Tags: by Phillis Benson | Jul 11, 2015 |
On a beautiful sun-kissed evening in June, my dear friend Michele gathered a group of friends in her beautiful garden for an evening of friendship and conversation – about mental health. As the hummingbirds fluttered from bloom to bloom, we savored blueberry scones, topped with fresh raspberries and cream, grateful to be alive and in each other’s company. One of the women’s friends had lost her nephew to suicide a couple of days earlier and she couldn’t make sense of why a bright young man who had graduated from college two days before, had chosen to take his life. How can any of us make sense of a loss like that? Yet, we wondered how powerful it would be for family and friends to gather together and talk about mental health issues as a normal part of the human experience, and to help and support each other in our collective quest for health and well being. Perhaps then people struggling with depression-like the young man would no longer feel hopeless and isolated. Perhaps he would have found comfort and strength in knowing that he was not alone in his pain. As the young comedian and activist Kevin Breel said in his heartwarming TED talk: “We need to stop the ignorance about mental health issues, stop the intolerance, stop the stigma, and stop the silence, and we need to take away the taboos, take a look at the truth, and start talking because the only way we’re going to beat a problem that people are battling alone is by standing strong together. I agree with Kevin. We are #StrongerTogether. If you are struggling with a mental...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | May 25, 2015 |
A couple of days ago, I watched an awe-inspiring TED Talk by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi offering a surprising piece of advice to anyone who wants to change the world for the better: Get angry at injustice. In his powerful talk, he shared how a lifetime of peace-making sprang from a lifetime of outrage. I invite you to watch this incredible talk and get inspired to channel your anger at injustice into a healing force to create a more just and peaceful world for all of us. Like many of you, I was raised to perceive anger to be a destructive emotion, one which I needed to suppress and control. But, listening to Kailash speak helped me realize that anger can be transformed into collective action to overcome many a global injustice – whether it is child labor or the stigma and discrimination marginalizing the lives of people living with mental illness. Kailash Satyarthi: How to make peace? Get angry ? The post The Healing Power of Anger appeared first on Shadows in the Sun by Gayathri Ramprasad. Wishing you wellness, Gayathri Ramprasad, MBA, CPS Founder & President, ASHA International...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Nov 11, 2014 |
A couple of weeks ago, a cold snap blanketed my garden with ice. I had just planted some pansies in my planters and was sad to see them shriveled up and gray. I did not think they would survive. But, much to my surprise, as soon as the temperature crept beyond freezing, the pansies sprung from their winter slumber to bloom again. Every time I see the pansies, I am filled with gratitude for reminding me that inherent in each of us is the resilience to survive and thrive. As we gather with our friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving, I invite you to take a few minutes to offer gratitude for the many blessings in your life. Many scientific studies, including research by renowned psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, have found that people who consciously focus on gratitude experience greater emotional wellbeing and physical health than those who don’t. To learn how to cultivate the healing power of gratitude, please click here… Want to be happy? Be grateful. The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar. And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude. An inspiring lesson in slowing down, looking where you’re going, and above all, being grateful. Wishing you wellness, Gayathri Ramprasad, MBA, CPS Founder & President, ASHA International...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Oct 6, 2014 |
For more than a decade of my life, I had struggled with debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Like millions of people around the world, I longed to discover a magic pill to cure my ills and promise me nirvana. But, despite taking many medications, ongoing psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECTs), hospitalizations and failed suicide attempts, wellness had remained a distant dream. The anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants worsened my symptoms and made me more agitated, depressed and suicidal. And I was utterly confused about why the medications that were supposed to alleviate my symptoms exacerbated them instead. Staring out of the fifth-floor hospital window one day after yet another failed suicide attempt, I promised to take charge of my life and create a life of wellness. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I just wanted to be well. Most of all, I wanted to be able to take my little girl to school, play with her in the park, and tuck her to bed at night with her favorite story. Somewhere deep in my soul, I was convinced that the medications were making me sicker instead of helping me heal. So, despite my fears and those of my family, I decided to listen to my inner wisdom and wean myself off all medications under the supervision of my psychiatrist and explore holistic pathways to health and wellness. Eventually, I learned that wellness does not come encapsulated in a pill; rather, it encompasses the way I live. And, in order to live in a state of complete wellness, I must integrate and ensure health in all dimensions...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Jun 11, 2014 |
I had the honor of meeting Dr. James Gordon; a Harvard educated psychiatrist, and a world-renowned expert in using mind-body medicine to heal depression, anxiety, and psychological trauma. He is the Founder and Director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine and served as Chairman of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. Dr. Gordon has devoted over 40 years to the exploration and practice of mind-body medicine. In his book, Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression, Dr. Gordon states that depression is not an endpoint, a disease over which we have no control. It is a sign that our lives are out of balance, that we are stuck. It’s a wake-up call and the start of a journey that can help us become whole and happy, one that can change and transform our lives. My journey through depression is a testament to Dr. Gordon’s wisdom. I find it fascinating that me, a woman with no clinical expertise, and Dr. Gordon, a Harvard trained psychiatrist and world-renowned expert in mind-body medicine have both arrived at the same realization that holistic practices such as breathwork, meditation, nutrition, exercise/movement, nurturing relationships, sleep and social support are very effective in promoting mental health and wellness. Self-care is the best care! Holistic Approaches to Mental Wellness: An interview with Gayathri Ramprasad Around the world, people with psychiatric illness and their families dearly want solutions to alleviate their symptoms and to help them resume high-quality lives. Medications can help most mental illness sufferers, but not all, and usually not completely. At the International Mental Health Research Organization (IMHRO), we work...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Apr 11, 2014 |
Spring is in the air and cherry blossoms and magnolias are in full bloom in my neighborhood. As the days get longer, so do my To-Do lists. The sunny skies and warmer weather entice me to stay up as late as I can. And, it takes tremendous will power to turn off the lights and go to sleep while daylight lingers a bit longer each day. Yet, I have learned over the years, that I need to get eight hours of sleep to be healthy and productive. I would like to share an article from Dr. Oz about how to get a good night’s sleep. And, invite you to savor the many benefits of sleep. How to sleep better by Dr. Mehmet Oz Once upon a time, you could sleep like a baby. Now you’d be lucky to get a full eight hours of peaceful, uninterrupted slumber. As a father of four, a surgeon, and a talk show host, I know all about sleepless nights. More than 25 years ago, when I was a surgical resident, I conditioned myself to get by on just two or three hours of sleep a night. I can recall walking down an empty hospital corridor after a long shift and seeing the sun rising silently over the city. I often had trouble drifting off when I got home and continued to have insomnia even after my residency ended. Read More… Wishing you wellness, Gayathri Ramprasad, MBA, CPS Founder & President, ASHA International...
