Venus rising on a deep blue night with the words Radiant Recovery superimposed on it
Golden Retriever Puppy
June 7, 2020, 
 
Hi {!firstname_fix}, 
   They no longer have squashed noses and are now looking like real puppies. I decided we could all use a little "joy dot" today so here is a puppy picture.
    This week has been surreal. Something is happening. It is very, very big. Trying to come to grips with COVID and a lifetime of systemic racism seems like more than I can m are sense of today. I am thinking the way we move through it is simply to do regular life. Breakfast. Enough, on time. Being kind, being clear. I switched my internet/phone/tv service and was left without a phone and no TV for a few days. That was unsettling. It felt symbolic. No one at Comcast could figure it out, They sent it up to level 2. No one could figure out anything. They sent a junior guy to take care of the TV. He fixed the TV, I asked him if he could look at the phone. He said, "I don't know about this kind of modem."  He tried checking the connection. Just one tiny thing. That did the job. Everything is fine now. It seems to fit what we are doing here at Radiant Recovery. Start with the simplest of solutions and see what happens.
    I am now left with learning how to master a downgraded remote control. I can't speak to it, LOL, I have to know the codes. So I have to just let my brain settle into a new technology and that will take a little time. At least I know the neurology of it and am willing to be patient.
    We are doing nothing new. I am not being creative. I am just being still and letting my psyche catch up to the change. Tonight I was incapable to making dinner, so we got take out from Chipotle and it was fine.I look at puppy pictures and feel l ike I can cope with the world.
Support for Your Program
Journals
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
                                                                                         I have moved the Reflections class over to the Radiant Recovery main community board.  

People are talking, bring your questions and ideas!.It is nice place to get started if you are new to the community and are wondering what to do.  Introduce yourself and ask for help. Join it now.

 

GROUPS
The groups list is up on the web site. Just sign up for the group you would like to join. Read about the group before you ask to join. If you are starting or returning, join the Step One list.
 
CLASSES
When a new class is ready, I will post it on the website under the "LEARN" link.
 
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
If you prefer talking on Facebook, come over to one of our three groups there. Radiant Recovery®, Radiant Recovery® International or Radiant Recovery® Germany  
 
WORKING WITH KATHLEEN 
Coaching is a special offering for people who are serious about enhancing their programs and would like to have ongoing coaching. Kathleen personally runs the coaching groups.This is not a class but is a process to support your progress. We have added a special chat for people in coaching. It meets twice a week to accommodate those who are in Greenwich Mean Time and those who are in USA time.
    Coaching includes several options now: Return to Radiance Coaching for those who have done the steps in the past and then drifted and would like to get back on track. This is a good place to plug in if you have gotten wobbly over the last few weeks and would like to restart your program.
Skilled Coaching is for people who are steady on the steps and ready to work on Step 7 life skills.  
    If you wish to join sign up for coaching and then we can talk about which section to join.
 
Sign up for group coaching
 
    I also provide individual coaching called Signature Coaching.  I am laughing at the idea of telling you in a paragraph above that I cannot master my remote and then down hear saying I can help you step out of the craziness of sugar addiction, return to steadiness and clarity after slipping away, slow down and focus on your recovery, or deepen a steady rhythm of recovery. This particular option is especially helpful if you did the steps a while ago and then kinda meandered away. Or if you are facing some intense times and would. like skillful support.  But I can tell you that it is a good time to do coaching. I know more about coaching than about the remote, LOL
    This is a 3 month process that includes doing an in-depth assessment of where you are in the process, designing an individual plan for you and then talking with me once a week via phone or Zoom to work on your progress. You will learn to do an efficient journal and to identify your strengths and challenges.
     This is the way to step out of feeling overwhelmed with where to start and what to do. Because it is so individualized, we can work on what is right for you at this point in your journey.  People tell me that coaching helps them feel safe and focused. We work with your style, your rhythm. This is a unique opportunity to release your fear and let go of shame.The guidance can shorten and ease your process so that in 3 months you will do what you might take a year to do on your own. Signature coaching is also an excellent way to tackle any special needs you may have. like wanting to get sober, or dealing with insulin resistance, or integrating doing the food with special medical concerns.
    And in fact, we have developed some creative personalized plans especially suited to where people are in the program and what will work best to support them. Call 505-345-3737 if you would like to chat. 
 
Sign up for Signature Coaching
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"All this work will create enormous gains for you. As you 'do the food' you are going to reconnect with your birthright."
Testimonial of the Week

You are in the right place! I have suffered from depression in the past, the kind where you can hardly move, can't sleep, can't stay awake, can't live, and feeling like nobody loves me and nothing's worth doing. I've had anxiety that kept me housebound.

 

Now I am so mentally healthy I almost don't recognize myself. I wake up cheerful for no special reason. I feel like doing the things I used to enjoy My mind is clearer. I feel more confident, even at my current weight. I don't fear social events. I don't feel as if the world has me under a microscope I feel good about the future.

 

When you're depressed you don't feel like anything is going to help. Just start with Step 1, eating breakfast, every morning, within an hour of getting up, with enough protein for your body, and see if you don't notice a difference the next day. Notice that the first five steps are actually adding things to your life, not taking anything away. When you're depressed you have no energy to do much of anything, so find the easy ways to do the program. People swear by George's Shake for breakfast. Make some hard-boiled eggs to keep in the fridge. Whatever works is what you do. Don't go to the next step until you love the one you're on. This is a gentle, peaceful process that will amaze you, one step at a time! And unlike most diets, this one gets easier as you go along instead of harder. Each step supports the next.

 

We're here for you!

 

Lora
Radiant Recovery Store
David Smiling
David, my oldest son, runs our store. He makes sure your orders go out quickly and works with you to find the best things suited to where you are in your process. 

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

 

Come visit our STORE. Call 505-345-3737.
Vitamin B Complex

If you are having trouble finding a good B-complex, this one is wonderful.

Order B Complex
Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think
Your Last Diet Book Cover

Come to Chat. It is nice, it is comforting and we like it.

 

If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here.  
Cottontail in my yard
 
My Grandmother's Heart
 
Kathleen DesMaisons, PhD
 

 

OK, I am going to write to you from my grandmother heart. This is a big deal for me. I have been writing about my years as a young mother for the past few weeks - my daughter asked me for the details and I have been having fun doing this task.

 

I have learned some things I did not know then. My kids did not care about a perfect house or a perfect mom. What they cared about was time and being present. That is what they remember.

 

They did not care about my career, about my being in school and what I was learning, they didn't care about their grades or excelling. They cared about time and being present.....

 

  • The day we all decided to skip school and go sledding.
  • The night we went to The Nutcracker at the local high school. The music was bad. They didn't care.
  • The day we made cookies together for the tree (forgive me for that one, LOL)
  • The nights we sat in the big chair and I read Watership Down to them.
  • The times we rode in the car to their dad's house and we sang silly songs I made up.
  • The time they went on strike and refused to eat dinner and insisted we go get pizza and we did.
  • The day we dressed the dogs in costumes and took them on a walk.

Now, if you think you are too busy, too tired.....and there is no way....remember I was a single mom, going to school full time and working full time. And I was not even doing the food. I had dreamed of perfect children, a perfect family and all that stuff. But what we had was something different from the dream.

 

Here is what made the difference, I think. I intuitively knew that *I* had to have some quiet time to be sane. They watched Sesame Street every day at 5PM and did not talk to me. I regrouped and caught my breath. I had time alone at regular intervals. I did things that filled me up.

 

And deep inside, I would reach down in my heart and meet them at where they were...and I was clear about boundaries. This is what I instinctively knew at 30. Now, from this persepctive, I know something more.

 

If you have an eight year old, this is the ONLY winter, the only season you will EVER have with an eight year old. You know all that other stuff you think is so important? It isn't. If there are too many after school activities, stop them. If there are too many demands, start learning *no, thank you.* If you don't know how, ask us.

 

If you are a grandparent, ask how you can support your children at this time of year. Provide space, fun and humor. Go get those kids and be goofy. If you live far away, get on the phone and be goofy on the phone. Email them. Ask them to email you pictures of their lives. Send them pictures of your dog, your cat, your friends at the senior center. Wait, I don't think any of us go to senior centers, LOL. Teach them to knit - even the boys. It raises serotonin. Make a cookbook for them.

 

I am committed to remembering what is important.
©2020 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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