It is estimated that nearly one quarter of Canadians suffer from hypertension, a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. But, it is interesting to know that most cases of hypertension are classified as primary or essential hypertension, which means that the exact reason for blood pressure rise is not known.
 
Although conventional medicine attribute the cause of hypertension to dietary choices, sedentary lifestyle and stress, traditional medicines have always added a deeper mystical understanding. In traditional medicine, blood is our lifeline. The smooth flow of blood in our blood vessels represent a smooth, harmonious, and joyful life flow. When the flow of life is constricted/restricted, so would be the blood inside its vessels.
 
According to ancient Indian medicine, at least one of the first four main chakras are associated with hypertension problems: the root chakra, the sacral chakra, the solar plexus, and the heart chakra.

• The first chakra is your root, your foundation. It holds your primary sense of belonging – belonging to a family in its larger sense including the feeling of safety, home, peace, and harmony. The first chakra regulates musculoskeletal health along with the adrenal function, which determines our tolerance/response to stress – the adrenaline secretion that, when activated, prepare the body to fight or flee (raising heart rate, increasing blood pressure and slowing down digestion). Furthermore, chronic stress sustain the release of cortisol, a hormone that raises blood pressure, blood sugar level, causes muscle tension, and suppresses immune function.

 

• The second chakra It is the centre of creativity, joy, passion, physical and emotional intimacy, and life flow. It mainly controls sexual organs and to a large extent body fluids, a main player in the blood pressure regulation.  Our kidneys regulate water and electrolyte balances – managing blood pressure.

 

• The third chakra is the seat of your emotions. Those deep feelings of love and hate, courage and fear, acceptance and anger,... all are lodged here in your solar plexus, stored in your liver, gall bladder, and stomach. Many -or maybe most- of the malfunctions at this centre arise from repressed, unregulated or uncontrolled emotions and unmanaged life stresses. Poor digestion and nervous stomach are common disorders associated with the third chakra malfunctions. Worry, anxiety, and unmanaged daily life stresses are early signs of “gut feeling” that need to be addressed. And, stress is the main culprit in cardiovascular problems including hypertension.

 

• The fourth is the heart chakra, the centre of love with all its meanings - romantic and spiritual, physical and metaphysical. Your heart is the link between your physical realm and your spiritual one, that’s why balancing your heart energy is essential in achieving holistic balance. And, balance means taking care of whole of you: body, mind, heart & soul. The heart chakra regulates heart function and blood circulation in addition to lungs and breathing.

 
As you can see, more than one chakra is always involved in any health challenge—especially in chronic physical disorders like hypertension. Restoring your health entails managing all aspects of your life (physical, mental , emotional , and spiritual).[1]

 
Energy Restoration:
 
If you find it hard to control your blood pressure, it is time to listen closely to your own body… What is your body trying to tell you? What message is it trying to deliver? Which of the four Chakras is/are out of balance?
 
 
First Chakra

• Strengthen your support. Family support is an essential element in your foundation’s health. Think about the house you live in. How could your feel more “at home”?
• Connect with Nature.
• Be aware of your movements, especially your daily routine activities. Movement is a powerful energizer of our first chakra.
• Prepare Food for Your Family.
• Clear the Clutter. Living in a clean, orderly, and uncluttered environment is a first chakra energizer.
• Get a Foot Massage.
• Support your adrenals – Your adrenals need coenzyme Q10, vitamin C, B vitamins, and omega 3 oils.

 
Second chakra

• Water has a powerful cleansing effect on all of the energy system. You can restore your second chakra balance through bubble baths or warm showers. You can energize it by standing under the rain, going to the beach or practicing water sports like swimming and water skiing.
• Live with passion. The second chakra is the centre of creativity and life enjoyment. To energize it, you need to find pleasures, meanings and values in everyday experience. You need to step out of your comfort zone and try new stuff that makes you happy and bring you material, spiritual, mental, and emotional satisfaction.
• Adopt a New Hobby. Learning a new skill or adopting a new hobby is about adding gratification to your life and also about boosting your creative powers, the two main sides of your second chakra.
• Engage Your Senses. Let your sensual indulgence flow naturally and spontaneously throughout your daily experiences by cultivating awareness of your five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch). Although your life should be structured, planned, and organized (functions of the first chakra), it should be far from rigid. Flexibility, harmony, and flow are essential for a healthy second chakra.
• Simplify and beautify your Surrounding.

 
 
Third Chakra

• The sun is a major third chakra booster. UV rays of sunlight help lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, increasing heart efficiency, boosting metabolism, increasing sex hormones levels, and sustaining the health of the eye retina.
• Finding your path, your true vocation and life calling is essential for establishing health, vitality and happiness. The journey starts here at your solar plexus by re-evaluating your resources, your strengths, your talents and potentials; by boosting your self-confidence, self-worth and self-esteem; and by committing to your true values and vocations.
• Love who you are, acknowledge your human limitations and be less critical and judgmental of yourself. Surround yourself with a loving, caring, and compassionate community. Connect with your family and friends and receive and give support. A healthy support system is essential in a stressful world.
• Breathing Exercises adjust, synchronize, and harmonize the diaphragm movement thus restoring balance not only at the third chakra level but also at whole body levels.

 
Fourth Chakra

• Awareness. The first step in restoring heart balance is actually recognizing that we are tumbling out of balance. Awareness is the key in every aspect of your life. Ironically, the more we struggle to stay in control, the less balanced we become.
• Perform a Random Acts of Kindness. Serving others feed your heart.
• Keep smiling. Studies in the field of positive psychology show that pessimism is very strongly associated with poor health and heart problems. Research has proven over and over again that the feeling of optimism, having a life meaning, mastery of your conditions and experiences, and having positive attitudes and emotions towards life are major indicators of your susceptibility to heart and cardiovascular diseases. These findings were more indicative of predicted death from heart attacks and cardiovascular problems than more conventionally stated risk factors like high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diet and lifestyle habits, obesity, smoking, and personality types.
• Learn your love language. Love, the essential food for the heart, is a very important asset in relationship building. Dr. Gary Chapman, the author of The Five Love Languages, sees that each person understands and communicates love in his/her own language – be it gifts, acts of service, words of appreciation, physical touch… To restore your heart energy, you need to understand, receive, and deliver the right messages of love. 

 
Now, it is your turn to reflect. Which aspect(s) of those chakra energy is missing from your life?
What do you need to change/ add/ eliminate?
Listen to your body… What does it need in order to heal?
Write your own healing prescription…

________________________________
[1] It is very important to note here that if the malfunction reaches a stage where it is manifested physically, an experienced physician should be consulted. The advice given here can in no way compensate for a proper medical intervention or treatment, when such is required. 

The Thunder, Chapter 13 of the Quran, describes how the thunder with its scary roar, in its essence, it glorifies and praises God. Could this be a parallel for our pains and sufferings? The roaring pain that brings within its folds a blessing and a gift from the Divine?
In its essence, suffering, like the roaring thunder, praises and glorifies God. Initially, our pain brings with it fear that might throw us into a chaotic narrative… the chaos of a life-threatening diagnosis or a life-altering illness, the chaos of cancer, depression, autoimmunity, fibromyalgia, or chronic pain… a chaos that forces us to press a pause or even a stop button on our lives…

But, what if we pause and listen? What if we try to decipher the message our body is sending us? If we listen carefully, we will hear our suffering opening the door for spiritual insight, a door that will take us closer to God. We will hear our suffering praising our Lord.

The Thunder chapter (Surat Ar-Ra’d) challenges our belief about the dichotomy of good and evil. To discern the wisdom in our trials, we need to challenge this modern cognitive frame. We need to stop judging evil solely on the basis of it not serving an immediate interest or pleasure. Likewise, healing should not be reduced to curing the illness. Healing means becoming whole again, becoming at peace with oneself, the world, and the Divine. 

Healing entails finding meaning and purpose that is bigger than ourselves and bigger than our suffering. It entails bringing all who we are, body, mind, heart, and soul into a relationship with the Divine. As physical suffering is drawing us towards a bigger life meaning and purpose, to a vocation and a calling, in reality, it is drawing us towards God. To find our calling, we need to know ourselves; and to know ourselves, we need to know God. Such knowledge allows us to understand the interconnectedness of all things around us and within us and the relationship to and ultimate dependence of this amazing web on its One and Only Creator.

Listen to the inspiring story of Ali Banat: Gifted with Cancer, May God bless his soul.

In our modern day life, we are over-working our brains. We spend our resting time before the TV screen or our PC monitor. Our brains are constantly analyzing, calculating, worrying, and searching. And, at the end of the day, we wonder why we find it hard to sleep despite our exhaustion. Popping a sleeping pill or a calming sedative won’t do the trick. Studies show that these sleep-inducing medications interfere with your natural sleeping cycle. In other words, they may improve the quantity, but not the quality of your sleep.
 
Why do you need to sleep?
Besides relieving fatigue and restoring alertness, sleep has been proven to improve memory by consolidating, organizing and re-structuring the information you learn during your waking hours. It replenishes your brain performance and regenerates neurons. Sleep also lowers inflammation, boosts cells regeneration, and curbs oxidative damage. It improves your stamina, helps you better manage your daily stresses, calms down the fight and flight response, and increases your emotional stability. So much for such a ‘relaxing’ activity… isn’t it?
 
Essential fatty acids
Recent research has been studying the role of essential fatty acids (EFAs) in improving sleep. Essential fatty acids are pretty safe and well tolerated by most people. They are linked to many health benefits like reducing systemic inflammation, improving heart performance, relieving asthma symptoms, and helping in autoimmune conditions like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, Crohn’s and colitis. They are linked to improving immune function, skin integrity, mood and hormonal balance.
EFAs have also been shown to mediate pain response by controlling the pro-inflammatory eicosanoids and cytokines. They have been proven effective in conditions like chronic pains, joints aches, carpal tunnel and fibromyalgia. They lower the risk of Alzheimer, dementia, cognitive degenerative diseases and even help with depression. Low levels of EFAs are linked to increased risk and symptoms of ADHD in children and adults.
 
Can essential fatty acids help you sleep?
EFAs improve our sleep through direct and indirect mechanisms of action.
Direct connection:
EFAs are proven to stabilize and harmonize the complex mechanism by which our body initiates and maintains sleep. [1]
Omega 3 levels, specifically DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), have been linked to better quality of sleep, reduced severity of sleep apnea and improvement in melatonin (your sleep hormone) level. [2]
In a study conducted by University of Oxford in the UK, supplementing 600 mg of DHA significantly improved children sleeping habits.
 
Indirect connection:

• EFAs mediate stress response calming your brain chatter and regulating hyperactivity.
• EFAs mediate pain response, which makes it easier for chronic pain sufferers to retire at night.
• They manage the inflammatory reaction and cell oxidative damage, which again controls pain reaction.
• Deficiency in EFA is linked to children hyperactivity
• EFAs supplementation has been shown to lower anxiety, lower elevated cortisol levels, improves fatigue symptoms and balance mood.[3]
• EFAs supplementation has been shown to be helpful in case of depression, another cause of insomnia.

 
Types and Sources of EFAs
We cannot synthesize EFAs, we need to get them from food. Our body needs a constant supply of two types of fats: omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Our Standard American Diet is highly loaded with omega 6 at the expense of omega 3, which shifts the balance towards more inflammatory reactions, hormonal imbalances, mood and sleep disturbance. The balance between both types of fats is very critical for brain structure and function. Omega-3 deficiencies are widespread. We all seem to consume more omega-6 (mainly from common vegetable oils), than omega-3 (present in nuts, seeds and fatty fish and fish oil supplements).
 
So, do you have trouble sleeping at night? Try adding more cold-water fish to your diet and supplementing with some good quality EFAs.
Vegetarian sources of EFAs include seeds like flax and chia seeds; nuts especially walnuts; green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and vine leaves; seaweeds like spirulina; cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts; and other vegetables like winter squash and leeks.

Check out Healing Body & soul consultation today 

[1] Yehuda, Rabinovitz, & Mostofsky. (1998). Essential fatty acids and sleep: mini-review and hypothesis. Med Hypotheses;50(2):139-45.

[2] Montgomery et. Al. (2014), Fatty acids and sleep in UK children: subjective and pilot objective sleep results from the DOLAB study – a randomized controlled trial. J Sleep Res, 23: 364–388.

[3] Yehuda, Rabinovitz & Mostofsky. (2005). Mixture of essential fatty acids lowers test anxiety. Nutritional Neuroscience Vol. 8 , Iss. 4
​

Bella’s symptoms started 5 years ago. After the birth of her second child, Bella was always exhausted; she couldn’t shed off her pregnancy pounds and kept gaining weight as years went by. Her continuous fatigue threw her in such a bad mood that her doctor had to put her on antidepressant.

 
Bella tried many diets, went on various detoxes, joined a local gym and even enrolled in an evening meditation class. Yet, her symptoms kept getting worse. Her brain was foggy. Her weight was steadily creeping up along with her anxiety. Her period became irregular. She was now chronically constipated. Her skin was dry and her beautiful hair was falling with every morning shower.
 
Thyroid foundation of Canada estimated that 1 in 10 Canadians suffers from thyroid problems among which around 50%, like Bella, remain undiagnosed for years.
 
After 5 years of suffering in silence, Bella was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism and she was prescribed thyroid hormone. She immediately felt better, but, with time, her symptoms were creeping back… What was going on here?
 
Your thyroid gland sets the on and off switch for your metabolism. It plays a major role in controlling heart, digestive, brain and muscle functions as well as bone health.
What Bella, and many women I see, do not know is that their Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) level could be totally within the normal range, yet still suffer from all hypothyroid symptoms. TSH is an essential piece of the puzzle, but it is far from being the whole picture.
 
Other Players in the Field

• For your thyroxin hormone (T4) to be active, it needs to be converted to T3. This conversion takes place in the liver.  A healthy liver is crucial for thyroid function.

 

• Efficient digestion, absorption and a healthy bacterial flora are essential to supply the nutrients needed for the whole process.

 

• Oestrogen dominance resulting from the use of birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, plastics, and synthetic oestrogens in our environment affect the availability of active thyroid hormones.

 

• Stressful lifestyle is another factor. Cortisol continuously pumped by your adrenal glands down regulates thyroid hormone secretion.

 
 
Is your immune system angry?
 
Hashimoto thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that goes largely un-diagnosed. In Hashimoto, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the thyroid.
Lots of evidence pinpoint the link between gluten intolerance and autoimmunity. Gluten is the protein present mainly in wheat, barley, rye, and spelt. The best way to know if gluten or other food sensitivities are factors, is to go on a well designed elimination diet removing gluten, dairy and other suspected food allergens, then strategically re-introducing them while tracking your symptoms.
In Bella’s case, her immune system was indeed on fire.
 
Where do you start?

• If you suffer from any of Bella’s symptoms, start by asking your doctor for full lab tests for your thyroid function including thyroid antibodies to rule out Hashimoto.
• Check for vitamin D, B12, and iron deficiencies.
• Try supporting your thyroid function with nutritional supplements: vitamin A, D, Selenium, zinc and iodine (Do not take iodine if you have Hashimoto).
• Support your adrenals with B vitamins, vitamin C, essential fatty acids and herbs like ginseng, ashwagandha, and ginger.
• Balance blood sugar levels by increasing fibres in your diet, eating at regular time intervals and avoiding refined sugars and carbohydrates.

• Restore gut integrity and healthy bacterial flora with green leafy vegetables, fibres and probiotics.
• Support liver functions with bitters, antioxidants and lowering toxic load.

 
Listen to your Body Whispers
Body Whispers® are those subtle warnings your body is sending you to tell you that something needs to change in your life. Bella’s fatigue, brain fog and random aches and pains were whispers that she brushed aside until they turned into screams. She had this subtle need to be nurtured and cared for as she was nurturing and caring for everyone around her. Her voice was trapped, as if she wanted to scream for attention but couldn’t. It was this feeling of un-ease and hunger for more out of life.
Along with supporting her body, Bella started to listen to her heart and soul. She pursued her passion for photography; she set some ‘Me’ time in her schedule and learned to ask for help around the house whenever she needed. Luckily, her husband was very supportive. Together, they managed to set their life back on track as Bella steadily but surely restored her health and vitality.


Check out Healing Body & soul consultation today


​

Our brain is the most complicated organ in the universe. It is estimated that we have more synaptic connections between our brain cells than there are stars in the skies.
 
Yet, do we take proper care of this valuable asset of ours?
 
Depression, anxiety, brain fog, dementia, mood swings, phobias, ADD and loads of other mental and psychological complaints and illnesses became so common…We've become experts at labelling our conditions, yet we've failed miserably at healing them…
 
Here is a scenario I see so often… a story of everyday life: Michelle is stressed, tired, and depleted. As soon as she wakes up, she turns on the autopilot mode and rides the hamster wheel. Between her husband, her house, her kids and her work, she does not have the time to feed her body needless to say her heart and soul. She eats on the go, mainly processed carbs and sweets. She has no time to exercise, no time for social support, hobbies or leisure. Her pastime is watching the depressing news or chatting on Facebook. She bottles up her frustration and anger and swallows her pains with her morning and afternoon coffees.

No wonder her cholesterol levels shoot up. Her doctor puts her on statin. No one mentioned the side effects… her cholesterol levels become normal, but her energy goes down the drain, brain fog, fatigue, low libido and poor fat digestion… For her heartburn, an antacid was added… Again, no one mentioned any side effects. With no acid in her stomach, protein digestion and absorption became compromised. Proteins are essential to build the neurotransmitters, those magic molecules Dr. Candace Pert calls ‘molecules of emotions’… Another prescription was now essential, an antidepressant for her low mood, poor motivation and foggy brain…
 
It is my firm belief that our body and mind have a tremendous ability of heal, we just have to give them what they need… we need to properly feed our body, mind, heart and soul. Today, I will focus on my 7 essential rules of feeding your body so that you can heal your mind:


1. One-man food is another man’s poison.
I meet people with food intolerances and sensitivities everyday in my practice. You need to listen to your body: Is there any specific food that eating it makes you feel tired, depleted, anxious, irritable, moody, or makes your brain foggy? The best way to find out is to go on a well-designed elimination diet while closely monitoring your symptoms.
2. Skip that doughnut.
Refined sugars and carbs throw your blood sugar level out of balance which not only increases your risk of diabetes and heart disease, but also pumps up your fight and flight response, increases inflammation and messes up your hormones. Alzheimer's disease is now known among nutritionists as type III diabetes. Depression, anxiety and ADD have well-established links with increased refined sugar consumption. To balance your blood sugar level, you need to choose whole unprocessed grains and carbs and fiber-rich foods; you also need to eat on regular interval and include some form of protein with every meal and snack (egg, nuts, seeds, lean chicken, turkey, fish and veal are good choices).
3. We’re basically ‘fatheads’.
60% of the solid brain mass is fat… But not any kind of fat. Your choice of fat is essential for your brain health. Good choices are olive oil, coconut oil, avocadoes, nuts, seeds and fatty fish.
4. Water is the essence of life.
70% of our cells is water. I have seen cases of serious fatigue and brain fog resolve by simply hydrating properly. Make sure you drink at least 8 cups of water daily.
5. Your ‘emotions’ are made from protein.
Serotonin, dopamine and nor-epinephrine are your brain neurotransmitters. Dr. Candace Pert calls them ‘molecules of emotions’ as they are the ones responsible for your feelings of happiness, wellbeing, uplifted mood, focus, and motivation… Another close relative, melatonin, regulates your sleep cycle and heals brain cells while you sleep.
Those neurotransmitters are made from protein, or more specifically from amino acids found in high quality protein.
6. Turn off the furnace.
As we live in a highly polluted world and we are leading a pretty stressful life we set on an inflammation process in our cells. This low-grade chronic inflammation is like a low heat furnace that is cooking our cells at a very slow yet efficient pace. We need to turn this furnace off. The best way to do that is by integrating anti-inflammatory herbs and spices in your every day diet. Spices like turmeric and ginger are amazing anti-inflammatory. Other great choices are green leafy vegetables and colored fruits and veggies like berries, red bell pepper, pumpkins, and carrots…
7. Give your liver a boost.
Your liver is the primary detoxifying organ in your body and since the brain is highly susceptible to toxins, supporting liver detoxification is an essential tool in brain protection. Foods that boost liver detoxification are cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, cabbage, kale, collard, broccoli…), artichoke, burdock root, green leafy vegetables and spices like turmeric and ginger.
 
Data shows that the rate of antidepressant use in US increased by almost 400% between the late 90s and early 2000s.[1]
 
No one of us want to be among those statistics… do we?
 
It’s time to move forward… it is time to take back responsibility of your own health…
 
Finally, it is essential to note here that to achieve mental and emotional health, you need to look at all of You: Body, Mind, Heart & Soul. Yes, you need to fix your diet and make better food choices, but you also need to dig deeper into your heart and soul, to listen to your Body Whispers and to reclaim your responsibility over your health and your life…
 
Let today be the beginning of your health and happiness journey.

​Since the dawn of civilization, one fundamental question that has always perplexed human being is “why?” Why is there so much suffering in the world? Illnesses, physical pain, and suffering could be debilitating and crippling. Nevertheless, for some people, they turn out to be the most rewarding experience of their life, a blessing for them and others. 

​ 
Jill Bolte Taylor, in her book a stroke of insight, says all it takes is 90 seconds for the body to process the hormonal and neurotransmitter reactions associated with negative emotions such as fear, worry, frustration, or sorrow… if you turn those emotions into stories, though, they may last forever. All we need to do is simply acknowledge them until they go away – just 90 seconds. Do not turn them into stories, do not feed the anger, fuel the pain, or pump up the fear; do not hold on to them but also do not push them under the carpet hoping no one will notice – they will still be there for you to clean up later on, this time with much more damage involved.
 
The stories our fears are feeding fall into two categories: worry and grief.
Worry is when we project our fears onto the future and grief is when we drag our past stories along into our present and allow them to shape our life and ache our heart and soul.
 
In his book, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Robert M. Sapolsky says that zebras do experience life trauma. Attacked by a lion or seeing a tiger devouring their cub, they experience fear, pain, and grief but they do not attach any stories to the feelings, they fully experience the event with all what it triggers from hormones and neurotransmitters, then they flip the page and change the scene…
 
Some people have this amazing gift of ‘flipping the page’, you see them cheerful, happy, and bouncing soon after a life trauma hits them… sometimes, it is really a gift, they do live in the moment, fill their heart with peace, faith, and trust and let life flow and unfold as they go… yet, in many cases, the page flipping is just a denial mechanism or a mask they wear hiding their true unbearable pain even from their own selves… they still write the stories in their subconscious mind and shove it under a pile of fake laughter and joy. This is not a healthy way of experiencing emotions. They might get by for a while, but these stories will one day resurface from the shadow and haunt them. Their stories may start as subtle Body Whispers®, but soon, the screams will force them to wake up and really face their fears.
 
Facing our fears starts with the inner work. It starts with true belief that we live in a purposeful world, that God is wise, merciful, and just and that every event, challenge, or ordeal carries a valuable lesson and meaning that might or might not reveal itself with time. Yes, we might never understand ‘why.’ Deep in our hearts we need to believe that there is a valuable reason… when we reach this stage of faith, belief, trust, and surrender, we will finally be ready to let go of the fear.
 
It might take weeks, months, or even years.  You can’t rush it… “You can’t make a rosebud open by hitting it with a hammer” as R. N. Ramen says… Let the process unfold, be gentle with yourself, be compassionate towards your vulnerability… just keep doing the inner work one baby step at a time: Breathing, praying, meditating, reading, learning, getting therapy, hiring a life coach… whatever it takes, just keep it up and running.

2017 was a huge learning curve for me. Besides my Master's studies I read tons of books. And, as many of  you requested, here is my list of the best 15 books I read in 2017 (in no specific order): 
​

​1. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction- by Gabor Mate.
This is the best book I’ve read describing addiction, and the meaning, implications and approaches to healing. Yet, don’t be fooled by the name, this book showed me how, in a way, we’re all addicts. We’re all trying to fill this emptiness inside us and everyone has his/her personal way of doing that.

​2. Cultivating Wholeness: A Guide to Care and Counselling in Faith Communities by Margaret Kornfeld. 
Although written for Christian faith communities, it is still extremely valuable for all communities. This book is a valuable asset for spiritual leaders and community builders.

3. Collective Narrative Practice: Responding to individuals, groups, and communities who have experienced trauma - by David Denborough. 

This book shows how our stories can heal us. It is about finding meaning in our challenges, a meaning that can not only help us but also extend beyond that to help the world at large. If you are a care provider, community leader or therapist who work in group coaching and counselling, this book is a great tool to add to your practice.

4. Love & Happiness: A collection of personal reflections and quotes by Yasmin Mogahed. 

Easy read, poetic, very deep and wise thoughts, as expected! I absolutely love it! It is an everyday companion in an ever challenging world.

5. Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Lack of Focus, Anger, and Memory Problems by Daniel G. Amen.

​The book offers new holistic approach to Mental Illness. Although the author advocates brain scanning so much (which I am not really sure about), yet the book still holds valuable information about how brain works, what goes wrong and how to fix it in a holistic approach. One of the best I have seen especially that it comes from a well-known psychiatrist. 

​6. Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Finding Your Message, Building a Tribe, and Changing the World by Russell Brunson.

​Great information for those of you who want to build an online community and market your online courses in a non-salesy way.

​7. How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist by Andrew Newberg and‎ Mark Robert Waldman.

The authors show how the brain actually changes when we experience the Divine or the transcendent reality. The authors give scientifically proven tools to broaden this awareness and live in a more connected way.

​8. Revive Your Heart: Putting Life in Perspective by Nouman Ali Khan.

​Amazing lessons from the Qur’an written in Nouman Ali Khan's captivating interesting way. 

​9. Strong Imagination: Madness, Creativity, and Human Nature by Daniel Nettle.

This is a fairly old book, yet it offers radical view to mental illness, truly fascinating.

​10. First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety by Sarah Wilson.

The best book I have ever read about anxiety, depression, and OCD, a captivating memoire that highlights the struggle and the way to thrive with a ‘beast’ that the author finally decided to stop fighting and make it beautiful instead

11. The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt.

​Haidt compares the human mind to a rider (conscious, analytical mind) on the back of an elephant (subconscious beliefs, drives, and perceptions). Regardless of how much will power the rider has, he cannot move the elephant against its will. We need to learn how to “tame the elephant” which what the book is all about.

12. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath.

​Beautifully written book, good read for anyone who wants to make change whether on the personal, professional, or community levels.

​13. Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies That Heal by Rosalee de la Foret.

I love Rosalee’s teaching, her approach to herbs is so natural showing how to integrate them in everyday life and how to choose the ones that suits your body  need and your temperament.

​14. Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur by Derek Sivers.

​Best business book ever!  Feels like Sivers wrote it especially for an introvert like myself who find it very hard to embrace all the ‘have-to’ stated by modern-day business gurus. Derek’s rule is simple: Do anything you want!

​15. And, of course, I can’t end the list without my own book in its newly designed cover: Body Whispers: Unraveling the Emotional & Spiritual Root of Illness and Restoring Energy & Vitality. 

​If you did not get it yet, check out what it is all about here. The information in there are truly life changing... 

​Years ago, I read a play called The Fate of a Cockroach by a famous Egyptian writer, Al Hakim. It is the story of a wife who woke up one morning to find a cockroach in her bathtub. The woman panicked and screamed waking up her husband who volunteered to kill the beast. The wife closed the bathroom door and waited outside for her husband to come out victorious. She waited and waited...
 
Starting to worry, she cautiously opened the bathroom door and peeked inside to see her husband sitting in front of the bathtub looking at the little beast in admiration.

• “What the heck are you doing?” Asked the wife in astonishment.
• “Shhh!” replied the man,  “Come and look at this amazing creature. What a tremendous perseverance and patience it has!”

The wife came closer, still very cautiously. She saw the cockroach as it was trying to escape by climbing the slippery walls of the tub and sliding off again and again before even reaching half way out. Still, it kept trying … tens and even hundreds of times non-stop.
The wife, failing to see any meaning in what this ‘stupid’ insect is doing screamed at her husband: “Are you crazy? What are you waiting for? Just kill it!!!”
 
The husband totally ignored her and kept looking at the cockroach in admiration.
Desperate, the wife reached out to her neighbors for help. The couple came quickly and the man head straight to the bathroom to help get rid of the cockroach.
 
Again, time went by with no news. The two women went into the bathroom; they saw their husbands leaning on the bathtub with their eyes wide-open and big smiles on their faces. They were happily following the little insect’s trips up and down the tub wall with tremendous admiration for its perseverance, determination, and forbearance.
Soon, a fight started between the two couples. The men on one side tried to explain the reason for their amazement and the women on the other just asked for the death sentence of this horrible beast. The argument suddenly came to an end when they smelled a strange odor. Running into the bathroom, they saw the maid standing victoriously with an insecticide bottle in her hand and the cockroach lying on its back in defeat.
 
I loved the way each character in the story dealt with the ordeal. They symbolized the three different way of approaching a problem. One person can take some time to admire the meanings and learn useful lessons (the two men in the play); another can just deal with the problem any way he/she can and get it over and done with while failing to perceive any hidden wisdom (the maid in the play). And still, a third can just panic and run around asking for help taking no action and blaming others for his/her failure (the wives in the play).
Setting aside the sexist orientation of the writer, I love the wisdom in his story: Don’t kill the beast… it is here to teach you something!
​
One of my favourite books about anxiety and mental illness is Sarah Wilson’s First We Make The Beast Beautiful. Sarah wrote about her life long struggle with anxiety and OCD and how she finally managed to get her life on track by admiring the uniqueness of her own mind and digging into the wisdom of her challenge. Instead of fighting and drugging ‘the beast’, she shifted her efforts into ‘making the beast beautiful’… It is not easy… In fact it is much easier to drug the life out of our beasts… but it is much more rewarding to learn and grow with them.
 
We all have challenges, pains and struggles… we all have ‘beasts’ that keep us awake at night and bring tears to our eyes… they are here for a reason… they are here to teach us something, to help us grow… Don’t kill the beast… you’ll find a way to make it beautiful… 

​What is missing in your life? Why are you unhappy, stressed or tired? Which areas of your life need your attention?
 
I saw women staying years on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication trying to cope with their stressful reality, life demands, and loneliness…
 
I saw women going ballistic every ‘time’ of the month and others suffering form hot flashes and menopausal symptoms just trying to survive because they had no idea what their body was trying to tell them… they did not know what those Body Whispers® meant and how to heal them...

This is why I developed the Body Whispers® system after years of studying, teaching and working with my clients. The purpose of The Body Whispers® System is to help you quickly identify which areas in your life need your attention so that you can experience getting your life back on track.

• Backache, fatigue and depression start when you have issues with safety, security and belonging.
• Bones, joints & knee pain are related to feeling out of place, or stuck… feeling that you don't belong here. Traditional systems say that the knees store your fears… and pain in the hip, legs and feet indicates your reluctance to move forward in life.
• Kidneys & bladder malfunctions are your body’s way of telling you that you’re 'pissed off', you need to let go… let go of fears, worries and frustrations
• Sex organs & female hormonal imbalance - things like PMS, hot flashes, uterine fibroids, PCOS, and ovarian cysts – are trying to tell you that you are missing joy, excitement & creativity in your life.
• Colon problems like IBS, Crohn’s, colitis, hemorrhoids, bloating, or chronic constipation are signs that you are holding on to the past, and you are unable or unwilling to let go of what no longer serve you.
• Liver & gall bladder issues are related to Anger & toxic emotions.
• Pancreas problems are related to power struggle especially in cases of pancreatic inflammation or cancer. And, if you lack sweetness in life, pancreatic problems could surface in form of lower secretions like diabetes and poor digestive flow.
• Stomach issues are about losing strength, feeling victim & helpless or unable to ‘digest’ your current situation and reality.
• Lungs and respiratory issues are related to grief and the need to make room to breathe & take life in again.
• Heart problems like arrhythmia and palpitation show issues with self-love, care & forgiveness.
• Blood & circulation problems are telling you that life is not flowing smoothly and that you need more joy, smoothness, and harmony.
• Breast cancer in women is always related to self-care & self-nurture issues… women who have been giving, giving and giving so much and neglect their own needs for care and love.
• Throat & thyroid whispers want to tell you that you need to be heard; you need to reclaim your authentic voice. This area is also related to issues with surrender and learning to align our will to the Divine will without compromising or giving up on your dream nor ignoring your authentic voice.
• Nerves and Nervous system complaints show you that you need to stop and reflect on the lessons, the meanings and the wisdom behind what is happening in your life.
• Head & brain issues like headaches, migraine, memory problems indicate resistance to life flow, over-thinking, and inflexibility in your approach to life stresses and challenges.

 
 
Now, it is your turn to take some time and reflect on each area… Listen to you Body Whispers® before they turn into screams!