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Summer/Fall 2011
Compass is composed by Keith Miller, LICSW
| Vol 3, Issue 2
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Sundance Film "Buck" -- The horse movie with lessons for parents in power struggles
| "A lot of times instead of helping people with horse problems I'm helping horses with people problems."
-Buck Brannaman
 | | Watch the movie trailer |
This is a Sundance Film Festival Award-winning film about Buck Brannaman, a horse trainer known for his resemblance to the character in The Horse Whisperer. I would recommend this movie not just for horse and animal lovers, but for all parents who have ever had power struggles with their kids and wondered if there is a better way to do it. The film offers a dramatic visual depiction of the way a powerful, wild horse learns to trust and obey instructions, not through demonstration of power, coercion, or force, but through consistency, firmness, and compassion. Two thumbs up from a parent of toddlers! 
"Buck" is showing only in Bethesda and Arlington. |
Relaxation response changes brain structure and gene activity, new reports from Harvard Health say
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One of the reasons that some people don't assign much credibility to the power of mediation may be the mistaken belief that sitting still isn't productive. I was a long-time meditation-avoider and eye-roller when I encountered the growing passion among believers in yoga and mediation. To me it just seemed like a bunch of hype about slacking-off. Then I learned about the hard-science facts about how the body's relaxation response works, and began to follow what I now consider historical medical developments coming out of leading medical research centers like Harvard University's teaching/research hospital, Massachusetts General. While there are many mind-body approaches that seem to emphasize spiritual or mystical beliefs, research indicates that all that matters to get major health effects from mediation is to trigger the relaxation response 20-minutes daily for more than eight weeks. The book below and the link at the end teach you the simple steps. Recent Reports from Harvard Health and Massachusetts General Hospital: Mindfulness Meditation Training Changes Brain Structures In Eight Weeks
Relaxation Response Affects Gene Activity
Further Resources:
 Relaxation Revolution is a wonderful book that details the steps used in the landmark research that used meditation to produce recovery results comparable or better than medication or surgery for angina, anxiety, depression, hypertension, insomnia, hot flashes, nausea, general pain, specific pain (sciatica, lower-back, neck and shoulder), headaches, Parkinson's disease, phobias, heart palpitations, PMS, and many others.
If you want to learn how to use the relaxation response described in the studies, you can buy the exact same recording that research participants used during their eight-week study here.
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Watch this and you will look at yourself differently
| How do you define yourself? Is it based on how successful you are? How you look? What you do for others?
And what if you lost that thing about you that defines who you are? How would you respond?
Watch this four-minute video about Nick Vujicic and his ability to turn a serious disadvantage (having no arms or legs) into a success.
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PEP - The Parent Encouragement Program
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I  want to heartily recommend a resource available to parents of kids, from infants to teens. The Parent Encouragement Program, PEP, is a Washington, DC-based organization that offers classes to teach parenting skills. They offer one-time, topic-based classes, and class series structured by the age of your child.
My wife and I recently attended one for parents of toddlers called "Power Tools for Power Struggles for Toddlers," and we both left encouraged and empowered.
PEP NEWS
| Upcoming Programs: | | · How Rude! Social Training from Crib to Adulthood · Tuesday, August 9, 7:30 - 9:30 pm, Kensington
· Web 2.0: How Our Kids Are Using the Internet in 2011 · Wednesday, August 10, 7:30 - 9:30 pm, Kensington
· Setting Limits with Young Children · Thursday, August 18, 7:30 - 9:30 pm, Kensington
· Eating, Sleeping, and Toilet Training · Wednesday, August 24, 7:30 - 9:30 pm, Kensington
· Free Intro to PEP: Why Don't My Kids Listen to Me? · Sunday, August 28, 3:00 - 4:30 pm, Kensington
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Did you get something useful from this edition of Compass?
If so, please say "thanks" by inviting three friends to join.
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