Extensive use of art and images to awaken higher consciousness”

The Way of Art:

Both Roman Catholicism and Tibetan Buddhism make extensive use of art and images to awaken higher consciousness. Across all cultures, perhaps the single most familiar image of higher consciousness is the mountain, a symbol of a higher view of reality. Another quietly powerful image is the flower, with the rose or the lotus being two popular choices. The flower represents the animating flow of life energy from the seed underground to the bush to the bud to the opening of the flower itself.Try the following meditation on the opening of a rose and see what opens in you.

Imagery Meditation: The Rose

Read the instructions through and then try this exercise for yourself.

1. Close your eyes and connect with your breathing.
2. Allow your mind to focus fully on the sensation of your breath passing through your nostrils… As soon as you are aware of any other thoughts or sensations, bring your attention back to your breath.
3. Now, in your imagination, visualize a rosebush… Notice it in as much detail as possible.
4. Now become aware of a tightly closed bud on one of the branches… Focus on this bud… Now imagine the force of life gently moving into it and opening it.
5. Now identify with something opening in you at the same time… Stay with this experience as long as it lasts…

It is not necessary for this meditation to produce pictures in your mind. Some of us are very visual in our imagination, while for others the imagination is more easily engaged through words or feelings or kinesthetic sensations. For example, you can imagine a rose opening without seeing it: you can imagine feeling it open, or think about the process of growth and blossoming.

Imagine a rose opening without seeing it

Energy Meditation:

A different form of meditation that can evoke higher consciousness is to focus on the energy of your body. I saw how powerful this form of meditation could be through the illumination of a student named Eileen who came to meditation class to reduce her anxiety, which was based on the cold reality that she had a debilitating and possibly fatal illness. She kept coming to class to give it every chance she could. After four months, she had a breakthrough experience.

She was in class meditating on the energy in her hands when suddenly she began to experience her whole body as an energy field. Then she felt her awareness expanding to experience the whole meditation classroom as an energy field.

Eileen’s awareness kept expanding and expanding until it took in the whole city, then the land and water surrounding the city, and finally the whole planet. Eileen experienced the whole planet as energy with her awareness distributed everywhere throughout the energy field. She could see in every direction and she was pervaded with a dancing joy. Time was gone. Confinement in the body was gone. Eileen, as she had previously defined Eileen, was gone.

When Eileen re-emerged into awareness of the meditation class a few seconds later, her feeling of joy took in the entire the room and all people in it. All the colors were vibrant masterpieces, all the objects perfect. She was experiencing the aftermath of her higher state of consciousness, floating on a sea of gratitude.

The class ended and Eileen started toward home. As she walked, she sensed she had just been changed forever. Over the next few days, the changes kept coming to her. She no longer felt afraid of death. She now felt curious about it. But, at the same time, she also loved life more than she had before the breakthrough and was in no hurry to die.

Her mind had a new clarity and peace. She could pay deeper attention to her work and her friends. She could see other people’s viewpoints completely and felt no attachment to arguing with them because she found it much more satisfying to whole-heartedly experience and understand their view. And she found that when she tried to communicate her understanding of their view, people more easily let go of their view to ask about hers. This new way of being became so noticeable at work that her boss began to ask her to handle negotiations with difficult clients.

She could walk down a street and unexpectedly be in bliss at all of the richness and variety of life. Her understanding of God changed from what had been a non-credible humanoid male super-being in the sky to a limitless interpenetrating spirit of love and order that was present here and now. This new understanding simply showed up in her mind one day without conscious effort, and each time she recalled it, she went into a deeply pleasurable state of gratitude.

Two Energy Meditations:

Stand comfortably or sit in a straight chair.
Gently shake your hands for a minute…

Now place you hands in front of you as if you were holding a balloon, elbows at your sides, shoulders relaxed, the palms about 12 inches apart and facing each other … keep your hands and fingers soft and relaxed as you do this…

Place your awareness into the space between the palms of your hands…

Very slowly, begin to experiment with moving your palms closer or farther apart, but always keeping the palms facing each other…

Keep your awareness in this space, studying the sensations between the hands…

Now rest your hands on your lap and notice how you are…

You may experience the space between your hands as a bringing together of magnets from opposing poles and feel a slight resistance if you try to move them towards each other. Some people describe the space as bounciness or as a liveness. Your hands may tingle, feel slightly charged or hot, or be dominated by pulsations in your fingertips and palms. However, you needn’t feel any of these sensations in order for the meditation to be effective. What you are doing is focusing on a subtle level of energy that can lead to illumination.

• Use a straight chair with a good back.
• Sit close to the edge of your chair holding your back in a straight but not stiff posture… tilt your chin down slightly, straightening the back of your neck… keep your knees at shoulder width… your tongue resting lightly on the roof of your mouth…rest your hands on your legs. Relax into the posture, letting go of any tightening or stiffness…
• And now let your awareness contemplate your body… (Do this for one minute).
• And now slide back into your chair, relax, and notice how you are feeling…Do this for a minute).
• One more time—slide forward to the edge of your chair and repeat steps 2, 3, and 4…

You may find this posture uncomfortable at first. After two or three tries, however, it may turn out to be your favorite meditation because of its potential to introduce you to yourself as a living, dynamic energy field. Remember: this spirit element of your nature is not a metaphor; it is fact.

The Enduring Benefit of Higher Consciousness:

Higher consciousness reminds us that we are participating in eternity

After the initial fascination with illuminative experiences fades away, one benefit remains forever: higher consciousness reminds us that we are participating in eternity. We relax into the amazing fact of the world just as it is, and our being here becomes lighter.

As it did for Eileen, higher consciousness simultaneously changes our relationship to death. Instinctively, we as human beings love life so much that death appears to be our enemy. It is certainly our enemy when it takes loved ones away from us forever. Higher consciousness, however, helps us make a great cognitive leap to the understanding that our human situation is not life versus death. The opposite of life is not death. There is no opposite to life. It is eternal, harmonious, exquisitely ordered, and contains all things, including death. A moment of higher consciousness allows us to taste the eternal nature of reality and to experience “the peace that surpasses all understanding.”

Although we may not like to admit it, many of the sleep problems we experience are the result of bad habits and behaviors. We stay up late or sleep in late. We eat foods that disagree with us or enjoy a drink late at night, oblivious to their disruptive impact on our sleep rhythms. Over time, we teach our body not to sleep and for relief we often turn to sleeping pills, which mask rather than solve the problem, and can lead to addiction. Ultimately for real success, with insomnia as with any chronic problem, one must look for the underlying imbalances and root causes and address those.

Here are the common sleep “mistakes” I see in my practice and their solutions.

Mistake #1: Not keeping a consistent sleep schedule. We often think we can make up for lost sleep by going to bed extra early another night but the body clock’s ability to regulate healthy sleep patterns depends on consistency. We stay up late on weekends, expecting to make up sleep later or use the weekend to make up for lost sleep during the week. Both practices disrupt bodily rhythms and late night weekends in particular can cause insomnia during the workweek.

Solution: Create a routine and stick to it. Getting up and going to bed around the same time, even on weekends, is the most important thing you can do to establish good sleep habits. Our bodies thrive on regularity and a consistent sleep schedule is the best reinforcement for the body’s internal clock. Waking and sleeping at set times reinforces a consistent sleep rhythm and reminds the brain when to release sleep and wake hormones, and more importantly, when not to.

Mistake #2: Using long naps to counter sleep loss. Long naps during the day especially after 4pm or even brief nods in the evening while watching TV can damage a good sleep rhythm and keep you from enjoying a full sleep at night.

Solution: Nap for no more than 30 minutes. If naps are absolutely necessary, make sure you only nap once a day and keep it under 1/2 hour and before 4 pm. In general, short naps may not hurt sleep and in fact a short siesta for half an hour after lunch or a 20 minute power nap before 4 pm works well for many people.

Mistake #3: Not preparing for sleep. Expecting the body to go from full speed to a standstill without slowing down first is unrealistic. Our bodies need time to produce enough sleep neurotransmitters to send feedback signals to the brain’s sleep center, which will result in the release of sleep hormones to allow you to sleep.

Solution: Take the time to slowly shift into sleep.

1. Create an electronic sundown: By 10 pm, stop sitting in front of a computer screen (or TV screen) and switch off all electronic devices. They are too stimulating to the brain and will cause you to stay awake longer.
2. Prepare for bed. Dim the lights an hour or more before going to bed, take a warm bath, listen to calming music or soothing sounds, do some restorative yoga or relaxation exercises. Getting your mind and body ready for sleep is essential. Remove any distractions (mentally and physically) that will prevent you from sleeping.

Mistake #4: Not giving your body the right sleep signals. Our bodies depend on signals to tell them when to fall asleep and wake up, the two most fundamental ones being darkness and light. But we live and work in artificially lit environments and often miss out on the strongest regulatory signal of all, natural sunlight. When we go to sleep and our bodies need complete darkness for production of the important sleep hormone, melatonin, our bedrooms are not pitch dark, thereby interfering with this key process.

Solution: At night, keep the room as dark as possible. Look around your bedroom: the alarm clock read-out that glows in bright red; the charging indicator on your cell phone or PDA, the monitor on your computer, the battery indicator on the cordless phone or answering machine, the DVD clock and timer. Even the tiniest bit of light in the room can disrupt your pineal gland’s production of sleep hormones and therefore disturb your sleep rhythms.

Conceal or move the clock, cover all the lights of any electronic device and use dark shades or drapes on the windows if they are exposed to light. If all of that is not possible, wear an eye mask. If you get up in the middle of the night, try keeping the light off when you go to the bathroom. Use a flashlight or night light.

Mistake #5: Having a bed time snack of refined grains or sugars. These are metabolic disruptors which raise blood sugar and overstress the organs involved in hormone regulation throughout the body. This hormone roller coaster can affect sleep cycles by waking you up at odd times during sleep as the hormone levels fluctuate.

Solution: If you have to eat, have a high-protein snack. It is better not to have anything before bed but at least a high protein snack will not only prevent the hormone roller coaster, but also may provide L-tryptophan, an amino acid needed to produce melatonin.

Mistake #6: Using sleeping pills to fall and stay asleep. Sleeping pills mask sleep problems and do not resolve the underlying cause of insomnia. Many sleep studies have concluded that sleeping pills, whether prescription or over the counter, over the long term, do more harm than good. They can be highly addictive and studies have found them to be potentially dangerous. For short term use, there may be indications for sleeping pills, but over time, sleeping pills can actually make insomnia worse, not better. If you have been taking them for a long time, ask our doctor to help you design a regimen to wean yourself off them.

Solution: Learn relaxation techniques. Aside from physical problems, stress may be the number one cause of sleep disorders. Temporary stress can lead to chronic insomnia and circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Many people tell me they can’t switch off their racing minds and therefore can’t sleep. Do some breathing exercises, restorative yoga or meditation. These will calm the mind and reduce the fears and worries that trigger the stress.

Mistake #7: Using Alcohol to fall asleep. Because of alcohol’s sedating effect, many people with insomnia drink alcohol to promote sleep. Alcohol does have an initial sleep inducing effect, but as it gets broken down by the body, it usually impairs sleep during the second half of the night leading to a reduction in overall sleep time. Habitual alcohol consumption just before bedtime can reduce its sleep-inducing effect, while its disruptive effects continue or even increase.

Solution: Take nutrients that calm the body and mind, getting you ready for sleep. Don’t drink alcohol to help you sleep. Look for a calming formula that has some of the following: amino acids, L theanine, taurine, 5 HTP and GABA, and herbs like lemon balm, passion flower, chamomile and valerian root. Taking the minerals, calcium and magnesium at night is also helpful. For some people, especially we folks over 50, melatonin can be helpful too. This is because the body produces less melatonin with advancing age and may explain why elderly people often have difficulty sleeping and respond well to melatonin.

Mistake #8: Watching television to fall asleep. Because we have no trouble at all falling asleep in the living room in front of the TV many of us watch TV in bed to fall asleep. But when we fall asleep in a bed watching TV, we invariably wake up later on. This sets up a cycle or conditioning that reinforces poor sleep at night. I have had many patients over the years develop insomnia due to this type of conditioning.

Solution: Get the TV out of the bedroom. Don’t watch TV in bed, the bed should be associated with sleep (and sex).

Mistake #9: Staying in bed hoping to fall asleep. If you can’t fall asleep within 30-45 minutes, chances are you won’t for at least another hour, and perhaps even longer. You may have missed the open “sleep gate” or missed catching the sleep wave. A “sleep gate” is the open window of time your body will allow you to fall asleep. Researchers have found that our brain goes through several sleep cycles each night where all sleep phases are repeated. These cycles last from 90 minutes to 2 hours, and at the beginning of each cycle, the body’s ’sleep gate’ opens. You won’t be able to fall asleep when your sleep gate is closed.

Solution: Catch the sleep wave. If you find you can’t fall asleep within 45 minutes, get up and get out of the bedroom. Read a book, do a restorative yoga pose or do some other calming activity for another 1 -1.5 hours before trying to sleep again. Staying in bed only causes stress over not sleeping. It is like surfing, you need to catch that sleep wave. Haven’t you noticed that you can be exhausted and yet you avoid going to sleep and then a few hours later when you are ready for bed, you are suddenly wide awake? You missed the wave.

Mistake #10: Making sleep a performance issue. Often just thinking about sleep affects your ability to fall asleep. What happens frequently is that the way you cope with the insomnia becomes as much of a problem, as the insomnia itself. It often becomes a vicious cycle of worrying about not being able to sleep which leads to worsening sleep problems. Like so many things in life, it is about letting go, going with the flow. Sleep needs to become a natural rhythm like breathing, something that comes automatically and you don’t think about.

Solution: Let go and go with the flow. Use the time to practice breathing exercises or meditation and to become aware of how what you eat, what medications you take, what behaviors or certain activities can affect your sleep cycle. Increase your awareness by paying attention to your body and becoming conscious of how you react to different foods and situations. Use this time productively instead of getting upset that you can’t fall asleep.

One final point

For chronic insomniacs, especially if you are heavy snorer, it is a good idea to rule out Sleep Apnea as the cause. This is a serious condition that affects at least 12 million Americans, many of whom have not been diagnosed. Usually they are heavy snorers. What happens is that the tissues at the back of the throat relax and in so doing block the airways. The brain senses oxygen deprivation, and sends wakeup signals. There is a release of adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormone. Not only does this interfere with sleep, it can increase blood pressure, raising your risk of heart problems and stroke. It can also interfere with insulin sensitivity, and increases your risk of diabetes.

References:

• “What’s wrong with prescribing hypnotics?”. Drug Ther Bull 42 (12): 89-93. December 2004. doi:10.1136/dtb.2004.421289. PMID 15587763.
• D. Maiuro PhD, Roland (13 Decemember 2009). Handbook of Integrative Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Medicine: Perspectives, Practices, and Research. Springer Publishing Company. pp. 128-130. ISBN 0-8261-1094-0.
• Lader, Malcolm Harold; P. Cardinali, Daniel; R. Pandi-Perumal, S. (22 March 2006). Sleep and sleep disorders: a neuropsychopharmacological approach. Georgetown, Tex.: Landes Bioscience/Eurekah.com. p. 127. ISBN 0-387-27681-5.
• Authier, N.; Boucher, A.; Lamaison, D.; Llorca, PM.; Descotes, J.; Eschalier, A. (2009). “Second Meeting of the French CEIP (Centres d’Evaluation et d’Information sur la Pharmacodependance). Part II: Benzodiazepine Withdrawal.”. Therapie 64 (6): 365-370. doi:10.2515/therapie/2009051. PMID 20025839.
• Glass J, Lanctot KL, Herrmann N, Sproule BA, Busto UE (November 2005). “Sedative hypnotics in older people with insomnia: meta-analysis of risks and benefits”. BMJ 331 (7526): 1169. doi:10.1136/bmj.38623.768588.47. PMID 16284208. PMC 1285093.

An approach that can aid in the quest for a good night’s sleep is that of Chinese Medicine. This ancient healing system has offered relief to the sleep challenged for thousands of years. While new to many, Chinese Medicine is mainstream in China, and it is used today for a wide range of conditions by an estimated one-fourth of the world’s population.

The Roots of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine is considered the oldest, most continuously practiced, professional, literate medicine in the world. Written records date back over 2000 years, although the medicine is believed to go back even further. Some experts believe Chinese Medicine is at least 5000 years old.

Chinese Medicine employs acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritional therapy, tuina (pronounced “twee nah”) massage, acupressure, and qigong.

The Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon) is considered the Bible of Chinese Medicine, emphasizing medical theory and acupuncture. Some scholars estimate that it dates back to the first century B.C. In addition, The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica Classic) details the medicinal uses of 365 herbs and is believed to have been compiled around 200 A.D. Many of the protocols mentioned in these ancient texts are still used today.

Chinese Medicine and the West

The development of East-West relations has promoted the use and interest of Chinese Medicine in the United States. During the past 30 years, the practice of Chinese Medicine has dramatically increased here. The National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.) has reported that visits to Chinese Medicine practitioners in the U.S. tripled from 1997 to 2007.
At the same time, the United States is seeing an increase in the practice of integrative medicine. University centers and hospitals are offering Chinese Medicine. Integration has been common in China, where Chinese Medicine is often practiced side-by-side with Western Medicine.

The Chinese Medicine Approach to Sleep

Insomnia comes in various forms, such as trouble falling sleep, difficulty staying asleep, and having dream-disturbed sleep. When a Chinese Medicine practitioner is gathering information to put together a treatment plan, the pattern of the sleep disturbance as well as health and lifestyle issues will be taken into consideration.

A Chinese Medicine practitioner might use the term “calm the shen” when describing a treatment principle. “Shen” is best translated as the spirit of the person in a nonreligious sense. When evaluating Shen, the Chinese Medicine practitioner is looking for the emotional state and presence (or lack) of radiance, calm, and balance. Often with sleep disturbances, the patient will be experiencing patterns of stress, anxiety, or agitation. Chinese Medicine would call this “disturbed shen.”

Treatment for insomnia from a Chinese Medicine practitioner could include one or more of the following therapies: acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritional counseling, Chinese massage (acupressure/tuina), and qigong.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the insertion of needles into specific points of the body to reduce pain, to promote relaxation, and to treat various health concerns. Insomnia and sleep disorders are common reasons why people visit an acupuncturist.

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) lists insomnia as a condition for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown. Continuous research is underway to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture for sleep issues. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine published a review of randomized controlled trials of acupuncture treatment for insomnia. After looking at 46 randomized trials, the conclusion was that acupuncture appears to be effective in the treatment of insomnia, and larger, rigorously designed trials are warranted.

Chinese Herbal Medicine

There are many traditional Chinese herbal formulas to help regulate the sleep pattern. A formula is chosen for each person based on their symptoms, constitution, and medical history. It is best to have a licensed medical practitioner select the proper formula. Some herbs that are used in these formulas include Suan Zao Ren (Sour Date Seed), Bai Zi Ren (Arborvitae Seed), Fu Shen (Poria Paradicis), and Wu Wei Zi (Schizandra Fruit).

Hyla Cass, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist and integrative medicine expert, has reported great results with her sleep-challenged patients using a Chinese herbal compound Wulinshen. You can read more about this herbal approach in her blog on natural solutions to sleep.

Chinese Nutritional Therapy

Chinese Nutritional Therapy includes basic advice on healthy eating as well specific food recommendations for each patient. Some points emphasized in Chinese Medicine for better sleep include not eating for at least two to three hours before bedtime, as well as the avoidance of greasy or sweet foods. Chinese Medicine also recommends staying away from cold drinks. While Americans are big on ice-cold beverages, this is a huge no-no in Chinese Medicine. Also, when a patient seeks help from a Chinese Medicine practitioner for insomnia, a very detailed review will be made regarding the quality of their digestion. Chinese Medicine places a strong emphasis on the connection between digestion and sleep.

Chinese Massage Therapy (Acupressure/Tuina)

Chinese massage therapy consists of applying pressure to specific points on the body (acupressure) and techniques such as kneading, rolling, and pressing (tuina). Acupressure and tuina have demonstrated effectiveness for improving the quality of sleep. Research from China reported the effectiveness of acupressure and tuina in the treatment of insomnia patients. An Italian study reported improved sleep quality after acupressure stimulation for those suffering from sleep disorders, particularly in cancer patients experiencing insomnia.

Qigong

Qigong is a practice that uses movement, breathing, visualization, and meditation to reduce stress, improve flexibility, and enhance overall health. Like a physical therapist will prescribe specific exercises for the orthopedic patient, the Chinese Medicine/Qigong practitioner will often prescribe individualized qigong techniques for each patient. The regular practice of qigong is strongly associated with stress reduction and the encouragement of a deep, restful sleep.

Resources for Further Exploration

Understanding Chinese Medicine can be a bit daunting to the neophyte. Chinese Medicine has a different approach than Western Medicine, although some practitioners integrate both systems with a complementary approach. There is an explosion of interest in the West, and more is being written to bridge the gap between the Eastern and Western understanding.
If you are interested in Chinese Medicine, an excellent primer written for the layperson and novice is The Web That Has No Weaver by Dr. Ted J. Kaptchuk. Dr. Kaptchuk is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.

If you would like to further explore the Chinese Medicine approach to regulating sleep specifically, Curing Insomnia Naturally with Chinese Medicine by Dr. Bob Flaws is an excellent comprehensive guide.

For an even deeper look at Chinese herbal medicine, I’d recommend Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology by John and Tina Chen, experts in pharmacology and traditional Chinese Medicine. This 1,267 page guide details the traditional Chinese uses of herbs for sleep and other conditions, the chemical composition, clinical studies and research, and herb-drug interaction information.

We assume many age related diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, adult onset diabetes, stroke, cancer etc are genetic because our parents had them and therefore inevitable consequences of aging, but this is not true.

Healthy aging is mainly controlled by how we communicate with our genes through diet, lifestyle and the environment we bathe them in. You have a lot more control than you think.

We are born with a set of genes, which are inherited. These genes give us inherent strengths and weaknesses which we can’t change. That means you may be susceptible to heart disease or diabetes, not necessarily that you will get it. How you treat your genes will determine if those susceptible genes are expressed as disease or not. Like a car if you look after it, it will run smoothly for much longer.

Your genes are pluripotential, in other words there are many potential versions of you that can be expressed or you can change how you age or what diseases you get or don’t get by either feeding your genes what it needs, giving them the right nutrients, exercising appropriately etc.

We must also differentiate between different types of genes. There are certain genes that if you are born with, you will be crippled, retarded or have some serious childhood disease and die early. I am not talking about those genes. I am talking about the thousands of genes that render you susceptible to the many chronic diseases so many people are experiencing today. In other words, genes do not cause disease per se unless they are thrust into a detrimental environment that is conducive to expressing these genes as chronic disease.

Chronic disease is determined by how you have treated your genes through out your life, what foods you eat, what you have drunk, what environment you have surrounded yourself with, what stresses you have tolerated, injuries and infections you have endured, how much love and support you have been blessed with etc….the total load concept. Food and nutrients talk to your genes as does exercise.
Have you bathed your cells in the right food, nutrients and love to optimize their function?

How can you tell if you are bathing your cells in the right environment?

You usually get early warning signs, symptoms that if not addressed, that will lead to chronic disease expressed after many years.