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December 28, 2015


Hi {!firstname_fix}

I hope that all of you who celebrate Christmas had a restful and reflective day. I loved having my YLD stocking in the quiet of the morning. Some of the luminaries were still flickering when I got up. That always feels like magic. And then the dogs helped later in the day as I went to gather all the bags up. We had a lot of wind that knocked over the sleigh and lead reindeer. I am babysitting a little black dog that looks like a cross between a fox and a border collie. He came from the streets and gets a little agitated by the peacocks. Ronan and Granny think they need to be in the house when it is cold.

I am extending the Holy Night class to talk about the Hopi tradition of Soyal. It is interesting to me that goes approximately 19 days from Solstice to the day of Epiphany in the Christian church. I went to Wiki on line to see if there is a Jewish equivalent and learned that there are many equivalents in many traditions. The theme running through them all is the concept of the light returning and god, however defined, being revealed. I happen to really like the teaching of the Hopi and feel that the Soyal teachings can inform the beginning of the year. If you would like to come join us please do so by clicking here.

You may wonder, "Whatever does that have to do with the steps, the food and what we do in Radiant Recovery?" Here is my thinking...we come in with so much angst, pain and discord. Doing the food creates balance and healing. As that happens, many of us find we seek something deeper to guide how we live. It seemed to emerge as part of step 7. It wasn’t planned, it just sort of happened. And it crosses religious traditions and the pain that many of us felt in *church* settings. For me, reflecting in this way is a reframe of our own stories, moving from pain to serenity, from darkness into light, from feeling alone to feeing connected. And I personally feel that part of healing is to recreate a personal story that fits as we grow.

I have put up a schedule for classes for the next four months to help you all plan for what you would like to take.


These classes will begin Wednesday, December 30, 2015. Please Signup and it will take you to the registration page:

Using Resources

A free orientation for those of you who are brand new and would like to find your way around all the things we offer in the community. One of our mentors will show you the ropes. Watch for the welcoming email with a link to join the Yahoo list we use as our classroom.
Signup


The Obesity Myth

I LOVED this book and I think it should be required reading for anyone who is concerned about weight. Come join us in an in-depth look at the *myth* issues and the emotional residue we all have from them. Please get a copy of the book and have looked at it before the class starts. This book will change your life and the class will help you make sense of it. This class is open for YLD members only.
Signup


This class will begin Wednesday, January 6, 2015. Please Signup and it will take you to the registration page:

Step One

his is our foundation class to get you started. Learn all four parts of step 1 in a structured way. Learn how to progress through them with enjoyment. Let us support getting your program off to a fabulous start.
Signup



A number of you have asked me how the classes work. Check the class list page for more information on this. And please go read the questions and answers before you write to me. If you have trouble getting through the process, write the tech forum.

Be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen


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**Quote From Kathleen**



Don't forget the details. They will point the way to healing.

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**Testimonial of the Week**



Hi All, I had a looooong day yesterday. I was up early. I have a new neighbor and he is an early riser and has been waking me up. I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. It may help, but in the meantime I have several solutions. I slept in a different room last night, bliss, no noise! I will move my bedroom around and see if my builder can put some soundproofing in on one of the walls.

I had to travel to London for my closest friend in the world's Mother's funeral. On the way I had a meeting to attend. I am on vacation but this was very important. I drove and took a cool bag with me with plenty of supplies. I had rye toast, bags of cooked brown rice, oat cakes, protein powder, milk and shaker bottle, nuts, tinned fish and a meal of salad and chicken.

I had a snack after the meeting, continued on to London and had a meal at Leon, a fast food, wholefood restaurant. So far all went as planned. The funeral was fine, early afternoon then back for tea. There wasn't anything I could eat but I didn't need anything, I had also taken peppermint tea with as I am caffeine free. There was an evening event so time to eat dinner that I had brought along.

I got home around 11:30 pm after quite a long drive home as the the main highway was closed for repairs! I am amazed that this program gives me the resilience, energy and emotional capacity to manage days like these. I never could have done this in the past.

Jo


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**Interesting Bits of Science**



Here is an interesting article about chocolate and statins. Make sure to read some of the supporting research, it is pretty interesting. And note that he is referencing the use of DARK, organic chocolate, not candy bars, LOL. This means 90% dark chocolate, not the Godiva kind wrapped in gold foil.

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/chocolate-gives-statins-29-billion-run-their-money


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**Notes from the Forum **



Help with eating just 3 meals a day:

hello, welcome!

I arrived here sugar free as well, (though I did have wine sometimes which set me up for a bit of a seesaw ) and I thought that I was pretty much all set step wise, just add a potato.

However, what I discovered was this: there are a lot of healing things within the steps that help me with my three things - blood sugar, beta endorphin, serotonin. I missed those developmental bits and so it didn't work as well.

I went and sort of sat back on step one for a bit. That was such a peaceful thing. I didn't have to worry about anything else, just the four parts of breakfast. It gave me a bit of a break as my habit was to fret myself to death about lots of things at once. This taught me a bit of focus, listening, calm.

Over time I learnt to listen to my body. Not to an all fits all diet prescription. Just what suits Me, Life changing!! And now I have the courage and motivation to do just what is right for me (and what did that one ? Journal. Which is so amazingly useful to us I don't know where to start. Have you a copy of Potatoes not Prozac? What do you think about breakfast? Is that suiting you at the moment? What do you choose?

Mosaic



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**Radiant Recovery® Store**



As many of you know, I asked David to carry this product after I had heard a good report about it. I told you I LOVED it. I forgot to take the bottle to Florida when I went to visit my brother. Last week, my eyes were itching and burning and feeling really dry. I couldn't figure out why. Finally it dawned on me so I started up again. Two days later, things were fine…pretty amazing.

ProDHA Eye Bottle Here is a testimony to the impact of your input. Last week one of our regular customers told us about a Nordic Naturals product she had tried. It is called ProDHA Eye. She said her ophthalmologist had recommended it for *dry eye* and it was having a huge impact for her. Kathleen read that email and asked me if I had sent in our Nordic order yet. I said, *No, I was doing it that afternoon.* Here is her response:

As I have gotten older, the issue of dry eye has become more of a problem. Living in New Mexico, which is DRY, DRY, makes it way worse. You know I LOVE Nordic products, let's give it a shot. I know it is a bit pricey, but when I think about how much I am spending on eye drops, this sounds way better.

Here is what Nordic Naturals says about it:

  • Added Zeaxanthin and FloraGLO Lutein for ultimate eye protection*

  • 93+% true triglyceride form for optimal absorption of essential omega-3s*

  • Promotes healthy eye moisture and tear production*

ProDHA Eye® combines concentrated omega-3 fish oil with key nutrients that have been shown to protect the eyes and support healthy vision.* The omega-3 DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is more concentrated in eye tissue than in any other part of the body, and is vital to the structure and function of healthy eyes. By supporting healthy inflammatory levels, omega-3s can also help alleviate many common symptoms of eye discomfort such as dryness, pain, and redness.* FloraGLO® Lutein with zeaxanthin has been added to further support the structures of the eye and provide protection against harmful ultraviolet blue light.* ProDHA Eye combines these key eye nutrients in one convenient formula.



Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better.


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**Radiant Kitchen**



Here is a recipe that I made up and was delicious.

I got a package of precooked rice from Whole Foods. I think it was about 2 cups. It was called *forbidden Rice* which of course meant I had to get it.

I put that on the bottom of an oval casserole dish.

Then I mixed some cut up chicken from a roasted chicken I had gotten from the grocery store with 1 can of Annie's Cream of Mushroom soup, 3/4 cup of freeze dried carrots, and some chicken broth to make the mixture creamy.

I poured this mixture over the rice and cooked it all in the oven for 45 min at 300 degrees F.

It was sooooo good!
For great program-friendly recipes, check out our Cookbook in the store and visit our online Radiant Recipes site.

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**Radiant Your Last Diet**



We are continuing our conversation in the Learning About YLD class. I like the conversation. I feel as if we have truly created a place to see weight and healing in very different ways. I know also that my own journey, my own learning how to make sense of weight as we get older, as we deal with hormones, as we sit more and be running around less informs the journey. It is quite a miraculous exploration.

So if you are thinking about the new year and weight, please feel free to join us in the class even now. You can read the earlier dialogue.

If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here


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**Radiant Living**



Here is where we do the *other* stuff...the life stuff...how to feel, how to allow connection, how to dream, how to hold sorrow. Sometimes we are just goofy and silly, and sometimes we drop down into the deepest connection. I think perhaps we are learning what we didn’t learn as children - how to live with being sugar sensitive, to feel deeply, to care, to be empathetic without being overwhelmed. It is a process and radiant living gives us a space to share about it.

If you would like to join us in Radiant Living, come find us here


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**Some Thoughts on Well-Being**

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.



I have been reading some research material from the American Psychological Society and thought it would be fun to talk about some of what I am reading. Much of this material is more academic than excites me. But there was a scale of "psychological well being" that I found intriguing. It measures self-acceptance, positive relations, purpose in life, environmental mastery, personal growth and autonomy.

These sound a lot like what happens as people do the food. So now I am thinking what fun it would be if we began to have a dialogue on our forum and lists about what it is that happens with the food. I am going to start by sharing what I notice.
  • Blame and entitlement shift to taking responsibility and humility.
  • Despair shifts to hopefulness.
  • Anger shifts to humor.
  • Inadequacy shifts to empowerment.
  • Isolation shifts to connection.
  • Arguing changes to sharing.
  • Denial moves to disclosure.
When I started, I thought it was about healing depression and addiction. I thought we were creating a health system. I had no idea what else would come. I thought the changes I experienced, all of the above and more, were personal things coming from my own journey. But as time passed, it seems that these changes come with the territory. They are developmentally predictable and way more universal than I ever imagined.

Doing the food changes something profound. It is as if it resets us to a state of openness - open heart ready for healing. And then all the other stuff we all do has a place to sit. I often use the image of a cracked bowl. We can fill it a thousand times, spend a lifetime trying and we still are empty. If we fix the crack, we get filling up and spilling over.

This community, this website is made possible by the tireless work of close to 50 volunteers. They are spilling over and share the recovery, the radiance that doing the food has brought them. Go listen to their stories if you want to know what is in store. And come share your stories as well.



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Until next time!
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Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:

Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together.
David runs the Radiant Recovery® Store.
Mosaic contributes to the Notes from the Forum column.


©2015 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your ezine or website as long as you leave the content unaltered, use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®", and notify kathleen@radiantrecovery.com of the location. Please visit the Radiant Recovery® website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction.

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