Psychotherapist's Journal - Thoughts and Tools to Inspire Wellness in Mind and Body - by Karen Gorrin

Attunement with Nature

Just about the time the clouds shifted, and the beautiful blue sky that was hidden all morning emerged, three black crows landed on the tree next to me and started singing. Their concert continued for more than twenty minutes, lulling me into peaceful contentment.

If you squint you'll see the trio of crows sitting close together on the lower left branch in the photo. Without a zoom feature on my phone it looks like the birds are far away, but I could feel and see them as close neighbors.

Relaxing into the cadence of the music I wondered about the influence these sounds were having on my brain. I had just spent two days at the Wise Heart, Mindful Brain conference with Dan Siegel and Jack Kornfield learning about interpersonal neurobiology. Research now shows how mindful awareness stimulates very similar areas of the brain as listening to jazz music. Both have the ability to place us into a state of gentle self-attunement. Noticing my experience while listening to these birds, I felt an inner bliss and joy. It was a kind of recognition that expanded my sense of me to include my interconnection to the natural environment around me. I felt "in-tune" with the birds, the environment, and myself. When was the last time you celebrated the emerging light with your feathered friends?

I started to wonder if these were in fact crows or ravens? I didn't know the difference. A visit to wikipedia gave some background, but I found myself much more interested in the symbolic meaning of both birds in folklore and occult circles. In Buddhism, for example, the crow is associated with protection. The Dharmapala, the protector of the Dharma, is represented by the crow in one of his physical forms. The crow has also heralded the birth of several Dalai Lama. I will reflect on these qualities of my trio of visitors today. Whatever their purpose in sharing space with me, I warmly welcome the tradition of protection they bring. What are the symbols of protection in your life?

The Invitation - A Native American Prayer

What a gift I stumbled upon today. I was organizing some papers when I re-discovered this beautiful Native American prayer, The Invitation, adapted by Elder Oriah Mountain Dreamer. I had included the prayer in an interfaith chapel service I led at Swedish Medical Center several years ago while I trained and worked there as a pastoral counselor.

May you accept the invitation of this prayer, drink in the challenge of the words, listen closely as you deepen your relationship with yourself, hearing the truth of who you are, noticing what's working, and noticing where you might choose differently.

As a suggestion, you could follow your reading of this prayer with time for quiet reflection or journaling. You might also offer this invitation to someone special in your life. What a fabulous conversation you could have!

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living, how old you are, or how much money you have, whom you know, or how you came to be here.

I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

Now Accepting Premera Blue Cross and LifeWise

Effective today, I am now an in-network preferred provider for Premera Blue Cross and LifeWise Healthplan of Washington.

Great news! I now bill directly to Premera and LifeWise insurance carriers, offering my psychotherapy clients an added convenience. In some cases, such as for Microsoft employees and their families with 100% in-network coverage, this also means no out-of-pocket expenses for most psychotherapy services. (Of course, please always contact your insurance carrier directly to verify your benefits and coverage amounts.)

For clients with other insurance plans, I will continue to provide detailed statements that can be used to request reimbursement for psychotherapy services. I will also continue to accept all major credit cards as an added convenience to clients with co-payments and others who choose self-pay or are without mental health coverage. Please contact me directly with your questions about these changes.

Wisdom from Brothers and Sisters

It's interesting where we can find the great insights. The other night I watched the season finale of the television show Brothers and Sisters. In a speech given by the Calista Flockhardt character Kitty, while officiating at her brothers wedding, she said, "It seems that when we give up on what was, that's when things we thought improbable, or impossible even, happen right before our eyes."

Go Kitty! When we let go of our attachment to things being a certain way, we give things space to be what they need to be. This applies to everything from people to life circumstances. When we grasp our life, our life becomes unable to unfold. In our attempt to hold on, we can actually loose. Yet when we let go, we often find ourselves gifted with our hearts desire.

Why do we grasp? I believe we sometimes forget what our inner wisdom knows to be true: The only thing that really exists is the present moment. That is all that exists. Now. Here. This moment. When we forget this, we can sometimes be lured into grasping onto an experience or idea from the past. But it only takes a second to come back. Do it now. Be still ... and open your heart and mind. You may be surprised what happens next.

Awaken to a Great Day

This beautiful presentation was forwarded to me by my colleague Kris Stockwell, an acupuncturist in Tacoma. Click here to view the multimedia presentation (note it may take a couple of minutes to load) or just enjoy the inspirational words below. Wishing you a GREAT day.

Awaken
by Ralph S. Marston, Jr.

In your life
A new day is dawning
Awaken and touch the beauty

Wherever you've come from
Whatever you've been
New possibilities beckon
Right here and now
Awaken and make them real

There was a time when you held in your heart
The most magnificent of dreams
A time when life seemed to carry
Endless promises and possibilities

Those dreams are still with you
Awaken and bring them to life

What you long for
Is longing for you
What you dream of
Is what you are meant to create

Power of Ritual at the American Cancer Society

Yesterday I had the great privilege of leading a training for the Quality of Life team at the American Cancer Society Seattle office. I had been invited to speak about greif and loss, and to design a ritual to support the patient navigaotrs in their work with patients.

Ritual is a tool that encourages us to express ourselves though story, symbol, and action. The power of ritual, no matter how simple, is not to be underestimated. Have you ever noticed that ritual can last a moment - as in lighting a candle, or it can last for hours - with song, dance, drumming, and costumes? Ritual may be used to request a healing, honor a transformation, or communicate with the divine.

For some people, ritual is experienced as a form of prayer - a conversation with God, or higher spiritual power. Anthropologists tell us we are experiencing a revival of ritual, possibly because ritual offers an experience that can be "spiritual but not religious."

For yesterday's ritual, I carefully selected a piece of music that had recently been introduced to me by my colleagues at Mind/Body Associates International. The song, Devi Prayer, comes from the album, 108 Sacred Chants of Mother Divine by Craig Pruess & Ananda. It is a beautiful, meditative chant that I find evokes calm and serenity.

We began yesterday's ritual with a guided meditation, designed to create stillness in mind and body. Then, each participant was invited to select a river rock from a large bowl. The rock was to symbolize people the patient navigator had supported but are no longer working with, either because of recovery or death.

Friends Make Life Sweet

There is nothing as comfy as spending time with good friends. I am blessed with having a community of special women and men I call "friend." What about you? Did you know the quality of our friendships, also known as our "social support system," plays an important role in our health and well-being?

Friends increase our sense of belonging, purpose and self-worth. In fact, just knowing there are people in our lives to turn towards in times of distress actually strengthens our resilience and reduces our experience of stress.

Some people benefit from having a large and diverse social support system, while others prefer a smaller circle of friends and acquaintances. Whether one friend or twenty, studies show it is our perception of the quality of our social support system that most influences our immune function.