Muscle Testing for Personalized Action

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

I learned muscle testing twenty-eight years ago and consider it a life skill that everyone should have. It’s easiest taught face-to-face, but I’m going to do my best to share some basics here.

Muscle testing is a means of gaining insight into unconscious information that might otherwise elude me. Once I know what’s there, I can figure out what to do about it (or not). Muscle testing helped me discover that my six-year-old’s determination to “get it right” was at the root of my stressed-out responses during doctor visits last fall. Continue reading →

Nobody’s Holding Me Back But Me

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

I’m a fan of self help. One of the things I like about energy psychology is that it empowers me to become self-aware and engaged in my personal growth. That being said, there are times I seek help from a practitioner because I’m stuck. When that happens, it’s usually because I’m getting close to something that my unconscious is guarding diligently. Continue reading →

Energy Psychology

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

Image via Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology

I took basic psychology courses at university but it wasn’t until much later that energy psychology made its way into my life. In 1988, I was looking for answers to one of my children’s learning issues. I heard that Rob Williams, a psychologist from Colorado, was offering a weekend workshop in Psychological Kinesiology (now called Psych-K).

A mother looking for answers will go outside her comfort zone, so I signed up. It was a combination of Edu-K, Brain Gym, and muscle testing, as I recall. This was all pretty new to me, but I dived in. Continue reading →

Responsible…but not to blame

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

Image via Daisy on Sizzle

I burst out laughing when this graphic appeared on my Facebook feed. Judging from the number of likes, I wasn’t the only one. I think it’s one of those things that makes us laugh because we recognize the truth of it in ourselves. Since I was working on this blogpost that day, it packed an extra punch for me.

The ending of the original quote, attributed to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, is that it makes us stronger. While that can be true, it doesn’t magically happen. Using our difficulties to grow and become more resilient requires attention. It gives us the chance to release the energetic effects of trauma, so we can reconnect with ourselves to become ever-more whole. Continue reading →

Know Yourself to Help Yourself

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

A couple weeks ago, I suggested that the ideal doctor-patient relationship would be a partnership. This isn’t going to appeal to everyone because it means we can’t just coast to the end of our lives. This model requires engagement of the patient on several levels—mental, physical and emotional.

Continue reading →

Why functional and integrative medicine?

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

Today is the first of a series of occasional posts featuring a video or article that says something I couldn’t say as well. This is Dr. Russell Jaffe, a conventionally trained medical doctor who came to practise functional and integrative medicine as a result of trying to debunk those very philosophies. Let him tell you about it in this 5-minute video…

One of my favourite spots was when he said the essence is to live in harmony with your nature. I’d be interested in hearing what struck a chord with you.

I’m not a victim here

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

My weight was now perfectly normal, but blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar were all too high. I was sent on a round of tests. After a few months of tests and meetings with doctors, I felt as if I were unravelling.

Image via worldartsme.com

I found those months surprisingly stressful. A few days before each appointment, I felt my body seizing up. This intensified when a blood pressure cuff was put on during an appointment, and the readings were considerably higher than usual. And when I got home, my stress was 70 to 90% on the stress app I’d recently begun using. Continue reading →

Resourcefulness

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

One thing I know for certain, we are vulnerable when we’re without resources. That’s why I continue to listen to on-line wellness interviews and research possible treatments for my own issues. And it’s why I include so many links in my blogs—to help increase your resource pool.

Important physical assets include money, housing, good food and clean water. But our personal attributes and capabilities are also assets. They are the qualities that enable us to function well and sustain ourselves in difficult circumstances. That’s what really interests me. Continue reading →

A work in progress

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

Eventually, my quest to feel normal again led me to a functional medicine doctor. She reviewed my detailed history questionnaire, asked pointed questions, and listened carefully. The news wasn’t good. But she had ideas about how to turn things around.

My mitochondria were in trouble and carbohydrates were playing havoc with my blood sugar. The long and short of it—I was headed for neurologic distress (think Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s) and diabetes.

Image via Health-Inspiration.com

Mitochondria are small organelles located in most human cells. They are our source of energy, and serve to regulate cellular metabolism. Continue reading →

Capacity to Recover

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Laurana Rayne

Our bodies want to recover their normal state. They have a remarkable capacity to do so.

In a way, we know that. We’ve all seen cuts, bruises, and broken bones come and go. But I think for most of us, there’s an invisible line in our belief system that separates what we can recover from and what we can’t. With some conditions, it just seems impossible, unbelievable, or fanciful to entertain the idea of recovery. Yet it happens, and bodies return to normal functioning, sometimes even better.

When I left the hospital after my thyroid was removed, this is how my neck looked.

Stretched skin bulged because a drainage sponge had been inserted Continue reading →

The Uncommon Guides

Laurana Rayne on conscious living and thriving.

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