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Drs. Bruce and Molly Recommend - The Witch of Portobello: a Novel
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on December 1st, 2008
The Witch of Portobello: A Novel (P.S.) by Paulo Coelho is a story of one woman’s quest for meaning in her life, a woman who finds that her message of love, spirituality and individuality sets other people’s hearts on fire. For some, that fire creates the space for these virtues to come into their own lives, and a following develops. For others, this fire turns into a hatred and intolerance that threatens to burn all who come into contact with it. This book has you walk “the path of the witch” through interviews with friends, family and acquaintances. I will leave the ending for you to discover, so check it out!
LightHearted Musings - God Grant Me the Serenity…
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on November 30th, 2008
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
–Rienhold Niebuhr
How many times must we tell our story before it makes sense to us? How many years must go by before our perspective is complete? Is there ever a way to fully understand everything about one’s life?
I saw the movie “Signs” the other day. I was struck by its message that when life takes its twists and turns, you can’t see the big picture while you’re slogging through the muck. It all looks like…well, muck. In the movie, there are so many little and not so little pieces that all have to congeal to help the characters survive. Some of those pieces are heartbreaking, others are seemingly minor. Some happy, some sad. They certainly don’t seem to have any pattern to them. It’s only in retrospect that one can see how each delicate piece fits into a whole not so muck-ish pattern.
In my own story, the muck was neck-high for a while, high enough to keep me constantly on my toes, afraid to drown in the pain and despair from my neck injury if I let down for just a minute. On my guard for month after month, day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, even second after second. The fatigue that came from constantly standing on my toes and gasping for air was understandably profound.
How did I get out of the muck? I finally agreed to sink into it, to admit that even ballet dancers can only stand en pointe for so long, and to breathe it in. What I found was that I could inhale muck and not die. My attempts to stay above the fray had caused me more pain than just giving in to my basic human frailty. I also found that my family was willing to live in and embrace me in the muck, no matter how dirty they got.
I learned that there are waves, tidal changes, that if the muck is neck-high now, next week it might be to my chest, the next to my knees, and then sometimes back over my head again. If I just stuck it out, eventually I’d get clear of it again…for a while anyway. I found that it was easier to walk through it, to make the changes and go in the directions that I needed, with my feet firmly planted on the ground instead of tiptoeing along trying to save myself.
What I learned was that we all slog through the muck at times, that we all have tidal changes, that we all need others to love us and embrace us while we’re breathing it in. I found my perspective not from a distance but from being willing to live in the thick of it.
Dr. Molly
Drs. Bruce and Molly in the News - Dr. Molly Talks to Univision About Children and Stress
Posted by Dr. Bruce Roberts on November 28th, 2008
Check out the Univision Online article where Dr. Molly was interviewed about children and stress in “Cómo combatir el estrés infantil: Los niños sufrén más ansiedad que antes.” If you speak Spanish, then the information Dr. Molly and others offered in this article may be of help during these stressful times.
Testimonial of the Week - A Headache in Arizona is Better Than a Headache in New Jersey
Posted by Dr. Bruce Roberts on November 26th, 2008
Dear Dr. Molly, Just wanted to thank you again for all your help with my migraines. A headache in Arizona is better than a headache in New Jersey …I wish there was an MD like you here. It’s nice that you really care. Just wanted you to know you are appreciated…Thanks again for everything.
Drs. Bruce and Molly Recommend - A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on November 24th, 2008
Thanksgiving is a decidedly American holiday, but I love the universal feeling of gratitude that is attached to it. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah is a book that personifies thanksgiving, precisely because there was so little to be thankful for in his life.
This is a book that captures the deep sorrow and tragedy of those who have watched their families die and were forced into servitude as boy soldiers. On the surface, this is a story about the loss of hope and humanity, and if it ended at that, we would have understood.
And yet, here Ishmael is, very much human, with a kindness and softness that seems to belie those atrocities that he admits to committing in the name of duty. Despite extensive training geared toward wiping out his emotions and becoming a killing machine, he has transformed himself into a lover of peace. He brings a message of hope and humanity to counteract his story of cruelty and deprivation.
Isn’t it interesting how when we have the least, we appreciate the small blessings the most? Find your center of gratitude in the midst of your own troubles and strife, and become the Grateful Hero in your own life story.
Happy Thanksgiving!
LightHearted Musings - A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on November 23rd, 2008
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
–Lao-tzu
They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And my, what journeys we have all been on, haven’t we? When I think of the accumulated first and subsequent steps I have taken to get to this particular spot in my life, I think of story after story. It feels like it’s been such a long journey and yet those first steps also feel like they happened just yesterday.
We all have periods that are turning points, when circumstances cry for a rest stop on your journey of life. Times when all of your hormones, your biochemistry and your life circumstances are conspiring, forcing you to stop and take stock of all the various aspects of your life. The children (if there are any) are either grown up and out of the house or close to it. Your significant other (if there is one) is making life changes of his or her own. Your financial situation has taken a turn either for the better or for the worse. Your body is changing almost as much as it did in adolescence, and it may be showing its first signs of wear and tear. Your priorities are changing as work either holds more or less significance for you than it did in the past.
The questions that start coming up are the basic ones. What works at this point? What doesn’t? What occupies your time? Are your career, your home, your health and your relationships what you wanted them to be at this point in your life? Do you want to continue on this path or is there another direction that calls to you? Is the road ahead appearing to be rocky or paved in gold? What gifts, experience and wisdom do you bring with you from your previous steps and missteps? What is it that you want deep in your soul? If what you want is not what you’ve got, then what should you do?
What beautiful, honorable and sacred questions these are and what incredibly difficult ones at the same time. There is no magical book to answer these for you. There is no expert “out there” who can comment more convincingly than you about what is “in here.” The work, the introspection and the answers need to come from within, one step at a time.
This is your time to explore these questions and find your own answers. You are not broken and so nobody is going to try to fix you, but we will all be here to support you on your chosen path. We will listen to the stories of your journey and provide a safe and supportive atmosphere for you to explore yourself in mind, body, emotions and spirit. We will talk about the changes your body and your emotions are going through and help you to navigate the many options for optimal health and well-being.
We will encourage you take the time to play and laugh as all good journeys should. We will hold each others’ tears as well, because at least for the moment, we’re all on this path together. Father Thomas Keating once said, “If one completes the journey to one’s own heart, one will find oneself in the heart of everyone else.” Let us all link arms to take that collective next step on the path toward our most cherished vision for ourselves. You can do this - after all, it’s just one step at a time!
Dr. Molly
Drs. Bruce and Molly in the News - Drs. Bruce and Molly Talk About Holistic Medicine
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on November 20th, 2008
Check out the popular Conscious Healing radio show where Drs. Bruce and Molly are interviewed by Sherry Anshara. They talk here about Holistic Medicine and its ability to create deep, joyful and lasting health. Check it out!
Testimonial of the Week - A Well of Wonder
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on November 19th, 2008
Dear Dr. Bruce, I just wanted to send a little note. You know I consider our meeting one of fate. It feels as if I have discovered a well of wonder over there at the Synchronicity Center and I am grateful that you offer your services to us “small folk” out here in the neighborhood of life. Your focus of holistic health is really quite amazing. I feel as if I have an incredible baseline to move forward with now. I need to contemplate where to go from here. So thank you from my heart, and be sure to take care of yourself.
Drs. Bruce and Molly Recommend - Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on November 18th, 2008
Bill Clinton has had an interesting life since leaving the White House. Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World is his book about the charitable endeavors that are available to all of us if we want to find our own way to make the world a better place. There are some wonderful stories in here, and I loved hearing about how many people are involved in these organizations. It gives me hope that we have the ability and the drive to turn things around, and Clinton’s book made me want to be a part of the solution.
LightHearted Musings - Lasting Peace Can Come Only to Peaceful People
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on November 16th, 2008
Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul.
Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind.
Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people.
–Jawaharlal Nehru
I just finished the book, Human Smoke: The Beginnings of World War II, the End of Civilization by Nicholson Baker, about the events during the 1930’s and 1940’s that drove us to a Second World War. What a fascinating book! I found this quote by Jawaharlal Nehru specifically so that I could talk about this, as there were very few leaders during that time who had peace on their minds or in their hearts. I invite you to read this with one eye focused on the past and the other focused on our present circumstances, so that we can continue to learn and grow as a world community.
Before I start, I have a word of warning - this one may not feel so much like a lighthearted musing. However, sometimes the best way to get to the light of our lives is through taking a good look into the shadows of our humanity. As long as these stay in the dark, they have the power to influence our thoughts and behaviors in ways we would never consider acceptable in the light of day, and that is what this particular musing is all about.
For instance, I learned that there was a lot of violence and discounting of humanity during the 1920’s and 1930’s, even after enduring a first World War that should have taught them some lessons about peace and compassion, about the futility of brutality. Before WWII, England was particularly cruel in the Middle East, where they didn’t view Muslims as equal in their humanity and would kill farmers and peasants from planes. Churchill certainly thought of Mahatma Gandhi as less than human and wouldn’t even deign to meet with him when he traveled to England. It was assumed that those from the Middle East and India did not have equal rights under the law, and they were treated as unwelcome guests in their own land.
The peace treaty with Germany after the first World War was more of a punishment than a true peace treaty. It created great poverty, restrictions, and desperation in Germany, resulting in their following a madman that promised them a return of their dignity and sense of control.
I found out that only Costa Rica and Australia would accept, in any meaningful numbers, Jews who were fleeing the Nazis. Even Palestine was turning people away (Palestine was an English protectorate), to the point of shooting at their boats when they tried to land. The United States government, and FDR in particular, definitely ignored their plight. They blamed it on the necessity of honoring the U.S. quota system (only 1200 people from that part of the world a year), leaving the others to fend for themselves. Though Eleanor Roosevelt advocated for opening up the quota during this emergency, FDR was noticeably silent on the matter and his silence spoke volumes. In fact, there were a number of times in Roosevelt’s life when he talked about there being too many Jews around.
All the horror stories fell on deaf ears. England even arrested and incarcerated those who were able to escape Germany under the guise that there might be some terrorists in the bunch (sound familiar?). Did you know that Hitler wanted to send the Jews away but when no country would accept them, he came up with the Final Solution? Germany did not own the patent on anti-Semitism, not by a long shot.
Those who advocated for peace were considered naive at first, and then traitors and subversives, and in some cases arrested for treason. That sounds really familiar!
At the beginning of WWII, England fiercely bombed German cities for many months before Germany finally turned around and retaliated on England. The accuracy of these English bombing missions for hitting their military targets was only 1%. The way they decided to get around that was to bomb the middle of the populated areas so that at least they were killing more Germans. The concept of innocent civilians, women and children was a moot and undiscussed point. You might be surprised to find out that Hitler wanted to end the fighting on several occasions and England (particularly Churchill, the consummate warrior) repeatedly refused.
Roosevelt sent both pilots and planes to China so that they could fight the Japanese more effectively many months before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Now, I know that Japan was also being brutal in their fight with China, and so I’m not defending them. I’m just pointing out the lack of a clear good guy/bad guy scenario, as we were aggressive toward them before they were aggressive toward us.
I don’t think anyone would defend the actions of Hitler during that time, but I was very disappointed that I couldn’t defend the actions of Churchill or Roosevelt either. I don’t know how they could have dealt differently with such a madman as Hitler, and clearly, Hitler was the main aggressor in this conflagration. What I do know, though, is that all of them share some level of responsibility for both the build-up toward aggression and the carnage that ensued. Both prejudice and indifference were at least a part of all of their make-ups.
If we can see these people for whom they really were - good, bad and indifferent - then that will help all of us to understand ourselves better. I want to know the reality, not the myth of a person. I want to know their light and their shadow, because it is only in seeing the whole picture of a purported hero that we can find our way to the light of our own heroism. Even more, it will help us to more accurately define what we mean by the word hero and what we mean by peace.
After World War I, we had a World War II and then a Korean War, and then a Vietnam War…the list goes on and on up to and including the Iraqi War…precisely because we have not yet found the peaceful state of mind that Nehru talked about. We haven’t even made it a priority. Just one look at our recent fractious election process will highlight that statement. And what strange twists of self-harming consciousness have to be performed to make war seem patriotic and peace seem unpatriotic?
We seem to keep searching for the next great second-class citizen. In our history, Jews, gays, African-Americans and others of African heritage, Chinese, Japanese and others of Asian heritage, Muslims and those of Middle Eastern heritage, Irish, Italians, Germans, French, Russians, Polish, Catholics, Mexicans and those of Latin American heritage, Native Americans, heavy people, disabled people, old people, women, children, atheists, socialists, communists, immigrants, poor people, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, the Green Party, and those without education or a home have all held this perceived low spot for segments of our society who cling to the wish to be at the top of that hierarchy. I’m sure you can think of others to add to this list, and you are probably a member of at least one of these groups yourself. At the very least, we all remember the indignities of childhood and would like to avoid the similar indignities of old age! The moment we start seeing someone different from us as “less than,” as less worthy of the equal human rights we so dearly guard for ourselves, when we stop assuming others’ good intentions simply because of the color of their skin, their gender, their ancestry, their religion, their sexual preference, or their life circumstances, then we are adding to the violence in our world.
At some point, peace has got to become our firm and stated commitment, not the semblance of peace but a true peace in heart, mind and soul, and yes, in our actions and behaviors as well. We look to the heroes of our past to find some of our answers, and then we simply have to step past them, to dream the world anew. As Nathaniel Hawthorne put it, “Let us thank God for having given us such ancestors. And let each successive generation thank Him not less fervently for being one step further from them in the march of ages.”
Dr. Molly
