Venus rising on a deep blue night with the words Radiant Recovery superimposed on it
Hot Air Balloons
Oct 21, 2020, 
 
Hi {!firstname_fix},  
    This is a picture of last year's hot air balloon fiesta. We didn't have one this. year. It leaves a gap in our hearts. These blue skies and morning cool air are meant for 1000 balloons overhead. The image comforts me.
    As some of you know, I am in the process of updating the website and "tidying" things up. This means taking down a few lists if no one is using them or moving some things off the website that no one is looking at. This is a bit of Fall housecleaning that will make space for the new things that are being developed. If you are looking for something and
can't find me, make sure to check with me and I can give you an update.
    I had my first training session for "breakout rooms" on Zoom in preparation for Ranch in Nov. This means we will be able to have small group meetings on the topics we are working with. I am setting up a way for all the Ranch attendees to have a conversation about content. I want to be able to provide solace and healing and also discern what updated information will be most helpful. But I think you will enjoy the conversation.
    We also set up a special mega powered hard drive.  Andrew asked me if I realized that it had 17 MILLION times more storage that the original 512K Mac I bought in 198y.  That was kind of a staggering thought. In my lifetime. It is just a black box to store the recordings of the talks at Ranch. 
    If you have not been to Ranch before and are thinking of coming, please email me before you register. If you are planning to come and have been before, please go ahead and register so I can plan around who will. be there.
     I was over on Geraint Smith's website this weekend. He is the person that took the phot we use in our banner. I have know him for a long time. He is an incredible photographer and I have always be deeply moved. by his images. In 2018, he started a blog and was commenting on some of the images. Here is one of the quotes he included:
    You have to look deeper, way below the anger,
the hurt, the hate, the jealous, the self-pity,
way down deeper where the dreams lie, son.
Find your dream.
It is the pursuit of the dream that heals you
Bill Mills, Oglala Lakota
 
Google Billy Mills. I imagine that few of you know who he was. Learn about him. Remember your dreams. We have been talking in chats about the level of stress we are living through. It helps to make the connection and to remind one another how much of a difference being attentive about the food makes. Do the food, find your dreams. Make a connection, share your process, let me know how it is going. I love hearing from you.
  
 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.
If you are wanting to get over to groups.io to get back to a group you are already in, I put up a link to make it easy to do that.
 
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 
 
 Small Group Coaching is a special offering for people who are serious about enhancing their programs and would like to have ongoing conversations with other people who are motivated and focused.  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. It also includes a dedicated coaching chat with Kathleen that 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 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 either of these 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

   
Signature Consultations
Image
I also provide individual intensive consultations called Signature Consultation.  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.   I can tell you if it is a good time to do coaching or not. 
    This is a 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. I have several packages for time to make it easier for you.
     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 this process 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 consultation is also an excellent way to tackle any special needs you may have. like wanting to get sober, or dealing with insulin resistance, integrating doing the food with special medical concerns, or dealing with a sugar sensitive family member in an artful way.
    I am now offering a  preliminary consultation with no charge before we make ANY decision about working with me individually.  Email me to set up a time. This is a new offering that is designed to help us decide the best options for you. You can go to the website and read about the process. You fill out an assessment form and send 4 days of your food journal and then we  talk about what the best options would be for where you are in the process. There is no risk required.
 
 
Learn More About Consultation
 

"Once you have experienced a week of radiance, you will always return to it. Your molecules will remember and want it.
 
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
Rosie's Corner
Rosie
    I took Miss Rosie to the Pet Store and was MORTIFIED. She is totally not used to being in stores with PIG ears and bones and cookies. She had a right little doggie melt down
    Training, she needs training. I grabbed 2 antlers  from the bin to take home. (Brody was with us being really good and closing his eyes, pretending not to see her with her nose in the pig ears).
    I am putting up a recent picture so you do not retain the image of her angelic innocence, LOL.  Yes, I still love her. Yes, she is wonderful and yes we are training.
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.

I thought it would be helpful to share a little about Vitamin D. I recently read an article about Vitamin D supplementation reducing the risk of Influenza and COVID.

This study was done in collaboration with a group called Grass Roots Health. I really respect them and so am inclined to trust their recommendations.  We work with a company in Vermont to manufacture a product for us. They do pycnogenol and Vitamin D for us.

    Grass Roots Health recommends being tested for your D levels and to work at getting them up to 60 ng. Since most of us are so low in D, it is all right to get started with supplementation and then do the level test and watch it over time. 

    Vitamin D enhances cellular immunity, in part by reducing the cytokine storm induced by the innate immune system. Somehow that idea comforts me. Keeping things working but not in overdrive.

    Anyway, read the paper. It is a little dense but manageable. And ask me in chat if you get stuck. Check out their web site. And Order from us if you decide you want it.

Order Vitamin D
Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think
Your Last Diet Book Cover

YLD is the weight-loss component of Radiant Recovery, initially developed as an adjunct. It is now an integral part of what we do. YLD stands as a significant alternative to the usual weight-loss diets you all know. In most programs, you are asked to define your goal weight, or to seek “abstinence.” You sign up and are given a “plan.” Your progress is measured but the number of pounds you lose, or by how many days’ abstinence you maintain. I am sure that many of you have had lots of practice and probably lots of success at dieting. But generally speaking, diets don’t last. You may lose, but often it does not stick and you gain back what you lost and more.

    You may not know that some people are genetically 

 

Diets do not go to the root of the problem – why you are fat and why you have such a hard time with it. YLD targets the why. It creates a profound change in your body and your emotions. We guide you in transforming the feelings of rage, disgust and hopelessness into clear, focused, mobilization.

 

If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here.  
Roberts Cove Vinalhaven
 

My Grandmother Heart

 

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.

 

 

This is an update of an article I wrote a while ago. My grandson (pictured above) has been living with me for 3 years. At the end of this, I am going to do an add on about the idea of grandparenting young adults. 

 

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.
  • 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 out on Halloween.

Now, if you think you are too busy, too tired...and there is no way you can do things like this....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 perspective, 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. Give them cameras for Christmas and ask them to email you pictures of their lives. Send them pictures of your dog, your cat, your friends at the senior center. Teach them to knit - even the boys. It raises serotonin. Make a cookbook for them.

 

Guess you can tell what I have been thinking about this week. I am making a book about my life. I am writing, writing and then will find photos and put them with the writing...this is a wonderful and powerful thing to do.

 

Mostly, I am committed to this being a sacred and reflective time.

 

Having an opportunity

 

Thanks for reading! If you know someone who could benefit from this, feel free to forward it to them.

 

 

    
©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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