(Part 3) Best alternative medicine books according to redditors
We found 4,905 Reddit comments discussing the best alternative medicine books. We ranked the 1,185 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 41-60. You can also go back to the previous section.
Take a break from drinking. It doesn't help anything.
I'm a lawyer and an accountant, and drinking is a huge problem in the law, too. I was at a big firm for almost seven years where we worked 70-100+ hour weeks. Everyone drank. Well, except for the people who were using hard drugs. There were a number of them, too.
Long story short, I quit drinking at the end of March 2013. I went on antabuse. The first week was not a whole lot of fun. I had DTs and could barely sleep, and what sleep I got was full of nightmares. Things got a little better after the first week, but I was kind of miserable the first month.
Then everything got a lot better. Really, it did. I don't miss alcohol and things are good. I did tell all of my family and friends that I had a problem and that I can't drink any more. Everyone was fine with that. No pressure to drink and everyone knows I'll be a DD.
As for meditation, how familiar are you with it? It can be very helpful. The book that brought me in is Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen. I wasn't religious, raised atheist, even. There is no belief in the supernatural here. There is nothing unscientific. It is a different way to look at life and I found it very compelling. Instruction for meditation is clear and precise. There are no drawbacks to trying it, so why not? Maybe you won't find a benefit, but you won't lose much by trying. On the other hand, you might find it incredibly useful. You can read through the book in a night or two, but it is one of those rare books that takes a few months to sink in and take hold. I eventually converted, something I never thought would happen to me. I don't know if it would be right for you. But that is something for you to think about. If you're curious, this book can open the door.
I sincerely hope you find a way to crawl out of the bottle. Life is better without it.
This was a struggle for me for a long time. I was not vegan (junk food or otherwise) when I started WFPB.
What really helped was focusing on the health of eating. I stopped looking at my diet change as being related to weight loss, and simply focused on eating healthy, oil-free, whole food vegan meals. You can try slightly limiting fats, but I haven't really needed to. I was not very strict and still lost more weight than I ever did counting calories
​
I follow WFPB, and couldn't follow anything that didn't allow grains, potatoes and soy products. Tempeh and Tofu are minimally processed, and pretty ok by most standards. Don't cut grains. Cut anything that isn't a whole grain. Don't cut avocado, but limit it to a quarter fruit per day, etc.
​
You mention that realizing you CAN eat what you want was a big deal for the mental side of things. It really helped me to switch from saying "No, I can't have X" to "I don't eat X anymore". Because it is your CHOICE.
Also - Don't cut sugar if it sets you up for failure, but consider quality. Eat fruit, and dates stuffed with peanut butter for treats. (Sounds like you've already figured this out).
From what you say diet-wise, I'd say you're in a good spot for the most part. Cutting down on flour-based items like bread and muffins could help. Do the muffins and pancakes contain sugar? Are you topping with lots of syrup? Another thing that can be rough is eating out. Even seemingly healthy items can be very calorie dense.
​
Something I ask myself about each ingredient I consume is "What does this offer me nutritionally?"
If it's coconut sugar, maple syrup or soy sauce, the answer is "Not much" and I limit those things.
Some resources that helped me IMMENSELY:
This Blog helped immensely. - They also have an amazing FB group for support, and a new "lighten up" weight loss program.
The Pleasure Trap - By Dr. Lisle
Chef AJ has great YouTube videos that focus on BED
I’m super passionate about hormone health so I’m sorry if this comes off as preachy. I was on hormonal birth control for 10 years and then started doing research about how bad it is for our bodies and ended up reading this book (which has a whole chapter on hormonal acne) and it changed my life (dramatic I know)
The readers digest version is that hormonal acne is basically caused by a hormone imbalance. Going on birth control is just covering up the symptoms and not actually fixing the problem. After coming off the pill last year I started getting hormonal acne and was able to get it in check by cutting out dairy/most gluten and processed sugars (cane sugar etc) and taking some supplements that were recommended in the book.
Those supplements include: zinc, magnesium, a b complex, a probiotic, and DIM. I also take fish oil but that’s more for other things than just hormonal acne but I also think it has helped with overall skin health. These are the ones I take.
I’ll still get a blemish here and there during my period but nothing like before. If you have any other questions I’d be happy to answer them!
I would say that it was widely used. I’m reading through Owen Davies’ Grimoires: A History of Magic Books right now and he has a whole section dedicated to the SATOR square. It shows up in grimoires all throughout the Middle Ages from the Arab world to Spain and continues to appear all the way up until the 18th century. You’re correct that no one now has any idea why it was so important but it’s clear from the historical record that it was important enough that magicians kept spreading it about. No one thought to write down, however, why the SATOR square exists, what it means, or how to use it so it exists an enigmatic and intriguing magickal artifact, much like these items from Pompeii.
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, Joseph Goldstein
http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-A-Practical-Guide-Awakening/dp/162203063X
It is a diligent explanation of Satipatthana sutta. It is very clearly written and full of wisdom. Has great advice for dealing with hinderances in practice. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to go straight to the source of the teaching and move their practice forward. It's not probably good for absolute beginners.
So there are a lot of free and inexpensive resources. And you know what and where to look.
-Diagnosed officially about a year ago at Mayo.
-More than likely spurred on by chronic migraines since age 7.
Fibro is really tough because patients often have a ridiculous number of symptoms, many of which are debilitating by themselves. For me those are (fatigue, nausea, mild insomnia, allergies, widespread pain, migraines, brain fog, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, tinnitus, visual snow, depression, anxiety).
Medications that I've tried for fibro since diagnosis:
-Cannabis: Mostly helps with the nausea, which for me was probably the most debilitating symptom. I was regularly dry heaving and throwing up if I moved at all. If you are able to recommend it legally, I would strongly recommend telling patients to get a vaporizer(I personally use a volcano at home and a firefly 2 for travel). They are more efficient and don't harm your lungs as long as you don't crank up the heat settings. I don't really see much difference between sativa versus indica personally. As far as pain management goes, it's pretty laughable...but it does help a tad.
CBD: I've only been able to extensively try one which was underwhelming but mildly effective for pain management. Others, have had better results.
Zofran: Helpful but still wasn't able to do much on it.
Cymbalta(tried up to 120mg, settled at 90mg): Definitely helped my muscles feel less achy. My mood would swing way way too much on it so I decided to stop as suicidal thoughts were becoming the norm on it. Withdrawal was also a nightmare even with gradual tapering.
Fioricet w/codeine: I was originally taking this for migraines and stopped a few months back as I tried to replace it with midrin. I only took it once or twice a week at most but it was incredibly helpful for fibro symptoms. I'm not sure if it was the codeine or the barbiturates. It may still have been the right call to end it but it has definitely cut into how active I am.
Quell Device: This one has been one of the most surprising for me. It's far from perfect but it has helped. It's great for those days where I can't do much. I strap it on, push the button and I kinda forget about it until I notice that I'm being more active.
Sleep: I'm still trying to figure this one out. I've bought a new mattress. I use ear plugs and a mask to try to limit stimuli. I cover up all LEDs in my room. I try to follow good sleep hygiene practices. My sleep has gotten better but it's still far from normal. I wake up too often and still have trouble getting to bed. Melatonin has also helped a tad. Cutting out naps was a big win for me as well.
Some of the biggest changes I've had were from lifestyle changes:
-limiting stress as much as possible
-Maintain or get social connections(anxiety and depression)...you need to get out and keep involved.
-Daily stretching, yoga, or moderate exercise
-meditation
-myofascial release massage: I believe it has helped me but I'm not sure if it is worth the price of admission given it's not covered.
-fish oil: I can't say one way or another to be honest. I keep trying it on and off to see if it's helping.
-distractions: To this day I do not know of a better way to beat chronic pain than to distract oneself...Find a good tv show, movie, video game, audio book, book, whatever and indulge a bit.
Best book I've read on fibro is: https://www.amazon.com/FibroManual-Complete-Fibromyalgia-Treatment-Doctor/dp/110196720X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473122123&sr=8-3&keywords=fibromyalgia
Highly recommended as it is pretty up to date and seemed to accurately relay a lot of my feelings as a fellow sufferer.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to ask sufferers and try to help. You're a good human being. :) I think most sufferers feel for the physician in the room as there is no good answer. I think it's a really tough situation for all parties involved(doctors, patients, family and friends). I hope more people like you take interest and maybe we can figure out some ways of limiting the suffering caused it.
I was in the same boat as you when I got started and I found that using a good guided meditation app provided a solid starting foundation.
I have personal experience with Ten Percent Happier and Waking Up. Both are fantastic but should not be relied on for too long; it should only take a few months to form your own practice based on the techniques you’ll learn.
I’m at the point where I’m getting comfortable with my own daily practice after using each of those apps for a few months. One widely recommended book which I might look at soon is The Mind Illuminated. Another book I discovered recently, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, is written by respected meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, who also narrates the intro guided meditations for Ten Percent Happier.
Edit: Waking up has a companion book that discusses what consciousness is and how to avoid the faith-based dogma that is often associated with meditation.
Seconding u/theUnmutual6's recommendations, in addition to u/BlueSmoke95's suggestion to check out Ann Moura's work. I would like to recommend Ellen Dugan's Natural Witchery and her related domestic witchery books. Ellen is a certified Master Gardener and incorporates plants into much of her work.
Some of my favorite plant books!
Plant Science:
Foraging & Field Guides:
Herbalism:
Ethnobotany:
I also encourage y'all to look into fungi as well. I work with both plants and fungi and I think they bring a fascinating and fulfilling aspect to my work. Plus, hunting for mushrooms is super fun! I can recommend field guide books for folks who are interested, they just tend to be very region-specific so I'm not going to list all of them here.
For general fungus reading I recommend the following:
Wow! I had no idea he had such a strong family history! Please don't take the following as didactic, because it just poured out of me, and few people know about this stuff.
Wellbutrin is an NDRI, decreasing the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine (i.e., increasing them), which means in addition to an SSRI, Jordan was on medications for the three main neurotransmitters postulated to impact depression. Neuroendocrinologist Robert Sapolsky notes how each of these three neurotransmitters and their deficits can clue you in to different flavors of depression: lack of energy for norepinephrine, lack of pleasure and motivation for dopamine, and (interestingly) a tendency toward obsessive thinking/rumination for serotonin. The latter is probably why I've found SSRIs to work considerably better for anxiety clients than depressed ones given the influence of near-obsessive thinking involved in anxiety disorders. And what people don't know is that antiderpessants barely fare better than placebo except in severe cases of depression.
And I'm pulling my hair out, as I've done repeatedly in the last few years since looking for non-psychogenic (i.e., not based just in psychological experiences) causes of depression. Given his daughter's parallel reduction in depression and arthritis, this is basically a dead giveaway that her depression was largely if not entirely inflammation-based (see the wonderful Dr Rhonda Patrick's outstanding video on this link). Psychologist Stephen Ilardi has written an incredible book on evidence-based non-pharmacological links to depression, including (apropos the video you posted) the clinical utility of fish oil given its power (through EPA) at reducing inflammation (and Chris Kresser, albeit wary of high doses of fish oil given oxidation and other factors, has talked about how inflammation in the gut can lead to "intestinal permeability" -- i.e., leaky gut -- which in turn leads to a permeable blood-brain barrier, causing inflammation in the frontal lobes, which is where depression is mostly neurologically located). I've had one client who took krill oil and two weeks later his depression "magically" drastically reduced (unfortunately, because of the ridiculous office politics at my last job in a university, I couldn't make recommendations that clients take fish or krill oil). Regarding the gluten allergy possibility, people don't realize that Celiac's is only one form of three main reactions to gluten: disgestive (Celiac's), skin (rashes, etc.), and much more difficult to pinpoint unless you know where to look, the brain (since the brain has no pain receptors, inflammation there is much harder to pinpoint). Fatigue, as his daughter mentions, is also associated with inflammation in many cases. Also, obesity is pro-inflammatory, not to mention it increases activity of the aromatase enzyme, which converts testosterone to estradiol, causing potential estrogen dominance symptoms in males; estrogen actually activates the stress response more than testosterone, and is considered by some researchers to be one of the main differences between the sexes regarding responses to stress or stress sensitivity.
His daughter also mentions how her depression would get better in the Summer. Well, there's research for that too: we have serotonin receptors in the backs of our eyes, which fits with the need for 20-30 minutes of bright light exposure in the morning when light is brightest -- more easily managed by many people by getting a relatively cheap 10,000 lux therapy lamp. Meaning insufficient light exposure isn't just a seasonal affective disorder type of thing by far. Ilardi also cover this in one of his chapters. FWIW, his other points are on exercise, reducing rumination (which moderates depression), being socially interactive (which is often naturally opposed by many depressives, who seek solitude, usually to ruminate with the metacognitive belief that doing either will lead to feeling better when they rarely do), and getting sufficient sleep (without which stress hormones increase, contributing to depression). Can't recommend his book highly enough.
Soy is also a phytoestrogen, which can contribute to estrogen dominance in the face of insufficient progesterone, which in turn could indicate insufficient adrenal response to ACTH, and low cortisol, being part of this, means less antiinflammation and higher depression for other reasons (e.g., increases in CRH, which precedes ACTH, high levels of the former linked to depression), cortisol being the body's main endogenous antiinflammatory. This is just one possibility among many, but it's interesting in that Jordan mentions his change in getting sleepy, which seems like a pointer to lowering of possible sympathetic overactivation (e.g., increased levels of catecholamines inhibiting the subjective feeling of sleepiness).
Anyways, I pull my hair out because the research isn't hard to find. Just like it isn't hard to find that in the biggest antidepressant study yet conducted, the STAR D study, it wasn't antidepressants but triiodothyronine, also known as T3, the body's active thyroid hormone, which worked best for people with depression, despite a lack of labwork-related hypothyroidism (thyroid hormone increases serotonin, among other things).
And then, last but not least (i.e., I'll shut up briefly), there's a new field (still struggling to shed its falsities) called nutrigenomics, which looks at the association between genes, particularly single nucleotide polymorphisms, and phyisological (and therefore potentially psychological) affects on the body, given that genes code for enzymes which are affected by these SNPs, with homozygous polymorphisms (which you've inherited from both of your parents) being the worst given they most impact these enzymes. The most popular example is the MTHFR SNP, which codes for the enzyme of the same name, responsible for methylation, including folate metabolism. And surprise surprise, once people get this figured out their depression can go away, and there's even a pharmaceutical form of a supplement you can get for much cheaper in supplemental form called Deplin, which is just high doses of methylated folate, which bypasses the problems people with an MTHFR SNP can have with processing folate.
There are so many strands of interesting research, and I don't share Jordan's skepticism regarding what we can know about treatments for depression, including his methodological skepticism regarding how the studies are conducted and therefore the conclusions that can be generalized from them (although there are definitely poorly designed studies). In a clinical setting you have to be pragmatic and just try and see what works, and often many of the things I've mentioned above (among others) might not work, but if one or two do and this causes a significant reduction in symptoms, that's what matters; everyone's unique.
All of the reasons above are why people are shying away from allopathic medicine (dominated by MD doctors) and tending toward "alternative" medicine, such as naturopathic physicians or chiropractors (the best book I can think that's yet been written for a layperson is Datis Kharrazian's Why Isn't My Brain Working?, which has unimaginable detail on many different neurologically-related issues, including "over the counter" supplemental remedies fiercely backed by the research, and he's "just" a chiropractor).
Then you have hormone replacement therapy, but I'll save that for another time.
Sorry for the length. This subject infuriates me and fascinates me. So, so many people out there are done a mammoth disservice by their usually ignorant primary care physicians (or even psychiatrists) who throw antidepressants at what they can't understand, and even where neurotransmitter deficiencies are an issue, it's a disservice to clients to put them on a medication which often has a slew of side effects when the low neurotransmitters in question are more often than not mediated by other biochemical, nutritional, or genetic factors.
There is a whole new branch of mental health treatment taught through qualified and well-trained yoga therapists who specialize in trauma. If you're interested in it, the current gold standard for trauma treatment is laid out in some books:
The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Koch, MD
The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Nadine Burke-Harris, MD
Overcoming Trauma through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body by David Emerson
Yoga for Emotional Balance: Simple Practices to Help Relieve Anxiety and Depression by Bo Forbes
It's becoming apparent that yoga is actually a massively useful tool in rooting out and treating trauma, which is often at the root of mental illness.
I get that you were making a comment about the way people tend to dismiss the pain of mental illness by saying "suck it up", but yoga therapy really is a great course of treatment.
Think about how breathing acts during bouts with anxiety or panic. Practicing yoga conditions and trains your body to slow down and bypass the trauma triggers and subsequent bodily response to keep you breathing instead of passing out or going into panic mode. And that's just one small benefit of practice.
Trauma is just now beginning to be understood by the greater medical community, and yoga with a trained therapist can make a world of difference.
Programs like this one are beginiing to help millions of people.
So the "get over it" part can go fuck itself, but if you suffer from anxiety, depression, or trauma-related mental illness, you really should keep hydrated and do yoga.
Here a PDF
Kindle Version is $23
PDF of the new version
Did you even google dude? I literally googled encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding PDF.
I'm not sure about essential to every occult library (and I realize some of these aren't necessarily considered primarily 'occult' texts), but here are a few I've found useful:
Trauma sensitive yoga resources
Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga
Trauma Recovery Yoga
I've never linked anything on Reddit because I've only posted a few things but for those of you who are interested in yoga geared toward trauma survivors these resources are a great starting point.
For low magic, there is a wealth of witchcraft and folk magic that predates Gerald Gardner. It is not really initiatory, despite what a few people claim about coming from a long line of witches. Historically, it mostly came from books, folklore, and local customs. This book by Owen Davis is a great way to learn about magic and witchcraft that existed prior to Wicca (and was largely appropriated by Wicca).
The African diaspora in the Caribbean and the Americas created numerous magical practices (some associated with religion, some not). This includes hoodoo, Palo Mayombe (the black magic side of Santeria), Maria Lionza, and probably others that I don't know about. Magical practitioners in these traditions typically don't call themselves "witches," but their practices definitely fall under the category of witchcraft.
This is a fair question. A condition to practicing toward awakening is a desire to awaken, which comes from good teachings. For pragmatic dharma resources, I recommend you check out the sidebar links, particularly Daniel Ingram's MCTB and Ron Crouch's website (and, specifically, his post "Why Meditate?". Those inspired me to practice.
There are lots of other interesting books on the subject too, including Shinzen Young's recent book The Science of Enlightenment, Sam Harris's Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, and Adyashanti's The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment. Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now also is quite popular.
And, really, depending on your bent, you can't get any better than the original Buddhist teachings. On the subjects of Enlightenment, the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra are two of my personal favorites. (These are as translated by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.)
So, I'd recommend reading and seeing if you feel inspired by the teachings. For me, there was something about the very idea of "Enlightenment" that stirred a desire deep within my heart. It was palpable, and it started at an early age, sometime in middle school or high school when I had to do a project on religions and happened to be assigned Buddhism. Encyclopedia-like resources don't necessarily point you in the direction of Enlightenment, but the explanation of "Nirvana" had some sort of primal appeal to me.
Once pragmatic dharma teachers like Daniel Ingram and Ron Crouch started claiming that some form of "awakening" was actually possible for Average Joe Layperson (like me), I was intrigued, and I decided to give the experiment a shot. Of course I did.
What changes? It depends on how you define "stream entry" and who you ask. There are lots of different models for Enlightenment (as discussed in Daniel's MCTB). Using the pragmatic dharma definition, stream entry is defined as the first time a practitioner completes a fully cycle of insight (typically measured against the Progress of Insight maps) and experiences a "cessation" event. What changes varies from practitioner to practitioner, but on the Fetters Model, which I think is as good as any, three important "fetters" are dropped: (a) belief in self, (b) doubt about the Path, and (c) attachment to rites and rituals.
Concretely, based on my experience, the fetters model (filtered, of course, through my still sometimes cloudy conceptual lens) made a lot of sense. Regarding "self view," the "cessation" experience has a way of kicking you out of the linear way of looking at your life, as an existent self living chronologically in time. While often this insight fades for a while, it is pretty clear at the point of initial awakening, and I speculate that a part of your mind never forgets that. This insight deepens with further practice. Your perspective on your experience shifts from being caught typically in the horizontal dimension of time to instead tuning into the vertical dimension of "just this," in which time, like all things, including the self, is seen as just a concept, a particular way of looking at this immediate, obvious, and manifest reality. Seeing "just this," and recognizing that there is no permanent self that is just this or that provides tremendous relief. Most of our lives are spent trying to protect the self, improve it, make it happy. Seeing through this delusion, even for a moment, has a way of radically transforming one's perspective on experience.
Second, after you complete a cycle of insight, you don't really doubt "just this." There's a lot of work necessary to integrate and deepen that insight. But it feels like you have directly touched reality, the Tao, Nirvana, God, or whatever. Interestingly, in my experience, that which seems to remains when all else fades is all that you ever wanted to begin with. So, the value of this Path becomes obvious. Faith is no longer necessary. A deep part of your mind understands that "this is it."
Finally, the attachment to rites and rituals goes away because you realize that it's "just this." You might have done a lot of work to realize that, but once you do, it's all pretty simple. That realization can't be taken away from you. It's done. It's always available. As a practical matter, that realization tends to fade, come and go, which teaches us an interesting thing about "awakening experiences," a lesson we will have to learn well as we continue to deepen our practice. But generally speaking, after "stream entry," one realizes that awakening is not somehow external to one's present situation, indeed the very idea of internal and external is just another concept which has no concrete, permanent status (is ultimately empty). Thus, the need for rites and rituals is seen through.
All that said, these realizations may not be perfectly obvious at the conceptual level after stream entry. As a practical matter, people generally feel lighter, relieved, happier, at least for a time. But those states are just states, which are not permanent. Enlightenment, Awakening, Liberation, Nirvana, or whatever you want to call it is something that goes beyond particular states or this or that. Once you begin to open up to that dimension of being, you experience a much more profound and lasting sense of peace with just this existence, as it is. It's a nice spot to be in. :)
Hope that helps.
Sadly this is a case of personal bias. To say that you only trust someone who agrees with what you agree with is practically the definition of bias. Open your mind and you'll eventually see that there is no right or wrong methodology. What works for one will not work for all. Figure out what works for you by trying different things.
Now, onto your question. This book by Arnold seems good but honestly if you want to get into the science and programming you'll need text books.
http://antranik.org/lacrosse-ball/
Also this book is amazing.
Treasury of the Eye of True Teaching: volume I https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3BJK1Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_vfM7ybH8BVKEG
Treasury of the Eye of True Teaching: Volume II https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XPMTL23/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fgM7yb4CNR7WX
I'm afraid I can't give you a book that functions as a good and popular introduction to the history of Alchemy – there's one for the Grimoire tradition, for example. My interests are more academic, so my recommendations are going to be academic works. That being said, the history of alchemy intersects very well with other interests (say, the development of Renaissance Humanism, or medieval philosophy). My own focus is the development of Boyle's New Science, and so a figure like George Starkey is of particular interest. Despite my own reservations regarding their work, William Newman's Gehennical Fire, along with his and Lawrence Principe's Alchemy Tried in the Fire serve as excellent introductions to this particular era (17th century).
But I'll do some digging through my own notes in a few hours, and see if I can't come up with some more recommendations.
This book is pretty great: Meditations from the Mat. Author is a recovered addict and yogi.
I second u/All_Is_Coming as well, seeing as this is your first death be patient with yourself. There is no "right" or "wrong" way to process grief. If you're worried about it, you sound very normal to me. You may find that your yoga practice may drive you to tears in an emotional sense, it happens to me a lot actually. I assume this is pretty normal. Remember, we store our emotions in our bodies so when we use our bodies we release those feelings.
I recently read "Overcoming Trauma through Yoga" and found a lot of really useful information in there. Maybe you'll find it useful, too.
take some gold for being in a similar situation as myself at around the same time in life. in return, i hope you will look into purchasing one, a few, or all of these used/new books on amazon (or anywhere) for your contemplations.. you have my sacred word you will not regret it even if you just set them aside for a year or two. The knowledge gained from opening one's mind to these potential patterns of thought is incomparable to anything else I can think of as an addendum to the Holy Bible & other worldly religious books of faith.
Rediculous cover design but my naturopath gave me this when I was diagnosed:
Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? when My Lab Tests Are Normal: a Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Hashimoto's Disease and Hypothyroidism by Datis Kharrazian
It has great references towards self help, learning about your body, and really focusing on food and what you put in it then listening to how your body responds.
Speaking of food, there are cookbooks to help get over the humps of refocusing nutrition:
The Whole 30
Hashimotos 4-week plan
Hope this helps, thanks for asking the question.
A good book for you and your husband. You, because you can relieve some of your fibro symptoms yourself, at home, and the husband because it will help him to better understand what you're living with. https://smile.amazon.com/FibroManual-Complete-Fibromyalgia-Treatment-Doctor/dp/110196720X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468210274&sr=8-1&keywords=ginevra+liptan
sure! I found out how to do it in this. I had a hard time trying to find an online tutorial but this is the closest one I found. I recommend that book whole heartedly. It's helped me a lot with pain and mobility coupled with other things like becoming a supple leopard and such.
Clearly translated Shobogenzo last year. First time in history.
Contemporary that.
https://www.amazon.com/Treasury-Eye-True-Teaching-I-ebook/dp/B01N3BJK1Y/
You'll definitely want to look out for any abnormalities AND support your body in detoxing from the pill. This is a new book I'm hearing great things about: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Pill-Program-Hormones-Dangerous/dp/0062847058/
One that I have read and love, and think EVERY woman should read is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Period-Repair-Manual-Second-Treatment-ebook/dp/B075NDJC2J/
I really like Grimoires: A History of Magic Books by Owen Davis. It covers magical books that were influential in western Europe, and is a good place to start for people interested in reading old grimoires.
I would suggest Meditations from the Mat (Amazon Link). It breaks down the 8 Limbed Yogic path and then goes through a daily examination of the lessons. IT was easy to digest and really hits home.
There are a range of possible causes for brain fog. In my experience, the most common are nutritional/digestion and anxiety related.
Check out Why my brain isnt working on Amazon
That is wonderful how much you want to help and support her; she will definitely appreciate it.
These are what I use:
Blanket: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BF2392/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Mattress Topper: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G72DN63/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
What is nice about that mattress topper is it has 2 zones so you can heat one side of bed without having to heat other side. The mattress topper is also great at soothing all-over body aches since you're laying on top of it; feels amazing to crawl into after a long day.
There's also a really good book about Fibro, written by a doctor who has the disease herself. It's laid out in easy to understand language and includes both conventional and alternative treatment methods. The book is a must-read for sufferers, their loved ones, and even their health care providers. My review of this book would be: Before reading the book, I was genuinely ready to kill myself because I felt it was hopeless to try and cope with this disease for another 50+ years. Reading her book I've been able to find ways to improve my circumstances and now feel motivated to fight the disease as several of her methods have already made a huge difference in my life. https://smile.amazon.com/FibroManual-Complete-Fibromyalgia-Treatment-Doctor/dp/110196720X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GYD3ZCYHN0PS&keywords=the+fibro+manual+by+ginevra+liptan&qid=1569526359&s=gateway&sprefix=the+fibro+ma%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1
Harsh truth: That weight on that height is obese. Women undervalue how servere being overweight has an effect on their attractiveness. It's a big deal to men. Much bigger than women think.
Just lose the weight and get healthy. Make a lifestyle change to eat clean at appropriate amounts and exercise regularly. Cut ALL sugar, limit alcohol don't snack and eat clean at least 6 days a week. FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
"Nun mode" or Dating or whatever you do with your time do it if you want, don't if you want. Just keep in mind if you do date your SMV will be far lower than it could be and the type of guys who you attract (for a pair bonding, not pump and dumb) will be of that SMV.
Your depression and anxiety is caused, respectively by not having a realistic chance and very slim chance at achieving your goals. It's an evolutionary alarm to focus your energy into DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Bad feelings are lessened by your new job and move. Congratulations! Now fix your SMV, eat well, join a GYM (and GO 3x/week) , run (on days with no gym/sports activities), join a sports club and the good feelings you got from your job and move will seem tiny. Do it, commit. You can do much better. I believe in you. But time is ticking. The costs to your current lifestyle are higher than you think. The benefits of changing are immensely greater than you could imagine.
Here's a good book on why you "depression eat" and how to deal with it, if you like to read.
https://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-Trap-Mastering-Undermines-Happiness/dp/1570671974
Buddhism Plain and Simple: The Practice of Being Aware Right Now, Every Day https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CVTTWM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_spnyDbMH695F7
It's not a book about meditation but I highly recommend it. There is one chapter about practicing meditation but the whole book is about the concept of the self. And don't worry its not about joining a religion. It explains the key ideology behind Buddhism without all the ceremonial and symbolism crap
I used Simply Being for a little bit. Mostly, meditation and mindfulness exercises put me to sleep. But I have terrible anxiety on planes and Simply Being was really helpful.
I got a lot out of the book Buddhism Plain and Simple. It's very nonreligious if that's your thing; I'm practicing Christian and it was still perfect.
Read this:
http://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Plain-Simple-Steven-Hagen-ebook/dp/B005CVTTWM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411138791&sr=1-1&keywords=buddhism+plain+and+simple
Buddhism is all about gaining control of your desires, and hate is very much fueled by desire (probably two very conflicting desires -- one that you're marriage was still healthy and one that your marriage had never existed). The book I linked to above is a very accessible intro to Buddhist thinking and it really helped me.
On my list is Grimoires: A History of Magic Books.
I really like Rodney Yee's yoga DVDs :) I've tried a lot of them, and I find that his style just works best for me.
I also enjoyed Meditations from the Mat when I was first getting into yoga - I liked the daily essays, and it helped me stay kind of focused on my goal.
And I've been debating off and on whether I want to pick up Moving Toward Balance (Rodney Yee again, what can I say?).
As /u/RAGE_CAKES suggests a sex therapist would be the ideal choice to deal with this kind of problem.
This also reminds me of a book called The Body Remembers which is about how trauma can effect the body even after the event is over, which you might want to look into.
There are some AMAZING resources here, so I'll just throw in a few others:
The Body Remembers
The Body Keeps the Score)
Enrique's Journey
Crossing Over
The Devil's Highway
Random Family
Lost Children of Wilder
As much as she may want to leave the past in the past, the body remembers it. I think the reason God tells us to reserve sex for marriage is because the body remembers and it can make it harder to build a sexual connection in marriage. With trauma the body memories are stronger and can require professional help.we used this book https://www.amazon.ca/Body-Remembers-Psychophysiology-Trauma-Treatment/dp/0393703274/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20YN4T8MBHRRA&keywords=the+body+remembers&qid=1557668979&s=gateway&sprefix=The+body+re%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-1 in my course on trauma. It's very helpful for understanding body responses to trauma. I assume there are similar books that deal with non traumatic responses if her past wasn't traumatic.
You are not alone and it has everything to do with stress and trauma. What you are describing is very normal for people with traumatic childhoods. I have very little memory of mine. I started to remember more in the last year (fun times!) but still only know a fraction of what happened.
Usually something will trigger the memories, and this commonly does happen when your life is actually pretty stable. Like your brain decides you can handle it now.
In my case, going NC with my mom is what opened the Pandora's box. I made a list of all the offenses she committed that I could remember so I could make a note to myself as to why she is banished forever (in case I ever reconsider). Once I started making the list more and more stuff came to me. There was a deluge of stuff at first and now stuff pops up here and there. It is like stuff I always knew but I forgot I knew it.
You might want to read this book http://www.amazon.com/The-Body-Remembers-Psychophysiology-Professional/dp/0393703274 It does a good job of explaining the science behind why traumatic memories get repressed. I found it somewhat helpful to understand on a neurochemical level what causes this.
One of the oldest and most fundamental books for students of the Kabbalah is the Sepher Yetzirah. This text has literally been used for centuries by Jewish mystics, and it was one of the primary sources for the Kabbalistic elements of modern western occultists (e.g. the Golden Dawn and affiliated individuals like Crowley, Case, Waite, etc.). You can't go wrong with any of the books listed thus far -- Duquette, for example, is a great author -- but they are all second hand accounts of Kabbalistic sources like the Sepher Yetzirah.
One of the best modern versions of the Sepher Yetzirah is by Rabbi Kaplan. His book has received praise by both students of the occult and the Kabbalah. It has everything you are looking for (e.g. the cube of space is discussed in 5:2 on page 203) and more (e.g. gematria, the 231 gates, astrological associations, anatomical associations, planetary rulers and their seals, etc.). On top of that, you should be able to find a free PDF version online with a little Googling, but it's so comprehensive that it's worth having a physical copy.
Raziel is probably most famous for the book he gave to Adam. There are many versions of the story, including one where angels steal the book back from Adam out of jealousy. It supposedly passed through the hands of Enoch, Noah, and Solomon, inspiring the Book of Enoch, teaching Noah how to build the Ark, and granting Solomon great knowledge and power in magic respectively. Source
The origin of this story is pretty interesting: "The myth of the Book of Raziel grows out of a midrash attempting to explain the verse, This is the book of the generations of Adam (Gen. 5:1)." Source, also a good read
Raziel is mentioned in Targum Ecclesiastes 10:20 - "Do not speak evil of the king in thy conscience, nor in the secret of thy heart, nor in the most hidden place in thy house, curse not a wise man; for Raziel calls daily from heaven upon Mount Horeb, and his voice goes through the whole world; and Elijah, the great priest, goes, flying through the air like a winged eagle, and publishes the words which are spoken in secret by all the inhabitants of the earth." The Targumim are pretty old - they date back to the 1st to 7th centuries. This page offers an interesting theory about Raziel's early role in Jewish mysticism - not as the keeper of secrets but rather the revealer.
According to Maimonides (1135-1204) in his Mishneh Torah, Raziel is the chief of the order of Erelim, also the herald of God and preceptor of Adam.
Now, there is a 13th century medieval grimoire known as "Sefer Raziel HaMalakh". The true author is unknown, but it's commonly attributed to Eleazer of Worms or Isaac the Blind, medieval writers of the time. It draws heavily on Sefer Yetzirah and Sefer Ha-Razim, the former being the oldest and probably the most important Qabalistic text.
As for the Sefer Raziel itself, you can read it online here. Steve Savedow's translation is unfortunately not great, the amazon reviews sort of speak for themselves, but it's better than nothing. You may find something interesting there.
tl;dr Raziel is a very old and important angel, considering he derives from Genesis 5:1. If you are trying to connect to angels in a Qabalistic context, I'd highly recommend starting with the books they originated from, like Sefer Raziel and its predecessors. Hope this helps.
I've seen this book by James Green recommended quite a lot.
There are plenty of resources in this sub and others already. Poke around and you'll find what you need.
This is a good subreddit. Inactive albeit plenty of good resources available.
Herbal Medicine Makers Handbook by James Green
​
Buhner is GREAT! What protocol are you on?
​
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0895949903/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm working through this with my Doctor now. I really recommend reading Why Isn't My Brain Working?: A Revolutionary Understanding of Brain Decline and Effective Strategies to Recover Your Brain's Health https://www.amazon.com/dp/0985690437/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_.j71wbEERT89G
Examples of foods that effect me:
I have been working with my Doctor and have found I am having autoimmune reactions to several foods. I thought removing a bunch of food from my diet would be terrible (milk, gluten, eggs, soy... For a few) but I really seem to be getting more energy back and my moods have stabilized a lot.
It's not going to be the same for everyone but through all this I have found a huge link to my diet, my gut, and my autoimmune system.
The protein in gluten and soy and oats and corn are all very similar and have been shown to contribute to brain function. There's a book that discusses this.
Why Isn't My Brain Working?: A Revolutionary Understanding of Brain Decline and Effective Strategies to Recover Your Brain's Health https://www.amazon.com/dp/0985690437/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_phAXDbB5AY1PT
I think he means this book
I highly recommend this book for yourself and maybe even for family members. It covers a lot in a concise way.
https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Trauma-through-Yoga-Reclaiming/dp/1556439695
Go on a 48 hour waterfast. You'll "reset" your palate for salt, and it'll be more effective than trying to reduce salt.
Source: The pleasure trap
> addiction
Here's the cure for pretty much any addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX2btaDOBK8
Granted you have to be in one of those mood swings where you have willpower, but it's simple and works.
Take drug addiction:
/u/uberwolf0 Actually read this you fat idiot https://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-Trap-Mastering-Undermines-Happiness/dp/1570671974
We strive to not become attached to any practice, but especially not to a practice that does not fit into our lives. Why have any desire? Why have a desire that cannot be filled? This is how suffering is created.
I'd recommend the book The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young. There are a couple of books by this name, so here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Enlightenment-How-Meditation-Works/dp/1591794609/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XJ5VCMA881V81A4FARQ0
Remember: Trying to get to the destination by following the path of another makes enlightenment harder than it needs to be. There is no honor in a harder path, only a farther distance from the truth.
I went to one AA meeting when I first got clean and never went back. I understand people have found support and success in it but to me, personally, I felt it only increased the stigma of drug addicts as these broken hopeless people barely hanging on by a thread. It's an outdated system that relies on little science or attempting to progress the participants and relies more on holding people in place and focusing on the past. Instead I just worked towards becoming a normal person. Here are some of the resources I used:
r/Fitness - Getting Started: Exercise is probably the #1 thing that will aid you in recovering. It can help your brain learn to produce normal quantities of dopamine again as well as improve your heath, mood, well being and confidence.
Meetup: You can use this site to find people in your area with similar interests. I found a hiking group and a D&D group on here which I still regularly join.
Craigslist: Same as above - look for groups, activities, volunteer work, whatever.
Diet
This will be the other major player in your recovery. Understanding your diet will allow you to improve your health,mood, energy, and help recover whatever damage the drugs may have done to your body.
How Not To Die Cookbook
Life Changing Foods
The Plant Paradox
Power Foods For The Brain
Mental Health
Understand whats going on inside your head and how to deal with it is also an important step to not only recovery but enjoying life as a whole.
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
The Emotional Life Of Your Brain
Furiously Happy
The Science of Enlightenment: How Meditation Works
Educational
If you are like me you probably felt like a dumbass when you first got clean. I think retraining your brain on learning, relearning things you may have forgot after long term drug use, and just learning new things in general will all help you in recovery. Knowledge is power and the more you learn the more confident in yourself and future learning tasks you become.
Illegal Drugs: A Complete Guide to their History, Chemistry, Use, and Abuse
Why Nations Fails
Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud
The Modern Mind: An Intellectual History of the 20th Century
Thinking, Fast and Slow
The Financial Peace Planner: A Step-by-Step Guide to Restoring Your Family's Financial Health
Continued Education / Skills Development
EdX: Take tons of free college courses.
Udemy: Tons of onine courses ranging from writing to marketing to design, all kinds of stuff.
Cybrary: Teach yourself everything from IT to Network Security skills
Khan Academy: Refresh on pretty much anything from highschool/early college.
There are many more resources available these are just ones I myself have used over the past couple years of fixing my life. Remember you don't have to let your past be a monkey on your back throughout the future. There are plenty of resources available now-a-days to take matters into your own hands.
*Disclaimer: I am not here to argue about anyone's personal feelings on AA**
(after typing it seems like I should start with the caveat that what follows is mainly recalled from memory, so don't quote me on the research)
There are certainly similarities, in that awakening has effects on brain activity. For example, I remember reading an article about brain scans on long-term meditators (specifically Tibetan monks that claimed certain attainments that would correlate to what we call awakening here) that could basically shut off their default mode network at will, which is the area associated with identification with the self concept. When they'd intentionally enter other 'modes' of experience, the brain would reflect that.
The obvious difference is the loss of control. Citing my own experience, awakening eliminates the rigid attachment to the personal identity, but the capacity is still there as a perspective. It's just not a limiting perspective.This is very convenient, because without it, functioning in the world would be hard if not impossible.
For example, one may experience states where there is a complete loss of separation to the point they can't draw distinction between their body and someone else's. If they were hungry, they literally wouldn't know where to put food to address that hunger.
To me awakening seems like a natural maturation process, and similar to any other human transition there are balanced and imbalanced versions. Often the imbalanced stories (like someone not knowing where to put food) draw a lot of attention because of the contrast they show to normal experience. They have 'shock value' compared to the balanced version, which seems more mild in comparison.
There are benefits to a mild process (the lack of abruptness gives one time to adapt, which reduces the likelihood of dysfunction), but sometimes abrupt contrasts serve a purpose. A lobotomy would be an example of an abrupt contrast, with the obvious drawback of being relatively final and haphazard. Psychedelics are another example. The psychedelic experience is more controlled, but because the changes in brain chemistry aren't permanent, the effect will eventually fade (the main reason I never found them that attractive personally).
The aims of practices like meditation are similar - to cause changes in brain chemistry - but it's generally more mild and requires a fair amount of time, effort, and commitment, which is the major downside (IMO).
If there were a way to perform something similar to a lobotomy in a controlled and precise manner, it may result in similar benefits of long-term meditative practice without the downsides. The best of both worlds. This still seems a bit far-off though, given the complexity of the brain and our limited knowledge of human consciousness.
Combining meditation with technology (brain scans, etc) in addition to more research into applied psychedelics in a controlled manner seems more promising in the immediate future.
Shinzen Young's book The Science of Enlightenment might be worth reading, if you haven't already. He is currently researching a "God Helmet" which could affect brain states similar to a lobotomy but in a short-term and controlled manner.
How spiritual awakening translates to brain activity is super interesting to me, thanks for a fun post
I think a retreat, whether zen sesshin or vipassina is extremely helpful and for many people (such as Sam Harris) even if they do 1 hour a day, it is during a retreat where they first begin to understand how to actually meditate.
Also committing to meditate at specific times, especially when I don't want to has been really helpful in terms of continuity and momentum in my practice.
This book helped me more than any podcast, video, dharma talk, or reading material I found prior. I can think of many ways why that is the case but mostly in how he talks about meditation in a way I've not heard anyone else do. I'll post the book description below the link.
https://www.amazon.com/Science-Enlightenment-How-Meditation-Works/dp/1591794609
merges scientific clarity, a rare grasp of source-language teachings East and West, and a gift for sparking insight through unexpected analogies, illustrations, humor, and firsthand accounts that reveal the inner journey to be as wondrous as any geographical expedition. Join him here to explore:
Universal insights spanning Buddhism, Christian and Jewish mysticism, shamanism, the yogas of India, and many other paths
How to begin and navigate your own meditation practice
Concentration, clarity, and equanimity—the core catalysts of awakening
Impermanence—its many aspects and how to work with them
Experiencing the “wave” and “particle” natures of self
Purification and clarification—how we digest mental blockages and habits through inner work
Emerging neuroscience research, the future of enlightenment, and much more
For meditators of all levels and beliefs—especially those who think they’ve heard it all—this many-faceted gem will be sure to surprise, provoke, illuminate, and inspire.
Joseph Goldstein's "Mindfullness: A Practical Guide to Awakening" is amazing.
It takes the satipatthana (4 foundations of mindfulness) as it's subject and provides directions on how to practice meditation. Along with the practical meditation advice, there is a lot of Dhamma explanation.
With this approach, you can really see how to apply the theory to your daily life.
Joseph Goldstein's "Mindfulness - a practical guide to awakening" covers all your ABC - and then some :)
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Practical-Awakening-Joseph-Goldstein/dp/1622036050
Everything you need to know
I've been in a similar situation for the last 6 years. First it was fingers, then my outer forearms. I work in IT, love gaming, very depressing, tried all the things. Last year, I bought this book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Treatment-Guide-Relief/dp/B00ECLGALG
It's taken a year of poking around (juggling real life commitments alongside), but recently I finally managed to mostly eliminate the arm pain through the massage prescribed in the book. The problem wasn't my tendons, rather the muscles that controlled those tendons. I worked out the kinks, and I've started to enjoy some late night gaming sessions again.
Hold your belt with your injured arm. When my shoulder is messed, I just train one handed (if it's not bad enough to require not training).
Also, look into trigger point work. I have found this book to be quite good. Also, weight lifting, you'll want as much strength as possible to support the injured shoulder.
>Birth control does help regulate periods.
I just wanted to address this one. Birth control wrecks periods. Menstruation is bleeding after successful ovulation. Birth control suppresses ovulation and sometimes introduces an anovulatory bleeding period by varying the hormones. To regulate a period would be to diagnose something wrong with the hormonal cycle or one of the reproductive organs, and then to address it. For example, a common cause of period pain is low progesterone in the luteal phase. A doctor could prescribe bio-matching progesterone to be taken during the luteal phase (3 days after ovulation until the start of the period.) This would keep a functional menstual cycle and address the problem.
After going off of birth control, it can take years for a woman's cycle to regulate again and allow a woman to conceive. Additionally, all birth control does is mask the underlying symptoms of PCOS or endometriosis, so if someone has a real health concern it can go unaddressed for years until it becomes truly harmful.
A lot of women are fed up with the pill being pushed as a cure-all instead of doctors actually addressing the illness. Read the reviews here to see how women feel once they've learned that the menstrual cycle isn't some mysterious thing that needs to be killed in order for them to live normal lives. Here is a story of someone who sought real treatment after their first doctor told her to go on the pill.
Imagine that you were a woman. Every month for a week you have to deal with severe pain. You visit a doctor who does not seek to diagnose the pain, but offers the pill saying that it would help with the pain. You accept. Assuming that you are not one of the women who experience severe side effects from the pill, like strokes, heart attacks, depression, maybe lupus. Instead you grow up and get married to a man that you would not actually be attracted to had you not been on the pill. Life is good, you love the world so much you want to share it with a tiny human, and you go off the pill because you want to have a child now.
After going off the pill, your cycles are even worse than when you were a teenager. You try for two years on your own to get pregnant. Two years of dealing with pain every month and still no baby. You visit doctor after doctor trying to get a diagnosis, trying to find an answer besides IVF. Finally after a doctor treats your pain seriously and doesn't just respond that period pain is part of being a woman, you are diagnosed with endometriosis. If it had been treated when you were younger, you might now be able to have a child. But because endometriosis gets worse with age, you are likely to be infertile the rest of your life.
The pill makes doctors lazy and it really pisses me off. Women deserve better than to be told that a large aspect of their biology is innately dysfunctional just because it's different from a man's.
From a purely academic and historical perspective, I would recommend a book published by Oxford Press (a pretty large and prolific academic publisher) called Grimoires: A History of Magic Books.
​
>do you believe in the spiritual/magic aspects of the occult?
As a someone who works in the field of Biology, you asking if spiritual properties are real sort of irks me. Spirituality is an abstraction of things like pro-social behavior where humans are wired to seek it. As someone who looks at genes all day long, I can tell you it is literally written into our DNA. Humans have needs that are more abstract like the need to have a purpose, the need to feel like there is something sublime, the need to feel interconnected with things, etc. That's spirituality. When a person goes to a church, does a ritual, or even volunteers, they experience those things. The reason behind this is clear - being pro-social increases our fitness and the predilection to believe in teleological things sort of is an extension of our ability to think of abstract things so you we can, you know, build things like this computer I am speaking to you through. This means there is a measurable and empirically observable correlation between pro-social behavior, the stability of human populations, and spirituality. Really useful things like Science and Math and Technology are consequences of this. In short, if humans didn't have spiritual dimensions to themselves, you wouldn't have technology because our ability to think of abstract things is an extension of those abstract spiritual dimensions of human psychology which are correlated with human physiology.
​
Basically, you can measure how spiritually a developed a person is by looking at an observable metric called pro-social behavior that is an abstraction of things like altruism and a few other things. You say you don't believe in the occult. What about science? Spirituality is an abstraction and within that abstraction you can have different attributes like pro-social behavior, altruism, self-efficacy, and a whole host of other things that are metrics that you can define as an observable. When spiritual needs aren't met, humans sort of go off the deep end and if you have addiction genetics you'll likely get hooked on something.
If she's a good reader, I'd recommend Grimoires, one of the smartest non-fiction books I've ever read on the subject. About 1/5 of it is references/bibliography. Advanced my knowledge by more per hour than anything I can remember reading.
http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Mat-Daily-Reflections-Path/dp/0385721544
Mediation from the mat - it keeps me going and sets my mind on practice.
exercise is great and so is yoga but more intentional than that is where body work lives.
It can feel a little self indulgent but I like to work my knots out, get into deep stretches, and generally find where my emotional and psychological self meet my body. Somehow I didn't know about the theory of the body remembering and how our bodies protect us from fearful thinking and cognitive dissonance. You might not either?
I suggest it because it sounds like you are being very rational and still not understanding what or why your mind is behaving in this way. My therapist recommended this book and while you didn't mention trauma...
I've been reading this commentary on Sepher Yetzirah. It has some very fascinating and comparable interpretations of the Will. In brief, the author views the will as being the highest/deepest aspect of humanity. The book is also full of nifty techniques for getting close to this undifferentiated consciousness.
Edit: Shitty grammar. posted this late last night.
The Sepher Yetzirah
Agrippa's Three Books on Occult Philosophy
The Pistis Sophia
The Secret Doctrine
The Book of the Law
The Book of Abramelin
Sefer Yetzirah is traditionally ascribed to Abraham by those who appreciate it, but they do not normally claim that Abraham wrote it as it now exists. The claim is that the traditions contained within (in perhaps a truncated form) originate with and were taught by Abraham. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan even suggests that, while the fundamentals come from Abraham, that it cannot be the case that Abraham actually wrote the text down (after all, if it were, it would be part of the Hebrew Bible). Sefer Yetzirah isn't really like the Hebrew Bible. It's not stories, laws, or prophecies. It's more a few pages on mystical grammar.
If you do wish to read it and understand some of it, you ought to learn the Hebrew alphabet and familiarize yourself with the Torah. Then you'll have some foundation when you read Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan.
Okay so this isn't complete, and apparently my account is too young (or doesn't have enough karma?) to make a post to the subreddit :(
But here is the original post I constructed to submit:
Hello r/herbalism.
This book list was compiled by a good friend of mine who has been a practicing herbalist for a while now. I thought you might all enjoy this list; it's divided into different sections based on the particular area of study. My friend would also like me to inform you "If anyone should have difficulty locating these books, I've found a website, called bookfinder.com, to be most useful in acquiring these books for a fraction of the price from regular booksellers."
Beginner Herbalism, General
Advanced Herbalism
Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry (Part of the Advanced Herbalism List)
Medicinal Mycology
The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook is a great book, and I believe you can find a free pdf online.
In terms of a true materia medica, theres not really one you can just outright buy that I'm aware of. Most herbalists make their own. You can print off templates free from a google search, and then for each plant that you have/grow/easily forage/whatever, you'll write down what its good for, what recipes work for what situations, how to make each one, as you research and learn more about it. There are a few books you can buy to help you assemble that, I like a good plant ID book tailored to my region, something like this for the different kids of things you can make https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0895949903/?coliid=I2XLXE8ZPXBYMR&colid=1LERDA1TIBU8M&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it plus books if you want more info on specific info on herbs for colds, herbs for chronic illness, etc.
I keep my materia medica in a 3 ring binder, and am constantly adding to it. It's about ready for me to go thru and type out a few of the plants, while I'll continue to hand write notes as I learn more.
Many of those symptoms can be complications of the autoimmune aspect of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. If you'd like to learn more read Dr. Kharrazian's 'Why do I still have thyroid symptoms?' book and find yourself a 'functional medicine doctor.' Might also want to check out the facebook group 'hashimoto's 411' ... all of your symptoms are very treatable.
Women with Celiac disease have an increased likelihood of developing another autoimmune condition. And, in Celiac in general, the gastrointestinal lining -- if never properly healed -- can cause more and more problems.... nutritional deficiencies, neurotransmitter dysfunction, immune system imbalance, etc etc etc
Please check out these resources and start learnin' :) The person that will care most about your health is YOU!
--http://www.amazon.com/Still-Thyroid-Symptoms-Tests-Normal/dp/0985690402/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409582816&sr=8-1&keywords=why+do+i+still+have+thyroid+symptoms+when+my+lab+tests+are+normal
--https://www.functionalmedicine.org
-- and/or find a naturopath (ND) that specializes in autoimmunity and functional medicine
Also, read this book for details on what tests to order and how to interpret the results: https://www.amazon.com/Still-Thyroid-Symptoms-Tests-Normal/dp/0985690402
I asked my doctor (GP) about this and she recommended this - haven't gotten it yet but I'm leery based on the split reviews. Very much wanting to stick with evidence based medicine. SO much pseudoscience; am getting really frustrated.
https://www.amazon.com/Still-Thyroid-Symptoms-Tests-Normal/dp/0985690402
Have you read these books?
Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? when My Lab Tests Are Normal: a Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Hashimoto's Disease and Hypothyroidism https://www.amazon.com/dp/0985690402/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_len.BbZ6R5NQV
And
Why Isn't My Brain Working?: A Revolutionary Understanding of Brain Decline and Effective Strategies to Recover Your Brain's Health https://www.amazon.com/dp/0985690437/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_cfn.Bb7DZ7JAX
read this https://www.amazon.com/Isnt-Brain-Working-Revolutionary-Understanding/dp/0985690437
I'd recommend reading The Fibro Manual. It has some tips on talking to your doctor, understanding your condition, and even a warm up routine designed to get a fibro body ready to exercise.
I first borrowed it from the local public library, but later purchased a copy so that I could just write my own notes in it.
https://www.amazon.com/FibroManual-Complete-Fibromyalgia-Treatment-Doctor/dp/110196720X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468589507&sr=8-1&keywords=fibro+manual(https://www.amazon.com/FibroManual-Complete-Fibromyalgia-Treatment-Doctor/dp/110196720X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468589507&sr=8-1&keywords=fibro+manual)
> My rheumatologist doesn't seem very well-versed in fibro
Welcome to the club. I'm in southern California and I'd love to find a good rheumatologist too. So far I've seen 4 of them, including 1 in an academic setting, and all of them are either woefully uneducated about fibromyalgia and/or are unwilling to treat it. For instance, one of them was unaware of the 2010 ACR criteria. Another one was very thorough, did a bunch of extra testing, and seemed good until I asked about the FM/a test. I know that it has a bad reputation, but she was totally unaware that it even exists. Another reum. doc, who I thought was the best overall, is unwilling to treat fibromyalgia because "it's not an inflammatory disease." It seems like rheumatologists don't like fibromyalgia because it's the only rheumatological condition that doesn't have a specific, well-regarded, and reliable test.
You might also consider a neurologist or pain management specialist. I've had fairly good luck with the neurologist, especially because he's able to do EMG and nerve conduction to help rule out some stuff and describe my condition. Pain management people are supposed to know about fibro. Mine is shit, but at least they are more willing to push medications like high-dose Lyrica.
One long shot and I can't personally recommend her is Ginevra Liptan who runs this:
http://www.fridacenter.com/drliptan/
Here's her book:
https://www.amazon.com/FibroManual-Complete-Fibromyalgia-Treatment-Doctor/dp/110196720X/
Her approach is a bit too out there for me, but may work if I get desperate enough.
In any case, I hope you find some relief. Good luck.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/110196720X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_R7m8BbMM0GTQ0
Now it's not all that and a bag of chips and some of it is just hokey, BUT there is a lot of useful stuff in it.
Fibro is definitely a neurological condition. It can manifest in the form of inflammation, but that's definitely not the cause. Check out the Fibro Manual, I think you'll find it more helpful: The Fibro Manual
Fibro management is different for everyone. If I had to pick one thing that helped my pain and fatigue the most, it was modifying my diet to find what foods cause flare ups and eliminating them. Wheat, eggs, and potatoes cause my pain to skyrocket and make me unbearably tired for days. I'm still achy without them, but the difference is very significant. I found this book to be incredibly informative and useful for learning how to help myself as much as I can. I consider it a must-read for anyone with fibro.
I'm a student (currently obtaining my masters in mental health, with a focus on trauma and crisis).
Having literature, such as this will greatly improve my electric knowledge base.
Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike"
Since all addiction is a form of medication for internal pain usually stemming from trauma of some sort i would recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Trauma-through-Yoga-Reclaiming/dp/1556439695
Pranayama is really good for me to keep off pot & cigarettes. Good luck!
My pleasure :) since you already do yoga, also have a look at this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Trauma-Through-Yoga-Reclaiming/dp/1556439695/ref=mp_s_a_1_1 - it’s good. My favourite say is: if you’re tired, learn to rest, not to quit. Take care!
Sounds like you're stuck in the pleasure trap
If you liked that article, you would enjoy reading The Pleasure Trap:
https://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-Trap-Mastering-Undermines-Happiness/dp/1570671974
Another excellent book is "Potatoes not Prozac":
https://www.amazon.com/Potatoes-Not-Prozac-Solutions-Sensitivity/dp/141655615X
That one is especially interesting not just because of the sugar addiction aspect, but because of the sources of sugar & how it affects you. The five major groups of sugar being refined sugar (goodies & treats), bread (=sugar), pasta (=sugar), alcohol (=sugar + alcohol buzz...alcoholics are really just sugarholics but with a bonus addiction trap), and, separately from the book, cigarettes (=huge amounts of sugar in each cig). Sugar is so addictive that they actually add it to cigarettes to keep you addicted (think about it...do you know anyone who is addicted to nicotine gum or nicotine patches?).
Anyway, my current favorite method for eating for results is IIFYM. In the past, I've tried out pretty much every diet out there...paleo, vegetarian, vegan, raw vegan, fruitarian, you name it. The basic idea of IIFYM ("if it fits your macros") is that (1) the only way to lose weight is through calorie reduction (not clean eating, not meal timing, not intermittent fasting, no supplements, no special gobblygook required), (2) your body needs certain amounts of fuel every day (protein, carbs, and fat are the 3 macros), and (3) you can choose what you want to eat, as long as it fits your macros for the day, to get great physical results. So you can lose weight and get ripped (coupled with a good calisthenics or weightlifting program, of course) while eating whatever you want. Donuts, ice cream, etc. are all okay.
Obviously the healthier food you eat the better, but I no longer have specific cheat days or cheat meals...every meal is a cheat meal if I want it to be. Psychologically, it's a lot better because things like "cheat" meals/days implies that certain foods are good or bad and that you should feel bad for eating them. Look up "Abs and ice cream" on Youtube to watch a guy get abs while eating a pint of ice cream every day. I like IIFYM a lot better than anything else, especially "eating clean", because boy oh boy does eating broccoli, chicken, and plain oatmeal every day get boring lol.
IANAD! Try my advice at your own risk.
This is my I'm-too-broke-to-go-to-the-doctor home medical care bible. I couldn't get along without it.
I developed a soft-tissue swelling/pain/irritation in my shoulder which I think is bursitis. I consulted my wonderful book and found that it recommends the same set of remedies for most of these types of joint problems.
For joint problems like bursitis and tennis elbow it recommends, among other things, a combination of Fish oil capsules (follow bottle instructions) Vitamin C, 1000 mg/day, and a supplement called Zyflamend, 2 capsules 2x day. I found it at my local healthfood store.
To that I added ibuprofen for inflamation. A doctor would prescribe 800 mg 3x day as that's the optimal dose to treat inflamation. Taking that much ibuprofen OTC can irritate your stomach though, so use your own judgement on that. I had speedy relief using this regimen. But of course everyone's different and may react differently.
The book recommends moist heat for pain, but I think that would exacerbate swelling. Ice may be better, 20 minutes at a time so you don't injure your skin. A bag of frozen peas is great for icing an injury.
The book also recommends you figure out what repetitive motion you're doing that caused the injury and stopping that activity. It also notes that you may see improvement - and pain relief - from immobilization of the joint.
Hope this helps!!
Try Prescription For Natural Healing: A Practical A to Z Reference To Drug Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, & Food Supplements. This book covers nearly any illness you can think of, from Alcoholism to Zika Virus. Extremely thorough, it not only covers what supplements, vitamins, herbs, and minerals you should take, it also covers lifestyle changes and diet. This practically eliminated my anxiety (until I stopped following it's advice), it cured my acne, turned around my depression, and improved my ADHD. It's not a cure by any means as I unfortunately fell back to my old bad habits and lost the book. I will be purchasing it again soon though. I can't recommend it enough.
I have Prescription for Nutritional Healing and Staying Healthy with Nutrition which I'll use as references for basic nutrition. The second one comes off a bit too hippy-ish for me sometimes (they state one of the most important water-soluble vitamins is Vitamin L, aka 'love') however all-in-all it's a pretty solid resource for understanding the essentials. The book begins with a discussion on water, which I think is great as H2O is often left out.
I'm also particularly interested in sport nutrition, so I have also picked up Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. I like glossing over the reference textbooks, then switching to Nancy's book to get her 'sports coach' perspective.
I really like Prescription for Nutritional Healing, it's more like an encyclopedia.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1583334009/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
You have a great idea here and I believe that if you reference this http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1583334009 you could provide more specific reasoning to why specific supplements are used. I found it a little vague with not giving more specifics. Have your write up on lysine be your basis for your descriptions of your other supplements. If you want feel free to PM me any questions.
I've been reading Shinzen Young's new book The Science of Enlightenment, and he talks a lot about the very questions you raised - there's even a whole chapter on impermanence. It may be worth a look.
I bookmarked this book on Amazon just because of the reviews. I've never used it, but based on what I've read about it, it could be worth a shot:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1598582062/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1762633561FV6&coliid=IDM3JYRS1OS03
>but its like there's an invisible force keeping me from doing anything to ask her for her number, get close to her, or even show interest.
investigate why you feel that way. use your introverted mind to the best of its capabilities to figure this out.
you will realize you are afraid of rejection and being judged
further down the line you will see you have nothing to lose as you can be dead tomorrow, and might start improving your situation once you psychologically understand this as opposed to just intellectually.
you should read some books about buddhism, it trains you to take control of your reality as opposed to being 'a prisoner in your own head'.
I recommend this one, its very in depth and insightful, and I'm currently reading it.
http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-A-Practical-Guide-Awakening/dp/162203063X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410368601&sr=8-1&keywords=joseph+goldstein
i mentioned two other books on another comment here, but also thought of another; mindfulness: a practical guide to awakening by goldstein.
i do believe he covers quite a bit of historical ground and may mention some material that is debatable. regardless, i honestly think this may be the most concise book on the topic of mindfulness. it's the only "way" of living tied to buddhism that i can see works completely without buddhism. hope that makes sense. might be a good read? i've seen this book physically at barnes&noble and although i haven't purchased it yet, it's quite beautiful and insightful.
I'd recommend the Satipatthana Sutta with translation and commentary from Analayo, along with commentary in text and audio by Joseph Goldstein.
https://smile.amazon.de/Mindfulness-Practical-Awakening-Joseph-Goldstein/dp/1622036050/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=goldstein&qid=1566730845&s=gateway&sr=8-2 is an amazing resource. You can start with the free sample.
Maybe read the sidebar of this subreddit, e. g. https://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation/wiki/faq#wiki_how_do_i_begin.3F
I find it very good to read both original texts as well as modern teachers.
For example, Thanissaro Bhikkhu is one of the worlds foremost translators of Pali texts, considered the most original sources for what the Buddha said and did. One of my favorites from him is Wings to Awakening, in e-format here, but you can get it directly from his monastery, The Metta Forrest Monastery.
In just that book's introduction he gives a basic background of the Buddha and popular beliefs of that time. This helps me understand the context of why the Buddha emphasized what he emphasized. If you've ever read the Majjhima Nikaya's Dog Duty Ascetic it's obvious that to me, at least, in the US, and most in Western cultures, there is no context in my experience to understand why the Buddha would even talk like that.
More popular writers, such as Joseph Goldstein and Mindfulness where he discusses the Sattipatthana Sutta at length, give me insights into the sutta that may not have occured to me on my own.
Then, reading some of Robert Thurmon's works, I can begin to understand some of the Tibetan perspective on the Buddha's teachings. I am strongly rooted in the Theravada practices of Vipassana, and to learn more about other facets of Buddhism enriches my understanding.
Very basically, others can help me understand the Buddha through their modern perspectives on his teaching and life. I'm ever so grateful for their writings, talks, and any meditation courses or retreats they may offer.
May we receive all blessings.
still a more reasonable argument than "every time you form a concept you lose sight of reality"
[This one.] (http://www.amazon.com/New-Encyclopedia-Modern-Bodybuilding-Updated-ebook/dp/B007US9NA8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406828584&sr=1-1&keywords=bodybuilding+encyclopedia)
> I've been told by EVERYONE that building a strong back helps but have found that to not be true.
I would concur. IMHO, people who don't suffer from scoliosis just repeat what is in the literature. Obviously, there is a back imbalance, but what kind? I've been told by a medical doctor that swimming would help, but why? 'Because it is "good" for the back.'
In terms of exercises, I've found !transverse rotation! to be the key, and unfortunately, it's hard to replicate that movement with bodyweight training. It's probably the biggest gap in bodyweight after lack of leg development.
No comment about 'wall angels,' I never did them.
Foam rolling & triggerpoint release - it might be that your foam roller is too soft, or you don't know where the hot spots are (I'm hazarding a guess). Now, I'm not a medical doctor, but you'd do yourself a favour by getting [Clair Davies' book] (https://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatment-ebook/dp/B00ECLGALG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494967995&sr=8-1&keywords=clair+davies+trigger+point+therapy+workbook) and getting suitable tools. I have several, but I've found the jackknobber and the [Massage Block Twinblock Pro] (https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Headache-Performance-Myofascial-Recovery/dp/B00W4LZZK8/ref=sr_1_cc_1_a_it?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1494968059&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=massage%2Bblock&th=1) to be my go-to tools. [This chart] (http://www.proudback.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/trigger-points.jpg) might also help.
S-curve - So I've seen your vid 3 times, and I can't see your S-curve, especially because you don't face your back directly to the camera. It is likely not as pronounced as you think (if image was an issue).
What strikes me though is how stiff your thoracic spine is. It is kyphotic even when you are hanging from the bar (I had a 'permanently' kyphotic T-spine too). I'd do research on how to mobilise it, because it is evolved to be mobile, whereas yours seems to be a solid block.
> how my spine effects my ability to progress
I've not found my scoliosis to hinder my calisthenics training. The major concern is can you make it worse by training? And I believe you can. That's why I use foam rolling / triggerpoint release to keep it at bay, though /u/xBrodysseus has experienced improvement because of training.
>I don't understand the mechanics at work.
The mechanics of the front lever are the same whether you have scoliosis or not. Maximum effort retraction and maximum RoM depression of the scapulae, and then pushing the handle down to your hips.
>Making it impossible to get my back truly straight (It also makes form checks pretty frustrating)
As far as I can tell, your T-spine is not mobile in the sagittal plane. This is a kyphosis issue, not a scoliosis one.
Front Lever - Regarding form-checks, was this your last set? If I may be frank, the L-sit pullups were not clean, you were struggling with the front pull to tucked front lever, and your jack-knife front lever did not have any scapular retraction.
If this is your regular strength level, you need to regress to horizontal rows and work those moves with maximum scapular retraction. This would be my advice to you whether or not you have scoliosis.
Front lever is certainly (easily) within your build, but you are likely not strong enough to be practicing front lever holds (insufficient scapular retraction).
I recommend getting a lacrosse ball since they are quite cheap and versatile: https://www.amazon.com/Kieba-Massage-Lacrosse-Myofascial-Therapy/dp/B017V7UKW2/ref=sr_1_2?s=team-sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1486000450&sr=1-2
In addition, read up on trigger points and how to massage them. I suggest reading https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECLGALG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
There is a new one available:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3BJK1Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_eI1gzbMDKG5D6
Very entertaining...
It can take up to a year to regulate after birth control. The variation in your cycles is not as worrisome if you are actually ovulating. Temping with a basal body thermometer is the only way to confirm ovulation at home. The sidebar has tons of great information to get you started and I also suggest you read The Period Repair Manual and Taking Charge of Your Fertility.
I read all the major medieval grimoires, and have read even Owen Davies academic book on the history of the occult.
https://www.amazon.com/Grimoires-History-Magic-Owen-Davies/dp/0199590044/
So tell me what I don't know.
Oh! Another one I read that was fascinating was Grimoires: A History of Magic Books. As it gets closer to modern day, it shows how capital M Magic (spells and such) started to intersect with magic and illusion.
I literally JUST received Meditations from the Mat in the mail! I suppose I shouldn't offer it as a suggestion just yet since I haven't read it, but a teacher I very much admire and enjoy taking classes with suggested it, because it offers daily reflections, so you can read a little and get "little tastes" of the spiritual side of yoga.
I tried to read the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga but had a really difficult time getting into it. :/ I'm excited to hear others' suggestions!
Meditations from The Mat is a great book too!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385721544/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=35077703004&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5667773347437400616&hvpone=11.15&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_5vcab3xz8u_b
If you enjoy yoga (even if you don't practice yoga), you may like Meditations from the Mat
For everyday little thoughts or things that my yoga teachers say around savasana I like
Or some "stylish" books like ...
There's also some documentaries like Enlighten Up which used to be streaming on Netflix for free. Not a GREAT documentary but good if you want to focus on the culture of yoga!
The Body Remembers
http://www.amazon.com/Body-Remembers-Psychophysiology-Treatment-Professional/dp/0393703274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458805403&sr=8-1&keywords=the+body+remembers
http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Childhood-Sexual-Abuse-Practical/dp/1555612253/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458805422&sr=1-1&keywords=surviving+childhood+sexual+abuse
http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Childhood-Sexual-Abuse-Workbook/dp/1555612903/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458805422&sr=1-2&keywords=surviving+childhood+sexual+abuse (workbook that goes with the above)
These three books have been absolutely invaluable to me as a placeholder for therapy. In fact, when I was in an intensive-outpatient day program specifically for sexual trauma, 90% of the therapy was directly out of the first book. When I could no longer afford to attend, I just went out and bought it myself.
I'm not trying to push that its better than therapy but I completely understand where you guys are at and to be honest if it's not the right time, then it's not the right time, and nothing good comes of forcing yourself before you're ready or before being sure that you will have time to open pandora's box, in a sense...at least it feels that way, anyway.
You sound very loving and supporting to be there with your girlfriend through this, and I hope you both can get some peace asap. Sending yall the best of thoughts.
I guess I should clarify. I don't mean at that very moment. Just like the OP's bf, it works just fine after immediately controlling the impulse. Trauma, stress, etc (both big and small) can get stored up and need release. You acknowledge that yourself, so I don't think we're that far off.
>Exercise is great because it helps to process cortisol. Progressive muscle tensing is also great.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.amazon.com/Body-Remembers-Psychophysiology-Treatment-Professional/dp/0393703274&ved=2ahUKEwiH5ceb-fXkAhUI1qwKHTmyB10QFjAAegQIBhAC&usg=AOvVaw2t04GgVewLY_XpQyv9vK5c
ETA: There is a direct refutation of you article linked right there:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/evil-deeds/200909/anger-and-catharsis-myth-metaphor-or-reality
"Striking a pillow, bag or bed when one is not already angry can be an effective technique employed by some Reichian or Bioenergetic therapists for inducing, evoking and becoming more aware of one's repressed rage."
In no particular order, I'd recommend: The Early Kabbalah, The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis, Meditation and Kabbalah, Lessons in Tanya, 138 Openings of Wisdom, Anatomy of the Soul, Sefer Yetzirah, and A Tapestry for the Soul.
Thank you for getting the joke.
I would not really advise to solely look at Enochian Text for this, you might want to start looking at
A Dictionary of Angels for some good baseline info
and the Sepher Rezial Hemelach
Fifth World Books - 419 E. 2100 South, SLC, UT. Ph.(801)486-6437 Will often know where to point you as well. Rosenblum's World of Judaica on Devon St. In Chicago can direct you as well as get you some very hard to find reference books.
Hope those can give you some more diverse and accurate sources of information.
EDIT: Also of course the Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation and The Magician's Companion
This website has a little profile for each plant, you can search either the aliment or the herb. -https://herbpathy.com/. I love to read some of Susun Weeds articles, and she also has a radio show on blog talk that anyone can call to talk to her, she is more women centered in general, but has great information for everyone. http://www.susunweed.com/. Then, here are some books on the subject that can help you make your own herbal medicines- https://www.amazon.com/Male-Herbal-Definitive-Health-Care/dp/1580911757/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510690404&sr=8-1&keywords=the+male+herbal
https://www.amazon.com/Herbal-Medicine-Makers-Handbook-Home-Manual/dp/0895949903/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 - I read this one, and its great.
https://www.amazon.com/Wise-Woman-Herbal-Childbearing-Year/dp/0961462000/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510690479&sr=1-3&keywords=the+wise+woman+herbal
For those of us who like to explore psychoactives there is this book- https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Psychoactive-Plants-Ethnopharmacology-Applications/dp/0892819782/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510690609&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=encycolpedia+of+psychoactives.
I sometimes get books through the public library its a great resource to check out various types books before buying them or if you can't afford to. Some herbs which I have explored, and like are: California Poppy wonderful for anxiety, sleep, and mild pain. Damiana slightly mood uplifting, and great for the reproductive organs, I don't know if it was this herb is entirely to blame for it but my cycle is way more regulated ever since drinking it. Echinacea for colds, and immune support. Skullcap for anxiety. Tumeric, Manjistha (Indian herbs), and pepper together for inflammation, and the blood/skin, black seed Oil, and of course kratom. I have been building my own little medicine cabinet piece by piece playing, and learning along the way. Enjoy! May you discover a new, and amazing journey.
you might find value in Rosemary Gladstar's books on medicinal herbs. There are a few that might be of interest to you. medicinal herbs for beginners, 175 herbal recipes for vibrant health, herbs for stress and anxiety, and family herbal are a few good ones to look into.
In the related listings I found several other great titles with good reviews on them. Among them, there was the herbal apothecary, the complete medicinal herbal, and the herbal medicine maker's handbook
I would also suggest James Wong, an ethnobotanist. He has a series that was on the bbc about using plants to make medicinal items. It was on youtube for a bit but is no longer there in its entirety. He does have a book on the series, though-
grow your own drugs. A sequel with more recipes can be found here- a year with james wong.
I also find that many sustainable living, foraging, and related sites tend to have good recipes you can sort through. here are a few of the ones i have saved.
mother earth news- make your own herbal teas
wolf college resources
https://arcadianabe.blogspot.ca/
http://www.eattheweeds.com/archive/
lastly, a basic google search for "herbal remedies" brought me a few websites that look promising.
mother earth news- herbs for ailments and wounds
botanical.com has a few resources for recipe and information about plants, but it is more limited than i would like.
the family herbalist looks very promising.
there are probably a ton more out there, but i hope that some of these or the terms they use can help you find what you are looking for.
Oh! I used to live there when I first became a witch! Dedicated myself under a full moon in the month of Imbolc out on, believe it or not, a golf course near my house. Had to sneak out and jump a fence to do it. It was the only place that felt appropriately green enough; I had no respect for the desert back then.
Yeah you'll defiantly have to look into container gardening so you can move those little guys around into the shade. Maybe get something like.. cloth or something so their little roots don't wither up in the heat. We had luck growing Mediterranean herbs back when I was a kiddo, and I bet you could grow sacred datura. She's a well known witching herb that grows in deserts. There's a ton of varieties of sage that do well in that place too. And aloe vera ofc; gotta love those things. Weirdly, I bet mugwort will grow there. I am starting to suspect the only place mugwort won't grow it the literal vacuum of space. I totally think you can do it! Here, get this book. Everybody loves it.
My wife read this book when she was still having problems.
https://www.amazon.com/Still-Thyroid-Symptoms-Tests-Normal/dp/0985690402/188-3007286-4189369?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
It talks alot about diet. It is likely there are things in your diet that are triggering inflammatory responses and keeping the levels mentioned by /u/squeaksthepunkmouse out of optimal range. Gluten a pretty obvious culprit but others include Tomatoes & bell peppers (any plant in the nightshade family), Soy, and dairy. But you have to experiment and find out what triggers your responses.
I can't help you in the way you decribe, but this is basicly what every Hashimoto person wants. I'm 10 years in with this illness and am doing ok. But by the look of it I won't be able to work fulltime, ever. So, that sucks.
Fairly recently I did research and found that a lot of people with hashi are doing much better on a gluten free diet. This prevents inflammation of the thyroid apparently. Did you read 'Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?' It clarifies a lot!
https://www.amazon.com/Still-Thyroid-Symptoms-Tests-Normal/dp/0985690402
Personally I gave up hope to ever finding a doctor who is willing to experiment a bit. Actually I don't think I'll ever find a doctor who is willing to admit there's more to it then taking these meds.. I don't mean to make you feel bad, but I think taking matters into your own hands can help a lot.
Next to going gluten free, I'm exercising. To have a very regulated sleep pattern helps too, but I can't get used to it.
PS Pm me if you want to talk. btw: I don't have any children.
Here is the mobile version of your link
I can empathize. He might want to read "Why isn't my brain working" by Dr. Datis Kharrazian
https://www.amazon.com/Isnt-Brain-Working-Revolutionary-Understanding/dp/0985690437
Avoid wheat in case of auto immunity. Maybe start taking lions mane?
That's very interesting. This loss of focus (brain fog) is quite familiar to me. I suspect it's a symptom of brain inflammation and I get it whenever I have eaten something I shouldn't have. Did you notice these mood changes coinciding with your meals or certain foods? From my experience, if you're indeed having reactions, those won't go away if you stick to the diet for a couple of months more. I noticed improvements within days to maybe a week after eliminating certain inflammatory foods (going gluten/grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nightshade-free, etc.).
This book helped me a lot understanding the connection between brain health and gut health/nutrition. The author also has a website and stuff on youtube. My knowledge about food sensitivities and stuff mostly comes from doing the paleo autoimmune protocol before going ZC (AIP). It's great for that kind of stuff, but way too high in vegetables/fiber/plant toxins to be a truly healing diet IMO. That's why I went ZC.
Sure, you can research David Emerson who's involved at Kripalu, or there's Bessel van der Kolk who is a badass, you can listen to a great interview with him from the show On Being. There's also Stephen Levine.
Here's a Kripalu article that quotes van der Kolk.
And there's psychologists that talk a lot about somatic holding, or at least subconscious holding patterns. An easier read would be stuff from Daniel Siegel(I know it kinda looks like pop psych but it's actually pretty good), one of my favorite authors on trauma is Donald Kalsched, which is a bit more dense and more about work through talk psychotherapy. But often I find myself applying his concepts in yoga classes as a way to understand what's going on inside mentally/emotionally that's connected to my physical experience. Also sheds some light on how I relate to other students and the teacher.
Then there's the bodywork stuff, cranial sacral therapy or somatic body work but there's too much misinformation for me to guide you. All I can say is that I have a yoga teacher that also gives me bodywork sessions that supplement my yoga practice, and the inner growth I've experienced has been profound.
Out of all of this, if you're going to research anything I would highly suggest the van der Kolk interview, which you can download and listen to.
Good points. The water fasting is not my specialty, but I know a little bit about it and have done a few. I did an internship (rather than visited as a patient) at TrueNorth years back when in medical school. It's not going to appeal or be appropriate for everyone, but it does seem to be effective, especially for some conditions with a strong inflammatory component like Rheumatoid arthritis, large blood pressure drops (perhaps no surprise there) and Lupus. You have to have a bit of basic knowledge before embarking on something like that. It's still to gain widespread acceptance within the mainstream, but there is a growing evidence basis for it.
If you are thinking of water fasting I'd suggest going to TrueNorth, reading the Pleasure Trap, or Fasting and Eating for Health.
This science: https://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-Trap-Mastering-Undermines-Happiness/dp/1570671974
Have you ever read the pleasure trap by doctor Doug Lyle? Pretty good stuff. The book is a little dry and technical so there's always YouTube.
Link https://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-Trap-Mastering-Undermines-Happiness/dp/1570671974&ved=0ahUKEwiCoa-y9ZrRAhUB3IMKHW20AEQQFghhMAo&usg=AFQjCNE5BvsDzU-BPr2kW0mcCwOjXkAdBQ&sig2=GuWKoUCKWuIn6X9F_dTamA
https://www.amazon.com/Prescription-Nutritional-Healing-Fifth-Practical/dp/1583334009
https://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Healing-14th-Linda-Page-ebook/dp/B00C2DVK5W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1550116554&sr=1-1&keywords=linda+page+healthy+healing
To have fun while learning, try The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. I also like Prescription for Nutritional Healing for a reference.
I prefer to see studies backing claims. Maybe not everything below is relevant, but here are some places I like to read online, too: Examine.com, Stronger By Science (mostly strength training studies), Strength Sensei (Charles Poliquin is an Olympic strength coach and knowledgable in nutrition), Suppversity, ss.fitness
I had to take a nutrition prereq for college and loved it so much I got a nutrition minor. I love and kept all my books for it. And I have plenty supplemental books as well. Here are some of my favorites.
Science of Nutrition
Nutrition Through the Life Cycle
Nutritional Healing
Medical Nutrition Therapy
Haven't gotten far enough to know if there's good instruction in there, but it looks to be a non-mystical analysis of meditation.
https://www.amazon.com/Science-Enlightenment-How-Meditation-Works/dp/1591794609
http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Own-Rotator-Cuff/dp/1598582062/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404936538&sr=8-2&keywords=treat+your+own+shoulder
> They used forty-five healthy college-aged students (twenty men and twenty-five women with an average age of 20.7 years old) and placed surface electrodes on the four muscles during the randomized order of the rehabilitation exercises. They found five exercises that had optimal utilization of each of the four scapular muscles: horizontal abduction with external rotation, side lying external rotation, side lying forward flexion, and prone extension. Wilk, Meister, James and Andrews (2002) also discussed the importance of scapular muscle strength and stability in the rehabilitation of shoulder impingement syndrome.[14] They found that rehabilitation techniques for restoring this strength are manual resistance to the scapula during protraction and retraction as well prone horizontal abduction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impingement_syndrome#Treatment
Can't explain why it says "five exercises" and only mentions four.
The existence of heel spurs on x-ray doesn't mean much. I.e. you can have heel spurs and not have any pain at all.
I had rotator cuff pain and treated it myself using the stretches and exercises in the book Treat your own rotator cuff. Great book, but it will take time to recover doing it yourself.
I did the same thing, went too hard too fast and tweeked my shoulder. I bought this book and it really helped a lot. I've learned that a lot of shoulder problems stem from a weak rotator cuff. (the muscles that hold the head of the humerus into your glenoid cavity) Read the reviews if you are unsure. It is well worth it to get back into lifting without pain.
http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Own-Rotator-Cuff/dp/1598582062/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=03AB9WHAEQCD74ZG97TE
First off, you don't need to worry at all about the concepts I bring up in this comment before you've spent a good 3-6 months getting into the routine I laid out earlier.
So about running
You have to run for a mile, 1600m, to burn around 100 calories; this takes 10-12 minutes to do. Which is roughly the same as one and a half of my big sugar free wheat biscuits. Or 2 simple low fat ham sandwiches.
Cardio for weight loss is a pointless waste of time. If you're going to do cardio then do it after strength work (so that you still keep good form during the strength work).
However, there are other valid reasons for doing cardio. Improved oxygen capacity helps against drowsiness and makes it easier to concentrate intently for longer periods of time. Very useful if your main job is mentally demanding. I also personally find it a lot easier to sleep on the days where I've run.
If you have feet issues, flat feet, then specific exercises to fix that with a later addition of barefoot running will keep it in check. This will have a knockon posture effect on the rest of your body.
So since I've mentioned that then lets get on with the very real preexisting issues you might be faced with as you begin hitting those 3 month and 6 month marks.
First off you need to cross off a checklist of extremely common body dysfunctions to make sure nothing will get worse as you lose weight and strength train.
We'll start in the order you will have to fix them in. The order is from the bottom to the top.
Because each muscle balance issue that exists lower in the body will affect the issues above it. If you decide to fix upper back issues first then that will simply stall out on its own or worsen your pelvic issues.
1.Preexisting injuries:
Consequence if you do not add wrist mobility exercises: depends on the injury itself and how the healing/treatment went. At a minimum you can expect that that wrist will have less mobility, less range of motion, at worst you will develop chronic pain for a variety of reasons. A physiotherapist or doctor can fill you in there if you're interested. Visit the local clinic and ask /r/askdoctor for good measure.
My local clinics for example are staffed by utter morons who can't fix a rotator cuff or send me to someone competent enough to devise a treatment plan to fix it if so their very own bare balls where on the line.
Consequence if you do not rotator cuff exercises: reduced mobility in shoulder girdle (especially upwards mobility), as strength grows in the shoulder girdle you will end up spontaneously dislocating your shoulder (I re-dislocated twice while stretching out laying in bed). Instability of the shoulder socket. Chronic radiating pain.
Consequence if you do not fix flat feet: Chronic pain. Difficulty walking. Knees will rotate inwards which in turn will lead to lordosis which in turn leads to kyphosis and forwardleaning vulture neck. Bones in the foot will fuse together (happened to a relative of mine).
2.Check for/treat lordosis (Forward leaning pelvis. Inwardly rotated knees. Lower back pain/soreness.)
Easy to check in the mirror: https://2xm0t92b1vo22py83u40kcv7-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/lordosis-treatment-kyphosis-treatment.jpg
Another live photo: https://st2.depositphotos.com/2171279/11628/i/950/depositphotos_116289940-stock-photo-woman-with-impaired-posture-position.jpg
Forward leaning pelvis example: https://2xm0t92b1vo22py83u40kcv7-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/anterior-pelvic-tilt.jpg
As for the exercises to fix that I've pretty much forgotten what I used. Think it was weighted squats and then I used hip flexor stretches. Very simple fix. Still do the exercises today. You can look it up online and get a progression that works for you. The key thing here is progressively more difficult exercises until you hit the goal you want.
The key thing is to activate the glutes and use them more while at the same time stretching out the hip flexors.
Consequence if you do not fix lordosis: Lower back pain. Radiating pain down the leg. Leg weakness. Difficulty doing a proper deadlift. Possible hernias if you deadlift improperly with lordosis still there.
3.Check for/treat Kyphosis (Hunchback, forward leaning posture, forward leaning neck, inwardly collapsed chest)
This one is easy to check. If you are at a decent low BF % (10-20%) and look at your upper back then are the spinal ridges poking out more at around chest height than in other areas? Also check your shoulders, are they rounded and leaning forward?
Take a picture from the decide and compare it to the example picture below.
If any of those are true then you need to work at restoring thoracic mobility & stability (Your ability to twist and turn around the chest spine, as well as the core strength, spinal erector strength, and shoulder girdle strength needed to support it.
Example picture: https://scoliosistreatmentalternatives.com/wp-content/uploads/Kyphosis-Normal-vs-Hyper.jpg
I'll come back and add the exercises I use later with sources.
Consequence if you do not fix kyphosis: Upper back pain, weak shoulder girdle, difficulty standing or sitting for medium to long periods of time (1 hour - 12 hours). Shallower breathing.
4.Check for/treat forward neck
Very easy to check, take a picture from the side with a relaxed posture.
I'll come back and add the exercises I use later with sources.
Consequence if you do not fix forward neck: Sore neck, pain, basically the higher up you go in these common dysfunctions the less serious and less debilitating the symptoms are.
5.Learn how to sit and stand relaxed with good posture
I personally use the esther gokhale method. It's easy, relaxing and helps me breathe better. Heres a preview of her book.
Stretchsitting, that way of standing and stretchlying in particular have been big things for me. She also has a side chapter of exercises to fix common issues.
6. Learn the main lift in the RPT (reverse pyramid training) strength routine that the leangains routine is based on, record your lifts, and stick to it
From here on you simply reap gains and maybe add some accessory exercises when you run into trouble (hand grip strength for example).
7.Do a dexa scan for 100-200$ every 3-9 months & Learn the numbers on how quick you can do a leangains cut at different body fat percentages. Also learn how to to a leangains bulk.
That's it. You know have a perfectly healthy, practical, and safe routine that will keep you strong and lean until breathing appears to difficult and someone spends an afternoon shovelling dirt on top of you.
If you want to add cardio for a specific purpose -> Fits into the routine after the strength training
If you want to learn a complex physical movement (hanstands whatever) -> Do it after strength training.
Want to stay nimble and mobile? -> Do a whole body stretch routine daily (starting stretch is a programme you can use. Then find progressions for the exercises there)
Wanna do something sporadic like rock climbing? Go ahead, its low effort cardio and no issue whatsoever with your newfound strength.
I know I've made a lot of unsourced claims in the past few comments and I'll set to fixing that during the week so you can check out the validity yourself. This is something I'm putting together for myself anyway.
I suggest the Satipatthana Sutta with a practice-oriented commentary. It's probably the most comprehensive sutta.
Here are a couple good ones:
Transformation and Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Thich Nhat Hanh)
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening (Joseph Goldstein)
Then there's the Anapanasati Sutta, which is also considered to be very authentic and comprehensive. In it the Buddha shows how he used the breath to practice the four establishments of mindfulness to achieve full awakening. Here are a couple good commentaries:
Breathe, You Are Alive: The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing (Thich Nhat Hanh)
Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation (Larry Rosenberg)
Thanks for the reply. That definitely helps clarify what I've experienced, I can't say I fully understand it at the moment but it will be great to know if/when I achieve it again. I'll look into Reggie Ray, there are some concepts in his book that seem really interesting. I'm currently making my way through [this book] (http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-A-Practical-Guide-Awakening/dp/162203063X) which is providing a lot of insight.
> In particular, the body could perhaps be seen as a kind of inverted fractal image of all of space.
Being interested in Maths, this sounds very interesting, is this something you've read or from your own experiences?
There are a great many Jewish Buddhists. So many that they are known as JewBus (Jew-boos). Joseph Goldstein is quite a well-known and respected Jewish Buddhist, author, and teacher.
His book Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening is worth a read, if you're interested.
You're the one that needs to find yourself again then. I'd recommend daily meditation to accompany this meditation book:
(1) Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening https://www.amazon.com/dp/1622036050/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wboYAbF706VED
This paying attention to yourself will help you gather your pieces of yourself.
And then I guess you're trying to be someone you're not, to gain the approval and validation of others. Maybe this is from childhood trauma, or how your parents showed you love only when you "acted" in a certain way, but my next recommendation will dive into all that:
(2) No More Mr Nice Guy: A Proven Plan for Getting What You Want in Love, Sex, and Life https://www.amazon.com/dp/0762415339/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_LcoYAbM18P7XT
Then I'd recommend taking these courses created by Jordan Peterson to find out who you are at a deeper level, and then reconstructing you and building you up again but authentically and not as a "character":
(3) 2017 Personality and Its Transformations (watch all these lectures): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL22J3VaeABQApSdW8X71Ihe34eKN6XhCi
(4) https://www.understandmyself.com
(5) https://www.selfauthoring.com
Put in the work with what each material recommends and you'll grow into your true self. And just to let you know, I used to do the same thing and was a character until I unlocked my true being. My sister even said a few years back I had a "different" personality and it freaked her out, but she could tell from my authenticity and happiness that this is the real me now. The previous me was a character, and looking back, a depressed one at that even though I always seemed "happy".
What helped me also besides the introspective journey I recommend above, is talking to strangers. I'd meet people in bars and what not, and this was during a time when I was trying to learn how to meet girls, but an interesting thing happened: I started noticing how I act around people I don't know, and with the pressure gone of who I "should" be, I had the freedom to be who I am.
Another thing that's helping me to this day, is to get into a relationship that loves you for the real you. This comes after you've discovered yourself, but old habits may come up when you don't even realize it, and with my girlfriend she keeps me honest with myself.
Realize that this isn't a light switch, this is a hero's journey towards finding and unlocking who you are as a person, the peeling back the layers as you gain a deeper and deeper understanding of your true self. Change only happens to those that want it, and the fact that you took the time to read all this, and write what you wrote.. that means you want it.
See you on the other side.
I think the Buddhist principle you're thinking of is satipatthana, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness or Four Ways of Establishing Mindfulness. This is a super important practice in Theravada Buddhism and the basis for the modern vipassana movement.
The Four Foundations are (1) mindfulness of body, (2) mindfulness of vedana (pleasantness, unpleasantness, or neutralness, sometimes called "feeling" or "feeling tone"), (3) mindfulness of mind (referring to the presence or absence of various mental states), and (4) mindfulness of dhammas (a sort of catch-all covering a huge range of phenomena discussed in the Buddha's teachings).
You can read an English translation of the original Buddhist scripture on this topic, the Satipatthana Sutta, here. I also recommend Joseph Goldstein's new-ish book, Mindfulness, which is a rich and comprehensive exploration of the whole body of Theravada-style Buddhist practice, with an emphasis on meditation practice, through the lens of the Satipatthana Sutta.
I simply sit in lotus position and focus on my breath. I try to return to my breathing sensations as soon as I catch myself thinking.
To be more precise, I try to follow the teachings of Steven Hagen on his books Meditation: Now or Never and Buddhism Plain and Simple.
Buddhism Plain and Simple, by Steven Hagen (recommended on /r/Buddhism)
Believe it or not, this book is great. It's where I learned.
Jog and do push-ups man. Couple that with eating well and you will be fine. If you ever want to get into lifting weights I recommend checking this book out. Obviously you don't have to be into bodybuilding to appreciate this book, but it's been very helpful to me.
Amazon has it:
http://smile.amazon.com/New-Encyclopedia-Modern-Bodybuilding-Updated-ebook/dp/B007US9NA8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1427046317
Sounds like a overuse injury, but the source of the problem might not be in the same spot where you feel pain. Because of how nerves run to your limbs issues with your back or shoulder can cause pain in your arms. Or it could be something in your forearm muscles.
You'll have to do a little learning about it on your own but I'd recommend using trigger point self-massage. Basically you find these little knots in key points in your muscles, and by loosening them up they can relieve pain and other symptoms.
This site isn't really well-written but it has some good info:
http://www.triggerpoints.net/
http://www.triggerpoints.net/forearm-and-hand.htm
If you get serious about treating it yourself I'd highly recommend this book. It's my go-to for any kind of pain:
http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatment-ebook/dp/B00ECLGALG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1396739344&sr=8-6&keywords=trigger+point
Let me know how this goes for you.
Not the OP, but have read the "Trigger Point Therapy Workbook." I highly recommend it. As do the vast majority on Amazon. It has many diagrams that are very important so I would NOT recommend the kindle version for that reason.
> Dahui's Original Shobogenzo:
>
>.
>
>ewk \^? note: People who don't study Zen, but instead attach themselves to religious doctrines and messiahs and such can't handle words like this... they invariable add some "wisdom" or something to this teaching to "help" people with supernatural "wisdom"... but all this really adds is their desperation. Zen students on the other hand will shrug and say, "outside of words" or "vain talk", but what does this take away from "still doesn't leave"?
>
>Without adding anything, without knowledge of what hasn't left, where are we?
That's all that will display for me on mobile and my laptop in multiple browsers. Mobile shows a partial quote preview after "Shobogenzo:" but all it displays is what I quoted. What the heck!
> Well it isn't only books
Yes it is. Here, I'll copy and paste the whole damn thing:
Sayings of Zen Master Joshu- Green Translation
Joshu (Zhaozhou) is known for his short, one or two sentences answers to questions about Zen study.
Mumonkan, a book of instruction, poetry and Cases for novices written by Zen Master Mumon (Wumen)
Perhaps the single most famous Zen text, it is an alarmingly short book, made more alarming by it's lack of instruction and complexity.
R.H. Blyth's Zen and Zen Classics series, particularly volumes 2, 3, and 4 (Mumonkan), are essential texts for anyone new to Zen. These books are out of print, the Japanese publisher has gone out of business, but sites like Terebess.hu hosts electronic copies and random Redditors may also be able to direct you to electronic versions.
Zen Teaching of Huang Po
For anyone familiar with Buddhist doctrines, Huangbo's sayings and lectures serve as an excellent introduction to Zen and how Zen is incompatible with Buddhism.
Give it up for the Legendary Yunmen! Back in Print! Still short, pithy, and smack talky! http://www.amazon.com/Master-Yunmen-From-Record-Clouds/dp/1568360053
R.H. Blyth: Zen and Zen Classics, Volume 2: Huineng to Yunmen
R.H. Blyth: Zen and Zen Classics, Volume 3: Dongshan and Mazu and their heirs
R.H. Blyth: Zen and Zen Classics, Volume 4: Munonkan (Wumenguan), The penultiment Zen text
In order of the complexity of the language, references, constructions from less to more.
Sayings texts, Zhaozhou (Joshu), Yunmen (Ummon), the book by Wumen (Mumon) called The Gateless Gate. Also the poem by the 3rd Patriarh, Faith In Mind.
The sayings with lectures texts, Foyan and after that, Huangbo (Huang Po).
The books written by Zen Masters Yuanwu (Blue Cliff Record) and Wansong (Book of Serenity, Cleary trans.)
The Platform Sutra, the bodhidharma attributed texts, stuff from Dunhuang.
Mumonkan, a book of instruction, poetry and Cases for novices written by Zen Master Mumon (Wumen) and a poorer translation w/ Chinese
Perhaps the single most famous Zen text it is an alarming short book, made more alarming by it's lack of instruction and complexity.
Book of Serenity
Written by Wansong, this is the definitive text on the Caodong lineage. Buddhist priests in the last few decades have been trying to republish the book deleting Wansong's text and inserting religious sermons.
Blue Cliff Record
Written by Yuanwu, this is very long and very famous book of Zen instruction, Cases and poems in the same format as Book of Serenity.
Foyan - Instant Zen
Mumonkan
Yunmen
Huangbo
Foyan - Instant Zen
Yunmen
Joshu (Zhaozhou)
Layman Pang
Yunmen
(especially if you skip right to the Zen sections)
Foyan - Instant Zen - Instant Zen
Mazu - Sun Face Buddha
Zhaozhou - Sayings of Zen Master Joshu
Scholarship:
Bielefeldt's Dogen's Manuals of Zen Meditation: Dogen didn't study Zen, Dogen invented Zazen prayer-meditation, Dogen was a fraud and a plagiarist.
The Sound of One Hand, Hoffmann tras.: Hakuin's "answer key" to Zen koans, kept secret until publication in 1918, provides the answers monks have to give to get certified by the Rinzai church.
Pruning The Bodhi Tree: A collection of essays about the doctrinal basis of Japanese Buddhism, the irreconcilable conflicts with Zen, and the attempt at a Critical Buddhist reformation.
The Zen Doctrine of No-Mind by D.T. Suzuki. Exploring why "Zen" never meant "meditation"
https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.57108/2015.57108.Zen-Doctrine-Of-No-Mind_djvu.txt
See also r/zen/wiki/dhyana
Dahui's Shobogenzo, Vol. 1-2:
Volume 1: https://www.amazon.com/Treasury-Eye-True-Teaching-I-ebook/dp/B01N3BJK1Y/
Volume 2: https://www.amazon.com/Treasury-Eye-True-Teaching-II-ebook/dp/B06XPMTL23/
Blue Cliff Record, Cleary trans.
Book of Serenity, Cleary trans.
Wansong's Book of Serenity, translated by Cleary https://www.amazon.com/Book-Serenity-One-Hundred-Dialogues/dp/1570623813
Book of Serenity was written by Wansong himself
Other books having that title are not Zen texts, regardless of religious claims
Dongshan's Recorded Sayings of Tung-shan. https://www.amazon.com/Record-Tung-Shan-Classics-Asian-Buddhism/dp/0824810708
Dongshan, aka Tung-shan, was the first Caodong Master. Caodong comes from "Caoshan + Dongshan". Caoshan was one of Dongshan's dharma heirs.
Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 3, by R.H. Blyth
>Fayan pointed to a chair and said, “If you know the chair, there’s plenty of room.”
Yunmen said, “If you know the chair, you’re as far off as sky from earth.”
Tianyi said, “If you know the chair, it’s made of maple and cedar wood.”
Dahui remarked, “If you know the chair, you’d better shave your head and wash your feet. Even so, there are many people who still misunderstand.”
Note: The chair is the seat of consciousness, in it there is nothing, plenty of room;
in it you are atop a 1000 foot pole, as far as heaven is from earth;
it is in you, the various elements, maple and cedar wood;
if you know it you'd shave your head and wash your feet like a monk, wearing the patched robe, who could understand?
Relevant:
>Look: when Zhaozhou asked, "How is it when a man who has died the great death returns to life?"
Touzi Datong immediately said, "He must not go by night: he must get there in daylight."
Direct as sparks struck from stone, like the brilliance of a lightning flash. Only a transcendental man like him could do this.
A man who has died the great death has no Buddhist doctrines and theories, no mysteries and marvels, no gain and loss, no right and wrong, no long and short. When he gets here, he just lets it rest this way.
-Blue Cliff Record
>Once you have the intent to investigate this Path to the end, you must settle your resolve and vow to the end of your days not to retreat or fall back so long as you have not yet reached the Great Rest, the Great Surcease, the Great Liberation. There's not much to the Buddha Dharma, but it's always been hard to find (capable) people. The concerns of worldly passions are like the links of a chain, joining together without a break. Those whose resolve is weak and inferior time and time again willingly become involved with then: unknowing and unawares they are dragged along by them. Only if the person truly possesses the faculty of wisdom and will power will he consent to step back and reflect.
And
>Once you have achieved peaceful stillness of body and mind, you must make earnest effort. Do not immediately settle down in peaceful stillness- in the Teachings this is called "The Deep Pit of Liberation," much to be feared. You must make yourself turn freely, like a gourd floating on the water, independent and free, not subject to restraints, entering purity and impurity without being obstructed or sinking down. Only then do you have a little familiarity with the school of the patchrobed monks. If you manage to cradle the uncrying child in your arms, what's the use?
-Swampland Flowers
Link to Dahui Shobogenzo
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N3BJK1Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494106805&sr=1-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=treasury+of+the+true+eye+of+the+teaching&dpPl=1&dpID=51vcf8SdkGL&ref=plSrch
Transmission of the Lamp volumes are pretty good too.
I just started reading The Period Repair Manual because I am also hoping to get myself off birth control pills. There is a whole chapter on how to handle acne and skin changes as you get off the pill. (Also, the book is kind of terrifying in its descriptions of the pill's side effects, so just brace yourself for a naturopath kind of hating on western medicine a little.)
Hi there I really liked the combo of reading the Period Repair Manual (to understand medicine/ diet/ factors p.s. this is my favorite one) and Woman Code (for diet and lifestyle) and taking and Taking Charge of Your Fertility (to understand how your hormones work and what you can notice about hormone and body relationships) . I feel like all three give you a really good complete health picture. Im not "fixed" yet but I feel like it has been a great work in progress.
I was vegetarian for 4 years and decided to eat meat again. I have seen my health improve from my changes. I do not recommend a diet that makes you miserable. I think eating butter (butter is more of a fat than dairy product) helps keep me sane after being more stict with sugar. I do not eat processed sugar and dairy except maybe 1-3 times a month ( i quit four years ago for my acne) I also quit meat since I thought it caused acne but after reintroducing it I have found that to not be true.
cutting processed sugar out was really hard, but not impossible ( and i still enjoy in moderation :)
Are you able to see a nutritionist or dietician maybe to help you?
This book isn't necessarily set up for people trying to conceive, but you might find it helpful in trying to get your cycles to be more regular: https://www.amazon.com/Period-Repair-Manual-Second-Treatment-ebook/dp/B075NDJC2J
This very specific book did it for me.
>Dahui's Real Original, the First Shobogenzo:
Anybody that goes around on the internet telling people he knows what's "real" usually needs to get his tinfoil hat checked.
I am not a Buddhist. I study Buddhist philosophy and try to live my life aligned with the Budda’s teachings (not by any means the same thing)...so I may not be a good source for your question. However...
My advice is to not get too caught up in the various details and such. Buddhism today is like any other organized religion in the sense that it seeks to influence your thinking and behaviors in such a direction that benefits the leadership of that religion. So, instead, I would recommend you start with a couple of interesting books that talk about Buddhist philosophy without bogging down in the dogma. I recommend:
Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
https://www.amazon.com/Why-Buddhism-True-Philosophy-Enlightenment-ebook/dp/B01MPZNG63/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525851744&sr=8-1&keywords=why+buddhism+is+true+robert+wright
And
Buddhism Plain and Simple: The Practice of Being Aware Right Now, Every Day
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CVTTWM/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o01_?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These two books look at Buddhism in a sober, modern light and do a very good job of pointing out the basic teachings. They both also reference other sources that you can then use to expand your exploration, if you so desire.
Best of luck to you, on your path....