Every one of us has endured many challenging experiences and thoughts due to our potential exposure to the Covid-19 virus. Some of you have worked tirelessly as nurses, nurse practitioners, and doctors. And some of you may have lost friends, relatives, and co-workers to the virus. Like the concept of Six Degrees of Separation, we are all related as human beings walking through the same experience on this earth.
Collective Unconscious
I recall how the Ebola outbreak caused consternation amongst people around the world in 2014. Yet, once it was contained, we felt safe. Our collective unconscious and our negative thoughts had initially stoked the fire of fear. The media stirred it up as well.
Positive Emotions are Helpful
As the Dalai Lama stated in 2009: We first have to learn how negative emotions and behaviors are harmful to us, and how positive emotions are helpful. We must realize how those negative emotions are not only very bad and detrimental to one personally, but harmful to society and the future of the whole world as well.
Lower Anxiety
I’m sure you all have heard about BWRT from me – a highly effective technique for lowering anxiety and improving self-esteem, amongst many other areas where we experience challenges in our lives. If you’re interested in revisiting this modality, you can learn more here.
Free Workshops
I plan to offer two free workshops (via Zoom) in June, which use BWRT to focus on assisting you with how to eliminate specific emotions such as fear or lack of confidence. Each workshop will have a limit of 25 people. Each invitation will explain how using Brain Working Recursive Therapy in a group setting will galvanize your focus. At a future date, I will offer a free hypnosis session for those who might wish to participate.
I will forward an invitation to you in the next few weeks. In the meantime, I would like to close with a quote from Shirley Ward, a highly respected steward of the earth:
“We are all one. A profound shift will occur when humanity realizes each of us is an integral part of nature and the planet. Every idea, event, catastrophe, or healing is conceived, gestated, and birthed. The universe is in us, and we are in the universe, each affecting the other.”
If you’ve ever spent time discussing education with friends who are teachers and principals, it’s no surprise to learn that the incidence of learning disabilities among children in the US is about 10%. The spectrum ranges from being dyslexic to having symptoms of ADD and ADHD as well as autism.
According to the psychologist, Susan Baum, Ph.D., “Everything in school is about reading and writing. This amounts to a kind of educational abuse of students whose talents are in other areas.” In other words, pay attention to what subjects really get your child excited about in school.
Children with learning disabilities have very special gifts
In many cases, children with learning disabilities have very special gifts, because they view the world from a different vantage point. My grandson, Jaivion, is ADHD, yet he’s very gifted as a drummer. A child with ADD may immerse themselves in a sophisticated design for towns with mega blocks for hours.
Many famous artists struggled with health issues or learning disabilities, only to create brilliant works of art. For example, Van Gogh was Bi-Polar while Michelangelo sculpted and painted despite having a painful gout condition.
Slow down the child’s thought process
I’ve used hypnotherapy with these talented children to empower them to slow down their thought processes as best as they can. Often, they fall asleep, and amidst the rhythm of hypnotic stories, they process the inner messages being transmitted. The increase in frontal lobe activity boosts their confidence, enabling them to be less angry, and think more calmly.
Meanwhile, new processes in BWRT are being developed for these kids, which I plan to utilize within the next year.
Warriors are decisive, strategic thinkers, and determined to reach their goals.
Settlers are outgoing, sociable, and creative. They also seek approval from others.
Nomads are independently-minded, creative, and are resistant to authority.
Here’s where the fun (or the challenge) comes in – and why the Warriors, Settlers and Nomads concept (WSN for short) is so revealing.
Here’s an example of the Warriors, Settlers, Nomads Concept
My neighbor’s daughter, who was adopted at age 2, turned out to be largely a Nomad. She had difficulty with authority both at school and at home. As a teenager, she ran away from home frequently, sometimes staying away for days on end.
Meanwhile, her mother became more assertive and protective, as a Warrior would. They often clashed, as the Warrior mom was doing her best to protect a Nomad girl who neither wanted nor needed protection. Once I explained the inherent conflict between a Warrior mother and Nomadic daughter, she became more understanding and began to use language that a Nomad would be more inclined to accept, thereby diminishing conflict.
Learning WSN can empower you and enhance your communication skills in the following situations…
You’re a Settler boss, but you have a Warrior employee. How do you keep him motivated while preventing conflict with other employees?
You can be a Settler amongst your friends and family, but a Warrior at work. A friend of mine works in the IT Department for a well-known company in Portland. She’s a Warrior at her job. However, her boss is a Nomad. The boss is unsure of herself and often defers to her team for suggestions, yet she won’t utilize their ideas. This drives my friend crazy. With a very insecure Nomad for a boss, I advised her, it might be time to look elsewhere for a new job.
The Warriors, Settlers, Nomads concept is an excellent tool for helping improve your communication with others as well as helping you adopt new traits that weren’t part of your inherited traits.
We rarely think of exactly how our ancient ancestors managed to survive the extremely harsh conditions of gathering food, hunting wooly mammoths, childbirth, and avoiding disease. While the odds of survival were much less likely than today, those who did make it had incredibly strong willpower.
The concept I’m about to share with you was introduced to me a few years ago by Terence Watts, whose reputation many of you are familiar with. Instinct is a very strong determinant of behavior. This is evidenced by the fact that a specific species of sea turtles have laid their eggs on the exact same beach for thousands of years.
Instinct played an equally important role in the evolution of Neanderthals. Yet, as they wandered the terrain of Eurasia, this group of primitive humans could be divided into 3 groups, each exhibiting strong behavioral characteristics:
Some aggressively defended their group from invading marauders at all costs
Some formed communities in fertile areas to grow food, but were less likely to defend themselves
Some preferred to wander off alone or in very small groups, following their own rules for survival.
These three ancestral groups could be broadly categorized as:
Warriors
Settlers
Nomads
Given the evolution of each group over time, various distinct behavioral traits emerged among each group. Warriors exhibited tendencies to be determined, decisive and strategic thinkers. Settlers were creative, sought approval from others, and tended to avoid conflict. Nomads could be very individualistic, charismatic, and anti-authoritative.
It’s quite likely that your personality contains dominant characteristics from one of these three groups, while also containing some traits from the remaining two groups.
No one group is more important than the other two. Yet, as you become more aware of the traits you possess as a Warrior, Settler or Nomad, you may find yourself wondering how you can become a better parent, be more creative or be more decisive by adopting characteristics from one of these three groups.
I invite you to explore this very important concept and to reach out to me with any of your thoughts or questions. I’ll be revealing even more ideas about this in the near future.
With the evidence of addiction surrounding us every day, I wonder why we don’t try to understand its mechanisms more deeply; perhaps because it’s so deeply rooted in our culture and our families.
The causes of inner conflict
From a biological standpoint, addiction disrupts our need to maintain “homeostasis,” a neurologically balanced system throughout our brain and body. Through the process of addiction, our brain is constantly overstimulated. Once we’re in this cycle, we’ve created a “new normal” (which is called allostasis.) As you can imagine, navigating between the “old normal” (homeostasis) and the “new normal” (allostasis) produces great inner conflict, both physically and psychologically.
Over time, you’ve heard me describe the powerful benefits of BrainWorking Recursive Therapy® (BWRT) in treating anxiety disorders ranging from childhood trauma, depression and phobias (such as agoraphobia). Here, the addictive mind overstimulates the “fight or flight” mechanism of the reptilian brain. Consider the example of someone who’s begun to use cocaine on a regular basis. As their health and behavior decline over time, their core identity begins to change radically.
Addressing fundamental issues
BWRT addresses this fundamental issue around the client’s change in their identity, resulting in their addictive behavior. Naturally, during the first few sessions, many issues are explored with the client concerning their behavior and beliefs before the occurrence of the addiction. Often people have suffered from multiple traumatic incidents. If so, these issues will be addressed later, at the proper time.
As the client yearns to embrace their desire to be healthy, more confident, and comfortable in their skin, BWRT is utilized to integrate their final transition into a more optimistic life.
Before my introduction to BWRT, I met with a client suffering from serious drug addiction on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, he also attended group meetings. Two years later, I ran into him at a shopping mall. He was radiant. He looked and behaved like a completely different person. All of this was a result of support he had received in several areas.
Rediscover yourself
As we all know, Alcoholics Anonymous, founded almost 85 years ago, has had great success for many years. Today, new therapies such as BWRT address addiction with a fresh, contemporary perspective, providing the individual a chance to facilitate a speedy recovery, and rediscover themselves as a whole person.
We live in extraordinary times. Yet, it’s not very easy. It seems us humans haven’t exactly been the best stewards of our environment. Nor are we doing a great job of getting along with one another. Fortunately, this may be one of those times when extraordinary changes emerge from the chaos.
Which is why my spirits rose when I ran across one of Churchill’s famous quotes:
“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the urge to continue that counts.”
But it was the second part of that quote that impacted me the most: “Failure is not fatal.” We may fail once; perhaps more than once. Yet success will eventually push through. More importantly, when success rushes in, like someone who’s just narrowly escaped from a near-fatal exit, how will you spread the message that yours was a game-changer…that it somehow broke the conventional rules, establishing a new normal for what we can experience in the future?
Feeling the Pain
Two presenters from South Africa stunned me when I attended the Second Annual BWRT Congress in London this past May. It’s not just about violence; it’s that violence is a daily part of life in the townships where the poor and disenfranchised live. Unfortunately, children are often the victims. It was evident the South Africans attending the conference felt the pain while trying to be upbeat.
BWRT therapy can help with emotional trauma
That’s why I was so impressed when Bradley Knight, a school psychologist, used BWRT therapy to de-traumatize a young girl who went to buy food for her sister and grandmother. For safety reasons, she locked the apartment door. When she returned home, she discovered the flat had caught fire. Unfortunately, both had perished in the unexpected fire.
Traditional talk therapy might take many sessions to lower such intense trauma sensations within a client. However, within a few sessions of BWRT, Bradley helped her overcome the sensations of terror and panic she was experiencing. A few weeks later, he visited her and found that, remarkably, she was much calmer, and now felt safe.
Major Basil May, a clinical psychotherapist in the South African National Army, routinely uses BWRT therapy amongst the military and veterans for grief issues, addiction and anger management.
Like a flower blooming in the middle of the sidewalk, HOPE can spring in the most unlikely of places.
And that day gave me more hope than I had bargained for.
Katie is the definition of amazing. She can take any fear or phobia you possess and turn it into one of your strengths. You leave the session feeling like a new person. If you want to change your life, come here. Thank you for your amazing work Katie!
Katie was exactly what I needed to restore/find my professional confidence. I had a big promotional opportunity in my field and while I felt qualified, I was apprehensive about the new role and interview. Over the course of 3 sessions Katie was able to break down some mental blocks I ...
Katie- Just arrived at Scott's home in Palm Desert about 3 hours ago. I had listened to my relaxation tape 2 times this past week and slept like a baby last night. Usually before a flight if I can sleep the night before I end up waking up in the ...
I sought Katie out to help me get over a lifelong phobia (I prefer not to disclose specifics) after an occurrence at work and a traumatic experience on vacation in NY. I was in desperate need of help, but skeptical as I'd have this deep rooted fear for as long ...
Katie Ramseur was very helpful in my desire to overcome anxiety and stress. I found her professional, caring and knowledgeable; she listened carefully to understand my specific needs, then addressed them in our work. The connection I felt with her, was very clear and effortless. I always felt in control ...
So the last thing I am is one of these "woo woo: people -- into alternative medicine, checking my "chakras", meditating, in touch with my inner self.... just not me. So when I first met Katie at a business event, I thought, "Oh, that's nice that she helps folks through ...
"I visited Katie to get a new perspective on my alcohol consumption, which had become a problem. Although I only had a few sessions, I enjoyed them greatly and each time felt better when I left than when I came in. Overall, she helped me take a new look at ...
"The very instant I met Katie I intuitively felt comfortable which is rare for me. I sought hypnotic therapy for a gambling problem and after our 3rd session I hadn't just kicked my bad habit but was exploring many other spiritual avenues that raised my awareness about the world and ...
My sessions with Katie were a complete success. My cigarette cravings were removed and I felt better immediately. My second session she helped me work on controlling my overeating, especially sweets and I can honestly say that too has seen a huge improvement. Thank you Katie for helping my success!
Katie has helped me keep working as a registered nurse. I had become nearly incapacitated by stress in my work life, to the point of being phobic. I just wanted to quit and push the \"reset\" button!During my first appointment with her, Katie listened with great empathy as my story ...
"As a therapist/healer, Katie is a 15 on a 1 to 10 scale. She has helped me generate a positive self-image from a long history of self-sabotaging negativity. Her capacity to deeply listen to, hear, and address my concerns is stellar. Her depth of knowledge of ...
