The Effect of Stress on our bodies
Extract from Exiting the Matrix by Charles Eisenstein
Ultimately the choice of the story that we believe is not based on evidence. Its rather that we recruit the evidence to fit the story that resonates with the state of being that attracts the belief. And then, when the belief is ready to change – which happens perhaps when our state of being is changed – when things have happened to us in our life that have changed us – then that old belief doesn’t fit the changed being that we are becoming through maybe a crisis or a collapse or through an amazing mysterious experience. Now those beliefs don’t work anymore so new evidence comes. Isn’t that funny – we start to notice new things – we start to accept phenomena that we had rejected as fanciful before. And the evidence come to flesh out the belief – to serve the belief. I think that’s how it works.
Extract from ‘On the Mystery of Being’. New Harbinger Publications. Kindle Edition
The Body, the Medical System, and Modern Society by Dr Gabor Maté
Suppose you have asthma. What happens in asthma is your airways are narrow and become inflamed, so the airflow becomes obstructed. You are wheezing and gasping for oxygen. They give you medication. It’s a biological process; the medication suppresses the inflammation and opens up the airways. This approach is necessary and, insofar as it goes, it’s accurate.
However, it’s also hopelessly narrow. There is much more to asthma than a biological process in isolation. For example, it has been shown that if you’re a black woman in the United States, the more episodes of racism you suffer, the greater your risk of asthma. And, if you’re a child, the more stressed your parents are the greater your risk of asthma. In fact, you can almost predict whether a child needs more or less medication depending on how stressed or depressed the parents are.
There’s an epidemic of asthma right now in North America. That raises the question: Is asthma simply a disease of the airways—we call it “reversible airway disease”—or is it a disease of the whole person who is suffering stress, or is it a disease of the family system through which the stress is transmitted, or is it a disease of the society that creates racism and that in general puts families under stress?
Antony Lehmann
Having taken early retirement at the age of 57 on the grounds that I had enough money to stop working it surprised me to find that my stress levels did not decrease as expected. Fear and anxiety were still present. I would still lose my temper and peace; joy and happiness were as far away as ever. It was puzzling.
I had heard Eckhart Tolle say that once we know who we are then fear and anxiety stops – that had intrigued me. Looking into what he meant by that led me to a process of Self-realisation called the Work of Byron Katie which is also known as Inquiry Based Stress Reduction.
The power and effectiveness of the process was astounding to me and I resolved to devote the rest of my life to teaching stressed people how to use the process themselves.
I would love to pass on that method to you and invite you to contact me if you experience stress.
Videos
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1. Introduction to Positive Turnaround
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2. Noticing our labels for what we see
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3. Knowing who we truly are
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4. Self – realisation. Getting to know who we are
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5. The Work of Byron Katie is a meditationWe use the ‘The Work’ of Byron Katie
At Positive Turnaround we use ‘The Work of Byron Katie’ which has the potential to make a large impact on improving public health generally by delivering better health outcomes and improving long term care by reducing stress.
People in all walks of life can benefit from this approach including carers; people in stressful jobs; those without work or living under financial hardship; children & teenagers; the physically disabled; people in relationships; couples trying for children; those with a drug or alcohol addiction or with eating issues; ex-offenders seeking support with rehabilitation into society.
The Work – Byron Katie
The Work of Byron Katie is a way of identifying and questioning the thoughts that cause all the fear and suffering in the world. The steps are simple and first involve identifying the stressful & limiting thoughts; then inquiring into those stressful thoughts by asking 4 simple questions; then identifying Turnarounds to those stressful thoughts; and finally finding your own examples of how those Turnarounds may be true now or in the past.
Read more about Byron KatieCompassionate Inquiry
Compassionate Inquiry is a psychotherapeutic method developed by Dr. Gabor Maté that reveals what lies beneath the appearance we present to the world.
Using Compassionate Inquiry, the therapist unveils the level of consciousness, mental climate, hidden assumptions, implicit memories and body states that form the real message that words both express and conceal.
Through Compassionate Inquiry, the client can recognize the unconscious dynamics that run their lives and how to liberate themselves from them.Compassionate Inquiry is a psychotherapeutic method developed by Dr. Gabor Maté that reveals what lies beneath the appearance we present to the world.
Using Compassionate Inquiry, the therapist unveils the level of consciousness, mental climate, hidden assumptions, implicit memories and body states that form the real message that words both express and conceal.
Through Compassionate Inquiry, the client can recognize the unconscious dynamics that run their lives and how to liberate themselves from them.
Testimonials
Don’t take our word for it – here’s what our clients say:
A session with Antony is like opening the doors of wisdom and awareness. The sessions have supported me tremendously at times when I most needed. It really has been a blessing to do The Work with Antony. Thank you so much Antony for all your support and professionalism.
Pedro Da Silva
Lovely working with Antony. Thank you for holding space with so much love and understanding and helping me shift and find the truth to long held lies which are part of my core beliefs in each of our sessions.
Augustin de Rougé
Its a real gift to be able to help a person enter a place within themselves where they can take their most painful lifelong troubling thoughts and genuinely smile at them from a completely new inner vantage point they didn’t know they had. Antony has found this place and loves nothing more than showing another how they can too. All done in the most friendly warm and enjoyable way.
dhira
Antony is a wonderful facilitator. Very kind thoughtful and guidance. Has helped me tremendously in the last few weeks. Highly recommended. For me the work of Byron Katie is very effective.
Dominic Murphy
I have enjoyed the convenience and ease of doing online sessions with Anthony. He brings a unique approach to the Work which has really helped me go deeper and experience the work as part of life, not just a place I visit from time to time. I deeply appreciate his help and support.
Tash Marsh
Antony is an amazing facilitator of the Work. I have enjoyed working with him on some big issues and have noticed that over time “the problems” have disappeared and no longer have a strong hold over me. He is kind, patient, insightful and simply a wise soul who intuitively knows how to guide you. My work with him has changed my life…I will be forever grateful to his commitment to serving others and being present.
Shaz Williams
I would highly recommended the services of Positive Turnaround. Antony is s competent facilitator off The Work. He is always 100% present and engaged during individual sessions. Antony is on his own personal journey which is important to me and this creates a meaningful exchange and authentic experience in working with him.
His approach is warm , heartfelt and intelligent and I feel very safe in his holding off my enquiry.
I love to do The Work with Antony and always benefit from his guidance.
Angela Ginn
Antony has helped me to find a peace that I didn’t think was possible. I recommend him so highly as a man of integrity. Thank you Antony.
Rosie Humphries
Doing The Work with Antony has led me through the maze of my torrid mind to find the place of inner peace and stillness that we all dream of realising. Much love and gratitude for his support in navigating me back to my true self.
L
Antony is an amazing facilitator. I had a session with him when I was in deep sadness and it just blew my mind! I came to experience the greatest spiritual moment where I felt that life was flowing through me and there was no ME actually. I strongly recommend having support from Antony, if anyone wants deeper experience with The Work of Byron Katie and complete dissolution of stressful thoughts.
hyejoo jeong
Being facilitated by Antony in self inquiry / The Work of Byron Katie has made a huge difference in my life. He’s a generous and compassionate listener and skilful in ‘holding the space’ and giving guidance where helpful. I’ve found a lot of peace and relief from the pain of stressful thinking, and have learned how to do this amazing inner work for myself.
Mellow Baku
Taking care of our Thoughts
automatically takes care of our bodies
As we become more and more aware and conscious, we discover the love for what is in our awareness. This has many consequences. Not only do we experience a surge in peace, love and joy it also becomes less and less possible to attack ourselves and others. We become more sensitive to how stress is affecting our bodies and that prompts us to be mindful of our thoughts and notice when we are not being kind and loving towards our bodies and people with whom we connect. We become conscious of sensations in our bodies caused by stressful thoughts.
“For various reasons, our minds can express distress, without our being conscious of it through our bodies. If we cannot recognise this possibility then we cannot deal with it and so are fated, instead, to undergo pointless operations, to take possibly harmful drugs and – almost invariably – to fail”
Suzanne O’Sullivan Consultant Neurologist (The National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery)
Reducing stress supports Health Services by helping people from becoming sick in the first place because the immune system is weakened much less. People in all walks of life can benefit from this approach including carers; those in stressful jobs; those without work or in financial hardship; children and teenagers; the physically disabled; those in relationships; couples trying for children; those with drug or alcohol addiction or with eating issues; ex-offenders seeking support with rehabilitation into society.
Serving the World
If we want to be of service to the world the first step is to know wherein lies the peace of God which could also be described as the peace of loving what is – the peace that passes all understanding. When we are at war with each other not only are we engaged in destruction we are also spreading stressful psychic energy into the world. If we have conflicts within ourselves, we spread conflicting consequences. When we use up energy fighting, hating and judging we cannot serve the world. No matter how noble the cause – be it issues of climate, environment, pollution, poverty, animal welfare, racism – if we begin by raging at (or fearing) a perceived enemy we are adding to the conflict.
That means firstly ending the conflict within ourselves – discovering the peace within. Without peace there can be no healing so letting go of grudges and no longer seeing somebody or some corporation as the enemy is very much what The Work of Byron Katie is about. Recognising that fighting is not the only way to solve problems.
And it also means not condemning ourselves and extending forgiveness and compassion to ourselves for our powerlessness and helplessness as well as our pain. This we can do by discovering, if only for a moment who we are – that we are not who we think we are. Looking for who we are is the first step to peace and thereby serving the world.
