Hi Everyone,
Well, it seems like we've been out of touch for awhile but that's because we've had way too much going on.
We've moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and it looks like very soon we'll probably be moving again. Down the street or back to California? We're right on that fence right now, it depends on how a few things play out. So bear with us! Once we know for sure we'll send out an announcement as soon as possible but in the meantime we're having an online moving sale to raise some cash and, perhaps, lighten our load.
First off, several of my Mama Love flower essence aromatherapy formulas were damaged traveling back and forth across the country. The product is still great but the packaging is scuffed, torn or bent. I'm making these available at $8.00 each including shipping instead of $14 in my Etsy shop. They're available THIS WEEK ONLY and then I have to shut the shop down temporarily so we can manage whatever our next move is going to be. Friends on Facebook have already been buying them so act fast because the ones you want at this price might soon be gone. http://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaLovePerfume
Also, we've marked down the fine art glass pendants and handmade silk and faux fur evening bags we've been selling in our other Etsy shop. The pendants were $24.99. Now they're $16.50 including shipping. The evening bags were $35 and now there are just 4 left at $19.50. Again they're available THIS WEEK ONLY and then we have to temporarily close that shop, too! http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt
I've also been adjusting prices in our print-on-demand bookshop. This is a more permanent change. We've joined the modern age when it comes to e-books...or at least we're trying to be up-to-date. When we first opened that shop the advice was to keep the price of e-books more in line with the cost of print so as not to hurt regular book sales. But, of course, the cost of print-on-demand items of any sort are higher than mass market so it puts our work out of reach for a lot of folks. So we're rectifying that situation. Our e-book downloads are now $2.99 for "Changing the World One Relationship at a Time" and $4.99 for "The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving." You'll find them at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress
And our article this month?
An excerpt from "The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving" about why our way of helping people as spiritual counselors mattered in the work I did as consultant for families dealing with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia.
Respecting the Sanctity of a Human Being
by Sheryl Karas
I'm going to start by being honest: becoming a Family Caregiving Consultant was never part of my game plan. I went to school to get a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology, sometimes thought of as Spiritual Psychology, and intended to do private practice personal coaching, lead support groups and teach workshops for a living. I thought of myself as an entrepreneur. Instead I ran out of money before I got started and had to find a regular job. Doing office work and leading support groups at the Alzheimer's Association was the only one I found and I was none too pleased about it. I knew nothing about Alzheimer's Disease and hated the idea of doing office work but figured the support group training would help while I figured out what to do next.
The first day the executive director handed me a copy of "The 36-Hour Day", a horrifyingly depressing book considered at the time to be the Alzheimer's "Caregiving Bible." She had me watch some videos on Alzheimer's Disease and two weeks later left me alone in charge of the office while she went to get something to eat.
I had a big stack of paperwork and filing to do on my desk and was sitting there dejectedly trying to imagine how a Masters degree was going to be of any use in this when the phone rang. The man on the other end was involved in a family argument about how to take care of his dad. He said his father lived alone on a ranch far out in the country and had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
The father had lived in that house his entire life and always said that he would rather wander out into the woods and die like all natural born creatures than to be shut up in a nursing home away from the place he loved at the end of his life. But now his relatives were refusing to honor his wishes. None of them could leave their families and jobs to live with him and they were all fighting about how (or if) they should take him away and have him placed. I suggested a few services they might take advantage of but spent most of the call listening and helping the caller sort out his feelings about the ethics of following through on his own request.
A day or two later I was left alone again and received a call from a woman taking care of her mother who was having what people in the field call a "catastrophic incident". She was extremely agitated, screaming obscenities, and was accusing the caregiver of trying to steal from her. The woman on the phone was at wit's end and said "I've had enough of this—YOU talk to her!!" and, to my horror, handed the phone to her ranting mother. Keep in mind I had NO training at this point beyond a basic introduction, had never talked to a person with dementia in my life, and had no idea of what to do.
I listened to the mother's rage and vitriolic screaming for a few minutes, freaked out silently for awhile, and finally thought "this isn't what I get paid to do." I interrupted the raving and said the first thing that came into my head. "Mrs. So and So, could you help me with something?" Immediately, Mrs. So and So snapped out of her rage. "Of course, dear! What can I do for you?"
Then I didn't know what to say so I stammered out the truth. "I'm brand new on this job and I don't know how to help you and I have SO much I have to do! Could we do something else?"
"Absolutely!" she said. "Don't you worry about a thing. I'll take care of it." And then she hung up the phone.
About twenty minutes later the caregiver called back. "You're a miracle worker! What did you do? She's been happy and sitting quietly reading a book upside down ever since."
I was stunned. I didn't know why what I did worked but I never forgot it. By asking the patient to take care of me, by treating her with respect and letting her feel like she still had value, I somehow got through.
From that point on I realized how my Transpersonal Psychology background was going to matter in the work I had taken on to do. One client after another asked for "practical" help but the help that made the biggest difference was listening and honoring each person's sanctity as a human being.
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You can read this book as an e-book download on your own computer or on any e-book reader that can read pdf files for just $4.99. Or buy a conventional print version if you like. Here's a link: http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress
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Spiritual Counseling and Healing Sessions
Available now!
http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html
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We Have Books and Art Available Online
Healing Communication Press: http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl?rf=238549309058651585
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas... http://sherylkaras.imagekind.com
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Where to Find Our Videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/healerteam
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