baby bird
Welcome to Radiant Recovery®
 
June 10 2018

Hi {!firstname_fix},

I have a special story for you tonight. Yesterday I went with my grandson over to see the guy who takes care of his car. The check engine light had come on and we know the importance of PAYING attention about such things. I drove over with him in case he had to leave the car. He was talking with the guy and the guy's wife said to me, *you live over by the nature center, don't you?* I told her I did. So she told me that she had found a little bird that had fallen out of its nest. Maybe I could take it back over there.

I knew that the Nature Center was closed and wouldn't be open again till Monday morning. I called Allison who know about bird things. She gave me the number of a woman who does bird rehab, I called the woman, She said to bring the bird to her.  I put her address in my phone and Andrew said he would follow me. Off we went. I thought the little bird would die on the way,  to be honest.

But about half way over, he woke up and started peeping. Then he started screaming., I had tears in my eyes over a baby bird. This is what it means to be sugar sensitive, Caring about a tiny being, We got to Corrales and turned onto the woman's road, The road turned into a dirt road and it got rougher and rougher. We climbed up and up to the top of the mesa. Now we are looking down at the city, the mountain and the entire Rio Grande Valley and I have a tiny Bird in a plastic cup.

The lady comes out. She is sort of a NM rancher lady, older, a little gruff. She picks up the baby and cups it in her hand. *It's a Say's Phoebe*, she says. I am stunned, it is the same bird we heard at Ranch. A rather unsettling synchronicity. I asked her if she can take care of it. She says, *Of course.* And I think, *oh, god, I am going to cry again.* I wonder if people feel this way when they bring Golden Retrievers to me. Such relief, such appreciation. Or how people feel when they find the community.  She will feed it and heal it and then release it. She takes my email and will tell me when she does.

And we who have fallen will be gathered up and held. Allison sent me that picture of a baby Say's Phoebe. I thought you would like it and like the story.

Remember if you have ideas or input for us on what you would like to have available, share them on the Community Forum. We do listen and are very interested in your ideas.

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CLASSES

I will be offering one 2 week class per month. Registration will be limited to 20 per class. If more sign up, I will open a second section. Classes are done by email, so there are no specific time constraints to be present. I will be getting the brain chemistry classes revisited and restored this week.


WORKING WITH KATHLEEN

I feel very strongly about offering you a way to work with me directly. I have set up a whole range of options for you to do that - going from private coaching to being involved in small groups. This link will show you all the choices. Please note that Coaching Apprentice is open to people starting or restarting. Aprentice coaching is more structured and skills oriented.  Coaching Skilled is for people who are settled with their steps and want to look at other issues more in-depth. Signature Coaching is for those who want to work individually with Kathleen in a 90-day process. Signature is the top of the line. All who have done it talk about their lives being changed.

Another option is setting up a one hour assessment and then making a decision based on that conversation.

And you can always call 505-345-3737 and ask me about how each one works.

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"Learning that you can have positive feelings from a thousand things other than food is a wonderful insight."
 
Testimonial of the Week

Here I am, 7 years on step 7, coming back to get my journal steady again. Over the years I have journaled really well, not at all and intermittently. Kathleen said something at Ranch that struck a chord with me. Not journaling consistently means unconscious.


See I thought - I am steady, I understand what my body is saying. I am clear and focused, it's ok if I don't keep journaling as my priority. Gail's program not THE program.


Dear gawd - I have spent too many years in recovery to be unconscious. So here I am!
 
Seven Steps to Healing
This is David, your Radiant Recovery® Concierge

Come visit our STORE. Call 505-345-3737 if you have questions.
David, the store manager, is always happy to help. 

I figure we will include the journal again since the testimonial is about journaling, LOL.
George's® Restore
Visit the Store
 
Yes, Ice Cream!
Ice cream
Just in time for summer picnics. real Ice cream, delicious ice cream.

Come over to our recipe blog for details.
Get the Full Recipe
 
Radiant Living
Radiant Living is geared to looking at Step 7 issues. These would include things like jobs, relationships, hopes, dreams and joys. It is open to people who are on Step 7 or people who have been on Step 7, got lost and want to come back to what they know is best for them.  We will be having some exciting topics in chat because I will be asking chat members to talk with me about some of the material for the new revision of the book.And we are having so much fun.

Find Radiant Living here
 
Your Last Diet!
Your Last Diet Book Cover


I just want to lose weight. Is this the right place for me?
It is the best place in the world for you. You won't get this information anywhere else, I guarantee. Make sure to come to chat. I am going to expand what we are doing in chat and will outline it in the article section below.


I am just starting the steps. Does it make sense to join now?

Yes, it does.  We have found that the people who come to chats do the best with the steps. The connection in chat is awesome. You get a chance to talk with the old timers, you can ask questions and I am right there to guide you, It really is an incredible opportunity.


If you are not a member yet, come and join us. If you are a current member and want to join us in the new chat room, come to the landing page.  We will send you the pass words after you join.


If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here.  ​​​​​​​
 
Man sitting on stage
 
 The Power of Drama
Kathleen DesMaisons, PhD 
   

Am I right in identifying it this way: the hit--as horrible as it is--is the meltdown and the immediate afterglow in which I can actually get my work done; as the hit wears off I'm left flat--that would be withdrawal; my anxiety levels begin to build and that increases the chaos in my life--the hunt is on for the next big storm....


Oh, lord, it's good to know what's going on but I'm horrified that my actions are the actions of an addict my entire life...because I was labeled "drama queen" right from the get go and teased mercilessly for it, which only fed it....



I know that many of you can relate to the idea of being a drama queen (or king). The quote above came from a class member of the beta-endorphin group. I think that perfectly describes the pattern.


You create a big thing  using whatever stuff is at hand. It could be leaving bills till they are overdue, not paying taxes, forgetting a key appointment, having a fight with husbands, wives or partners or children, blowing up at work, having a temper tantrum, what ever you get a rush. You get a rush from the STORM. It is such a great image.


The rush is a flood of beta-endorphin, and a subsequent dash of dopamine. You feel clear, mobilized, able to cope and in charge. This is drug-induced euphoria. The skilled and effective drama queen. And then the flat rolls in. And you have no tolerance for it. Something, you need something. Sweets, fights, sex, drama.


They are all activated beta-endorphin and then pushing through to trigger dopamine. This is euphoria and then rush. And then withdrawal, the flat. The problem comes over time. You build tolerance, so you need a bigger drama.


Life starts to unravel and the drama becomes unmanageable. You pull it together; the pulling together is done in a flurry, another rush, more drama. Now the drama of getting fixed, organized, settled. So the pattern is veiled. Now the drama comes with the fixing. And the sugar use builds.


When you step into the program, and work the steps, the steps themselves are designed to minimize drama. You want to teach you to cope with thoughtful planning rather than reaction and mobilization. You are creating behavioral. Learning to 'wait' for meals on step three teaches you to learn to waitand tolerate discomfort.


Step six rolls in. Now you have biochemical flat since the charge from sugar is out. This is the hardest part of the program. You are learning to do life without spike. You are learning to tolerate some flatness rather than creating drama, drama.


Then something funny happens. Flat starts taking on color. Flat becomes The Calm. And something in you starts to like it. And something in you starts to really like it. Eighteen months in and drama no longer holds the charge. You find yourself wanting to deescalate rather than amp up. Now the drama seems like an unnecessary wasting of energy far more suited to fun things.


Another change slips in. Rather than drama queen, your funny, creative, innovative self starts growing. You are flexible and resourceful. You deal well with crisis, you no longer cope but are proactive in problem solving. Who is this person anyway? There is nothing in the world so wonderful as a healed drama queen or king.
 

Here is the Annie Lane column that brought so many of you here.


Dear Annie: I read with interest the letter from "Weird, Stupid or Selfish?" – whose husband eats all the decorative candy she puts out. His inability to resist sugar resonated with me, as I have sugar sensitivity and have engaged in exactly the same behaviors. I simply could not resist sugar.


After years of struggling and dieting and sitting in work meetings obsessing about the doughnuts instead of the topic at hand, I discovered the book "Potatoes Not Prozac," by Kathleen DesMaisons. Her theory is that people who are sugar sensitive have brains that respond differently to sugar, alcohol and refined carbs and that what they eat and when they eat it have a huge effect on them. She shows how to rebalance blood sugar levels, serotonin and beta-endorphins through small lifestyle changes and offers the latest research, free online support and seven steps to change your life. It is not about willpower; it’s about biochemistry, which her program can slowly improve, just one tiny step at a time, with amazing results.


I have been sugar-free for six years now, lost 25 pounds and never gained any of it back. I can go to dinner with family and don’t even think twice when someone orders dessert. I don’t have cravings, and sugar is no longer on my radar. I am more focused and more tolerant, and the daily mood swings are gone. The woman who wrote to you could suggest to her husband that he check out http:// radiantrecovery.com to see whether he does have sugar sensitivity. At the very least, she would be better informed about this condition. – Happy Without Sugar


Dear Happy Without Sugar: I hadn’t considered that health issues might explain

her husband’s behavior. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of sugar sensitivity.

Thanks for opening my eyes to the condition! I’d like to encourage all readers to talk to their doctors if they find themselves compulsively eating sugary snacks.

—Email questions to dearannie@creators.com


ANNIE LANE

 
 
©2018 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your blog 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 for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction. 

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