything we do is a choice, even the choice of inaction. We can actively make choices that lead us toward growth, health and connection. We can study the work of Marshall Rosenberg, and learn to speak from presence, compassion, and the belief that if we put our minds to it, we can get everybody's needs met. We can study Riane Eisler, who reminds us that human nature isn't defined through competition, and that there have been other successful ways of organizing society. We can practice mindfulness, and be gentle with ourselves and others as we learn new skills that help us to create a future that does, in fact, get everybody's needs met.

Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am very glad to have revisited this classic work on sibling rivalry.  I first read it while pregnant with my 2nd child, and there was little I could do to actualize the learning I got from this book.  Now, almost 6 years later, there is so much I needed to be reminded of.

This book reminds parents that helping our children learn to navigate their own conflict will encourage them to grow and develop these skills for themselves.  Rather then stepping in and rescuing them, we can support them with our belief that they can find a solution to their difficulties.  I was also reminded how taking sides can exacerbate a problem, and that sometimes children dream up better solutions than I ever could.

There are cute and meaningful cartoons throughout the book which help illuminate common issues, as well as helpful and unhelpful responses to them. I found the advice simple to integrate, and worth the effort as I see my children working things out for themselves.

I think this book is a valuable addition to any parenting library, and is a book I will likely revisit again and again.


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The Schools Our Children Deserve

In The Schools Our Children Deserve, Alfie Kohn delves into the research that demonstrates what I have always felt in my bones: the educational system needs a massive overhaul. Yes, there are great schools out there. There are even more great teachers. But ask a great teacher, and many will tell you that they, too, feel hamstrung by a system that is overly concerned with achievement, competition, coercion, standardized testing, and the belief that 'harder equals better.'

When we focus on how we are doing, we are not paying as much attention to what we are doing. In education, this means that the more important we make grades, the less the students actually learn. This creates a classroom environment where the student's priority becomes 'Is this going to be on the test?' rather than ‘How does this relate to everything else I know?’  This focus on rank has more insidious effects, as well. If we need to give children grades, then we may only assign them work that is easy to grade. Multiple choice quizzes give a tangible number that the instructor can write in a grade book.  It is much harder to grade students on a lively, classroom debate on a topic that isn't even covered in the textbook.  Which do you think makes a deeper impression on the student? Where is more learning taking place?

  

This focus on ranking creates a climate of competition. Classmates are looked at as people to outdo, obstacles on the road to the top. Winning becomes more important than learning. Collaboration is left at the door.  This is unfortunate, and has implications beyond childhood. Research demonstrates that deeper learning happens when people collaborate then when people are isolated. Collaboration fosters creativity, communication, and mutual understanding.  Working together is essential in the modern world; the problems of the 21st century are far too big for any individual to solve alone. Collaboration is a skill we can develop and nurture, yet we give it little time in the traditional school. Those schools that do make the space for collaborative effort often find it has extraordinary outcomes.

Learning to submit to authority begins early in the traditional school, where students must ask permission to tend to their bodily functions, and get gold stars when they do exactly what is expected of them. Kohn covers the inherent problem of Punishments and Rewards in his book by that name. This behaviorist approach to child development stems from the work of B. F. Skinner, and likens the human mind to a machine or pet that can be trained to the 'right' response by the proper use of reward and punishment. We are not pets or machines, though. Children can be taught to give the right response through these behaviorist methods, but true understanding is not inherent in such rote learning. Understanding comes through engagement with the material because learning is an active process, not merely the memorization of data. One way helps them win at Trivial Pursuit; the other way fosters problem solving and critical thinking.

Conditioning our children to submit to authority has more ominous implications, as well.  In 1963 Stanley Milgram published a well-known study in which he learned that people will do surprising things, things far outside their comfort level, if they are told to do so by someone they believe to be in authority. Such studies question the wisdom of raising generations of children who have learned to 'do what they are told.’

As if all of this isn't convincing enough, Kohn takes on standardized testing as well. Textbook and testing companies have been given enormous power to decide what our children should know. But corporations aren’t people, and have different goals than people. What is best for business is not necessarily what is best for our children. These companies design tests which have proven confusing even to professional adults, and give us little meaningful information about what our children actually know. Yet budgets, salaries, and other important decisions are being made using these numbers. Remember, testing companies are in business to make money for the stockholders. When the law requires every child to take their test, the company can be sure that they will leave no profit behind.

  

Finally, Kohn calls into question the idea that 'harder equals better.' If test scores are down, drill them on testing more. If they aren't learning in school, send more of the same work home with them. If a strategy is ineffective, why do we act as if more of the same will eventually get the results we are aiming for? This perspective is endemic in our culture, and we shouldn't be surprised to find it in our schools. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. Neuroscience tells us that learning is an active process, but also an integrative one. Sometimes, we need to let our mental fields lie fallow for a while so they can grow a new harvest. Harder isn't always better. As John Holt once remarked, “One ironical consequence of the drive for so-called higher standards in schools is that the children are too busy to think.”

So what is better? Learners learn better when they are actively engaged in the material. They become more engaged when they are allowed choice in their education, when they are allowed to collaborate, and when they are allowed to make mistakes. We can take the pressure off of our kids to produce tangible results, and free up energy for them to pursue that which they are passionate about. In some ways, this may be easier for a homeschooler, or a private school to accomplish. But teachers across the country are growing weary of methods that don't work, and recognizing that they might have to think outside the box if they really want to reach students and rediscover the joy and passion in their work. As more people wake up to the ways in which the current educational model doesn’t serve us, they will demand a different approach that honors the humanity and creativity in everyone.

Punished by Rewards

Punished by Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A'S, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

     In Punished by Rewards,  Alfie Kohn challenges many of the sacred ideas that fuel our modern culture.  Despite the widespread use of both punishments and rewards, the evidence is strong that neither approach is very effective at motivating people.  From the corporate world to the classroom, the tradition of behaviorism is almost ubiquitous, where gold stars, grades, prizes and even cash are dangled before people under the common perception that doing so will improve their performance.

    Research shows that this method is unlikely to bring about lasting change, high quality work, or true attention to the task at hand. In fact, it can do the exact opposite.  Many studies show that if we reward people for behavior that they enjoy, they often cease doing it once the reward is taken away. By approaching training with threats and bribes, we interfere with the development of intrinsic motivation and replace it with a focus on external ramifications.This changes the focus from the activity at hand to the end result, which reduces creativity and saps the joy from the work. Even though we may feel better using the carrot than the stick, the reality is that neither approach is truly helpful.

    How can this be true, when both rewards and punishments appear to work so well? Studies show that while people can be induced to be more productive for a period of time, this is true only for quantity, not quality. The changes also rarely last, and need to be constantly reinforced with new rewards or punishments in order to induce a new round of temporary change. Rewards can have other effects too. When prizes and rewards are in limited supply, a competitive environment ensues. This can reduce cooperation, mentoring, and teamwork, and even encourage people to game the system to get the reward.

    These ideas have great ramifications in the workplace, the classroom, and in the home. Although it may be easier to punish a child who misbehaves, the only thing it teaches the child is the use of power over others.  We may think we are making a point about a misbehavior, but the point we are really making is that we have the power, and we are willing to use it.  As a result, future thought will focus on how not to get caught rather than on how the situation could have been handled differently.

    This is a big problem.  Perhaps THE big problem.  Mindfuless psychology and Buddhist tradition insist that all of our suffering is caused by not being in the moment.  Flow studies demonstrate that optimal experiences are best cultivated through attention and presence.  Attention is powerful medicine, and instead of learning to direct it and use it, we are trained to trade it for trinkets.

    I have a long way to go to recover from my own submersion in this paradigm, but I am actively engaging in my life in ways that I hope will reduce it's impact.  As a parent, I am intimidated by the work ahead of me, weaning off the easy solutions and responding to the moment rather than from habit or convenience. I feel compelled to undertake this journey with my children, however, as the benefits of developing this presence in them far outweigh any temporary relief I may get from a threat or a bribe. Habits can be hard to break, however. Luckily, Kohn ends on an encouraging note, and suggests that even small steps in this direction are better than none. We can wean off punishments, recognize the harm that bribery can do, and perhaps choose our battles more wisely so that we throw down the gauntlet less often. We can invite participation from those we are working with in order to develop better skills at solving our problems with creative cooperation and compassionate communication. Together we can help create a brighter future for us all.

    I would recommend this book to parents, teachers, managers and anyone working towards creating a more egalitarian world.

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