"You can fool all the people some of the time. You can fool some of the people all of the time. But you can't fool your mother."
- Jeannie Wigginton
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Mother's Day
Special Offer!
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"I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask: 'Mother, what was war?'"
- Eve Merriam
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Human Potential
Being All We Can Be
Every so often there is a bit of news that warms the heart, and reminds us of our true potential as human beings, if we but believe in ourselves. It is wise to listen to those who model this potential. "Hurricane" Hazel McCallon's story as glimpsed on this video (and elaborated upon here) can serve as inspiration and a reminder to all of us.
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"My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces."
- Wilma Rudolph - the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games, despite running on a sprained ankle at the time. She elevated women's track to a major presence in the United States.
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Greetings!
I am dedicating this issue of Healing Times to my mother, and mothers the world over, that their fondest wishes might be granted.
I was born with many gifts, and among them the one I prize most is the gift of a loving mother. And one of the most important things I received from her was her firm belief that at my heart I was a good person, a fact she did not lose sight of when I misbehaved. I was never considered "bad" or defective. She always supported the notion that there was a spark of true goodness at the center of me, and that I should always be proud of who I am. She taught me courage and confidence, and to remember that "for the man who stops every time a dog barks: there will be no end to his journey."
She taught me that if I
build my life around that pure center within, I would be successful, even though it would mean that I would meet obstacles along the way. In fact, I have one of those "but for the grace of God" stories that illustrates the importance of her faith in me. When I was very young, my mother enrolled me in a pre-kindergarten school for children whose families wanted them to have an academic "head start." After several weeks, the school gave me an IQ test and when they examined the results, they called my mother to come to school for a special meeting.
When she arrived, she was led into the office of a very compassionate and caring school psychologist, who very slowly and compassionately informed my mother that, although I was a sweet child, the test had shown that I was not of the IQ level the school was seeking. Indeed, not only was I not gifted, the results of the test indicated that I was significantly retarded. She was given the phone number of an institution for retarded children, where I could be cared for.
My mother would hear none of it. This did not fit with her beliefs and her experience, so she took me straight away to a clinic in New York City that specialized in evaluating children who were emotionally or intellectually challenged. After two days of testing (which, I can clearly recall, was quite a bit of fun), they concluded that not only was I not retarded, but that my IQ was over 160 - and the reason for the confusion was that the other test was not standardized to any IQ levels above 150. As a result, the test could not "understand" my results, and thus it concluded (as it was designed to do for any test takers that could not come up with one of their predefined answers) that I was subnormal.
If she had not had the faith and strength of her convictions, I might have ended up in an institution that would have undoubtedly considered my behavior very bizarre, and back then the approaches to misbehaving imbeciles was fairly harsh.
So it is with the deepest love, gratitude, and respect that I dedicate this issue to mothers worldwide, and to the spirit of love they so elegantly embody.
Sincerely,
Emmett Miller, MD
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Love Learned From Mothers
Most of us have heard of or experienced that special ability mothers have to be dedicated to their children. They are happy to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of their kids. There are countless stories of mothers who scrubbed floors on their hands and knees for years to save up enough money that her son or daughter (or even a niece or nephew) might go to college. This kind of love bears valuable fruit!
This kind of love, in turn, creates an extraordinary level of gratitude and love on the part of those children - which leads them to feel and express love towards her and the rest of the family. In this way the love of a mother for her child is the core of the loving spirit, the energy of Love that is at the center of the bond that sustains and nourishes the family.
In my newest book, Our Culture On The Couch - Seven Steps to Global Healing, I spend some time discussing the importance of finding how to get that same kind of Love kindled in our communities, in our nation and throughout our world.
The Real Mothers' Day
"Oh great!" you are probably thinking, "Now he's going to wax sentimental over a "Hallmark Holiday." After all, isn't Mothers' Day simply that day of the year when Dad cooks and when, in church, everybody applauds when they have all the mothers stand up? Not really. I'm just going to ask that we take a minute and honor the spirit that inspired Mothers' day. But first, in the interest of keeping our dialog interactive, a few questions.
· What does Mothers' Day have to do with the Franco-Prussian War?
· Who is Julia Ward Howe, and what well-known song did she write?
· Why did she invent the idea of a Mothers' Day?
· What would she want you to be thinking about today (and everyday)?
The Birth of Mothers' Day
Julia Ward Howe was born in 1819, and by the middle of the century had become an outspoken foe of slavery. Her passion led her to write the theme song of the North in the Civil War, the Battle Hymn of the Republic. She was quite devoted to Christianity, as the words of her song indicate (As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free").
But the devastation caused by the war - the death, famine, disease, poverty, and suffering shocked her. By the time the Franco-Prussian war began to claim the lives of young men, she had become convinced that women should have the right to vote (imagine that in the land of "created equal"), and she believed that there were significant contributions women could make to our world and to humanity if they were given a chance. The war horrified her, and galvanized her into action.
To her, men had proven to be innately aggressive and prone to fighting, as compared to women, whose innate nature led them to love God and all of Humanity. No one who had become a mother could willingly consent to sending her sons off to be slaughtered. The only hope for civilization, to her mind, was for women to speak with a different kind of voice - a voice of Love and Peace.
So she began holding peace conferences, and began to gather support for a Mothers' Day of Peace, a day when women could gather together and call upon men and the world to see the crucial importance of creating peace. That was in 1870. Still, the words she penned in her Mothers' Day Proclamation sound startlingly fresh and au courant with the concerns of 2009. My wish is that you read it in the spirit it intends, and discover in it a new or a strengthened commitment to the spirit that informs it.
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Mothers' Day Proclamation
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How about the place of drugs and alcohol in relieving stress?
Answer - Emmett Miller MD
Recalling that stress is not something that happens to us, it is a way that our system reacts to what has happened to us (stressors), the question is, "Are there ways that alcohol and drugs can improve our ability to deal more effectively with the challenges that life presents us?"
The answer is a qualified yes.
Alcohol and other drugs must be viewed as tools, and like most tools, they are two edged swords. After all, as you know, I can whip you with my stethescope or kill you with my scalpel.
Research indicates that small amounts of alcohol seem to enable many people to sufficiently relieve stress and avoid its increase to the point that it creates symptoms. Likewise, for people who have inadequate GammaAminoButyric Acid (GABA) function, medications that enhance this chemical can enable them to deal much better with the stressors of life.
In addition, it has been shown that when poorly managed stress produces severe anxiety or depression, these states produce damage to neuronal membranes in the cortex proportional to the amount of time they are exposed to this stress - damage that can take a long time to resolve. In such cases the timely use of the correct medications can be crucial.
In such ways, wise use of appropriate drugs can ameliorate the symptoms of stress. And, of course, the effectiveness of "a good stiff drink" has enabled many people to quiet their nerves and better confront challenging social situations.
Such use must come with a stern warning - the wise use of drugs means being certain that their use facilitates effective problem solving and healing. Misuse results in running away from emotions and legitimate life problems, and merely compounds them.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." Hunter S. Thompson
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If you have questions that you would like to ask Dr. Miller email them to DrMiller@DrMiller.com and you could see the answer to your question HERE!
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| See Dr. Miller Speak in 2009!
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August 1, 2009
Providence Cancer Center at Souther Auditorium
Portland, OR
Co-Sponsored by Healing Journeys and Providence Cancer Center
Click here to find out more and to register.
Description: We have become more aware of the vast resources within each individual
that may work for or against healing or the achievement of wholeness.
In this workshop, Dr. Miller will explore the principles of
self-healing, current findings in psychoneuroimmunology (the effect of
thoughts on the immune system), and the process through which thoughts
and images become biochemistry. This workshop is an experiential
introduction to both the why and the how of tapping your inner
resources for awakening, promoting and supporting the healing process.
August 14th - 16th, 2009
Esalen Institute
Big Sur, CA
Click here to find out more and to register.
Description:
"At our essence is a divine 'Knower,'" says Dr. Emmett Miller, "an
inner healer and guide. Invalidated and injured by trauma, stress, and
neglect, this abused spirit retreats, depriving us if its wisdom and
healing. Separated from this spirit, something in us hungers and,
unfed, grows weaker, shrivels, and may even die. At every level -
personal, family, community, cultural, and planetary - this spirit has
been wounded deeply, and is still being wounded. The result: stress,
illness, violence, and dysfunction, visible everywhere."
Dr.
Miller's goal is to go past the symptoms to the source to reconnect
with the spirit, the vital force of love, life, wholeness, and
healing. In this workshop, Dr. Miller guides participants in awakening
the healer within, both personally and as a community of beings on a
small planet. The workshop focuses on:
· Letting go of stress, relaxing deeply, and entering the Healing State
· Exploring how beliefs and images become physical and behavioral events (symptoms)
· Allowing the inner healer to channel thoughts, developing beliefs and images that lead to wellness and peak performance
· Learning tools for integrity of thoughts, feelings, and behavior
· The direct experience of joyful self-awareness, healing and peace
The
workshop features hands-on experience, deep relaxation, imagery and
movement, group discussion, and lecture. It is designed for
professionals and lay persons, beginners and experts alike.
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Understanding Our National Psyche
Swine Flu - Perspectives
It was once said that an African American would be elected
president "when pigs fly". And, sure enough, just 100 days into Barack
Obama's first term....Swine Flu.
Of course Swine Flu can be a very serious disease, but, in a world
where our fears can be used to manipulate us into acting impulsively,
often creating a problem of greater magnitude than the one we were
attempting to solve. Examples often offered include the Vietnam War,
the invasion of Iraq, and the massive bailouts at taxpayer expense.
When we are considering mass inoculation with a new and partially
untested vaccine, we are likely to create illness and even death in
those who are sensitive to the vaccine itself. This video explores how
fear has been manipulated in the case of past threatened epidemics.
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"There never was child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him asleep."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Contact
www.DrMiller.com
DrMiller@DrMiller.com 530-478-1807
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