Venus rising on a deep blue night with the words Radiant Recovery superimposed on it
tomatoes at the market
Aug 23, 2020, 
 
Hi {!firstname_fix},  
    Yes, our tomato plants have been prolific although we had someone taking bites of the fruits. We didn't know if it was worms or the squirrel and then one evening  I saw a road roadrunner fly into a near by tree to hop the fence and go get a big bite of the yellow tomato waiting to be picked. Oh, was I mad! But it it is part of the process.  Of course, when Rosie goes in the back to "help" Andrew water, she kinda leaps on everything. It is a joyful garden.
    It was very hot here this week. I must say when the temperature goes over 100 f, I just stay inside and rest. I think a lot shifted this week. Everyone I know is tired and catching up. It is natural time of transition, harvesting summer plantings, and beginning the shift into Fall. School activity is not clear, colleges are not clear, the Stanley cup in August is weird. I think we just wait a bit and see where things settle. I feel optimistic.
    Our new people are learning step one. The people on FB and learning how to come over to get into the groups. The groups are talking. Post by post we are. learning to do things a new way.
    We have been doing a lot of thinking about Ranch and have come up with a modular concept with different modules for people in different stages. This will allow us to welcome newcomers in a special way. We will be inviting teens to attend as our guests and have some special programming for them.. I have the notes of all our discussions and will spend this week putting it together and up on the web site. If you are thinking about coming to Ranch, hold off on registering for just a but while I get all the logistics set up for you. I am really, really pleased with what we have designed and I know you will be thrilled.
    Also a number of very old timers are going to reconnect with us this year. So put the time in November (13-14-15) in you calendar.
 
 Let me know if you have questions or ideas.
   
Support for Your Program
Journals
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
                                                                                   

People are talking, bring your questions and ideas!.It is nice place to get started if you are new to the community or are coming back and are wondering what to do.  Introduce yourself and ask for help. We will direct you to the right spot for your questions. Someone asked me this week what BE was. That was an interesting question and it was fun to answer it. 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. Don't join Step One and Step Two and Step Three all at the same time.
 
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. Support is provided in a small group with people who are looking at similar concerns.  Kathleen is part of each coaching group.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.  If you are just starting, own the Step lists to learn the basics.
    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 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.  
 
The fee for these three coaching options is $20 @ week, billed in 2 week intervals. The coaching is done in an email group and assumes active participation by the members. The process includes peer support with guidance and direction by Kathleen.
 
    If you wish to join coaching send an email and say what you are interested in and why.
 
I am interested in coaching
 
    I also provide individual intensive coaching called Signature Coaching.  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. 
    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
"Rather than responding to problems or roadblocks with tears, you will start anticipating and solving problems."
Testimonial of the Week

Everyone is different. When I was a brand-new mentor on the binge list I thought it would be fun to have a "definitive definition" of what a binge is and then we could know when it stopped, so I asked everyone what a binge was.

 

What a naive idea that was for me. Binges are as unique as the individual, and they stop when the imbalance *for that individual* is stopped.

 

If the imbalance is with blood sugar, the binges can stop after step 3.

 

If the imbalance is with serotonin, they can stop after step 5.

 

If the imbalance is with BE, they can stop after step 7.

 

Why do I say "step 7" for BE instead of step 6? Because with BE, there are two issues - "priming" with intense sweet, and raising the baseline. Step 6 stops the priming. But in step 7 you do proactive BE raising activities.

 

When I see people past step 6 and still struggling, it's almost always because life has changed and the first 6 steps are no longer "spot on," or the person is not proactive about BE raisers. I have personally done both so I know how it goes. Then you hear things like "life hit me with BE and I wobbled." But if the BE baseline is raised, then the life hit does not do as much damage, if you get my meaning.

 

Connie

 
Rosie's Corner
Kathleen and Rosie
I know you want new pictures, LOL but she doesn't stop. And Andrew takes videos and I don't have them on Sunday. I think need a page on the website for Rosie.
I have decided that puppies are basically little feral dogs. They know nothing, they know everything. Everything on ground level goes in the mouth.They run from garbage trucks and leap with abandon from the car. They have no manners, they bite toes  with razor sharp little teeth and they are enchanting, smell like heaven, cuddle into softness and sleep upside down with abandon.
The baby teeth are falling out, big dog teeth are coming in. Training is shifting from body functions to manners. I will have more to report next week!
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

We carry this product because so many of you have asked me about finding a formula that matches what I outline in the book. I like the company, and I like this formulation. It is what I take.

 

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

Every week we gather on Zoom to talk about things related to weight loss.

 

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.  
Roberts Cove Vinalhaven
 

WHAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.

 

Usually this time of year, I would be in Maine on Vinalhaven. My heart is there. The picture is from the porch at high tide in the early morning.I love this article that I wrote there 15 years ago. It is still true.  I highlighted the part that touches me most. I just committed today to do some spiritual exploration on that very topics. I would can picking this message for you a synchronous event, LOL. Welcome to my world!

 

 

It is very still in Maine on this island. It is rainy and foggy today. I am sitting looking at the trees. I can hear gulls and a lobster boat going across the cove. I have been doing a lot of reflection. Why is it that some folks come to the program, do the food and find their lives changed? And others play with it, poke around, do a little here and there, and then go away and say it doesn't work? Or do step one for two years and wonder why life is not better? Why do some decide to rewrite it, adapt it, take only what they like and throw the rest away?

 

What makes the difference? I am thinking that there are three key things:

  • You have to trust it
  • You have to commit to it
  • You have to persist in doing it

When you are out of control and desperate, trusting, committing and doing seem really, really far away and really hard. You are likely to argue, question and want answers to every possible concern before starting. You want to see if it will work, try it out, have a money-back guarantee. You want to play without obligation. You might be too busy, too committed to other things, you might not want someone to see your journal or know your life is out of control.

 

When you find it takes time, you get bored, frustrated, angry, inattentive or sloppy. You blame the program for not meeting your needs. Or it is too confusing so you stop and say that didn't work. And you go do a real diet.

 

But there are others who say, 'Yes, this is for me' and they believe it, they do it and it works. What is that about? What happens? Where does that first trust and commitment come from? It is funny to think this, but I think ultimately, it is an act of faith. With a regular diet, you can pick or choose. There are thousands of them. If one doesn't work, you just try another. This silly program is different. It's so simple, it is so deceptive. It asks you to put aside what you have been taught. It asks you to do maintenance first. No glamor, no quick results, no hype. It says what you need to heal is here. If you want to use it, you can. Doesn't have to cost anything. You don't need a doc or to pay thousands of dollars. Doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, or smart or not, or living in a family. If you do it, your life will change.

 

As I wrote this in the morning fog, I started to laugh because the simplicity of this message goes way beyond the food. I have a spiritual guide. Every morning I meditate and read from her work. This was yesterday's reading:

 

If however, instead of being desires, they are aspirations for spiritual things, and one continues her life with regular progress, then one is absolutely sure to one day obtain what she has imagined.

 

I think that the struggle with 'doing the food' mirrors the struggle for a spiritual life. Trusting, committing, doing. Somehow this makes me laugh. I work so hard to complicate things. I thrash around, question, argue, insist that I know better and then I say the 'program' doesn't work.

 

This time in Maine is about quieting, living into the stillness, letting simplicity help me trust, help me recommit. It makes me remember the 'absolute trust in the supreme wisdom of the divine that it knows better than we do what is good for me.'

    
©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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