health

Dear Readers,

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Thank you for following Conscious Chimera all of these years! I have made a change recently. In order to keep all of my content under one roof, I have relocated to Substack. My Substack account is https://substack.com/@consciouschimeraclassroom – PLEASE SUBSCRIBE.

Dr. Kim’s Conscious Chimera Classroom contains both paid and free content to subscribers. The topics or area of focus will remain the same – that’s anything related to human consciousness, wellness, spirituality and psychology. Instead of jumping around from YouTube to WordPress and other sites, all videos, slideshow lectures, papers and articles, blogs, audio recordings (guided meditations and yoga nidra), etc., can now be found here: https://substack.com/@consciouschimeraclassroom

Thank you again and I hope to see you on Substack!

Be well,

Dr. Kim

homeopathy in holistic care

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Welcome back Conscious Chimera followers! You may remember Dr. Teri Jackson from the last blog – the anniversary article! Since she is so wonderfully valuable in the world of integrative healthcare, I’ve invited her back. She graciously agreed and will teach us a bit about a type of Western Medicine known as homeopathy. Enjoy!

As our discussion began, Dr. Teri Jackson (TJ) provided some history: Homeopathy was developed by the German physician Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. His observation as a medical doctor was that many of the medications at the time were highly toxic. Things that we wouldn’t even think of as having a medical application today, such as toxic substances mercury and arsenic, were used as medicines. Dr. Hahnemann considered how these medical applications that are toxic could somehow be beneficial. He asked, Is there a way that we can still preserve the health benefits of these toxic substances while removing the toxicity? So his idea was to dilute them to the point to where they still have their medical application, but they didn’t have any more toxicity associated with them. So that’s where homeopathy started from. So Dr. Hahnemann would take something like mercury diluted down hundreds of times in order to have this medicine that was no longer the way it was supposed to. So that’s the very basic tenet of homeopathy. 

KM: It reminds me of how vaccinations work as well. There’s some diluting down of a substance. 

TJ: Yes, that’s actually an excellent point. Now while vaccinations and homeopathy are not exact – not the same thing – it can be helpful for our modern mind to think about it in a similar way. So, with a vaccination we take virus or some other agent that will normally cause illness in a person, we then dilute it down, inject it into that person so their immune system can then identify that particular agent and attack it, and therefore support the immune system of the person. Homeopathy works in a very similar way in that when we’re giving a diluted version of a medication, it isn’t the remedy itself that’s actually effecting change in the person. Instead, it’s hitting their energetic system. As a vaccine will affect the immune system of a person, homeopathy addresses the energetic system of a person.

KM: Western medical practice seems to have forgotten about its past inclusion of energetics.

TJ: Yes, and in fact, for centuries, we had homeopathic hospitals and universities. In 1910, things shifted when the Flexnor Report was published via the Carnegie Foundation, essentially stating that natural modalities were bunk, and that all medical interventions should be

pharmaceutically driven. Prior to that, it was rather acceptable that natural remedies, including homeopathy, were part of any doctor’s tool kit.

KM: Yes. I recall a little bit about what you’re saying. 

TJ: So what homeopathic remedies affect is what we call the vital force (of a person). In other traditions, such as Ayurvedic Indian traditions, we call it prana. In Chinese medicine, we call it Chi or Qi. In Western traditions, we call it the vital force. So just as acupuncture in Chinese medicine affects the chi/qi system, homeopathy, similarly affects the vital force. Basically, homeopathy works with the same energetic system as acupuncture. 

KM: Okay, so vital force is the term that is used in the Western system, compared with prone or chi/qi in other systems. Thanks for bringing that up.

TJ: So the answer to your question about vaccinations that’s exactly how it works. It’s basically taking the diluted substance and triggering the innate vital force response of the person to self-heal and self-regulate.

KM: I see, that’s really great. Can you tell us about particular homeopathic remedies and their uses or applications?

TJ: Sure! There’s a concept in homeopathy called miasmatic theory. Certain attributes are passed down the generations and from a biological, physiologic genetic standpoint we understand this. We get our genes passed down from our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and these certain attributes, physical, mental, emotional, are passed down and that’s something that we know and understand to be true. There’s another layer to that story that I think we talked about in our last blog interview, which was epigenetics. And that’s how our genetic code the DNA is concrete, but the expression of those genes can change depending on our environment (food, diet, stress levels, trauma are examples), all of those different types of expressions of genes are also passed down through the generations.

So this dovetails nicely with this homeopathic idea of miasm, which is that there are these core traits that we have as individuals that are passed down through the generations. And one of these miasms is the cancer miasm. So, Causticum, for example, is a cancer remedy in homeopathy. So is Carcinosin. These are remedies that although the constellation of symptoms are not exactly the same, the miasm is that of cancer. So, we understand that cancer can run in families and it goes beyond just genetic mutations. There is a constellation of characteristics and attributes that are passed down and then they manifest in several ways, so there are several cancer remedies.

KM: Since you named Causticum first, and I am also familiar with that remedy, please say a little more about how it can be helpful.

TJ: Causticum is one of the remedies for anxiety. Also, lesions and sores on the skin that have a burning quality. Also, we look at the personalities of the people and match the remedy to that personality as well. 

KM: That’s right, because you’re treating the whole person – mind, body, spirit, emotional, all of that. 

TJ: So sometimes I’ll ask a patient,  “What makes you mad? What are the kinds of things that really anger you?” Someone with a Causticum constitution would reply with injustice, social injustice. Now people get can get angry about all sorts of different things. So if a person comes to me, and their primary complaint is anger, I’m not just going to give them a remedy for anger. I need to know what makes them angry. Why are you angry? With what are you most angry about? Out of social injustice? Are you angry because you’re holding on to a child resentment? It’s different for everybody. And so that’s where we have to understand not only the physical symptoms that a remedy can address, but also the personality traits.

KM: Yeah, good. Good points to remind us that we want to think in a more holistic way and an open minded way with these types of treatments, treating again the whole person. So you said there were hundreds and hundreds of homeopathic remedies.

 TJ: Yes, there are literally hundreds of homeopathic remedies. The most commonly prescribed remedies are called polycrests. These are the ones you can find in the little blue tubs at health food or natural stores. Arnica is the one most people are familiar with which is known to help superficial things such as bruising and strained muscles. Polycrests are the very commonly used remedies that address a very broad range of symptoms.

KM: What else should we know about in this world of homeopathy. Anything specific to be aware of?

TJ: So the tricky thing with homeopathy is that as a layperson without training, if you’re going pick out a remedy for yourself, it really is a shot in the dark. One of the great challenges is choosing the correct remedy! Untrained people might think that homeopathy doesn’t work because they’ve chosen a remedy for themselves that is not the correct one.

That being said, there are some really commonly used remedies for certain mental emotional conditions. An example is grief. The big grief remedies are Ignatia and Natrum-mur. These are remedies that you can consider if you’re feeling grief stricken. Phosphorus and Arsenicum are two that are really good remedies for anxiety. But again, the underlying “pathology” is what is necessary to understand in order to choose the correct mental emotional remedy. It’s very individualized.

KM: That’s why it is so important to work with a trained professional.

TJ: Yes. While there are lay homeopaths, generally speaking, people who practice homeopathy either are a naturopathic physician like I am, or a medical doctor – many are practicing homeopathy. There are also certification courses that will certify lay homeopaths. Lay homeopaths are people who do not have a medical degree, but do have advanced training. And depending on the state, these people may or may not be licensed to practice medicine. In which case there would just be more of a consultant. 

KM: Yeah, it does differ state by state. It’s really nice to learn more about this. Thank you for this introduction to homeopathy! A take-home-point for me is that we are much more than just a blob of matter. We are mind, emotion, and spirit as well.

TJ: And energetics!

KM: Right! I’d say that there are many kinds of medicine helpers, in different ways, and in different systems. Of course, consult with your health care provider. But the different systems can work well together.

TJ: Absolutely. These modalities are not mutually exclusive. Just like you use, you know, a lot of pain management clinics will utilize chiropractic or acupuncture. That doesn’t mean that you can’t do both. You can do traditional pain management along with these other modalities. 

KM: Any last words before we wrap up?

TJ: Again, they are not mutually exclusive. 

KM: That’s such an important reminder, that it does not have to be one or the other. We can choose integrative medicine. 

Thank you for taking the time today to allow me to interview you!

metabolic approach to health and wellness – 8th anniversary article

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To those of you who read this blog, I have a special treat for you today, which marks the 8th anniversary of Conscious Chimera. I (KM) was thrilled and honored when Dr. Teri Jackson (TJ) agreed to be interviewed for this anniversary article. Dr. Teri, as many people call her, is a naturopathic physician in practice for the last 13 years or so. She currently resides on the island of Maui. Those who know her, recognize her skill and vast knowledge with regard to the metabolic approach to health and disease development. Here, we will look at this through the lens of Dr. Nasha Winters’ metabolic approach to treatment and, most importantly, prevention. 

KM: So, Dr. Teri, what is the metabolic approach and what are some common metabolic diseases that people are living with?

TJ: The basic tenant of the metabolic approach to health and wellness is that all disease at its core is due to a disruption in the metabolic function. The treatment approaches used tend to support the overall health of the person, rather than just going after the disease itself. We approach the whole person, not just the disease state.

Generally, when people think of metabolic diseases, the ones that really come to mind are diabetes, because that has a direct influence from our blood sugar control, which is metabolism, as well as heart disease, high blood pressure, high lipids, and high cholesterol. We typically think of those as metabolic diseases, but even conditions such as cancer, which our culture has been conditioned to think of as a genetic disease, is linked to metabolism. We now know that it’s actually more of a dysregulated metabolism that actually is causing cancer, not genetic mutations, per se. So it’s the dysregulated metabolism that causes the genetic dysfunctions, which then leads to cancer.

KM: Not the other way around!

TJ: Yes, exactly. So the conventional theory of how cancer develops is that there’s a genetic mutation and again, this is called the somatic mutation theory of cancer, and this is what conventional medicine focuses on –  you know, attack the tumor, kill it, get rid of the tumor, because that’s the problem from the conventional perspective. But the way that we’re approaching cancer is that it’s actually the other way around. 

It’s dysfunctional, dysregulated metabolism of the individual that’s actually creating these genetic mutations that then explode into the cancering process.

KM: So this approach seems to go more to the root cause, and look into what would cause genes to express in such a way…a harmful way.

TJ: Yes, that’s exactly right. And in fact, we don’t ignore genetics when we talk about the metabolic approach to disease. We are absolutely looking at genetics, and in particular a concept called epigenetics. So there’s the DNA, the genome that we’re born with, and that is unalterable, that is just who we are, but these genes can be turned on and off in different types of ways based on diet and lifestyle and stress levels. The mental emotional piece is actually much bigger here than a lot of people recognize – it isn’t just physical toxins in the environment that create epigenetic changes, but toxicity in interpersonal relationships, workplace dynamics, dysfunctional coping mechanisms, etc., also have a tremendous impact on genetic expression. So these genes can be turned on and off in either healthy ways to help promote the wellbeing of the person or they can be turned on and off in ways that are detrimental to the person’s health. How we live and breathe and move and sleep and light exposure – all of these really basic things – It’s not just administering supplements, it’s about getting those really foundational pieces into place, which is fresh air, sunshine, exercise, reduced blue light exposure from electronics, EMFs, etc.

KM: Talking about the epigenetic component reminds me of when I was in the first three years of my doctoral program, when we were really focused on prenatal and perinatal psychology. We talked about how in this earliest time  – life in the womb, but also going back into the mother’s life, the grandmother’s life.

TJ: So it’s like you’re talking about this kind of mental-emotional piece, or psychological health, but it goes even beyond that. It goes deeper into the physiology as well. Because the eggs that females have were developed in her grandmother. All of us were in our grandmother’s womb.

This relates to the concept of epigenetics. So we can look at this as generational, you know, we can call it generational trauma or learning, and that’s more of a psychological approach to it however it’s based in physiology and genetics, and this idea of epigenetics. For example, part of the questionnaire that I have with some of my patients includes questions like “Did your parents, grandparents, or great grandparents, go through The Depression? Were they Holocaust survivors?” – these types of questions, because that kind of trauma turns into this generational trauma.

KM: Oh, and war! Through wars, for example, we are creating future generations who will have these genetic predispositions.

TJ: Exactly…That really isn’t part of your genetic blueprint as far as your DNA goes. It’s this epigenetic expression. So yeah, so it goes on, on all these different levels that generational trauma is passed on, and transmitted. 

So we think about health, or lack of health, or disease as growing from soil, if you will. If we can consider ourselves as a garden, we are needing to nourish that soil in a way that can support us to grow and develop as a healthy organism. In this way, we can think of ourselves as a terrain.

An analogy that a lot of people use is that of the fishbowl. So it’s like if you have a goldfish in a bowl of water that’s just polluted and dirty, and filled with all manner of crap and toxins and no nutrients, you don’t just treat that fish with medications or even supplements. You would think that the way to help that fish is to just move it into a clean bowl. So the metabolic approach doesn’t just give the fish medication or supplements to help it retain its health. After all, this fish is in this dirty toxic soup. So we have to clean up the environment, both internally and externally. We have to address both of those.

So in order to remain well or heal from disease, we target the terrain. According to the metabolic approach, there are 10 different aspects of the terrain that we really want to address with each patient. We usually pick the top three to work with at first because otherwise it gets overwhelming for both the patient and the practitioner. 

So we have to start with the top priorities. We’ve already mentioned genetics and epigenetics, so that’s one.There’s the digestive health and microbiome as well. That’s basically the bacteria and everything else. There’s also blood sugar balance. And off course there’s toxic burden which goes back to the fish bowl discussion. Here, we need to basically ensure that we’re in a clean, relatively toxin free environment. Immune Function is also huge because our immune function is basically that gateway that’s protecting us from our environment. Inflammation is another one. It’s been long known that inflammation is a root cause of many, many disease processes, and lots of people say that, but then we also have to get down beneath the inflammation. Inflammation is the cause of so many disease processes, if not all of them.

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KM: We have to ask, but what causes inflammation? 

TJ: That’s correct. So we have to go we have to dig deeper on that one by determining why the inflammatory processes are out of balance. It could be from an infection, environmental toxins, improper diet, allergies, etc.

And another one is blood circulation. We need to make sure that our blood is moving properly throughout the system in an unimpeded way which includes healthy cardiovascular and lung function. Hormone balance is another big one for the terrain. Hormone balance is critical, not just with women, with men as well and we’re not just talking about sex hormones. We’re talking about thyroid. We’re talking about cortisol and stress hormones. We’re talking about hormones in the brain that regulate hunger signals and satiety. So these hormones are really, really important to keep in balance. And this also actually ties into toxic burden because our world is so heavy and xenoestrogens, pesticides, and plastics which are totally messing up our hormonal systems. Not just with men and women, but with children even! Children are having these crazy hormonal symptoms that they shouldn’t be. Another drop in the bucket is stress. Again, the stress response and bio rhythms (such as circadian rhythms) are very important. I ask my patients, are you in bed by 10:00pm, or the very latest 11:00pm? Are you sleeping through the night? Are you getting up at an appropriate hour? Do you feel rested and refreshed? 

KM: Sleep is a big one! One doctor said that if you have to do one thing, or make one positive change in your life, make it about sleep.

TJ: I agree. It’s true.

KM: Did we cover the Terrain 10 or is there something else?

TJ: Yes, there’s one more thing. That’s the mental-emotional piece. This is a piece that regular primary care doctors, even integrative health practitioners, tend to kind of shy away from this because we think it’s not in our wheelhouse. Sometimes it’s more appropriate to refer out to other practitioners if necessary (counselors or psychologists, other therapists), but we have to really understand that such a big piece of health and healing is this mental-emotional piece. It’s huge. Hundreds and hundreds of practitioners have just seen this time and time again. That is, that one’s attitude toward their health matters. Feeling positive and hopeful and having faith that their health can be restored does so much good for them. However, we also have to be careful not to push people into this toxic positivity, where they feel like they have to force this like, you know, Little Miss Sunshine, if that’s not what they’re feeling, because when you’re suppressing these very real, very normal, very validated feelings of fear and hopelessness and despair (genuine feelings), especially once you come up against a diagnosis, like cancer. 

KM: Right, because then this so called “toxic positivity” can make it ineffective. It’s ineffective when it is not congruent. If you are in a true state of fear, but then telling yourself you have to say positive affirmations all day is, in my opinion, it’s a waste of time.

TJ: Right! It’s a waste of time, and it can even create more problems for the person because then we’re suppressing and stuffing stuff. A huge tenet of naturopathy is that we don’t suppress. We don’t suppress symptoms and we don’t suppress emotions. We have to get the stuff out, and process it as it comes out. You know, a lot of times, when people are facing a pretty serious diagnosis, they’re trying to stay positive and upbeat to protect the people around them. And that’s also really counterproductive. 

KM: Yes, I totally agree. This is leading me to recall how I’ve heard Dr. Gabor Mate talking about the emotional lives of people with some serious diseases, most of whom are women. Knowing that the vast majority of those diagnosed are women when it comes to immune diseases (many of which have a metabolic origin) really hit me hard, especially alongside getting a peek into their inner, emotional lives.

TJ: I remember hearing this. You know, I haven’t always been in the integrative oncology world. I’ve actually got my initial training working with the allopathic conventional medical school in Portland: Oregon Health Sciences University. I did Breast Cancer Research for a number of years in Portland. And that’s kind of what we used to say. It was primarily breast cancer patients that we were working with. We would say that there are actually three personality types. There’s the Type A personality which we know of, you know, kind of typical type A, there’s a type B, which is like your chill, laid back, and then there’s your type C, your cancer personality type, which is what we’re describing as people pleasing. It’s this, putting other people first and ignoring your own needs in order to support others. And it’s also this piece of suppression as well. Coming back to this sort of idea that if we suppress our own needs, our own emotions, our own ugliness, things that we don’t want the world to see…

KM: Like the shadow? 

TJ: Yes, thank you. That’s another really big piece to this C type personality, this cancer type. It’s this suppression and putting on a really good face and trying to present well to the world.

KM: So part of the remedy, in a way, a little slice of the remedy pie, is authenticity. Healthy expression of true emotion. And how do we see the shadow? Well I know we can see it in dreams. That’s just one reason why keeping a dream journal is important. We can also see it when we’re tracking our thoughts from a kind of cognitive therapy perspective. You can learn to track your thoughts and pay attention to all the rambling and just see what you’re stuffing and see what’s coming up or out. 

So we’ve covered the Terrain 10, especially placing attention on the mental-emotional component.

TJ: Homeopathy, which is a gentle treatment, sits well with the metabolic perspective in that we are not just treating the disease state, we are treating the person.

KM: Right. My understanding of how homeopathy works is really important because if you’re looking at it from a strictly Western mindset, one that’s of a Newtonian, reductionist, materialistic perspective, homeopathy doesn’t make any sense. So looking at the energetics behind things, understanding that we are electric beings, energetic fields, if you will. So homeopathy can marry well, I think, with that holistic, whole person approach. 

TJ: One thing that really pops into my mind right now is a questionnaire that we give all of our new patients – this is the Adverse Childhood Experiences.

KM: Oh yes! I administer that to all of my therapy clients as well. It’s so very important. 

TJ: One thing that I’ve learned through my own therapeutic process is that the situations we were put in during childhood really do follow us into adult life.

KM: Exactly, and now we have the proof!

What’s beautiful about the ACE study is that it is validating. It helps people understand that the childhood trauma they experienced can have a powerful direct (negative) impact on their adult selves. The trauma endured, or rather survived, by a child is never their fault, however it is their responsibility to heal from it. The work put into the healing from the grief, terror, deep pain, leaves a positive impact on the world and others, including their own offspring. To recover fully, we must go through an often lonely process of naming it or recognizing it, claiming it by taking ownership, and then releasing it or dumping it.

TJ: So just for example, as far as the mental-emotional adverse childhood event, or even adverse anytime in your life event, for example, when we see gynecological cancer, we have to think about sexual trauma. When we think about, you know, lung cancer, we think about grief. So this is where we kind of tie in some of these concepts from Chinese medicine, emotional, mental states that we tend to associate with a different organ systems. So when we look at things like the lung, that’s really grief. When we look at people with liver cancers, or any kind of liver problem, we have to look at, you know, how do you process your anger and your frustration? Are you able to process that in a healthy way? Or do you lash out, do you rage? Do  you stuff it down and then self harm by expressing that anger toward yourself? 

Prostate cancer, like gynecological cancer, can have a relationship with one’s difficulty with expressing healthy sexual expression, in a nontoxic way. How do you manage or express your masculinity? Are you able to connect with another in a healthy way? These are challenges for men in this culture.

Now with cancers related to the bladder and kidneys, anything that has to do with the urinary tract actually, we think of fear – like an existential fear – not necessarily a fear about anything in general. Essentially, it’s like “what does it all mean?” You know, being fearful in the world. 

But with regard to treatment we must look at the toxic burden for these cancers. So, What are you eating? What’s your water like? Are you drinking too much alcohol? That kind of stuff.

KM: Right! A slice of the toxic burden pie, when it comes to bladder, kidney, or urinary tract cancers might come from exposure to the news, especially these days. News stations need their audiences to be fearful of the world because that gets them to tune in more often…higher ratings. One of the best things I’ve ever done, is make the decision to not own a television and not watch the news, except for perhaps on a bi-weekly or even monthly basis. I see it as a protective factor.

As we wrap up our time together today, Dr. Teri, is there any last thought you’d like to share?

TJ: The one thing that I just see time and time again in patients with all kinds of health conditions is how are you speaking your truth? How are you expressing yourself in a genuine and authentic way? Especially in this culture that we find ourselves in with so much focus on external appearances and where we feel like we have to present ourselves to the world in a very specific way. Discover what you love and do it! It can be your love for art, dance, music..any kind of healthy expression of who you truly are. So figure out who you really are and what you really want out of this life. That will be more potent, more powerful than any drug, any supplement, any dietary intervention that we can come up with.

KM: I love this. Dr. Teri, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom today and for taking the time to be here. I appreciate you.

To Your Health,

Dr. Kim

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#mindbodymedicine

#metabolicapproach

#naturopathy

#trauma

#cancer

biohacking and dreaming: an unlikely pair?

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What are you willing to do in order to be at your very best?

How far would you go? Which risks are really worth it?

Since there are so many aspects of and so many options for bio-hacking these days, ranging from age old practices to contemporary ones, just about anyone can give it a try. From oral supplements, dietary changes, injections, IV therapies, external/wearable physiological tracking devices, implantable biotechnologies, and more, just about anyone with extra income can bio-hack their body, in one fashion or another, in an attempt to reverse aging, elevate performance, and increase vitality. I have found some of the methods to be quite extreme. But couldn’t one engage in biohacking for little-to-no-cost with little-to-no risk by utilizing their innate gifts? I would say so, and that is through attentive engagement with sleep, especially dreaming. While napping and extra long hours of nightly sleep can be viewed as a luxury, the free practices of dream incubation, as well as lucid dreaming, can open up a whole new world. Such nonordinary or altered-state-of-consciousness biohacking is low-level and safe. Double-bonus: these no-cost strategies, skills, and techniques can take as little as 10 minutes out of your day (or night, depending). First, I will share some words about the practice known as dream incubation, then I will say a little about lucid dreams and how they might relate to hacking our biology.

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Biohacking is all the rage these days, the latest DIY (do-it-yourself) craze. You can find dissertations written on the topic, as well as, articles published over the last 14-15 years in journals like Nature Biotechnology (2009), BioSocieties (2017), and Futures (2021), differentiating between biomedical citizen scientists and fringe biohackers, alongside how hobbyist, activism, art and science intersect within a DIYbio landscape. Here, they note the risks involved, and the fact that research on such “hidden populations” brings with it many challenges. Even Forbes has highlighted the topic over the last couple of years. DIYbio practitioners, or biohackers, are increasing in number and the phenomena itself is increasing in popularity with each passing year. And why shouldn’t it? Everyone wants to be at the top of their game, and to feel that sense of control when it comes to taking charge of experiencing optimal health, peak performance, with the hopes of extending living with quality over one’s lifespan. 

Dream incubation can be used for a wide array of needs. It is an ancient practice. Dream incubation involves sending out an intention before a nap or bedtime to ask for guidance and knowledge. The manner by which one sets up a dream incubation ritual can be simple or complex. The ritual aspect is important because effective rituals are done with great focus and intention – never autopilot. Dream incubation is at home in the biohacker world because it can be utilized for diagnosing or better understanding health-related conditions or concerns and in support of healing those.

DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The information provided here is NOT a substitute for medical care. If you have any medical issue, of any kind, please go see a physician. 

Okay, now back to dream incubation. Possible questions or statements to include as part of the dream incubation process could be any of the following – but be ready, knowing that what you ask for, you just may well receive.

 “Show me a mirror that can allow me to see into my body, revealing health or illness.”

“Which foods are best for my unique makeup?”

“Show me the supplements my body needs right now for XYZ.”

“What practices I do at this time in my life for peak performance?”

“Show me a solution to this problem (or situation or issue).”

“What area of my life needs my attention right now?” 

“How can I heal from this?”

“Please give me a direct healing in my dream.”

“Take me to the time and place where the root cause of this problem came to life.”

“Show me the circumstances surrounding this concern I have.”

You may also craft your own, of course – Just be sure it is done in the positive and affirmative. Make the question or statement short and to the point. Once you have one, write it down on a piece of paper while expressing it out loud. Proclaim it. Then, place that paper under your pillow. Once you are in bed, cozy and comfortable, focus on the statement or question you chose as you drift into dreamland.

Write down, draw or sketch out, or if you prefer, audio record anything you recall immediately upon waking up from the dream. Keep at it – use one intention for a full week or even two. This consistency increases its effectiveness. Once you have something, reflect. You may do a daily reflection, or wait until you have recollections accumulated from a few days of practice. I’ll add an important point here: anything a dream provides – all wisdom coming out of the dream world – deserves a thank you offering, even an offering as simple as a prayer is fine. You don’t necessarily have to offer up an object. What comes with including dreams into the bio-hackers world, is a relationship. This way of working is not a secular transaction. I’ll say more about this in the final paragraph of this article.

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I’ve practiced dream incubation quite a bit for many reasons. Years ago when I was searching for healing and cures in the dream state due to a medical condition I faced, I would regularly begin my evening with a dream incubation ritual. For some nights my recall seemed nonexistent while other times I awoke with a lot of quality information relevant to my situation. One time in the dream, a colleague who also happened to be an amazing lucid dreamer appeared right in front of me, holding “the cure” in her hands. It was a frame drum made from natural materials, slightly larger than the ones I was used to seeing. I awoke immediately after this very direct and clear wisdom was provided. I awoke angry, and sad, because after having spent years studying traditional healing ways as a, primarily scholarly endeavor, I knew what “a call” looked like and how they could appeared. Even worse, I knew what happens to those who do not follow through…those who “refuse the call.” So that this story remains a short one, I am sure you can guess what I did. That was to begin the multi-year long training with a noted, quality teacher and surrender as I embark on the deep, deep dive. Even though I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and frankly, just didn’t want to to do it, I did so regardless of the investments of time and cost. This path includes ceremonies that honor the gifts that emerge from the altered state practices, so many prayers are offered, naturally. So, while a free biohacker support, dream incubation can lead to something you might not want to do, or even want to know. Therefore, be clear before you proceed.

Now let’s move on to lucid dreaming. As for those of you who lucid dream skillfully and fairly regularly, you can use any of the statements or questions above in the lucid dream state. You might address the dreamscape first. I’ll share an example from one of my own experiences with lucid dreaming and healing. Upon becoming lucid, I called out, “Dreaming Mind, show me how to heal this condition!” I have also asked, “Dreaming Mind, what is the root cause of this condition?” Additionally, “Dream, take me to XYZ so I may understand XYZ.” Remain open and receptive to what is shown or revealed in that lucid state. Again, write down, sketch out, or audio record anything you recall upon waking up from the dream. But, of course, do not jump out of bed so quickly. Remain still for a few moments as you collect yourself, mentally gathering together what you recall from the experience.

While lucid dreaming is as popular as biohacking these days, remember that lucidity does not equate to superiority. Ordinary dreams are truth teller. In addition, the liminal zones, in fact, offer some of the best information out there, so do not dismiss them. By this, I mean, as you relax prior to sleep, stay alert enough to catch solutions whether they arise as sounds, voices, or images that may come forth before drifting off to sleep. This pre-sleep zone is rich in what it can offer. On that note, be aware when you are awakening as well, as it is another valuable time period for gaining insights and catching solutions. These are the liminal states of consciousness. Some time ago when I was dealing with a condition and using the dream arts as part of my healing protocol, I heard a strong and direct voice in a liminal state. It was a teacher of mine reminding me how the body knows how to heal itself (given the right conditions). While not a diagnosis nor a remedy per se, the liminal dream did inspire me. The experience also served as a reminder for me to provide the correct, necessary conditions so that I may move along toward a state of healing from within.  

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No matter which dreamy state you find yourself in, remember to remain physically still as your awareness rises in order to enhance recall, whether those dreams be ordinary, liminal or lucid. Treat them all with the same respect. May your dreams be your medicine, as I always say! Stay open and receptive. Allow yourself to be surprised.

I’ll wrap up by returning to a point I made earlier. That is, how important it is to act on any and all information your dreaming mind gifts you. “Dreams require action,” as Robert Moss has said. So, do something to honor the dream. In addition to ceremonial prayer, one of the other ways I have done so is through creating art. I have made paintings based of what I saw and sensed in my lucid dreams, as well as collaged images from ordinary dreams that threw me for a loop as a way to process and understand them in deeper and deeper ways. Poetry or song are other possibilities. And since we are talking about bio-hacking here, be sure to visit your doctor anytime a dreams shows you a possible or potential illness or medical condition brewing. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Happy 2024,

Dr. Kim

3 types of extraordinary dreams

~ kimberly mascaro ~ 2 Comments

This June 2023 blog features an open-to-the-public talk I gave on May 11, 2023 at Hollyhock Leadership Institute in Canada. I hope you enjoy it.

Most nights, dream recollections can be quite ordinary, reflecting our daily concerns. But sometimes, we experience dreams that are quite extraordinary.

I’ll share with you three dreams from each of the following three extraordinary dream categories: Announcing Dreams, Visitation Dreams, and Health-related Dreams. Some of them are my own, others have been previously published in my books.

So what are Extraordinary Dreams? Consider these features:

•Vivid, intense, unforgettable, precious and/or meaningful

•Rare, unusual quality, not easily explained, anomalous

•May include clairvoyance, precognition, telepathy, an extension beyond ordinary thinking

These descriptions typically make up extraordinary dream experiences.

The 1st type of extraordinary dream I’d like to tell you about are Announcing Dreams.

Announcing Dreams can be considered pre-birth communication between (most often a ) parent & fetus before conception or birth.

These dreams are high-sensory (visual, tactile, auditory) dream perceptions leaving the dreamer believing that genuine communication has taken place.

Consider these examples:

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1) In her first trimester of her first pregnancy, the dreamer dreamt of a baby girl. The infant, visually appearing to be about eight months old, exclaimed, “I’m not your baby.” Shortly after this abrupt dream, the dreamer miscarried. Later that same year, another dream occurred with a slightly younger looking male infant visually appearing and stating, “I’m your baby and my name is Travis.” 

This second dream was as abrupt and as clear as the first, as well as convincing. The dreamer birthed a male child the following year.

2) Not yet a mother, the dreamer had experienced many challenges with becoming pregnant over the years. She prayed and prayed for a baby girl. While taking a break from it all, the dreamer dreamt of a huge, adult-size male baby, leaning on her bed, kneeling on the floor. The dreamer saw this extra large baby boy watching her and her husband sleep. As the dreamer arose to take a closer look, he said, “I’m coming.” 

The dreamer conceived about a month after the dream, and was in such disbelief that medical confirmation was necessary. She birthed a male child the following year. 

3) While in a bad relationship, and in her first trimester, the dreamer was contemplating whether to continue the pregnancy. Then, she dreamt of sitting with a little boy. The sight of him prompted lucidity. The boy would not answer her when she asked if he was her baby, instead he told her that he would like to be named Peter. The dreamer told him NO. The dreamer said that she felt like “this was a person speaking to me.” A few months later, the boy reappeared in dream, sitting next to her, calming her silently. She knew he was going to stick around. When she gave birth to a male newborn some months later, she did not name him Peter.  She believed they had already met.

Another type of extraordinary dream I’d like to tell you about are Visitation  Dreams.

A Visitation Dream involves a dreamer experiencing a dream with the deceased in such a way that the dreamer believes they’ve received a visit from a departed loved one.

1) It is a warm, sunny day. I see my beloved Nonni sitting on a structure, like a cement block, in a park. She is having a lively conversation on a cell phone, even though they were not common when she was living. “How strange,” I think. I have a good feeling when I see her. She’s wearing a pretty violet and blue dress… As I greet her with a touch and a kiss, I can feel her and I can smell her.

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2) I’m on a train. Several extended family members (all deceased relatives who have died during different periods of my life) enter through doors, but not all at once. Some are already seated, while others enter through different train doors on the same long train car. We quietly acknowledge each other. The train is moving again. Some prepare to exit as the train approaches its next stop. Then, they begin to leave, some together, some solo, getting off at different stops, exiting through different doors. I am not going with them. I do not protest. After all, I know they are dead. I have my own stop, my own door. I have some awareness that I am dreaming.

3) I’m in my bedroom looking out the window onto the grassy courtyard on a bright and sunny day when he (a recently deceased neighbor) approaches me on foot. I see him walking toward me and notice that he appears younger and easily walks without his cane, practically floating. We make eye contact during our greeting and there is a brief telepathic engagement. I’m happy to see him. He seems full-of-life. When I woke up that morning, my heart was warm and I felt very grateful for this experience, albeit a brief one. There was a sense of great peace. I knew that he was just fine, and that he was not completely ‘gone’ forever.

A final type of extraordinary dream I’d like to tell you about are Health-related, particularly pointing to a brewing chronic health issue before the dreamer is diagnosed.

1) I’m in my vehicle and I’m the driver. I safely arrive at my destination but it’s overheated. I see the little symbol lit up indicating that the vehicle was operating too high. I worry about how I will get back/make the return trip. It’s best to drive slower and not use the air-conditioning system. It is necessary to look out for how much I drive and the manner in which I drive. This can prevent overheating. 

2) I’m with a group of female friends. One of them, who is an experienced Lukumi practitioner, does something that feels divinatory – a charting of some kind. It’s circular and reflects various symbols, images and words. I don’t recognize it, but it is something related to my health. They give me directions and instructions for something I need to do for my health. Do I need a special practitioner? Is it something huge? I need to figure out what my body needs …. I’m assured that this issue isn’t huge or life-threatening, but it is a message to attend to my body and psyche and to give it what it needs. I need to make adjustments, take certain vitamins or something but I don’t recall exactly. 

3) The toilet becomes clogged, and explodes. Fecal matter shots upward about four feet high in a powerful stream, like a volcano erupting. There is a huge mess. I tell the landlord who connects me with a local company to correct the incident. But this team is only prepared for a minor incident and gives a superficial response. I’m pissed off by this so I give passioned speech regarding what I expect, as this incident is a big deal. 

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Now there are many additional health-related dreams that are quite extraordinary in that the dreams provide direct advice regarding HOW to manage the illness or disease, post diagnosis. However, we’ll stop here (just as I did at the in-person talk so there could be time for discussion and questions). Since you are reading this online, you may ask questions or share an extraordinary dream of your own in the comments.

Thank you for reading about my 3 favorite extraordinary dream categories!

I’ll be giving a workshop in Ashland, Oregon in just a couple weeks at the 40th annual conference for the International Association for the Study of Dreams. Consider attending – registration is open. Go to: asdreams.org

I can guarantee you’ll have a truly memorable experience! If you see me there, please say hello!

Kindly,

Dr. Kim

24/7 dream medicine

~ kimberly mascaro ~ Leave a comment

While I can say that I cultivated Dream Medicine so that I might acquire an intimate relationship with my personal ‘inner physician,’ I must admit that Dream Medicine found me, naturally, organically. I did not find Dream Medicine, or go hunting for it. But…we can if we need it.

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About a year before I was consciously aware that I must navigate my own healing journey, vivid nocturnal dreams unfolded consistently. At that time, they provided warning and direction. Some are still unforgettable!

I’ve given nocturnal dreams explicit attention since the time I began formulating my research question for my doctoral dissertation. But as a long-time student of hypnotherapy and meditation, waking dream visions were also important in my life. Therefore, I can say that in practice, Dream Medicine centers working with dreams along the continuum of consciousness. Yes, we can be conscious 24/7, however, this is no easy task, rather it is a skill developed with serious long-term dedication. Waking, dreaming, and sleeping states make up a continuum of consciousness. Dream Medicine holds all states as equally valuable for connecting with one’s inner healing capacities and abilities, the ‘inner physician,’ if you will.

In general, everyone wants to be well, right? Some are not attuned to the profound realization that anyone, yes anyone, can tap into one’s inner healing magic. If we only look outward, we will miss it. 

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Dream Medicine found me, and taught me that caring for myself requires a holistic, multidimensional approach, existing beyond intellect, beyond rationality, and reasoning, beyond mechanical reductionism, beyond Newtonian physics. Now I can take what arises out of Dream Medicine and apply it in a cognitive decision-making process, but it is not birthed from that place. 

While we may consider it as a branch of the dream arts, I also consider Dream Medicine to emerge from powerful aspects of the Divine Feminine. We are more than our ordinary, waking-life self. We are creativity, we are intuition, we are energetic vibrations and frequencies, we are the weavers of the dreamtime, the all-at-once-time, and so much more. This supports our tremendous capacity for growth and what some call miracles. From that space, creative inspirations, enhanced wellness, ‘downloads’ from the divine, and immense healing potentials are abundant. 

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

If you’d like to share in cultivating such experiences and work with me in this way, please know that there is a unique opportunity to do so coming up this May 10-14, 2023 in Canada at Hollyhock Leadership Institute. 

First-timers are very welcome!

Join me for a holistic dream-based kickstart to live your one-of-a-kind dream medicine!

Here’s the link: https://hollyhock.ca/programs/5663/dream-medicine-a-conscious-dreamwork-retreat/

In this blog, I will also include some specifics about the retreat. See the list of learning objective below. I will expand on them in next month’s blog. But, don’t wait! If you want to attend, please register today.

 Participants of my Dream Medicine retreat will have the opportunity to:

  • Partake in gentle movement and nature walks for grounding & increasing conscious awareness.
  • Understand and learn about various types of extraordinary dreams.
  • Participate in daily guided meditations, experiencing deep relaxation.
  • Design a personalized sleep hygiene ritual for optimal dream-time.
  • Utilize trusted dream incubation strategies.
  • Learn about today’s dominant dream theories, and apply them in daily life.
  • Decode personal dream imagery.
  • Describe the benefits of using multidimensional strategies and tools for wellness and inner healing.
  • Be in community with like-minded people.

Last but not least, I value relaxation, solitude and space for reflection and contemplation, therefore this will not be a fast-paced retreat. I value and provide the time and space for one to digest the material and integrate direct experiences.

Thank you for reading about what Dream Medicine means to me and why it is so close to my heart! 

With gratitude,

Kim

lucid dreaming as a portal to afterlife communication

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Lucid Dreaming as a Portal to Afterlife Communication by Janet Piedilato, PhD (https://www.janetpiedilato.net/)

“The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the soul.”  C G Jung (Collected Works, 10, p 304)

Pere LaChaise lies east of central Paris, gathering place of such notables as Chopin, Champollion, Balzac, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, American’s Jim Morrison and over one million others.  It is a place of life, not death.  One emerges from the Metro at the stop which bears its famous name, Pere LaChaise, Father LaChaise, the eminent confessor to King Louis XIV,   Pere LaChaise, communicator between the voice of the sun king and the eternal divinity.  And so the journey begins, entering and coming down a long pathway ending with a monument, Aux Morts by Albert Bartolome.  It is an imposing monument, a mastaba, a funerary monument prevalent in Ancient Egypt.  It is how the Step Pyramid began its life, step by step added during the long years of birth, until it became the first pyramid.  Yet the mastaba remains as foundation.  And Aux Morts begins the journey for along its outer walls are the waking humans lamenting the passing of their loved ones as they await their entry through the False Portal that leads to no ordinary reality landscape but to the Everlasting, the Mansion of Millions of Years.  Here begins our journey to communicate with those passed over, we walking upon the earth, lamenting the departure before us of our loved ones, yet coming to the doorway to commune with them…..How?   With intention and with our ability to commune through the waking lucid dream, that is how.

For many a lucid dream is one where we are aware that we are dreaming, understanding during the dream that we are experiencing something beyond our waking reality environment.  I expand the experience of the lucid dreaming to beyond the sleeping state proposing that we can be awake while fully attending internal imagery.  Altering our focus away from the tangible proximal environment to the mental dreamscape allows us to experience a lucid waking dream while our critical observer is aware that we are physically situated in a particular location as our mind moves on the dreamscape.  While only a few may be able to experience a lucid dream while sleeping, many can experience a lucid waking dream. With this widened perspective we will be able to view shamanic journeying, trance meditation, and invited waking dreams as lucid experiences where we expand consciousness in service of increased understanding of life and afterlife.  We literally become walkers between the worlds, that of the physical tangible and that beyond waking limitations.  We will come to see how the waking lucid dream acts as a doorway, a portal to an empowering inner experience opening to afterlife communion and a greater understanding of our true nature beyond the physical. 

Introduction

“Tomorrow, at dawn, as the countryside whitens,

I shall leave. You’re waiting for me; I know.

…

I shall walk with my eyes closed in on my thoughts,

Seeing nothing beyond, hearing no sound,

Alone …

When I arrive, I shall place on your tomb

A posy of green holly and of heather in flower.”

Victor Hugo, Tomorrow at Dawn.

Victor Hugo said it well.  Tomorrow at Dawn speaks of his journey to the tomb of his young daughter Leopoldine.  He speaks of seeing nothing beyond his inner vision, hearing no sound from around him in waking as he focuses upon his meeting with her.  The true portal thus recognized as inside oneself.  The image of the Egyptian false door on tombs and temples that dot the landscape along the Nile reflect what is this deeply meaningful inner experience.  The portal on Aux Morts likewise reflects the meeting place between the here and the hereafter.  It is an experience open to each of us. And at this time when the veils are thin from Toussaints, All Saints, All Hallows, All Souls Day,  to the flowing end of the year is the perfect time to make the intention and seek our communication.

Trance, meditation, and shamanic journeying have been with humanity beyond measured time and each practices the opening of inner communion. They are examples like lucid dreaming where individuals are awake, focusing inwardly upon mental imagery while remaining aware of the waking physical environment.  A critical observer is thus in control of the experience, grounded in the physical proximal environment while we focus upon the dreamscape, gift of our imagination, the faculty by which we form mental images.  We literally become walkers between both worlds, external and internal.

Communication with those in the beyond can begin simply in an ordinary sleep time dream or in waking we can call upon them, stand before the portal between waking and dream consciousness to call them forward.  Sometimes the experience can be spontaneous as I relate the following unexpected experience.

I present a personal example of a meditation I encountered decades ago. Unexpectantly it took me to a deep afterlife communication.  It began with a simple rosary.  Kneeling on the floor with my rosary early one morning at 4 AM I had one of the big lucid dream moments.  My rosary practice then and now consists of repeating a simple prayer, the Hail Mary, over and again as my fingers touch my beads.  It was thus that one morning deep in the rosary praying that I suddenly found myself peering down from the ceiling of my room looking at my physical body kneeling on the floor below.   A voice communicated with me from the Afterlife, one I recognized.  I knew I was outside of time and space in that eternal space and I knew far more, understood more about my life than at any other moment.  I understood that whatever challenge or sorrow befell me it would all always be all right, the message of this communication so strong it came upon me as something I already knew yet had somehow forgotten.  It is difficult to articulate even now decades later the effect this had on me.   The communion was real, undeniable. The message unquestionably genuine.    It was unexpected and spontaneously generated.  I was able to reach that communion again and I began to share my experience and the manner in which I reached it with others.   Dawn, the liminal space between night and morning, the perfect time to rise and take the beads in hand to seek the lucid waking dream and communion with the Afterlife.  The simple repetition of a prayer while the fingers engage with beads helps us to open the portal taking us beyond the boundaries of the physical. The waking lucid dream in that experience happened while I was completely awake attending to my rosary.  While many might see my experience as an “out of body” experience I prefer to call it an “experience of expanded consciousness.”  Looking upon this experience we can embrace the idea of walking between the worlds, lucid, aware while sleeping or fully awake.

More recently a series of lucid sleep dreams brought me what many might call remote viewing or out of body experiences  (I call this expanded consciousness where my consciousness is still connected to my physical body while expanded far beyond its limitations. When my body dies then I can experience out of body, at least in my thinking) In any case I found myself in Pere LaChaise Cemetery in Paris.  I had no prior waking knowledge of this place yet in the dream I was certain of my location.  A communication came and I knew its sender who directed me to find that poem, At Dawn, something I likewise had no prior knowledge.  I listened well. There was another prominent voice that rose to communicate with me, a composer, his music filling me.  So strong were these communications that I booked my flight and followed the directive of the dreams.  I was not disappointed.

I spent two days visiting in flesh what I first saw in lucid dream. It was surreal to be physically in Pere LaChaise, an experience which defied words.  I yearn for more, something I hope to accomplish on future journeys..  And I rushed to two other places directed by the lucid dreams. One led me to Le Pantheon where upon the wall I found a memorial to one of my lifetime favorite authors, Antoine de Saint Exupery.  And thus his words come forth

“That which is essential is invisible to the eyes”

Antoine de Saint Exupery.  Le Petit Prince.

“Oh sleep that dreams and dream that never tires, Press from the petals of the lotus-flower something of this to keep, the essence of an hour!”~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

The other place I needed to visit was L’Eglise de Madeline.  An exquisite church, it was the location of the funeral mass for Chopin, one who connected with me during the dreamings.  I wished to sit in the Madeline and bring to mind Mozart’s Requiem which was played for his funeral.  Before I left I purchased concert tickets which featured Chopin, hoping in this way to honor him.  Yet upon arriving at the Madeline I found a poster announcing the memorial concert of Mozart’s Requiem in honor of Chopin’s funeral anniversary: October 30 1849- October 30 2022!  I had no idea that my journey landed me at this important time.  Immediately I purchased these new tickets and through an amazing turning ended up seated in the empty church, my two companions and myself, listening to over an hour of the orchestral rehearsal prior to listening to the entire memorial concert.  All due to the lucid dreaming which led me across the waters to follow them, and to affirm my lifetime commitment to memory, to the state of our dismemberment, and our journey toward rememberment, joining waking and dream consciousness to be healed, made whole, gently freed of the overwhelming ignorance of our true nature. Communion with those passed over was so powerful, so meaningful in both the lucid dreaming and the synchronicities manifesting in waking.  At Pere LaChaise we have the presence of the False door, the place of communion on the mastaba, like the many false doors in ancient Egypt, each pointing to the one inside ourselves.  

The Egyptian False Door: Knocking on Heaven’s Gate

“Arise, O great reed float, like Wepwawet (Opener of the Ways), filled with your spiritual power (Aka) come forth from the Akhet (Afterlife).”  The Pyramid Texts.  Alexander Piankoff.

While we have no written information on our prehistoric human rituals of communicating with the Afterlife, we are blessed with the abundance of a strong Afterlife belief system in the Ancient Egyptian culture.  The image above gives a view of one of the seven vaulted chapels in the Great Temple of Seti I in Abydos, Upper Egypt.  Center on its west wall  is the False Door. This is a door that does not open to a waking reality room but is intended to serve as a portal between the world of the living and that of the Afterlife. It was here at Abydos that priests would bring offerings and commune with the deities.  It was here that the communication would flow between one living and one passed over.  The living would remain aware of the physical chapel while focused upon the Afterlife communication,  the waking lucid dream.  Offerings were presented, physical or imaginal.  The Ancient believed in the power of the word and thus they created what is called a Voice Offering.  I present my abridged version here

An offering to Osiris, Lord of Djedu, great God, Lord of Abydos,

Of bread, beer, ox, fowl, alabaster, linen,

Everything good and pure on which a god lives

For the Ka of the revered one ( here the name of the deceased. ) ….

The False Door of Abydos is one of the many in the mortuary temple of Seti I, a pharaoh.  Yet there are many False Doors in the mortuary chapels of nobles.  A lovely example may be found in the False Door of the Mastaba of Perneb which can be visited in the Egyptian Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  Likewise there is a vast collection of False Doors on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo with others in museums all over the world.  They are simply a common feature pointing to the deep conviction of the ancient Egyptian people: The ability to communicate with those passed to the Afterlife.

 I frequently visit Egypt as well as visiting the Mastaba Tomb which graces the Metropolitan Museum nearby.  I often find myself standing before the ancient False Door reading the hieroglyphs above it.  A scribe, now passed thousands of years ago addresses me in the script he left for my reading:

Oh ye who talk upon the earth, please stop and speak a voice offering in honor of Perneb…..

Composed and chiseled into the wall by a scribe over four thousand years ago I find myself responding, bridging the centuries as I speak the voice offering articulating the ancient prayer presenting the incorruptible, of all things good and pure for Perneb…… And I continue, seeing the False Door, as a place of communion, not only with the deceased for whom it was created, but as a portal of communion with my beloved passed away before me.  The Door is behind glass presenting a division between where I stand and the opening to the Afterlife.  It is a narrow room and few tourists spend more than a few moments inside.  Alone, I shift my consciousness allowing the portal to open, allowing the images to rise on my mental landscape, allowing the communication to flow.  The Ancient Egyptian False door is so symbolic of the portal beyond waking perception, a doorway to Communication with the Afterlife, all accessed via the lucid waking dream.

Awake and yet no longer solely attentive to physical environment each of us is capable of becoming walkers between the worlds, communicating with what is physically absent, eternally present in the Afterlife.

Nobles and workers who had the opportunity and the funds and time, created mortuary chapels and put aside additional funds for priests to conduct offering prayers for them at the False Doors within their chapels.  The mortuary chapels and temples were seen as a place where the living continued to interact with the deceased. The prayers and offerings were presented to the Great Lord, the deity, in the name of the deceased as the living continued to commune with them. The False Door was not the sole place of Afterlife communication as it is suggested that in some households there were areas, rooms set aside as chapels in which mortuary stelae or ancestral busts of dead family or ancestors were kept as a place for convenient communication.

In summation:

The shift in consciousness, the altering of the focus from the sensory generated view of the external world to the imaginally generated dream reality ushers in the lucid waking dream state which offers one the opportunity to commune beyond the limitations of the physical world.  The False door of Aux Morts at Pere LaChaise like the  Ancient Egyptian False Door brings to mind the place of communion where one upon the earth can make offerings leading to a communication with the Afterlife. It is a powerful reminder of the empowering nature of our dreaming mind.  We can expand our understanding of the False Door as a place, a portal within ourselves, where our conscious focus turns from the physical to view the imaginal world as we enter into the experience of Afterlife communication via a lucid waking dream.  With one foot in each world we step beyond and open the possibility of Afterlife Communication.

Our beloved awaits our arrival… Meeting through our lucid dreaming….

I’d like to thank Dr. Janet Piedilato for contributing to the Conscious Chimera blog!

If you’d like to contact Dr. Piedilato, join her courses, purchase her dream tarot deck and book, or simply read her bio, you may do so here: https://www.janetpiedilato.net/

meditate while you ZZZ

~ kimberly mascaro ~ Leave a comment

How many people would say meditation and sleep make strange bedfellows? A lot, I’d gather. Allow me to convince you that those people would be wrong!

Sleeping and meditating have the potential to blend together easily in the right conditions. With practice, it is very possible to be aware in a lovely meditative conscious space while the brain is in deep sleep. Enter the fascinating realm of Yoga Nidra, a centuries old practice, brought to us by people of India.

So what exactly is Yoga Nidra, you may be wondering?

Yoga Nidra is a sleep-based meditation designed to remove mental and emotional disturbance and rejuvenate the body. Yoga Nidra is composed of a structured series of breath, body and awareness techniques which progressively drop you into deeper brainwaves where your thoughts effortlessly move further away from you. It is in this gap between the thoughts that you can effortlessly experience restful meditation.  The body can deeply heal and rejuvenate, excess mental stimulation ceases and you awaken energized and focused. The more we rest as the silence behind the mind, the less we are disturbed by its unhelpful chatter—even while awake. Like meditation, Yoga Nidra can be used for medical, restorative and spiritual benefits alike to support one’s own goals and intentions.

What makes Yoga Nidra unique?

Most styles of meditation simply involve observing and allowing thoughts from a place of silent stillness. However, Yoga Nidra effects shifts from the state of meditation with the use of intention. In Yoga Nidra you are free from identification with deep-seated thought patterns that are constantly shaping and creating your mind, emotions, and even your body. With the use of intention you can consciously plant a seed to shape and create the state of your mind, emotions and body from the subtlest states of being very quickly and easily. This style of Yoga Nidra I was taught by Kamini Desai, PhD, and John Vosler is called the Integrative Amrit Method (IAM). They say it is like making changes to water versus ice.

The big difference with this particular method is that the focus is on energy as the point of entry into meditation. This released energy in the body increases the healing potential available during an I AM Yoga Nidra™ and typically takes most practitioners into deeper states of meditation more quickly. That is why this style is often known as “the deep one”.

You can learn more about this method here: https://amrityoga.org/yoga-nidra/

Let’s look into the process of Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra is practiced in a comfortable lying down position. Typically, one lies on a yoga mat on the floor with just a little padding under the head so that the spine stays in alignment. Something under the knees allows for extra comfort as well – some use a pillow or bolster for this. For those that cannot lie comfortably on the floor, a bed, couch or reclining chair are preferred. During yoga nidra body temperature may drop, so having a blanket next to you in case you need it is a good idea. Some people also like to use an eye pillow for extra darkness – I love eye pillows!. As the yoga nidra experience begins, you will be guided through a series of breathing exercises and simple instructions. Some of these include visual imagery or a scan of the body, which occupies the mind and prevents it from becoming involved in the usual mind-chatter that absorbs our ordinary consciousness. Within a short time, you become submerged in the alpha state…then go even deeper.

Ah…it’s sooo relaxing.

Now if you’ve read this far, let me tell you why I’m blogging on this topic today. Firstly, it is my three-year anniversary of earning my Yoga Nidra Certification. When I entered this whole yoga nidra thing seriously, it was early 2019, and honestly, I wasn’t sure why I was propelled to do it. But before the year came to an end, I understood. This brings me to the second reason. The following month, after earning my certification in September 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. As you can imagine, I had some big decisions to make and, naturally, anxious energy flowed through me night and day. So guess what? I used Yoga Nidra (sometimes twice a day) to calm my nerves and instill a state of calm. I had the direct and long-term experience to discover how effective it is. Through Yoga Nidra, I was able to relax and focus much more so than I was at that time able to with other forms of meditation I knew so well. To this day, I offer free Yoga Nidra every Wednesday to a growing online community. You’re invited! Just reach out.

Lastly, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to my teachers at the Amrit Yoga Institute. Check them out here: https://amrityoga.org/

Jai Bhagwan,

Dr. Kim

got insomnia? turn down mind-body-spirit noise!

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Is insomnia in your self-descriptive vocabulary? I hear this regularly among patients in my clinical practice. Maybe you experience insomnia or sleep next to someone who does. Sleep is natural, but why do so many people struggle with it? Insomnia seems to have become the new normal. Would you agree?

No one is alone here. Sleep disorders are a major concern for millions of people, including young children. Loss of restorative delta sleep (~ 0.1 – 4 hertz)  – that’s the deepest level of sleep –  and loss of REM sleep are both related to a slew health issues, both physical and mental. In Dr. Matthew Walker’s (2017) Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of  Sleep and Dreams, he writes, “No facet of the human body is spared the crippling, noxious harm of sleep loss” (p. 133). Sleep loss negatively affects all major systems of the body, including the immune and sympathetic nervous system. Research also shows how cancers are linked with getting 6 hours or less of sleep each night and over-exposure to light at night. There is good reason for making some changes!

Photo by Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush on Pexels.com

But what is sleep? Sleep is holistic, intimately tied to many areas of life. This includes our relationship with the deepest part of our-self, our inner world.

The underlying organizational and foundational structure of sleep is natural  cycles or rhythms (think circadian, ultradian, etc.), body temperature, and a sense of inner peace, according to sleep specialist and clinical assistant professor, Dr. Rubin Naiman of University of Arizona.

Challenges to getting good sleep are much, much more than a biophysical issue. Most people these days are aware of the psychological consequences of sleep loss, such as increased thought distortions, and mood disturbances, as well as loss of attention, concentration, and memory. In children, sleep deprivation leads to what adults describe as ‘behavioral problems.’ It’s really the same with adults. But beyond this, how many are aware of the social and instinctual aspects of sleep?

For those with insomnia, we might consider what we have imposed upon ourselves. One question to ask ourself is “What do I consume?” Beyond consuming food (with lower nutritional value today than decades ago), we also (over)consume various forms of stimulation such as light (electricity, screen time), information (24 hour news), fluids, and energy (aka heat/arousal). Then there’s additional stressors – the good old fashioned kind – such as the quality of our relationships. Chronic inflammation, which underlies all major diseases, and hyperarousal (do you run hot?), which is behind insomnia, are associated with consuming excessive energy/stimulation (aka noise).

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The good news is that we can reset ourselves, just like a pendulum clock. Exposure to nature light early in the morning is the best way, according to some sleep specialists. Greet the sun each morning  – use the moment to connect with Source through meditation or prayer.

Last year I wrote an article which included 10 sleep hygiene tips – Find it here: https://dreamstudies.org/dreammedicine/

And here are a few additional suggestions. In the PM hours, get into a solid ‘sleep hygiene’ routine. Furthermore, use substitutions, such as swapping out coffee (or alcohol) for teas, elixirs, or mocktails. We can also add a 30 minute yoga nidra session into our day or evening. Yoga nidra is a guided sleep-based meditation that “helps restore autonomic nervous system balance,” according to yoga expert, Dr. Kamani Desai. Yoga nidra turns down the heat. This is one antidote for sleep loss (and the tension that builds with ongoing insomnia) since it is designed to gently guide practitioners into deep sleep. It’s so relaxing! If you’d like to join me for yoga nidra, email me. For almost three years now, I have facilitated free yoga nidra sessions. At this time, I invite you to my free, virtual yoga nidra offerings on Wednesdays (6pm Pacific Time) – since it’s online, you can enjoy the relaxation from the comfort of your home. If you prefer pre-recorded sessions, two links to audio recordings can be found near the middle of this page: https://consciouschimera.com/professionalservices/

Since insomnia is much more than a biomedical condition, if you’ve made positive bio-psycho-social-enviromental changes (you’ve turned down the noise) yet still struggle to sleep, you may consider melatonin therapy or pharmaceutical medication. If so, consult with a functional medicine doctor (FMD) or naturopathic doctor (ND) for proper melatonin usage (especially to learn about its anticancer properties) or with a psychiatrist for pharmaceuticals. Like physicians, psychiatrists have earned a M.D., however the vast majority of primary care physicians do not have the training in sleep and psychopharmacology. So, a psychiatrist is recommended. NDs and FMDs are extremely helpful as well. Remember that integrative care is highly supportive, so if you choose to use medication for sleep, you might want to continue with a sleep hygiene routine, and know you are always welcome to join my free online yoga nidra group. If you want to use psychotherapy to treat insomnia, there is also CBT-I, that is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia – the gold standard, with no side effects. I use CBT in my private practice when appropriate as do most therapists. Feel welcome to contact me for support here, especially if nightmares are involved – just click on the Therapy tab on my website, ConsciousChimera.com

Wishing you deep rest,

Dr. Kim

another dream conference begins…

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Due to orchestrating a major relocation, I took about six weeks off from writing. The break was helpful. For a short while I forgot that I blog. Sometimes that happens in life – we turn our attention to pressing matters and lose touch with our routine. 

Now that things are starting to settle, I can give my full attention to what’s occurring at the moment. That is, the 39th annual conference of the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD). This year, it’s being held in Tucson, Arizona, at a beautiful resort, and Day 1 of 5 begins tomorrow evening. Join us for a day or even the full conference if you are nearby! 

What’s especially enticing is the keynote presenter line-up. I’m really excited to get to see Dr. Stephen LaBerge for the first time. He is one of the few researchers responsible for putting lucid dreaming on the map of western science. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, lucid dreaming is when a person is dreaming while knowing they are dreaming. Prior to LaBerge’s work at Stanford University’s Sleep Laboratory and the work of a handful of other dedicated scientists, the ability to dream fully conscious, that is lucidly, was highly doubted. Even with countless credible anecdotal reports of the phenomenon, those in academia and the sleep research field thought the notion of lucid dreaming was ridiculous. Today, lucid dreaming has been demonstrated in hundreds of sleep studies and has become a hot topic – you can find dozens of symposia on lucid dreaming at IASD conferences.

If you are not a natural lucid dreamer, not to worry. Lucid dreaming is a skill that can be taught. With practice, one can enhance that skill and, well…the amazing adventures await you. Sure, dreaming with awareness can make for great fun, yet it can also offer a space (a dream space, of course) to practice and develop talents and abilities such as improving your golf swing, developing a poem or new musical piece, exploring far away places, and solving challenging math problems. There’s much more one can do while lucid in a dream, but hopefully those examples were enough to whet your appetite.

During a spontaneous lucid dream not terribly long ago, I used my dream awareness to see if I could get some answers to health-related questions of great concern. My dream began as one typically does, then suddenly, something in the dream prompted lucidity and with that spark of awareness, I recalled the health challenge I was facing. I realized this was a precious opportunity, so I called out to the dream space: “Dreaming mind, how do I heal this condition?” and (after a response was given),  “Dreaming mind, what is the root cause of this condition?” The responses I received offered guidance, information, (and some surprises) so that I could consider how to proceed in my healing journey (If you plan to attend this year’s IASD conference, consider sitting in on Tuesday’s Health and Healing Dreams panel, where you’ll find me, along with two colleagues, sharing our research and personal experiences on this topic). 

So why wait until a diagnosis is given? Why not use lucid dreaming as a tool now, at this time in life, in order to inquire into what the physical body may need? There is so much to be explored and discovered through experiencing this phenomenon directly, personally. This is gnosis – knowing through direct experience – rather than through theory or someone else’s descriptions. Direct revelation is powerful, and very personal.

If you are interested in lucid dreaming and want to learn more, including the eastern perspectives and spiritual aspects of this practice (known as dream yoga), check out my book, Dream Medicine: The Intersection Between Wellness and Consciousness (2021). There, you will find multiple perspectives and see what the dozen plus professionals I interviewed have to say about dreaming. Dream Medicine also includes tips, techniques and strategies to get you lucid asap. 

May you know good health. May your dreams be your medicine!

~ Dr. Kim