I have discussed many times how recovery from Parkinson’s is a soul, mind, and body journey. Also, I have expressed that your body has gotten worn out and your organs are not functioning correctly, in part, because you have been in Adrenaline mode for too many years. In fact, two of the three causes of Parkinson’s I have outlined in the Recipe relate to issues of the mind. Part of solving these causes is calming your mind.
In the beginning of the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®, it states that the three main causes of Parkinson’s are:
1. Qi and Blood Deficiency, which is caused by emotional stress, anger, frustration, and resentment.
2. Phlegm-Fire Agitating Wind, which is caused by dietary considerations such as consumption of too much greasy, fried or sweet foods.
3. Kidney and Liver Wind, Deficiency, which is caused by overwork and insufficient rest which unbalances the body’s natural rhythm.
Today I am going to focus on 1 and 3. Let’s take a look at 1, emotional stress, anger, frustration, and resentment. These are negative emotions. However, from where do they get their origination? How do they appear? How are they fueled? What negative impact do they have to your body?
These negative emotions originate in the mind. They are reactions to life’s events. Some would say that they are impulsive reactions to events, but if we really explore these emotions, we will see that they come from the mind. They may come from the conscious mind or be old habitual reactions to life buried in the subconscious or unconscious mind. In any event, they come from the mind.
An event occurs that you do not like, and you experience stress. How do you react? You get angry because of the event itself and because of the stress it is causing you. You become frustrated because you are feeling stress and you feel like you have no control over the event. And, you become resentful because no matter how angry and frustrated you get, the stress does not go away and you resent it. Your mind creates the road map of how you are going to deal with the event, and your body pays the penalty.
And then, you fall right into cause 3, you burn the candle at both ends (and in the middle) because you do not like feeling stress or anger or frustration or resentment, so you think and you think and you think and you analyze and you analyze and you analyze in hopes that you will not find yourself facing this same stressful event ever again! Your mind is now so overworked that your body pays the penalty, and eventually the Parkinson’s symptoms come to the surface.
Why do the symptoms appear? Because your long-term living life in Adrenaline mode has turned down the Dopamine faucet and your Dopamine is not flowing correctly.
Why are you fatigued? Because the anger, frustration, and resentment have zapped your energy and “boiled your blood” (Cause 1, Qi and Blood Deficiency).
Why is your body filled with pollutants and toxins? Because you have overloaded your organs and those organs responsible for cleansing your body and removing toxins are overworked and not able to keep up with their jobs (Cause 3, Kidney and Liver Wind, Deficiency) — you have Kidney and Liver Deficiencies, and you tremor or shake (Wind).
This is how I saw it when I embarked on my path to recovery. I knew I needed to calm my mind of negative emotions and I knew I needed to cleanse my body of toxins. Through trial and error (and success), I developed the Recipe.
The Qigong exercises work on healing the organs. Many people have reported back to me that they are surprised, and pleased, to find that their positive emotions open up while doing the exercises. This is because you are taking control of your recovery and you feel good about it.
As you do your Qigong to heal your organs, and as toxins are being cleansed from your body, your outlook is brighter and your thinking is less polluted as well…the half-empty glass now appears half-full. As you calm your mind, your brain is not so overworked, and the electricity is able to flow better through your body leading to better movement, less pain and reduction of tremors…less is more!
When you are in Adrenaline mode for too long, your already-overworked brain is getting no rest and your Dopamine faucet is down to a trickle. The brain cannot tell the body everything the brain normally would have been able to tell the body. Therefore, the electricity is flowing through your body with limited electrical charges and with no clear direction where to go. Your result is tremors, bad balance, rigidity, fatigue, and slow movement.
What should you do? The Recipe!
Calm your mind and give your brain a break…a much needed, well-earned holiday from negative emotions and the 24×7 over-thinking of life. How do you do this? Pray, meditate, give gratitude, breath slowly and deeply, think pleasant thoughts, (whatever works for you to relax your mind and body), and trust enough in yourself to look at life’s events through eyes that say, “‘Okay,’ this happened. I know I cannot change the reality that it happened, but I can control how I react to it. ‘Okay,’ let’s see what I can do about it.” This type of outlook is refreshing as it is devoid of negative emotions and it alleviates over-thinking everything as a result of Adrenaline and self-doubt.
I began this year announcing 2019 as the year of calming your mind. Jan and Alex in the UK were kind enough to share an audio of guided affirmations and meditations. The feedback has been phenomenal. If you have not listened to the audio, go back to the post prior to this one, January 1, 2019, and relax to Alex’ calming and reassuring voice.
Trust yourself and calm your mind!
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
Thank you for this post Howard, I do the recipe but my Parkinsons has been getting worse so I am having some doubts. Your post calms me and puts things into perspective. I will continue doing the recipe and trust that things will get better! I have read your book and look forward to all your posts.
Thanks again for all that you do!
Very timely for me Howard! Thank you. These are the thoughts and actions that have helped me along with the Chi Kung.
1. Thinking of a time when I was in complete joy. At first it was hard to maintain. I sat in this feeling over and over and surprisingly it became easier. Thus I was able to share my joy with my daughter. Sometimes it will surprise me and show up spontaneously. If you do this, be prepared to shed a few tears!
2. At night before bed, spend ten minutes in gratitude. I didn’t think it would do much, but once I got into it, it was surprising how much I have to be grateful for.
3. I reviewed my life and began to forgive myself for all that I considered mistakes. I also imagined how the situation could be reversed and mentally developed a new scenario.
4. I have begun to rewire my brain by changing my routine. And I imagine what it is that I want to happen and imagine that it has already happened. Being in joy is the time I imagine this. The sky’s the limit. The mind is an amazing thing! I’m remembering to always think in the future which takes a lot of monitoring thoughts.
These are new actions for me. I hope that it is helpful for you.
Thanks again Howard for your wonderful instructions.
Love to all, Lohren
thank you, this was really great
Insightful, spot-on post, Howard. This describes how I have lived life and the result has been the self-inflicted wound of Parkinson’s. All components of the Recipe are important to Recovery, but for me “calming the mind” may be the most important. The words of Isaiah 26:3 come to mind in a newfound clarity.
Many thanks.
Enjoyed your post.
Cleansing Negativity
Tibetan Buddhism suggests a 3 step preliminary to cleanse negativity, garbage imagination, darkness in cellular level
1. Imagine a liquid like consistency of yogurt falling on your head like Niagara Falls. This removes gross impurities like snakes, Scorpios etc.
2. Imagine a cleansing liquid like Nectar (Amrit) to cleanse all organs and subtle impurities.
3. Finally, a divine light penetrates every cell in the body, leaving no room for darkness.
Now the body and mind (brain cells) are clean like a whistle
I like it.
Howard –
Nice review of the adrenaline vs dopamine modalities.
In reviewing happiness recently, I realized that happiness is not something that happens to me, it is some thing I choose. When I react to the events in the world, I can choose to be scared, angry and neurotic (adrenaline mode), or I can choose to be compassionate, kind and happy (dopamine mode).
Why should I prefer dopamine mode most of the time?
1. It’s definitely a more fun and pleasant way to live.
2. Dopamine mode is sustainable, promoting rest and healing. Adrenaline mode is not sustainable by design: it overuses resources to get us out of occasional jams.
The best part is, when I look deep into my soul, I realize I’ve always had the ability to make the positive choice for dopamine mode. As Glinda, the good witch of the North, tells Dorothy, you’ve always had the ability to go back to Kansas: just click your heals together three times (I.e. Do the recipe) and say, I want to go home, I want to go home…
BTW, I think I’m starting to develop a British accent from listening to Alex’s guided meditation when I go to bed. 😅
Reporting from Oz,
Chris Meyer
What a joy to read the comments on this blog. Howard you have created a miracle here for me! I am especially taken with Chris Meyer’s metaphor of Oz. I have been using the exercises as regularly as I take my PD medicine. Yippee! I haven’t had to increase the dosage!! Even though my disease still feels as though it is advancing. Therefore your most recent blog post is most important to me to read, over and over again, putting it deeply into my brain and body! I have become almost constantly anxious – it is as if I need to breathe in anxiety! I need to rework this mode. Maybe if I wear my new red slippers and click my heels together, I can get help from Oz, too!
Hang in there, Nessa! It seems obvious to me that you’ve got just the attitude and spunk that will eventually lead you aright.
I chose Howard’s methods because conventional medicine offered me nothing, and I had seen what the medication did to my dad.
Over the past year I’ve experienced gradually improving health, and the distinct feeling that when I’m done with the PD, I’ll also be in the best spiritual condition of my life. That’s the best pert for me – shedding my anxieties!
Great to meet you on the blog.
Best regards,
Chris
Today, I needed the gentle, but firm , support of Howard’s words and the wisdom in my fellow travellers blog posts – thank you all. I have definately had “the monkey Mind” for 48 hours .. and feel I’m seizing up .. so “yogurt, nectar and Divine light” were welcome gifts today.
Keep the Faith and keep going forward like the tortoise.
Jan (and Alex) UK
thank you, Howard. As usual, you are right on the money. Mind control!!! Let go and let God as the saying goes. I know that my mind is my biggest issue to rehabilitate.
I wish I could put Akex’s guided meditation on my ipod so I could listen while laying in bed. I think it would aid sleep! (it only plays from my computer in the email…..computer is in office…..:).
Upward and onward!